When at length the Jews had attained to fome tolerable sense of religion, and were fo well attached to it, and confirmed in their hopes of the Meffiah, as to be fit to communicate the fame to the Gentiles; to whom they were by this time fufficiently known; and these alfo, by what they had heard of the Jewish prophets, and seen of their facred books, together with their own improvements in philofophy, were able to receive, and relish a more perfect inftitution; when both Jew and Gentile, had been prepared to expect a new revelation; when they began to want it the moft; and were most sensible of their wants; and therefore like to be the most difpofed to accept, and apply the proper remedy: and when the state of the world was such, as most of all favoured the communication; and helped to fecure the continuance of it: when the dark, fabulous ages were well over; and fucceeded by one remarkably learned and historical: when arts, and sciences, and commerce, had extended themselves, together with the Roman empire, and language, over most parts of the world; and thereby opened a way for any new discovery, and enabled mankind, in general, with ease and expedition to search into, and thoroughly manner as Pere Lamy's is, and is built much after the fame plan which is there given.' Comp. Bernier's voyage to Surat, &c. Collection of Voyages, &c. Vol. VIII. p. 237. An account of Jews and Jewish customs discovered in China, Bengal, and Madagascar, as alfo in Africa and America both North and South, may be feen in the authors referred to by fenkin, Vol. I. c. 2. p. 104, &c. and many more in Fabricius, Lux Ev. from c. 32. to 50. or Bafnage, Hift. B.vi. and vii. where we have an ample account of their being fpread over the four quarters of the world. Comp, Travels of the Jefuits, Vol. II. p. 27. note. and p. 264, &c. roughly examine it: and more particularly, when that part of the world which was to be the scene of all this, had just been reduced to a Roman province, and thereby exact accounts were taken of its state and inhabitants; so that the person who was to work this great reformation in religion there, could not be long hid from the rest of the world: when the government of it had likewise been put under fuch a form as was extremely fuitable, and even neceffary to the due exercise, and full execution of his ministry: in this period of the world Chrift came;-nor could he, as far as we can fee, have come fo opportunely at any other. Whoever attentively confiders these several circumstances, though he may not perhaps allow every one of them; yet he will, I believe, find something so remarkable in many; especially in that extraordinary coincidence of so many; as may induce him to think, that there might be very good reason for deferring this difpenfation to fo late a period. And though I am very far from imagining this to be the whole of the cafe, or supposing that we can discover all the reasons of it; yet I truft, fo many have been already pointed out, as may ferve to justify the divine conduct in this refpect: at least, I hope, we may be allowed to say, that there is fomething in them. And thus it appears that God has all along acted equally for the good of mankind, in matters of religion; though in very different man ners, ners, according to their different circumftances and capacities; that his feveral dispensations have been gradually opened, fo as regularly to rise out of, and improve upon each other; — and that the state of knowledge, and perfection in the world, has hitherto been increafing. The very fame method might be fhewn to be continued under Christianity itself; if it were not too much beyond the subject of this discourse, It was in its infancy in Chrift's time; who communicated the things of it to his disciples, by little and little, as they were able to bear them *; beginning with the plainest, and most obvious laying the foundation, and first principles of the doctrine, during his miniftry, and converfation with them after his refurrection +; and leaving the more full opening of it till the defcent of the Holy Ghost; which likewife led them gradually into its feveral truths. For fome time the apostles themselves were ignorant of Chrift's true office; and the nature of his kingdom. They could not conceive that he was to fuffer, and die for the whole world ; they expected nothing but a tem poral Mark iv. 33. feb. xvi. 12. The Chriftian Religion was not properly fet up in the world during the life of Chrift, though he was the illuftrious and divine author and founder of it: and the reafon is plain and obvious, viz. because many of the peculiar glories, duties, and bleffings of it, as they are defcribed in the Acts, and in the facred Epifles, did really depend upon thofe facts which had no exiftence in Chrift's own life time, viz. his death, refurrection, afcenfion, and exaltation. Watt's Harmony of all the Religions which God ever prescribed, c. 10. + As i. 3. Luke xxiv. 27, 44. As to the Fall, fee Bp. Gibson's 3d Paft. Let. fect. 3, 4, and 6. For the reafons of it, fee Mifc. Sac. Ef. i. p. 157, &c. || Matth, xvi. 22. Luke xviii. 31, 34. 2 poral prince*; and thought that his kingdom was to be confined to a remnant of the Jews †. Even after the defcent of the Holy Ghoft, St. Peter wants a particular revelation to convince him that the Gentiles were likewise to be admitted ‡: the disciples with him are astonished, that on them also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost ||; and others of the brethren contend with him about it §; and afterwards prevail on him to diffemble it **. Many yet infifted on the point of circumcifion (+); and most of them concluded that christianity, and the world itself, would speedily come to an end††. And though a much larger and more comprehenfive view of the whole scheme was given by Chrift himself, after his afcenfion, to St. Paul, that chofen veffel; who was endowed with greater accomplishments, and a larger stock of learning, and who laboured more abundantly than they all; Matth. xx. 21, &c. + Ads i. 6. and c. x. Vol. II. B. iv. fect. 6. The use of this may be seen in Div. Leg. ↑ Aas x. 6, &c. xi. 5, &c. v. Benson, Eff. on Infpiration. Paraphr. p. 319. || A&s x. 45. § Acts xi. 2. * Gal. ii. 11, 13. (†) A&ts xv. 1, 5. ++ See Burnet, de Stat. Mort. et Ref. c. 7. p. 145, &c. Clarke, Serm. 21. on Job. xxi. 22. 11 Gal. i. 16, &c. See Mifc. Sacr. Eff. ii. p. 40, &c. and Locke's Synopf. to Comm. on Ephef. Concerning the propriety of chufing this apoftle at that time, fee Locke, Reasonableness, p. 508. Works, Vol. II. 2d Ed. What is meant by his gospel, and that it was not contradictory to what the other apoftles had delivered, as is fo frequently affirmed by Morgan and Bolingbroke, fee Locke on Rom, xvi. 25. with Whitby on Gal. i. 7. all*; yet perhaps it may be queftioned, whether he alfo was not left in fome degree of uncertainty about this last point (H), to which the Aurvonta in feveral of his writings, taken notice of by St, Peter, [2 Ep. iii. 16.] are with great probability supposed to relate +. be In this refpect, the Christian inftitution may faid to have been but in its childhood, even under the apostles. We find it for fome time mixed with Judaifm ; and subject to carnal ordinances: 1 Cor. XV. 10. the (H) Comp. Rom. xiii. 11. Locke, ib. [contr. Taylor in loc, p 352.] 1 Cor. i. 7. and xv. 51. 2 Cor. v. 2, 3, 4. and i Theff. iv. 15, 16, 17. with Grotius, and Wall's note on the last place. Add Grot. Append. ad Comm. de Antich. Op. Tom. IV. p. 475. Lorth on Infpir. p. 725. 2d Ed. or Benfon's Append. to Paraphr. on 1 Tim. v. 23, &c. Whifton on Rev. Cor. 2. [contr. Whitby, 2d Difc. after 2 Ep. The] and note p. P. Since, as our Saviour has declared, of that day and that hour knoweth no man, we have the lefs reafon to be surprised, if its coming be spoken of indiftin&tly, and on fome occafions repre fented in general terms as being near at hand to all. But if this notion feems too harsh, the thing may be folved otherwife more eafily, upon a fuppofition that the time of each man's death is, in refpect of himself, really contiguous to that of his refurrection. A doctrine which not only St. Paul, but two other apoftles alfo, St. James and St. Peter, feem to have taught very exprefsly, and which appears to deferve a little more attention than is ufually given to it. This point is very well proved by Taylor, ib. p. 354, 355, though he there feems to have declined entering into the ground of it. For which, see the last discourse here annexed. + Vid. Mill. Proleg. paffim, et Whitby in 2 Pet. iii. 16. Indulgendum et dandum quid erat ingenio Legi Mofaicæ et Inftitutis Synagogarum affueto, donec tandem quidam ad altiorem deducti ætatem fponte hos apparatus morefque defererent. Bohmer, de extraord. prim. Eccl. Statu. Ed. 2. Diff. xii. p. 420. Ratio nafcentis Ecclefiæ non permifit, ut eodem momento omnia emendarentur quæ Scholis Judæorum accepta referenda, &c. Id. ib. P. 428. See Edward's Survey, p. 598, &c. As to their outward way of living, they conformed themselves to the rest of the Jews, obferved all the ceremonies of the law, even to the offering of facrifice; which they continued to do as long as the temple was ftanding. And this is, what the fathers called, giving the fynagogue an honourable in 2 ter |