purchasers could be found. Thus was accomplished the prophecy in the 68th verse of the chapter formerly quoted. A small number of them were allowed to remain in Judea, who afterwards had their strength recruited, by the accession of their countrymen from other quarters. In the reign of Adrian, A.D. 134, under the conduct of Barchochba, they revolted, and fell upon the Romans and Christians that were dispersed throughout Judea, and with the most outrageous cruelty put them all to the sword. Adrian, who was at that time at Athens, soon sent against them a powerful army under the command of Julius Severus. Their leader, who claimed to be the Messiah, was slain, with above five hundred thousand of his adherents. All their best towns were taken and demolished; they were expelled from Judea, and by a public decree forbidden to come within the view of their native land. Vast numbers were sold as slaves. Adrian is said to have built a city upon Mount Calvary, and to have erected a statue, in marble, of a swine over the gate that led to Bethlehem. No Jew was allowed to enter the city, or so much as to look at it, under pain of death. In the reign of Constantine, the Jews made another attempt to recover their city, and to rebuild their temple; but they were restrained by the Emperor, who caused their ears to be cut off, and their bodies to be marked for rebels, and in this condition they were dispersed, as fugitives and slaves, over all the provinces of his empire. Julian, the apostate from Christianity, before he set out on his expedition against the Persians, from his hatred to the Christians, rather than his love to the Jews, promised them, that if he was successful, he would rebuild the holy city of Jerusalem, restore them to their native country, and join with them there

in the worship of the great God of the Universe. Before he set out from Antioch, he issued orders, for the rebuilding of Jerusalem with the greatest splendour and magnificence. He assigned vast sums of money for the purpose, and gave it in charge to Alypius, who had formerly been his lieutenant, to superintend the work. It was undertaken with the greatest vigour and exertion. But horrible balls of fire, bursting forth near the foundations, rendered the place inaccessible to the workmen, who were repeatedly burnt, and forced by the fiery element to lay the work aside. For the truth of this fact we have the testimony of Ammianus Marcellinus, an heathen historian; and the confession of Zemuch David, a Jew, who acknowledges that Julian, was divinitus impeditus, hindered by God in this attempt; other historians also bear witness to the same purpose.

"And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest."-v. 65. They have been so far from finding rest, that they have been banished from city to city, from country to country. In many places they have been banished and recalled, and banished again. We shall confine ourselves to modern times, and only just mention their great banishments from countries very well known. In the latter end of the thirteenth century they were banished from England, by Edward I, and were not permitted to return and settle again, till Cromwell's time. In the latter end of the fourteenth century, they were banished from France, (for the seventh time, says Mazeray), by Charles VI, and ever since they have been only tolerated; but have not enjoyed entire liberty, except at Metz, where they have a synagogue. In the latter end of the fifteenth century, they were banished from Spain, by Ferdinand and Isa

bella; and according to Mariana, there were a hundred and seventy thousand families, or, as some say, eight hundred thousand persons who left the kingdom. Most of them paid dearly to John II, for a refuge in Portugal: but within a few years they were expelled from thence also, by his successor Emanuel. And in our own time, within these few years, they were banished from Prague, by the Queen of Bohemia.

"They should be oppressed and spoiled evermore; and their houses and vineyards, their oxen and asses should be taken from them, and they should be only oppressed and crushed alway."-v. 29, &c. And what frequent seizures have been made of their effects, in almost all countries; how often have they been fleeced and fined, by almost all governments? How often have they been forced to redeem their lives with what is almost as dear as their lives, their treasure? Instances are innumerable. We shall only cite an historian of our own, who says that Henry III, always polled the Jews, at every low ebb of his fortunes. One Abraham, who was found delinquent, was forced to pay seven hundred marks for his redemption. Aaron, another Jew, protested that the King had taken from him, at times, thirty thousand marks of silver, besides two hundred marks of gold, which he had presented to the Queen. And in like manner he used many And when they were banished, in the reign of Edward I, their estates were confiscated, and immense sums thereby accrued to the crown.

others of the Jews.

"Their sons and their daughters should be given unto another people."-ver. 32. And in several countries, in Spain and Portugal particularly, their children have been

• Daniel in Kennet, vol. 1, p. 179:

taken from them, by order of the government, to be educated in the popish religion. The fourth Council of Toledo ordered that all their children should be taken from them for fear they should partake of their errors, and that they should be shut up in monasteries, to be instructed in the Christian truths. And when they were banished from Portugal, "the King," says Mariana, "ordered all their children, under fourteen years of age, to be taken from them and baptized: a practice not at all justifiable,” adds the historian" because none ought to be forced to become Christians, nor children to be taken from their parents."*

Whoever has but a moderate acquaintance with the history of the last seventeen hundred years, and with the former and present state of that people, cannot but be astonished at the wonderful accomplishment of these prophecies. And, though the Jews never suffered much from men who have taken the name of Christians, they have suffered in despite of the spirit of Christianity, which prescribes good will to all the sons of men. The predictions of Revelation, with respect to the persecutions of the Jews, can no more justify the conduct of their persecutors, than its predictions with respect to our Saviour's sufferings can justify the conduct of his murderers. They who have been their unrelenting persecutors, seem never to have thought of any thing, but the indulgence of their own passions and appetites; and consulted the honour of the prophecies, just as much as those who fulfilled the other, in the condemnation of the Holy One and the Just.

In all Christian countries their condition is now greatly ameliorated. Every thing is now done to conciliate that unhappy people, and to provoke them to love and confi

• Bishop Newton's Dissertations on the Prophecies. Vol. 1, Dissert. vii.

dence. In Asia and Africa, however, no change for the better appears yet to have taken place. We shall here give the testimony of one who had the best opportunities of marking the state of the Jews in Asia, and whose penetration and integrity are unquestionable. "The Jews are scattered over the whole face of the East, and the fulfilment of the prophecies concerning them, is far more evident in those regions, than it is here among Christian nations."

The last great punishment of the Jewish people was in. flicted for their last great crime-their shedding the blood of the Son of God! And this instance of Divine indignation has been exhibited to all nations; and all nations seem to have been employed, by the appointment of God, in inflicting the punishment.

By express prophecy, the Jews were sentenced to become "the scorn and reproach of all people," and a proverb and by-word among all nations. "Now, that their stubborn unbelief should be a reproach to them amongst Christian nations here in the West, is not so strange; that they should be a proverb and a by-word among those who had heard the prophecy concerning them, is not so remarkable. But to have seen them (as I have seen them) insulted and persecuted by the ignorant nations of the East; in the very words of prophecy, trodden down of the heathen,' trodden down by a people who never heard the name of Christ; who never heard that the Jews had rejected Christ; and who, in fac, punished the Jews without knowing their crime; this, I say, hath appeared to me an awful completion of the Divine sentence."*