At the time of CHRIST's appearance the expectation of an illustrious person was general.

A

BOUT the time of our Saviour's appear

ance, there was an univerfal expectation of the illuftrious advent of a great prince. The atteftation of Suetonius is very express. "There "prevailed over all the Eaft an old and constant

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ly received opinion, that it was decreed by the "fates, that fomebody, about that time, fhould

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proceed from Judea, and obtain univerfal em'pire. This prediction, fays the biftorian, was "accomplished in Vefpafian, but the Jews apply"ing it to themselves, excited a rebellion. *" In almost the very fame words Tacitus, when mentioning the destruction of Jerufalem, cites this prophecy. "Most of the Jews were firmly perfuaded that there was an express declaration in the antient books of their priests, that at that very time the East fhould gain the afcendency,

and

* Percrebuerat Oriente toto vetus et conftans opinis: effe in fatis ut eo tempore Judæa profecti rerum potirentur. Id de Imperatore Romano, quantum eventu poftea patuit, prædictum Judæi ad fe trahentes, rebellarunt. Suetonius in Vefpaf. p. 735. Ed. Var. 8vo.

+ Pluribus perfuafio inerat, antiquis facerdotum litteris contineri, eo ipfo tempore fore, ut valefceret Oriens, profectique Judaa rerum potirentur. Quæ ambages Vefpafianum ac Titum prædixerant. Tacitus hiftor. Lib. 5. P. 401. Vol. 3. Dublin, 1730.

and fomebody from Judea acquire univerfal dominion. And he obferves, that this illuftrious prediction had taken fuch warm poffeffion of the common people among the Jews, that they were not compelled to refign their dependence on this prophesy but by a feries of calamities *." The antient books of the priests, which this hiftorian mentions, were undoubtedly the facred writings of the Old Teftament, which contain thefe exprefs predictions, which at that time excited univerfal attention. A clear proof this, from the atteftation of pagan writers, how general and how ardent the expectation was of the speedy advent of the Meffiah.. Jofephus bears his teftimony to the prevalence of this univerfal perfuafion. "What principally excited them, fays he, to this war, "was an ambiguous oracle found in their facred writings to this purport.-That about that time σε a certain perfon fhould arife from their country "and rule over the univerfe. This prediction

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they embraced as folely regarding themselves, "and many of their wife men were deceived in "their application of it-this oracle being accomplished in Vefpafian, who in Judea was cre"ated emperor +." It appears from the New Teftament

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Vulgus, more humanæ cupidinis, fibi tantam fatorum magnitudinem interpretati, ne adverfis quidem ad vera mutabantur. Tacitus, ibid.

+ Το δε επάραν αυτές μάλιςα προς τον πόλεμον, ην χρησμος αμφιβολα ομοίως, εν τοις ιεροις ευρημενο γραμμασιν, ὡς παρα τον καιρον εκεί

all

Teftament how prevalent the expectation at † that time was, that there would very speedily rise ant illustrious prince to fway the fceptre of univerfal monarchy. This was what they expected, who waited for the confolation of Ifrael, and for redemption in Jerufalem. This was what incited the Jews to flock, with fuch eager and impatient fteps, to John's Baptifm, in fuch prodigious crowds, from parts of Judea. This was what engaged the Clergy to interrogate him with fuch ardent hopes and vehement earneftnefs, whether he was the great Meffiab, the Chrift of God, whofe appearance they fo paffionately expected. We fondly ima gined, faid the disciples who were going to Em-. maus, funk in dejection and defpair, that this was the perfon that should have redeemed Ifrael, that is, have redeemed Judea from its fubjection to the Romans, and made Jerufalem the feat and center of univerfal empire. This national perfuafion had taken fuch inveterate poffeffion of their minds, that after his refurrection they were tranfported to think that now he would

certainly

του, απο της χώρας τις αυτων άρξει της οικεμένης. Τουτο οἱ μεν ως οικείον εξέλαβον, και πολλοί των σοφων επλανήθησαν άερε την κρίσιν. εδηλο δ' αρα περὶ την Ουεσπασιανς το λόγιον ηγεμονίαν, αποδειχθεντα επί Ιεδαίας αυτοκρατορα. Jofephus de Bello Jud. p. 128.3. Hudfon.

+ Says St. Paul: Now I ftand, and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, inftantly ferving God day and night, hope to come. As xxvi. 6, 7. For the HOPE of Ifrael am I bound with this chain. Ch. xxviii. 20.

tient Nineveh, that exceeding great city of three days journey. Few are the prefent fignatures in minor Afia and India, of Alexander's victorious armsfew are the standing memorials in Gaul and Britain to evince that there was fuch a perfon as Julius Cæfar, who fubdued the one, and invaded the other. But that there was fuch a perfon as JESUS CHRIST, who lived, died, and rofe again, and founded a fpiritual empire of religion, the prefent ftate of all the republics and kingdoms in Europe demonftrates. The customs and ufrges, that obtain in every nation, neceffarily imply a caufe and reafon, to which they owe their origin, and fuppofe a date, from which they commenced. Religious inftitutions universally regarded, religious folemnities univerfally celebrated, lead the enquiring mind through paft ages to the period at which they began-to the perfon or perfons who eftablished them-and to the fources from which they flowed. All national ufages are public monuments of fails-and are standing proofs, through all fucceffive times, that the perfons, whofe memory they thus embalm, and the events, whofe importance they thus record, once actually exifted. We fee great numbers of vaft

and

The fituation of Nineveh was fought for in Lucian's. time. Zrnoquain, wowsph Nos. Lucian. E. Nineveh, fays he, is now totally demolished. There are now no veftiges of it remaining. It is impoffible to fay where it stood. Η Νίνος απολωλεν ήδη, και ουδέν ίχνος ετι λοιπον αυτης, ουδ' αν είπης De wor' ny. Lucian, ibid.

and populous kingdoms around us, all unanimously agreed in baptifing their offspring in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-in commemorating the author and finisher of their faith by the memorials of bread and wine-in worshipping the Deity through a mediator-in appropriating the first day of the week to religious worship-and in folemnizing the nativity, death, refurrection, and afcenfion of the author of their religion. How fall we account for inftitutions and ufages univerfally received in Europe, and univerfally practifed by all the various churches, fects, and denominations every where exifting? They were not inftituted in the prefent age-they did not commence in the times of our immediate ancestorswe find we can follow the facred ftream even beyond its fource into ages, when no fuch cufftoms prevailed, when there was no fuch religion as christianity, and when pagan idolatry and judaifm univerfally reigned. As certainly, therefore, as the prefent state of the Jews, their tenets, their ceremonious obfervances, their peculiar customs, their difperfion into all the nations of the world, yet remaining a diftinct feparate body through all the infinite changes and revolutions that affect kingdoms and communities, is an inconteftible proof, that there was fuch a legiflator as Mofes: fo certain is the conclufion from the stated folemn rites, that now universally obtain among all chriftian countries, that there once flou