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and fourscore years. But after the captivity they were dispersed, unless the Essenes, of whom we have spoken before,* succeeded them. It is certain that they followed the same kind of life.

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6thly, Among the number of sacred persons we may likewise put the Patriarchs. Such were Adam, Noah, Abraham, and the rest, since they did the offices of Priests, offered sacrifices, and taught, religion at home and abroad, in proportion to the light they received from God."

7thly, The Prophets are also of this number, and were raised up in an extraordinary manner for the performance of the most holy functions. They were at first called Seers, they discovered future things, they declared the will of God, and spoke to both kings and people with a surprising confidence and freedom. Prophecy was not always annexed to the priesthood; there were prophets of all the tribes, and sometimes even among the Gentiles:+ and the office of a Prophet was not only to foretell what should afterwards come to pass, it was their business likewise to instruct the people, and they inter preted the law of God; insomuch that the word Prophet sometimes signifies an Interpreter or Teacher. But of both Patriarchs and Prophets we have already spoken.-See page 6, and page 122.

* See

page 189. + Numb. xi.

CHAP.

CHAP. VI.

The Jewish Confession of Faith.-Doctrine of Original Sin.-Opinion of the Messiah's Kingdom.

NOTHING

THING more facilitates the understanding of an author, than the knowing what ends he proposed to himself in writing; and we can never well understand what these views were, unless we know what were the dispositions, sentiments, and customs of those for whom he wrote. For an author always adapts his discourse to all these things; he either touches upon them transiently, or he maintains them, or he refutes them. And from hence it is easy to perceive, how useful it is, in order to understand the Gospel and apostolical epistles, to know what were the opinions and usages of the Jews, at the time when the authors of the New Testament wrote. By Jewish opinions I do not mean the precepts and doctrines of the law, but certain traditions, which they pretend were left them by their fathers, which are now found in the Talmud, and which the Jews, who are strict adherents to their customs and ceremonies, do yet observe to this day.

The Confession of Faith, which contains thèse traditions, consists of thirteen articles, but they are not all equally antient. The ninth, which declares that the law of Moses cannot be abolished by any other law, was evidently drawn up against the Christian religion. This ConfesM m

sion

sion of Faith, as represented by Buxtorf in his treatise de Synagoga Judaica, is as follows:

1. I firmly believe, that God, blessed be his name for ever, is the creator and the master of all things; and that every thing was, is, and will be made, for him alone.

2. I firmly believe, that this Creator of all things, blessed be his name for ever, is one, by an unity peculiar to himself, and that he alone has been, is, and will be our God.

3. I firmly believe, that this Creator, blessed be his name for ever, is not corporeal, nor can in any manner whatsoever be conceived to be corporeal, and that there is nothing in the world. that is like him.

4. I firmly believe, that the Creator, blessed be his name for ever, is eternal, and that he is the beginning and end of all things.

5. I firmly believe, that the Creator, blessed be his holy name for ever, ought alone to be worshipped, exclusive of any other being.

6. I firmly believe, that all the words of the prophets are true.

7. I firmly believe, that ail the prophecies of Moses our master (May his soul rest in peace!) are true, and that he is superior to all the Sages, who went before or came after him.

8. I firmly believe, that the law which we have now in our hands was given by inspiration to Moses.

9. I firmly believe, that this law will never be changed, and that the Creator, blessed be his holy name, will never give another.

10. I firmly believe, that the Creator, blessed be his holy name, knows all the actions and all

the

the thoughts of men, as it is said, he hath formed the hearts of all men, and is not ignorant of any of their works.*

11. I firmly believe, that the supreme Creator rewards those who keep his law, and punishes those who break it.

12. I firmly believe, that the Messiah must come, and though his coming be delayed, I will always expect it, till he does appear.

13. I firmly believe, that the dead will rise at the time appointed by the Creator, whose name be blessed, and his glory magnified throughout all ages, to all eternity.

The Jews were so strictly attached to the worship of the true God, long before the birth of Jesus Christ, that no remains of their former inclination to idolatry, was observed in them ;† and therefore neither Jesus Christ nor his apostles cast any reproaches upon them on that account. But because they received several other doctrines, which it is of some importance to know, besides those contained in these thirteen articles, I shall therefore give an account of them, beginning with that which relates to the birth of man.

The Rabbins acknowledge, that there is in man a fund of corruption; and the Talmud

*Psalm xxxiii. 15.

The true reason, why the Jews were so prone to idolatry before the Babylonish captivity, and why they were so cautiously fixed against it ever after that captivity, plainly appears to be this, that they had the law and the prophets read to them every week in their synagogues after the captivity, which they had not before: for they had no synagogues till after it. Prid. Con. P. 1. B. 6. Under the year 444. p. 308, 309, of the Fol. Edition.

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speaks of original sin thus, "We ought not to be surprised that the sin of Eve and Adam was so deeply engraven, and that it was as it were sealed with the king's signet, that it might be thereby transmitted to all their posterity; it was because all things were finished the day that Adam was created, and he was the perfection and consummation of the world; so that when he sinned, all the world sinned with him. We partake of his sin, and share in the punishment of it, but not in the sins of his descendants."

The Rabbins teach, that the wounds which were made in man by sin, will be cured by the Messiah; but they say there will be two Messiahs, one of which shall be put to death, and the other shall appear with glory. As to the time of his coming, they acknowledge that their fathers believed that the space which the world was to last was six thousand years; that of these God appointed two thousand for the law of nature, two thousand for the law of Moses, and two thousand for the Messiah; and that, according to this account, the Messiah must have come much about the same time that Jesus Christ was born and died: but, say they, the iniquities of men, which are increased ad infinitum, have obliged God to let a great part of this last two thousand years pass away, before the coming of the Messiah. And they forbid the making of any computation of the years of his coming.

The Jews hate all the rest of mankind; they even think themselves obliged to kill them, unless they submit to the precepts given to Noah; and no body is with them their neighbour but an Israelite. And what praises soever they may give

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