ever." The learned Bafnage, who wrote a fequel to the hiftory of Jofephus, remarks, that there are grounds for computing at not less than three millions of people, those who are of Jewish extraction, and [as their own expreffion is]" are witneffes of the Unity of God in all the nations of the world.".

The conftant" feparation of the defcendants of Ifaac from the reft of the world" is evident from the most curfory view of history, and the flightest acquaintance with the present state of the Jews. The means by which this diftinction has been produced and preserved, and the end for which it was appointed, will appear in the courfe of our enquiry, and we fhould find, upon examination, every circumftance of this diftinction either immediately fubfervient to this great end, or refulting from the means neceffary to preferve a perverse people from breaking down the wall of partition, which feparated them from their idolatrous neighbours. But I must content myself with afferting-what cannot be denied that the Jews, notwithstanding the varieties of times, circumftances, climates, and countries, through which they have paffed in the course of 3288 years, have ever been, and are to this hour, perfectly distinct

and very widely different from every other people upon the face of the globe, in perfon, manners, laws, and religion.

The third point in the Prophecy, that “the worship of the true God should be preserved among this selected people," is neceffarily connected with the fourth, reiating to " the peculiar protection, direction, and blessing to be vouchfafed to them from their God," and I fhall briefly confider them together. It is well known, not only from Scripture, but from the testimonies of Jofephus, Cheremon, Manetho, and Sanchoniathon, that the reafon affigned by the Hebrews to Pharaoh for their request to go three days journey into the wilderness, was, that they might worship the Lord their God-the God of their fathers That foon after they had been rescued from their Egyptian bondage by a feries of miracles, Mofes established the law "with figns and wonders, and mighty deeds," which directs, even to the minuteft circumftances, their civil polity, religious worship, and pri-. vate conduct; and promifes conditional blefsings and threatens conditional punishments to obedience and difobedience, which, as we shall find hereafter, were invariably performed-That this people drove out the in

habitants

P

habitants of the land of Canaan (who had then filled up the measure of their iniquities) with fignal marks of fupernatural power, and continued there under fignal marks of fupernatural protection, till their fins exiled them for 70 years to Babylon- That there was a fucceffion of Prophets from Mofes to Malachi, who maintained the worthip of the true God among a part of the nation, even when most addicted to idolatry, and foretold events near as well as remote, to prove the authenticity of their miffion, and recall the infatuated people to the worship of the Lord Jehovah - and that fince their return from the Babylonish captivity, this people, prone, as they had ever been before, to worship the Gods of the heathen, have never once departed from the worship of "their God," and the obfervance of their law. Now confidering the visible tokens of the Divine prefence and protection, with which they were favoured, previous to the captivity, and that these were in a great measure withdrawn after the building of the second temple, which had neither the cloud and glory that overshadowed the Ark, nor the Urim and Thummim, by which the High Prieft received an answer from God to the enquiries he was authorized to make, and that "no Prophet arofe in If

rael"

rael" for 400 years, i. e. from Malachi to John the Baptift; confidering too the dif ference of national circumstances, every thing in one cafe tending to preferve them in their own land, apart from every other people; and in the other, every thing tending to mingle them, as flaves, outcafts, and traders, with the nations who have conquered them, and among whom they have dwelt and fuffered fince their general difperfion; - the former prevalence of idolatry, and the latter inflexible adherence to their law, equally contradict all our notions of probability arising from human experience.

Where then shall we feek for an explanation of this uniform, this wonderful fingu larity of fate and character? It is written in this promise, "IN THY SEED SHALL ALL

THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED.

To this people was affigned, as we have seen, the glorious privilege of giving birth to the Saviour of the world; and I truft the evidence, which will be produced as we proeeed in this work, will indubitably prove, that this Prophecy was clearly accomplished: in the birth of Jefus of Nazareth-the Chrift the Son of God-whofe name be bleffed for ever!

With respect to the continuance of this wonderful diftinction from the birth of the Meffiah to the prefent hour, we must look to fuccceding Prophets for as clear an explanation as we can obtain from them, relative to events which are not yet fulfilled. The everlasting covenant which God was pleafed to make with Abraham and to his feed for ever, to be their God, and to give them the land of Canaan for an everlasting poffeffion, would fufficiently account for this continued feparation from the rest of the world; and this marked diftinction might be confidered as a fufficient pledge of the future accomplishment of this and other prophecies, relative to the return of the Jews to their own land. But we are authorized to believe, that they are thus preferved to be yet further instrumental to the execution of the great defign of univerfal falvation. And thus will this Prophecy appear to extend the peculiar covenant with the children of Abraham, to the final developement of the myfteries of God, concerning the prefent world. The confideration of this point must however be deferred to the fecond part of this work.

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