and are altogether deftitute of any Governors & guide them. They neither have any fettled Abode, Lands or Poffeffions. How can the Scepter po fibly be faid then, not to be departed from them, when 'tis plain, they have loft all Things, their Privileges, Registers, Books of Genealogies, the means of diftinguifhing one another, nay, the Promis of their Reftauration, and the very Confolation of being able to hope with any fhadow of Probability, that God will ever gather together, or restore them again?

Thus again it appears, the fecond Part of this Prophecy is exactly fulfilled, who then can any longer doubt of the Truth of an Oracle fo clearly juftified by its Accomplishment, which is as 'twere fo clear a Comment upon it? And to defeat all the Objections that Incredulity can here oppote against us, we have no more to do, but fometimes to confult the Oracle, and fometimes it's Event. The Oracle affords us the following Argument. The Scepter was not to depart from Fudah, nor the Law giver from between his Feet, till the coming of Shiloh, but the Scepter is already departed from Judah; therefore it muft neceffarily follow, that Shiloh is already come.

From the Event, We take like wife occafion to argue in this manner, The Authority and Power of Governing it felf by its own Laws remained in the Tribe of Judah, till the Coming of Jefus Chrift; but exactly after his Death, it loft that Privilege and that Authority; it must therefore neceffarily follow from that, Jefus Chrift was that very Shiloh, at whofe Coming the Scepter was to depart from Fudab

Fudah, and till whofe Coming, there was always to continue a Lawgiver among that Tribe.

But 'tis no difficult Matter, after what has been faid, to prove with refpect to this Character of the Meffias, the three important Truths we have taken upon us to prove with refpect to all his other Characters. Tis no longer a question, Whether that be a true Character of the Meffias? And that it agrees to Jefus Chrift, and to none but him, 'tis manifeft in that the Scepter has been fo long departed from Judah; and that confequently it may truly be faid, that this Character would not be a true Character of the Meffias, if it had not been fulfilled in Fefus Chrift. The Oracle therefore ferves to illuftrate the Event, and the Event gives force to the Oracle. But let us now pass on to the rekt.

CHAP.

CHAP. VII.

Where we further examin the Time, in which the Prophets foretold the Meffias should

come:

TH

THE next Oracle to be confidered, which is that of the Prophet Haggai, is altogether as plain and exprefs as the former we just now exa mined. It extends from the third Verfe of the fe cond Chapter to the Tenth. And because 'tis of great import to us to be fully acquainted with the Connexion, and the true Senfe of it, 'twill not be amifs briefly to analyse it.

In the beginning of this Chapter, we are told, That the Word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel, by the Prophet Haggai; and this is what he faid to him in the Name of God: He fpeaks to him of the Second Temple, which was lately Rebuilded, and which he fuppofes, Firft, To appear in the Eyes of the whole World to be much inferiour in Glory to the first, Who is left among you, says he, that faw this Houfe in her firft Glory? And how do you fee it now? Is it not in your Eyes, in comparison of it, a nothing? Secondly, He would not however have this apparent difference in any wife to dishearten them, Yet now be strong, adds he, o Zerubbabel, and be strong, O Foshua Son of Fofedech the High Prieft.

Be

Be ftrong all the People of the Land, fays the Lord, and work, for I am with you, &c. Thirdly, He endeavours to perfwade them, That though God had not reftored to them all their former Advantages, and though the Glory of this Second Houfe (as he intimated before) was much inferiour in Glory to the firft, yet had he not departed from the Covenant he had made with their Fathers, Ac$cording to the word, fays he, that I covenanted with you when ye came out of Egypt, fo my Spirit remaineth among you fear ye not. Fourthly, And because God having not revealed his Glory in the fecond Temple in fo peculiar a manner, as he had done in the first; it gave occafion to doubt, Whether his Spirit would, as before, remain in the midft of the Jews, or whether he would fill this Second Houfe as he had filled the Firft, with the Glory of his Majesty the Prophet prefently diffipates that doubt, by a fignal and magnificent Promife: For he tells them, That in a little while God would work amongst them the fame Miracles, which he had wrought in the Days of their Fathers; that is, he would fhew his Power, as he did in the Days of Mofes, in the Sea, on the Earth, and in the Heavens; that he would then fhake the Nations, and haften the Coming of him they wished for; and that the House which they had Rebuilded, fhould be filled not with the Glory of Men, which meerly confifts in Silver, in Gold, which God has no need of, as being the works of his own Hands, but with the Glory of God, and the Peace he would fettle in it. For this is the true Senfe of the following words, which the Prophet further adds. For thus, faith the Lord of

Hefts,

Hafts, Yet once it is a little while, and I will soake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea, and the dry Land and I will shake all Nations,and the desire of all Nations she come, and I will fill this Houfe with glory, faith th Lord of Hofts. The Sylver is mine, and the Gold is mine, faith the Lord of Hofts, The glory of this latter House fhall be greater than the glory of the former, faith the Lord of Hofts, and in this Place I will give Peace, faith the Lord of Hofts.

In truth, how ftrong foever the Prejudices of the Rabbies may be, 'tis hard for them however to avoid being very much perplexed by such exprefs Texts as thefe. For the Truth which they repule on one fide fallies out upon them again on the other and cafts them into very ftrange Disorders. And indeed, How is it Poffible they fhould give any tolerable Answer to fome Questions, we shall Propose to them, without having Recourse to their ufual Way of Bantering.

:

In the first Place, We will ask them how they can reconcile that to their Tenets, that the Glory of the Second Houfe was greater then that of the Former Since the Second, neither had in it the Urim nor the Thummim, nor the Ark of the Covenant from whence God delivered his Oracles with a clear and audible Voice, nor Arons Rodd, nor the Man na, &c. nor the Fire which came down from Heaven, and was wonderfully preferved upon the Altar, to confume their burnt Offerings, nor laftly, the Spirit of Prophecy, which after the rebuilding of the fecond Temple was with-drawn from them, as the Rabbies themselves confefs?