Reflexions upon the books of the Holy Scriptures to establish the truth of the Christian religion. Volume I in two volumes.

CHAP. XX.

That the whole Model of the Religion and Commonwealth of the Jews is at this day so entirely destroyed, that the Messiah could no more be known.

WHat I have before set down to establish the truth of those Facts which serve for a Foundation to the Christian Religion, is cer∣tainly sufficient to answer the design which I formed in writing these Reflexions upon the Books of the Holy Scripture; and I believe I may with justice conclude, That as nothing is more uncontestable than the truth of those Books and of the Facts in them related; so there is nothing more certain than the Truth and Divi∣nity of the Christian Religion. So that now I have only two things to do, with which I con∣ceive it will be necessary to conclude these Re∣flexions: The one is, to shew the absolute im∣possibility of conceiving any other accomplish∣ment of the ancient Oracles than what is set down in the Gospel: The other is, that con∣cerning the Divisions amongst Christians, which are a scandal to the Jews, and especially con∣cerning the difficulty of the Mysteries which the Gospel proposes, which are as so many stum∣bling Blocks to them which hinder them from discerning those Characters of Truth in the

Gospel, which by the fulfilling of the ancient Oracles, appear therein with so much lustre. The former of these shall be the Subject of this, and the latter of the next Chapter.

As the pulling down of the Scaffolds which were only set up to build a Palace, is an infal∣lible sign that the Building is finished, so one may say, that the total defacing of the Model, which God had formed in the Law, that the Messiah at his coming might be certainly known, is an unanswerable proof that he is already come. It is worth our pains to make some Re∣flexions on this overthrow, that we may con∣clude against the Jews, that if the Messiah was yet to appear in the World, it would be impossible to know him, according to the Cha∣racters which God had given of him before his ap∣pearing.

In the first place therefore, whereas God had confined the Jews to the Land of Canaan, that they might be visible to all the Posterity of No∣ah, of whom one part, that is, the Off-spring of Cham, possessed Egypt and Africa; the Poste∣rity of Japhet, Europe and the lesser Asia; and those of Shem the rest of Asia; the Jews at pre∣sent are driven from that Country, and far from being restored to it after Seventy years, as they were by Cyrus; they have been for ever banish∣ed thence, by a Decree of the Emperour Adri∣an, who forbad them so much as to turn their eyes towards Judea, which was in the Year of Christ 135. The Heathen Celsus insults over them in these remarkable words, They have no more, saith he, either Land or House remaining to them.

Secondly, So far were they from having any Remainders of a Temporal Power, that they were then wholly deprived of it. See what Ter∣tullian saith of them in the Year of our Saviour 204. They wander up and down the World like des∣persed Vagabonds, banished from their Climate and Country, without Man, without God for their King, and are not permitted, as Strangers, to set foot on their Native Soil. We read a Decree of Honorus the Emperour, which deprives them of the Right of nominating their Patriarchs, or of paying them any Tribute; which shews that their Authority whas wholly extinct.

Thirdly, Their Temple at Jerusalem being destroyed in the Seventieth Year of our Lord, as that in Egypt called Onion was the year fol∣lowing, it could never be built again, notwith∣standing that Julian the Apostate, out of his hatred to the Christians, favoured that Enterprise in the year of our Saviour 363. There is a Letter still extant which Julian writ to the Jews, to assure them of his Protection, and to encourage them to that work, but it was not so much his death which dashed that undertaking, as a very memo∣rable opposition from Heaven.

Marcelinus a Heathen gives us this account of it. And being desirous to propagate the Memory of his Government by the Greatness of his Works, he with

vast expence designed to rebuild the splendid Tem∣ple which was formerly at Jerusalem, which after many and bloody Battels, being besieged by Vespasi∣an, and afterwards by Titus, was at last taken with difficulty: he committed the care of hastning the Business to Alypius of Antioch, who had for∣merly been Pro-praefect of Britain. As therefore this Alypius was vigorously prosecuting the Work, be∣ing assisted by the Lieutenant of the Province, terrible Balls of Fire frequently breaking forth near the foun∣dations, sometimes burnt the Workmen, and made the place inaccessible: Thus the design was laid aside, The Element it self beating them back on purpose. Julian easily apprehended that their Religion would perish; and that it could never be restored without the Temple.

In the fourth place, The observation of some of their Laws was absolutely forbidden, as being contrary to those of the Roman Empire. Thus they were not suffered to have many Wives.

Upon this overthrow many inconveniences fol∣lowed, which it will be convenient to represent at one view.

1. They no longer know those persons who at the first Division of the Land by Joshua, were Owners of the different parts of the Land of Canaan.

2. Their Families and Tribes are confounded; their Jubilee, which could not be kept but in the Land of Canaan, and which obliged them to study their Genealogies, having ceased long since.

3. The Family of David is at this day utterly unknown.

4. They have no more lawful Priests to ob∣serve the Primogeniture, to examine the Tokens of Virginity, tho' it appears, that according to God's design, these Laws were given on purpose to ascertain the knowledge of the Messiah, and to be like Inclosures about this important Truth, in the compass of which it might be the better examined.

Certainly if the Jews were still in possession of Judea, if they had their Kings of the Tribe of Judah, if they had their Priests, if they were assured of their Genealogies, if they still enjoy∣ed all the other necessary means for establishing the certainty of their Descents, if their Temple had still subsisted in its former lustre, and that the Sacrifices appointed by the Laws were still offered there: The Jews might boldly answer that the Shiloh was not yet come, that is, they ought not to despair of seeing the Messiah born at Bethlehem, of the Seed of David, and entring the Temple of Jerusalem. Then the Prophecy of Daniel, which determins 490 years for the term in which the Messiah was to appear, and be cut off by a violent Death and Punishment, would seem to be eluded.

But the term of the Messiah's coming is past, the Commonwealth of the Jews is overturned, the Temple of Jerusalem is destroyed 1600 years since; there are no more Genealogies a∣mong the Jews, they do not know their Tribes, much less their Families: How then can it be supposed that God should be true in his Oracles (as we must acknowledge him to be) if they were never answered by the Event.

To speak the truth, it is impossible to consi∣der the Arguments we have alledged to prove that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, and especially those Demonstrations which the Apostles have given us, without acknowledging these two things:

The first is, That it was very easie at the time of Jesus Christ's appearing, to examine whether he who declared himself to be the Messiah, were so indeed; so it is absolutely impossible to exa∣mine it, or know it, since the destruction of that Model, if we suppose that God at first framed it, for the determining of this question, as we have no reason to doubt it.

The second is, That the Christians exactly followed this Divine Model, and being convin∣ced of the truth of the Facts which exactly cor∣responded with it, and which answered it in all its parts, they had all the Reason imaginable to believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah.

In short, if we consider it well, we shall find that the whole Christian Religion is nothing but a question of Fact between the Jews and Christi∣ans: But such a question as the Jews at present are not in a condition to maintain against the Christians.

Both Jews and Christians agree in the Chara∣cters of the Messiah, or at least about the most of them. According to these Characters the Messiah ought to be come: The Christians main∣tain that they may be found in Jesus Christ, and they prove it by matter of Fact; wherefore we must conclude, That either these Characters at∣tributed to the Messiah, are not proper Chara∣cters

to know him by, and so the Wisdom of God will be eluded, and both Jews and Chri∣stians equally deceived, in taking that for a Character of the Messiah which is not; or else that both the Messiah is certainly come, and and that He is no other than that Jesus whom we worship.

Notes

• Dispers••. pa∣labun•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 coeli, 〈…〉〈…〉 sui ext•• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 vagant•••• per orbe••, fine homine, fine Deo Rege, qui∣bus nec ad∣venarum jure terram patriam saltem ve∣stigio, s••lu∣tare come∣ditur. Apo∣log. cap. 21.
• Lib. 23. Imperiique sui memori∣am magni∣tudine operum gestiens propagare, ambitiosum quondam apud Hierosolymam Tem∣plum quod post multa & interneciva certamina, obsidente Vespasiano postea{que} Tito, aegre est expugnatum, instaurare sumptibus cogitabat immodicis: Negotium{que} matu∣randum Alypio dederat Antiochensi, qui olim Britannias cur averat pro-Praefectis. Cum ita{que} rei idem fortiter instaret Alypius, juvaret{que} provinciae Rector, metuen∣di globi flammarum prope fundamenta crebris assultibus erumpentes, fecere locum exustis aliquoties operatibus inaccessum: hoc{que} modo elemento destinatius repel∣lente, cessavit inceptum.