of common sense and historical reading will dare attempt. There is another objection which unbelievers have pressed into their service, and which they frequently urge against the inspiration of Moses. They tell us that it is natural to suppose that the Jews have avoided intermarrying with any other nation, in consequence of their being strictly forbidden to do so, by one of the plainest injunctions of their law. Now this objection, to say the least, acknowledges that the Jews have always believed in the divine authority of the law which was given by Moses, and that they have given substantial evidence of the sincerity of their faith, by resisting one of the strongest temptations which inclination and interest could lay before them: For the most ordinary understanding cannot avoid perceiving, that had they mingled with other nations by intermarriages, they would soon have lost their national indentity, and thus escaped all the persecutions and sufferings through which they have waded, for nearly 1800 years. Of this, the Jews have always been sensible; and yet, notwithstanding their ardent desire to be free from such persecutions, and their unutterable dread of such sufferings as they have experienced, they are, and have been so disposed, by the overruling providence of God, as to maintain their separate character, amidst the most astonishing oppressions and miseries which have ever fallen to the lot of any nation or people upon the face of the globe.

The weakness of the objection which we are considering will be perfectly apparent, if we reflect for a moment, how trifling the offence of intermarrying with other nations would have been, compared with other offences which they committed, times without number. The principal object to be secured by prohibiting their intermarriages with other nations, was to preserve them from one of the most powerful temptations to which they would be exposed, of joining them in the rites of idolatry: And yet how often did they forsake the worship of God, and bow down to the idols of the heathen! How often did the prophets complain and lament that the Jews caused their children to pass through the fire as an offering to Moloch, contrary to the express command of God?

It was impossible for Moses, or any other man, to foresee, by any human calculation, that the Israelites would not break every command which they had received, forsake every ordinance of their law, amalgamate with other nations, and in a short time be swallowed up in the great mass of human population, so as utterly to lose their national identity and character: Human wisdom, supported by general observation, would surely have anticipated such a result, instead of embracing a conclusion that was contrary to all precedent, and which still stands without a parallel in the annals of all nations.

Nothing but the confident assurance, that what he uttered was the voice of God, could ever have induced Moses, or any reasonable man, holding the high and honorable station which he filled, to venture such assertions as these predictions contain. And their accurate and astonishing fulfilment, entirely justifies the confidence with which he announced these great events to the tribes of Jacob.

Had not his predictions been fulfilled, his writings would long since have fallen into disgrace, and his name sunk to oblivion; or been preserved only in story, as an example of daring presumption and mad imposture. But, thank God, his memory lives in the hearts of his wandering and dispersed countrymen, and his name stands enrolled in the records of undying fame, as the prophet and friend of God.

There are other prophecies, which have been recorded by Moses, still more astonishing than any which have yet been brought under consideration; and whose fulfilment is so clearly marked by history, as to settle, for ever, the question of his divine inspiration.

There are also a few popular objections to the writings of this prophet, which experience and candor call us to consider. These, I beg leave to inform the audience, will be the subject of our next Lecture.

And now, my brethren and friends, let no inferior subject divert our minds from the investigation of that divine truth, which is so important to our hopes and our happiness. And may heavenly wisdom direct us in the pathway of understanding, and secure to us "that good part which shall not be taken away."

LECTURE IX.

ST. JOHN V. 46, 47.

"Had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?"

In my last Lecture, some of the prophecies of Moses were brought forward, and carefully compared with the history of their fulfilment. Many of my hearers were doubtless satisfied of the divine inspiration of that prophet, from the evidence then adduced. But since it is obvious that much depends upon the prophetic inspiration of Moses, and that the credibility of those who followed him in the prophetic office, will derive additional strength from the overwhelming evidence of his inspiration, it is not inconsistent with the design of our present labors, to lay other prophecies, which have been recorded by him, before you, and the historical evidence by which their fulfilment is placed beyond a reasonable doubt. The prophecies which have been recorded by Moses, and which now present themselves for consideration, are, in some respects, peculiarly strange and astonishing. That they stand without a precedent, and challenge a parallel in the annals of all ages, has long since been asserted and proved, both by Jewish and Christian writers.

The text which we have chosen as a motto to direct our thoughts, asserts that Moses wrote of Christ. Although many passages of his writings have a direct reference to the Saviour of the world, and might be urged with great propriety, in confirmation of this truth; still we shall forbear to notice any which do not appear to be of the first importance to the great object of our present labors; or, which are not supported by such historical evidence as will commend itself to the reason and understanding of my hearers.

It has before been shown, not only by the evidence of history, but by the acknowledgments of those who affect to disbelieve the whole testimony, that the Jews sincerely believed in the divine legation, and prophetic inspiration of Moses. This fact, therefore, renders it expedient for me to advert to one of the prophecies recorded by him, which, perhaps, more than any other, has baffled the arts, and confounded the arguments of the most learned among the descendants of the house of Jacob.

The passage to which I allude is recorded in the book of Genesis, xlix. 10. "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come and to him shall the gathering together of the people be."

The name Shiloh, signifies a Saviour, a Peace-Maker. The plain import of the language here employed, is, that the sceptre should not depart from Judah, or Judah should not be destitute of one to sit upon the throne of authority, or one to give laws to the house of Judah, until the Saviour and Peace-Maker should make his appearance in the world; and it therefore directly implies, that after this illustrious character should appear, the sceptre, which is the token or emblem of authority, should depart from the house of Judah, and that there should be no one to give laws to that nation, from among the ancient tribes: At least, that no legitimate authority, or independence, should be possessed and exercised by them.

Even

That this prediction was literally fulfilled, every attentive reader of history will bear me witness : For there never was a time, from the days of Moses, until after the captivity of the Jews, by the Romans, in which they were not governed by Rulers of their own appointment during the Babylonish captivity, the Jews it is said were permitted to be governed by their own laws; and appoint their own Rulers; in such a manner as not to interfere with the established laws of the Babylonish Empire. is further evident from the story of Susanna, that the Jews had Judges and Elders in Babylon, who governed them, and decided matters in dispute juridically according to their laws: For it appears that this woman was condemned to be stoned to death by the judges, upon the false tes

timony of two of the Elders, who were, however themselves condemned to suffer that punishment in her stead, as the just demerit of their perjury. It is also contended by Don Calmet, that the refuse of the Israelites were left in Judea, during this famous captivity, and were governed by Josiah, and other kings of Judah.

Should it however be doubted, that during the Babylonish and other captivities, the Jews were governed by their own Rulers; we reply, that some of the most eminent Jewish writers have entirely obviated the objection to the application of this prophecy to the Messiah, on that account For the Targum of Onkelos renders the passage thus-"There shall not fail from Judah one exercising dominion forever; until king Messiah come." The obvious import of this rendering is, that the power of government should not be entirely removed from the Jewish nation at, or during any period, until the Messiah should make his appearance. This is substantially the sense and meaning of the Christian interpretation. And it is just to remark in this stage of our inquiries, that Onkelos is supposed to have lived sometime before the birth of Christ, and has always been esteemed by the Jews, as one of the most able, faithful and literal translators and expositors of the Hebrew text.

My Brethren, I might with a great degree of confidence, forbear to quote any farther evidence of the application of this prophecy; but I deem it prudent, at least, to furnish other testimony. The Targum of Jonathan, and that which is termed the Jerusalem Targum, render this passage thus," The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until the time when the king Messiah shall come. "" Thus it appears undeniable, that the most respectable authorities among the Jewish writers have clearly applied the prophecy under consideration to Christ, the annointed Saviour of the world. The Targum, or exposition of Jonathan, is supposed by some to have been written about thirty years before the birth of Christ-that of Onkelos a little later, and that of Jerusalem unknown; though some critics have considered it still more ancient. These have always been held in the greatest esteem by the Jews, and are therefore quoted as