as we may read in a Book of theirs call'd a. And, unto this Day, many of them hold, that he is already come, but that, by reason of their Sins, he is not yet reveal'd to them.

Hence it is that my natural Reason draws me into this dilemma, that either that Book which the Jews receive as the Word of GOD, is indeed not fo; or else that they do not rightly apply it: and fo, that either their Religion is a falfe Reli-` gion, or else their Profeflion of it is a falfe Profeffion: And therefore I must go hence, and feek me fome other Religion to fix my Soul upon. Not as if my Reafon told me, that all the Prophefies that I have mention'd here were false in themfelves, but only that they appear fo to this fort of Profeffors; for, for my own part, I cannot shake off my Faith in this Law, which they profefs to believe in; efpecially now I have fo feriously perused it, and fo deliberately weigh'd and confider'd of it. Neither can I believe, that ever any Mahometan or Indian, that did, without prejudice, fet himself to read it through, and to examine every particular by the Light of unbiafs'd Reafon, could fay it was ever hatch'd in an Humane Brain; but that it is, indeed, of an Heavenly Stamp, and Divine Authority. E 3

And

And therefore, though I am forced by the ftrength of Reafon, to fhake Hands with this Religion, yet the fame Reason will not fuffer me to lay aside that Law which they do profess, but only their Profeffion of it. So that whatsoever Religion I settle upon, my natural Confcience ftill commands me to stick clofe to this Book of the Jewish Law, and to receive and entertain it as the Word of the glorious Febovak, the Being of all Beings.

Well, there is but one Religion more generally profefs'd in the World, that I am to fearch into, which if, upon good Grounds, I cannot fix upon, I fhall be the moft miferable of all Creatures; and that is the Chriftian Religion, fo nam'd from Jefus Christ, whofe Doctrine, Life, and Death, is recorded by four feveral Perfons, in a Book which they call the Gofpel: And this Book appears to me to be of undoubted Authority, as to the Truth and Certainty of those things that are therein recorded. For if they had been falfe, both the Perfons that wrote them, and He of whom they wrote, had fo many malicious Enemies ready, upon all occafions, to accufe them, that they had long ago been condemn'd for Lyes and Forgeries. But now thefe Writings having been extant for above 1600 Years,

and never so much as fufpected, but even, by the worst of Enemies, acknowledged to be a true Relation of what paffed in the World about that time; iny Reafon will not permit me to be their firft Accufer, but enjoins me to receive them under that Notion, in which they have been brought down to me through fo many Generations, without any Interuption whatfoever. For this general Reception on all hands, is a fufficient Ground for me to build my Faith upon as to the truth of the Relation, tho' not a fufficient Ground to believe every thing contain'd in the Book to be the Word of GOD himself: For, in this particular, it is not the Teftimony of o thers that I am to build upon, but its own. I may read its verity in Man's Teftimony, but its Divinity only in its own Doctrines.

This Book therefore I have alfo diligently perused, and find it exprefly afferts, that Jefus Chrift, whofe Life and Death it records, was indeed that Perfon who was fo long ago promised by GOD, and expected by the Jews: And that all the Prophefies under the Old Law, concerning that Meffiah, God-Man, were actually fulfilled in this Perfon; which if, upon diligent fearch, I can find to be true, I fhall presently fubfcribe both with Hand E 4

and

and Heart to this Religion. It is a comfort to me that it acknowledgeth the Jewish Law to be fent from GOD; for, truly, if it did not, my Conscience wou'd fcarce permit me to give any credit to it; being fo fully convinc'd, that that Book is indeed of an higher Extract than humane Invention, and of greater Authority than humane Inftitution. And therefore it is that I cannot, I dare not believe, but that every particular Prophefy contain'd in it, either is, or fhall be, certainly fulfilled, according to every Circumftance of Time and Place mention'd therein; and, by confequence, that this Prophefy in particular concerning the Meffiah's Coming, is already paft, the Time, wherein it was foretold he should come, being fo long ago expir'd. So that I do not now doubt whether the Meffiah be come or no, but whether this Jefus Christ whom this Book of the Gofpel fpeaks of, was indeed the Perfon. And this I fhall beft find out, by comparing the Chriftians Gofpel with the Jewish Law; or the Hiftories of Chrift, under the one, with the Prophefies of the Meffiab under the other; ftill concluding, that if whatfoever was foretold concerning the Meffiah, was fulfill'd in this fefus Chrift, then he was, indeed, the Meffiab that was to come into the World. And,

to

to make this Comparifon the more exact, I shall run through the feveral Circumftances that attended his Birth, Life, Death, Refurrection, and Afcenfion, and fhew how punctually the Prophefies were fulfill'd in every particular.

And firft for the Birth of the Meffiah, the Law faith, He was to be born of the feed of Abraham, Gen. 22. 18. and David, 2 Sam. 7. 12. and of the ftem of feffe, Ifa. II. I. From whence He is frequently called by the Jews, The Son of David. The Gofpel faith, Jefus Chrift was the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, Mat. 1. 1. The Law, that He was to be born of a Virgin, Ifa. 7. 14. The Gofpel, that Mary a Virgin brought forth this Jefus, Matt. 1. 18. Luk. 1. 17. 31. 35. cap. 2. 5, 6, 7. The Law, that He was to be born at Bethlehem, Ephrata, Mich.5.2. The Gospel, that this Jefus was born there, Matt. 2. 1. Luk. 4. 5,6. The Law, that he was to be brought out of Egypt, Hof. II. I. The Gofpel, that Jefus was called thence, Matt. 2. 19,20. The Law faith, that one should go before the Meffiah, Mal. 3. 5. and fhould cry in the wildernefs, Ifa. 40. 3. The Gofpel, that John Baptift did fo before Chrift, Matt. 3. 1, 3. Mark 1.2,3. The Law, that the Meffiab fhould preach the Doctrine of Salvation in

Galilee,