large part of each day, for a month after his death, near his perfon, which was not only dif ficult but dangerous, occafioned by the concourse of people from all parts, to receive their cures, and fome to return thanks for being healed; from which fucceffion of miracles turned forth fuch a prodigious ftorm of feduction that all the world feemed in a ftupor. Silly people, crying out without ceafing, that the dead beggar attefted his power with God. This called to our mind the feduction of Ifrael, we mean that part that fell from the covenant of our fa thers and joined in league with their leader, Jefus, whom they ftiled Chrift, purely through a reprobate spirit thirsting for novelty, and fu pernatural knowledge not lawful, or conformable to the ftate of man. Aaron & Eleazar. What you advance of the fupernatural powers, appertain, and is promised to none but our Meffiah and covenant; all pretenders are excluded. The 35th chapter of the prophet Ifaiah gives us this affurance: "The wilderness and the folitary place fhall be glad for them; and the defart fhall rejoice, and bloffom as the rofe. It fhall bloffom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and finging: the glory of Lebanon fhall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon: they fhall fee the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a feeble heart, be strong; fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and fave you. A a 4 Then Then the eyes of the blind fhall be opened, and the ears of the deaf fhall be unftopped. Then fhall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb, fing; for in the wilderness fhall waters break out, and ftreams in the defart. And the parched ground fhall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water, in the habitation of dragons, where each lay fhall be grafs with reeds and rufhes. And an highway fhall be there, and a way, and it fhall be called the way of holinefs; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it fhall be for thofe : the way-faring men, though fools fhall not err therein. No lion fhall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it fhall not be found there; but the redeemed fhall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord fhall return, and come to Zion with fongs, and everlafting joy upon their heads: they fhall obtain joy and gladnefs; and forrow and fighing fhall flee away." This, with the other prophecies and promises of scripture, would have been fulfilled according to the time. marked out by Almighty God, which was when Jefus and feveral other invaders appeared at the epoch that the chriftian herefy fixes its date or æra. All other pretenders were crushed in their infancy, but the chriftian chief by his inimitable magic has laid Ifrael under infernal fetters which we ftill wear. Joshua & Nehemiah. If Ifrael embarrass herfelf by claiming fupernatural agency, or power of miracles, and other fpiritual invafions on nature, as a divine quality promifed, and by which their Meffiah and new law or covenant fhall fhall be diftinguished or made known; fuch as. Ifaiah points out, and which you have just recited, "Given fight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, agility to the lame or impotent, and Speech to the dumb." If these be the indubitable marks by which the Meffiah and new law fhall be acknowledged and made known, and that the christian society are right in the date of their commencement, which was the time marked for the establishment of the new covenant by the Meffiah. If thefe are truths that cannot be impeached or controverted, and Jesus their legiflator, of the feed of Abraham, tribe of Judah, and lineage of David: if chriftianity is entitled and priviliged with these marks and fupernatural qualities; then the voice of the fupreme God has bestowed and granted her his divine documents, which will account for the flourishing ftate of the second covenant, and the wretched condition and deprived ftate of the first. If so, the Jews of all people on the face of the earth are the most miferable. This we muft grant, that a great part of our nation joined J fus, and became his difciples; that is, added the nfelves to his church prefently after his death, through warm perfuafive means, confirmed by inconteftible miracles daily and hourly laid before them, openly, publicly, and with the most confpicuous and clear evidence, even the miracle of miracles, and which have been frequent among them until our time, railing the dead, as their leader raised Lazarus after being dead four days; which enticement allured the multitude, and drew the greatest marks of respect from from them; they would forcibly have made him their king, which he declined; but would affemble and escort him in triumph into Jeru falem, (when they knew that he had raised Lazarus from the grave, and made ufe of the fupernatural powers; for at his word the laws of nature were fuperfeded, and all nature was fubject to his will;) with loud acclamation and fhouts of honour and applaufe, fo as to rend the air, with Hofanna to the Son of David; bleffed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hofanna in the highest. When should we make an end to bring the whole into view, which we know by evident proofs to be inconteftible? many have been proved by our immediate infpection, but as you have confidered what we have afferted concerning the late beggar Labre, as a mark of idiotifm, or, ironically to impofe our impiety on your credulity; it would be an intrufion to proceed, but only to remind you of what you have related with admiration, both Aaron and Eleazar, which is the extraordinary phenomenon of Catharine of Bologna, virgin abbefs of the poor Clares in that city; fhe died on the 9th of March, 1460; her body remains fresh, and fhewn in the church of her convent, fitting richly covered, but her hands, face and feet are naked. She is yearly dreffed, and her nails and hair, which grow as if alive, are cut; but why do we not come nearer home, I mean in our neighbourhood Antwerp? where is fhewn one who has been dead long fince; and on the day of his anniverfary, or commemoration, the bishop, affifted, holds him to the view of the affembly affembly or audience, as by its appearance, fresh and flexible. Edward the Confeffor, king of England, in Weftminster-Abbey. He died 5th of January 1066. In 1163, his body was incorrupt, the limbs flexible, and clothes fresh. One Ralph, a cripple, and fix blind men, were restored, in 1102, at his tomb, according to the most authentic records, when the body was viewed in the prefence of a number of spectators. To curtail the ma ter, if incorruptibility, miracles, and other fupernatural gifts are peculiar and fingularly to be attributed and affigned to the Meffiah and his covenant, Chrift and Christianity have undoubtedly obtained he promife made by Almighty God to our Father. Abraham; that in his feed all the n ions of the earth fhould be bleffed. And this prom fe was repeated to our fathers, Ifaac and Ja.ob. If you will a tend to the prophets, you will obferve it to extend and confirmed, without limitation, both to Jews and Gentiles. What, therefore, can we say, but that God has, in 'hese our last days, broke down the party-wall betwixt us and the Gentiles, and has bequeathed a general vifitation? The Lord our God has pofitively afferted, that though the children of Ifrael be as the fand on the fea-fhore, yet a remnant fhall be faved, and that his n .me fhail be magnificent among the Gentues; and that his Elect fhall bear (or be called b.) another name. Malachi farther confirms the other prophecies and declares, that the ficrinces of beafts fhall be laid afide and be annu lea, in the place of which a pure offering fhould be offered from the |