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for oftentation, we may be fure they would not have been wrought at all, if the Jewish Religion had been able to fubfift, like the Chriftian, by common and ordinary Means. If it ftood in need of fuch great external helps, it must have laboured under fome very great internal weakness. It is happy for us that fuch learned hands as my Lord Bishop of London, and Dr. Stebbing, have attempted to point out this original and inherent imperfection and defect.

"You fee now (fays his Lordship) upon "what Foot all the Prophecies in the Old «Testament stand, which relate to the tem"poral affairs of the Jewish nation; you fee "likewise the reason why this kind of prophecy has ceased in the Chriftian Church: "The Gospel is not founded in temporal promises; fo far from it, that we are cal"led upon to take up our Crofs and follow «Christ. The bringing in of these better hopes has vacated the promifes of the Mofaic "covenant, and 'tis expected of us, after fo "much light, that our Faith should be proof against the adverfities of the world, with" out the help of a Prophet to foretel, or to "reveal to us in every inftance the Will of "God."

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Now "the bringing in of better hopes "which has vacated the promises of the Mo"faic Covenant fince Chrift," plainly fuppofes that a good proof of a future state in the Law, would have vacated the promises of the Mofaic Covenant, long before. So that furely it can never be worth our while to contend that the Law did afford fuch a proof, if the confequence be the stripping and divesting it of the promises which relate to the present life.

When his Lordship therefore fo ftrenuoufly afferted this doctrine to the Law, it is pity but he had reflected, that the spiritual Promises can be only raised on the ruins of fuch as were temporal.

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Unbelievers will readily agree with his Lordship, in afcribing this doctrine to the Law, if he will but perfevere in what he here affirms, viz. that these better hopes would vacate the temporal promifes of the Mofaic Covenant. For as their sole aim

is to invalidate the evidence of Miracles, recorded in the Old Teftament; it is indifferent to them, whether they do it by his Lordship's Medium, or by any other.

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The learned Prelate obferves, that the Jewish Government, being a Theocracy, "leads us to expect a series of Miracles

in the administration, by the immediate hand of providence (a). That we might not fuppofe he speaks only of an extraordinary providence over the State in general, he informs us a little after, that these miracles were wrought for particular purposes, and in behalf of particular people (b).

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"We read in the old Teftament (fays his Lordship) of fome Miracles wrought in "behalf of particular people, and for parti"cular purposes.These are to be con"fider'd as acts of government, and suitably to "the character of God as King of Ifrael; for, "where the Government itself was divine, "no wonder to fee the measures of the Govern"ment to be of the fame kind. And this cha"racter of God being peculiar to the Jews, "is the reason why fuch Miracles were fre"quent under the Jewish Law, and are very rarely to be met with under the Gospel."(c)

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This may be confider'd as his DETERMINATION of the great point in difpute between Dr. Warburton and his adversaries, fince his Lordship makes an extraordinary providence, defcending to particulars and individuals, the neceffary confequence of a Theocracy.

(a) Sermons, V. I. p. 288. (6) 296. (c) p. 296, 7. Now

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Now as he agrees with the Author of the D. L. in afferting the Reality of this extraordinary providence; the Question will be, whether, to be confiftent with himself, he ought not to have agreed with him too in denying the Jews the knowledge of a future ftate. And here he seems to have DETERMIN'D the point against himself, by affirming, "That the

better hopes of a future life would have " vacated the temporal promises of the Law."

When his Lordship therefore afcribes to the Law a good proof of a future life in one Sermon, and the administration of an extraordinary providence in anather, he is attempting to join and bring together things, which he himself has declared to be incompatible.

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Serpentes avibus geminantur, tigribus agni.

Lord Bolingbroke affirms these two things, ift. That the Law has not the doctrine of

a future fate. 2. That the Jewish history " is utterly incredible, fince it abounds with "the relation of miracles, or divine and ex"traordinary interpofitions, and is not con"formable to Experience, and to the natural "courfe of Things." (a)

Now in oppofition to the first, the learned Prelate maintains, that the Law had the doc(@). V. 5. p. 344, 5. 8vo.

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trine of a future ftate. In oppofition to the fecond, he maintains that the Miracles, or divine and extraordinary interpofitions, were neceffary to fupply the abfence and omiffion of a future ftate. Thus, on different occafions, he makes no fcruple to affert against Infidels, both that the Law had, and that it had not the doctrine of a future ftate; that is, he finds himfelf obliged to affert and deny the very fame propofition in the very fame fenfe.

But can it be imagined, that the Followers of the noble Lord will permit him to suppose the abfence and omiffion of a future ftate in the Jewish Religion, in order to establish the reality of an extraordinary providence against their Mafter: And then, again, permit him to suppose that the Jewish Religion had a future ftate, against their Master, in order to remove what he objects to the divinity of it for want of this doctrine ?

The Law would have ftood in no more need of miracles and fupernatural interpofitions, or any foreign, extrinfic, and adventitious helps, than the Gospel, if the Jewish Religion had been established on the fame doctrine of a future ftate. For this Principle must have given the very fame force and efficacy

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