3 t ther pretence, but this fhews how defperate a cause they are engaged in, which forceth them upon fuch Artifices; for we have the express Testimony of Tacitus, that he suffered under Pontius Pilate. They interpret Ifa. vii. 14. where it is prophelied that the Meffiah was to be born of a Virgin, contrary to the fenfe of their Fore-fathers, and therefore reject the ancient Translation of that Verse by the Septuagint, as * Justin Martyr urged against the Jews of his time; and Ireneus, after him, against the Ebionites. The Jews likewife, instead of they pierced my hands, and my feet, read, like a Lion my hands, and my feet, by a change of fod for Vau. The whole Verfe is thus ; For Dogs have compaffed me, the Affembly of the Wicked have enclofed me, like a Lion, my hands, and my feet, Pfal. xxii. 16. which not only makes no Senfe, nor is capable of any tolerable Expofition, as appears by the abfurd" Comments of Kimchi, Aben Ezra, and other Rabbins upon it, but is contrary to the Septuagint, and to the Hebrew Text, acknowledged by their own Mafora, which was compiled in the fixth Century. Thefe Texts, one proving Chrift's Birth of a Virgin, the other, his Death by the Crofs, are expounded by us according to their own ancient and most authentick Interpreters. In Origen's time, they expounded Ifa. liii. of the Nation of the Jews, not of any particular Perfon; though, as Origen argued in a Disputation with them, the tenor of the whole Chapter is a plain confutation of this way of expounding it, and especially thefe words of the 8th Verfe, for the Tranfgreffion of my People was he stricken. By the Perfon ftricken, cannot be understood the People, for whofe Tranfgreffion he is faid to have been ftricken X Juft. Mart. Dialog. Iren. 1. 3. c. 24. * Ib. §. 4. *But "Bochart. Hieroz. Part. r. 1. 3. c. 6. 1 a ? But they have found out another Evafion, by pretending that there are to be two Meffiabs, one the Son of Jofeph, who is to be a fuffering Meffiah, and the other the Son of David, who is to enjoy all manner of temporal Profperity and Power. Maimonides endeavours to difprove the fufficiency of Miracles to atteft a Divine Miffion, pretending that the Ifraelites were not convinced of the Authority of Mofes's Miffion, by his Miracles, but only by the Prefence of God upon Mount Sinai. Which is exprefly contrary to the declared intention of God in the Miracles wrought by Mofes, and is false in Fact for the People believed, when the Signs were done in their fight, Exod. iv. 30, 31. and they never had been fo ftubborn and rebellious, before the Commandments were given upon Mount Sinai, as they were afterwards. For before the Two Tables were brought down to them, they had made the molten Calf. But this is only a contrivance to evade the force of that Argument from the Miracles of our Saviour, which prove him to be the Meffiah, according to exprefs Prophecies. Maimonides was in fuch a perplexity in the cafe, that he fometimes affirms, and fometimes denies, that the Meffiah would work Miracles; and at other times, attempts to invalidate the defign and effect of them. b So plain is it, that the Prophecies which the Jews themselves of old understood of Chrift, are fulfilled in our Saviour, and fo unavoidably do they contradict all their own ancient Interpretations of Scripture when they will not allow them to be fulfilled in him : For that they are fulfilled, it is evident; and they can z Targ. in Cant. iv. 5. vii. 3. See Grot. ib. lib. v. §. 19. Bishop Pearfon, ib. * Ifraelitæ non crediderunt Mofi M. n. propter miracula, quæ patravit, &c. Maimon. de Fundam. Legis, c. 8. §. 1. Unde verò fola ftatio in monte Sinai eft Probatio de Prophetiæ veritate? ib. §. 3. In Mifn. apud Vorst. not. in Abravan. de cap. Fidei, c. 14. affign affign no other Perfon in whom they have been fulfilled. II. It was foretold by the Prophets, that the Law fhould cease upon the coming of the Meffiah. It is evident from the Prophets, that in fome Years after Christ, Jerufalem was to be no longer the feat of the Jewish Power and Government, nor the place of Worfhip. And their Prophecies fuppofe the Ceflation of the Jewish Law upon a two-fold account : 1. From the Destruction of the Temple. 2. From the Dispersion of the People of the Jews, and the Destruction of their City. 1. From the Destruction of the Temple. The Prophet Daniel foretold, that after the Meffiah was cut off, the Sanctuary should be deftroyed, and the Sacrifice and the Oblation fhould ceafe, and that there should be Defolation even until the Confummation, Dan. ix. 26, 27. Since the Sanctuary is laid waste and defolate, and by this Prophecy is never to be rebuilt, the Temple being the place of all their Worship and Solemnities; that failing, their whole Worship muft fail with it. And whenever the Jews have attempted to rebuild their Temple, they have been hindred from doing it, and particularly (as I have feveral times already obferved in the time of Julian the Apoftate, by miraculous and dreadful Judgments, related by Ammianus Marcellinus, an Heathen Hiftorian, who lived at that time, and by a Jewish Writer. And when they have been permitted to build them Synagogues and Places of Worship in all other Parts of the World, that Place alone has been denied them in which by their Law they were indifpenfably bound to worship. The Morning and Evening Sacrifice was to be at the Temple. The High Prieft was to enter into the Holy Place once every Year, with the Blood of one Sin-offering for himself, and of another for the People, Exod. xxx.10. Wagenfeil. Annot. ad excerpta Gemaræ. cap. 1. p. 236. d Levit. xvi. 2. All the Males were obliged to refort to Jerufalem, to worship thrice every Year; and the place of their Worship was more strictly enjoined than the time. For if any Man were upon a Journey, or Unclean, a second Paffover was appointed for him, but it could be obferved at no other place but Jerusalem, upon any occafion whatfoeyer, Numb. ix. 10. Deut. xvi. 5. And therefore, during the Captivity at Babylon, they did not celebrate thefe Feasts of the Paffover of Pentecoft, and of Tabernacles; how could they fing the Lord's Song in a strange Land & Pfal. cxxxvii. 4. Ceftius took Lydda without any oppofition, when the People were gone to keep the Feaft of Tabernacles at Jerufalem. And the Siege of Jerufalem by Titus, which ended in the Destruction both of the City and Temple, was begun at the time of the Paffover, when the whole Nation, fays Jofephus, was, by Fate, fhut up together, as in a Prifon, and the crowded City was furrounded with War. Thefe were figns that they were no longer God's peculiar People, nor under the protection of thofe Promifes, which by the Law were made to them, and had ever been fulfilled till the time of the Promise was expired. St. Chryfoftom blames the Jews of his time, for obferving the Law in the Countries whither they were difpers'd, which he proves to be contrary to God's Commandment, and to the Practice of their Ancestors. Julian fays, that the Jews did in fome places facrifice, tho' they could not perform that Worship as the Law prefcribed. But they feem to have facrificed rather to please him, than e a Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. 1. 2. c. 23. e Ib. 1. 7. €. 17. f Chryf. adv. Judeos, lib. 1. Tom. 6. Sav. Edit. 8 Oúsi í cv'Adegnois Iudało. Jul. apud Cyr. 1. 9. p. 305. Interpres vertit, facrificant quidem in fuis domibus Judai. Intelligendum verò de Adrato, in Arabia Petræâ, Paleftinæ confini, vel de aliâ quadam urbe; cum præfertim, nec ubique, nec fponte fuâ, fed Juliano potiùs auctore, facrificia obtuliffe Judæi videantur. of h of their own accord: for he complains, that they were very backward in offering Sacrifices, because their Temple was destroyed, and therefore he defigned to rebuild it. Which was a thing he had fo much at heart, that he had i refolved to attempt it again, if he had returned victorious from Perfia. The modern Jews confefs, that their Worship is impracticable in their prefent condition; they acknowledge, that they ought to offer Sacrifice no where else but at the Temple of Jerufalem; the obfervation of the Passover among them now, is without facrificing the Pafchal Lamb; they keep the Feafts of Pentecoft and Tabernacles without the appointed Sacrifices; and they obferve the Day of Atonement without the Sacrifice of Expiation. 2. The Destruction of the City of Jerusalem, and the final Difperfion of the whole Nation of the Jews proves, that their Law is at an end. Jacob plainly foretold both the coming of the Messiak, and the end of the Power and Authority of the Nation of the Jews upon his coming. The Sceptre fhall not depart from Judah, nor a Law-giver from between his feet until Shiloh come, and unto him fhall the gathering of the people be, Gen. xlix. 10. This Prophecy was by the ancient Jews always understood of the Meffiah, as is evident by the Targums; and it appears to be fulfil'd in our Saviour, both because the Jewish Government in his time was drawing towards its final Period, and because the People of all Nations have been gather'd to him, and have been made Profelytes to his Religion. The Sovereignty was in due time to be placed in the Tribe of Judah; which was fulfilled in David's being advanced to the Kingdom: And from that time, the Sceptre and the Law-giver, that is, the Power of their Arms, and the Authority of their Laws, was not fo to depart, as to become extinct, till the Meffiah came; which implies, that foon Jul. Epift. 25. Fragment. Epift. p. 295. u hlb. p. 324 after |