and by the prejudice of their education they thought them all true; but they were every one false, and the New Testament hath taught us how to answer them. Refutation of their first Error. GOD, they thought, had promised them the possession of this world in their father Abraham. To this we answer, that such could not have been the sense of the promise to them, because it never had been so fulfilled to Abraham to whom it was made. The life of Abraham had not been a life of possession and enjoyment, but of trial and pilgrimage, from the time when God first called him, to the end of his days. He was commanded to leave his country and kindred, and go out as a stranger into a land, which, as he had never seen, could only be an object of his faith. When he was removed into the land of Judea, no inheritance was given him in that land, not so much as to set his foot on he had no possession in it, but a place for a burying-ground; and that he paid for with his own money, that it might never be mistaken for a part of the promised inheritance. Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise, led the same kind of life, confessed themselves pilgrims and strangers upon earth, and died without receiving any possession in this world. How did it happen then, that their posterity, who had this history constantly before them, should make so fatal a mistake? How came they to be so ensnared by this world; so irrationally, so totally contrary to the example of their forefathers? The case was this: to the obedience of the law, which came afterwards, the rewards of this world were promised. Thus it came to pass, that the Books of Moses contained two sorts of promises. To the obedience of faith, such as was the obedience of the Patriarchs, the spiritual promise of the other world was given, as in those words of God to Abraham : "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great "reward." But to this the Jews were blind; and seeing the present world also promised to another sort of obedience, they fixed upon that, and there they stopped. The mire and clay of this world was from thenceforward upon their eyes; and so they could not see what their forefather Abraham would have seen, and have leaped for joy at the sight: for to his mind, who had given up the world for God, there were were none of these impediments. A misunderstanding of the law, which came afterwards, did all the mischief, and does to this day. This was the first error of the Jews, and is now their great stumbling stone. Refutation of their second Error. THEIR second error was in consequence of the first. Jesus Christ did not put them in possession of this world, therefore he could not be the person they expected. And they were obliged to determine, before they examined his credentials, that he was not the Messiah and then made their own vile treatment of him an argument against him. But here again they were blinded, and proved the very thing they meant to deny, by fulfilling the Scripture. For had not Jesus Christ been persecuted by them, he would have been neither a Saviour nor a prophet to them; for thus had saviours and prophets been persecuted by them before; and that with such singular circumstances, as to foreshow in a wonderful manner, what the great Saviour and Prophet of all should suffer from them. Examples of this might be multiplied: but two, which are full to the purpose, will be, more : more than sufficient. The first is that of Joseph; a man wise, innocent, and great, beyond the example of any before him but envied and hated by his brethren, and sold for a slave to heathen Egyptians. His enemies intended this for his ruin, but God turned it all to good, and highly exalted him. Heathens, to whom he had been sold, bowed the knee before him his own family were preserved from perishing; and thus he became the Saviour of all, to whom every knee should bow, both of his own family and strangers. But see how this man was treated: look at him, and believe your eyes. He was persecuted and imprisoned under a malicious and false accusation. He was sold,, and by his own brethren, who ought to have loved and admired him. And if you look into your Bibles, you will find it was Judah who contrived the selling of him, of the same name with the traitor who sold Jesus Christ; and the representative of the whole Jewish nation. When I read these things, I am astonished. Here is a man perfectly just and innocent, so humbled, as never innocent man had been humbled before. Here is an humble man, so' exalted, as never humble man had been exalted before; and it was all from God, who had given to him a prophetic spirit. We have here a sort of evidence stronger than prophecy. A sign so exactly suited to the thing signified, as if the truth itself had been acted beforehand. Joseph did not indeed die and rise again; but he was cast into a dry pit, and came out of it alive. He was not actually crucified; but he suffered with two malefactors, and he promised life to one of them. How could his history come nearer to the truth. But there is a circumstance still behind, most remarkably to our purpose: for Joseph was met twice by his brethren, and at the first meeting they knew him. not, but at the second meeting he will be made known to them. And thus we trust it will be at some future day, when the brethren of Jesus Christ shall become sensible of their crime with the brethren of Joseph, and say in the bitterness of their souls, "we are verily guilty con"cerning our brother, in that we saw the an 66 guish of his soul when he besought us, and we would not hear, therefore have all our "evils come upon us." O think of this, ye who with unpitying eyes beheld the agonies of your Saviour, and let your hearts, at least, be melted. How ought Jews to rend their garments when they think on these things! They |