in Jacob, and Scatter them in Ifrael. And when Jacob bleffed the two fons of Jofeph, and gave the preference to the younger brother, as in chap. 48. Jofeph thought his father had mistaken, and therefore attempted to rectify the fuppofed error, by endeavouring to remove his father's right hand from the head of the younger, to the head of the elder fon, and gave him to understand that that was his first-born. Upon which Jacob answered, at ver. 19. I know it my fon, I know it; he also shall become a people, and be also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than be, and his feed fhall become a multitude of nations. In like manner, when Jacob had obtained the bleffing from his father Ifaac, tho' it was by lying and falsehood, and Efau came in from his hunting, and waited on his father to receive that bleffing; Ifaac trembled very exceedingly, and faid, who, where is he that hath taken venifon, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou cameft, and have blefed him? yea and he shall be blessed, chap. xxvii. 33. And when Efau importuned his father to bless him alfo, Ifaac answered and faid unto him, as at verse 37. Behold I bave made him thy Lord, and all his bre

thren

bren have I given to him for fervants, and with corn and wine have I fuftained him, and what shall I do now unto thee my fon? That parents fhould have it thus in their fower to determine the ftate and condition of their

pofterity, either for profperity or adverfity, for many generations to coine, which feems to have been the cafe here, is to me exceeding ftrange. And I think, that nothing but the frongest prejudice, in favour of the history in which these things are related, could difpofe men of understanding to give credit to fuch relations, or lead them to think there could be any just foundation for fuch pretenfions as these.

THUS ftands the cafe with refpect to the argument drawn from prophecy; which, by reafon of it's darkness and perplexity, is out of the reach of my understanding. I fhall not take upon me to examine all the prophecies, or reputed prophecies, that relate to this fubject, because that would be more tedious than ufeful; and therefore, fhall only obferve, it seems to appear, that the prophecies contained in the Old Testament, when taken in the whole of each prophecy, without disjointing them, and taking only a part, and when understood in their VOL. II. literal,

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literal, plain, and moft obvious fenfe (which, furely, is doing juftice to the subject) have not had their completion in what has been applied to them in the new. And admitting what fome men have averred, viz. that there are contained in the writings of the Jewish prophets, plain predictions of the taking of Babylon, of the fall of the Affyrian Monarchy, of the restoration of the Jews by Cyrus, and the like; (tho', perhaps, that plainness may not be clearly perceived by every reader) and that these were certainly delivered long before the events took place, which predictions exactly correfpond with those events; yet nothing can be concluded from thence in favour of Jefus Christ's being the Jews Meffiah; because these were things to which the person and ministry of Jefus Christ did no way ftand related; and all, I think, can fairly be concluded from the accomplishment of fuch predictions is only this, viz. that those prophets were under a divine direction in the inftances referred to. This, I fay, is all that can be concluded in those cafes; tho' even that is not without it's difficulties, as it appears very strange that the Deity should interpofe, by a particular and special application of his power and provi

dence,

dence, for the making known future events, when it does not appear that either those who were interested in thofe events, or those to whom they were foretold, could reap any advantage from it, or that any good purpose was ferved thereby, which seems to have been the cafe of the forementioned prophecies. And likewise admitting that Sir Ifaac Newton, through his greatly fuperior skill in history, chronology, &c. has difcovered a series of events, which, in his view of the cafe, tally with the numbers, times and feafons mentioned in the book of Daniel, and elsewhere; yet, I think, nothing can rationally be concluded from it, in favour of Jesus Christ being the forementioned Meffiah. For, as it is very Strange, or rather greatly improbable, that God, by the miniftry of Daniel, or any other person, should deliver a prophecy to Jews or Chriftians, in which mankind at large are greatly interested, and should deliver it fo darkly, and under fuch figures and fimilitudes, as that one man only, (and he a kind of prodigy in nature) amidst the many millions of millions of men who have taken place fince fuch prophecy was delivered, should be able to discover the true sense and

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meaning of it; and now it is difcovered, it ferves rather to entertain men of letters and reading, who only are capable of examining and understanding it, than to work the conviction of unbelievers; nor, indeed, does it seem fuited to answer that purpose, as it is greatly out of the way, and much above the common capacities of mankind; fo, from hence it seems to follow that nothing can rationally be concluded from it. For tho', where capricious humour is the foundation of action, there all tranfactions are equally eligible or confiftent, one thing being as agreeable to fovereign pleasure as another yet, where wisdom and goodness are the fprings of action (which, furely, is always the cafe with respect to the Deity) there, as fome valuable end is always propofed, fo the best and most effectual means are always used to obtain it. If, therefore, God should at any time give a revelation, in which our species at large are greatly interested, and thould make prophecy the evidence of it's divine cha racter, and the means of conviction to mankind; then, as the nature and the importance of the cafe do most obvioufly require, fo, furely, the wisdom and goodness of God would mot effectually difpofe him to de

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