cred Robes of the High-Priest were always laid up when they were not in ufe.

9 Q. What ufe was afterwards made of this Cafile? A. Herod new built it, and made it a very ftrong Fortress, to command both the City and the Temple; and called Antonia, in honour of his great Friend Mark Anthony of Rome: He raifed it fo high, that he might fee what was done in the Temple, and fend his Soldiers in cafe of any Tumult. Here the Romans kept a strong Garifon, and the Governor of it was called Captain of the Temple, Acts xxi. 31.

Note, It was from this Place the Centinel spying the Jews ready to kill Paul, gave notice to the Governor, or chief Captain, who went down immediately with fome Soldiers into the Court of Gentiles, whither they had dragged St. Paul to kill him, and rescued him, and brought him up the Stairs into this Caftle; and it was upon thefe Stairs, that Paul obtained leave to speak to the People. See Acts xxi. 26, &c.

10 Q. What Troubles did Hyrcanus meet with toward the end of his Life? A. His Title to the High-Priesthood was unjustly called in question by a bold Man among the Pharifees; and, being craftily impofed upon to think it the Opinion of all that Party, he haftily renounced that Sect, for which he had before the greatest Value, he abolifhed their Conftitutions, and falling in with the Sect of the Sadducees, loft his Efteem and Love among the common People.

11 Q. Since you mention the Set of the Pharifees here, pray let us know what were the chief Sects among the Jews? A. About this time, the moft confiderable Sects were the Pharifees, the Sadducts, and the Essenes; though, in the next Centu

ry,

215 ry, arofe alfo the Herodians; and fome hundred of Years after was a Sect called the Karaites.

12 Q. What peculiar Opinions were held by the Pharifees? A. The moft diftinguishing Character of this Sect was their Zeal for the Traditions of the Elders; for while they acknowledged the Writings of Mofes, and the Prophets, to be Divine, they pretended that thefe Traditions alfo were delivered to Mofes on Mount Sinai ; and conveyed down, without Writing, through the several Generations of the Jews, from Father to Son: And, by reason of their Pretences to a more ftrict and rigorous Obfervance of the Law, according to their Traditions, which they fuperadded to it, they looked on themselves as more holy than other Men, and they were called Pharifees, i. e. Perfons feparated from others.

Note, Thefe were the Perfons who had fo much corrupted the Law in our Saviour's Time, and made it void by their Traditions: Yet their Doctrine generally prevailed among the Scribes and the Lawyers, who were Writers and Explainers of the Law; and the Bulk of the common People had them in high Efteem and Veneration, fo that they were the most numerous of any Sect.

13 Q. Is the Set of the Pharifees ftill in being? A. The prefent Religion of the Jews, in their feveral Difperfions (except among the few Karaites) is wholly formed and practifed according to the Traditions of the Pharifees, rather than according to the Law and Prophets: So that they have corrupted the old Jewish Religion, in the fame manner, as the Papifts have the Christian.

14 Q. What were the Opinions of the Sadducees? A. The Sadducees at first are fuppofed by Dr. Prideaux, to be no more than the Zadikim, who only ftuck to the written Word of God, renouncing all other Traditions: and that probably they went no farther than this in the Days of Hyrcanus; though the Talmudical Writers derive their Name, and their dangerous Doctrines, more early, from one Zadock, as is before related. But it is certain that afterward the Sadducees denyed the Refurrection of the Dead, and the very Being of Angels or Spirits, or Souls of Men departed, and any Exiftence in a future State: They fuppofed God to be the only Spirit, and that he rewarded and punifhed Mankind in this World only, and there was nothing to be hoped or feared after Death: which Principles render this Sect an impious Party of Men.

1-5 Q. What did they profefs as the Rule of their Religion? A. They not only rejected all unwritten Traditions, but all the written Word of God, except the five Books of Mofes; for the Doctrine of a future State is not fo evidently taught therein: And therefore Chrift argues not with them out of the Pfalms or Prophets, but only out of the Law of Mofes; when he proves a future State or Refurrection from God's being the God of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, Luke xx. 37.

16 Q. How long did this Sect of the Sadducees continue? A. Though all the common People had the chief Veneration for the Pharifees, yet moft of the richeft and the greateft among them fell into the Opinions of the Sadducees for feveral Generations, but they were all cut off in the Deftruction of Jerufalem; nor do find any mention of them as a Sect for many Ages after, till their Name

Name was revived and applied to the Karaites by way of reproach.

17 Q. Who were thefe Karaites? A. A much better Sect among the Jews, who, in the fixth Century after Chrift, began to be fo much offended with the incredible Stories and Fooleries of the Talmud which was then published, and with the ftrange myftical Senfes which fome of the Jews put on the Scriptures, that they confined themselves only to the written Word of the Scripture, which, in the Babylonish Language, is called Kara; and, for the most part, they content themselves with the literal Senfe of it. They are fometimes, but very unjustly, called Sadducees, by the Rabbinical or Talmudical Jews.

18 Q. Where are thefe Karaites to be found? A. Very few of them dwell in these Western Parts of the World? they are found chiefly in Poland and among the Crim Tartars; a few also in Egypt and Perfia. But they are counted Men of the best Learning, and greatest Probity and Virtue among the Jews; and it is remarkable among them, that they perform their public Worship in the Language of the Country where they dwell.

19 Q. What were the Effenes? A. They seem to have been originally of the fame Sect as the Pharifees; but they fet up for a more mortified way of living, and perhaps more unblameable. They fo far agreed with the Sadducees, as to acknowledge or expect no Refurrection of the Body; but they believed a future State of eternal Happiness or Mifery, according to their behaviour in this Life. They feem to have been diftributed into Societies or Fraternities, and to have had no private Poffeffions, but a common Stock for the Supply of all. They were in a special manner

L

religious

religious toward God, both on the Sabbath, and in their daily Devotions; and exceeding friendly and benevolent toward Men. They did not dif claim Marriage; but they entered into that State more rarely, and with great Caution: and instead of Children of their own, they bred up poor Children in their own Sect. They were very abstemious as to their Food, and their Habit was a plain white Garment. Their Rules of Life are reported to us more at large by Jofephus, and by Philo, two Jews; they are defcribed alfo by Pliny, a Heathen, and by fome of the Chriftian Fathers.

20 Q. If they were a confiderable Set in the Days of our Saviour, how came it to pass that they are not mentioned in the New Teftament? A. Some have supposed that they feldom came into Cities, but living fo very plain and abftemious a Life, they refided for the moft part in the Country; and thus they fell not under our Saviour's Obfervation. And befides, they being a very ho neft and fincere fort of People, they gave no fuch Reason for Reproof and Cenfure, as others very juftly deferved. Though it must be confeffed alfo, that their difpelief of the Refurrection of the Body, their Non-attendance on the Temple Worship, their traditional Wafhings, and felf-invented Purifications, their rigorous and needlefs Abftinences from fome forts of Meats, and other like fuperftitious Cuftoms and Will-Worship, might have given our Saviour juft occafion for Reproof had they come in his way: And perhaps they are cenfured under the general Name of Pharifees, in thofe fuperftitious Traditions wherein they both agreed.

21 Q. Now we are fpeaking of the Jeveral Sets of the Jews, let us know also what were the Herodians?