trous people, in a state of captivity, removed the propenfity of their hearts to idolatrous worship, therefore they remain to this day without an Image or a Teraphim.

Friendly. But what might I apprehend by their being without a King, and without a Prince?

Truth. It appears that this prediction is verified in this people, for neither now, nor for many hundred years, have they had any King over them, being a difperfed and fcattered people; excluded from being a body politic, from having dominion and government as a people or nation, and their genealogies fo loft, that they cannot point out a Prince of any one tribe, which proves that the fceptre is departed from Judah.

And further, as they are now without facrifices, and have been ever fince Titus deftroyed the fecond temple and the city of Jerufalem, which, very probably, was owing to their divifions, and the fcarcity of beafts to continue their facrifices, for there was a fore famine amongst them during the fiege, which through the obstinacy of the people, came to fuch an extremity, as Jofephus relates, that they not only forced the meat out of each others mouths, but eat each other; and ever since facrifices have ceased amongst them; they counting it unlawful to offer any facrifice in a strange land.

By the children of Ifrael returning, and feeking the Lord their God, and David their King, and fhall fear the Lord, and his goodness in the latter days, I apprehend to be a prediction of the LORD's gathering in his ancient people the Jews, in his fpiritual reign, when by his Almighty power he will open their blind eyes, remove the veil of ignorance from their understandings, and alfo that rooted prejudice from their hearts, and thereby they fhall fee that all the prophecies and predic. tions concerning the perfon and fufferings of the MESSIAH, have had their full perfection and accomplishment in him. Then shall they return from their state of unbelief, and seek the LORD their GoD, and David their King; or, as their own Targumift expreffeth it, and shall hearken to the Melfiah the Son of David their King, fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.

But to proceed, Hef. vi. 2. After two days he will revive us, in the third day he will raife us up, and we shall live in his fight; which words are applied to the refurrection of the MESSIAH, by R. Mofes Haddarfan; and, indeed, in their literal sense, they cannot be understood any other way, than of the resurrection of the MESSIAH, and of his people in him; for the term, the third day, will agree with no other, but was exactly

fulfilled in him, as the Apoftle obferves, 1 Cor. xv. 4. And that he rofe again the third day, according to the Scriptures; which fcriptures referred to, as the judicious Dr. Gill rightly obferves," are not merely fome typical predictions of the Old "Teftament, as that of Ifaac's deliverance, on the third day "after he had been given up to death by his father, Gen. xxii. 4. and that of Jonah's being three days and three nights in "the whale's belly, Jonah i. 17. compared with Matt. xii. 40. though undoubtedly, fome reference is made to them," but the chief reference is made to the text, in the third day, &c. and as the Doctor's ideas are peculiarly full, concife, and fatisfactory upon this prophecy, we thought proper to transcribe them. He whofe coming is prophecied in the next verse, as what would be very glorious in itself, and profitable to God's people; befides, it fuits beft with the scope of the place, which is to animate and encourage finners to return to the LORD, where they might expect healing or pardon, through the promifed MESSIAH, who by dying, would obtain life for them; and by rifing again the third day, procure their juftification and acceptance with GoD, that fo they might live in his fight; and the reason why it is expreffed in the plural number, in the third day he will raife us up, was to encourage thofe perfons to hope and believe in GoD, from the confideration of their fharing in the refurrection of the MESSIAH, and the several benefits that were to spring from thence, who was to arise from the dead. They may be faid to be raifed up together with him, which is a phrafe that the writers of the New Teftament more than once make use of, Eph. ii. 6. Col. iii. 1 Now that JESUS rofe from the dead, according to these prophecies of the Old Teftament, as well as his own predictions, we have the moft unquestionable evidence: That he really died the Jews themselves make no doubt of; that he rofe from the dead, his difciples, with one mouth afferted, Acts i. 13. To whom he fhewed himself alive after his paljon, by many infallible proofs, being feen of them forty days; to they had all the opportunity they could defire of fatisfying themselves in this matter, as they were men who perfectly knew him in his life-time, and after his refurrection eat and drank with him, faw the very prints of the nails and fpear in his hands, feet and fide, handled his body, had views of him at feveral times, and conversation with him for full forty days; and now upon these ocular demonftrations, they published it to the world; in doing of which they could have no finifter ends to ferve, for upon the score thereof they were fure to meet with fhame and reproach,

afflictions and perfecutions; nay, death itself, wherever they came. Befides, as they were men of probity and integrity, who attended this with iuch plain evidence, fo they were likewife not a few, for it was not only two or three, nay, nor the twelve only, that faw him, but he was feen of above five hundred brethren at once, 1 Cor. xv. 6. and befides this human teftimony, which in other matters of fact, we fhould no ways fcruple, we have that of an angel, Matt. xxviii. 6. nay, of the HOLY GHOST himself, for fays the Apoftle, fpeaking of CHRIST's refurrection, Acts v. 32. And we are bis witneffes of thefe things, and fe is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath givin to them that obey him; which teftimony he gave by the large effufion of his gifts and graces upon men, as JESUS in his lifetime had promited; nay, the vile methods which the Jews took to ftifle the belief of the refurrection of JESUS, might eafily be improved into an evidence of it, who hired the foldiers to fay, Matt. xxviii. 13. His difciples came by night and stole him away while we fept; which thews, that they were under a conviction of the truth of his refurrection, though they were not willing it should obtain a reception in the world. This notion mult appear abfurd and improbable on the leaft recollection, for can it poffibly be thought that his difciples, who were but a weak body of men, and now terrified and difheartened at the death of their Mafter, fhould attempt to remove his body, especially when they knew that there was a guard of foldiers about it and if they did attempt it, why did not the foldiers hinder them when they certainly had it in their power? And if it fhould be faid, as they did, that they were afleep, what credit can be given to fuch a teftimony? For if aileen, how fhould they know the difciples did it?

We have alfo full evidence of his rifing again the third day. It was proper that he fhould continue in the grave some time, that it might appear he was really dead, though it was not convenient he should lie fo long as that his body fhould corrupt and putrify, because it was prophecied of him that he fhould fee no corruption; and whereas the third day was fixed upon in prophecy for his riting from the dead, and which was the day he gave out he should rife on, fo he accordingly did, for there was but one whole day and two nights between the death of CHRIST and his refurrection, yet it was on the third day from his death that he rofe again, the day on which he died, being reckoned as one, and that on which he rote again another. Now this article of the refurrection of JESUS from the dead, (as it is a grand article of the Chriftian Religion, Rom. x. g. Fr

if a man believe in his heart that God hath raised him from the
dead he fhall be faved,) fo. it is an unquestionable evidence of JE-
Sus being the true MESSIAH. This is a truth to which all
the Prophets give witnefs, Pfal. ii. 7. Thou art my fon, this
day have I begotten thee. A text which has been brought by
home eminent divines as a proof of the eternal filiation of the
Son of GOD, but, alas! vague and foreign. Upon which
account the Arians think it cannot be proved; it is granted not
from these words, which were never defigned by the HOLY
GHOST as a proof of the Deity of CHRIST, but as a prophecy
of his refurrection, which is as evident as the fun at mid-day,
if we confider, that when the Apostle would incontestibly
prove the refurrection of CHRIST to the Jerus, Als xiii. he
quotes this text as his main argument, ver. 30. he there afferts
his refurrection, in faying, But God raised him from the dead,
and in ver. 31. he tells them who they were that were wit-
nefles of CHRIST's refurrection; and was feen many days with
them, that came up with him from Galilee unto Jerufalem, and
are his witnesses to the people, And when he attempts to prove it to
his prefent auditory, he fays, ver. 33. in that he railed up Jefus
again, as it is alfo written in the fecond Pfalin, Thou art my
Son, this day have I begotten thee. Hence called the first-born
from the dead; and likewife the first begotten of the dead, Rev. i.
5. and therefore it is very aptly quoted as a proof of CHRIST'S
refurrection. That the prophecy is fpoken of the MESSIAH,
is manifeft from the whole Pfalm, and that it is spoken of him
as the Son of GOD need no proof: But to apply it to any other
fenfe than as a proof of his being begotten from the dead, by
the power of God, is doing injuftice to it, befides it is fo con-
gruous with other texts of fcripture, as Rom. i. 4. And declared
to be the Son of God with power, by the rejurrection from the dead.
And indeed, applying the term begotten to the divine nature of
CHRIST, is what I fear has laid the root of Arianifm fo deep
in the minds of fo many profeffors, and if fo (as there is too
much reason to believe it) have not then many of the Trinita-
rians, undefignedly been the chief builders up of Arianifm? It
is high time for every profeffor to know, and be well estab-
lifhed in it too, that the effence of the FATHER, SON, and
HOLY GHOST, is one undivided nature, truly fubfifting in
three divine perfons, eternally, underivedly, and effentially

the fame.

But to proceed, Pfal. xvi. 10. But thou wilt not leave my foul in Hell, neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy one to fee corruption. That this prediction was not meant of the perfon of David, is

evident, in that both Paul and Peter quote it as a proof of the refurrection of the MESSIAH; and it is likewife manifeft that they do not argue from it in a myftical, enigmatical, and allegorical way, but from its ftrict literal fenfe and meaning; in which fenfe it is not true of David's perfon, for that did fee corruption, as Peter obferves, Acts ii. 29. Men and brethren, let me freely fpeak unto you of the Patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his fepulchre is with us unto this day. And then to make it evident, that this prediction was spoken of the MESSIAH, he says, ver. 31. He, (that is David) feeing this before, fpake of the refurrection of Christ, that his foul was not left in Hell, neither did his flesh fee corruption; for this Jefus hath God raifed up, whereof we are all witnesses.

Friendly. What might I apprehend by the MESSIAH's foul not being left in hell?

Truth. By Soul and Hell in the text, moft commentators, and even thofe of the most learned, understand by Hell, the grave, and by Soul, the death of the body; but by Soul, and Holy One, in the text, I apprehend is meant the whole human nature of the MESSIAH, foul and body, for otherwife the word Soul is needlefs in the next. And though I do not apprehend with the papifts, that CHRIST's foul defcended into Hell, as a place, yet I think it may with truth be faid, that CHRIST'S foul was in hell, as to ftate and condition, when he fuffered the just for the unjust; when he made his foul an offering for fin, when he faid, I am fore amazed; my foul is exceeding forrowful, even unto death; and being in an agony he prayed the more earnestly, &c. For what makes hell but a banishment from the favour of GOD, with the curfe of the law for tranfgreffion? Or a ponderous fenfe of divine wrath upon the mind? And did not CHRIST endure all this? Was he not made a curfe for us, when it pleased the FATHER to bruife him, and to put his foul to grief? Was not his foul then in Hell? or in other words, was he not in our damnation ftate and condition, when he cried out, my God, my God, why haft thou forfaken me? But the MESSIAH, upon foreseeing that this would be the condition of his foul, as a facrifice for fin, fays to his Father, thou wilt not leave my foul in Hell; that is, in this exiled fuffering state; and then adds, (upon foreseeing that his fufferings would caufe death to his body, and that thereby it would be laid in the grave) neither wilt thou fuffer thine holy one to fee corruption; that is, that it fhould be raised therefrom before it faw corruption, which I think, is the full, plain, and obvious meaning of the words, from which we might justly make this concise remark: