SPEECHES Will wound the Jews, because they are not Heathen idolaters, though you are pleased to reprefent them as in a more DANGEROUS STATE than Heathen idolaters; your HARD SPEECHES will wound them, because they are worshippers of him to whom you impute UNEQUAL WAYS. "Enoch,

the feventh from Adam, prophefied of thefe, fay"ing, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand "of his faints, to execute judgment upon all, and to "convince all that are ungodly among them of all "their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly com"mitted, and of all their HARD SPEECHES "which ungodly finners have spoken AGAINST " HIM." Jude, ver. 14, 15.

Those who fought occafion against Daniel, in the days of Darius the king, were convinced that they could find no occafion against him, except they could find it against him concerning the law of his God, Dan. vi. 4, 5, and they who calumniate the Jewish nation in modern times, by representing them as in a more DANGEROUS STATE than Heathen idolaters, seem to be in fome measure of the fame mind, as they fet themselves in array against the holy law of JEHOVAH, God of Ifrael, given by him to Ifrael, his fon, even his firstborn by the hand of Mofes his fervant; and it deferves the most serious confidera tion of those who thus fet themselves in array against the laws of JEHOVAH, and impute unequal ways to him, and deny the truth of his most holy word, and contradict his most folemn affertions; I say, it deserves their most serious confideration, whether they are not

themselves

themselves in that awful ftate in which they would wifh to represent the Jews to be, viz. in a more DANGEROUS STATE than Heathen idolaters; for what Heathen idolaters, in modern times, have reprefented the ways of the Great Creator of heaven and earth, the merciful and gracious God of Ifrael, as unequal? What nation of Heathen idolaters have prefumed to interfere with the Jewish laws, and to represent them as laws impoffible to be obeyed? What nation of Heathen idolaters have endeavoured to perfuade the Jews that the Mofaic difpenfation is at an end?

Thofe who read the New Teftament, uncontaminated with the unreafonable and far-fetched DOGMAS of the school in which you have been educated, will be convinced that the Jewish law was not intended to be the law of all mankind; but of those to whom it was exclufively given, even to Ifrael, the PECULIAR PEOPLE of the Great Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Ifrael. Who can flay his hand? Who fhall dare to fay unto the Great Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Ifrael, what doest thou? Dan. iv. 35. If it hath pleased him to favour one peculiar nation, defcended from Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, his beloved, above all the other nations of the earth, fo that he caufed them to hear his voice, fpeaking out of the midft of the fire! If it hath pleased him to take unto himself a nation from the midft of an another nation, by temptations, by figns, and by wonders, by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a ftretched out arm, and by great terrors! If it hath pleased

him, becaufe he loved their fathers Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, to choose their feed after them, as the objects of his peculiar regard and care! If it hath pleafed him to drive out before them nations greater and mightier than themselves, and to give unto them their land for an inheritance, Deut. iv. 33, 34, 37, 38. If it hath pleafed him to manifeft his prefence among them, by going before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way in which he had appointed them to walk; and by going before them in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light to go by day and by night! Exod. xiii. 21. If it hath pleafed him to conftitute them his witneffes to all the nations of the earth, that he is the GOOD and MERCIFUL God of Ifrael, the creator of heaven and earth, by giving a fign from heaven of his approbation, at the dedication of the temple built by Solomon the king for "it came even to pafs, as the "trumpeters and fingers were as one, to make one "found to be heard in praifing and thanking JEHO"VAH; and when they lift up their voice with the "trumpets and cymbals, and inftruments of mufic, "and praised JEHOVAH, faying, FOR HE IS "GOOD, FOR HIS MERCY ENDURETH "FOR EVER: that THEN the houfe was filled with

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a cloud, even the house of JEHOVAH; fo that the "priests could not ftand to minifter by reafon of the "cloud: for the glory of JEHOVAH had filled the "houfe of God." 2 Chron. v. 13, 14. If it hath pleafed him to feparate them from all the other nations of the earth, by giving them righteous STA

TUTES

TUTES and JUDGMENTS which no other nation poffefs! Deut. iv. 8. If it hath pleased him to conftitute and ordain them, even in the time of their adverfity, to be HIS WITNESSES in all nations. "Ye are my witneffes, faith JEHOVAH, and my "fervant whom I have chofen: that ye may know "and believe me, and understand that I am he: "before me there was no God formed, neither shall "there be after me. I, even I, am JEHOVAH; "and befide me there is no faviour. I have de"clared, and have faved, and I have fhewed when "there was no ftrange God among you therefore

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ye are my witneffes, faith JEHOVAH, that I am "God. Yea, before the day was I am he; and "there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I ❝ will work, and who fhall let it ?" Ifa. xliii. 10—13. If it hath pleased him for wife, gracious, and benevolent purposes, to scatter Ifrael into all nations, like as corn is fifted in a fieve, Amos ix. 9. let the nations beware how they endeavour to pluck the diadem from their head, by endeavouring to feduce them from the obfervance of the holy laws of JEHOVAH, their God, as given to their nation exclufively by the hand of Mofes his fervant; remember, O remember, what was the wretched end of thofe who confpired against Daniel concerning the law of his God, Dan. vi. 24. Remember what was the fearful end of Antiochus, your great predeceffor in this impiety. He ftrove that all under his dominion fhould become one people, and leave his own laws, 1 Mac. i. 41, 42. and that they should profane the fabbaths

fabbaths and festival days, and leave their children uncircumcifed, to the end they might forget the LAW, and change all the ORDINANCES, ver. 45, 48, 49. He was a king and had power, and therefore he did not confine himself to feduction, but proceeded to violence, to COMPULSION; for wherefoever was found with any, the Book of the Teftament, or if any confented to the LAW, the king's commandment was that they fhould put him to death; and according to the king's commandment they put to death certain women that had caufed their children to be circumcifed, and they hanged the infants about their necks, and rifled their houses, and flew them that had circumcifed them, ver. 57, 60, 61 but notwithstanding he had the power of COMPULSION in his hands, it did not fucceed with him, for he laid him down upon his bed and fell fick for GRIEF, because it had not befallen him. as he looked for, 1 Mac. vi. 8. "Swelling with anger, he thought to avenge upon the Jews the "difgrace done unto him by thofe that made him "flee. Therefore commanded he his chariotman to

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For

drive without ceafing, and to dispatch the journey, "the judgment of God now following him. ❝he had spoken proudly in this fort, That he would "come to Jerufalem, and make it a common bury❝ing-place of the Jews. But the Lord Almighty, "the God of Ifrael, fmote him with an incurable and "invifible plague: for as foon as he had spoken these "words, a pain of the bowels that was remedilefs

came upon him, and fore torments of the inner

"parts;