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"rifing up early and fending them, faying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend

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your doings, and go not after other gods to ferve "them, and ye fhall dwell in the land which I have "given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not "inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me. Be

cause the fons of Jonadab the fon of Rechab have "performed the commandment of their father, which "he commanded them; but this people hath not "hearkened unto me: therefore thus faith JEHOVAH, "GOD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL; Behold, I will bring upon Judah and upon all the inhabitants of Jerufalem all the evil that I have pro"nounced against them because I have spoken unto "them, but they have not heard; and I have called "unto them, but they have not answered. And

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Jeremiah faid unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus faith JEHOVAH OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF "ISRAEL; Because ye have obeyed the command"ment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath "commanded you: therefore thus faith JEHOVAH OF

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HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL; Jonadab the fon of Rechab fhall not want a man to ftand before me for "ever." Jere. xxxv. 6—19.

I think, therefore, that the English Ifraelite is not that inconfiftent character that you would represent him; that notwithstanding he has expressed himself in the way he has done, concerning fome of the traditions and opinions of the ancient rabbins, yet that he may be well allowed to feel the fame refpect for the

rabbi of his fynagogue, as we feel for the bishops and clergy of our church.

As we have been speaking of traditions, notwithstanding we, as Chriftians, have no right to interfere with the Jews concerning their traditions, yet you will permit me to say, that fome of our learned clergy have not thought it beneath them to study this fubje&t; not, however, with intent to speak contemptuously of them: if you turn to the 14th Differtation of Bishop Newton on the Prophecies, you will find him, in page 490, referring to a Jewish tradition, as confirming an opinion adopted by himself; fo that he certainly did not confider the Jewish traditions as MISERABLE

INVENTIONS OF THE RABBINS.

But it seems to me that even those who have not the ability to confult the traditions of the Jews, may be convinced that however they may be mixed, yet that they ought not to be treated with DISRESPECT, and called the MISERABLE INVENTIONS OF THE RABBINS. I will give you my reason for this my opinion, which I adopted when a boy, and retain it to this day I was reading the General Epistle of St. Jude, in which he fo ftrongly reproves and condemns thofe prefumptuous men who speak evil of thofe things which they KNOW NOT. The words which particularly arrefted my attention were those contained in the 14th and 15th verfes: "And Enoch alfo, the

:

feventh from Adam, prophefied of thefe, faying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thoufand of his faints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their

"ungodly,

"ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, "and of all their hard fpeeches which ungodly fin

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ners have spoken against him." The first thought that occurred to my mind on reading these words, respected myself, and I faid, "Surely I must have "read the Book of Genefis without that attention "which the fubject required, or I must have noticed "this prophecy of Enoch." On turning, however, to the Book of Genefis, I found I had not been guilty of that inattention which I at firft fuppofed; for all the information I could gather therefrom, as to the teftimony of Enoch, was contained in one short verse, which is in thefe words: "And Enoch walked with "God, and he was not: for God took him." Gen. v. 24. The Almighty takes to his mercy the fouls of his fervants who depart this life; but as to Enoch, We believe that he was like Elijah, taken up to

We have the autho

heaven without tafting death. rity, and only the authority of the writer of the Epiftle to the Hebrews, for this our belief, which I may fay, I prefume without contradiction, is the univerfal belief of all who bear the name of Chriftians; for notwithstanding there are very few of the articles of our belief that have not been controverted or denied by fome fect or party, who have retained the name of Christians; yet I am not aware that any of them have controverted this article of our belief, for which we have the authority of the writer of the Epiftle to the Hebrews; that "By faith ENOCH was TRANSLATED "that he should not SEE DEATH: and was not "found, because God had tranflated him: for before

❝ his

his tranflation he had this teftimony, that he "pleafed God. But without faith it is impoffible "to please him: for he that cometh unto God muft "believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them "that diligently feek him." Heb. xi. 5, 6.

You will perceive that in the few words employed by Mofes in recording the piety of Enoch, he does not affert that he did not fee death, notwithstanding the words ufed by him well agree with the teftimony of the writer of the Epiftle to the Hebrews, as to this

matter.

The queftion then that arifes in the mind is this: What anthority had St. Jude and the writer of the Epiftle to the Hebrews, for faying these things concerning Enoch? Were they at the time they wrote, and never before, instructed in these facts by Divine Revelation? Were thefe facts withheld from Ifaiah and Jeremiah, and the reft of the goodly fellowship of the prophets?

We have no authority for believing that these facts were withholden from Ifaiah and Jeremiah, and the reft of the prophets of the Jewish nation. St. Jude was of the CIRCUMCISION, and wrote to the CIRCUMCISION; the writer alfo of the Epiftle to the Hebrews was himself an HEBREW, and wrote to the HEBREWS; and they both speak to those to whom they address themselves as well knowing the subject. Pray turn to the 11th chapter of the Epiftle to the Hebrews, and you will perceive that the paffage which refers to Enoch, is introduced between that paffage which refers to Abel and that which refers to

Noah;

Noah; can it be fuppofed then, that if the fact that Enoch was tranflated, fo that he did not fee death, had not been a fact that was received as true among the Hebrew nation, that he would not have given them reafons for thus extending and explaining the words of Mofes? If it had not been à fact that was received and acknowledged by the Circumcifion, to whom St. Jude wrote his Epiftle, can we suppose that he would have introduced the very words of the prophecy of Enoch, without informing them in what manner he was thus enabled to record it. We believe that Holy Scripture is "given by inspiration of God, " and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor"rection, for inftruction in righteoufnefs, that the "man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished "unto all good works." 2 Tim. iii. 16, 17. We believe that thefe holy men fpake and wrote "as they "were moved by the Holy Ghoft." 2 Peter i. 21.

The inference, therefore, which I then drew, and which I ftill continue to think that I was right in drawing, is this, that though we of the Gentiles have no right to concern ourfelves with the traditions of the Jews, yet that we should beware how we treat their traditions with DISRESPECT, inafmuch as we have the TESTIMONY of these holy men of the CIRCUMCISION; men whom we believe to have written as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft, CONFIRMING this Jewish tradition concerning ENOCH.

This has long been my opinion, and I have a right to retain it, and will, by God's bleffing, retain and defend it too until I am convinced that I am mif

taken;

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