Conclusion.

SUCH is the sort of argument, by which I would at this time refute the errors of the Jews; as being more likely to take effect upon them, than any I have yet met with. I borrow the whole plan from an inspired disciple of Jesus Christ, the blessed Saint Stephen, the first Christian Martyr; who tried all I have said, and more than I have been able to say, upon the High Priest and Council of the Jews, with no effect, but that of provoking them to put him to death; the answer which power often gives to truth for want of a better. It appears that St. Paul heard Stephen's apology without being converted. But he could then hear nothing, when his mind, agitated with the fury of opposition, breathed out threatenings and slaughter. The miraculous power of God's grace was necessary to him, before the scales of Jewish blindness fell from his eyes. And the same grace, in its proper degree, is necessary before any Jew can hear these things now: and I should not dare to try the experiment now, but with some hopes that their hearts may be better prepared, and the grace of God may no longer be withheld. Then may the pattern of St. Paul be accomplished in his brethren, who shall at length

believe as he did to life everlasting. Little good

can be done on any other terms. I take, as nearly as I can, the same ground with St. Stephen in the 7th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles whose apology I had often read, without being able to see the force of it: the whole seemed rather unmeaning and impertinent to my great surprize. Yet I was convinced the Jews must have seen it, because they so much felt it, and put him to death for it. After much consideration, I saw its relation to the character and sufferings of Jesus Christ and the nature of his religion: and from that moment I wished, for more than thirty years, for some opportunity of trying it on some Jews in this

age of the world and the late happy conversion gives me the opportunity I wished for. In Stephen's time it did not succeed; it could not possibly, when circumstances were so different, and prejudices so violent. But times are now greatly altered, and wonderful things have intervened. Their temple which was then standing is now fallen, and has not one stone upon another. Their whole economy is overthrown. The Romans whom they stirred up against Jesus Christ, lest they should lose their place and nation, have long since, by the just judg

ment

ment of God, taken away both, and dispersed the inhabitants over the world. Their land is now usurped and trodden by those Turkish infidels, who arose out of their own apostacy. All these things, and many more, have they seen: and are they still unmoved? Are their hearts so hard as they were seventeen hundred years ago? May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob forbid it! I feel myself under so much concern for the welfare of the Hebrew nation, having long been a reader of the Hebrew language; that I could take great delight in representing these things to them myself; but few of them are known to me; nor indeed should I like to talk with any one of them, unless I were first assured, that he could sincerely fall down on his knees, and beg for light and direction from the God of his fathers.

When Paul was struck blind, in his Jewish unbelief, Ananias, a Christian disciple, was sent to him after a time, for this reason-for behold he prayeth and his prayer was this-Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?—Till a Jew can utter the same prayer from the bottom of his heart, no message from Jesus Christ, will do him any good.

You, my new fellow Christians, who are of

the

the Jews, and must know many of them, will have many opportunities, and I entreat you not to neglect them. You now see what may be said to your brethren, on whom many unanswerable arguments have long been tried without effect; for they have their evasions ready. These arguments of St. Stephen, from the signs of the Scripture, are such as they are not prepared to answer, and though they are not new in themselves, they are of so new a sort, both to Jews and Christians, that they may excite new considerations, and lead to new conclusions. You see what a new face they give, and what new light they cast upon the law of Moses; which gives me occasion to mention a remarkable circumstance in the history St. Stephen's defence. When Moses gave the Law, he had a veil upon his face, to conceal that glory which the Jews were not able steadfastly to behold. In this apology you see another minister of God delivering the Law to them over again; but now without its veil, as it is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, under the Gospel, which is its true glory. And while he does this, his face shines: all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly at him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel. He certainly was performing the office of another Moses

Moses to them, and doing for them what the first could not do; and I am confident, that all who listen to this new Moses of the Gospel will see farther into the wisdom of the Old Testament than they did before.

Hitherto, my friends, I have spoken to you as to those who were Jews: I wish, before I conclude, to address you, as those who are Christians; and to remind you that Christians are still subject to the mistakes of Jews, and should be careful to avoid them. You may now call yourselves true children of Abraham: if you would continue such, you must not think that your inheritance is in this world, but set your faces towards that country which Abraham expected, and which in this life is as unseen to us as it was to him. The Jerusalem he looked for is a city that hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. This was the reason why God was called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because he had a spiritual relation to them which continued after they were dead. He was therefore called their God, and was not ashamed of the title, as he would have been had they looked for nothing from him but temporal promises. Of the Land of Promise you may

have