were deceived therein. But this oracle fignified the empire of Vefpafian.' Suetonius alfo and Tacitus affirm this to be a general fame in the world at that time, that one coming out of Judæa fhould rule over the whole world; which must needs fpring from the Jews. And that the Meffiah was not to come long after the difperfion and captivity of the Jews, as is now believed by them, may be evidently proved from hence; because this being given as one diagnostic, or character of the true Meffiah; that he should come, not only out of the tribe of Juda, but alfo from the feed of David; he must needs come, before the genealogies were loft, or, otherwife, it could not be known, whether he was of the feed of David, or not. Our modern Jews are at a non-plus here, and know not what to fay. For this is fo obvious, that they could not but take notice of it, and Jacob Aben Amram, N. 722, thus propounded it as an objection of the Chriftians against the Jews: Suppofito adbuc non veniffe Meffiam, nunquam jam poteft innotefcere de ullo venturo Meffia, eum de femine David per Solomonem ortum fuiffe cum hoc penitus ignotum fit, ob longiffimum Judæorum exilium & difperfionem, ac inde natam familiarium mixtionem &incertitudinem. Proinde fatendum eft jam veniffe Meffiam. To which he first replies, That therefore, according to the opinion of fome Jews, Atempore excidii Jerufalem Meffias natus fuit, repoftus, ubi Deus novit, quoufque, &c. Et ita exponunt Ifaiam, c. ult. ver. 7. Antequam parturiret, peperit, c. Quafi dicat, Priufquam natus fuiffet ille Titus, qui Judeos in hanc fervitutem redegit, natus fuit eorundem redemptor, venturus nempe Meffias, ut ita compararetur medicamentum ante plagam. Whence we may gather, that this ridiculous figment (which indeed is mentioned in the Talmud) of the Meffiah being born before the deftruction by Titus, but abfconded all this while at Rome, as Mofes was born and bred up in Pharaoh's house, before he came to redeem the people of Ifrael, was firft excogitated, in all probability, for this purpofe; becaufe the Jews are fufficiently fenfible of the difficulty, that if the Meffiah was now to be born, his genealogy could not poffibly be known. Therefore they would pretend that he was born before the genealogies were loft among the Jews, and under the fecond temple. But, becaufe, this is monftrous, foolish, and abfurd, for the Jews to expect a Meffiah to come, who was born 1600 years ago, and has lived all this while no-hody knows where; and therefore has, doubtlefs, been kept in the clouds, and muft drop down from thence: therefore, Aben Amram further addeth: Quando Meffias venerit, non humanis teftibus probare se debet ex femine David per Solomonem derivatum, ut principatum orbis obtineat, qui Meffia computet, fed divinitus propalata evidentia. And again, Prophetæ folummodo dicunt, ex radice Feffe furre&turam virgam, & de David germen in noviffimo dierum. Quomodo autem id notum fiet, Deus ipfe manifeftabit, & figna veri Meffiæ tunc impleta. That is, there will either be a divine revelation, that fuch a perfon did proceed from the loins of David, or elfe, it shall be proved by the mi racles racles done by him, and other figns of the Meffiah. To the fame purpofe Maimonides, That then the Urim and Thummim fhall be reftored, and by this oracle, the defect of genealogy fhall be fupplied." But what madnefs is it in the modern Jews, to except against the genealogies of our Saviour Chriftin Matthew and Luke, as not fufficiently proving him to have been of the line of David, though thefe genealogies were not then contradicted by any, and Jefus was then generally acknowledged, by the Jews, to have been David's progeny? Matt. ix. 27. Whereas the Jews wait for a Meffiah to come, when there are no genealogies left, to prove any one to be of David's line? And as for the difcrepancy between Matthew and Luke, the ground of it is, in all probability, becaufe Matthew brings down the pedigree of Jo feph, the husband of Mary, and reputed father of Jefus; but Luke, that of Mary the mother of Jefus." The fecond thing, wherein the present Jewish notion of the Meffiah differs from the true, is this, that he fhall not come to fuffer, or to be flain, but to conquer, triumph, and reign only. Thus Jacob Aben Amram, in his Porta Veritas, N. 659, Verus Meffias Davidicus, Judæis promiffus, ad redimendum eos 02 us, non moriturus,aut cruct figendus, venturus eft, & ad faciendam vindi&tam de hoftibus ipforum. But on the contrary, it is evident, from this prophecy of Daniel, that the Meffiah fhould be cut off by death, and that within lefs than a week, or feptennium, after his public manifeftation; which fame thing is evident ly declared by other prophetic writings, as in that moft remark able place the liiid of Ifaiah, and in the xxiid pfalm. There are two plain confeflions, and acknowledgments of this truth, in the Talmudic writings, and traditions, First, in that they fpeak of two Meffiahs, who fhall come fucceffively, one after the other. The firft Meffiah Ben-Jofeph, or BenEphraim, who fhall be flain; and then, Meffiah Ben-David, who hall conquer and triumph: which fprung only from this, because there are two different ftates of the fame Meffiah mentioned; one, his ftate of humiliation and fuffering; the other, the ftate of his exaltation. Another is, where in the Talmud, and other ancient writings, they often mention 1 Dolores, dives, Meffiæ. Nay, farther, it is intimated alfo, in this prophecy of Daniel, that Meffiah fhould be cut off, and put to death, by the Jews, whom he came to redeem. For, though it be true, that Pilate, the Roman prefident, paffed fentence upon Chrift, that he fhould be crucified, yet this was at the inftance, and importunity of the Jews; he himself profeffing, that he found no fault in him; and this is the reafon, why, after the cutting off the Meffiah, is immediately fubjoined, the deftruction of the city, and temple, by a foreign prince. The fame is plainly expreffed in Zechar c. xii. v. 10. "They fhall look upon him, whom they have pierced; and they fhall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only fon, and be in bitterness for him, as one is in bitterness for his s first-born. Thirdly, Moreover, in Jacob's prophecy, this is plainly expreffed: That : "That when Shilo came, the gentiles fhould be gathered to him." Wherein is implied, that the body of the Jewish nation fhould not adhere to him, but, that the gentiles fhould embrace him. And therefore, when a church fhould be gathered to him out of the gentiles, the Jewish polity should be deftroyed. The fame is alfo intimated in Daniel's prophecy, where it is faid, that the Meffiah fhall confirm the covenant with many, (that is, of the Jews) one week; because, though the body of the Jewish nation rejected him, and caused him to be cut off, yet many of the Jews believed in him, with whom the gofpel covenant is faid to be confirmed by Chrift one week because during that week it fhould be preached to Jews only, but at the end thereof the gentiles were baptifed, and received the Holy Ghoft; which is plainly foretold in other prophetic writings: as when he is called in Zech. "The defire of all nations." If. xlii. ver. 1. " Behold my fervant, whom I uphold, my elect, in whom my foul delighteth. I have put my Spirit upon him, and he fhall bring forth judgment to the gentiles.' And, ver. 4. "The ifles fhall wait for his law." And, ver. 6. "I will give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the gentiles: To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prifoners from the prifon, and them that fit in darknefs out of the prifon-houfe." Pfalm ii." Afk of me, and I will give the heathen for thine inheritance, and the ut termoft parts of the earth for thy poffeffion." This was alfo foretold by Mofes, Deut. xxii. ver. 1. "I will move them to jealousy with them that are not a people, and provoke them to anger with a foolish nation." Before which it was alfo revealed to Abraham, Gen. xxii. ver. 18. "In thy feed fhall all the nations of the earth be bleffed."-Hof. iii. “That, after long captivity, the Jews fhall feek the Lord, and David their king." Whence it follows, that David their king was come before, but not owned by them. Though this was plainly foretold in the writings of the prophets, yet was it not then understood by the Jews, when Chrift came. Ephef. iii. mystery, which in other ages was not made known unto men, that the gentiles fhould be fellow-heirs, and of the fame body, and partakers of his promise in Chrift by the gofpel." Acts xxii. ver. 21. "And he said, Depart, for I will fend thee far hence, to the gentiles. And they gave audiènee unto this word, and then lifted up their voices and faid, Away with fuch a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he fhould live." The Fourthly, Whereas, both the ancient and modern Jews took it for granted, that the Meffiah fhould fet up a Jewish monarchy over the whole world, and advance the ceremonial worship of God in the temple; and the Jews at this day generally believe, that when the Meffiah cometh he fhall rebuild Jerufalem, and alfo a third temple, after the form of that in Ezekiel. On the contrary, it is most certain, firft, from Jacob's prophecy, that after the coming of Shilo, and the gathering of the gentiles to him, the fcepter fhall depart from Judah, and the magiftrate, or governor, defcending from him, And from Daniel exprefsly, that then both the the city and fanctuary fhall be de- The notion which the modern Jews have is this: first, that he fhall be a pure man, defcending from the feed of David. Secondly, that he is promised to the Jews only, and not to the gentiles. That he shall come in the time of the captivity, after the Roman empire is expired. That he fhail fet up a terreftrial monarchy over the whole world, and the benefits which he shall bring to the Jews fhall be only corporal. That Meffias Davidicus non occidetur. That Meffias, who comes of the line of David, fhall not be flain: but shall conquer and fubdue all nations, and make them fubject to him, and then he shall suffer them to live in peace and quiet, who embrace the Jewish religion, and continue in vaffalage and fubjection to the Jews under him. A regular plan of mufic. PSALMODY, called cantus planus, confifts of five tones, and two half tones, which are the foundation of all forts of mufic: but by a more regular divifion it fhould be faid there are fix notes, of which not only one, but all may be divided into half notes, quarter notes, demi-quarters, and so on, further than any mortal ear can apprehend. Sound being divifible ad infinitum in the fame manner as fpace. This divifion of mufical founds, has an analogy or relation with that of colours, of which there are fix forts; white, red, yellow, green, blue, and black. Some indeed divide the colours into feven; the feventh they call purple; but I can't perceive it is otherwife than a mixture more fplendid than brown, grey, and the other mixed colours. Black is faid to be a mere negation of colour, but as it makes an impreffion on the imagination, I overlook the fubtilty in this comparison, and suppose it a colour, By dividing the mufical notes into fix, as nature directs, the unifound will fall on the feventh note, and fhould, for this reafon, be called a feptime, and not an octave, a name occafioned by the two half notes. Mufic is generally suppofed to confift of three parts; treble, tenor, and bass. But that the twenty-four letters of the alphabet may find employment in the fcheme of mufic I am propofing, I fhall divide it into four parts, which are the double treble, the treble, the tenor, and the bass, fix notes to each part. The double treble rogues, and the other half to be blockheads; the latter half may be divided into two claffes, the goodnatured blockhead and the fenfible; the one, through an eafinefs of temper, is always liable to be ill-ufed; the other, through an excefs of vanity, is frequently expofed to be wretched. Mutual confidence and real friendship are very pretty words, but feldom carry any meaning; no man will entertain an opinion of another, which is oppofite to his own intereft; and a nod from a great man, or a fmile from a trumpet, will fet a couple of blockheads by the ears, who a moment before would have ventured their lives for each other's reputation." Lord Peterborough dined with me yesterday. I have a highi dea of the goodness of this nobleman's heart, though it may be brought as a proof against my favourite fyftem; but he is of a turn fo exceffively romantic, that I cannot be equally prejudiced in favour of his understanding. I have no notion of a man's perpetually expofing himself to unneceflary dangers for the mere fake of being talked of; or, through a ridiculous thirft for military glory, venturing a life which should be preferved for the fervice of his prince, and the intereft of his country. My motive for faying this you know is neither founded upon pique, nor directed by ill-nature. My lord is a man for whom I have the most perfect regard, and my efteem alone is the reafon why I may be fo extremely fenfible of his errors. I faw Addison this morningSomehow or other, Pope, I can by no means think that man an excellent poet; his profe is very well-but there is a heavinefs about his verfification, which is totally inconfiftent with elegance and fpirit, and which, though it may in the thoughts of fome people carry much judgment, is in my opinion a proof of very little genius. I am far, you know, from being fond of eternal epithets in poetry, or endlefs endeavours at fublimity of expreffion; but I would have it exalted a little above profe in the moft humble fpecies, and carry an air of fome dignity and importance. Trivial as the remark may appear, it was very well for a boy of fourteen, who was reading Cato, and coming to that tag which is fo highly celebrated by fome of the author's friends;' "So the pure limpid ftream when foul with ftains ;" the lad burit into a fit of laughing, and cried, Here is a bull! who ever thought that a stream could be pure and limpid, yet at the fame time foul with ftains? I could not help joining the laugh at the archnefs of the boy's obfervation, tho' the criticifm might feem too low for judgments of more experience and maturity.-But why do I entertain a fellow of your abili ties in this manner, who are fo greatly a fuperior master of the fubject.. -I am fomehow fond of fcribling, and become trifling for the fake of fpinning out a letter. If poffible, I fhall take an airing down your way on Saturday, and pray let me have a little leg of lamb, with fome fpinnage and plain butter, to regale on.- Where I dine in town they starve me with luxury; and I have fat at many a table where I had not a bit of any thing to eat, becaufe I had too 03. much |