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to recover your ancient freedom and reinftate yourselves in the country given by Almighty God to your forefathers, reftore your darling city and temple, rits and ceremonies to their firft excellency. Your fathers made a molt for midable war during two years against the Ro mans, in the reign of Adrian; they were led on by one Lucuas and another, Barchochebass This taft told them that he was a ftar come down from heaven to enlighten them, who were under the rod of oppreffion. He was taken and fuffered condign punishment, and many myriads deftroyed. They were interdicted, not fo much from afar to behold their native foil. Thus matters went on until the reign of Julian the Apoftate, when your fathers being egged forward by the emperor to rebuild the temple and reftore the Jewish worship, and being affifted by the emperor with all things neceffary for carrying on the building, but to no effect; for the divine in e pofition rendered endeavours ineffectual. Whit the emperor was very defirous to damage the christians, he betrayed his own superitition. For being much addicted to facrificing, he not only delighted in the blood (of facrifices) himseif, but thought himself wronged, unless others would do fo too. But, in regard he found but few men as those, he fent for the Jews, and enquired of them, upon what account they abftained from facrificing, when the law of Moses enjoined it. Upon their answering him, that they could not facrifice in any other place, but only at Jerufalem, he gave order, that Solo

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mon's temple fhould be forthwith re-edified in the interim, himself proceeds in his expedi tion against the Perfians. But the Jews, who for a long time had been deirous of getting ant opportunity to have their temple rebuilt, in or der to their offering facrifice, were then very induftrious about the work. They also fhewed themselves very formidable to the chriftians, and their behaviour towards them was proud and infolent, threatening they would do them as much mischief as they themselves had formerly fuffered from the Romans. The emperor, having given order, that the charge of the building fhould be paid out of his Exchequer, all things were foon provided; timber, stone, burnt brick, clay, lime, and all other materials neceffary for building. At which time, Cyrillus, bishop of Jerufalem, called to mind the prophecy of Daniel, which Chrift has also confirmed in the gofpels, and predicted in the prefence of many perfons, that the time would come fhortly that one stone would not be left upon another in that temple, but that the prophecy fhould be fulfilled.

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These were the bishop's words; and in the night there happened a great earthquake, which tore up the ftones of the old foundation of the temple, and difperfed them all, together with the adjacent edifices. The Jews were extreinely terrified; and the fame of it brought many perfons who lived at a great distance to that place. When a numerous multitude were ga thered, there happened anothered prodigy; for there came down a fire from heaven, that con

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fumed all the builder's tools. You might have feen mallets, irons, to fmooth and polish ftones, with faws, hatchets, axes, in fhort, all things the workmen had,, which were used, about that work, destroyed by the flames. 1 he fire preyed upon these things for a whole day, the Jews being in the greatest fear imaginable, acknow+ ledged (though unwillingly) that Chrift was God. But they obeyed not his will, but were prepoffeffed with an opinion of their own religion, and continued firm and hardened. For neither did a third miracle, which happened after, induce them to a belief of the truth. For, the night following, the impreffion of a Crofs, which caft forth beams of brightnefs, appeared printed on their garments, which impreffions, when they faw the next day, they endeavoured to wash and rub them out, but could not. Their blindness and flinty hearts remained unabated, and the temple, inftead of being rebuilt, was totally demolished. Thefe are the words of Socrates, and feveral historians of that age give us much stronger and forcible proofs of the fecond covenant, and ceafing of the firit, as you are a witness this day.

Boy. Eternity admits neither beginning nor end, but is eternal now. The adorable Trinity who folely inhabit eternity from everlasting, is one God; the Deity being one only moft fimple infinite perfection, and in that perfection one only most fole and most pure act, which heing no other thing than the proper divine effence, it is confequently ever permanent and eternal. From the Father iffues his offspring, the Son,"

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who is filed in fcripture, His Breath or Word, the Holy Spirit who is produced, and is the effect of the mutual act of infinite love, reciprocal from the Father and Son, is called in fcripture, rand Somet The Spirit of God; for tho' the Godhead be one fole Deity, yet not folitary, being three persons; and this prime and firft principle of religion is illuftrated throughout the fcriptures. Your legiflator, Mofes, at the head of his Pentateuch, or five books, confirms this infinite mystery, unfearchable, boundlefs, and unfathomable Truth.

Genefis ft chapter. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth; and the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the fpirit of God moved upon the face of the waters: and God faid, let there be light, and there was light. The univerfal creation vifible and invisible, was eternally prefent to the Deity; and when the divine will, for bringing it into being and granting it exiftence, was arrived, the whole received its creation as the divine decree had eternally been fettled. God fpoke, and the word created. Alfo God's fpirit is particularly diftinguifhed; and God faid let us make man in our Image, after our Likenefs and let them have dominion. Nothing can be more clear, and abfolute, which ch prove one God, but diftinct perfons. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, en which declare, and proclaim God one fole Deity. The after part of the chapter (which 5 fidagi od svoda an. I 9000

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Mofes. St. John ift chapter. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. The fame was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men: and the light fhineth in darknefs, and the darkness did not comprehend it. In this infinite myftery, on which the two covenants are grounded, and folely depend; the two legiflators, Mofes, and Chrift, are perfectly confonant, and the two fcriptures throughout one uninterrupted unifon,

Mordecai, Abfalom. We cannot comprehend in what, fpeech can be competently termed effence, as we live in the age of wifdom, when things are proved by effects. Let us make the experiment, by which we will decide the matter in queftion, let us fhut the windows, you are, are you not, without light? if fo, you cannot deny, but that you are blinded with darkness. Now, my dear firs, do not deceive yourfelves, neither be decived by others. Note well, and improve yourselves in the fcience of wisdom and knowledge, that your understanding may be enlightened, and experimental truths may dawn and ripen as fummer fruits, enlarging your interior man. You are all prepared, are you not our words fhall be like the found of a trumpet thundering in each one's ear, hark with direful expectation the laft trump. Let there be light; hufh, five

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