was neceffary that they should lay in a Claim in Behalf of their Mafter, to his being that very Meffiah spoken of by the Prophets. For otherwife it might poffibly have been overlooked by the inadvertent Readers, or difputed by the malicious, while they had this fpecious Plea to back their other Objections, "If they had been "conscious of the Completion of the Prophecies "in the Perfon of their Master, his Difciples "could not have been guilty of fuch Injuftice to "his Caufe as to neglect the Claim." This might have infused Doubts even into the diligent and well difpofed Enquirer; and therefore the Prophecies which stand recorded, and applied in the New Testament by the Hands of the Evangelifts and Disciples of our Lord, at once awaken the inattentive, filence the bold Objector, and adminifter Confidence to the honest Heart. But fuppofing none of these Advantages had attended them, yet it is furely a very ftrange Objection, to say that the general Resemblance can be hurt, by a Resemblance in feveral Particulars being already made out, and to oppofe the Argument drawn from this general Refemblance, by fhewing that the Evangelists have long ago made great Advances towards proving the Reality of it. Efpecially when we can add that they have in Effect fully proved it. For, as far as they have gone, they have fhewed the Refemblance to be perfect and undeniable, and having left us a full and true Portrait of our Lord, have appealed to the Scriptures for the Truth of the

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Refemblance in thofe remaining Parts, which they did not think it neceffary, that they themselves should draw into a Comparison. And in Truth, to do Dr. M. Justice, he seems not infenfible of the Weakness of his Argument. For, after all the Pains he has taken to fupport it, he has fairly given it up. He fays: But whatever Eafe it may give to his Lordfbip in this particular Difpute, to confider Prophecy in fo extenfive a View, yet, with Regard to the Service of Christianity, I cannot fee the leaft Difference or Advantage in this Scheme, except in the greater Length of his prophetic Chain, than of that, which the Evangelifts made Ufe of: For the Prophecies, as they are applied fingly in the Gospels, are all of them fubfervient to one and the fame Purpofe of Providence, as well as in his Hypothefis, but the Evangelical Chain which begins with Mofes, reaches only through feveral hundred Years; Whereas this Chain, which begins with Adam, reaches through feveral Thousand. And is this Confeffion come at laft, and accompanied with this Reason, that He now ceases to oppose his Lordship's Scheme, because he does not fee that it carries in it any thing peculiarly serviceable to the Cause of Christianity? Why then, we may ask him, was all this Profufion of Labour to make it appear inconfiftent with the Gofpels? What, are the Prophecies, as applied in the Gofpels themselves, all of them fubfervient to one and the fame Purpose of Providence, as much as in his Lordship's Hypothesis, a Examination, Pag. 23.

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and is the Gofpel-Application of thefe Prophecies yet produced to fhew this very Part of his Lordship's Hypothefis to be Chimerical, and contradictory to the Notion of the Evangelists? The Man, who could endeavour to sustain an Argument of this Kind, muft furely attribute every thing to the Power of his Pen.

YET there is ftill one Part of the Scheme in Question, which He thinks might be of fuperior Service to Chriftianity, I mean the Length of the Bishop's prophetic Chain. For, with Regard to the Service of Christianity, He cannot fee the leaft Difference or Advantage in this Scheme, except in the greater Length of his prophetic Chain. I will not fay that He refolves for that Reafon to maintain its Repugnance to the Gospel Scheme; However he does maintain it. And that Reafon will justify our Endeavours, to shew that He has yet produced Nothing from the Scriptures, to make a Difference acknowledged. He fays that the Evangelical Chain begins with Mofes, and is therefore not fo long as that for which his Lordship contends by upwards of 2000 Years. But laying afide this Metaphor at present, as unconcerned in the Point of Difpute we are now entring upon; what does he mean in plain Words when he fays the Evangelical Chain reaches no higher than Mofes? I fuppofe, that there are no Prophecies, cited or referred to in the New Teftament, which were delivered before the Time of Moses. What then? does it follow, either that there were no Prophecies of the Meffiah before

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the Time of Mofes, or that the Evangelifts did not know of any? not unless fome Neceflity can be fhewn for their having cited, or referred to all the Prophecies that they were acquainted with. The Proof of this has not yet been made out, and I am perfwaded will hardly be undertaken. Yet till it be made out, it must be allowed that the Evangelifts might know and believe in Prophecies delivered before the Time of Mofes, though they have not cited them, and, this being admitted, that the Suppofition of a Scheme of Prophecies, taking their Rise much higher than the Time of Mofes, is no way contrary to the Perfwafion or Opinion of the Evangelifts. I have before given a Reason why it was not incumbent on those who preached Christ, or were intrufted with the great Care of tranfmitting to Pofterity the History of his Life, to apply all the Prophecies relating to the Meffiah, that came within their Knowledge, to the several correfponding Paffages therein. Namely, because we were still poffeffed of the prophetical Writings, and therefore were Ourselves capable of making the Application. I fhall now further fuggeft a Reason, why it might feem particularly not neceffary that they should expressly refer to the most ancient Prophecies of the Meffiah. Now these Prophecies were only of more general Import, the Conditions of the Times not requiring that they should be more particular. They promised at large that a Meffiah should come, a Deliverer from thofe great Evils under which

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which Humanity then laboured; but they did not deliver the Marks by which his Perfon was to be known, the Condition in which he was to appear, or the Manner in which he was to effect that Deliverance. No more was foretold to our First Parents, than that one fhould arife from the Seed of the Woman who should triumph over their grand Enemy, and greatly repair the Loffes their Race fuftained from their Tranfgreffion. To Abraham it was promised that the Deliverer fhould arise from his Seed. But this was all. Succeeding Prophecies were more particular. They pointed out all the feveral Characters of thofe different Offices the Meffiah was to fuftain; They determined the exact Time of his appearing in the World, the Place of his Birth, the Manner of his Life, the Nature of his Doctrine and Miracles, they painted the black Scene of his Sufferings and Death, the Circumstances of his Interment, the Glory of his Kingdom, and, in a Word, they exhibited a View of all the various Scenes he paffed through in his Abode on Earth, defcribing many of the minutest Incidents that happened to him. The Nature then of the Prophecies delivered in the feveral Ages of the World being thus different, prefents Us with an obvious Reason, why the Evangelifts in their occafional Citation of Prophecies fhould make Use of the later, and why they might forbear making any References at all to the most ancient. When they had, by adapting them to the Particulars of his Life, shewn

that