the Gentiles, is well known. Malachi was DISC. the last of their prophets. He lived with- VIII. in 400 years of the appearance of Jefus. What a prophecy did he leave upon the fubject, penned, as it were, with a funbeam" I have no pleasure in you, faith "the Lord of Hofts, neither will I accept "an offering at your hand: for from the

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rifing of the fun unto the going down of "the fame, my name fhall be great among "the Gentiles, and in every place incenfe "fhall be offered unto my name, and a

pure offering for my name fhall be "great among the Heathen, faith the Lord "of Hofts'."

Such are the documents and the warnings, contained in the Scriptures of the Old Teftament, against the first tenet of the Jews, that, as the chofen feed of Abraham, they had an exclufive and indefeafible right to the favours of Heaven. Yet, with these Scriptures in their hands, in their heads, in their mouths, and upon

DISC. their phylacteries, boasting and glorying, VIII. upon every occafion, in an exact and accurate knowlege of them, did those men, after having crucified Jefus, perfecute his apoftles unto the death, from city to city, because the Gentiles were invited to share the benefits and bleffings of the Gospel. -Such is the force of prejudice! Such the illufion of self-love!

Proceed we to confider their second position, namely, that the law of Mofes, on account of it's own intrinfic efficacy, and without a view to any thing farther, was ordained for perpetual observance.

It was by no means fafe, before an audience of Jews, to hint, though ever fo remotely, at the inefficacy of the Mofaic rites confidered in themselves to procure the divine favour; or to infinuate, though ever fo covertly, the termination and abolition of that system. Some of the "blafphemous words," charged upon the protomartyr St. Stephen, and for which he

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was

VIII.

was ftoned, were these ; "that Jefus of Disc. "Nazareth should change the customs, or "rites, which Mofes delivered "." In their ears, this was the worst of blafphemies. It does not appear, that Stephen had used fuch an expreffion; it is probable, at that season, he was more guarded; and they, who depofed their teftimony against him, are ftyled, "falfe witneffes." By urging fome prophecy, or parallel, from the Old Teftament, as he afterwards urged several in his apology, it is likely he had intimated as much; and the words themselves, with which he stands charged, contain nothing more than the truth, fufficiently attested by the law itself; which all along carried in it the most plenary and abundant evidence of it's own prefent inefficacy, and future diffolution; as they, who prided themselves in the ftudy and interpretation of it, ought to have known.

For, upon the firft view of the law

Acts vi. 13, 14.

P 4

Let

DISC. Let us, for a moment, suppose, with the VIII. Jew, that the légal ceremonies, in them

felves, without having refpect to any thing above and beyond them, were indeed effective of the purposes, for which they were faid to be defigned.-To what strange conclufions fhall we be led? We must conclude, that the death of a beast could render the Deity propitious to the offerer; that a goat could carry the tranfgreffions of a congregation into the wilderness; that the blood of bulls could atone for fin; that water, with the afhes of a red heifer infused in it, could purge away the pollutions of the mind; and the like. But against fuch conclufions common fenfe exclaims aloud, and forces us to draw another, and the only just and proper inference, namely, that such rites derived their virtue not from themselves, but from perfons and actions reprefented by them; that they were a figure for the time being; a fhadow exhibiting to the faith of the pious and intelligent votary the shape and lineaments of a substance, which did not ap、 pear.

pear. This must ever be the cafe of exter- DISC. nal ceremonies in religion; and we our

felves fhould be in a fituation fimilar to that of the Jew, if blindly and ignorantly adhering to the letter of our own facraments, exclufive of the things they fignify, and the difpofitions they require, we should suppose a power inherent in the baptifmal water, to wash away guilt, and in the euchariftic elements, to confer pardon and peace.

Again. Be pleased to obferve the oppofite character given, at different times, of the fame rites. One while it is faid, that they were highly acceptable to God; that he was delighted with the favour of the facrifices, and well pleased, as it is natural to suppose he should be, with the observance of his own inftitutions. At other times, we hear him declaring, with indignation, that his foul was weary with offerings, and hated the appointed feasts; that he could not away with the new moons and fabbaths; that incenfe was an abomi

VIII.