Of this kind are the Miracles in which the Deity immediately interpofes, to vindicate the Credit of his own Predictions, when impious men have publicly combined to defeat and dishonour them.

The most eminent of this Clafs was the miraculous interpofition of Heaven, which defeated JULIAN's attempt to rebuild THE JEWISH TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM.

When God found it expedient or neceffary, in order to preferve the Memory and keep up the Knowledge of himself amidst a corrupt world, running headlong into Polytheism and Idolatry, he chose a single Family, which, when spread out into a Nation or People, was to become the public repofitory of his holy Name, till the fulnefs of time fhould come, when, as he promifed by himself, all the earth should be filled with the glory of the Lord*.

This family was of the feed of Abraham; which, in compliance with the religious notions of those times, he was pleased to adopt for his peculiar People, under the idea of their tutelar Deity, or the God of Abra

Numbers xiv. 21.

ham,

ham, Ifaac, and Jacob; and, the more effectually to fecure the great end of their feparation, affumed, likewife, the title and office of their KING or CIVIL GOVERNOR ; having, first of all, communicated himself to them, as the Maker and Governor of the Universe.

Hence, the RELIGION he gave unto this People came under the idea of a LAW; and the LAW, amongst them, was, in the ftricteft fenfe, RELIGION, as having all the fanctions of a divine Command.

From this short account of the JEWISH CONSTITUTION it appears, that RELIGION, which, elsewhere, had properly and juftly particulars only for its fubjects, had here the nation or community. And what, elfewhere (as far as concerns the divine origin of Religion), is only a private matter, was here a public. For the Deity being both their tutelary God and Civil Governor, the proper object of his care was, in either capacity, the collective Body.

Hence it follows, that the principal Rites of the Hebrew Religion and Law were to be performed in fome determined Place.

For

For the ideas of a tutelary God and civil Governor implied a local Residence; and a national act, arifing from the relations fpringing out of thefe qualities, required a fixed and certain habitation for its celebration; and both together feemed to mark out the Capital of the Country for that ufe.

Such a practice, which the nature and reafon of things fo evidently point out, the Institutes of the Jewish Law exprefsly direct and enjoin.

During the early and unfettled times of the Republic, the Sacrifices prefcribed by its Ritual were directed to be offered up at the door of an ambulatory Tabernacle; but when the People had perfected the Establishment ordained for them, and a magnific TEMPLE was erected for religious Worship, then their SACRIFICES were to be offered in that place at Jerufalem only.

Now, SACRIFICES conftituting the effentials of their Worship, their Religion could not be said to exift longer than that celebration continued. But Sacrifices were to be performed in no place out of the Walls

Walls of their TEMPLE. So that when this holy place was finally destroyed, according to the prophetical predictions, the INSTITUTION itself became abolished. Nor was any thing more confonant to the genius of this Religion, than the affigning such a celebration of its principal Rites. The Temple would exift while they remained a People, and continued Sovereign. And when their Sovereignty was loft, the Templeworship became precarious, and subject to the arbitrary pleasure of their Masters.They destroyed this Temple: but it was not till it had loft its ufe. For the Rites, directed to be there celebrated, were relative to them only as a free-policied People.

So that this was, in reality, a total EXTINCTION of the Jewish Worship. How wonderful are the ways of God! This came to pass at that very period when a new Revelation from Heaven concurred with the blind tranfactions of civil policy, to fuperfede the LAW by the introduction of the GOSPEL: the last great work which completed the Scheme of HUMAN REDEMP

Τα

To confound this admirable order of Providence, was what induced the EMPEROR JULIAN to attempt the REBUILDING the JEWISH TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM. The vanity of the attempt could be only equalled by its impiety for it was defigned TO GIVE THE LIE TO GOD, who, by the mouth of his Prophets, had foretold that it fhould never be rebuilt. Here then was the most important occafion for a miraculous interpofition, as it was to defeat this mad attempt. And thus in fact it was defeated, to the admiration of all mankind.

But as a large and full account of the whole affair hath been already given to the Public, in a Work entituled-JULIAN, or a Difcourfe concerning the Earthquake and fiery Eruption which defeated that Emperor's Attempt to rebuild the Temple at Jerufalem; thither I refer the learned Reader, who will there meet with all the various evidence of the Fact, abundantly fufficient to support and establish it; together with a full confutation of all the cavils oppofed to its certainty and neceffity.

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