Laftly, concerning the fame Angel Malachi fays, The Lord whom ye feek shall fuddenly come to his temple, even the Angel, or meffenger, of the covenant. This mighty Angel, the faviour, redeemer, interceffor, and protector, seems to be no common or created Angel, but that Angel in whom the name of God was, and by whom God speaks to mankind, and who on that account is called the Word of God, who was in the beginning with God, and who was God, by whom all things were created, and who afterwards became man and dwelt with us. The Jews had many prejudices against the person of Chrift; they had as many, or rather more, against his doctrine. The religion of the Gospel is fpiritual: the religion of the Jews, as they made it, was carnal. The Gofpel places morality above rites and ceremonies: the Jews preferred, in their practice at least, the ritual law to the moral. The Gospel reprefents the law of ceremonies as a temporary inftitution, which drew towards its end after the coming of John the Baptift: the Jews thought that the the whole Law was everlasting, and of perpetual obligation. They believed that they could perform as much of it as would be fufficient to fecure the favour of God they therefore rejected new doctrines and means of falvation, as falfe, or useless and unneceffary. ; Of all their mistakes and prejudices, their too great zeal for the Law feems to have been the most excufable: it arose partly from a high veneration for commandments, which were undoubtedly of divine appointment, and a good man might have fallen into it. Therefore the Apoftles used great lenity and condefcenfion towards the Jews in this particular, and fuffered them to observe the ritual law along with the Gospel, which they did for a confiderable time, till, Jerufalem being destroyed, no small part of the ceremonial law became impracticable, and by flow degrees the whole fell into difufe. The Jews accounted Mofes to have been the greatest of all the prophets: the Gospel taught them that John the Baptift was a Sulpitius Severus L. ii. Eufebius E. H. iv. 6. Origen contr. Celf. ii. p. 56. prophet greater than all who had been before him, yet in every respect infinitely inferior to Chrift, and not equal to the least of Chrift's difciples in dignity of office. The Jews not only avoided, as much as they could, all intercourse with the Gentiles, which indeed their own Law required of them in many cafes, but had them generally in abomination, not for their vices, but because they observed not the law of Mofes the Gospel commanded them to love all men, though they were not Jews either by birth or by religion, and not to fhun them as unfit for conversation, unless they were scandalous by impiety or immorality. The Gospel condemned, not only evil actions, but evil inclinations and thoughts: the Jews, if we may judge of them by the fentiments of fome of their own writers, were of opinion that there was no harm in bad defigns, unless they were put in execution. Jofephus fays that Antiochus Epiphanes, as he was dying, confeffed that he fuffered for the injuries which he had done to the Jews. Then he adds; " I « I wonder how Polybius could say that "Antiochus perished, because he had pur pofed to plunder the temple of Diana "in Perfia; for to intend the thing only, " and not to perform it, is not worthy of punishment." The story of Glaucus is remarkable, who being esteemed a man of fingular probity, and having a large fum of money deposited in his hands, and an opportunity of keeping it from the owners, if he would forfwear himself, confulted the Oracle at Delphi what he should do. "When 'he "had propofed his question, the Priestess "of Apollo anfwered thus: 66 If prefent profit claim thy chief regard, "Be bold, and fwear, and take the obvious prize: Just • Ωςε θαυμάζειν Πολύβιον Τον Μεγαλοπολίτην, ὃς, ἀγαθὸς ὢν ανὴς, ἀποθανῶν λέγει τὸν ̓Αντίοχον, βεληθέντα Τὸ τῶς ἐν Πέρσαις Αργέμιδος ἱερὸν συλῆσαι· τὸ γὰρ μηκέτε ποιῆσαι τὸ ἔργον βολευσάμενον, ἐκ ἐσὶ Τιμωρίας ἄξιον. Ant. xii. 9. See Selden de Synedr. ii. 13. §. 7. Hammond on Rom. vii. 7. Grævius on Cicero de Offic. i. 4. and Grotius on Exod. xx. 17. who obferves that the wiser Pagans had much better notions. t : Ἐπειρωτῶν]α δὲ ἀυὸν τὸ χρησήριον εἰ ὅρκῳ τὰ χρήματα ληΐσεται, ή Πυθίη μετέρχεται τοῖσδε τοῖσι ἔπεσι· Γλαῦκ Επικυδίδη, τὸ μὲν αυτίκα κέρδιον ὅτω, Ορκῳ νικῆσαι, καὶ χρήματα λητω απαι *Our σε fuft dealing cannot fave thee from the grave. • But the oath's Guardian bath a nameles Son, • Who fwift and trong, the without band or foot Purfues, dertakes, and feizes, and deftroys "The whole devoted race; whilst honeft men « Leave lafting blefhings to their children's children. "Glaucus hearing this, intreated the god to forgive him what he had said. "The Priestess replied; To tempt the god, and to commit the action, is all Glaucus however fent to recall his "Milefian guefts, and delivered them the money.- At prefent there remains no "houfe or progeny of Glaucus, but it is "rooted out from Sparta." Κ one. Ὄμνυ· ἐπεὶ θάνατός γε καὶ ἔυορκον μένει ἄνδρα. Ταῦτα ἀκέσας ὁ Γλαῦκος συγγνώμην τὸν Θεὸν παραιτέετο αὐτῷ ἔχειν τῶν ῥηθέντων· ἡ δὲ Πυθίη ἔφη, Τὸ πειρηθῆναι τῇ Θεῖ, καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι, ἴσον δύναται. Γλαῦκος μὲν δὴ μεταπεμψάμενος της Μιλησίες ξένες, ἀποδιδοῖ σφι τα χρήματα. - Γλαύκε νῦν ἔτει ἀπόγονον ἐςι ἐδὲν, ἔτ ̓ ἑείν ἐδεμίη νομιζομένη εἶναι Γλαύκο· ἐκθέτει πλαί τέ πρόῤῥιζος ἐκ Σπάρτης. Herodot. vi. p. 359. Ed. Gron. See the fame ftory related by Juvenal xiii. 199. Cicero de Offic. iii. 8. feems to allude to it. Compare |