Jewish War, lib. ii. chap. 2, sec. 3.) The Emperor at first disregarded this petition, but nine years afterwards, when he deposed Archelaus for cruelty and oppression, on the renewal of this application by the more influential and wealthy Jews, Augustus complied with their request, and Judea, by their solicitation, was formally incorporated into the Roman Empire. (Josephus, Jewish War, lib. ii. chap. 6, sec 2.)

But though this incorporation was very acceptible to wealthy and influential persons in Judea; it was in the highest degree odious to that portion among them who regarded the nation as being the peculiar and covenant people of God. The mass of them, indeed, submitted with internal indignation to a condition of things that made them tributaries to a heathen monarch, but a considerable body of enthusiasts or fanatics, under the name of Zealots, commenced and carried on a fierce guerilla war against the Romans and all those who sided with them. The doctrine of the Zealots was, that subjection of the Jewish nation as God's peculiar people to the heathen Romans, was so utterly abominable, that if the Jews would valiantly fight for their emancipation, that God would lead them on to victory, as they assumed had been done in the war of independence by the Maccabees. The Jews by this incorporation into the Roman Empire thus be'came divided into two factions, the advocates of Roman government, and the Zealots, arrayed in the most hostile and vindictive attitude to each other, since nothing but the sword could determine the controversy. Hence the country was every where agitated with tumults and insurrections. Bands of Zealots, as well as mere robbers and plunderers, attacked small parties of Romans whenever opportunity offered, and they also plundered and murdered any of their own countrymen who favored the Romans. This faction of the Zealots continually increased in numbers and power, until finally all other factions and parties became either absorbed into them or sunk into numerical insignificance. The cause of this is very evident.

The first Roman procurators in Judea, though they enriched themselves by unjustifiable means, yet, on the whole, governed the country with moderation. But from the time of Pontius Pilate, who came to Judea, A. D. 27, until the final destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman governors seem to have had no other object but to accumulate wealth, which they did by shameful extortions. They also, at times, purposely exasperated the national feelings of the Jews, in order to excite tumults and out

breaks among the people, which they put down by military massacres, and then levied heavy fines or forced contributions on the cities, or districts, where these outbreaks had occurred. As the more wealthy class had to raise these sums, the continued extortions and insolence of the Roman officers and soldiers became every year more intolerable, until at last the whole nation with few exceptions, goaded to madness by insult and oppression, sided with the Zealots and rushed into that terrible contest with the Romans, that terminated in the utter destruction of Jerusalem, and dissolution of the national existence.

Having now furnished the reader with a sufficiently comprehensive view of the history of the misconduct of the Jewish nation under the covenant that God saw fit to make with them, I shall terminate this chapter with some remarks respecting the peculiar position of the Jews, in the great scheme of God's purposes in the creation of mankind.

Notwithstanding the wonderful condescension by which Jehovah became their God-king; they were never exempted from the probationary conditions appointed for the human race, and hence he never interfered by any preventing grace with their responsibilities as free agents who were required to attain to perfection. through their own action. But whatever they might do, whether they were obedient or disobedient, their conduct could not interfere in the smallest degree with the object that he contemplated should be effected through their agency. If the Jews had lived righteously, and complied with the conditions of the covenant that Jehovah had been pleased to make with them, they would have effected the object of their selection in a state of great temporal happiness and prosperity, (Levit. xxvi. 3-45,) but as they were perverse and disobedient, they have nevertheless fulfilled Jehovah's purpose in a state of humiliation and suffering proportionate to the amount of blessings they would have enjoyed had they been obedient.

What Jehovah's purposes were in selecting the Jewish people, may at least in certain prominent circumstances be distinctly comprehended. He chose them, that through their instrumentalities his name, revelations and power, should be made known to all other nations of the earth then lapsed into heathen ignorance and idolatry. As such Jehovah continually calls the Jews his witnesses, (Isaiah xliii. 10, 12, 21; xliv. 8; Ezekiel xxxvi. 23, 32, 36,) and declares that through them he would be made known to the Gentiles. (Isaiah lxvi. 19.) On this account he announced he

would preserve them under every calamity and suffering to which they might be exposed. Though they might be dispersed and scattered abroad through all nations of the earth, he still announced he would preserve them. "Though I make a full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee." (Jerem. xxx. 11; xlvi. 28.) And again, towards the end of his dispensations with mankind, he has promised he will re-assemble the Jewish people, and bring them back to their ancient land, in which fulfillment the Jews will again abundantly witness to mankind the truth of Jehovah's revelations, that have been so deeply involved in the history and preservation of this remarkable people.

The Jews therefore have hitherto accomplished Jehovah's purposes in their selection in every particular contemplated by him. Their influence upon the ancient heathen world was far greater than we can now well appreciate, in bringing mankind to some comprehension of the unity, power and providence of the Creator of all things. They also fully prepared the way for the annunciation, and the commencement of the Messiah's kingdom. The Gospel itself was first received by Jews, and through them was made known to the Gentiles. Since their last dispersion among the nations of the earth, they exist every where witnesses for the inspired origin and truth of the Old Testament writings, which for centuries beforehand had predicted the calamitous conditions that should characterize their history in the latter days.

As respects the Jews individually, we need scarcely remark that their intellectual and moral responsibilities before Jehovah, are precisely the same as those of other men. They have been rejected of God only in their national character, and not as men. As Jews, their privileges are in a state of abeyance, as men, they are undergoing the common probation of the human race, and as such they will hereafter be judged.

Again, whatever may be the amount of outrage and persecution the Jews have endured from the hands of their fellow-men, no one ought for a moment to suppose that their calamities have proceeded from any act of Jehovah, instigating mankind to persecute them. The denunciations in case of their disregard to covenant obligations that are made in Deut. xxviii: 15-68, and other places, are mere predictions of what would happen to them after Jehovah should have withdrawn his providential protection. When the Jews, therefore, by their repeated misconduct had forfeited that protection, they then were in the condition of other v. 1.

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men, and as such exposed to all the contumely and oppression that a greedy monarchy, nobility or bigoted clergy have always exercised whenever they had the power. The nations of the earth have suffered from the tyranny of their kings and nobles to a like extent with the Jews, and as to religious persecutions and burnings, the Albigenses, Waldenses, French Protestants, and other dissenters from the Catholic church, have suffered fully as much as the Jews ever endured.

CHAPTER TWELFTH.

ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE JEWISH SYNAGOGUE.

A distinct knowledge of the organization and services of the Jewish Synagogue, being of the greatest importance towards appreciating the true constitution and appointments of Christian Churches as they existed in the times of the apostles, I have therefore deemed it necessary to subjoin the following exposition to which I particularly call the attention of the reader.

Though the rabbins assert that synagogues existed among the Jews from the time of the promulgation of the law of Moses, there is not a single passage in the Old Testament that recognizes either the name or the spirit of the institution. Vitringa, Prideaux, and other learned men who have thoroughly scrutinized the subject, could come to no other conclusion than that it is utterly incredible that synagogues existed among the Jews prior to the Babylonian captivity.

From the statements made by Ezra and Nehemiah, it is evident that the great body of the Jews who returned from Babylon were grossly ignorant of the requirements of the Mosaic law, and to add to the difficulty of recovering them from this state of ignorance, it was found the mass of the nation had so neglected the use of the Hebrew language during their captivity, that it was no longer intelligible to them. But as the more devout Jews had now become convinced that their national calamities had always proceeded from their neglect or disregard of the law of Jehovah as given by Moses, their rulers appear to have made great exertions to prevent the recurrence of any similar judgment. The most effectual mode by which this could be done, was to read and interpret the law to the people in the Chaldee dialect, which was now vernacular among them. This public reading of the law it would seem, was first undertaken by Ezra at Jerusalem in the open "street before the water gate," &c.* (Nehemiah viii. 1-8.)

By this we understand that he first read the law in the original Hebrew, probably by sentences or periods, which were then interpreted to the people in the Syro-Chaldeac tongue.-See Lightfoot, xii. 576.