Hence then God enjoined his people not to regard any person who should attempt to draw them to idolatry, even though he should work a miracle before their eyes, or foretell an event that should afterwards come to pass. They had had abundant evidence, that the religion they had embraced was from God: they possessed also in the very nature of that religion an internal evidence of its excellency: and they had received from God such demonstrations of his power and goodness, as ought to unite them to him in the most indissoluble bonds of faith and love. If therefore they should be induced to renounce their allegiance to him, and to transfer it to dumb idols
s Isai. viii. 14, 15. h Luke ii. 34, 35.
that had never done any thing for them, nor ever could do any thing, they would betray a manifest want of love to him, and must blame themselves only, if they should ultimately be " given up to a delusion to believe a lie, and be left to perish" in their iniquity \ He would have them therefore upon their guard in relation to this matter, and resolutely to resist every attempt to draw them from him, how- ever specious that attempt might be.
The argument founded on this injunction comes now before us with all the force that can be given to it. A Jew will say, i You Christians found your faith on prophecies and on miracles: and admitting that Jesus did work some miracles, and did foretell some events which afterwards came to pass, God permitted it only to try us, and to prove our fidelity to him. He has cautioned us beforehand not to be led astray from him by any such things as these : he has ex- pressly forbidden us to regard any thing that such a prophet might either say or do : nay more, he com- manded that we should take such a prophet before the civil magistrate, and have him put to death: and therefore, however specious your reasonings appear, we dare not listen to them or regard them.
II. Having thus given to the objection all the force that the most hostile Jew can wish, I now come in the second place to offer, what we hope will prove a satisfactory answer to it.
It cannot but have struck the attentive reader, that in this objection there are two things taken for granted; namely, that in calling Jews to Christianity we are calling them from Jehovah; and that our authority for calling them to Christianity is founded on such miracles as an impostor might work, and such prophecies as an impostor might expect to see verified.
But in answer to these two points we declare, first, that we do not call them from Jehovah, but to him ; — next, that our authority is not founded on such miracles and prophecies as might have issued from an impostor, but such as it was impossible for an
1 2Thess. ii. 11, 12.
206.1 THE jews' LEADING OBJECTION TO CHRIST. 353
impostor to produce ; — and lastly, that, in calling them to Christ, we have the express command of God himself.
First, we do not call our Jewish brethren from Jehovah, but to him.
We worship the very same God whom the Jews worship : and we maintain his unity as strongly as any Jew in the universe can maintain it. As for idols of every kind, we abhor them as much as Moses him- self abhorred them. Moreover, we consider the law which was written on the two tables of stone as binding upon us, precisely as much as if it were again promulged by an audible voice from heaven. Instead of calling them from the law, we call them to it : we declare that every man who has transgressed it in any one particular, is deservedly condemned to ever- lasting misery11: and it is from a consciousness that this sentence must fall on every human being who has not fled for refuge to the hope set before him in the Gospel, that we are so anxious to call both Jews and Gentiles to a belief of the Gospel. We go further, and say, that no human being can be saved, who has not a perfect obedience to that law as his justifying righteousness. But where shall we find a perfect obedience to that law ? where shall we find a man who can say, he has fulfilled it in every jot and tittle? Alas ! we all have transgressed it times without num- ber: we are all therefore condemned by it: and being condemned for our disobedience, we can never be justified by our obedience to it. Would to God, that this matter were understood by the Jews! we should find no difficulty then in leading them to Christ. Did they but know what wrath they have merited, they would be glad to hear of one who has borne it for them: and did they but know how impossible it is for an imperfect obedience to that law to justify them, they would be glad to hear of one who has fulfilled it in all its extent, and brought in an everlasting right- eousness for all who believe in him. Yes, my Jewish brethren, know assuredly that the Christian " does not