raised, that the Question was, Whether the Templfe at Jerusalem was to be rebuilt; whether the Jews were to be re-established in their own Land, and their Levitrcal Sacrifices and Ceremonials to be revived again. Indeed such an * Attempt would be flying in the Face of Providence; and most undoubtedly would meet with as signal an Overthrow, as is recorded of Julian the Apostate. But till such an Attempt is made by the British Parliament, why should they be charged with the Guilt belonging to it? Why indeed, unless it can be proved (and strange Things have been undertaken to be proved of late) that Great Britain is Judea, —That London is Jerusalem, — The Synagogue in Duke's Place is Mount Zion,—and the Liberty granted to buy Lands and Merchandise, is an'Order to set up an Altar for offering Burnt-Sacrifices and Oblations.

But it seems there is some farther Objection against the Jews: for it is apprehended, That if foreign Jews were permitted to settle in England (which, by the By, they were fully permitted to do, even before the Passing of the late Act, in all Capacities, but as Merchants, and Purchasers of Lands) they would corrupt us. —Corrupt us, Sir! In what Instances? And what vicious Principles, or immoral Practices can they introduce from abroad, for which England is not infamous already? For indeed, there is no Country under the Sun, where Vices of all Kinds reign so triumphantly, or where the Christian Religion is so outrageously attacked. Therefore, bad as unconverted Jews are, surely they are not worse than apostate Christians; and these are all of our own Growth, true English-born Subjects, invested with all our Rights and Privileges, whose Names and WritIngs would furnish out a very ample Catalogue.— Now this is so notorious a Fact, that religious People pie abroad of all Persuasions say, "Hat they tremble at every Importation of Books frc England, lest more Poison should be communicated from that unclean Fountain of Impiety and Profaneness. And I have often heard a most eminent and pious Prelate of our Church, the late Lord Bishop of Durham, declare, with more Emotion than was habitual to him, That he could not in Conscience approve of a general Naturalization, — because it seemed to him to be the bringing of innocent Strangers into Temptations.— His Fears were quite the Reverse of what is now pretended: For he thought it much likelier, that the English should corrupt the Foreigners, than be corrupted by them. And surely we may say, without entering farther into the Subject, That his Opinion had much more Probability in it than the other.

But, Sir, not only Christians, but Deists also are alarmed on this Occasion. They, good People, are become, all of a sudden, professed Advocates for the Christian Cause, and have been observed to be very industrious of late in spreading about Reports, that the Jews were coming to take away both our Place and Nation.

■1 Timeo Danaos &? dona ferentes.

Would you know therefore, what these Gentlemen are aiming at by such a preposterous and aukward Zeal? It is this; — If they could persuade the Bulk of the People into a firm Belief, that certain Prophecies have foretold, that the Jews shall not be naturalized, then they have but short Work to make; because such Prophecies must be false; inasmuch as the Jews have been, one Time or other, naturalized into every Kingdom and Country in the Universe, and do now enjoy the common Rights of Subjects in almost every State, excepting Spain and Portugal. Thus do these Deceivers first impose on the Credulity of the People, by pretending a Zeal

C for for oar holy Religion, and putting on the Form ot an Angel of Light;—and then use this very Credulity to make the People Infidels: But it is to be hoped, that God will defend the Ignorant and Simple from their destructive Snares, and cause them to< see the Truth as it is in Jesus Christ.

And now, Sirr I have done with the religious Part of this Dispute; and shall leave it to your own Judgment to determine, on which Side the Motives of Religion dotruly preponderate. Be pleased thereFore to re-consider the Whole attentively; and represent to your own Mind, what Part St Paul, the great Apostle of the Gentiles, would have taken in a late Affair, if he had been upon Earth at the fame Juncture: — For the Conclusions drawn, from his Reasonings and Arguments relating to the Jews are the best Rules for our own Conduct, and the most unexceptionable Directions. In short, the Genius of the'Christian Religion is to diffuse Peace on Earth, and Good-will towards Men. This is its great and distinguishing Characteristic; and every Deviation from it is in Fact an Approach towards that Spirit of Judaism, which prevailed in our Saviour's Time -r a Spirit he so severely rebuked, and * preached his divine Sermon on the Mount particularly to correct. Therefore let us take the more heed, that while we express so much Warmth and Resentment against the outward Profession os the Jewish Religion; we do not become Proselytes ourselves to the inward Character ok "Judaism; for it is too plain a Case, that a Man may be a nominal Christian, and yet a very Jew in his Temper and Disposition. Nay* from what hath appeared of late, we may observe, that great Advances have been made not only towards the Temper, but even the constituent Principles Qf the Jewish Religion/ For the Author of that extraordinary See Blair's Discourses, and the very Learned and Orthodox Dr WaUrlanfi recommendatory Preface.

traordinary Performance, called an Apology for the City of London, is pleased to lay,—That the Jews are guilty of high Treason against God, and that not only in a spiritual, but in a temporal Sense.—Now this is Judaism in the highest Degree; for the Constitution and Law here referred to concerning highTreason was never in Force, but during the Mosaical theocracy; and cannot be now consistently revived, without bringing in all the Rites and Ceremonies of the Jewish Law. Thus do Men, very often, in the heat "of Controversy, run into the very Error they e)j'claimed against, and intended to confute.

As to the Jockyings of Electioneering, the Cabals of Party, and the secret Machinations of Disloyalty and Disaffection, I designedly omit themj because indeed they are too obvious to need any Illustration, and you would think me mispending Time, should 'I attempt to prove, what every Person clearly sees. This being the Case,. doth not a Jacobite, by deliberately and impiously taking the Oaths to the present Government, upon the true Faith of a Christian, as really blaspheme that worthy Name, by which we are called, as any Jew can possibly do? The one affronts a Saviour he pretends to acknowledge; the other, «ne he professedly denies. And yet all this Antichristian Disloyalty hath entirely escaped the Notice of our modern sharp-sighted Observers. Here therefore permit me to communicate to you one Anecdote, to shew how deeply the Spirit of Disaffection is rooted in some Minds, and to what Lengths it will carry them. It is in relation to the Attempt made last Sessions of Parliament for opening the Trade to the Levant Seas, when a certain Person belonging to a great Assembly constantly opposed the opening of that Trade; and being asked his Reasons in private, he frankly declared, That as he was an old Tory, he never would give a Vote for reversing any of the Charters

granted by the House of Stuart This was the best

Reason he could give; nor was he the only Man,

C 2 who •who acted upon such Principles; though others were more shy in avowing them. I do not say indeed, that every Person, who was strenuous in that Opposition, acted upon the same Principles; because I am well persuaded of the Contrary:—But this I do aver, — that if certain foreign Jews, now residing in England, had been permitted to have been free of the Turkey Company, and to have imported Raw Materials and other Merchandise, without paying Alien Duty, the chief Object would have been obtained, for which they desired to be naturalized. And the true Reason of the present Outcry being raised against them, is to prevent their obtaining this Freedom, and to hinder their trading upon the fame Footing with other Merchants. Religion was only the Pretence; — but Monopoly the Noli me tangere, and the real Cause of the Clamours. — If the Jews had been content with getting rich as Stock-Jobbers, as Brokers, or in any other Capacity but as Merchants, all would have been well ., and they might have gone on in making Purchases (those I mean, who are Natives of the Kingdom, $0" f°r there is no Law extant in our Statute Books, the only authentic Records in this Case, against their purchasing Lands, and even * Advowsons) without any

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