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themselves Jews by record were 300, who were accepted to sit in the Council. And this was all that was done the first day. The SECOND day, the assembly being full, the propounder, Zacharias, of the tribe of Levi, stood up and made a speech concerning the end of their meeting. And this (said he) is to examine the Scriptures concerning Christ, whether he be already come or whether we are to expect his coming? In examining this question, they searched the Old Testament with great care and labour, most part of that day, to be resolved in the truth, having many Bibles for that purpose. A dispute began that lasted many hours, which at last came to this conclusion, that the major part of this assembly were of opinion that Christ was not come; but some others of the assembly, having strictly examined the Scriptures, and finding them so plain for his coming, were inclined to think that Christ was come, being rather moved so to think by the consideration of the great judgments that have been upon them, by reason whereof they have been as a cast-off people. member one of them, in conference with others, seemed to be very apprehensive of the great and long desolations of their nation, ever since their destruction by the Roman empire, and imputed their afflictions to their not repenting of such a wickedness as to kill the Lord from heaven; and, comparing their present with other judgments which their nation had suffered, he ingenuously confessed he did believe it was for some wickedness that their nation was guilty of. That one of their great sins, he thought, was spilling the blood of the prophets sent from God to their nation, and so many massacres that have been committed by the several sects and factions among them. For, said he, we are no idolators, nor are we guilty of idolatry : therefore I think we have not had this heavy judgment upon us for that; but surely it is the spilling the blood of Jesus, and for murdering those who loved him. This is the substance of what was disputed the second day of their meeting, when they ceased until the next morning.

The THIRD day, being assembled together again, the point chiefly agitated was concerning the manner of Christ's coming. And that (they said) should be like a mighty prince, in the power and authority of a king, and in greater power than ever king had. That he will deliver their nation out of the power of their adversaries, and restore them to their kingdom again. That the nations should be of their religion, and worship God after their manner. For they held that the Messiah will not alter their religion whensoever he cometh, and began to conclude that Christ was not come. For Jesus (said they), the

great prophet, when he came, began to alter our religion; therefore he was not the true Messiah. And when Jesus came, whom some call the true Messiah, he began to pull down our religion and set up his own; therefore he was not the true Messiah. Thus some of them concluded, others the contrary, and went from one dispute to another concerning his parentage: they all agreed that he should be born of a virgin, according to the predictions of the prophets in the Old Testament; and in this also, that he should be born of a virgin of mean note and parentage among their nation, as was the Virgin Mary. And upon this many of them were inclined to think that Christ was come; but left it to the next day, when they should again meet together.

The FOURTH day, the assembly being met, the propounder demanded what they thought, whether Christ was come or no? They said they thought he was come. But they said that if he were come he was no other than Elias; because Elias came formerly in great power, and with great power he declared it, slaying the priests of Baal, and for fulfilling the Scriptures he was opposed by Ahab and Jezebel. Morcover, others said that they thought he was more than mortal man, by so strangely ascending up into heaven, which some of our forefathers saw : and this was all that was done on the fourth day.

The FIFTH day, the assembly being met, they went about the same question that was controverted the day before, and took it into examination again to answer them that said Elias was not the Messiah. Those of the contrary opinion argued the love and care of Elias for the good of the nation—that he left them Elisha his disciple to teach and instruct them; and this they thought to be the care of the Messiah. the chief arguments to maintain their opinion. day, towards night, came into question among them what he was that said he was the Son of God, and was crucified by their ancestors? But because this was a great question, they deferred the farther consideration of it until the next day.

These were

The same

The SIXTH day, there were some Pharisees that stood up who were great enemies to Christ, and said they would undertake to answer the last question, and would by no means yield that he was the Christ. These are the reasons they gave for their opinion, viz., because he came into the world like an ordinary and inferior man, not with his sceptre and royal power; for they affirmed that the coming of Christ would be glorious. The second reason they pleaded against him was the meanness of his birth, his father being a carpenter, and this (they said) was a dishonour, of which, when Christ comes, he

will not be capable. The third reason, they accused him to be a false Christ, and an enemy to Moses's law, in doing and suffering his disciples to do unlawful works on the Sabbathday; for they believed that the true Messiah will exactly keep the law of Moses. Though it were replied that the gospel testifies of Christ, and that he did fulfill the law of Moses, yet they rejected that answer, because they did not believe the gospel. But these reasons did not satisfy the Council, there still remaining doubts concerning Christ.

After the Pharisees had done speaking, one Rabbi Abraham stood up and objected against the Pharisees. The miracles that Christ wrought while he was upon the earth—as raising the dead to life, making the lame to walk, the blind to see, and the dumb to speak-by what power, I pray you, my brethren, did he those miracles? Then the Pharisees arose, and desired to answer him, saying, Perhaps this Jesus was an imposter and magician, by which he was enabled to do those miracles. But this answer gave little satisfaction to the Council, and especially to Abraham: whereupon Abraham stood up and replied, How could this Christ charm the blind, lame, dumb, &c., when they were so born, before Jesus Christ himself was born, as it appeared some of them were? This seemed a paradox to the Pharisees, and the prosecuting of this argument almost put them to a nonplus. At last they began to speak again. Perhaps (say they) these impotent persons were made so by other magicians, and conjured to be lame, blind, dumb, &c.; and though he was not then born with those evils, yet this Jesus, being a greater dissembler, and more cunning than any magician before him, power was given him by the devil to remove those charms which others had placed. But there was one Pharisee among the rest, named Zebedee, who did most blasphemously revile Christ, and vehemently urged those things to the Council against him, to the dislike of every one that heard him, even of the members of the Council, or of the Pharisees; and, as the Pharisees played their part against Christ, so did the Sadduces likewise, for some of the Council were of that sect, who endeavoured to render Christ vile and odious to the rest of the Jews.

I observed it to be with the Pharisees and Sadduces as once it was with Herod and Pilate; though these two could not agree at other times. yet they could agree together to crucify Christ. So the Pharisees and Sadduces, though they differ much in opinion among themselves, yet they did at this time too well agree to disgrace Christ with their lies and blasphemies; for the Sadduces, as well as the Pharisees, accused him

for a grand imposter and magician, in that in his gospel he taught the resurrection from the dead, which (they say) we deny. But it is no wonder to see factions agree in some evil design against others, as I found by experience in 1650 (which was the year of their jubilee), at which time there was a great strife between the Jesuits and the Friars of the order of St. Augustine; and though their dissensions have been, by the care and vigilance of the Pope, smothered over, that the world did not take much notice of them; yet this fire broke out again into a flame, greater than before, even to public disputations, and bitter wranglings one against another, opening the deluge errors, and each other's factions, Thus seeking to disgrace of one another, the Pope threatened to excommunicate the authors of all such black libellous books, tending to the dishonour of the clergy (as he called them) to make them infamous to the world.

The SEVENTH day. We are now come to the seventh day of their meeting, on which this was the main query, "Whether if Christ were come, what rules and orders has he left for his Church to walk by ?" This was a great question among them, because they did not believe the New Testament, nor would not be guided by it, but demanded some other instructions to direct them in this point. Whereupon six of the Roman clergy, who were sent thither on purpose by the Pope, to advise in the Council (two were Jesuits, two Friars of the order of St. Augustine, and two of the order of St. Francis), being admitted, began to open to them the doctrine and rules of the church of Rome, which they magnified to them for the holy Catholic church of Christ; their doctrines to be the infallible doctrine of Christ, and their rules to be that which the Apostles left to the Church, for ever to be observed; and that the Pope is the Holy Vicar of Christ, and the successor of St. Peter. For particulars they affirmed the real presence of Christ in the Lord's supper, the religious observation of their holy days, invocation of the saints, their prayers to the Virgin Mary, and her commanding power in heaven over her sons; the holy use of their cross and images, with the rest of their idolatrous and superstitious worship all which they recommended for the doctrine and rules of the Apostles.

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When the assembly of the Jews heard these things from them, they were exceedingly troubled, and fell into high clamours against them, crying, No Christ, no Virgin Mary, no women Gods, no Intercession of the Saints, no holy Crosses, no worshipping of Images, &c. Their grief was so great, that it would have troubled the hardest heart to have seen and

heard it; for they rent their clothes, tore their hair, put dust upon their heads, and cried out, Blasphemy, blasphemy, blasphemy against Jehovah, and Christ our King. In this confusion and perplexity the Council broke up.

But willing to do something, being yet unresolved, they assembled upon the EIGHTH day. The business then was, to agree upon another meeting of the Jews, which was to be three years after, and concluded upon before their final departing.

I believe (says the relater) here were many Jews who would have been easily persuaded to own the Lord Jesus; and I assure for truth (to the honour of our Protestant religion, and for the encouragement of our Divines) that one of the Rabbies, eminent among them, in conference with me, gave his opinion in this manner. 1. That he found at first that they who were sent from Rome would cause an unhappy prejudice to their Council. 2. That he much desired the presence of some Protestant Divines at their assembly, and especially of our English ministers, of whom he had a greater liking than of any in the world beside; for he believed we had a great love to their nation, which he acknowledged to be a great token of love towards them. Especially he recommended the ministers of London for ther excellent preaching, and for their charity towards their nation, as he had heard by many travellers. Moreover, he said he accounted the Church of Rome to be an idolatrous Church: therefore will not own their religion. But by conversing with other Jews, I found they thought there was no other Christian religion in the world than that of the church of Rome, and by the Romish idolatry they took offence at all Christian religion. Whence it appears that Rome is the greatest enemy to the Jews' conversion.

For the place of the Jews' next meeting, it was appointed to be in Syria, in which country I also was, and conversed with the sect of the Rechabites, who still observe their old rules and customs. They neither plant, sow, nor build houses, but live in tents, and often remove from place to place with their whole families and baggage. The Italian language is much spread among them, and the Jews as frequently discourse in that language as their own. Therefore I did converse with them as well as if I could have spoken their own language. And if God give me leave and opportunity, I shall be willing to attend their next Council, which will be in the year 1653. The Lord prosper it. SAMUEL BRETT.