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 BM 648 .C82 1814 
 
 Crooll, Joseph. 
 
 The restoration of Israel 
 
 

 
 THE 
 
 RESTORATTON OF ISRAEL,, " X 
 
 BY 
 
 R. JOSEPH CROOLL, 
 
 TEACHER OF THE HEBREW LANGUAGE IN THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CAMBRIDGE, &c. 
 
 AND 
 
 AN ANSWER, 
 
 BY 
 
 THOMAS SCOTT, 
 
 RECTOR OF ASTON SABTDFORD, BUCKS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 Printed by B. R. GOAKMAN : 
 
 AT THE LONDON SOCIETY'S OFFICE, CHTIRCH STREET, SPITALFIELDS ; 
 
 Sold by 
 
 L, B, SEELEY, FLEET STREET, J. HATCHARD, PICCADILLY, 
 
 AND GALE, CURTIS, & FENNER, 
 
 PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 1814. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 A considerable time ago, a copy of the book, 
 which I here attempt to refute, was sent to me, 
 by the Committee of the London Society for 
 promoting Christianity amongst the Jews, with a 
 request that I would answer it. The same was 
 done, as I understood, to a few other persons. 
 Having looked into it, in rather a slight manner, 
 and being fully engaged at the time, I was not 
 at all inclined to undertake the service ; think- 
 ing, that some other person, more at leisure, 
 would do it in a more adequate and acceptable 
 manner. 
 
 But being something less engaged, in the be- 
 ginning of the present year, I again took up the 
 copy, and read it more attentively; purposing, 
 if not too late, to make some short remarks on 
 particular passages, and communicate them to 
 any one who, I should learn, was preparing an 
 answer. 
 
 In attempting this, however, the whole con- 
 cern appeared to me in a new light ; and I 
 
IV PREFACE. 
 
 perceived that by this work, an opening was 
 given to the zealous friends of Christianity, and 
 cordial friends of the Jews ; of bringing the 
 whole sqbject, in controversy between Christians 
 and Jews, before the publick and the nation of 
 Israel. 
 
 I am indeed free to acknowledge, that before 
 I carefully studied Mr. Crooll's statements, I had 
 not well understood the subject : nor had I been 
 aware of half of the objections, current opinions, 
 and traditions, which stand in the way of a Jew, 
 to prevent his embracing Christianity. The ar- 
 guments adduced, indeed, did not appear either 
 conclusive, or very difficult to be answered: but 
 questions were started on almost every part of 
 the subject, of which I had not previously thought ; 
 and, in some instances, I found that a consider- 
 able degree of plausibility was given to objections. 
 
 It is true, I understood, that the work was not 
 to be published by the London Society, without 
 an answer : but it occurred to me, that if it were 
 not answered, the author might have to say, that 
 he had, in some sense, challenged the Committee 
 and friends of that Society to answer his work, 
 but they were not able ; and therefore, that he 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 at length published it himself, as unanswerable: 
 or, at least, that the substance of it would in 
 one form or other be circulated. On enquiry, I 
 could not learn that any one was engaged in 
 preparing an answer: and thus I was led on, 
 step by step, at length to undertake the service; 
 and, after many changes in my plans and ar- 
 rangements, which have occasioned much delay, 
 the result is presented to the publick in its present 
 form. 
 
 I cannot but fear, however, that some Christian 
 friends may question the propriety of publishing 
 such a work, for the sake of answering it : and 
 I am fully aware, that stating plausible objec- 
 tions, without a very satisfactory refutation of 
 them, is, in all ordinary cases, a dangerous mea- 
 sure. But this appears to me, not to be an or- 
 dinary case; but one which cogently requires 
 something to be attempted : and I regard it, as 
 a most important opening, to a fair and full 
 investigation of the whole argument, which ought 
 not to be neglected. 
 
 In fact, Jews have hitherto kept themselves 
 within certain strong holds, and inaccessible re-* 
 cesses ; making occasional incursions against Chris- 
 
VI PREFACE. 
 
 tianity ; rather than attempted to lead forth their 
 troops into the open field of fair argument : and 
 Christians seem to have been so afraid of offend- 
 ing them, by clearly exhibiting the mysteries of 
 our holy religion ; that they have, as it were, 
 kept the grand things to be contested, in the 
 back ground. But I rejoice, that there is at 
 length a prospect, of the whole subject becom- 
 ing more generally examined and understood. 
 
 ' It has been the opinion of several learned men, 
 that nothing should be brought forward, in this 
 controversy, except the insulated question, Whe- 
 ther Jesus be, or be not, the promised Messiah ; 
 and that the peculiar doctrines of Christianity, 
 should be kept out of sight. I ownj I once was 
 favourable to this idea, but it is manifest from 
 Mr. C.'s work, that these peculiar doctrines, or 
 at least those views of Christianity which are 
 maintained in the Creeds and Articles of our 
 church, form so prominent a part of their ob- 
 jections to the New Testament; that they are 
 nearly inaccessible to all other arguments: and 
 must remain so, as far as I can perceive, till it 
 is clearly shewn that these doctrines are con- 
 tained in the Old Testament ; or, are not at 
 all inconsistent with its leading principles. This, 
 
PREFACE. Vll 
 
 therefore, I have attempted : with what success 
 others must decide. Many things* in the man- 
 agement of the argument, will appear to the 
 Christian reader, different from what he was 
 prepared to expect, or approve : as indeed, they 
 are far different from what at first impressed 
 my own mind. But to reason with Jews, on the 
 sole authoritative ground of the Old Testament ; 
 concerning Christianity, and its most important 
 doctrines, which we are accustomed to prove 
 almost exclusively from the New Testament ; is 
 an undertaking attended with far more difficulties 
 than it may appear to be, to those who never 
 made the trial. 
 
 In respect of such Jews, as may be induced 
 to read this work, I can only intreat their can- 
 dour and attention. I am conscious, before God, 
 of most cordial good-will to the nation, and to 
 every individual of it : but, as I am also deeply 
 convinced of the truth and excellency of Chris- 
 tianity ; I do earnestly long and daily pray for 
 their conversion to their own Messiah, and our 
 most gracious Lord and Saviour. I have not in- 
 deed, in what I have written, declined to use 
 all my ability, be it what it may : " I know not 
 " to give flattering words;" and in a few in- 
 
Viii PREFACE. 
 
 stances I have hinted a gentle reprehension. I 
 trust, however, that even Jews will allow me 
 to be a fair, a candid, and a benevolent oppo- 
 nent; and that they will not say, that I have 
 treated them disrespectfully, or with bitterness 
 and severity. 
 
 THOMAS SCOTT* 
 
 Aston Sandford) 
 
 October 4, 1814* 
 
THE 
 
 RESTORATION 
 
 OF 
 
 ISRAEL. 
 
 BY R. JOSEPH CROOLL, 
 
 Teacher of the Hebrew Language in the University of Cambridge 
 
 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt will I shew 
 unto him marvellous things. %( c ' ah y[i , 5> 
 
 The breaker is come up before them : they h:tve broken up, and have passed 
 through the gate and are gone out by it; and their kin- shall pass 
 before them, and the Lord on the head of them. Micah ii. 13. 
 
 And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among; 
 the nations : all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are 
 the seed which the Lord hath blessed. Isaiah lxi. 9. 
 
 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 1 Thess. v. 21. 
 
DECLARATION 
 
 IF ever this book should fall into the hand of a Christian 
 the author would beg of him to consider the following ob- 
 servations. 
 
 First, — It was written without any design to publish 
 it, and only to satisfy the Author's own opinion, as will 
 be seen in the sequel. Secondly, — It may be said that 
 the author is an enemy to Christians : to banish this idea, 
 the following proof is offered. 
 
 It is well known that at the time when the law was 
 given to Israel, all the seventy nations were worshippers 
 of idols. By this way of worship there was no life for the 
 Gentiles to exist in God's world. But the Lord is good 
 to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works ; he 
 commanded to his people Israel to make intercession for 
 all the Gentile world, and also to offer sacrifices for them ; 
 and this was done during all the time that Israel dwelt in 
 their own land. And every year on the feast of Taber- 
 nacles, 70 young bullocks were offered for the seventy 
 nations of this world, Numb. xxix. 13 : the first day 13, 
 the second 12, the third U, the fourth 10, the fifth 9, 
 the sixth 8, and the seventh day 7. 
 
 In the time of Jeremiah the prophet, Nebuchadnezzar 
 came to Jerusalem and took Jeconiah, at that time king, 
 together with the queen, and a great number of the 
 nation, captives, and brought them into Babylon. At the 
 same time, Hananiah, a false prophet, spoke in the name 
 of God ; saying, Within the space of two full years, all 
 those that are in captivity in Babylon shall return. Jer, 
 xxviii. 1 L The prophet was commanded by God to write 
 an epistle to the captives in Babylon. " And seek the 
 peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried 
 away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the 
 peace thereof shall ye have peace. Jer. xxix. r 
 
 / 
 
It is well known that Israel never had any greater 
 enemy than Nebuchadnezzar and his people, yet were 
 our forefathers commanded by God to prav for them. 
 But how much more is it our duty to pray for the nations 
 at the present time, in particular for this country, for 
 here we are used well, and treated better than in any 
 other country ; here we enjoy ease and security. As 
 for myself in particular, during the time I have resided in 
 this country, I have received a great deal of kindness 
 from both sexes. But the real cause of writing this book 
 was from reading a small tract published by the Commit- 
 tee of the The London Society for promoting Chris- 
 tianity amongst the Jews ; and here I shall quote 
 their own words : (( If any doubts should yet remain in 
 the mind of any person sincerely enquiring after truth, 
 upon the heads discussed in this address; or if any new 
 difficulties should present themselves ; it would give plea- 
 sure to any member of this Committee, to confer person- 
 ally with such enquirer on the subject." — No. II. p. 12. 
 
 In the beginning of this paragraph, it is said that they 
 have answered almost every thing, and that a Jew has no 
 more to say for himself. Considering these things, I 
 thought I would search, and try to find, if their statement 
 was sufficient for the conviction of a Jew And after I 
 set to work, I found fresh difficulties, by which it appears 
 to me that they have yet answered nothing ; and further, I 
 think that those things which I have advanced in this 
 book, it is impossible for the Committee to answer. All 
 learned Christians will allow a Jew to suggest every diffi- 
 culty which he thinks it impossible for a Christian to 
 answer; but there are some ignorant Christians, who, as 
 soon as a Jew advances any thing in his own behalf, will 
 immediately say, he blasphemes. I hope that whoever 
 reads this book will be a learned Christian, and will 
 remember that a learned Committee have sent forth their 
 publications to the Jews, on purpose to see if any Jew 
 has any thing further to say. What difficulties 1 have 
 found, I have declared in the following pages, and if the 
 Committee are able to answer them, it may be good for 
 both parties. 
 
THE 
 
 RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 & » 
 
 Messiah. — This name is applicable — 1. To a king 
 — 2. To a prophet ; — 3. To a high priest. And Jehu the 
 son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel ; 
 and Elisha the son of Shaphat, of Abel-mehO-lah, shalt 
 thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. 1 Kings xix. 16. 
 Thou shalt also take the anointing oW, and pour it upon his 
 head,, and anoint him. Exod. xxix. 7. Also every one that 
 is made a king- is called a Messiah. Thus saith the Lord 
 to his anointed, to Cyrus., &c. Isaiah xlv. 1. This title is al- 
 ways given either to a king, to a ruler, or to a judge. Be- 
 hold thy king cometh unto thee. Zech. ix. 9. Yet out of 
 thee shall he come forth unto me, that is to be ruler in 
 Israel. Mic v- 2. But with righteousness shall he judge 
 the poor, Isaiah xi. 4. 
 
 He is to be only a man. — So shall they be my peo- 
 ple, and 1 will be their God, and David my servant shall 
 be king over them. Ezek. xxxvii. 24. But they shall serve 
 the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will 
 raise up unto them. Jer, xxx. 9. Afterwards shall the 
 children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and 
 David their king. Hos. iii. 5. 
 
 He must have both father and mother. — It is ac- 
 knowledged by all that the Messiah was to be the Son of 
 David : for this reason Jesus could not be the Messiah ; 
 
6 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 and if it should be said that his mother was a daughter of 
 David, that will not relieve the objection ; for if the 
 daughter of David brings forth a son, he can by no means 
 be called the son of David : for a son by a daughter has 
 lost the very name of a son of David, although the son of 
 his daughter. And they assembled all the congregation 
 together on the first day of the second month, and they 
 declared their pedigrees after their families, by the house 
 of their fathers, but not by the house of their mothers. 
 Numb. i. 18. Here we may observe, that a daughter 
 in Israel has no pedigree of herself, for if the daughter of 
 a priest be married to a man of another tribe, her son will 
 be no priest ; and if a daughter of any tribe be married 
 to a priest, and she brings forth a son, he will be a priest ; 
 thus the pedigree of a man depends on his father only. 
 
 A Saviour — is not the name of the Messiah, but the 
 name of God ; for the Messiah himself shall look up to God 
 to be saved. He is just and shall be saved, Zech. ix. 9. 
 Observe the word is #ttH31 venousha ; the proper sense 
 of the word is, And he shall be saved, but not " to save 
 himself." And again, For I am the Lord, thy God, thy 
 Saviour. Isaiah xliii. 3. I, even I, am the Lord ; and be- 
 side me there is no Saviour ; ver. 11. And all flesh shall 
 know, that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, 
 the mighty one of Jacob. Isaiah xlix. 26. Happy art thou, 
 O Israel ; a people saved by the Lord, (Deut. xxxiii. 29.) 
 — but not by the Messiah. 
 
 The Son of Man. — Ezekiel the prophet is called by 
 this name, and was called so by God. Jesus also called 
 himself the Son of Man- We shall find it very difficult 
 to settle by what name he ought to be called : for if he is 
 a God, he is no man ; and if he is a man, he is no God. Je- 
 sus himself never thought of such a thing ; therefore he 
 called himself the Son of Man : but had he thought that 
 he was a God, he would have called himself the Son of a 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. / 
 
 woman ; and that would have proved, that no man could 
 have been his father ; but, if any man will contend that he 
 was both God and man, it cannot be true : for we have the 
 following text ; And there is none other, that can shew it 
 before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not 
 with flesh. Dan- ii. II. The heaven, even the heavens 
 are the Lord's : but the earth hath he given to the children 
 of man. Psalm cxv. 16- I think these proofs are sufficient, 
 to shew that he who partakes of flesh and blood, and eats 
 and drinks, can be no god. 
 
 Forgiveness of Sin — The Messiah can forgive no 
 sin, but God whose dwelling is not with men, he only can 
 forgive sin. For there is forgiveness with thee, that thou 
 mayest be feared, and no other. Psalm cxxx. 4. Ob- 
 serve the term, that thou mayest he feared, and no other, 
 and therefore no flesh can forgive sin ; nay, even the Mes- 
 siah must pray to God : and inasmuch as the Messiah was 
 to be born of a woman, he would consequently partake of 
 flesh and blood, and the nature of his person be formed 
 only like that of another man. 
 
 When is the Messiah to come? — According to the 
 
 belief of Christians, the Messiah is already come ; but for 
 
 this great point I wish to see Scripture proof; and where 
 
 is the proof? Will you bring forward the prophet Daniel ? 
 
 this is what you rely upon, and you have nothing else 
 
 upon which you can rely. I shall quote the passage to 
 
 shew that it affords no argument in support of Christianity. 
 
 And after threescore and two weeks shall the Messiah be 
 
 cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince 
 
 that shall come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary : 
 
 and the end thereof shall be with a flood ; and to the end of 
 
 the war desolations are determined. Dan. ix. 26. From 
 
 this verse, and the 25th, it is an easy matter to prove, that 
 
 the Messiah was to be cut off after sixty-nine weeks ; that is 
 
 in the last week ; or properly in the last seven years, before 
 
8 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 the temple was destroyed. But we find that Jesus was 
 cut off more than six weeks, i. e. about thirty-seven years, 
 before the temple was destroyed ; and therefore he could 
 not be the Messiah, but it must mean some other person. 
 
 Let us consider for a moment, that the captivity of Ba- 
 bylon was declared by the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah 
 long before the people went into captivity ; he said, There 
 you shall be seventy years, and no longer ; and so it came 
 to pass. But of how much more consequence is the coming 
 of the Messiah. If the seventy weeks are the only pas- 
 sage in the whole of the Old Testament, that points out 
 the coming of the Messiah, ought it not to be as exact as 
 the prophet has declared it ? but here we find the contrary; 
 for there is a difference of thirty-seven years: therefore 
 Jesus could not be the Messiah. 
 
 Again ; if the seventy weeks is the only passage to be 
 found, that points out the coming of the Messiah, why did 
 not one of the Apostles quote it as a clear proof to con- 
 vince the people by it ? but we do not find, that either 
 Paul or any other brought forward this passage; therefore 
 they could not have thought of such a thing ; for they 
 knew that it had no reference at all to the Messiah, and on 
 this account did not quote it. 
 
 We also read in this verse, that the Messiah shall be cut 
 off, but not for himself : this is not true, for no such thing 
 is to be found in the Hebrew text, for the text has it ve-en- 
 lo, which signifies, "and not to him," that is to say, that 
 the Messiah, which means the king, shall be cut off in the 
 last week. And not to him, i. e. he shall have no suc- 
 cessor ; by which is pointed out, that there shall be no more, 
 kingly power in the Jewish nation ; and this Messiah that 
 was to be cut off was king Agrippa, and so it happened, 
 that in the last week, he and his son Monves were slain by 
 the order of Titus. 
 
 Perhaps some people will ask, How came he to be called 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 9 
 
 a Messiah ? I have already shewn that a prophet, a hfgft- 
 priest, and a king-, are called by the name of Messiah ; also 
 every one that is called a king is called a Messiah. Now 
 Cyrus, who was an heathen king, is called a Messiali : (see 
 page 5) how much more Agrippa, who was of the stock of 
 Abraham, and king over Israel. 
 
 Thus far I have shewn here that the whole defence of 
 the people that say that the Messiah is come already, is no 
 defence, because it proves nothing, and therefore the com- 
 ing of the Messiah until this day is unknown, and this 
 mystery is only known to God, and was never told to any 
 of the prophets. For the day of vengeance is in mine 
 heart, and the year of my redeemed is come, Isaiah Ixiii. 
 4. Learn now from this passage, that the coming of the 
 Messiah was never revealed to mankind. Again ; And 
 I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the wa- 
 ters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his 
 left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, 
 that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when he 
 shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy 
 people, all these things shall be finished. And I heard, 
 but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what 
 shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy 
 way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the 
 time of the end. Dan. xii. 7 — 9. Here it may be observed, 
 that Daniel was longing to know the coming of the Mes- 
 siah, but could not obtain it. 
 
 The Messiah is not yet come. — We must look upon 
 this world as divided into three periods. The first was 
 during the residence of Adam and Eve in Paradise, and 
 before they fell. The second period began, when Adam 
 was driven out from Paradise, and continued until the com- 
 ing of the Messiah. The third or last period will com- 
 mence by the coming of the Messiah. 
 
 The first part was perfect. The middle part was iw- 
 
10 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 perfect. The third part will restore the first perfection, 
 and so continue for evermore. 
 
 In the first, man was perfect, that is, without sin ; then 
 he Mas an angel ; for angels in heaven sin not, and where 
 there is no sin, there is no death : by this we may learn 
 that man was born to live for ever, because a perfect God 
 created a perfect man ; and as God lives for ever, such was 
 to be the nature of man, and so it was, because the proper 
 habitation of man was Paradise, and there he was to live 
 for ever, he and his seed after him. We also know from 
 Scripture that Paradise is upon earth, for we read in Ge- 
 nesis, chap. ii. 10, And a river went out of Eden, to water 
 the garden ; and from thence it was parted, and became 
 into four heads: and the names of these rivers are well 
 known to the world. Now when heaven and earth, and 
 all the hosts of them were finished, then man and angels 
 were both alike ; heaven and earth were both alike, for the 
 one was as holy as the other ; nay, the degree of man was 
 above the angels, for his wisdom was above theirs ; the 
 angels could give no names to all living creatures, but 
 Adam did, and until this day they bear the names which 
 Adam gave them. Now one of the angels became jea- 
 lous of the glory of man ; this was Satan, who was at that 
 time a very great angel in heaven ; he rebelled against his 
 Lord, descended upon earth, disguised himself in the 
 figure of a serpent, succeeded according to his wishes, and 
 occasioned the fall of man : here Adam lost all his former 
 glory, and became miserable and fearful : he dreaded the 
 appearance of his Maker, but at length was condemned 
 to die, and driven out of Paradise. Now at the time when 
 Adam sinned, all the generations were yet in his loins, and 
 are therefore born in sin ; and we know that sin is death : 
 as all men are born in sin, they must all consequently die. 
 
 Thus man became a fallen creature, and will continue 
 so for six thousand years, according to the days of the 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 11 
 
 creation of the world, but no longer. This is the second 
 period, or properly the middle world, and its proper title, 
 the wicked and ungodly world. 
 
 From all that is here advanced may clearly be seen that 
 the Messiah is not yet come : for the world must exist in a 
 corrupt state six thousand years, and the question is, of 
 what use would his coming be ? But when this number 
 shall be at an end, or nearly at an end, then will be the 
 time of his coming ; and then will commence the third pe- 
 riod, or properly the new world, which will be called the 
 world of (he Messiah. 
 
 The New World — will commence by the first appear- 
 ance of the Messiah ; the world will be restored to its 
 former glory, a new heaven and a neiu earth will appear, 
 the former will pass away, mankind will recover their pri- 
 mitive glory, and will be above the angels; Satan and his 
 band will be destroyed. The seventh day of the creation 
 was the Sabbath, and that day only received a blessing, 
 and was set apart for ever to be observed as a holy day ; 
 which was a type of the great Sabbath, i. e. the world of the 
 Messiah, which also will be called the blessed world. 
 
 The Messiah is not yet come. — We are assured by the 
 prophet Isaiah, lix. 20, 2\, that as long as Israel is dis- 
 persed abroad, the Messiah is not come ; for by his coming 
 the sin of Israel will be blotted out : and this prophetical 
 declaration is confirmed bythe apostle Paul ; And so all Is- 
 rael shall be saved ; as it is written, There shall come out 
 of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness 
 from Jacob : for this is my covenant unto them, when I 
 shall take away their sins. Romans xi. 26, 27. First, 
 must be considered the term, For this is my covenant. 
 What is that covenant ? to send them the deliverer. For 
 what? to take away their sins . Here it must be acknow- 
 ledged by everyone, that when the Messiah shall come, the 
 sin of Israel will be taken away ; and here is a clear proof 
 
\t THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 that as long as Israel is scattered, their sin is not taken 
 away, and their continuance in their sins affords an evi- 
 dence that the Messiah is not yet come. 
 
 That the Messiah is not yet come, — may be con- 
 firmed by scripture: And I will make your cities waste, 
 and bring- your temples unto desolation. And I will scatter 
 you among the heathen ; and the land of your enemies shall 
 eat you up. And they that are left of you shall pine 
 away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands ; and also 
 in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with 
 them- And yet for all that, when they be in the land of 
 their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I 
 abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my co- 
 venant with them : for I am the Lord their God. But I 
 will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors 
 whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight 
 of the heathen, that I might be their God ; I am the Lord. 
 Levit. xxvi. 31 . 33. 38, 39. 44, 45. Here you may learn, 
 that before the coming of the Messiah the first and second 
 temple must be destroyed, the land of Israel laid waste, 
 Israel scattered among all nations, and there to pine away 
 in the sins of their fathers, and their own, and afterwards 
 the first covenant will be remembered, and Israel will be 
 restored : but as Christ came before these times he could 
 not be the Messiah. 
 
 The Messiah is not come. — Rejoice and be glad, O 
 daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz: the 
 cup also shall pass through unto thee ; thou shalt be 
 drunken, and shalt make thyself naked- The punishment 
 of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of Zion ; 
 he will no more carry thee away into captivity, O daugh- 
 ter of Edom, he will discover thy sins. Lament, iv. 21, 22. 
 It is well known that the prophet Jeremiah lived at the 
 time of the destruction of the first temple * the question 
 here will be, how came the prophet to take notice of Edom ? 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL \3 
 
 To which it may be answered, that it frequently hap- 
 pened whilst a prophet was delivering the oracles of God, 
 a new subject would on a sudden be revealed to his mind : 
 so here the prophet lamented over Jerusalem and her peo- 
 ple ; on a sudden was shewn to him a great lamentation, 
 that is, the burning- of the second temple by Edom, and 
 the present long captivity ; but at the same time was also 
 shewn to him the downfal of Edom, and the redemption 
 of Israel ; and when he had finished this short prophecy, 
 he began again with his former subject, that is, with the 
 fifth chapter of the Lamentations. 
 
 This short prophecy must be well considered- First ; 
 the prophet tells Edom to rejoice and be glad of the 
 downfal of Israel, but know, says he, that a day is ap- 
 pointed for you also ; and that day will be when the sin of 
 Israel shall be accomplished, and that will be the day when 
 thy sin shall be discovered, and from thence Israel shall 
 no more be carried away into captivity. Here is a plain 
 proof that the rise of Israel depends on the downfal of Edom . 
 Secondly; as long as Edom is master, Israel must remain a 
 prisoner. Thirdly ; so long as Israel is a prisoner, his sins 
 are not accomplished, and as long as they are not accom- 
 plished, the measure of Edom is not full ; for these two points 
 must come to pass at once, that the one shall finish his sin, 
 and the other shall only commence to pay his debts. Now 
 if any honest man will consider this argument, he must 
 acknowledge that the Messiah is not yet come : But if any 
 person will still contend, that the Messiah is come, then let 
 him answer this question. The prophet says, Thepunish- 
 merit of thine iniquity is accomplished, O daughter of 
 Zion ; he will no more carry thee away into captivity. 
 Consider well the text, that when the sin of Israel shall be 
 finished, he will no more be in captivity. This prophecy 
 was declared more than five hundred years before Christ. 
 Now tell me, of what use was his coming ? He could do no 
 
14 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 o-ood to Israel : and what can be a clearer proof than the 
 present captivity, that the period for the coming of the 
 Messiah was not at that time? Secondly ; the whole world is 
 witness, that Edom is not yet fallen : but what is the proof 
 thatEdom is not yet fallen ? The proof is, the captivity of 
 Israel ; for the moment Edom shall fall, the captivity of Israel 
 shall be ended, and Israel shall be restored ; and that is 
 the proper time for the coming of the Messiah, but not 
 before. Thus far it is proved, that the Messiah is pot 
 come. 
 
 Proof from the Gospel that Christ was not the 
 Messiah. — And Christ went out, and departed from the 
 temple : and his disciples came to him, to shew him the 
 buildings of the temple. And Christ said unto them, See 
 ye all these things ? verily I say unto you, there shall not 
 be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be 
 thrown down. Matt. xxiv. 1, 2. And they shall fall by the 
 edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all 
 nations : and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the 
 Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Luke 
 xxi. 24. Here Christ gave instruction to his disciples, by 
 telling them, that Jerusalem must be destroyed, and Israel 
 must fall by the sword, and be led captive among all mv 
 tions. Now here he testifies that he was not the Messiah; 
 for by the coming of the Messiah Israel will be restored, 
 but not to go into a fresh captivity. Further he says, that 
 Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, and that 
 the people shall be in captivity, until the times of the 
 Gentiles shall be fulfilled ; this is true, that Israel shall be 
 dispersed until the measure of the iniquities of the Gentiles 
 shall be full ; at that time Israel shall be accomplished 
 and the punishment of the Gentiles shall commence. 
 
 We find that God said the same to Abraham ; Thy seed 
 shall be in captivity until the fourth generation, then they 
 shall be restored : for the iniquity of the Amorites is not 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 15 
 
 yet full. Genesis xv. 16. This declaration is confirmed by 
 the apostle Paul: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul 
 of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gen- 
 tile. Romans ii. 9. Here we learn, that when Jew and Gen- 
 tile both are found guilty, the Jew is the first to be punish- 
 ed, and when the Jew has suffered out his time, the Gentile 
 comes next. But glory, honour, and peace, to every man 
 that workethgood, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile. 
 v. 10. From these passages we may learn, that both in pu- 
 nishment and reward, the Jew is the first, and after comes 
 the Gentile. You see here plainly that Paul meant nothing- 
 else but this ; that when Israel should have finished their 
 sufferings, at that time the measure of the Gentiles would 
 be just full. But in regard of reward it will be the contrary, 
 for Israel will be the first. Saying, hurt not the earth, 
 neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the 
 servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the 
 number of them which were sealed ; and there were 
 scaled one hundred and forty and four thousand, that is, of 
 each tribe of Israel twelve thousand. After this 1 beheld, 
 and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, 
 of all nations, &c. Rev. vii. 3, 4. 9. 
 
 I should wish that the reader would take notice of all 
 nations, and he will be much surprised to find, that out of 
 all nations not one of the Gentile world shall be worthy to 
 be called the servant of God, but he who is to be called, 
 is only a Jew. And we find the same in the Old Testa- 
 ment; that Israel were always the sufferers, before any 
 other nations, but after, they followed them. And it shall 
 be, if they refuse to take the cup at thine hand to drink, 
 then shalt thou say unto them i Thus saith the Lord of 
 Hosts, Ye shall certainly drink. For lo, I begin to bring 
 evil on the city which is called by my name, and should 
 ye be utterly unpunished ? ye shall not be unpunished. 
 Jer. xxv. 28, 29. But in the great day of Israel we find 
 
16 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 that those Egyptians who were their lords and masters, 
 were very glad even to follow them, and that, not a few, 
 but in great numbers. Exod. xii. 38. Now when the 
 second great day of Israel shall once come, it will be so 
 again, even among all nations, that they who were lords, 
 nay kings and princes, will be glad to lay hold of the skirt 
 of a Jew. Zech. viii. 23. From this last proof, I wish 
 to know, where is the boasting of the Gentiles, since 
 Christ was not the Messiah ? 
 
 By the Witness of the Gospel that Christ was not 
 the Messiah. — And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, 
 the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, 
 when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of 
 thy coming, and of the end of the world ? Matt. xxiv. 3. 
 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till 
 all these things be fulfilled, v. 34. Here he appointed a 
 fixed time for his second coming, and that fixed time could 
 not be very long. I will allow for that generation an 
 hundred years, now this year is 1811, and yet he is not 
 come. If he was the Messiah, then his fixed time must 
 have been accomplished ; but as he did not come, it is a 
 clear proof that he was no Messiah. 
 
 The Messiah is not yet come. — When the Messiah 
 shall come, all the sons of Adam will be of one language, 
 and all of them shall worship the true God ; but we see, 
 both before and after the coming of Christ, no change 
 took place among the nations ; the different languages, 
 the different worships, continue even unto this day ; so 
 that his coming was of no use, and therefore he could not 
 be the Messiah. 
 
 Perhaps some people will say that his coming was of 
 great benefit to numbers of nations, because he taught 
 them the true worship. This a poor defence, and with- 
 out foundation ; for we find that six hundred years after 
 Christ a man arose by the name of Mohammed, and 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 1? 
 
 established a new religion, and has now many more follow- 
 ers than Christ. At this very day, if I ask a Turk which 
 is the only true religion, he will say, that of Mohammed ; 
 if I ask the same question of a Christian, he will say, that 
 there is no religion upon the face of the world that can be 
 called true, except that of Christ ; but if I should ask a 
 Christian concerning Mohammed, his answer will be that 
 Mohammed was an impostor. If a Turk should say to a 
 Christian, what is the principal foundation of your reli- 
 gion ? he would say, I believe in a Trinity, that is, the 
 Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Here the Turk 
 will contradict him, saying, It is not true; for I as a Turk 
 believe no such thing; for there is no more than one true 
 God. Do you observe here, that the one will contradict 
 the other : now where will they both run for assistance ? 
 even to Moses, and both of them will confess that the law 
 of Moses is the law of God : and here the Jew will lau° h 
 
 o 
 
 at them both, because uo law suit can stand without two 
 witnesses at least; and here the Turk cannot produce 
 even one witness ; for neither the Jew nor the Christian 
 will be his witness, neither will the Jew or the Turk bear 
 witness to the Christian ; but both of them will bear wit- 
 ness that the law of Moses is the law of God, and here 
 the Jew has two witnesses; his law suit must gain the 
 cause. 
 
 Now, if the law of Israel is the law of God, then both 
 the former will come to nothing. 
 
 Christ thought to build for himself a castle in this world ; 
 but he could not find a piece of ground : what did he then ? 
 he observed the castle of Moses extending on every side ; 
 he thought to himself; Although there is no room for me, 
 yet will I build a castle : so he crept up on the top of 
 Moses' castle, and there in one corner he erected one for 
 himself. Afterwards Mohammed passed by, and observing 
 one castle built on the top of the other, began to laugh, 
 
 » 
 
18 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 and said, I observe the other corner will suit me, and 
 here I also will build my castle ; he was as good as his 
 word, and built himself a castle at the other corner. Each 
 of them dwelt in his own castle ; good fortune attended 
 them, both of them prospered; yet still, day and night, 
 both of them were afraid, and their whole lives were 
 spent in fear ; for they thought, that if Moses should one 
 day come to visit his castle, he would be surprised to find 
 two castles built on the top of his, and in a great rage he 
 would command one of his tempests, saying, Go ye, and 
 pluck them both off, and carry them away, and let me see 
 no more of them. This will be the end of both castles; 
 but the castle of Moses will stand for ever. 
 
 The Messiah is not yet come. — It was ordained that 
 there should be four empires : three have passed away 
 already ; the fourth, or last, is the Roman empire, and 
 by the coming of the Messiah, this last will come to no- 
 thing; but we find that by the coming of Christ, the Ro- 
 man Empire was not destroyed, and now one thousand 
 eight hundred and eleven years since Christ, and the 
 Roman Empire is still in power ; this must prove that he 
 was not the Messiah : but is the 
 
 Messiah to come twice ? — Some people will say, yes ; 
 that he is come once, and will come a second time ; but 
 this must be proved before it can be believed ; but where 
 is the proof? The proof must be brought from the Old 
 Testament, and what will they find there ? by which of 
 the prophets will they find that the Messiah is to come 
 twice ? They can produce none ; but still they have 
 found something, and upon that, every thing is built. 
 Daniel is the prophet on whom they lay hold ; this we will 
 try, this we will examine, and then we shall see how the 
 matter will end ; the following is the passage they quote 
 from this prophet : Thou, O king, sawest, and, behold a 
 great image; this great image, whose brightness was excel- 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 19 
 
 lent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible: 
 this image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms 
 of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass; his legs of iron ; 
 his feet, part of iron and part of clay. Dan. ii. 31, 32, 33. 
 It pleased God to shew to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream 
 what should come to pass until the coming of the Messiah, 
 and that there should be four empires until that time. The 
 first of these four was the head of fine gold ; this was Ne- 
 buchadnezzar, or Babylon. The second was the breast 
 and arms of silver ; this was to be Persia and Media. The 
 third was Greece, or his belly and thighs of brass ; this 
 was Alexander the Great. The fourth was the iron legs ; 
 which represented the Romans. This last was to be di- 
 vided in process of time, that is, his feet, part of iron and 
 part of clay. — Five ages must be considered here, and in 
 one of them the Messiah is to come. Every one will ac- 
 knowledge that the time for the coming of the Messiah 
 was neither during the time of Wit first, the time of the 
 second, nor the time of the third ; it must remain, that the 
 coming of the Messiah was, or is to be, during the time 
 of the fourth, or the last empire. And here we must 
 notice that the fourth is represented, first in great power, 
 afterwards to be divided. The question will be, was the 
 Messiah to come when the Romans were in great power, 
 or after they were divided ? I say, that his time could 
 not be whilst the Romans were in full power, nor until 
 that great power was divided. It is well known that to 
 each of these four empires was ordained a number of years, 
 at the end of which, the second appeared and took its 
 place ; it would be a vain thing to say that Cyrus came 
 and took the empire of Nebuchadnezzar, because Baby- 
 lon was to have the dominion for seventy years, and when 
 Cyrus succeeded Nebuchadnezzar, or Babylon, just at 
 that time ended the seventy years. In the same manner 
 every one of the four had a fixed number of years, and at 
 
20 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 the moment one had finished his number of years, imme- 
 diately the other came forward and succeeded it The 
 question will therefore be, of what use was the coming of 
 Christ in the time of Augustus, or in the time of Tiberius? 
 It is well known that Rome was then in the zenith of her 
 power. The Messiah when he comes will have the whole 
 power to himself, and in the same manner as the former 
 empires had it ; and how could it be that the Messiah, 
 who was to subdue, was taken and subdued by the Romans, 
 and even lost his life? 
 
 Secondly ; it is impossible to say that the Messiah came 
 in the time of the Romans, as at that time it was the stated 
 period of Rome, and the Messiah could not come before 
 the end of the fourth or Roman empire. 
 
 Thirdly ; let us further examine the text and see : His 
 legs of iron ; his feet, part of iron and part of clay. v. S3, 
 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, 
 which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and 
 clay, and brake them to pieces, v. 34. Then was the iron, 
 the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to 
 pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer 
 threshing floors, and the wind carried them away, that no 
 place was found for them ; and the stone that smote the 
 image became a great mountain, and filled the whole 
 earth, v. 35. 
 
 The person who has eyes and understanding, can see 
 that the time of the Messiah was not until the fourth em- 
 pire became divided. And further observe, that he is to 
 make his appearance at that time when the image shall 
 have his power in the foot ; and when he smote the image, 
 he did not smite the head, because Babylon passed away 
 a long time before; neither did he smite the silver, because 
 that was no more ; neither did he smite the belly, which 
 was Greece, because that was no more ; nor did he smite 
 the iron legs, or the Romans,, for how could he smite any 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 21 
 
 of them when they were no more? he could smite none, 
 except that part which was then existing; and here we 
 find, that when the Messiah comes, he will find that all the 
 four empires are swallowed up by the feet, and there lies 
 the whole power ; and that power he will smite and bring 
 them to nothing, and he will smite them only once, for so 
 says the prophet Daniel : and here is a plain proof that the 
 Messiah by his appearance at the first time will finish every 
 thing, and who is he that will contradict the prophet to say, 
 that he will come twice ? And by all these statements here 
 advanced, it is clearly proved that the Messiah is not come 
 yet. 
 
 But here we may ask a question, Is the son of David to 
 be the Messiah of the Gentiles or of the Jews ? — I say, 
 of the Jews only ; and 
 
 No Messiah for the Gentiles. — Thus we prove it. 
 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ; shout, O daughter 
 of Jerusalem ; behold thy king cometh, but not the king 
 of the Gentiles. Unto thee, but not to another. Zech. 
 ix. 9. 
 
 By this passage we may learn, that when the Messiah 
 shall come, the daughters of Jerusalem will rejoice greatly, 
 because he will restore them, and then the people will 
 shout for joy ; but by the coming of Christ, Israel was 
 not restored, but scattered ; they had no joy, but lamenta- 
 tions : here you see that he was not the Messiah, and if he 
 was not, then the Gentiles have none. 
 
 Secondly; Israel shall have occasion to rejoice with his 
 mother Jerusalem ; because the mother will receive her 
 children again, and be built up again : but what joy can 
 there be for the Gentiles, the destroyer of Jerusalem and 
 her children ? Again ; Let Israel rejoice in him that made 
 him ; let the children of Zion be joyful in their king. 
 Psalm cxlix. 2. Again ; But they shall serve the Lord their 
 God,and David their king, observe, their king. Jer. xxx.9„ 
 
22 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 Again ; The breaker is come up before them, they have 
 broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are 
 jrone out by it : and their king shall pass before them, and 
 the Lord on the head of them. Micah ii. 13. 
 
 Thus far I have proved that there is no Messiah for the 
 Gentiles, and no joy have they to expect by his coming, 
 but the contrary ; For behold, in those days, and in that 
 time, when 1 shall bring again the captivity of Judah and 
 Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring 
 them down into the valley of Jehosaphat, and will plead 
 with them there for my people, and for my heritage Israel, 
 whom they have scattered among the nations and parted 
 my land. Assemble yourselves and come, all ye heathen, 
 and gather yourselves together round about thither, cause 
 thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord ; for there will I 
 sit to judge all the heathen round about; but in that day 
 the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength 
 of the children of Israel. Joel iii. 1, 2. 11. 12. 16. 
 
 No Messiah for the Gentiles, — By the proof of their 
 Gospel. And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art 
 not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee 
 shall come a governor that shall rule my people Israel, but 
 not the Gentiles. Matt. ii. 6. And again; But he answered 
 and said, 1 am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house 
 of Israel. Matt. xix. 24. Again ; When the Son of man 
 shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon 
 twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, xix. 
 28. Again ; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my 
 kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of 
 Israel. Luke xxii. 30. 
 
 Here I observe— First ; that the Messiah shall be called 
 the king of Israel. 
 
 Secondly ; that when he comes, he will be sent only to 
 Israel, but not to the Gentiles. 
 
 Thirdly ; that Christ forgot the whole world, and glories 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 2o 
 
 in nothing but judging Israel ; and if he is to be Messiah 
 to the Gentiles also, why did he not say, And ye shall sit 
 upon twelve thrones judging all nations, or at least judg- 
 ing the twelve tribes of Israel, also the Gentiles? neither 
 do we see that his apostles asked him any questions, say- 
 ing, And what will be the condition of the Gentiles ? you 
 see here, neither Christ nor the apostles took any notice of 
 the Gentiles, as if only Israel was the whole world ; and 
 therefore it is plain, that there is no Messiah for the 
 Gentiles. Who being in the form of God, thought it 
 not robbery to be equal with God. Philip, ii. 6. From 
 this passage we may learn, that he was no Messiah, much 
 less a God. 
 
 Hitherto we have proved, that the Messiah is not yet 
 come, and that there is no Messiah for the Gentiles, and 
 that Christ was not the promised Messiah : and I will 
 bring only one proof more that 
 
 Christ was not the Messiah For I have not spoken of 
 
 myself, but the Father which sent me, he gave me a com- 
 mandment what I should say, and what I should speak. 
 John xii. 49. I ask, first, What was his commission ? I 
 am sent only to the house of Israel. Mat. xv. 24. this was 
 his commission. Secondly ; Why did they not believe him, 
 if he was sent as the Messiah ? Whose word will stand, the 
 word of God, or the word of man ? 
 
 We find, when Moses was sent to Israel, they believed 
 him ; but now, how is it that God sent the Messiah to his 
 people, and they would not receive him ? By this it appears 
 that the word of man will be established before the word 
 of God. God said Yes, but I Israel said No. 
 
 God knows the future. — He foreknew, therefore, that 
 Israel would not receive Christ — to what purpose was he 
 then sent ? did God intend to impose on his first born son 
 Israel, and lay before him a great stumbling block that he 
 might fall ? Let us see how this matter ended ; first, the 
 
24 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 word of God came to nothing ; secondly, the Messiah was 
 despised and rejected ; and, thirdly, lost his life. 
 
 We also learn, from the words of the apostle Paul ; For 
 God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might 
 have mercy upon all. Romans xi, 32. But hear the words 
 of Christ; he says, I am not sent but to the lost sheep of 
 the house of Israel. What is here to be done, if the words 
 of Paul are true, then the question will remain, why was 
 Christ then sent to Israel ? It appears plain from the words 
 of Paul, that had Israel received him, he never would have 
 been the Messiah of the Gentiles ; but in favour of the Gen- 
 tiles Israel was made blind on purpose to save the Gentiles, 
 and afterwards Israel was to be made guilty and was pu- 
 nished, because they despised the word of God, and slew 
 the Messiah. 
 
 Can it be believed, that a true God would do wrong, and 
 impose on his creatures, purposely that they should fall ? 
 Will not every man of understanding say, that God is true, 
 and all his actions perfect ? If this be acknowledged, then 
 Christ could never have been sent by God; and so it will 
 be proved, that God is a true and a just God ; for his de- 
 lio-ht is to save his creatures, but not to destroy them with- 
 out cause ; and even those who do offend him wilfully, yet 
 their punishment is executed in mercy ; for that is his 
 name, to pity the work of his hand ; and if Christ had been 
 sent by him, certainly he would have been received by 
 Israel; but as he was not sent by God, then the word of 
 God was not prophaned by Israel, and he received due 
 punishment, for by the law he was guilty ; and this is a 
 proof that he was not the Messiah ; for as the rain cometh 
 down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thi- 
 ther, but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and 
 bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the 
 eater ; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my 
 mouth ; it shall not return unto me void, but it shalt ac- 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 25 
 
 complish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the 
 thins: whereto I sent it. Isaiah lv. 10, 11. 
 
 These passages will (each us, that at the time when God 
 shall send the true Messiah, he will prosper, and Israel will 
 receive him, and that he will accomplish every thing : hut 
 see here what is further said ; For ye shall go out with 
 joy, and he led forth with peace ; the mountains and the 
 hills shall hreak forth before you into singing, and all the 
 trees of the field shall clap their hands, v, 12. Here you 
 may observe, that when he is sent, he will be the leader of 
 Israel, and will restore them to their own land with great 
 joy. Nothing can be more true than the following pas- 
 sage ; Who, being in the form of God, thought it not 
 robbery to be equal with God. Philippians ii. 6. On this 
 account he could not prosper ; because he wished to set up 
 for himself, and to be equal with God : but when the Royal 
 Messiah shall come, he will not say, that he is a god; but 
 he will say, The Lord God of our forefathers has sent me to 
 bring you home ; I am the son of David, and the servant 
 of our God, who has anointed me to be your Messiah. 
 Only one thing more we have to examine, which is, — 
 Was the Messiah of the Gentiles a prophet or not ? 
 I think not. I do not speak of myself, but every thing I 
 advance is proved by the Holy Scripture. We see not our 
 signs, there is no more any prophet, nor is there among us 
 any that knoweth how long it will be so. Ps. lxxiv. 9. By 
 the whole of this Psalm, it is to be observed that the prophet 
 complaineth of the desolation of the sanctuary, and of the 
 miserable state of Israel in this long captivity. In former 
 times our forefathers had seen signs and wonders ; they had 
 also among them prophets; but since our sanctuary is de- 
 stroyed, we have no more a prophet. Every one nay learn 
 that this Psalm speaks concerning the present dispersion 
 of Israel, and that until the restoration they shall have no 
 prophet. This will shew that Jesus was no prophet. 
 
 e 
 
26 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 Daniel. — In the book of this prophet we have it thus ; 
 The commandment came forth to seal up visions, and 
 prophecy, ch. ix. 24; but mark here., in the text it is not 
 said prophecy, but the proper meaning is a prophet, that 
 is, there shall be no more a prophet; and accordingly we 
 find that Malachi was the last of all the prophets, and that 
 until the restoration of Israel there shall be no other pro- 
 phet. One thing more you ought to know, which is, that 
 the coming of the Messiah, or the restoration of Israel, is 
 all the same ; both mean one thing, for the Messiah is 
 Israel, and Israel is the Messiah. 
 
 The next prophet who will appear in this world will 
 be the Messiah, and from thence prophecy will cease no 
 more ; and so we are told by the word of God. And it 
 shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my 
 spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters 
 shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your 
 young men shall see visions -. and also upon the servants 
 and upon the handmaids in those days will 1 pour out my 
 spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the 
 earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. Joel ii. 28, 29, 
 30. Learn here, that whatever is declared by the mouth 
 of the prophet will come to pass by the restoration, but not 
 before. Thus far it is proved, that Jesus was no God, no 
 Messiah, and no prophet. 
 
 The Gentile's question. — Only one question is left for 
 me to ask, which is, how a Jew will account for the mira- 
 cles which Jesus wrought ? 
 
 The answer of the Jews. — Miracles are a poor and 
 miserable defence in behalf of the coming of the Messiah. 
 Miracles are no sign of his coming; for bad and wicked 
 men also can do miracles, and shew wonders. First, we 
 find that those miracles, which Moses performed in the 
 sight of Pharaoh and his people, were done by the power 
 of God; yet we find that the wise men of Pharaoh per- 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL.' 2"l 
 
 formed also the same miracles that Moses did, and we have 
 the testimony of scripture that these wise men are called 
 sorcerers, magicians, and that their doings were by en- 
 chantment. 
 
 To drive devils out of possessed men, is no miracle at all ; 
 for we find a common man could do it. See Josephus, 
 book 8, page 118, Nay, they have even the power to 
 prophesy; for the damsel possessed with a spirit of divina- 
 tion was able to prophesy. Acts xvi. 16. By the art of 
 enchantment, and by witchcraft, men may do great won- 
 ders. In the second epistle to Timothy iii. 8, we read of 
 two men in the time of Moses by the name of Jannes and 
 Jambres ; according to tradition, these two men were the 
 heads of all the wise men of Pharaoh ; and when the Egyp- 
 tians were drowned in the Red Sea, these two men flew 
 out of the sea like winged fowls, but they were soon brought 
 down. Symbols, they also prophesied, but all by the 
 works of the devil ; and if we look into ancient and mo- 
 dern historians, it will be found that numbers have per- 
 formed wonders, and all by enchantment ; but none of 
 them can say, I command that a fire shall come down 
 from heaven ; none of them can say, I command the sun 
 to stand still. 
 
 Observe what is said s And the Pharisees came forth and 
 began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from 
 heaven. And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, Why 
 doth this generation seek after a sign ? verily I say unto 
 you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation. 
 And he left them, and entering into the ship again, de- 
 parted to the other side. Mark viii. 11, 12, 13. Here we 
 may observe, if Jesus was the true Messiah, it was his 
 duty to have complied with all their requests ; for, if not, 
 why should they believe him ? but what shall we say here ? 
 he who could shew no sign from heaven, himself teaches 
 the world, that they should give no credit, if any person 
 
28 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 should -come and say, I am the Messiah, and here I will 
 shew you signs and wonders ; he says, Believe him not. For 
 there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall 
 shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were 
 possible, they shall deceive the very elect : believe it not. 
 Matt. xxiv. 24. 26. You see here, that bad and wicked 
 men may shew great signs and wonders, and yet does 
 Jesus himself say, Believe not. Now the question will be, 
 why should any one believe his miracles, and not believe 
 another ? what is the proof that he should be believed ? 
 there is none. Hence you may learn, that miracles are no 
 evidence of the coming of the Messiah. Now if miracles 
 are no proof, then he was not the Messiah, and was no 
 more than another person. Further, I shall come to shew 
 you, that even a prophet cannot be established by miracles. 
 Moses, the Lord of all the prophets, although he has 
 shewn signs and wonders in the sight of nations, yet was 
 not established as a prophet sent by God, until the 
 giving of the law. But did Moses perform miracles, that 
 Israel should believe him to be the prophet of God ? no ; 
 for we read thus : And I will stretch out my hand, and 
 smite Egypt with all my wonders, which 1 will do in the 
 midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. Exod. iii. 
 20. And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will 
 not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice : for they will 
 say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. ch. iv. 1 . You 
 see here, God said to Moses, that he should do wonders, and 
 they would believe him ; but Moses knew that miracles 
 were not sufficient to convince them that he was sent by 
 God, therefore he said, Behold they will not believe me. 
 Then God said, It is true what thou sayest ; but I will give 
 you a particular mark, whereby Israel will believe that I 
 have sent you ; And he said, Certainly I will be with thee ; 
 and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee ; 
 When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 29 
 
 ye shall serve God upon this mountain, ch. iii. 12. Here 
 we are instructed, that miracles did not establish Moses as 
 a prophet, until the giving of the law. Now in the case 
 of Moses, he could not bring forth Israel out of Egypt 
 without miracles; for see here the answer of Pharaoh: 
 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey Jiis 
 voice to let Israel go ? I know not the Lord, neither wurl 
 let Tsrael go. ch. v, 2. In this case Moses was forced to 
 shew some miracles, to convince Pharaoh that there was a 
 Lord above him; and yet, after nine miracles were per- 
 formed, the heart of Pharaoh still remained hard, until the 
 last of the ten, then he let Israel depart. Although Pha- 
 raoh and his people were plagued ten times, yet again he 
 assumed courage, took his army and followed them unto 
 the red sea; in this case again no alternative was left for 
 Israel, but either to return to Egypt, or to cast themselves 
 into the sea. What could Moses do here? nothing else 
 but by a miracle to shew to Pharaoh that there was a Lord 
 above him : the sea was divided, the one party walked over 
 on dry foot, but the other party perished. In the same 
 manner all the miracles which were done in the desert 
 were necessary things, but not to establish himself as a 
 prophet ; for although Israel had seen signs and wonders, 
 yet still did not all Israel believe that he was sent by God ; 
 for, whenever they wished or longed for any thing, and 
 Moses did not fulfil their desires immediately, they mur- 
 mured. Thus they went on only for fifty days, and then 
 the whole nation was brought forth out of the camp to 
 meet with God, and they stood at the nether part of the 
 mount ; here all the men of Israel, their wives, their sons, 
 and their daughters all stood. Exod. xix, 17. 
 
 Now, to make them all fit to hear the voice of the great 
 God of Israel, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon 
 each that stood there, and thus became a whole nation, in 
 one moment, prophets ; for who is able to hear the voice 
 
30 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 of God, if he is not holy ? we find that afterward, when any 
 one of the prophets was inspired, at that very time he lost 
 the use of all his limbs ; he lay like dead, and when he 
 recovered, he knew his commission. With all the pro- 
 phets God spoke, either in a dream or in a vision, except 
 thaj with Moses he spoke mouth to mouth. 
 
 Now learn from the children of the fathers j all the pro- 
 phets were the children of that generation which came 
 forth out of Egypt ; but here, to the fathers and mothers, 
 he spoke face to face ; for so it is written in the text : The 
 Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the 
 midst of the fire. Deut. v. 4. Every one must acknow- 
 ledge, that at that time each of the nation was a prophet; 
 and here the Lord gave his law to a nation of prophets. 
 This was the day for Moses to be established as a prophet 
 of God ; every man of Israel, every woman of Israel, knew 
 now that Moses was the man whom God had chosen ; and 
 the whole nation cried out, and said, Behold the Lord our 
 God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we 
 have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire : we have 
 seen this day, that God doth talk with man, and heliveth. 
 Deut. v. 24. Observe the term ; We have seen this day 
 that God doth talk with man and he liveth. Here you 
 may learn, that until now they did not believe that God 
 ever spake to man ; but now they believed, and said, For 
 who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the 
 living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, and 
 lived ? v. 26. This was the time when all Israel believed, 
 that the miracles which Moses had wrought in Egypt, by 
 the red sea, in the wilderness, were all performed by 
 the power of God ; thenceforward they believed whatever 
 he told them. On this account the people said unto him, 
 Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God shall 
 say : and speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God 
 shall speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it, v. 27. 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 31 
 
 Thus far I have proved, that a prophet cannot be estab- 
 lished by miracles ; for miracles can be performed even by 
 bad and wicked men. 
 
 The authority and power of the LA VV of Moses estab- 
 lished for ever, as well in heaven, as also upon earth ; and 
 there never will be any other law except this. In the book 
 of Deuteronomy, chap, xxviii, is pronounced the blessing 
 for obedience, and the curses for disobedience. In chap. 
 xxx we read thus, And it shall come to pass, when all 
 these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the 
 curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call 
 them to mind among all the nations whither the Lord thy 
 God hath driven thee, &c. v. 1 — 10. Moses, the great pro- 
 phet, foretold Israel what would befal them, For I know 
 that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and 
 turn aside from the way which I have commanded you ; 
 and evil will befal you in the latter days ; because ye will 
 do evil in the sight of the Lord, &c. ch. xxxi. 29. In 
 chap, xxviii. xxix. he tells the people that they will be 
 scattered among all nations ; that they will have no king, 
 no land, no temple ; and in that condition they will abide 
 for many days. Further, he gave them advice how to 
 proceed, and by what means they might recover their 
 land, their temple, and their king. From the beginning 
 of the first verse until the eleventh, we may learn, First, 
 that there is a promise that in the latter days Israel will 
 return to the Lord their God. — Secondly, he will restore 
 them to their own land again. — Thirdly, The Lord thy 
 God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, 
 to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with 
 all thy soul, that thou mayest live. Fourthly, And the 
 Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies ; 
 if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, 
 to keep his commandments and his statutes which are 
 written in this book of the law. Dcut. xxx. 10. Let every 
 
32 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL 
 
 one observe these ten verses, and then he will acknow- 
 ledge that the law of Moses is in full power at this day, 
 just as it was in the time of Moses. Now, if the law of 
 Moses is in full force this day, it will prove that there is 
 no other law, and if there is no other law, then the boast- 
 ing of all the Gentile world is put away, and it will re- 
 main that among Israel only are to be found the oracles 
 of God. The law of Moses is perfect. The Gentiles say, 
 It is imperfect; on this account the law is abolished, and 
 a better one established. But we ought never to speak at 
 random to establish anything; sufficient proof ought to 
 be given, in particular where it concerns the honour and 
 olory of the great Creator of heaven and earth ; if the law 
 is imperfect, then you must say also, that God is imper- 
 fect ; because this law is called the law of God, and who 
 will dare to say that a perfect God established an imperfect 
 law. 
 
 This law tells us, that God is perfect ; He is the Rock, 
 his work is perfect. Deut. xxxii. 4. As for God, his way 
 is perfect, the word of the Lord is tried. Psalm xviii. 30. 
 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul ; the 
 testimony of the Lord is sure. Psalm xix. 7. 
 
 What will you say here ? 1 have produced two wit- 
 nesses ; the one, Moses the man of God ; the other, king 
 David the man of God ; both of them tell you that the law 
 is perfect, and whatever is perfect is finished and com- 
 plete ; now it is your duty to bring forward two witnesses, 
 of equal character, and let them prove that the above 
 witnesses' testimony is false : but the question will be, who 
 are your two witnesses ? Can you produce two men able 
 to stand, and to contend with Moses and David? No you 
 cannot. They both say, a perfect God has given a per- 
 fect law ; but look here, stand in awe : And the tables were 
 the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, 
 graven upon the tables. Exod. xxxii. 16. These two 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 33 
 
 tables contained the whole law; for in the Ten Command- 
 ments there are six hundred and thirteen letters, and each 
 letter stands for one command, and in the whole law of 
 Moses there are six hundred and thirteen Commandments; 
 and such was the power of these two tables, that it con- 
 tained the complete law of Moses. Thus far it is proved., 
 that a perfect God gave a perfect law, and if so, it con- 
 tains every thing and sufficient to make happy all the sons 
 of Adam. 
 
 But here the Gentile world will say, that this statement 
 is not true, because this law was given only to Israel, but 
 not to the Gentiles, and therefore this law cannot make 
 happy all the sons of Adam. To this I answer, That it 
 is true, the law was given only to Israel, and that this law 
 is called, The inheritance of Israel. Moses commanded us 
 a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. 
 Deut. xxxiii. 4. Why did God give the law for an inhe- 
 ritance to Israel, and not to any other nation, or not to all 
 nations ? forasmuch as all nations are his creatures, he 
 ought to have given the law to all of them. We find, that 
 the sons of Japheth, Ham, and Shem, were in number 
 seventy : they multiplied greatly, And they said one to 
 another, Let us build a city and a tower, and let us make 
 us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the 
 whole earth. Genesis xi. 14. The whole proceeding of 
 this second world was to rebel against God. The Lord 
 said, their punishment should be that which they were 
 afraid of; they said, Lest we be scattered ; and God said, 
 They shall be scattered. Then the Lord said to his hea- 
 venly Sanhedrin, or the seventy angels that minister unto 
 him, Let us go down and there confound their language. 
 v. 7. Here lots were cast, and that family which fell in the 
 lot of Gabriel, he became the guardian angel of that fa- 
 mily; and in this manner the seventy families were divided 
 among the seventy angels. These seventy families be- 
 
 F 
 
34 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 came afterwards seventy nations ; so every nation had a 
 prince in heaven, when all these things were finished. 
 Then the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon 
 the face of the whole earth. v.S. And every family was 
 directed by his guardian angel to that land which was 
 given to them. Tarshish went and settled in that land; 
 Cush, the son of Ham, went to Ethiopia ; Ophir, the son 
 of Shem, went to that part which was afterwards known 
 by his name the land of Ophir, and so did all the rest. 
 At that time Abraham was forty-eight years old ; he saw the 
 wickedness of the new little world ; he told them, that the 
 Lord certainly would punish them for their rebellion ; but 
 they despised his good advice: he cursed them, and said, 
 Destroy, O Lord ! and divide their tongues. Psalm lv. 9 
 At that time Abraham was the only man upon the face of 
 the earth who worshipped the true God. We just men- 
 tioned that lot was cast among the heavenly Sanhedrin ; 
 the lot which fell to the portion of God was Abraham and 
 his family ; as it is written, For the Lord's portion is his 
 people ; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. Deut. xxxii. 9. 
 The fathers who went down into Egypt were seventy ; 
 for so it is written, And all the souls that came out of the 
 loins of Jacob were seventy. Exod i. 5. According to this 
 number the gentile world was established ; that is, each of 
 these seventy persons represented one nation ; and so we 
 are informed by the word of God. When the most high 
 divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated 
 the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people accord- 
 ing to the number of the children of Israel. Deut. xxxii. 8. 
 Here we may learn that the lot of God was in number as 
 much as that of all the seventy angels. The division of 
 tongues was a punishment to the sons of Adam, on account 
 of their rebellion, for which reason they were scattered 
 abroad ; only one good family was found among them all, 
 and that family fell to the lot of God. What was here to 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 3b 
 
 be done ? should God cast away a godly portion, and in- 
 stead of it take a wicked one ? Certainly not, for wicked- 
 ness is an abomination unto the Lord. God is good, and 
 his delight is in good ; he therefore gloried in his godly 
 portion. Now God had a holy law ; to whom was it pro- 
 per to give it, to a wicked family, or to his own family ? 
 Every one will say, that no family had a right to his oracles 
 except his own, and this was no more than justice ; and 
 therefore he gave the law for an inheritance to Israel. 
 Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the 
 congregation of Jacob. Deut. xxxiii. 4. Here you see, 
 as an act of justice, and lawfully, the oracles of God be- 
 longed to no nation except to Israel. It must be acknow- 
 ledged, that those to whom the oracles of God are committed 
 must alone be the ministers of God. 
 
 Question. — We know that God is good and merciful to 
 all his creatures : did God glory only in his own lot ? Has 
 he cast away the seventy lots which he gave to the seventy 
 angels ? Are they not also his ? Is he not the Lord of 
 heaven and earth ? Are the oracles of God to make happy 
 only one family, and must all the rest perish ? 
 
 Answer, — Although the oracles of God are the inhe- 
 ritance of Israel alone, yet the nations are not deprived of 
 its benefit. The one is bound to take care of it, because 
 it was given into their charge ; the other has no charge, 
 and is not bound to take care of it ; but they may come 
 and unite themselves, and partake the same benefit ; nay, 
 they are called and invited by the word of the Lord of it, 
 and here I will give you the very words of the invitation. 
 Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that 
 layeth hold on it ; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting 
 it. Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined 
 himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly 
 separated me from his people ; Also the sons of the stran- 
 ger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and 
 
36 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one 
 that kcepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold 
 of my covenant ; even them will I bring to my holy moun- 
 tain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer : their 
 burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon 
 mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of 
 prayer for all people. Isaiah Ivi. 2 — 7- Here it is proved, 
 that all nations are called to the law, and he who comes 
 to it has a promise beforehand to be happy ; but upon 
 condition he observes the sabbath, and the other com- 
 mandments, for he who will be a sharer of the benefit of 
 the oracles of God must observe what is written in them. 
 Further, you may consider the great charge to Israel 
 concerning strangers that come to join them. First, attend 
 to the command of Moses. He doth execute the judg- 
 ment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, 
 in giving him food and raiment. Love ye therefore the 
 stranger, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt. 
 Deut. x. 18, 19. Again, they are almost made equal with 
 Israel even in the day of the restoration. So shall ye di- 
 vide this land unto you according to the tribes of Israel. 
 And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for 
 an inheritance unto you, and to the strangers that sojourn 
 among you, which shall beget children among you : and 
 they shall be unto you as born in the country among the 
 children of Israel ; they shall have inheritance with you 
 among the tribes of Israel. And it shall come to pass that 
 in what tribe the stranger sojourneth, there shall ye give 
 him his inheritance, saith the Lord God, Ezek- xlvii. 
 2 1—23. Here is the calling of the Gentiles, and they are 
 made equal in promise with Israel, and if they despise this 
 calling, they cannot lay the blame upon any body but 
 themselves : at that day it will be said, no law, no promise. 
 The Messiah's Kingdom is not Spiritual, but abso- 
 lutely earthly — In the last chapter of Ezekiel is described 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 37 
 
 the inheritance of the Messiah. And the residue shall be 
 for the prince. Moreover, from the possession of the Le- 
 vites, and from the possession of the city, being in the 
 midst of that which is the prince's. Ezek. xlviii. 21, 22. 
 And I will make them one nation in the land upon the 
 mountains of Israel ; and one king' shall be king to them 
 all : and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall 
 they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. And 
 David my servant shall be king over them ; and they all 
 shall have one shepherd ; they shall also walk in my judg- 1 
 ments, and observe my statutes, and do them. And they 
 shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my 
 servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall 
 dwell therein, even they, and their children's children for 
 ever ; and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. 
 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them ; it 
 shall be an everlasting covenant with them, and I will 
 place them, and multiply them, and wiil set my sanctuary 
 in the midst of them for evermore. Ezek. xxxvii. 22. 24, 
 25, 26. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and 
 he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed 
 them, and he shall be their shepherd- And I the Lord 
 will be their God, and my servant David a prince among 
 them ; I the Lord have spoken it. Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24* 
 Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their con- 
 gregation shall be established before me, and I will punish 
 all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of them- 
 selves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of 
 them. Jer- xxx. 20, 21. And there shall come forth a rod 
 out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of 
 his roots = and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, 
 the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of coun- 
 sel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of 
 the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in 
 the fear of the Lord. But with righteousness shall he 
 
38 THE RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 
 
 judge the poor. And in that day there shall be a root of 
 Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people ; to it 
 shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. 
 lsa. xi. 1,2, 3. 4. 10. Behold the days come saith the Lord, 
 that I will raise unto David a righteous branch, and a king 
 shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and 
 justice in the earth, but not in heaven. Jer. xxiii. 5. And 
 there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, 
 that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him : 
 his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not 
 pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be des- 
 troyed. And the kingdom and dominion, and the great- 
 ness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be 
 given to the holy nation of the Most high, whose kingdom 
 is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve 
 and obey him, Dan. vii. 14,27. Here are sufficient proofs 
 that the kingdom of the Messiah is not a spiritual king- 
 dom ; observe the term, under the ivhole heaven. 
 
 PROOF FROM THE GOSPEL THAT THE KINGDOM OF THE MES- 
 SIAH WAS NOT TO BE SPIRITUAL, BUT A KINGDOM OF THIS 
 
 world. — When the Son of man shall sit in the throne of 
 his glory, ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the 
 twelve tribes of Israel. Matt. xix. 28. — Luke xxii. 30. 
 Must not every body acknowledge that the kingdom of 
 the Messiah is not spiritual, because here is to be set 
 up a throne for the Messiah, and then twelve more for the 
 twelve apostles? this must be in this world, for we know 
 that in heaven there is only one throne. Thus saith the 
 Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my foot- 
 stool. Isaiah Ixvi. 1. Secondly ; here is mentioned eat- 
 ing and drinking, this must be in this world. Thirdly ; in 
 heaven not only Israel isjudgedbutall mankind, but here 
 it is meant, that theMessiah will be king over Israel only. 
 The law of an ambassador. — Supposing a king has 
 any occasion to send an embassy to a foreign prince, or 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 39 
 
 to a province ; he will appoint some great man,, chosen 
 out of his subjects. This ambassador will receive from 
 his king a commission, every thing will be laid before 
 him, and he will be directed to speak nothing but what 
 he is ordered and commanded. The ambassador having 
 departed and arrived in that foreign country, is it not his 
 duty to go and discharge faithfully his commission ? and 
 when he has done every thing proper, then he has done 
 no more than his duty. But, suppose this ambassador 
 when he arrived in that foreign country, instead of deli- 
 vering his commission to the government should go into 
 the small towns and villages, and deliver his commission 
 to the poor and ignorant, and at last should ask the igno- 
 rant, Will you acknowledge me as an ambassador sent on 
 purpose to you? Jesus did so, and the people said to him, 
 We will not receive thee, for although thou hast proved 
 something, yet we believe thee not ; because if thou art a 
 true ambassador, thy duty was not to come to the poor, 
 but to the king and his council, and to deliver unto them 
 thy commission ; but as thou hast acted the contrary, it is 
 impossible that thy embassy can be true. Then he said, 
 If ye tvill not receive me, I will go to another country, 
 and deliver unto them my embassy. Then all the people 
 burst out a laughing, and cried out, Now we can see that 
 thy commission is false, for when thou earnest first to us, 
 thou didst declare unto us, that thou hadst received thy 
 commission to no nation but to us, and now thou wilt go 
 to another nation, with the same commission. Consider- 
 ing all these things, Jesus was taken, found guilty, and 
 was punished with a just punishment. 
 
 This was the case of the Gentile Messiah. — First, 
 he said, that he was sent to no nation, but unto the lost 
 sheep of the house of Israel. What was his duty ? To 
 go to king Herod, and before the Sanhedrin, and deli- 
 ver unto them his commission, and tell them plainly that 
 
40 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 he was their Messiah,, and was sent unto them; but he 
 never went to Jerusalem, and why ? because he had heard 
 that John was cast into prison — on this account he depar- 
 ted into Galilee. Did he not testify that he was sent by 
 God to Israel? Fori have not spoken of myself; but the 
 Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment what 
 I should say, and what I should speak. John xii. 49. Did 
 he fulfil his commission ? no : for, instead of his going to 
 Jerusalem, the proper place, he went to Galilee. But 
 why was he afraid to go to Jerusalem ; it was because 
 John was in prison; and he was afraid, that perhaps they 
 would do the same to him ; it is certainly marvellous that 
 the Messiah, who was sent by God, should be afraid to 
 deliver his commission. We will follow him into Galilee, 
 and see what he did there. From that time Jesus began 
 to preach, and went about all Galilee teaching in their 
 synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, 
 and healing all manner of sickness and disease among the 
 people, Matthew iv. 1 7. 23. He said unto them, Let us 
 go into the next towns, that I may preach there also; for 
 therefore came I forth. And he preached in their syna- 
 gogues throughout all Galilee and cast out devils. Mark 
 i. 38, 39. He said unto them, I must preach the king- 
 dom of God to other cities also ; for therefore am I sent. 
 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee. ( Luke iv. 
 43, 44. Let us see what effect his preaching, or his mira- 
 cles had. So the men sat down, in number about five thou- 
 sand, with five barley loaves and two small fishes ; of this 
 small dinner they all ate plenty, and yet afterwards the frag- 
 ments that were left were twelve baskets over and above. 
 The next day the people followed him to Capernaum ; and 
 when they had found him on the other side, they said unto 
 him, Rabbi, when earnest thou hither ? he answered them 
 and said, Verily I say unto you, ye seek me, not because 
 ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 41 
 
 and were filled. Then they said unto him, What shall 
 we do, that we might work the works of God ? Jesus 
 answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that 
 ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said there- 
 fore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may 
 see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers 
 did eat manna in the desert ; as it is written, He gave them 
 bread from heaven to eat. John vi. 10. 13. 25, 26, 28. 29, 
 30,31. 
 
 If we consider the conduct of this number of people, we 
 must certainly be surprised. They had all eaten yesterday 
 a great dinner ; they all saw that there was no more than 
 live barley loaves and two small fishes, and yet more than 
 enough for five thousand people, and that it could not be 
 done except by a miracle ; and yet, the very next day, they 
 said to him, Give us a sign from heaven ; our fathers did eat 
 manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread 
 from heaven to eat. Here you may see that all his miracles 
 were considered by them as nothing, except he could shew 
 them a miracle from heaven. On this account they men- 
 tioned the manna; but what is more wonderful than all, 
 is this, that he not even once gave them a sign from hea- 
 ven, although they always were touching that string, and 
 sounding that trumpet. We have already noticed, that 
 his commission was only to Israel ; yet one thing we have 
 passed over until now, and that is, to ask the Question, 
 Was his commission only to preach, teach, heal the sick. 
 and shew some miracles ? 
 
 It appears by his own words, that he was to do nothing 
 but to preach and teach ; For therefore 1 am sent, he says : 
 but I may say freely, that if this is true, then both the 
 angel Gabriel and Zacharias the priest were liars. The 
 angel Gabriel said, And she shall bring forth a son, and 
 thou shalt call his name Jesus : for he shall save his people 
 from their sins. Matt. i. 21. And the angel Gabriel 
 
 G 
 
42 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, &c. And the 
 Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father 
 David ; and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for 
 ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Luke i. 
 26. 32, 33. From the words of the angel, we learn— That 
 the Messiah was only intended for Israel, but not for the 
 Gentiles ; he says, For he shall save his people from their 
 sins : observe the term, his people ; he shall save them 
 from their sins ; but no mention is here made of the Gen- 
 tiles :— That the Messiah shall be a king, but not a preacher 
 and teacher ; for he says, The Lord shall give unto him 
 the throne of his father David ; and he shall reign over 
 the house of Israel for ever. Thus far is proved by the 
 words of the angel, that the Messiah was not to go round 
 about to preach, but to be a king over Israel, and sit upon 
 a throne. 
 
 And Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and 
 prophesied, saying, Blessed be the God of Israel ; for he. 
 hath visited and redeemed his people , and hath raised up 
 an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant 
 David ; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets : 
 that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the 
 hand of all that hate us ; to perform the mercy promised 
 to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant ; 
 the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that 
 he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of 
 the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear. 
 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the 
 remission of their sins ; whereby the day-spring from on 
 high hath visited us. Luke i. 67—74. 77, 78. From this 
 prophecy we may lear-n, — First, that the redemption of 
 Israel will be performed by the Messiah; mark the term, 
 For he hath visited and redeemed his people ; not a word 
 about the Gentiles. — Secondly, and he hath raised up an 
 horn of salvation for us, but not for the Gentiles, so says 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 43 
 
 the text. — Thirdly, that he is to be a king*, or a horn ; it 
 means one thing'. — Fourthly, that he is to fight against 
 all the enemies of Israel, and to deliver them ont of the 
 hand of their enemies. — Fifthly, that he will prosper, 
 that Israel might be saved. — Sixthly, that all the good 
 things are to be done to Israel, because it was a pro- 
 mise of our fathers, also on account of his holy covenant, 
 ■ — Seventhly, besides the covenant and promise, there is 
 an oath, which God sware to Abraham, to do these things 
 to his children at last; and at last, to take away their sins, 
 and from on high he hath visited us ; mark visited us. 
 
 Thus far it is clearly proved, that the Messiah should 
 not be a preacher, neither should he go round about in 
 the towns, to teach and preach to the people. We must 
 now admit, that if the words of Christ are true, then the 
 words of the angel and Zacharias must be false ; and 
 again, if the words of the latter be true, then the words of 
 Christ must be false. That both can be true, is impossible ; 
 therefore I thought it best to leave the whole matter to 
 your consideration. 
 
 Conclusion of his embassy. — After Jesus had walked 
 round about in all parts of Galilee, preaching and teach- 
 ing, and shewing miracles, hear what his own family say 
 to him. His brethren said unto him, Depart hence, and go 
 into Judea, that thy disciples also may see the works that 
 thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in 
 secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou 
 do these things, shew shyself to the world- For neither 
 did his brethren believe in him. John vii. 3 — 5. The 
 people answered and said, Thou hast a devil. John vii. 20. 
 Therefore I say unto you, The kingdom of God shall be 
 taken from you, and given to a nation bringii g forth the 
 fruits thereof. Matt. xxi. 43. Hence you may learn, that 
 his success was not better abroad than it was at home. 
 
 At home he is blamed for doing his work in secret, and 
 
44 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 abroad he is called a devil. And he cried out, Why go 
 ye about to kill me ? and again he says, The kingdom shall 
 be taken, and given to another nation : well might the 
 people cry out, Away with him, he is a bad man ; first 
 when he came unto Galilee, he said, that he is sent only 
 to Israel, now with the same commission he will go to 
 another nation ; he was taken and judged, and was found 
 guilty, and he received due punishment. 
 
 The Messiah was to be conqueror — He will subdue 
 all nations by his coming ; and he who will be called the 
 Messiah, and whoever is the true Messiah, will be able to 
 perform and finish every thing ; nay, without fighting he 
 will never settle his kingdom ; and this we shall here prove. 
 —Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine 
 inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy 
 possession. Psalm ii. 8. 
 
 1. To obtain this large inheritance and possession, 
 cannot be done except by fighting, as it is written, Thou 
 shalt break them with a rod of iron ; thou shalt dash them 
 in pieces like a potter's vessel. Psalm ii. 9. 
 
 2. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without 
 hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of 
 iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Daniel ii. 34. 
 
 3. Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; for I will 
 make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs of brass, 
 and thou shalt beat in pieces many nations ; and I will 
 consecrate their gain unto the Lord, and their substance 
 unto the Lord of the whole earth. Micah iv. 13. 
 
 4. That we should be saved from our enemies, and from 
 the hand of all that hate us. Luke i. 71 . 
 
 5. The Lord of Hosts shall defend them ; and they shall 
 devour and subdue with sling stones ; and they shall drink 
 and make a noise as through wine; and they shall be filled 
 like bowls, and as the corners of the altar. Zech. ix. 15. 
 
 6. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 4j 
 
 an hearth of fire among; the wood, and like a torch of fire 
 in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the nations round 
 about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem 
 shall be inhabited again in her own place, even in Jeru- 
 salem. Zech. xii. 6. 
 
 Although the king, Messiah, with his people Israel, 
 shall fight all nations, yet the victory will not be theirs, 
 but the Lord's, for so it is written. 
 
 1. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against the 
 nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. Zech. 
 xw. 3. The Lord is a man of war. Exodus xv. 3. 
 
 2. The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man; he shall 
 stir up jealousy like a man of war ; he shall cry, yea, roar, 
 he shall prevail against his enemies. Isaiah xlii. 13- 
 
 Perhaps the Gentiles will say, we never shall go and 
 fight against the Messiah ; this is not true, for when he 
 shall come, they shall not believe him to be the Messiah, 
 although (hey will see wonders in heaven and on earth, 
 yet shall they not believe him : and so it is written, The 
 king's of the earth shall set themselves, and the rulers take 
 counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed. 
 Psalm ii. 2. 
 
 The Gentiles are challenged to a battle. 3. Pro- 
 claim ye this among the Gentiles ,• Prepare war, wake up 
 the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near ; let 
 them come up. Joel iii. 9. 
 
 The challenge is accepted. Now also many nations 
 are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and 
 let our eye look, &c. Micah iv. II. And all the nations 
 shall be gathered together against Jerusalem- Zech. xii. 3. 
 Jerusalem shall be taken by the Gentiles. For I 
 will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle ; and the 
 city shall be token, and the houses rilled, and the women 
 ravished ; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, 
 and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the 
 
46 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 city. Zech. xiv. 2. This -will be the last battle in this 
 world; and after this battle shall the kingdom of the 
 Messiah be established, from one end of the world to the 
 other end. 
 
 Thus far it is clearly proved, that the kingdom of the 
 Messiah cannot be established, until he first fight against 
 the Gentiles. This will be his commission to appear like 
 a mighty king, and subdue all, but he will not be a 
 preacher. 
 
 A particular observation concerning the law of Moses. 
 Every man knows that whatever has a beginning ;*as 
 also an end. We know that man was formed of dust, 
 and unto it he must return; the nature of man is change- 
 able in all his actions ; to-day he is bad, to-morrow he is 
 good; to-day he is good, and to-morrow he is bad; to day 
 he says Yes, and to-morrow he says No; to-day he says 
 No, and to-morrow he says Yes ; to-day he says, I will, 
 but to-morrow, I will not; what he had spoken yesterday, 
 to-day he has already forgotten; what he shall speak to- 
 morrow, he knows not ; nay, the very minute before, he 
 knows not what he shall speak. But we know this, that 
 there is only one that has no beginning and no end, and 
 this is God : no man will contradict me when I say, that 
 every word that God intended to speak to man, was 
 known to him from everlasting ; he, by his Godly wis- 
 dom, prepared to himself a drawing by which he was to 
 build this world ; in this drawing were specified, the 
 length and breadth of it; and there was an appointed 
 time for every thing, when to begin and when to end; 
 every nation, that was to appear afterwards, was called 
 by its name ; and a great number of particular men 
 were called by their name beforehand, yea, every man 
 that was to be born was known unto him : in this draw- 
 ing were also described, particular rivers and their names, 
 particular mountains and their names, deserts and their 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 47 
 
 names, cities and their names: in this drawing is also to 
 be found how long- this world shall exist; also the good 
 and bad fortune of every nation : this drawing is com- 
 monly known by the name of the law of Moses. He, by 
 his Godly wisdom, prepared also sub-drawings ; but all of 
 them are only the channels of the former: these sub-draw- 
 ings are commonly known by the name of the prophets. 
 In due time, when he thought proper by his Godly wis- 
 dom to create this world, every thing appeared according 
 as it was described in this great drawing. 
 
 Abridgment of the Law and the Prophets. — We find 
 in this drawing that in six days the world was created. We 
 ask, why just six days, neither more nor less? We also 
 believe that he who created this world in six days, could 
 have done it in one day, in one hour, nay, in one minute: 
 here we must acknowledge, that it was intended to repre- 
 sent something. One reason is this, to shew that the num- 
 ber of six is a complete number, which is to denote the 
 four quarters of this world, heaven above, and the earth 
 beneath ; these six points include the whole description of 
 the drawing, and the Lord over the whole of this great 
 fabric is only one. This point will be handled more in 
 the following pages. Secondly, That each day is to repre- 
 sent a thousand years, that is, that this world shall exist for 
 the space of six thousand years ; the seventh day, which 
 is called the sabbath, represented, that after six thousand 
 years, there shall be a sabbatical time for a thousand years. 
 
 The Creation of man was the last; his name was called 
 Adam : in the original this name consists only of three let- 
 ters, viz. DTK ADM. In this name is represented the 
 beginning of the world, also the centre, and the end. 
 The letter A denotes Adam, the letter D is David, the M 
 is the Messiah. 
 
 In the year of the creation, 2854, David was born ; and 
 so long as it is from Adam to David, even so long, or near 
 
48 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 it, will be the time of the coming of the Messiah ■ but never 
 before. By this account it appears, that the time of the 
 appearance of the Messiah is near at hand ; for if we add 
 2851, then the coming of the Messiah will be in the year 
 of the creation 5708. This present year we count 5571, 
 and here we find that there are yet 137 years to the time 
 of his coming ; but we know that this time will be short- 
 ened ; and, according to the opinion of one great and 
 eminent Rabbi, there are only 29 years more to the time 
 of his coming, and when we shall begin to count 5600 all 
 things in this world will be settled. 
 
 Thus far goes our observation on this grand point, that 
 Adam was in the beginning, and David in the middle, and 
 the Messiah near the end. 
 
 Further it ought to be observed, that it cannot be said 
 to shorten the beginning, neither can the centre be short- 
 ened, but the end of any thing may be shortened. 
 
 We also know that Christ was born 910 years after 
 David. This short number will not balance the length of 
 6000 years, here we shall draw a line of 6000 cubits — 
 
 a d m. From the letter A to the letter D, is the 
 
 half or the middle, and from D to M must be the same 
 distance. A and D cannot be shortened, but the M, as 
 it is the end, may be shortened ; but if we consider the 
 comino- f Christ, the letter M will be a long way from the 
 end. And here again, we will bring the length of this 
 ■word a d-^ 1 — , thus far can only be brought the dis- 
 tance between David and Christ, and 910 years are no 
 more than a third part of 2854 ; and if we only consider 
 well, it must be an equal distance in these three letters 
 ADM : as to the rest 1 leave it to you to finish. 
 
 The placing of Adam in the Garden of Eden. — Adam 
 and Eve were placed in Paradise ; his glory was above an 
 ano-el; the same his wisdom ; no angel could call names of 
 all living creatures ; but Adam could, and whatever he 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 49 
 
 called them so remained their names until this day. Here 
 Adam enjoyed the blessing of a blessed world ; he knew 
 not what sin was ; he was made pure, and so he continued 
 until Satan (who was at that time a great angel) became 
 jealous of the glory of Adam, and was determined to 
 bring him down : down he came with his band ; he suc- 
 ceeded ; the man fell; Adam, Eve, Satan, all three were 
 found guilty; Satan was cast out; Adam and Eve were 
 driven out ; before they left paradise, the Lord made a 
 promise to the man, saying, Near the end of 6000 years, 
 thy glory shall be restored unto thee ; but thou, O Satan, 
 at that very time thou shalt be destroyed ; as it is written, 
 He will swallow up death for ever. Isaiah xxv. S. 
 
 The Lord said to Satan, Thou hast deceived the man, 
 and thou Adam, thou hast followed his advice ; get vou 
 both out, march away together, fight it out, and he who 
 shall overcome Satan, him will I make great in the last 
 day. Paradise was shut up, and cherubims were placed 
 at the east of the garden to keep the way of the tree of 
 life. Here ended the first world, and now we shall go to 
 the second world. 
 
 Adam began to wander, and Satan at bis heels ; Eve 
 brought forth Cain and Abel ; Satan was bent to make 
 the best use of his profession ; he observed that two new 
 men appeared in the world; he immediately went to work, 
 and succeeded again ; he helped Cain to slay his inno- 
 cent brother Abel. 
 
 There passed away 1656 years, that is from Adam until 
 Noah ; few were those men that overcame Satan, and at 
 last he destroyed the whole world, except Noah and his 
 family that were saved. Thus far we have read in the 
 great drawings, intermixed with a few traditions. 
 
 From the flood until the building of the Tower of 
 Babylon. — After the flood, the Lord said to Noah and 
 his family, From hence and further ye may eat flesh. The 
 
 u 
 
50 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 Lord also gave them a short law, which consisted only of 
 seven commandments. 
 
 The Law of Noah.— 1. Not to commit idolatry. 2. 
 Not to blaspheme. 3. To appoint and constitute just 
 and upright judges, that justice might be maintained, and 
 impartially administered to all, 4. Not to commit incest. 
 5. Not to commit murder. 6. Not to rob or steal. 7. 
 Not to eat a member of a living creature. 
 
 These seven commandments are the law given to Noah 
 and his family, to keep and observe them, from that time 
 and further ; and every one that is not of Israel is bound 
 to keep this short law, and every one that observes them 
 is intitled to happiness. 
 
 The building of the tower. The children of Shem, 
 Ham, and Japhet, were seventy families; after they 
 were scattered each of them became a nation. There is 
 a tradition, that of these seventy families, twenty-nine 
 were destroyed by a flood, and no more remained than 
 forty-one. Afterwards the number of seventy nations was 
 again completed, by the children of Keturah, who were 
 twelve families, and sixteen ot Ishmael, and Edom. 
 
 Proof that there were no more than seventy nations. 
 — 1 . In page 34, it is already mentioned, that as many 
 of Israel as went into Egypt with Jacob, which were 
 70 in number ; so many nations there were to be in the 
 whole world, and no more. When the most high divided 
 to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the 
 sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according 
 to the number of the children of Israel. Deut. xxxii. 8. 
 
 2. In the fifteenth day of the seventh month, i. e. 
 Tishri, or Ethonim, ye shall offer unto the Lord thir- 
 teen young bullocks. The second day twelve bullocks : 
 the third day ye shall offer eleven bullocks : on the 
 fourth day ten bullocks : on the fifth day nine bullocks: 
 on the sixth day eight bullocks ; and on the seventh 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 51 
 
 day seven bullocks. Numbers xxix. 12, 13. 17. 20. 23. 26. 
 29. 32. 
 
 These offerings were offered at the feast of Tabernacles 
 for all the seventy nations, and here you find also the num - 
 ber of seventy bullocks. But on the eighth day, ye shall 
 have a solemn assembly: ye shall do no servile work (herein : 
 and ye shall offer only one bullock, ver. 35. Here we ob- 
 serve, when Israel hath finished the offering for all nations, 
 then they were commanded to offer only one bullock for all 
 Israel. All these things we find in the great drawing, or 
 properly, the law. 
 
 Abraham and his family. — Next we find recorded in 
 the drawing, that a man by the name of Abraham was to 
 appear in this world, and that he should be the favourite 
 of God, and above all men, and so it came to pass. Next 
 is recorded, that God will make a covenant with this man, 
 and that he and his seed after him were chosen to be his 
 peculiar people, not for a time, but for ever; not Ismael, 
 nor the sons of Keturah, neither Edom ; for so it is recorded 
 in the drawing, For thou art an holy people unto the Lord 
 thy God : the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a spe- 
 cial nation unto himself, above all nations that are upon 
 the face of the earth. Deut vii. 6. In a sub-drawing it is 
 also mentioned. O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye 
 children of Jacob his chosen. Psalm cv. 6. Next we 
 find that the seed of Abraham was to be in bondage in a 
 strange land 400 years, and after that he would give them 
 a land, and so it came to pass. We also find that his 
 children, when they were only seventy in number, went 
 down into Egypt- Their father Jacob went with them 
 The good father Jacob fell ill ; be assembled his twelve sons 
 to give them his blessing before his departure from this 
 world ; he blessed every one, but one of his sons he made 
 Lord over all his brethren, which was Judah. The foun- 
 dation of all their blessing is depending on one single verse. 
 
52 THE KESTOHATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver 
 from between his feet, until Shiloh came, and unto him 
 shall the gathering* of the nations be. Gen. xlix. 10- 
 
 The Gentiles have laid hold on this passage ; they say- 
 that this passage is a proof that the Messiah is come al- 
 ready, because the sceptre is departed from Judah; but I 
 say, they are mistaken, and here is the proof. And I will 
 give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein 
 thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an ever- 
 lasting possession. Genesis xvii. 8. And I will perform 
 the oath which I swore unto Abraham, thy father. Genesis 
 xxvi. 3. And I will give this land to thy seed after thee 
 for an everlasting possession. Genesis xlviii- 4. The Gen- 
 tiles here do not only contradict Abraham and Isaac, but 
 also Jacob. In one place, Jacob says, the land is given to 
 his seed for ever ; and in the next, he says, the sceptre is 
 to depart, both of them cannot be true. 
 
 Here I may ask this question of a learned man of the 
 Gentiles ; the Lord promised the land of Canaan for an 
 everlasting possession, and you will say the sceptre departed 
 from Judah ; can these two questions be true or not ? You 
 will say, they must be both true, because they are the word 
 of God; but the question will be, how will you reconcile 
 these two passages? you have no other way to reconcile 
 them, except you say the land was promised conditionally, 
 and, if you say so, you speak the truth, for so it was con- 
 ditionally. The condition was, that Israel shall have the 
 land, but they must observe the law of God ; but Israel did 
 not observe, the land was again taken away from them, 
 now 1 746 years. 
 
 The land of Canaan conditionally. — Ye shall there- 
 fore keep my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them : 
 that the land whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue 
 you not out. Levit. xx. 22. The Lord shall bring thee, 
 and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 53 
 
 nation, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, 
 &c. If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law 
 that are written in this book. Deut. xxviii. 36. 58. Here you 
 may learn that to have the land of Canaan, always depended 
 on the law. And next you may observe, that the sceptre 
 is the land, and the land is the sceptre ; for so long as any 
 nation has a country of their own, they also have a sceptre ; 
 but when their country is taken away, both of them must 
 be lost together. And lastly, it cannot here be said that 
 the Messiah is come because, the sceptre has departed from 
 Judah : for here it is already proved, that the land and 
 sceptre were conditionally given ; and therefore the land 
 and sceptre were taken away when Israel did not observe 
 the law ; and if there is no law, there is no land nor scep- 
 tre. And by this proof, it is clearly shewn that the Mes- 
 siah is not yet come. 
 
 The true explanation of this prophecy- — Jacob said to 
 his sons, The sceptre shall not depart from Judah ; that is, 
 the king over all Israel shall be always out of the tribe of 
 Judah, and as long as Israel shall obey the law, the sceptre 
 shall remain in the nation, even until Shiloh come; which 
 is to say, although the king over Israel should have no 
 power over any other nation, yet, Israel shall remain al- 
 ways a nation, and be governed by their own king, even 
 until Shiloh come; and when Shiloh shall come, then he 
 will not be king over Israel only, but over all nations. But 
 if Israel will not keep the law, then the land will be taken 
 away from them, then they will have no land, nor a king; 
 but its departure shall not be for ever, for there is an ap- 
 pointed time, for Shiloh when he is to come, and then the 
 kingdom shall be restored to Israel, and all these words 
 recorded here shall come to pass. 
 
 In one of the sub-drawings, 2 Kings xxv. we are told 
 that the king and people, and the land, fell together, and 
 both king and people went together into captivity ; and in 
 
54 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 the same manner as they went out into captivity, even in 
 the same manner they will return, and this we can prove, 
 that when Shiloh shall come, he shall not come alone by 
 himself, but in the head of all Israel ; and so it is written 
 in another of the sub-drawings, The breaker is come up 
 before them : they have broken up, and have passed 
 through the gate, and are gone out by it : and their king 
 shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them. 
 Micah ii. 13. 
 
 The argument of the Gentiles, that the sceptre has de- 
 parted from Judah — Considering that Shiloh is come 
 already. Take notice what I shall say here : they say- 
 that Jesus was the son of David, and that he was Shiloh ; 
 the question will be, when did the sceptre depart ? If he 
 was king over Israel, then the sceptre never departed, nay, 
 not even one day, for he was king of Judah, and the son 
 of David, and in the nation of Israel, and in the land of 
 Canaan ; is not this a clear proof that the sceptre never 
 departed ? 
 
 Here the reader will be surprised to see that the whole 
 of their argument is merely nothing; for if they say it is 
 departed, it is false, and they only contradict themselves; 
 because, according to their own statement ; it has never de- 
 parted yet ; but if they say it is not departed, even this can- 
 not be true, because the whole world know it is departed ? 
 
 Question. Was Abraham ignorant of the coming of 
 Shiloh ? — What Jacob knew, Isaac knew, and Abraham 
 also knew that Shiloh was to come. It is recorded in the 
 drawing in Genesis xiv. that war will commence among 
 the sons of Adam, and so it came to pass. 
 
 The Battle of the four kings with Abraham. — When 
 these four kings had taken Lot prisoner, Abraham took his 
 servants, which were in number 318, and with this little 
 army he pursued them, conquered all the four kings, and 
 recovered his brother's son Lot, and all his fortune. 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. OJ 
 
 A little while after this, the Lord appeared to Abraham 
 in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abraham ; I am thy shield 
 and thy exceeding great reward : here a son was promised 
 to him, and also the land of Canaan. Further the Lord 
 said unto him, I will establish my covenant between me 
 and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations, for 
 an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to 
 thy seed after thee. 
 
 Abraham was informed also that his seed should be in 
 bondage 400 years, in a land that was not theirs, and 
 afterwards they should be called the chosen people of 
 God. Also that there should arise four empires, and they 
 should have the dominion over this world, and that the 
 seed of Abraham should be scattered among them, and 
 that these four empires should have the dominion over the 
 seed of Abraham, until Shiloh should come. 
 
 The four Empires were shewn to Abraham. And he 
 said to Abraham, Take an heifer, of three years old, and a 
 she-goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, 
 and a turtle-dove, and a young pigeon : and he divided 
 them in the midst, but the bird divided he not. And 
 when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon 
 Abraham ; and lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon 
 him. Gen. xv. 9. 12. In the shape of an heifer, Abraham 
 saw Babylon : in the shape of a she-goat, he saw Persia 
 and Media : in the shape of a ram, he saw Alexander the 
 Great : in the shape of a turtle he saw the Romans : in 
 the shape of a bird, he saw his family of Israel. 
 
 When Abraham observed the miserable state of his 
 family, their long captivity, their great sufferings under 
 the power of these four Empires, he thought to himself, 
 how is it possible for them to bear so long a captivity ? But 
 when he saw that it must be so, he took them and cut 
 each of them into two pieces, and laid one piece against 
 the other. The farther to relieve, in some measure, his 
 
56 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 family, he divided them, that is, he weakened their 
 strength and power, by setting each piece against the 
 other : that these four empires should be always one 
 against the other, and they never should be quiet, but 
 always fighting the one against the other ; by so doing the 
 Gentiles will fight one against the other, they now and 
 then will forget Israel, and sometimes they will have no 
 time to meditate against them ; this will, in some degree, 
 save them from utter destruction. But did Abraham de- 
 spair of his family to remain in that miserable state for 
 ever ? no, by no means, for Abraham was comforted by 
 his God by a great promise. The Lord said to Abraham, 
 I have given thee a token already, that as well as 1 have 
 cast down before thee four kings, even so will I do to thy 
 seed in due time, and as well as these four Empires now 
 fell before thee, even their seed that shall be the tour Em- 
 pires in the latter days again shall also fall by thy son 
 Shiloh. Thus far we have found notified in the great 
 drawing, which was ordained and established before the 
 world was created. 
 
 Now we must look into the drawing again. Here we 
 have found, and discovered the name of the family of 
 Abraham. Come now therefore, and I will send thee 
 unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people 
 the children of Israel out of Egypt. Exod. iii. 10; and 
 thou shaltsay unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is 
 my first born son. Exod. iv. 22, Although God made 
 a covenant with Abraham, and with his seed for ever, it 
 was still unknown to the world at large ; no nation knew 
 who was to be called the first born, but it was now de- 
 clared to the Gentiles by Moses; And thou shalt say to 
 Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israelis my first born son. 
 
 Suppose a king has a numerous family ; will not every 
 one declare that out of the whole family, only one son can 
 be declared the heir to the crown ? will not also every 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 57 
 
 man confess that the first born son is the lawful heir ? to 
 which will the king give most instruction ? certainly to 
 the first born ; to which of his family will he communi- 
 cate all his secrets? to his first born. To which of his 
 sons will he deliver his great seal ? to his first born. Thus 
 far it must be acknowledged by every person that only 
 the first born son has a right to the kingdom of his father; 
 but the rest of the family must remain in subjection, and 
 they all must acknowledge him as their lord and king. But 
 the inhabitants of the whole empire must remain to-day 
 the same as they were yesterday ; yesterday they were 
 servants, and to-day they must be the same ; and so they 
 must remain always. 
 
 Question. — Is the first born son born for others, or 
 
 are the public at large bom for him ? — Here you must 
 
 say that his birth made him lord over all, not to obey, but 
 
 to be obeyed— not to be commanded, but to command— not 
 
 to be judged, but to judge— not to be equal, but to be 
 
 above all. Considering all these things, the subjects of 
 
 the king are by no means born for themselves, but all of 
 
 them are born to be his servants and to obey his orders as 
 
 their lord and king. This king is the God of heaven and 
 
 earth ; all the sons of Adam are his subjects ; they all are 
 
 bound to obey him, and to worship him and honour his 
 
 great name, and to obey his command. Now it pleased 
 
 him to declare, that Israel is the Prince of this world; he 
 
 delivered to Israel his great seal, that is, circumcision : 
 
 he communicated to Israel all his secrets, that is the oracles 
 
 of God ; and saith unto Israel, Ye are the sons of the 
 
 Lord your God. Deut xiv- I. And that all the families 
 
 of this world should know that Israel was elected and 
 
 chosen, the Lord gave them his own name, specified in their 
 
 name. The noun h$T\W Israel, consists of two words, 
 
 the first ")^v yoshor, signifies righteous ; the second 
 
 word Sk El, signifies God; and both words together are 
 
 i 
 
58 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 pronounced Israel, and signify the righteous of God. This 
 name is the crown and glory of Israel, and further the 
 Gentile world should or ought to consider, that to 
 Israel was delivered the great seal of circumcision, and 
 the oracles and the crown. All these things we find re- 
 corded in the great drawing of the law, which was pre- 
 pared before the foundation of this world; and here all 
 the nations may see, and learn, and be convinced, that 
 Israel was chosen and elected before the creation of this 
 world, to be the Lord and king over it ; and here all 
 nations witness, that from the time that circumcision was 
 delivered to Abraham, it never ceased, and this very day 
 it is observed just the same, and the oracles are observed 
 just the same, and also the name Israel, declared by 
 Moses, three thousand one hundred years back ; and to- 
 day Israel is still Israel, and thus having in possession 
 these three great gifts, is a sufficient proof this very day, 
 that Israel was elected, and shall so remain for ever. It 
 is a vain thing for the Gentiles to grasp at the kingdom 
 of this world ; they are not called the sons ; and they well 
 know, that a servant or servants have nothing else to do 
 bat to obey the order of their lord and master. All that is 
 said here, if considered by the Gentiles, I should like to 
 know their answer; yet I can well imagine it; For if 
 Israel is the Lord of this world, where is then his glory ? 
 but we can prove on the contrary, that the Gentiles are 
 the lords of the world and Israel are their servants even 
 until this day. To this I answer, that the wise God did 
 ordain every thing according to his wisdom ; he created 
 the first man pure and godly, and so he was, but the man 
 fell. From the creation of Adam until he fell, must be 
 called the godly world ; now this godly world ended when 
 Adam was driven out from paradise. The second world 
 commenced, and its proper name is the zoorld of cor- 
 ruption ; but in this fallen state it is not to remain for 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 59 
 
 ever • the time is fixed, six thousand years is its number 
 and after (his is the end ; then the world will recover its 
 former glory and be restored by the Messiah, and then 
 will commence the fifth empire in this world, and its 
 power will extend from one end of this world to the 
 other ; the beginning of this fifth empire will be called 
 the third world, or the godly world, or properly the world 
 of the Messiah. His Metropolis will be Jerusalem, and 
 Israel his people ; but before these things will take place, 
 the world will stand and be conducted by the Gentiles ; 
 Israel is only to wander round about amongst, them, and 
 the present feasting belongs only to the Gentiles. Israel 
 has no right, because the feast goes by turn ; when the 
 Gentiles shall finish their feast, then will commence the 
 feasting of Israel, and until the appointed day, Israel 
 must not rejoice ; for so it is described in one of the sub- 
 drawings, Rejoice not O Israel in the joy of the nations. 
 Hosea ix. 1. Then (that is, when the Messiah shall 
 come) shall our mouth be filled with joy, and our tongue 
 with singing : then the nations shall say, The Lord hath 
 done great things for them. Psalm exxvi. 2, 3. The 
 Lord hath done great things for us in past times, then we 
 were rejoicing, but now Israel is rejoicing. 
 
 Thus far it is described that this world from its begin- 
 ning is to be divided into three divisions ; the first, godly ; 
 the second, corrupt ; and the third again to be restored 
 to its former glory. 
 
 The Wilderness. — One question we may ask, which 
 is, — Why was the law given in a desert? Why not in the 
 land of Israel ? The answer is, that, although the law is 
 the inheritance of Israel, yet any nation, if they choose, 
 may claim a right to it, and say the law is given in a free 
 place, and every one that will have a share of it must be 
 accepted ; and on this account the law is given in a desert, 
 which is a free place to every one, even so the law is free 
 
60 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 to every one who will come under her protection, and 
 Israel is bound to accept any of the nations. 
 
 The Sabbath. — Next we find in the drawing', that the 
 Lord himself spoke to the whole nation of Israel, and said 
 to them, Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. 
 Exod. xx. 8. Here Israel was commanded to keep this 
 day holy, in commemoration of the creation of the world ; 
 also in commemoration of the coming out of the land of 
 Egypt. Remember that thou wast a servant in the land of 
 Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence 
 through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm; there- 
 fore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sab- 
 bath day. Deut. v. 15. 
 
 Every person knows that the days of the creation are 
 seven : the first and second day are one pair; the third 
 and fourth are again a pair; the fifth and sixth a third 
 pair ; the Sabbath remained single ; this last day received 
 a blessing, but not the former days ; although the Sabbath 
 was the last^ yet it was made lord over the other days, be- 
 cause the world was not complete until the Sabbath came, 
 and then the world was completely finished. It is already 
 mentioned in pages 34 and 50, that this world was to pro- 
 duce seventy nations ; in this number we also find thirty- 
 five pair, but there was no pair for Israel. When Jacob 
 and his family went down into Egypt, at that very time 
 the seventy nations appeared in this world already. Israel 
 was the last nation in this world. 
 
 2he World compared to a Ship without a Rudder. — 
 That is, although the ship is finished, yet still it must be 
 considered of no use without a rudder, for it is well known 
 that the rudder is the only piece by which the whole ship 
 is steered. Just the same was the condition of the seventy 
 nations ; but when Israel was formed a nation they com- 
 pleted the world to its full number : now the world was 
 completed in creation and in number; Israel was the rud- 
 
THE RESTORATION OP ISRAEL, 61 
 
 tier of the ship, and for the first time they brought the 
 whole ship in motion. Still the ship was not yet able 1 to 
 steer without danger for want of a compass, and that the 
 ship should be entirely complete in every direction a com- 
 pass was also given. This compass was the law of Moses, 
 the Lord himself thought all Israel the foundation of it, 
 which was the ten Commandments. The Lord said, Ye 
 are the last of all nations, by you my world is finished, 
 and you shall be the first and lord over all the rest, as it is 
 written , And to make thee high above all nations which 
 he hath made, in praise and in name, and in honour; that 
 thou mayest be an holy nation unto the Lord thjr God, as 
 he hath spoken. Deut. xxvi. 19. At the same time Israel 
 stood single, then the Lord said, The last day of the crea- 
 tion I have blessed, and made it lord over the rest ; ye also 
 are the last of all nations, and I have blessed you already ; 
 come then and be ye two, a blessed pair together, and thus 
 ye shall remain a couple for ever : and here the whole 
 world will confess, that from that time until this day Israel 
 has never forsaken his pair. Thus far it is shewn, that 
 before the world was created, Israel and the Sabbath was 
 to be a pair ; also all the feasts shall be called Sabbaths, 
 for so we find it in the great drawing. One feast is the 
 Passover, also called Sabbath ; And ye shall count unto you 
 from the morrow after the Sabbath. The second feast is 
 the Pentecost, also called Sabbath ; Even unto the morrow 
 after the seventh. Next comes the New year, also called 
 Sabbath ; In the seventh month, in the first day of the 
 month, shall ye have a Sabbath. Next comes the tenth 
 day, or the day of atonement, also called Sabbath ; It shall 
 be unto you a Sabbath. Next comes the feast of Taber- 
 nacles, also called Sabbath ; On the first day shall be a 
 Sabbath. Levit. xxiii. 15, 16. 20, 32. 39. After all that 
 has been said, here is a proof that before the world was 
 created, Israel and the Sabbath were blessed, and coupled 
 
62 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 together to be a pair for ever, and to be lords over all the 
 things which God created. The first Sabbath was also a 
 type of the great Sabbath, and known by (he name of 
 Millennium, and properly means the reign of the Messiah 
 upon earth. 
 
 The opinion of the Gentiles concerning the Sabbath. — 
 If I say to one of the Gentiles, what do you think about 
 the law of Moses ? he will answer me thus, the law is 
 abolished ; then if 1 ask him the whole of it, or only part ? 
 he then will say, I am a Gentile, we are bound to observe 
 only the moral law, which is the ten Commandments; then 
 I say,— answer this question ; Is not the Sabbath one of 
 the ten Commandments ? then he will answer me thus ; I, 
 as a Gentile, keep the first day, and that is my proper 
 Sabbath. 
 
 This observation wants consideration, every one knows 
 that the first day is called a working day, and the Lord of 
 heaven and earth made it, and began on it to work ; the 
 question will be, who is he that will stand up and contra- 
 dict the Lord over all ? he said, The first day shall be a 
 labouring day, and somebody got up and said, I say the 
 contrary, it shall be called the Sabbath. Now the question 
 is, who is the person that will dare to call holy that which 
 the Lord called unholy ? it cannot be said that the Gen- 
 tile Messiah commanded it; do Christians derive it from 
 what Paul said ? Upon the first day of the week let every 
 one of you lay by him in store. 1 Cor. xvi. 2. 
 
 Here the question will be, are men to obey the command 
 of God, or the command of the apostle Paul ? It is already 
 noticed that the Sabbath is a type of the Millennium, but 
 what is the first day to typify ? Now, according to the 
 law, the Gentiles have nothing else to do but observe the 
 law of Noah, already mentioned in page 50; they have 
 no right to keep holy that which is not holy, but if any 
 one will keep a Sabbath, he must then keep the Sabbath 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 63 
 
 of the Lord : it is also mentioned in page 50, that all the 
 feasts are called Sabbaths; then it will follow that he who 
 will be an observer of the Sabbath must observe also all 
 the feasts and must keep the whole law; but we see that 
 the Gentiles act contrary to the will of God, they will have 
 a Sabbath on a working day ; and here it may be asserted 
 that the Millennium will be only for those who observe the 
 Sabbath ; as for the Gentiles, they shall work then on the 
 Sabbath even as they do now. 
 
 The day of atonement.— And this shall be a statute for 
 ever unto you ; that in the seventh month, on the tenth 
 day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no 
 work at all, whether it be one of your own country or the 
 stranger that sojourneth among you : for on that day the 
 priest makes an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye 
 may be clean from all your sins before the Lord : it shall 
 be a Sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your 
 souls, by a statute for ever ; and this shall be an everlasting 
 statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children 
 of Israel for all their sins once a year. Lev. xvi. 29, 30, 
 31. 34, 
 
 In page 32 it is mentioned, that Moses was convinced 
 that Israel would be dispersed among the Gentiles, and 
 therefore he gave them direction how to steer, that they 
 might recover their ancient glory : he never told them to 
 sacrifice any thing in their dispersion, but informed them 
 that they had nothing else to do, but to return unto the 
 Lord by true repentance, and then the Lord would restore 
 them. But here the Jew will ask the question, are we 
 left destitute in our dispersion of a tabernacle, or of a 
 temple, or of sacrifices ? No, for even this very day we 
 have a temple, and we have also sacrifices Therefore say, 
 Thus saith the Lord God ; Although I have cast them far 
 off among the heathen, and although I have scattered them 
 among the countries, yet will I be to them as a little 
 
64 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 sanctuary in the countries where they shall come. Ezek, 
 xi. 16. Here you see that our Synagogues are still the 
 temples of the Lord. 
 
 Sacrifices. — The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. 
 Psalm li. 17. O, Israel ! return unto the Lord thy God ; 
 for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you 
 words, and turn to the Lord; say unto him, Take away all 
 iniquity, and receive us graciously ; so will we render the 
 calves of our lips. Hosea xiv. 1, 2. Now, when the day 
 of atonement comes, we all go into our little sanctuary ; 
 there we continue the whole day, we fast the whole day, 
 the whole day is spent in prayers. Thus we are ordered 
 to do, and so we do year by year; and here is the for- 
 giveness of all the sins of Israel once a year- Thus far is 
 shewn to the Gentiles, that Israel has this very day a 
 temple, also sacrifices. The Gentiles, perhaps, will say, 
 if so, why is then Israel not restored to her former 
 glory ? 
 
 Take notice of what follows: It is already mentioned 
 in page 48, that the proper Messiah will come in due 
 time ; and in page 50 it is stated that there were to be in 
 this world only seventy nations. These seventy nations 
 were formed at the building of the Tower of Babylon. 
 At that time Abraham was forty-eight years old. From 
 that time until the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, 
 were twenty-two years ; thus was Abraham seventy years 
 old. Here Abraham represents the seventy of his family 
 that afterwards went down into Egypt, see page 50; And 
 the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men 
 of the elders of Israel. Num. xi. 16. This number 
 remained in Israel until the second temple was destroyed. 
 These seventy were the first Sanhedrin, and Moses the 
 Lord over them, the same as the Sanhedrin above ; the 
 seventy angels that stand in the presence of the Lord are 
 called the heavenly Sanhedrin. 
 
THE RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 65 
 
 At that time when the sons of Adam had one lan^ua^e 
 only, they began to be rebellious. The Lord said to his 
 Sanhedrin, Let us go down, and there confound their 
 language ; the seventy families shall be divided by lot : 
 and thus every angel became a guardian angel to that 
 family, which was afterwards a nation. Abraham fell to 
 the lot of God, as it is written, For the Lord's portion is 
 his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. Deut. 
 xxxii. 9. But here it should be known, that the lot of 
 God was as much in number as that of all his seventy 
 Sanhedrin, for so it is written, Deut. xxxii. 8. see pa^e 
 50. And that every nation has a prince in heaven, is 
 confirmed by the prophet : And now will 1 return to 
 fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone 
 forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. Daniel, x. 20. 
 
 David, the father of the Messiah, lived only seventy 
 years. 
 
 The captivity of Babylon was seventy years. 
 
 From the birth of David, until the desolation of the 
 temple of Solomon was seventy weeks. 
 
 From the destruction of the first temple, to the destruc- 
 tion of the second temple, was also seventy weeks. 
 Daniel ix. 24. 
 
 It ought to be observed that this number of seventy, 
 so much made use of, is not a vain thing; but it will 
 instruct us to understand that the sons of Noah, only 
 divided into seventy nations, should represent seventy 
 jubilees; that is, from the time of the covenant, made 
 with Abraham, until the coming of the Messiah, and in 
 the end of this number shall commence the Jubilee of 
 Israel. 
 
 These seventy jubilees are to be divided into two 
 divisions : the commencement of the first half, or thirty- 
 five, began by the covenant, and ended by the desola- 
 tion of the second temple. 
 
06 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 Years. 
 
 ACCOUNT.— From the covenant until the law 430 
 Israel had the land in possession only . • 850 
 
 From the desolation of the first to the end of the 
 
 second temple ...... 490 
 
 N. B. This number will amount to thirty-five 
 
 jubilees, and twenty years. Total 1770 
 
 From the desolation of the second temple, until 
 this present year (1S12) is the number of . . 1745 
 
 This last number, of the dispersion of Israel, is just 
 now thirty-five jubilees. Both sums will amount to 3520 
 years, or the sum of seventy jubilees, and above twenty 
 years. 
 
 By this calculation, we may learn, that the jubilee of 
 the restoration of Israel has begun already these twenty 
 years back, that is, just when the revolution began in 
 France; at that very time, the seventy jubilees were at 
 an end. There are yet thirty-six years to the end of the 
 jubilee of Israel, and before the end of these thirty- 
 six YEARS, ISRAEL WILL BE RESTORED, AND THE MESSIAH 
 WILL TAKE POSSESSION OF HIS EMPIRE. 
 
 Israel is separated for ever from all Nations. — 1 am 
 the Lord your God, which have separated you from other 
 nations ; and ye shall be holy unto me, for I the Lord 
 am holy, and have severed you from the nations, that ye 
 should be mine. Lev. xx. 24. 26. For, from the top of 
 the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him : lo, 
 the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned 
 among the nations. Numbers xxiii. 9. For all the nations 
 will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will 
 walk in the name of the Lord our God, for ever and 
 
 ever. Micah iv. 5. 
 
 Whoever considers these passages, may see, first, that 
 
 Israel will never be mixed with the Gentiles; and secondly, 
 
 that all the Gentiles will not worship the true God even 
 
 until the last day. 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 67 
 
 Moses foretold of the coming of the Gentile Messiah. 
 —Christians adduce this prophecy : I will raise them up 
 a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and 
 will put my words in his mouth : and he shall speak unto 
 them all that 1 shall command him. Deut. xiv. IS. We 
 read in the same book, And there arose not a prophet 
 since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew 
 face to face. Deut. xxxiv. 10. 
 
 The Christians say that their Messiah was superior to 
 Moses : but how will they reconcile these two passages ? 
 for they say the first passage means their Messiah. But 
 what will they do with the second passage, which is, that 
 there will never be another prophet equal to Moses. Fur- 
 ther, this prophet is not to speak with God face to face; 
 for here the text says, I will put my words in his mouth : 
 that is, he shall prophesy by a vision, or in a dream. 
 Again, what honour is this for the Messiah to be styled a 
 prophet, for the honour of the high priest goes before a 
 prophet, as we find it written : And King David said, 
 Call me Zadock the priest, and Nathan the prophet. 
 And let Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, anoint 
 him there king over Israel. 1 Kings i. 32. 34. Here it 
 may be seen that the title of high priest is above that of 
 a prophet ; next is to be known that the Messiah is no 
 where styled a prophet, but either a judge, or a ruler, or 
 a king ; also, that when the Messiah shall come, he will 
 have nothing to prophesy, because his coming will ac- 
 complish all the prophecies. 
 
 But after all, we ask, was Jesus a prophet or not ? If 
 he was a prophet, we must examine what he prophesied. 
 
 Prophecies of Jesus. — The destruction of the temple is 
 foretold in Matthew xxiv. And they shall fall by the 
 edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all 
 nations : and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gen- 
 tiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Luke xxi. 
 
6S THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 24. What shall I say here, is it possible for mankind to 
 call these passages prophecies ? they may lawfully be 
 called quotations from the prophets ; and here I shall 
 bring forward sufficient evidence to shew that these pro- 
 phecies are no more than quotations from the writings of 
 the Old Testament. Jesus says, Verily T say unto you, 
 there shall not be left here one stone upon another. Mark 
 xxiv. 2. We shall go backward as far as to David, and 
 enquire of him if he knew any thing about the fate of 
 the first or second temple. By the river of Babylon, there 
 we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. 
 Psalm exxxvii. I. Here is the destruction of the first 
 temple. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the 
 day of Jerusalem, who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the 
 foundation thereof. Psalm exxxvii. 7. Here is the desola- 
 tion of the second temple by Edom. Thus far we have pro- 
 duced one faithful witness, to shew that Christ was no 
 prophet, but his words are only taken from this Psalm. 
 
 Seventy weeks are 490 years, that is, from the destruc- 
 tion of the first temple to the desolation of the second shall 
 be no more than 490. Dan. ix. 24. 
 
 Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour 
 thy cedars. Zech. xi. 1 . And they shall fall by the edge 
 of the sword, and shall be led captive into all nations. 
 Luke xxi, 24. This passage also is no more than a quo- 
 tation. Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to 
 overthrow them in the wilderness : to overthrow. Psalm 
 cvi. 26, 27. Also, And will draw out a sword after you .- 
 their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in 
 the lands. Leviticus xxvi. 33. The Lord doth buildup 
 Jerusalem : the outcasts of Israel he shall gather. Psalm 
 cxlvii. 2. I lifted up mine head unto them also in the 
 wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, 
 and disperse them through the countries. Ezekiel xx. 23. 
 For lo, I will command, and T will sift the house of Israel 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 69 
 
 among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve; yet shall 
 not the least grain fall upon the earth. Amos ix. 9. 
 
 Another great prophecy of Jesus. — Verily I say unto 
 you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be 
 fulfilled. Matthew xxiv. 34. Until this day, now above 
 1800 years, this passage is not yet fulfilled; whereas he 
 fixed the time to his generation ; and in the same manner 
 
 & 
 
 may be refuted all the rest of his prophecies ; but I think 
 the above proofs are sufficient to convince the reader that 
 he was no prophet. But the true sense of this prophecy 
 shall be here given, that by it it will be known that it has 
 no reference at all to the Messiah. 
 
 I will raise them up a prophet. — When thou art come 
 
 into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thon 
 
 shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 
 
 There shall not be found among you any one that niaketh 
 
 his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or that useth 
 
 divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a 
 
 witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, 
 
 or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things 
 
 are an abomination unto the Lord : and because of these 
 
 abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from 
 
 before thee. Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy 
 
 Got*. For these nations, which thou shait possess, hearken 
 
 unto o 1 servers of times, and unto diviners ; but as for thee, 
 
 the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do. The 
 
 Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the 
 
 midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye 
 
 shall hearken. Deuteronomy xviii, 9, 10, 11, \2, 13, 14, 15, 
 
 Thus far Moses taught Israel, that when they should inherit 
 
 the land, they must not learn the abominations of the 
 
 Gentiles, for you shall have no occasion ; because the 
 
 Lord your God will always raise for you prophets from 
 
 the midst of you ; therefore any thing what thou shalt wish 
 
 to know, thou shalt go to him and he shall tell thee. 
 
70 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 Perhaps some person will ask, why is it then in the sin- 
 gular number a prophet, and why not prophets ? 
 
 It is well known that we have two laws : the one is called 
 the written law, which is the Old Testament ; the second 
 is called the oral law, and both of these Moses received 
 upon Mount Sinai. This oral law was always delivered 
 to the successor of the first ; Moses received of God, 
 Joshua of Moses. 
 
 From Joshua, to Samuel the prophet, were twelve 
 judges, and every one of these twelve was a receiver of 
 the oral law ; this receiver was called also the Nassi, or 
 president of his Sanhedrin ; Joshua delivered the oral law 
 to Othniel, the son of Kenaz ; and the last of these twelve 
 was Eli, the high priest. 
 
 The, first of the prophets that received the oral law was 
 Samuel, he received it of Eli, the high priest. 2. Nathan, 
 the prophet. 3. Ahijah, the Shilonite. 4. Elijah, the 
 Tishbite. 5. Elisha, the son of Shaphat. 6. Hosea, the 
 son of Beeri. 7, Amos, a herdman of Tekoa. 8. Isaiah, 
 the son of Amoz. 9. Micah, the Morasthite. 10. Joel, 
 the son of Pethuel. II. Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah. 
 12. Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, the priest. 
 
 Thus far goes the account of those Prophets that received 
 the oral law, in the time of the first temple. 
 
 Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi; these three prophets 
 were in the time of the second temple : Malachi was the 
 last of all the prophets, and he is also the great seal of the 
 Old Testament; and from this we learn that there shall be 
 no more a prophet in Israel until the restoration of Israel, 
 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the 
 coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Mai. 
 iv. 5, Next will be shewn, that in the time of every pro- 
 phet that received the oral law, were many prophets, but 
 all of them were called only the disciples of him who was 
 the receiver; and he was the Lord over them all, the same 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL 71 
 
 as Moses was over his Sanhedrin ; and each receiver was 
 as God in his age, as Moses in his age. When Samuel 
 anointed Saul he said unto him, — Thou shalt meet a 
 company of prophets. 1 Sam. x. 5. And the sons of the 
 prophets. 2 Kings ii. 3. What, shall I set this before an 
 hundred men ? 2 Kings iv. 43. these were his disciples. 
 
 It is well known that Moses was the lord of all the pro- 
 phets, and the seventy elders, or his Sanhedrin were all 
 prophets ; yet not one of them is mentioned, but only 
 Moses : what Moses desired of God, it was granted ; what 
 Samuel desired of God, it was granted ; what Elijah desired 
 of God, it was granted ; what Elisha desired of God it 
 was granted ; and in the same manner all the rest : here 
 it may be seen, that every one of these prophets was as 
 good in his age as Moses was in his, and this is what God 
 said to Moses. And the Lord said unto me, They have 
 well spoken that which they have spoken- I will raise 
 them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto 
 thee. Deut. xviii. 17, 18. Thus far it is proved that this 
 prophecy has no reference whatever to the Messiah. The 
 spring of prophecy was opened by Moses, and sealed up 
 again by Malachi, and shall remain so until the Messiah 
 shall come, and then the seal will be taken away, and pro- 
 phecy will be restored to Israel, and will cease no more, 
 for so it is written : And it shall come to pass afterward, 
 that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh : and your sons 
 and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall 
 dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And I 
 will shew wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, &c. 
 The sun shall he turned into darkness, and the moon into 
 blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. 
 Joel ii. 28. 30, 31. And before all these things shall come 
 to pass, the prophet Elijah will be sent to Israel, and 
 afterwards will come the great and terrible day of the 
 Lord. 
 
/ 
 
 72 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 Galatians- — For as many as are of the works of the 
 law are under the curse : for it is written, Cursed is every 
 one than continueth not in all things which are written 
 in the book of the law to do them. chap. iii. 10. This 
 quotation from Deut. xxvii. 26. we read thus in the 
 English version, Cursed be he that confirmed not all the 
 words of this law to do them. This passage is of great 
 consequence with the Gentiles, for by it they prove that 
 if a person observes many of the commandments of the 
 law, yet is he under the curse, because it is written, all of 
 them must be done. We are at liberty to search the truth, 
 and commanded also to speak nothing but the truth. 
 Considering this, we must first examine if the above state- 
 ment is true; if it shall be found true, it certainly must 
 remain so; but if it should be found false, then lawfully 
 we may say it is not true. But before we proceed to 
 the examination, we must first make some preliminary 
 remarks. Any thing that is known to the world at large 
 cannot be denied. The miracles wrought by the hand of 
 Moses in Egypt, by the Red Sea, in the Wilderness for 
 the space of forty years, are recorded in the great drawing 
 of the law, and now known to the world at large. God 
 delivered to Moses six hundred and thirteen command- 
 ments, and these commandments are called the laic. God 
 3aid to Moses, Teach my people Israel this law, that they 
 may know to worship their God ; Moses did as he was 
 commanded. Further it should be known, that some of 
 these commandments could be observed by no other per- 
 son except by a prophet; some by the High Priest; some 
 were the duty of the Levites ; some the duty of a judge. 
 Here will arise a question, how could he who was not a 
 prophet, or he who was not a high priest, or he who was 
 not of the tribe of Levi, or he who was not a judge, 
 observe all these commandments ? Secondly, a Jew is 
 commanded that if his wife brings forth a son he must be 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. . 73 
 
 circumcised when eight days old, but when his wife was 
 barren, he could not perform this command. Thirdly, If 
 the son was a first born, the father was obliged to bring 
 the child before the priest when he was thirty days old, 
 and to redeem his first born by paying five shekels; but if 
 his wife brought forth the first child a girl, this command 
 could not be observed. — Fourthly, If his wife brought 
 forth no sons but daughters, then he could not observe 
 either the one or the other. — Fifthly, If a Jew had a 
 brother, and he died and left no child, then the command 
 is, that the living brother must marry her : now if a Jew 
 has no brother, how can he observe this command ? or if 
 his brother left children, then he could not marry her. 
 There are numbers more of the same kind, that could 
 not be observed, except in particular instances, and the 
 few here mentioned are sufficient for the present purpose. 
 We must now hear the instruction of Moses. Moses 
 says, If thou hast a son he must be circumcised. One of 
 the Jews cried out, Lord Moses, I never can observe this 
 command. Moses said to him, Why ? He said, Because I 
 never had a son. Another Jew came to Moses, crying*, 
 and said, Lord Moses, I and my family are for ever 
 undone. Moses said to him, Why so • He said, I wish to 
 go into the tabernacle, and if I go there, thou wilt 
 order to kill me, because it is written, And the stranger 
 that cometh into the tabernacle shall be put to death. 
 Numbers iii. 10. Now if I do not perform this command, 
 I remain under the curse, because this is one of the com- 
 mandments of the law. Another Jew came before Moses, 
 and said. Thou hast given us a law which will make us 
 miserable for ever. Moses said, My son, why so ? He 
 answered and said, Because I never was a judge in Israel, 
 and I cannot do this command which is one of the law. 
 Another came and cried out. I am undone. Moses said, 
 Why so, my son ? He said, If I had a brother, and he 
 
 L 
 
i* THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 had died without children, T should have married his 
 wife, which is one command of our law ; but alas, I never 
 had a brother, and now 1 shall remain under the curse of 
 the law, because I cannot perform all the commandments. 
 A woman came before Moses ; she cried and said, I an1 
 not abie to support myself for grief. My daughter, said 
 the good Moses, what is your trouble ? She answered and 
 said, We are commanded to keep the commandments of 
 the law, and there is one particular command in the law 
 of jealousies : When a wife goeth aside to another instead 
 of her husband, and is defiled. Num. v. 29. Master Moses 
 what shall I do, if I go and defile myself, I then must 
 come before the priest, and must drink the bitter water 
 by which I for certain shall die ; and if I keep honest I 
 am not the better, because I remain under the curse of the 
 law, because I cannot perforin this command ; what shall 
 J do now? A virgin, the daughter of a priest, came 
 before Moses; she said to him, Lord Moses, be so good 
 as to give me your advice. Moses said, What hast thou to 
 say, my daughter ? she said, I have read one command in 
 the law, which is, And the daughter of any priest, if she 
 profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her 
 father, she shall be burnt in fire. Lev. xxi. 9. What 
 shall I do now ? I am standing between two fires. This 
 is one commandment of the law. If I go and play the 
 whore, thou wilt order me to be burnt in fire ; but, if I 
 keep honest, I am not better, because 1 shall remain under 
 the curse of the law ; and I consider the one is fire, but the 
 other worse than fire, for here I shall live all the days of 
 my life under a curse, and die under the curse. 
 
 A Question for the Christians to answer. — If I ask 
 them, if God is just, they all will say, Yes ; but what will 
 they say to the above statement ; has God given a law to 
 his chosen people that they should be under a curse ? 
 God said. This command a priest shall do, and if an Israelite 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 75 
 
 should do it he must die; and because he obeyed the com- 
 mand of God, he must remain under a curse. God said, 
 Thy son shall be circumcised ; but God never gave him 
 a son, and therefore he must remain under the curse. 
 The virgin did not play the whore, but kept honest; and 
 her reward is to abide under a curse. If this should be 
 true, could God be called a true God ? I long to hear the 
 answers to these things. But what can they answer ? 
 Nothing; they must confess that God is just in all his 
 ways ; and if so, their whole argument is false. 
 
 Proof. — First, it ought to be known that Paul did not 
 quote this passage to the Jews, but to the Galatians ; and 
 here he took the advantage of the ignorant Gentiles to 
 inform them of things that are not true. For any person 
 that knows the original Hebrew, will see at once that 
 what I have said is true. I shall quote here again the 
 whole verse as it is in the Hebrew: Cursed be he that 
 confirmeth not the words of this law to do them, which is 
 to say, that he must do and observe all those command- 
 ments that he can, and which may be done. But Paul, 
 to deceive the Gentiles, inserted the word all; this word 
 was of great use to him, for by it he preached a whole 
 sermon, and the whole of his text depended upon this 
 word. But what is most surprising, is to see at this very 
 day, the Christians bringing forward this passage as a 
 great proof against the Jews, that they are under the 
 curse, because they cannot observe all the commandments 
 of the law ; at the very same time the Christians confess 
 that a Jew is bound to observe only those commandments 
 which he may observe lawfully ; and here is the proof. In 
 the English version, the word all is put in italic letters, 
 to shew that the word all is not in the text. The question 
 will now be, if the word all is not in the text, how came 
 they to take the liberty with the law of God thus far? 
 Have they inserted the word all to please Paul, and to 
 
76 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 give offence to God ? I maintain that the English version 
 has done wrong in inserting the word all; but wonderful 
 it is, and a marvellous thing in our eyes, to see, that even 
 to-day they insist that it shall be so, right or wrong. But 
 what will they say in the day of judgment, when they 
 shall be called upon to answer for this offence ? Let them 
 only take notice what God said to Joshua, This book of 
 the law shall not depart out of thy mouth ; but thou shalt 
 meditate therein day and night,- that thou mayest observe 
 to do according to all that is written therein ; for then 
 shalt thou make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt 
 have good success. Joshua i. 8. But his delight is in the 
 law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and 
 night. Then he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers 
 of waters, &c. Psalm i. 2, 3. Great peace have they 
 which love thy law ; and nothing shall offend them. Psalm 
 cxix. 165. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go 
 with them ; thou shalt not curse the people : for they are 
 blessed. Numbers xxii. 12. 
 
 Conclusion. The blessed God blessed his people Israel 
 for ever, that is, in giving them his blessed law, by which 
 they will inherit everlasting life, and to every one of the 
 Gentiles that comes to hide himself under the wings of 
 that law. 
 
 The finishing of the Law . — Happy art thou, O Israel : 
 who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the 
 shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! 
 and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee ; and 
 thou shalt tread upon their high places. Deut. xxxiii. 29. 
 Question respecting the dispersion of Israel. — If 
 Israel offended their God, and if they were found guilty, why 
 was their sentence of punishment to be scattered ? Why 
 did not their God keep them at home in their own land, 
 and punish them as he had done in the time of Antiochus 
 Epiphanes ? Israel might have been in their own land, 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 7? 
 
 and still have been subjected to one or another of the Gen- 
 tile nations. And they might have been slaves in their 
 own country, and have pined away in their iniquity, and 
 in the iniquity of their fathers; and so it might have been 
 done until this day. But we see that a home punishment 
 would not answer the purpose of God, and hence we may 
 plainly learn that some great thing will proceed at last 
 from this dispersion. 
 
 Perhaps some person will say, no such thing, and that 
 when Israel was scattered in their sin, they offended their 
 God, and he became their enemy. This kind of reasoning- 
 is not well founded; for if God should have become the 
 enemy of Israel, hejnust have become the enemy of all 
 nations. But we find the contrary • God loves his world; 
 he is merciful to all his creatures ; and the dispersion of 
 Israel is also mercy and kindness ; and, as far as I am 
 able to learn, I consider that the dispersion of Israel is to 
 answer two purposes ; the one, to suffer for the sins of 
 their fore-fathers and for their own ; the other, to convert 
 all the Gentile world to the true worship of the only God 
 of Israel, and the whole of this matter shall be explained 
 at large. 
 
 I. God created this world that he should be worshipped 
 by all his creatures, and that all of them should acknow- 
 ledge him only as a God, and none else. But his greatest 
 glory, due only to him, was despised; and, instead of 
 paying adoration to God, they set up a stone, and a bone, 
 a wood, the sun, the moon, the dead, the living; every 
 thing they set up for gods. Thus the true God was rob- 
 bed of his glory, in his own world, and by his own creatures. 
 But will this kind of rebellion continue for ever ? no, by no 
 means, the time is fixed when it shall end. The world was 
 created by order, and that every thing must keep his order; 
 the great drawing of the law teaches, and shews to us, that 
 
78 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 every thing' in this world is to proceed regularly, and that 
 every thing has an appointed time. 
 
 When the world at large became rebellious in the time 
 of the confusion of languages, Abraham was the only 
 man that was found just in the sight of God. On this 
 account, he and his seed were chosen to be the ministers 
 of God, and at last to bring back the ruined Gentiles. It 
 was also foretold to Abraham, that his seed, on thisaccount, 
 must be scattered among all nations; all this was told to 
 Abraham ; but there was also the time fixed when Israel 
 should be made to know it. When Israel made the molten 
 calf, that was the time to make it known, but the sentence 
 is not yet past. 
 
 When the spies returned, and brought a bad report, 
 Joshua and Caleb informed the people that the land was 
 very good ; but their good report was disbelieved, and all 
 the people gave ear to falsehood, and all the congregation 
 lifted up their voice, and cried ; and the people wept that 
 night. Numbers xiv. I. The day when the spies returned 
 was the ninth day of the month Ab, or August- The Lord 
 said, the land is very good, according as it was reported by 
 Joshua and Caleb ; but still they would not believe the good 
 report, but they rather believed lies, and they wept for 
 nothing. But pronounce unto the congregation, that this 
 night is recorded already, that it shall remain for a weep- 
 ing night in Israel, and that forages. In this night was 
 burnt the first and second temple. 
 
 This bad report of the spies, in conjunction with that 
 of the molten calf, finished the perfection of the sentence. 
 And here was passed the sentence, that Israel should be 
 scattered among all the seventy nations, but when it was 
 to be«in was not told them ; and that this sentence was 
 passed in the desert, is confirmed by two witnesses ; the 
 one, Therefore he lifted up bis hand against them to over- 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 79 
 
 throw them in the desert : to overthrow their seed also 
 among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. Psalm 
 cvi. 26, 27. I lifted up mine hand unto them also in the 
 wilderness, that I would scatter them among the heathen, 
 and disperse them through the countries. Ezekiel xx. 23. 
 
 The commencement of the dispersion remained a mys- 
 tery unto the Lord until the time of Daniel. Daniel, the 
 prophet, was the man appointed for that errand; he did 
 what he was commanded in pronouncing the sentence of 
 the general dispersion: Seventy weeks are determined 
 upon thy people and upon thy holy city ; that is, 490 
 years shall yet pass away before the beginning thereof, 
 which is from the destruction of the first temple until the 
 desolation of the second temple, and then will be the general 
 dispersion. 
 
 2. We shall return again, to observe the nature of a 
 worldly kingdom. A king that has a large country, and 
 all whose subjects are faithful, yet it would be impossible 
 for him to make every subject for a minister; but the king 
 will choose only one set of men, and such men as he knows 
 are qualified for that office; and to his ministers he will 
 give instruction, and whatever the king will communicate 
 to the public at large, he makes it known unto his ministers, 
 and then they publish it to the public at large; also all the 
 secrets of the king are only communicated to his ministers. 
 
 In the same manner the Lord did proceed; all the nations 
 were his subjects, the whole of this world was his empire; 
 he could not make all the, seventy nations ministers, but 
 out of all he chose only one family, and called him by the 
 name of his first-born son, Israel ; knowing that they only 
 are fit to be entrusted with his secrets. Therefore he said 
 unto Israel, Come, follow me in a secret place, that is, the 
 wilderness ; Israel followed him, and there he appeared to 
 them, and spoke with them face to face, and there he told 
 Iiim all his secrets ; he also charged them to write down 
 
gO THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 in a book some part of his secrets; as for the rest, they 
 must not be written in a book, but only kept a secret in our 
 hearts. This was the written law, or the law of Moses; 
 but the oral law was forbidden to be written down, and 
 was only to be delivered from mouth to mouth. The Lord 
 said unto them, Now I have intrusted you with my oracles, 
 from henceforth ye shall be called my ministers, and so it 
 is written : And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, 
 and an holy nation, and so they will remain for ever. 
 Exod. xix 6. 
 
 3. The Christians are pleased to say that they are now 
 the ministers; but this is not true, for the day will come 
 when they shall be obliged to confess and cry out •• But 
 ye shall be named the priests of the Lord : men shall call 
 you the ministers of our God. Isaiah lxi. 6*. Thus far, it 
 is proved that Israel only are the ministers of God, but not 
 the Gentiles. 
 
 4. The misconduct of Israel. — By continually pro- 
 voking the Lord to anger, in worshipping the false gods 
 of the Gentiles, they continued in their errors until their 
 measure became full, and then they fell ; the temple was 
 burnt, the holy land was laid waste, and they were carried 
 away into captivity, even into Babylon. 
 
 Idolatry taken away from Israel — This is a sur- 
 prising thing: for from the time they entered Babylon, 
 until this very time, idolatry is an abhorrence to Israel; 
 and from that time until this day, Israel has worshipped 
 nothing else but the true God : to this all the nations are 
 witnesses. 
 
 But here we ask how, or by what means, did idolatry 
 cease from Israel ? Was it by accident, or was it done by 
 the hand of God ? It was certainly not accidental, but was 
 done by the hand of God, for the time drew near for the 
 general dispersion of Israel, when they were to wander 
 among all nations : and, if idolatry had not been taken 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL 8 1 
 
 away from them, Israel would have been soon lost among 
 the nations ; nay, even their very name would have been 
 extinct : therefore the Lord blotted out from the heart of 
 Israel, the desire of worshipping strange gods 
 
 •It is well known, that during the time of the second 
 temple, Israel served only the God of their forefathers; 
 490 years were given to Israel to prepare for their general 
 dispersion, and all of them were the servants of the true 
 God at that time. The second temple was destroyed, and 
 Israel was scattered abroad, even among all the nations. 
 The Lord said, This is the proper time for my people 
 Israel to begin their ministry: and he said to them, Your 
 fathers have recompensed me evil instead of good. I said 
 unto them, Thou shalt have no other gods before me; but 
 they soon polluted my command ; they made a molten calf* 
 and worshipped it, and sacrificed thereunto, and said, 
 These be thy gods, O Israel. I then lifted up mine hand 
 unto them, that I would scatter their seed among the Gen- 
 tiles. Now for the idolatry of your fathers, and your own 
 sins, you shall go abroad and make an atonement ; and the 
 atonement shall be, that you shall preach against idolatry, 
 among the nations. I know you will suffer much, and 
 you must suffer, yea, even a great deal for my name's sake : 
 but never despair ; remember that I have passed my holy 
 word already, to make thee Lord over all the sons of Adam ; 
 and in due time I will fulfil my word. I also will never 
 forget them that shall be kind to you; but all those families 
 that shall trouble you, they shall receive punishment, 
 
 Jews and Gentiles believe that God created the heaven 
 and the earth, and all that is in them; the Lord created 
 mankind that they should be happy, but the sons of Adam; 
 turned aside. What was to be done ? they must all return, 
 but there must be some means devised how to bring them 
 all back. Here God acted like a wise husbandman, who, 
 having one bushel of fine wheat, will not keep it concealed ; 
 
 M 
 
82 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 for so it never will increase : but he will scatter it abroad, 
 and by so doing he expects a good harvest. And the only 
 seed which was to be scattered was Israel; for they are 
 the ministers, they must preach, but no others; as it is 
 written : This people have I formed for myself; they shall 
 shew forth my praise, but not the Gentiles. Isaiah xliii. 21. 
 And again, O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon his 
 name ; make known his deeds among the nations. Psalm 
 ciii. 1. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders 
 among all nations. Psalm xciii. 3. Thus far it is proved, 
 that Israel was scattered, first, to suffer, and secondly, to 
 preach to all nations. We ought also to consider, that if 
 Israel were not scattered abroad, and only punished at 
 home in their own land; in the day of judgment, it would 
 be a fine excuse for many of the nations, when the Lord 
 should say, Why have ye despised my honour ? I am the 
 only true God, and ye made to yourselves strange gods. 
 Their answer would be a very good one ; they would say, 
 Lord, we never had any true instruction. Then he would 
 say, Why did not you go and learn of my people Israel ? 
 They would say, Lord, we never heard of Israel; we know 
 not their land, neither the people. By this means, many 
 nations that are afar off from the holy land, would escape 
 punishment. But now no excuse can be made, Israel, the 
 ministers of God, are sown almost in every nation, 
 
 5- When Israel was scattered abroad, the nations ob- 
 served that this people differed from all nations in laws and 
 ceremonies; and one of the nations said to a Jew, Come 
 and take my daughter for a wife : he said, I am forbidden 
 by my law : then he said, Come and eat with me : he 
 answered and said, My kw has forbidden me to eat with 
 you. The Gentile said, Give me information in your law. 
 The Jew began to expound to him the law; and thus the 
 Gentiles, in process of time, obtained a considerable know- 
 ledge in the Jewish scriptures. Then the Gentiles began 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 83 
 
 to explain those scriptures in a different way ; and because 
 Israel would give no ear to their improper explanation, 
 they began to butcher them ; killing and murdering men, 
 women, and children; and the property of Israel they 
 divided among themselves. But Israel did not cease to 
 preach, still knowing their duty; they preached not only 
 in one country, but every where they preached wonderful 
 sermons, and that in every corner of the world. Now this 
 fact, which I have here stated, is acknowledged by all 
 nations ; and in one corner, and in one city, Israel 
 preached a sermon, and his text was, That it was better 
 to die courageous!?/ for the law, &;c. and, as he said, so it 
 was done. Fifteen hundred of them took knives and stab- 
 bed their wives and children ; afterwards, the men set fire 
 to the place wherein they were, and all of them became a 
 burning sacrifice to the law of their God. Such surprising 
 sermons Israel preached in almost every country. But 
 none of the Gentiles, yea, not one nation laid it to heart, 
 saying, What can be the meaning of this people, preaching 
 such shocking sermons ? They must have a good reason for 
 so doing ; and the Gentiles will be undone some day or 
 another ; but this kind of meditation never was thought of. 
 6. The Gentiles will acknowledge that which 1 have 
 here mentioned to be true ; but all this Israel suffered for 
 their sins, and their sermons are nothing, because we see 
 that all their preaching had no effect ; and we, until this 
 day, have seen no harvest, not even so much as a beginning; 
 and we have not seen even yet, that Israel should be the 
 lord over all nations ; but on the contrary, we know the 
 Gentiles are the lords, and Israel are their servants. But 
 remember this, that as long as the bushel of wheat is in 
 being, the time is not passed ; it is well known that the 
 bushel of wheat was cut down in sundry times, yet no 
 sooner was it cut before it grew up again. This must be 
 a clear proof, that at last there will be a harvest ; and at the 
 
81 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 same time he who will be the gatherer of the harvest will 
 certainly be also the Lord over the whole harvest ; and in 
 spite of all nations they will gain their point at last, and all 
 those nations who despised the ministers of God, shall be 
 glad at last to beg, and to say, O let mc go with you, for 
 we have heard that the Lord is with you. Zech. viii. 23. 
 
 Although we have proved by Holy Scripture that Israel 
 are the ministers of God, and that he only who is appointed 
 to minister has a right to preach ; yet in spite of the word 
 of God, the Christians will have it that they are the mi- 
 nisters now, and that they are to preach to Israel ; and 
 now they are to make the harvest, and to bring back the 
 outcast of Israel to the knowledge of the new law. We 
 know that there is only one holy God, one holy nation, one 
 holy law, one holy land, one holy city : this was engraved 
 on the tables of the great drawing of the law, before the 
 foundation of the world, and so it must remain for ever ; 
 and so we find it recorded ; For I am the Lord, I change 
 not. Malachi iii. 6. Now, if God is not changeable, then 
 it will follow, that every thing must remain as it was 
 ordained from the beginning; but as concerning the new 
 drawing, or the new law, not a word is mentioned about 
 it in the great drawing of the law. The Christians boast 
 very much about this new law ; and here we shall ask, If 
 their new law permits them to make free with the blood of 
 innocent people ? They cannot say that they are at liberty 
 to do so; they will say we are commanded not to murder. 
 Now the question will be, how or by what means will they 
 repay the blood of Israel, which they have so gladly and 
 wilfully shed ? They must be found guilty even by their 
 own law ; and even their own law is not able to save them, 
 after they have broken their own law, and profaned the 
 word of God, and stained their hands with innocent blood; 
 yet they will say they are chosen to be the ministers of 
 God ? and is it possible, that a true God would choose men 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 85 
 
 of this kind ? The Lord said, Be ye holy, for I am holy. 
 8. Perhaps they will say, This was done by our fore- 
 fathers, but as for us, we were never guilty of shedding 
 the blood of Israel. This is true, but there is a way of 
 killing people without a sword, that is, by continually 
 publishing, and, in it, describing the abominable character 
 of people, that all their actions are enormous; and paint- 
 ing them in such colours as are not fit to be ascribed to 
 man : and this publishing is not only once, but from age. 
 to age, even until this very day. It must be acknowledged 
 by all nations, that all this was done, and is done until this 
 very day, to innocent Israel ; and this kind of ill-usage 
 may be looked upon as killing them by inches, and worse 
 than killing them at once. What a crime is this ; to take 
 advantage of a poor defenceless people, and innocent in 
 every case. Is this conduct becoming people that will say 
 they are sanctified ? Whether the offences of the fathers, 
 or those of the sons are greater, I will not determine ; 
 but there is one above who will do justice in due time. 
 
 The title of Israel. — That, for their sake, heaven 
 and earth, sun, moon, and stars are created, and if there 
 is no Israel, no world. Thus saith the Lord, If my cove- 
 nant be not kept day and night, the ordinances of heaven 
 and earth I would not have placed. Jer. xxxiii. 25. Thus 
 saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and 
 the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light 
 by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof 
 roar; the Lord of Hosts is his name : If those ordinances 
 depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of 
 Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for 
 ever. Thus saith the Lord ; If heaven above can be 
 measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out 
 beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that 
 they have done, saith the Lord. Jer. xxxi. 35, 36, 37. 
 Here we notice that Israel, who observes the covenant 
 
§6 THE RESTORATION Or ISRAEL. 
 
 of God, is the upholder of this world ; for if the law and 
 its commandments are not kept, there is no world. Israel 
 is called the sun, Rachel is called the moon, the twelve 
 tribes are called the stars ; and if the fathers are stars, of 
 course the children also must be stars ■ for so it was shewn 
 to Joseph in his dream. Genesis xxxvii. 9. and so they 
 are called : And it cast down some of the host, and the 
 stars to the ground : and stamped upon them ; and by him 
 the daily sacrifice was taken away. Daniel viii. 10. And 
 because all things were created for their sake, therefore 
 they had also the power to command every thing in heaven 
 and on earth, and were obeyed. Moses divided the sea. 
 Joshua said to the sun and moon, stand still. Exodus xiv. 
 21. x. 12. Elijah commanded fire to come down from 
 heaven. Elisha raised the dead. 2 Kings i. 12. iv. 34, 35. 
 Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon 
 withdraw itself. As the new heavens and the new earth, 
 which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord; 
 so shall your seed and your name remain. Isaiah lx. 20. 
 Ixvi. 22. They fought from heaven; the stars in their 
 courses fought against Sisera. Judges v. 20. But still more 
 may be said in behalf of Israel, for their title is above the 
 angels : Though the angels are spirits, yet they are not 
 called the sons of God ; but to Israel it is said, Ye are 
 the chidren of God. 
 
 Again, we do not find that Israel ministered unto the 
 angels, but the angels ministered unto Israel, as it is 
 written : The angel of God which went before the camp 
 of Israel, removed and went behind them. Exodus xiv. 
 19. And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, 
 behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, 
 Arise and eat : and the angel of the Lord came a second 
 time. 1 Kings xix. 5. 7. For he shall give his angels charge 
 over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Psalm xci. 1 1. 
 
 But when Israel lies in the dust, all the heavenly bodies 
 are in mourning, and the mourning is proclaimed among 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. S7 
 
 all the heavenly hosts ; for so it is written : It is a day 
 of trouble, and of treading down, &c In that day the 
 Lord God of Hosts shall call to weeping and to mourning, 
 &c- Behold, the Erellim, or angels, have cried without, i. e. 
 because Israel is without their land ; the angels of peace 
 shall weep bitterly. But when Israel shall rise from the 
 dust, they will all shout for joy, as it is written : Sing, O 
 ye heavens ; for the Lord hath done it : shout ye lower 
 parts of the earth : break forth into singing, ye mountains, 
 O forests, and every tree therein ; for the Lord hath 
 redeemed Jacob. Isaiah xxii. 5, 12. xxxiii. 7. xliv. 23. 
 
 10. The title of the Gentiles. — They are called rivers 
 and seas- Woe to the multitude of many nations, which 
 make a noise like the noise of seas ; and the rushing of 
 nations, that make a rushing of mighty waters. The 
 nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters. Isaiah 
 xvii. 12, VS. And the nations shall be as the burning 
 of lime; as thorns cut up, shall they be burned in the fire. 
 Isaiah xxxiii. 12. All nations before him are as nothing; 
 and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity. 
 Isaiah xl. 17. And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, 
 and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau 
 for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour 
 them ; and there shall not be any remaining of the house 
 of Esau ; for the Lord hath spoken it. Obad. xviii. 
 
 The last fortune of the Gentiles — All of them will 
 acknowledge that all the evil pronounced against Israel, 
 by Moses and the prophets, came to pass; and will they 
 not acknowledge also, that the evil which has been pro- 
 nounced against the Gentiles, must come to pass ? 
 
 It is now 1774 years since the second temple was 
 burned, and since that time Israel has passed through fire 
 and water, sword and famine ; driven from one country 
 to the other ; and they are brought down almost equal to 
 the dust. King David, when he saw this long captivity, 
 
88 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 and the trouble of Israel, cried out, Yea, for thy sake 
 are we killed all the day long ; we are counted as sheep 
 for the slaughter. Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord ? 
 arise, cast us not off for ever. Wherefore hidest thou thy 
 face, and forgettest our affliction and oppression ? For 
 our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth 
 unto the earth. Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy 
 mercies' sake. Psalm xliv. 22, — 26. Here we observe, 
 that when Israel shall be bowed down to the dust, then 
 will his salvation come ; and that Israel is to suffer first, 
 is also recorded : Tribulation and anguish upon every 
 soul that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the other 
 nations. Rom. ii. 9. Let every one consider this, and 
 they will find, that all those troubles that Israel has already 
 gone through, the Gentiles will also have to pass through. 
 
 It is astonishing that they will not consider that their 
 time is yet to come. Do they imagine that the Messiah 
 will forgive them all the evil they have done from age to 
 age to Israel ? the blood of Israel, which was shed like 
 water, cries, and will never be silent. And here their own 
 apostle declares, that tribulation and anguish shall also 
 come upon the Gentiles for doing evil, and which is also 
 foretold by Moses : Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: 
 for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will 
 render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful 
 unto his land and to his people. Deut. xxxii. 43. The 
 beginning of this verse should be remarked, Rejoice, 
 ye nations, with his people: it is not said, Rejoice, O all 
 ye nations, but only nations; this is to shew, that only 
 some particular nations are meant here, that is, only such 
 nations as never troubled Israel ; and each man or woman 
 of the Gentiles that were kind to Israel in the time of their 
 dispersion, all these shall rejoice with Israel, but no other- 
 
 12. Whoever shall be the Messiah, he will be no friend 
 to the Gentiles; for so it is written : Why do the heathen 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 89 
 
 ra^e, and the people imagine a vain thing ? The kings of 
 the earth shall set themselves, and the rulers take counsel 
 together, against the Lord and against his anointed, &c. 
 Ask of me, and 1 shall give thee the heathen for thine 
 inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy 
 possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron : 
 thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel- Psalm 
 ii. 1,2. 8, 9- By this prophecy, we may learn, that when 
 the Messiah shall come, all nations will fight against him, 
 and that he will subdue all of them ; and therefore he will 
 be called the conqueror of the world. This is also con- 
 firmed by the gospel: That we should be saved from. our 
 enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us ; that he 
 would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the 
 hand of our enemies, &c. And on this account he hath 
 raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his 
 servant David. Luke i. 71. 74.69- From all these things 
 it may be learned, that the Messiah is to come on account 
 of Israel ; to deliver them from the hand of their enemies, 
 but to be of no benefit to the Gentiles : and this is also 
 confirmed by the translators of the English Bible : see the 
 title of Ezekiel xxxvi. The land of Israel is comforted by 
 the heathens' destruction, and God's blessing of Israel. 
 
 13. Question.— What shall the Messiah do for the 
 Gentiles ? Shall he gather them ? they are not dispersed. 
 Shall he give them kings ? they have kings. Shall he 
 give them lands ? they have lands. Shall he give them 
 nobles ? they have nobles. Shall he give them riches ? 
 they have riches- Shall he give them glory? they have 
 glory. But Israel has lost all these things, and therefore 
 they have need of the Messiah. 
 
 The punishment of all those nations that shall meddle 
 with Israel, foretold^- By Moses. — Happy art thou, 
 O Israel : who is like unto thee, O people, saved by the 
 Lord; the shield of thy help, and the sword of thy 
 
 N 
 
90 the restoration of israel. 
 
 excellency ? and thine enemies shall be found liars unto 
 thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places. Deut. 
 
 xxxiii. 29 By David.— Pour out thy wrath upon the 
 
 heathen that have not known thee. For they have de- 
 voured Jacob, and laid waste his dwelling place. Psalm 
 Ixxix. 6. — The very same in Jeremiah x. 25. — By Isaiah. 
 — For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations. 
 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own 
 flesh ; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as 
 with sweet wine. Behold, all they that were incensed 
 against thee shall be ashamed and confounded : they shall 
 be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. 
 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them 
 that contended with thee: they that war against thee 
 shall be as nothing, xxxiv. 2. xlix. 26. xli. 11, 12. — By 
 Jeremiah — Israel is holy unto the Lord, and the first 
 fruits of his increase: all that devour him shall offend; evil 
 shall come upon them saith the Lord.. Therefore all they 
 that devour, they shall be devoured ; and all thine adver- 
 saries, every one of them, shall go into captivity ; and 
 they that spoil thee, shall be a spoil, and all that prey 
 upon thee will I give for a prey. Fear thou not, O Jacob, 
 my servant, saith the Lord : for I am with thee ; for I will 
 make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven 
 thee : but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct 
 thee in measure ; yet will I not leave thee wholly un- 
 punished, ii. 3. xxx. 16. xlvi. 28.— By Joel.— For, behold, 
 in those days, and in that time, when 1 shall bring again 
 the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather 
 all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of 
 Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people 
 and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered 
 among the nations, and parted my land. iii. 1, 2. — By 
 Zechariah, — For he that toucheth you toucheth the apple 
 of his eye. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trem- 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 91 
 
 bling unto all nations round about, ii. 8. xii. 2. — By 
 Micaii. — Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion : for I 
 will make thine horn iron, and I will make thine hoofs 
 brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many nations, iv. 12. 
 — By Zephaniah. — Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the 
 Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey : for my 
 determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble 
 the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even 
 all my fierce anger for all the earth shall be devoured 
 with the fire of my jealousy, iii. 8. — By Ezekiel. — In the 
 xxxii. chapter, from the 17 to the 32 verses, all nations 
 are mentioned, and also the end of them. The prophet 
 took notice, in the beginning of this chapter, of Pharaoh, 
 king of Egypt, and declared unto him that he should tali 
 into the hands of Babylon. But in the 17 verse, he makes 
 no more mention of Pharaoh, or of the king of Egypt, 
 but, in ver. 18, says thus, Son of man, wait for the multi- 
 tude of Egypt, &c. This prophecy should be understood 
 well : in the first part he calls him Pharaoh, king of Egypt, 
 for so he was in the time of Babylon- The second part 
 will shew that there should come a time when the name 
 of Pharaoh would be no more, and Egypt should become 
 a province to some other power. In the end of this 
 chapter, the prophet calls him again Pharaoh, but calls 
 him no more a king. Here we observe, first, Pharaoh king 
 of Egypt; secondly, the multitude of Egypt ; thirdly, only 
 Pharaoh. It is already mentioned, that in the last 16 
 verses, is determined the fate of all nations, which shall 
 come to pass in the latter days: considering this event, 
 the prophet calls upon Pharaoh, who was cotemporary 
 with Nebuchadnezzar ; saying, Pharaoh, arise from thy 
 grave; thou thoughtest thy fall was great; be now com- 
 forted ; see this day the fall of Egypt, and then wilt thou 
 say, that thy trouble was nothing to be equalled with the 
 present state of Egypt. 
 
 14- Just a little before the restoration of Israel, some of 
 
9£ THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 the European powers will declare war against Turkey ; 
 they will prosper, and take Constantinople; the Turks will 
 fly to Egypt; the Europeans will follow them even into 
 Egypt; there all the Turks will assemble to give battle ; 
 the contest will be dreadful, the Europeans will gain the 
 victory ; but those that will be slain on both sides will be 
 innumerable. From thence the Europeans will march into 
 the Holy Land, which they will also take without opposition. 
 The great success of the Europeans in Africa and Asia, 
 will make a great noise in all parts of Asia- The nations 
 in the east of Asia, will assemble like one man, as well as 
 the nations in the north ; and both armies will appoint Gog 
 to be the head and leader of them all. They will all be of the 
 Mahometan religion, and one motive of their coming will 
 be to relieve their brethren the Turks ; the second motive,, 
 the fear of the European powers, lest they should subdue 
 all Asia; their march is described in Ezekiel xxxviii. The 
 march of Gog and his army will spread abroad, and the 
 report of it will come to the ears of the Europeans. Of 
 this march the prophet Daniel also took notice, as it is 
 written ; But tidings out of the east and out of the north 
 shall trouble him ; that is meant the head of the Europeans: 
 therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and 
 utterly to make away many, that is, he shall go forth to 
 fight Gog and his army. And he shall plant the tabernacles 
 of his palaces between the seas in the glorious holy moun- 
 tain ; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help 
 him. Dan. xi. 44, 45. Further, we remark, that in the 
 above sixteen verses it is mentioned, that some of those 
 nations shall be circumcised, and some uncircumcised, and 
 those nations of circumcision we know are all Mahometans. 
 And this battle must be considered as the battle of the 
 whole world, i. e. of the end of the four empires. 
 
 It is said by the prophet Zechariah, that Jerusalem shall 
 be a cup of trembling to all nations; ch. xii. 2. which 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 93 
 
 means this battle of Gog : and so in Zephaniah, that the 
 Lord will gather all nations before Jerusalem, ch. iii. 8. 
 
 The same is described in Isaiah : Come near, ye nations, 
 to hear; and hearken, ye people : let the earth hear, and 
 all that is therein ; the world, and all things that come forth 
 of it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, 
 and his fury upon all their armies : he hath utterly des- 
 troyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter, &c. 
 xxxiv. 1, 2. And all these prophets meant the battle of Gog. 
 
 At that very time the ten tribes will be brought home 
 by their leader, who will be called the Messiah, Son of Jo- 
 seph, and this is foretold by the prophet Hosea : Then 
 shall the children of Judah, and the children of Israel be 
 gathered together, and appoint themselves one head ; and 
 they shall come up out of the land : for great shall be the 
 day of Israel, ch. i. 11. The reason why Judah is men- 
 tioned among the ten tribes, is, that a great part of Judah 
 went into captivity with them, as it is written : Senacherib, 
 king of Assyria, came up against all the defenced cities of 
 Judah, and took them, Isaiah xxvi. 1. 
 
 15. We read in Joshua — And it came to pass, as they 
 fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to 
 Bethhoron, that the Lord cast down great stones from 
 heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: there 
 were more which died with hailstones, than they whom 
 the children of Israel slew with the sword, x. 1 1. The 
 same, and a great deal more, will be seen relating to the 
 battle of Gog : And I will call for a sword against him ; 
 with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, 
 and upon his bands, and upon the many nations that are 
 with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, 
 and brimstone. Ezekielxxxviii. 21, 22. This battle will be 
 known throughout the world, for there will be seen won- 
 ders in heaven and on earth : And I will shew wonders in 
 the heavens and in the earth, blood T and fire, and pillars 
 
94 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 of smoke. Joel ii. 30. If all the matters mentioned from 
 page 24 to this place were taken into consideration, it 
 might be asked, where is the boasting of the Gentiles ? 
 For all these prophecies against all nations must come to 
 pass ; and if God is true, his word also must be true, and 
 as he never changes,, even so his word can never change. 
 After that battle, immediately will commence the 
 
 16. RESTORATION of Judah and Benjamin from all 
 the four quarters of the world. We have already given an 
 account why Israel was scattered, and that the main object 
 was, to establish the true worship among the Gentiles, that 
 they should have no excuse in the day of judgment: but 
 the prophet foretold that the Gentiles would pay no atten- 
 tion to what Israel should tell them, but all of them would 
 remain as they had been before. For all nations will walk 
 every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the 
 name of our God for ever and ever. Micah iv. 5. From 
 this passage we may learn, that the different forms of wor- 
 ship used by the Gentiles are to be put away; and next we 
 clearly see, that the only true worshippers in this world will 
 be Israel ; and observe the term, And we will walk in the 
 name of our Lord God for ever and ever. He who will, 
 may see that the worship of Israel is not to be put away, 
 but to endure for ever and ever. The Gentiles know this 
 passage ; they can read it, they understand it, they know 
 this is the word of God ; and yet they will not believe it ! 
 
 But let us see what another says : The Gentiles shall come 
 unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely, 
 our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein 
 there is no profit. Shall a man make gods unto himself, 
 and they are no gods ? Therefore, behold, I will this once 
 cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand 
 and my might; and they shall know that my name is The 
 Lord. Jer. xvi. 19, 20, 21. From this prophecy, we learn 
 that at last the Gentiles shall be forced to acknowledge 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 95 
 
 their own guilt, and all of them will lay the charge to their 
 forefathers; but that will be no excuse for them,, for the 
 words of the Lord are termed thus: Until now they would 
 not know me,, but now / shall cause them to know my 
 hand and my might; hand and might, are well known to 
 mean punishment ; and then they shall know my name. 
 Further, we observe, that the prophet doth not say that 
 the Gentiles shall come, because they are called, but they 
 shall come of their own accord ; but we ask, What will be 
 the cause of their coming ? the answer follows. 
 
 17. A promise is given to Israel, that when they shall be 
 restored, and their restoration known throughout the world; 
 signs and wonders will be seen in heaven and earth, as it is 
 written, According to the days of thy coming out of the 
 land of Egypt, will 1 shew unto him marveilous things. 
 Micah vii. 15. In the time of Moses, there was no need 
 to shew miracles, except in Egypt; because all Israel was 
 there ; but by the restoration, miracles will be shewn in the 
 whole world. The beginning of it is foretold by Isaiah ; All 
 ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see 
 ye, when he lifteth up an ensign on the mountains ; and 
 when he bloweth the trumpet, ye shall hear, xviii. 3. 
 It is well known, when Israel was in Egypt, they could 
 not be all in one place, but were scattered throughout the 
 whole land ; yet, by the coming out of Egypt, we find all 
 Israel, men, women, and children, in Rameses, for so it 
 is written, And the children of Israel journeyed from 
 Rameses. Exodus xii. 37. It is also known, that Pharaoh 
 would not let Israel depart until the last plague ; but when 
 the first-born began to die, Israel was driven out of the 
 land; and all was done in one night, and the next morning 
 we find all Israel in one place : but this was the hand of 
 the Lord, who brought them all together at one time ; and 
 so it will be at the restoration, as it is written : If any of 
 thine be driven out unto the outmost part of heaven, from 
 
96 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence 
 will he fetch thee. Deut. xxx. 4. And how they will march 
 is described by the prophet : Who are these that fly as a 
 cloud, and as the doves to their windows ? Isaiah lx. S. 
 
 When Israel came forth out of Egypt 3 they had no time 
 to provide necessaries, because they were driven out; yet 
 were they in want of nothing" ; for they had bread from 
 heaven, flesh out of the air, and drink from the rock : even 
 so it will be at the restoration. They shall feed in the 
 ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places. They 
 shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heat nor sun 
 smite them : for he that hath mercy on them shall lead 
 them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them. 
 1 will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst 
 of the vallies : I will make the wilderness a pool of water, 
 and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the 
 wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and 
 the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the 
 pine, and the box tree together. Isaiah xlix. 9, 10. xli. IS, 
 19. In those days darkness will be over the whole world, 
 but Israel shall have light, for it is written : For, behold,, 
 the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the 
 kingdoms : but the Lord shall shine upon thee, and his 
 glory shall be seen upon thee. Isaiah lx. 2. 
 
 When Moses came down from mount Sinai, the glory 
 of God shone upon his face, so that even Aaron, his own 
 brother, was afraid to come near him, And when Aaron 
 and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin 
 of his face shone ; and they were afraid to come nigh him. 
 Exodus xxxiv. 30. Even so it will be in the restoration ; 
 the glory of the Lord will shine upon the face of every true 
 son of Abraham, in such a manner, that the Gentiles will 
 be afraid to come near him, as mentioned above. 
 
 In those days also, great troubles will be in the whole 
 world • and great pestilence, so that few people will remain 3 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 9? 
 
 as it is written in Isaiah xxiv. And it shall come to pass 
 that in the whole earth, saith the Lord, two parts therein 
 shall be cut off and die. Zech. xiii. 8. Next, the words of 
 the prophet will be fulfilled: The breaker is come up before 
 them, they have broken up and have passed through the 
 gate, and their king (the Messiah,) shall pass before 
 them, and the Lord on the head of them.* Micah ii. 13. 
 
 When the nations shall see the glory of Israel, that the 
 Messiah walks on before them, and the glory of God on 
 the head of them ; then they will cry out, Who hath 
 believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord 
 revealed ? Now we see, this is the people of God. And 
 then will be fulfilled the prophecy ; And their seed shall be 
 known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the 
 nations: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that 
 they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed. Isaiah liii. 1. 
 lxi. 9. At the same time, also, will be fulfilled the prophecy 
 of Zechariah : Ten men shall take hold out of all languages 
 of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that 
 is a Jew, saying, We will go with you ; for we have heard 
 that God is with you. viii. 23. So it was in the time of 
 Moses, that great numbers of Egyptians forsook their own 
 land, and followed Israel. The nations shall see and be 
 confounded at all their might : they shall lay their hand 
 upon their mouth, their cars shall be deaf; they shall lick 
 the dust like a serpent ; they shall move out of their holes 
 like worms of the earth ; they shall be afraid of the Lord 
 our God, and shall fear because of thee. Micah vii. 16, 17. 
 
 Those nations that shall be near the land of Israel, will 
 pick up every Jew they shall be able to find; and bring 
 
 * The word Breaker is in the original Peretz, which was the name of the 
 son of Judah, and here it means the Messiah ; and the prophet calls him the 
 Breaker, which this name signifies ; and it is a proper name for the Messiah, 
 for he will break down all the kingdoms of this world. King David also sayg 
 the same. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron. Psalm ii- tf. 
 
 o 
 
<Jg THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 him for a present unto the Lord : Thus, saith the Lord 
 God, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and 
 set up my standard to the nations; and they shall bring 
 thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried 
 upon their shoulders. And they shall bring all your 
 brethren for an offering unto the Lord out of all nations, 
 upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon 
 mules, &c. Isaiah xl. 22. lxvi. 20. Those nations afar off 
 shall bring them in ships, for so it is written : Surely the 
 isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to 
 bring thy sons from afar, their silver and their gold with 
 them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy 
 One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. Isaiah vi. 9. 
 In this manner will happen the salvation of Israel, and 
 from thence Israel shall be saved for ever ; they shall no 
 more be ashamed, as it is written : But Israel shall be saved 
 in the Lord with an everlasting salvation : ye shall not be 
 ashamed nor confounded world without end. Isaiah xlv. 17, 
 Next to this, all nations will come and acknowledge the 
 Messiah to be their Lord and King, as it is written : And 
 in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand 
 for an ensign of the nations ; to him shall the Gentiles 
 seek: and his rest shall be glorious. Isaiah xi, 10: And 
 all those nations that shall remain in the world, from thence 
 and further, shall be the servants of Israel, as it is written : 
 Thus, saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy 
 One, to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the nations 
 abhor, to a servant of rulers. Kings shall see and arise, 
 princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is 
 faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee. 
 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens 
 thy nursing mothers : they shall bow down to thee with 
 their faces towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy 
 feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord : for they shall 
 not be ashamed that wait for me- Isaiah xlix. 7. 23. Also, 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 99 
 
 any nation that shall say, I will not be subject to Israel, I 
 will not be his servant, shall perish, as it is written : For the 
 nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish: 
 yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted. The sons also of 
 these that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee ; and 
 all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the 
 soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The city of the 
 Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah Ix. 12. 14. 
 
 The building of the Temple and City — After this, the 
 temple shall be rebuilt, as it is described in Ezekiel. Also 
 Jerusalem shall be built, as it is written : Behold I will lay 
 thy stones with fair colours, and thy foundation with sap- 
 phires; and I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates 
 of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. Isaiah 
 liv. 1 1, 12. The Life of Israel will be as long as the days of 
 Adam. — There shall be no more thence an infant of days, 
 nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child 
 shall die an hundred years old : for as the days of the tree 
 of life are the days of my people ; and mine elect shall 
 long enjoy the works of their hands. And it shall come to 
 pass, that before they call, I wilf answer; and while they 
 are yet speaking, I will hear. Isaiah lxv. 20. 22. 24. 
 
 The unity of God established. — This will be called 
 the New World, or the world of the Messiah. At that 
 time the Lord will be established throughout the whole 
 world, and it will be known that he is the only God in 
 heaven, above the heavens, in the earth, and beneath the 
 earth ; on the East, West, North, and South : and that 
 will be the time when the Lord shall be king over the whole 
 earth, but not until that time. In Exodus xv. we observe, 
 Moses and all Israel sang one song when they passed 
 through the Red Sea; and every one of Israel made use of 
 every word, and one did not differ from the others even 
 in one single word; and it is a part of the law, therefore it 
 must be acknowledged that the Lord poured out his Holy 
 
100 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 / 
 
 Spirit upon every one in Israel. But we see one surprising 
 thing in this song; The Lord shall reign for ever and 
 ever. The question is here, Why did Moses say, The Lord 
 shall reign ? why not, The Lor&reigned? whereby it would 
 be understood that they praised the Lord, who was, and 
 is, and shall be for evermore; but from the text we learn 
 only that in a future time the Lord will be Lord, but 
 not before he shall reign. One instance more we find: 
 The Lord shall be king over all the earth. Zee. xiv. 9. 
 By this passage we may learn that God shall be king in 
 future, but not until then. Both of these quotations are 
 the words of God, and therefore they must be true; and 
 it must be considered that at the present time the Lord 
 is not king over the whole earth : because he is not wor- 
 shipped as the only God thro' heaven and earth, and the 
 glory which is due to him alone, man has given to a bone., 
 and to a stone; to the wind, the fire, the water, animals, 
 the sun, the moon, and to dead men ; every one of these 
 is mentioned here as being worshipped as a god, and now 
 is the same. We find it recorded that several men said, 
 I am a god, but none of them died a good death. King 
 Pharaoh was the first that said he was a god ; his punish- 
 ment was to be drowned in the Red Sea. — Joash, king of 
 Judah, was the second that made himself a god; he also 
 received his punishment, and he was slain upon his bed, 
 and by his own servants. — Sennacherib was the third that 
 made himself a god; he was slain by his own sons. — Hiram* 
 of Tyrus, was the fourth; he also was slain by the hand 
 of Nebuchadnezzar. — Nebuchadnezzar was the fifth that 
 made himself a god ; he also received his punishment, for 
 he was driven from men, to dwell with the beasts of the 
 field; and this kind of punishment was worse than death 
 itself: and in the same manner every man that said he 
 was a god, never died a natural death ; all these demi- 
 gods were slain, but those punishments inflicted on them 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 101 
 
 were only a punishment on their bodies; but the punish- 
 ment of their souls is laid up in store for the day of 
 judgment; for that will be the day for the end of all the 
 false gods, and so they all will end with them together. 
 
 When Balaam the prophet saw that in future times men 
 would say they were gods, he cried out; God is not a man. 
 Num. xxiii. 19. But if he still will say, Man is a god, tell 
 him he is a liar, David also speaks against them, They 
 that make them shall be like unto them ; so also shall be 
 every one that trusteth in them. Psalm cxv. 8. They are 
 vanity, and the work of errors ; in the time of their visita- 
 tion they shall perish. Jer. x. 15. I, even I, am he that 
 comforteth you ; who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid 
 of man that shall die, and of the son of man that shall be 
 made as grass ? Isa. li. 12. Cease ye from man, (that is, 
 to say he is a god) whose breath is in his nostrils; for 
 wherein is he to be accounted of? Isa. ii. 22 ; which is to 
 say, that man is mortal. And the idols he shall utterly 
 abolish. Isaiah xi. 8- And in that day will be fulfilled; 
 And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day, ver. 17, 
 which is to say, that at that time all the earth shall know, 
 that there never was another god, but only the God of 
 Israel. We also learn from the words of the apostle Paul, 
 When all things shall be subolued unto him, then shall the 
 Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things 
 under him, that God may be all in all. Cor. xv. 28. The 
 question here is, what does Paul mean by this sentence 
 all in all ? why did he not explain it ? what can now be 
 learned from it ? is it as much as to say, that only God, 
 the God of Israel, will be then known, that he is the only 
 God, and that is all in all ; and that all other gods will 
 come to nothing, but God will remain for ever? and this 
 sense only can be the construction of it ; for he says, that 
 Christ shall be subject, and shall deliver up the kingdom 
 to God, and then God will be all in all : and indeed 
 
102 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 
 
 this is true, for he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, 
 but that will not take place till the restoration of Israel 
 The last verse of the Song of Moses ought to strike the 
 mind of every man ; for we may ask the question, why 
 this verse is not the first in the song, as indeed it ought to 
 be ; but we find it not so, for it is the last,- The Lord shall 
 reign for ever and ever : by this we may learn that it is 
 the last, because it will take place in the- last days 
 
 The Gentiles perhaps will say, We also believe that there 
 is only one God, and yet there are three, as it is written : 
 For there arc three that bear record in heaven, the Father, 
 the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one. 
 John v. 7. This is not true, and there is no truth in it, 
 and this we shall prove as clear as possible. 
 
 First, these three, ought to be equal in every degree, 
 that is in power, glory, honour, wisdom, and life; but it 
 is not so. The first is power; My Father is greater than I. 
 John xiv- 28. The second glory • at last he shall have no 
 kingdom and be subjected. Cor. xv. 28 ; in this passage 
 may be included glory and honour. The third wisdom; 
 But of that day and that hour knovveth no man, no, not 
 the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the 
 Father. Markxii. .32. The fourth life; Christ lost his life, 
 and shall be subjected in due time ; but God is life ever- 
 lasting, never to be subjected, but to be Lord over all that 
 is in heaven and earth for evermore. Now these state- 
 ments are a clear proof that these three are not one, because 
 the one has the power, glory, honour, wisdom, life,- but 
 the other has nothing, and is to be nothing at last. 
 
 Next, we shall come to examine the difference between 
 the Holy Ghost and Christ. Christ says, Whosoever 
 speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be for- 
 given him ; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy 
 Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, 
 neither in the world to come. Matth. xii. 32, Mai. Hi. 28, 
 
THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 1 03 
 
 Lukexii. 32. Mark iii. 2S. Luke xii. 10. Uolin v. 16. 
 Here also it may be seen., that the difference is uncom- 
 monly great ; because, whatsoever you speak against Christ, 
 it is forgiven, but if you speak against the Holy Ghost it 
 is never to be forgiven. Secondly, Christ says, Not that 
 which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, Matt. xv. 1 1. 
 Again, But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and 
 behold all things are clean unto you. Luke xi. 41. But let 
 us see what the Holy Ghost says : For it seemed good to the 
 Holy Ghost, and to us, that ye abstain from meat* offered 
 to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and 
 from fornication ; from which if ye keep yourselves, ye 
 shall do well. Acts xv. 28. These are commandments in 
 opposition to that of Christ; and if one differs from the 
 other, then they are divided amongst themselves, they 
 certainly never can be called one. And again ; Ye men of 
 Israel, hear these words ; Jesus of Nazareth, a man ap- 
 proved of God, whom God hath raised up- Acts ii- 22. 
 You may learn from this passage that he was no more 
 than a man ,• as the text says, a man approved of God. 
 
 Thus far we have proved, that these three cannot be one, 
 because each differs from the other, and they are divided 
 among themselves; and wherever there is a division there 
 is no Unity; and if there is no Unity there can be no 
 Irinity ,- and if there is no Trinity, then it must remain 
 that there is but one living God and the rest is nothing. I 
 will not lie, but will speak the truth, that I feel very much 
 for the world at large ; for the danger is tremendous, to take 
 the glory due to God alone, and give it to a mortal man- 
 Observe what Moses says; See now that I, even I, am 
 he, and there is no God with me ; I kill, and I make alive ; 
 I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver 
 out of my hand. Deut. xxxii. 39. It ought to be known, 
 that, according to the original, this verse is translated im- 
 properly; and here I shall give the proper sense of it. 
 
104 THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 See now that I, even I, am he, and is no God with me ; 
 I shall cause them to die, that shall say, that there is another 
 God. Observe the term— I shall cause them to die. We all 
 know, every man that is born of a woman must die, there- 
 fore here it must be understood— I shall cause them to die a 
 second death, and that will be in the day of judgment. 
 
 O how wonderful it is, that a great world of people 
 should not see and understand, that the one is called the 
 Father and the other Son : and who knows not that a father 
 is always above the son ; and if so, what connection has 
 the one with the other ? A man is called mortal, but 
 why is he called so ? the reason is, because he is born to 
 die. The very thing should be considered in the present 
 case; Christ stands to be subjected, and he that stands to 
 be subjected, is subjected already. And last of all, it 
 ought to be remarked, that the very names will shew that 
 there is no connection between them. A Father is one 
 thing, a Son is another thing, and a Holy Ghost is also 
 another thing; three names must be three distinct persons, 
 and how can they be one ? Yet after all, it is not surprising; 
 because it was told before hand by all the prophets, that so 
 it would be, and so it would continue until the day of the 
 Lord ; and then he would say to the Gentiles, See now that 
 I am the only God, and there is no other God with me. 
 And at that time will be fulfilled the words of the prophet; 
 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth, in that day 
 shall there be one Lord, and his name one. Zech. xiv. 9. 
 From this we learn, that until the day of the Lord, his king- 
 dom is considered as if he had not the dominion over the 
 kingdom of this world, neither will his name be one, but 
 more than one ; but when the day of the Lord shall come, 
 then will he make it known, that he is the only king over 
 all the earth, and at the same time will he also cause the 
 Gentiles to know that his name is not three, but ONE. 
 
AN 
 
 ANSWER 
 
 TO THE 
 
 RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 BY THOMAS SCOTT, 
 
 RECTOR OF ASTON SANDFORD, BUCKS. 
 
 To the Law and to the testimony : if they speak not according to this word> 
 it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah viii. 20. 
 
 Search the scriptures : for in them ye think ye have elernal life; and they 
 are they which testify of me. John v. 39. 
 
 The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Rev. six. 10. 
 
ANSWER 
 
 TO THE 
 
 DECLARATION. 
 
 Page iii. line. I- 6 If ever, #c.' Whatever the author's de- 
 sign in writing might be, the book came into my hands, under 
 circumstances, which induced me to conclude, that he expected 
 it would be answered, and consequently published. It appeared 
 to challenge an answer; and if none had been returned, the 
 occasion of triumphing would have been given. 
 
 P. iii. 1. 7. ' That the author is an enemy to Christians, #c.' 
 There is no reason to suppose that Mr. Crooll is an enemy to 
 Christians ; but he is an avowed opponent of Christianity. — 
 The writer of this answer is far indeed from an enemy to Jews ; 
 but he opposes Judaism, as far as that opposes Christianity, and 
 no further. 
 
 P. iii. 1. 10. ' It is well known, 6jc' This part of the de- 
 claration, being coincident with several things, in the body of 
 the work, will be considered in its proper place. 
 
 P. iv. 1. 4. ' How much more, fyc.' This passage gives me 
 sincere pleasure; and I think it does credit to the writer. — As 
 a Briton, I feel a satisfaction at the acknowledgment from a 
 Jew, that he and his brethren are treated better here than in 
 any other country. It honours our national character : but that 
 character, as far as it is truly honourable, is the result of clearer 
 and fuller views of Christian principles, than most other nations 
 possess ; and I still more rejoice in the testimony, as honourable 
 to Christianity, which is far dearer to me, than even my beloved 
 country. 
 
 P. iv. 1. 10. ' But the real cause, fycS As far as the tract 
 here referred to is concerned, . it is not requisite to make any re- 
 marks. I will, however, fairly acknowledge, that after all which 
 has hitherto been published, a Jew may have much to say for 
 himself, and with considerable plausibility. Though I am far 
 from allowing, that either the Committee of the London Society, 
 
or Christians in general, have ' answered nothing :' I must 
 own, that very much remains to be done; and that the con- 
 troversy, between Jews and Christians, has not hitherto been 
 fairly brought before the publick. Detached parts have been 
 ably discussed ; but the whole of Judaism, as opposing Chris- 
 tianity, has not been fully and comprehensively investigated. 
 This conviction has increased in my mind, during the whole 
 progress of the present work. 
 
 Not that I hope, to produce such a full and comprehensive 
 investigation of the subject : I only say, that after a long course 
 of years, spent in studying the holy Scriptures ; I may, probably, 
 be able to bring forth some materials, which have not yet been 
 fully explored ; and of which hereafter more skilful workmen 
 may perhaps avail themselves. In this, I am rather the more 
 sanguine ; as the investigation of the several topicks, brought 
 before me, has imparted much light to my own mind, on many 
 parts of the Old Testament, beyond what I had before attained. 
 
 P. iv. 1. 32. < As soon as a Jew, 8?c.' I consider a Jew, as 
 an avowed opponent of Christianity ; I do not expect him to 
 speak with that reverence of ray glorious and gracious Saviour, 
 which I approve : and whatever I may think, or feel, I had 
 rather shew by sound argument, that what he advances is erro- 
 neous, than meet it with hard words. 
 
 P. iv. 1. 38. ' If the Committee, <5fC* This shews the author 
 expected, that his thoughts would be published with an an- 
 swer, by the Committee of the London Society. — God grant, 
 that the answer ' may be for good to all parties.' 
 
ANSWER 
 
 TO THE 
 
 RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 I 
 
 THE title of the book, which I am attempting to answer, 
 seems to throw an impediment in my way : for I as firmly 
 believe * the Restoration of Israel,' as Mr. Crooll does; and not 
 in a sense so entirely different from his own, as he may pro- 
 bably suppose. This, however, will appear in the sequel 
 throughout. In the mean while, it is enough to observe, that 
 the question to be examined is this: — Whether the Mes- 
 siah PREDICTED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT BE ALREADY 
 
 come or not? For, if he is, without doubt Jesus the Son of 
 Mary is He. We therefore, with little variation, ask the ques- 
 tion proposed by John Baptist, "Art thou he who cometh?" 
 (o if^p^vs ;) " or do we look for another ?"* 
 
 The motto, from the New Testament ; u Prove all things : 
 " hold fast that which is good, t" I most cordially adopt: 
 and, earnestly praying for teaching and assistance to God who 
 66 giveth wisdom,"^: I would proceed, with all seriousness, 
 candour, and impartiality, to bring the infinitely important 
 question to the touchstone of the holy Scriptures. 
 
 As, however, my controversy is with one, who, while he 
 often quotes the New Testament, does not allow it to be a 
 part of " the oracles of God ;" I shall forego all appeal to it, 
 as authority ; and argue from the Old Testament exclusively; 
 
 * Matt. xi. 3. + Thes. v. 21. % Prov. ii. 1—6. 
 
6 i ANSWER TO THE 
 
 where the subject in debate does not expressly relate to the 
 New Testament. 
 
 P. 5. I. 1. Messiah. — ' This name, fyc. y If the name 
 Messiah be applicable to a high priest; then, doubtless, 
 the Messiah was predicted as a High Priest: yet Mr. C. 
 never once adverts to this, or proposes the question—' Was the 
 predicted Messiah to be a High Priest, or not ?' The high 
 priests of Israel were frequently rulers, yet not always : but 
 they were always anointed, Messiahs. It can hardly be said, 
 that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were rulers, except over their 
 own families; yjt it is said concerning them, even to kings, 
 " Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm."* 
 It may be noted, that the word Messiah, or anointed, does not 
 occur in any of the three texts, adduced in proof, that the 
 title of Messiah \ is always given either to a king, to a ruler, 
 or to a judge.' This inaccuracy, however, does not in the least 
 affect the main argument. 
 
 All the kings of Judah, and some of the kings of Israel, 
 might properly be called " The Lord's anointed:" and Cyrus, 
 who was selected to perform special services in favour of the 
 Jews, is thus distinguished : but the title is given to no other 
 king, or ruler, over a heathen nation, in the whole scripture. 
 The reason of this is clear. The kings of Judah and Israel, 
 and Cyrus, the friend of Israel, were, in different ways, types 
 of him, who is emphatically the Messiah, the Christ, 
 the anointed; the Prophet, High Priest, and King of Israel: 
 but no other kings were. 
 
 The king of Tyre is indeed called " the anointed Cherub,"t 
 but the Hebrew word is not TW12, but TMS&D; and the ex- 
 pression is used, not to honour him, but to expose his extreme 
 arrogance. 
 
 P. 5. 1. 15. He is to be only a Man. The texts ad- 
 duced do not appear, in any degree, to prove the proposition, 
 
 * Ps. cv. 15. + Ezek. xxviii. 14. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 7 
 
 after which they are placed. " David, Israel's king," doubt- 
 less meaning the Messiah, was predicted as a Man ; but that 
 does not prove, that he would be 'only a Man.'— As this, how- 
 ever is asserted still more strongly, on the next page; the 
 answer will be there given to it. 
 
 P. b. 1. 22. He must have both father and mother. 
 — « It is acknowledged, fyc.' The words in Italicks, ' but not 
 1 by the house of their mothers,' (p. 6. 1. 10.) are here inserted, 
 as if a part of the text quoted ; but they are the writer's 
 o-loss, or addition. The reader should well note this, for such 
 additions occur in several places, and are suited to mislead 
 the incautious. 
 
 It is readily conceded, that the genealogy of an Israelite, as 
 far as it related to the allotment of his inheritance in the 
 promised land, 'depended on his father only.' The daughters 
 of Zelophehad, however, and other heiresses, succeeded to 
 estates, in their own right: though not allowed to marry out 
 of their own tribe.* When, therefore, the genealogy was 
 made of any family in Israel, till it came to a man, who left 
 no son, but a daughter, an heiress ; who married to one of her 
 own tribe; it may be asked, Whose name was inserted in the 
 genealogy, after that of her father ? If the heiress's name were 
 inadmissible, must not her husband's be substituted, as the son 
 of her father ; in something of the same manner as Joseph's 
 name is substituted for Mary's, as the son of Heli ?+ Again, 
 Would it have been impossible, ' because the pedigree de- 
 pended on his father only,' to prove a son of one of Zelophe- 
 had's daughters, to be a descendant of Zelophehad ? He would 
 not be, on his father's side, a son of Zelophehad ; but on his 
 mother's only : yet, it is evident, that as the son of Zelo- 
 phehad, he must be entitled to the portion of his inheritance. 
 Now, in the same manner, as the son of Zelophehad's daughter 
 might be proved the son of Zelophehad, Jesus may be proved 
 
 * Num. xxvii. 7 — 11. + Luke hi. 23. 
 
8 AKSWER TO THE 
 
 to be the Son of David. He was proved to be the Son of Heli, 
 as born of his daughter Mary; and Heli was proved to be the 
 descendant of David. 
 
 The title to the priesthood was certainly confined entirely to 
 the male line : and if all the male descendants of Aaron had 
 failed, no female could have inherited the priesthood, for her- 
 self, or for her son by whatever father. This event, which was 
 not impossible, nor, after the death of Nadab and Abihu, very 
 improbable; not being provided against, in the law of Moses; 
 when the whole of his instituted worship must finally termi- 
 nate, in case of such a failure ; is a most convincing proof, 
 that he did not enact his laws, by any human policy, but 
 according to the express appointment of God. There is, 
 however, no need to prove our Lord's descent from David in 
 this way. He is a Priest indeed, but " after the order of 
 Melchisedek!" Nor is it required, that he should be proved 
 the heir of David's kingdom, by the right of primogeniture: 
 for he receives his kingdom, as David and Solomon did, by 
 the express nomination and appointment of God. It suffices, 
 if his descent from David can be proved, in the way that 
 Abraham's descent from Adam is ; ( before either the law of 
 Moses, or the customs, and genealogies of Israel, were intro- 
 duced :) and this may be done, according to those rules, which 
 are adopted in other nations ; though the peculiar situation of 
 Israel, especially as to inheritances, and the priesthood, ren- 
 dered more exact regulations needful in their case. The 
 genealogy of Heli, the father of Mary, is traced back from 
 the son to the father, without the least intimation of any in- 
 terruption, or intermarriage with other families, or branches 
 of David's family, in the male line only, through Nathan to 
 David, and so to Abraham and Adam.* But, as it was not 
 customary, to insert the name of a woman as a link in such a 
 chain ; the name of Joseph, her husband, is inserted, who 
 
 * Luke Hi. 2S— 38. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 9 
 
 was, by marriage " the son of Heli." As, however, Joseph 
 was supposed to be Ihe father of Jesus :* Matthew gives the 
 genealogy of Joseph also, in the line of Solomon to David.+ 
 
 I am fully aware, that many Christian expositors have la- 
 boured, and still do labour, with much learning and ingenuity, 
 to prove both the genealogies to belong to Joseph. But Joseph 
 could not be actually begotten both by Jacob and by Heli.i 
 He could not be descended, by the father's side, from both 
 Solomon and JXathan: intermarriages, as may be learned from 
 Mr. C.'s statement, are wholly inadmissible in such genealogies; 
 « the pedigree depends on the father only ;' except in such a 
 case as that of Zelophehad's daughters; or that of Mary the 
 mother of Jesus. Their labour must therefore be in vain: and 
 far worse than in vain; as perplexing a simple subject of con- 
 siderable importance, though not of so high importance as the 
 Jews imagine. For the modern Jews evidently suppose, that 
 no genealogy of Jesus, however exact and satisfactory, can 
 prove Jesus to be s the Son of David,' on the supposition that 
 he had no human father : and they think this imagined impos- 
 sibility demonstration against his being the promised Messiah. 
 If it can be proved, with whatever cogency, that he was the 
 Son of Mary, and that Mary was the descendant of David; 
 this does not, in the view of some among them, at least, at 
 all help the argument. Indeed their reasoning is not very per- 
 spicuous : but, as far as I can understand, it amounts to this : 
 —A man is indeed the son of his mother; but he is the seed 
 of his father only; because the seed is of the male, and the 
 female is the ground on which it grows. If this be not their 
 meaning, I am open to correction, and shall be glad to be set 
 right. 
 
 * Luke iii. 23. The clause, " as it is supposed," seems to stand a good 
 deal in the way of the Jews, in this argument ; so that one of the hody con 
 jectures, without any proof, that the words were interpolated. 
 
 t Matt. i. 1—17. + Matt, i, 10. Luke iii. 23. 
 
 c 
 
10 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 I allow, that the word seed, in this sense, is generally and 
 almost always thus used in the Old Testament; in fact, I do 
 not recollect more than one clear exception to the rule. But 
 that exception is a very important and interesting one. It 
 occurs in the first prediction of the Messiah: " I will put 
 ■" enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed 
 " and her seed."* Here, at least, is an instance of one being 
 called " the seed of a woman ;" and in the very person, who, 
 as the Son of Mary, is the Seed of David." This coincidence 
 is very remarkable. 
 
 Will, however, any man venture to say that Almighty God 
 cannot make a virgin, continuing such, the mother of a son ; 
 who would be wholly her seed, as far as the human species is 
 concerned? Now, Christians are convinced, that for reasons of 
 infinite importance, God did once "create a new thing in the 
 " earth, "+ and omnipotently effect this unprecedented work. 
 And we ask : Supposing this " holy Child" should be born 
 of a virgin descended from David ; and that it was the will 
 of Jehovah, that her child should be known as the descen- 
 dant of David; would it be impossible for the Almighty God 
 to prove his descent from David? To prove it in the same 
 way, as his descent from Adam and Eve might be proved? 
 
 The objection, if it prove any thing, must prove, that this 
 would have been impossible to God himself: yet few would 
 venture to maintain this, in so many words. 
 
 It must, I think, be clear, that God has condescended to 
 shew the descent of Jesus Christ from David, with sufficient 
 evidence. It should, however, be observed, that the proof, of 
 Jesus being the Son of David, by no means rests on the gene- 
 alogies alone. These were, probably, taken by the evangelists 
 from the registers of the Jews, as they found them ; according 
 to the custom of the times, without any alteration ; and they 
 were only answerable for the faithfulness of the transcripf. 
 
 * Gen. iii. 15. I Jer xixi. 22. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 1 1 
 
 which has never been impeached. But numbers, during- our 
 Lord's personal ministry, comparing his character, miracles, 
 and doctrine, with the ancient prophecies of a Messiah, with- 
 out any previous knowledge of his genealogy, confessed him 
 to be the " Son of David."* Every proof of his resurrection 
 proclaims him as " the Son of David," independently of all 
 genealogies. Hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, had 
 owned him as " the Son of David," before either of the gene- 
 alogies was published. It is evident, that neither the apostles, 
 nor the other writers of the New Testament, rest the argu- 
 ment, in any degree, upon the genealogies. They are not 
 once referred to, in any part of the sacred volume : but the 
 proof, that Jesus is the Son of David, is rested on the pro- 
 phecies fulfilled in him, and on his miracles; but especially on 
 his resurrection. t Neither did any opponent in the primitive 
 times of Christianity, stand forth, and demand a genealogy, in 
 proof of this ; as it is now done, when all the genealogies 
 are lost ! 
 
 Should the Jews still think, that our proof of this point, 
 from the genealogies, is attended with difficulty : I would, in 
 return, enquire of them, How they intend to prove the Mes- 
 siah, whom they expect, to be " the Son of David," now 
 that they have no genealogies to appeal to ? If they answer, 
 By miracle, or by immediate testimony from God, without 
 genealogy : then, I maintain, that it is impossible they should 
 ever have more abundant proof of this kind; than we already 
 have, that Jesus is " the Son of David." 
 
 To assert, that all this is nothing, if he had not a human 
 father, is to assume, without proof, the grand point in contest 
 between Jews and Christians : but this must be determined 
 in another manner, even by " the sure testimony of God." 
 
 P. 6. 1. 16. ' A Saviour — Is not the name, fyc.' It is allowed 
 that the text referred to, in Zechariah, does not prove, that the 
 
 * Matt. ix. 21. xii. S3, xx. 30, SI. xxi. 9, 15. Luke xxiii. 38, 39. 
 + Acts ii. 29—33. xiii. 32, 33. Rom. i. 3, 4. 2 Tim. it. 8. 
 
 \ 
 
12 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Messiah is called a Saviour: for the original word signifies 
 Saved : being the participle Niphal, or passive. Christian in- 
 terpreters, however, did not introduce the interpretation of our 
 version; they only borrow it from the Septuagint, which ren- 
 ders the word 2*£«», Saving, (active ;) and some learned men 
 contend, that the original may admit of that rendering : but 
 I would rest nothing on such insecure ground. The prophecy, 
 however, as acknowledged by a Jew to relate to the Messiah, 
 is of considerable importance in the argument. il Rejoice 
 * c greatly, O daughter of Zion; Shout, O daughter of Jerusa- 
 " lem : behold thy King cometh unto thee, he is just, and 
 4i saved ; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the 
 '< foal of an ass. And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, 
 " and the horse from Jerusalem ; and the battle-bow shall be 
 " cut off; and he shall speak peace unto the heathen ; and 
 " his dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the river, 
 " even to the ends of the earth. As for thee also, by the 
 " blood of thy covenant, I have sent forth thy prisoners out 
 u of the pit, wherein is no water."* 
 
 This is a very different view of the Messiah, of his victories 
 and triumphs, of " the weapons of his warfare, 1 ' and the effect 
 of them on the heathen, than that exhibited in the subsequent 
 pages of Mr. C.'s book. I intreat the reader carefully to ex- 
 amine the several clauses of this remarkable prophecy, and to 
 bear them in mind, as we proceed. There are three words in 
 the original, each decidedly meaning an ass : an ass, a she 
 ass ; the colt of an ass. But the Septuagint seems ashamed 
 of this humiliating circumstance, and uses more general terms; 
 (wnogvyiot, xxt nvMov vtov. A beast of burden, even a young colt), 
 —We know that this part of the prophecy was most exactly 
 and literally fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, when meek and 
 lowly, as Zion's king, he entered Jerusalem on the colt of an 
 ass, amidst the acclamations of the multitudes, " crying, Ho- 
 
 * Zcch. ix. 9— IK 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 13 
 
 " sanna to the Son of David :" — " Blessed be the kingdom 
 " of our father David that cometh in the name of the Lord, 
 " Hosanna in the highest."* But let the reader determine, 
 whether it be at all probable, that such a Messiah as the 
 Jews expect, will enter Jerusalem in this lowly manner, when 
 saved and made triumphant over all his opponents. The scrip- 
 ture, however, cannot be broken : and, if Jesus be not the 
 Messiah; the Messiah, when he comes, will certainly, in the 
 literal sense, thus enter Jerusalem, as Z ion's King. 
 
 I shall not enlarge on the other clauses of the prophecy. In 
 whatever way, we interpret the prediction, " I will cut off the 
 " chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the 
 " battle-bow shall be cut off;" it cannot accord with victories 
 obtained by the Jews in sanguinary contests, and with the 
 slaughter of numerous enemies, in the usual way of war and 
 triumph : for the establishment of Messiah's kingdom, at his 
 coming, (and not ' the restoration of Israel,') is predicted, when 
 by his apostles, " the weapons of whose warfare were not 
 " carnal, but mighty through God," " he spake peace to the 
 " heathen," and formed a most extensive kingdom over willing 
 subjects in the gentile world. " The blood of thy covenant," 
 should also be noted : but I forbear to enlarge, as the pro- 
 phecy must be considered in another connection. 
 
 Many other scriptures which Christians adduce, concerning 
 the Messiah as a Saviour, being warranted in so doing, by the 
 inspired writers of the New Testament, must not be used in this 
 argument with Jews : especially as most of them at present, I 
 suppose, consider him as a mere f man, like other men.' It 
 is not, however, correct, that because God is a Saviour ; nay, 
 because he says, " Besides me there is no Saviour;" to conclude 
 that none else can in any sense be called a Saviour. A Saviour 
 is a Deliverer, from evil, temporal or eternal ; from enemies, 
 wordly or spiritual; from dangers of whatever kind. JW1E 
 
 * Matt. xxi. 4— 11. Markxi. 6—11. Lukexix. 35—38. John xii. 12—16. 
 
14 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 the participle Hiphel of tfW is often used in this sense, and it 
 signifies, one causing salvation. It is used of Jehovah, in the 
 texts referred to below:* and of men in many other places. t 
 Not only the great Agent is a Saviour, but his instruments 
 also have the same title. 
 
 The prophet introduces, in a most sublime manner, One who 
 says, " I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save."—" Mine 
 " own arm brought salvation unto me."| If this be a pro- 
 phecy of the Messiah, he speaks as a Saviour, and as saving 
 by his own power: if it be not, who, or what, is predicted? 
 
 The language of the the Lord by Hosea is also remarkable. 
 " I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them 
 56 by the Lord their God , and I will not save them by the 
 • sword, &c."|| 
 
 The Messiah is, beyond dispute, called " a Redeemer;" an 
 appellation, at least equally appropriate to Jehovah. This 
 Mr. C. confesses, and in a manner, which in fact concedes the 
 point in contest. " This is my covenant." ' What is that cove- 
 nant? To send them a Deliverer; for what? "To take away 
 (i their sins." (P. II.) — Now a deliverer, to take away l their 
 ( sins,' is One who w shall save his people from their sins."§ 
 The Messiah is also, in several places predicted, as " the Sal- 
 " vation of God."' And no doubt Simeon gave the true mean- 
 ing of these prophecies, when he said, " Mine eyes have seen 
 " thy Salvation ; a Light to lighten the gentiles, and to be 
 " the Glory of thy people Israel." 
 
 But it is needless to insist further on this. If the Messiah was 
 not predicted as a Saviour, or Deliverer, in one sense or another ; 
 what was to be the object of his coming ?— It is manifest, that 
 the Jews expect a Deliverer from temporal evils, and worldly 
 
 * Is. xliii. 11. xlv. 15. 21. Ixiii. 8. Hos. xiii. 4. Zech. viii. 7. Heb. 
 t Deut. xxii. 27. xxviii.29. Judg. iii. 9. 15. 1 Sam. xi. 3. 2 Kings xiii. 5. 
 Neh. ix. 27. Is. xix. 20. Heb. 
 
 t Is. lxiii. 1—6. || Comp. Hos. i. 7. Tit. ii. 10—13. iii. 4—6. 
 
 S Is. lix. 20. Matt. i. 21. Rom. xi. 26. f Is. xii. 2. xlix. 6. Iii. 10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 15 
 
 enemies: Christians rejoice in a Saviour from sin and Satan, 
 from wrath and hell, " salvation with eternal glory :" They 
 look to Immanuel, as "become the Author of eternal salvation 
 " to all who obey him." — In this view of the subject, they are 
 so familiar with the term Saviour, as used of the Messiah, and 
 so in the habit of using the language of the Old Testament, 
 in expressing their thoughts and feelings respecting Him : that 
 they cannot but be surprised to hear it so much as questioned,, 
 Whether the Messiah should be a Saviour or not.* 
 
 P. 6. 1.28 The Son of Man.— 'Ezekiel Sfcr It is rather 
 wonderful the writer should assert, that ' Jesus never thought 
 * of such a thing,' as being called God, or any thing more than 
 " the Son of Man." Had the Jews, in our Lord's days, thought 
 so; they must either have given up their prosecution of him; or 
 conducted it on other grounds. " Therefore the Jews sought 
 " the more to kill him, because he had not only broken the 
 " sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making 
 " himself equal with God."* The Jews answered him ; for a 
 11 good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy ; because 
 " thou being a man makest thyself God."t " We have a 
 " law, and by our law he ought to die because he made 
 " himself the Son of God."| It would be quite superfluous to 
 quote any texts in proof, that he called himself the Son of 
 God, in the highest and most appropriate sense.|| 
 
 Mr. C. asserts, that ' if Jesus is Man he is no God.' This 
 Socinians have often done : but assertion is not proof. n To us 
 " a Son is given, and his name shall be called " Wonderful, 
 " Counsellor, the mighty God."§ " Without controversy, 
 " Great is the mystery of Godliness, God was manifest in the 
 " flesh."! Certainly Man is not God, nor God, man : but the 
 general tradition and opinion of nearly all nations, concerning 
 incarnations of the Deity, are in diametrical opposition to these 
 
 * John. v. 17, 18. + John x. 30—33. + John. xix. 7. 
 
 Matt. xxvi. 63. Luke xxii. 70. H John. iii. 15,16. v. 25, 26. ix. 35. 
 
 x. 29, 30. 36. ^ Is. ix. 6 11 Tim. iii. 16. 
 
16 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 confident assertions. This at least implies a general persuasion, 
 that such an event is not a natural impossibility. Whether the 
 Old Testament taught Israel to expect this mysterious event, 
 must be tried by appropriate evidence. 
 
 The term, " son of man," as used concerning Ezekiel, simply 
 means " a son of Adam (Dltf p.) And, as adopted by Jesus 
 Christ, it signifies nearly the same ; he was born of the stock of 
 Adam : but it does not at all relate to the manner of his con- 
 ception.— Mr. C. has been peculiarly unhappy, in his quotation 
 from the book of Daniel : for he adduces, not the words of the 
 prophet, or of God by him; but the opinion of Nebuchad- 
 nezzar's baffled magicians; which opinion God was pleased 
 to refute, by revealing the secret to his servant Daniel.* The 
 texts referred to, at the bottom of the page, may give some 
 light on the question, Whether the dwelling of God be ever 
 with man, or not.t 
 
 Having disposed of these assertions, or arguments, and this 
 quotation ; I proceed once for all, to collect from the passages 
 quoted, a question, which I shall attempt to answer. 
 
 Was the Messiah, predicted in the Old Testament, 
 to have a Man as his immediate father? 
 
 If the Messiah was to be the Son of a man and a woman, 
 in the ordinary course of human nature, it could not reasonably 
 be supposed, that any notice of so common an event would 
 be taken by the prophets. But if he was to be an exception 
 to all rules and examples, from the creation to the end of the 
 world; it must be supposed, that some intimation, at least, 
 if not clear prediction, would be given of it. If then Chris- 
 tians could produce nothing of this kind from the Old Testa- 
 ment, it would weaken very much their proof of the miraculous 
 conception of Jesus; and even their evidence of another kind, 
 that he is the predicted Messiah. But if matters are in this 
 
 * Dan. ii. 11. 16—23. t Ex. xxix. 45. Lev. xxvi. 11- 12. 
 
 Num. xxxv. 34. Ps. lxviii. 16—18. exxxii. 14. Is. Ivii. 15. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 17 
 
 respect so arranged, as it might reasonably have been ex- 
 pected beforehand : it must powerfully combine with all their 
 other arguments to establish their doctrine. 
 
 The well-known prophecy of Isaiah first calls for our most 
 serious attention.* Let the introduction be carefully and im- 
 partially considered. " The Lord spake unto Ahaz, saying, 
 " Ask thee a signt of the Lord thy God ; ask it either in the 
 '* depth, or in the height above."— Either " a sign from heaven,'' 
 or, one like the dividing of the sea. Beyond doubt, a mira- 
 culous sign, of the most stupendous nature, vastly deviating 
 from the ordinary course of human affairs, was intended. — 
 But when Ahaz perversely refused to ask a sign, God an- 
 swered, " The Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, 
 *' a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call his 
 * { name Immanuel." The introduction, and the call for atten- 
 tion, must lead every attentive and impartial reader to expect, 
 that some manifest interposition of Omnipotence was about to 
 be promised : but there would be nothing miraculous, or 
 uncommon, in a virgin marrying and bearing a son ; nor 
 even in the name Immanuel, except as understood in the 
 sense of the New Testament : nor have they, who adopt this 
 interpretation, been able to ascertain, who this virgin was, 
 and who the son born of her, or why called Immanuel. Heze- 
 kiah, to whom some would apply it, had been born long 
 before : for he was twenty-five years of age at his father's 
 death, and his father reigned only sixteen years. 
 
 The words, however, will not bear this sense : and we 
 appeal, not to Rabbinical Hebrew, or to the Rabbinical tra- 
 ditions and interpretations, but to the Hebrew Bible. Now 
 the original word (HD^) in the Hebrew Bible, uniformly 
 means, c a woman, who has not known man, by lying with 
 ' him. It is derived from DSj7, to be hid, or, concealed : Hence 
 * D/#> puer qui adhuc gnarus non est concubitus matrimonii 
 
 * Isa. y\\. 10-H. + WW Ex. iv. 9. viii. 23. Num. Xvi. 38. 
 
 S Kings xx. 9. Heb. 
 
|8 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 1 alls : occultatus a re conjugal*: {Robertson.) And np7#. 
 < adolescentula puella, sed virgo, sic appeUala, quod esset 
 ' ocultala viro: (Buxtorf.) 
 
 " The virgin was very fair to look upon, and a virgin, 
 " (H^irD) neither had any man known her."* The same 
 ideas are afterwards expressed in one word, (nD7#)-+ The 
 word is also used concerning Miriam, when the history evi- 
 dently supposes she was about twelve or thirteen years old, 
 living in her father's house4 
 
 The word occurs also in Proverbs. " There are three things 
 "which are too wonderful for me; yea, four which I know 
 " not : the way of an eagle in the air ; the way of a serpent 
 " upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; 
 " and the way of a man with a maid."|| < Promptisshnurn est 
 ' intelligere vinculo, quibus virgo incipit astringi futuro sponso 
 4 suo ; quce a castis et pudicis virginibus teguntur: ' It is 
 1 most obvious to understand it of those ties, by which a 
 1 virgin begins to be bound to her own future husband ; which 
 ' by chaste and modest virgins are covered.' The clause may, 
 however, mean the various arts of insinuation, by which men 
 win the affections of young women, while yet virgins; and 
 at length obtain their consent either to honourable marriage, 
 or dishonourable intercourse. The previous virgin purity of 
 the persons concerned is evidently supposed : and the case of 
 the adulterous woman, mentipned in the next verse, is totalty 
 distinct from it. 
 
 The plural of this noun occurs in the sixty-eighth Psalm, 
 and is translated " damsels ; ''§ where the obvious meaning 
 is clearly coincident. It is also found in Canticles; and in 
 one place as expressly distinguished from " queens and con- 
 " cubines, "l and it occurs no where else in the Hebrew 
 Bible. But n71Jl2 is of more frequent occurrence. 
 
 * Gen. xxiv. 16. Ileb t Gen. xxiv. 43. Heb. X Ex. ii. 8. 
 
 \ Prov, xxx. 18—20 ^ Ps. lxviii. 25. f Cant. i. 3. vi. 8. 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 19 
 
 According to this constant use of the word, it is, in the pas- 
 sage under consideration, expressly predicted, that a " virgin, ' 
 { one who has not known man by hying with /«/??,' " shall 
 " conceive and bear a son, and call his name Immanuel :" 
 and it is predicted as a sign, a most extraordinary fact, a 
 most signal interposition of Omnipotence. 
 
 If the Jews will not admit the Evangelist's interpretation of 
 this prophecy;* let them shew, distinctly and without any 
 interpolation, when and in whom it has been fulfilled, or will 
 be fulfilled. Till this be done, in a manner satisfactory to 
 the understandings of learned men, of whatever creed ; we 
 have a right to conclude, that this foretels the most won- 
 derful event yet known on earth : the conception and birth 
 of a Man * without a human father;' and justly entitled to 
 "the name Immanuel, God with us." For " his name 
 " shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God."t 
 With such a clear and decisive prediction, other prophecies 
 may fairly be considered as pre-intimations of this stupendous 
 and infinitely important event. — On what account was the 
 Messiah first promised and predicted, as " the Seed of the 
 ic woman ?"J Till his immediate parent, the Lord Jesus, in 
 whom we Christians confide, was the Seed of the man, at least 
 equally as the Seed of the woman: but not having man, as 
 his immediate father, he had been from the beginning em- 
 phatically foretold, as " The Seed of the woman." — " There- 
 " fore, that holy thing, which shall be born of thee, shall be 
 " called the Son of God."|| But how can this title belong 
 to one born in the ordinary course of things, as other men 
 are? 
 
 Thus, the opinion of the Jews, grounded almost uniformly 
 on the language of scripture, that a man is indeed the son 
 of his mother, but the seed of his father, combines in fixing 
 the christian interpretation of the original promise of a Mes- 
 
 * Matt. i. 21—23. + Is. ix. 5,6. i Gon iii. 15 
 
 || Luke i. 34, 35. 
 
90 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 siab : and, that it should be almost, if not altogether, a solitary 
 exception to the rule, must be allowed a very singular coin- 
 cidence with the language of Isaiah. 
 
 It is also said by Jeremiah, in a prophecy of multiplied 
 blessings to Israel, " The Lord hath created a new thing in 
 « the earth ; a woman shall compass a man."* — Now, for a 
 woman to conceive a son, by an immediate act of almighty 
 power, without any human father, and so " compass" and 
 carry him in her womb, and in due time give him birth; 
 was indeed " a new thing,"" never before heard of: to 
 effect this, was, strictly speaking, " to create a new thing: 11 
 and this " new thing" was most intimately and inseparably 
 connected with the great and gracious events predicted through- 
 out the chapter.—' It is a new thing and unheard of, that 
 ' a woman should court a man : — so the Jewish nation shall 
 ; return to God their Husband. So most of the modern Jews 
 '' understand the words.' (Lowth.) But is it indeed " a new 
 ;i thing in the earth," and a work of creating power; for 
 a woman to return of her own accord, if allowed, to her hus- 
 band, whom she had forsaken ?f Or even for a woman to 
 court a man, who is not her husband ? Witness Potiphar's 
 wife; she compassed Joseph sufficiently in this sense.^: Not 
 to insist on the case of Ruth.§ — ' A woman, the most feeble 
 i despicable persons, compared elsewhere to women, shall dis- 
 i comfit a mighty warrior.' {Lowth.) But is this so wonder- 
 ful a work of creating power? "So new a thing on earth ?"|j 
 It is indeed so far from " a new thing," that it has been 
 done and is continually done all over the world. These are 
 the two most plausible interpretations of the text, advanced 
 by those who reject that above adduced : and they certainly 
 are in all respects unsatisfactory. 
 
 Nothing has yet occurred, which forms even a plausible 
 
 * Jer. xxxi. 22. t Hos. ii. 17. |j Judg. iv. 9. 21— 22« 
 
 % Gen. xxxix. 7 — 12. ^ Ruth iii. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 21 
 
 accomplishment of this prediction; except the conception and 
 birth of Jesus, by the virgin Mary. If there has been any 
 such fulfilment, let it be produced. 
 
 Here then, we have as clear a prediction, and as much 
 pre-intimation, as the case required ; or as the general ob- 
 scurity of unfulfilled prophecy allows. And on this ground 
 we answer, without hesitation, that the Messiah, according 
 to the Old Testament, was not to have a human father ; but 
 to be the immediate son of a woman, and not of a man. " A 
 " female shall encompass a male." 
 
 But another question arises out of the same paragraph. — 
 Was the Messiah predicted as a mere man, the 
 nature of his person being formed only like 
 that of another man? 
 
 In order to shew from the Old Testament alone, that the 
 Messiah is predicted as more than mere man, ' the nature 
 4 of his person formed only like that of another man ;' I 
 shall first call the reader's attention to the words of the 
 prophet Micah : Ci But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though 
 " thou, be little among the thousands of Judah ; yet out of 
 " thee shall he come forth to me, that is to be Ruler in 
 u Israel ; whose goings forth have been from of old, from 
 £i everlasting." 
 
 As this is the prediction selected by the scribes and Phari- 
 sees, in answer to the question of king Herod, where the 
 Messiah should be born ; it will be allowed to belong to the 
 Messiah. The variation of the Septuagint from the Hebrew; 
 and that of the evangelist, as quoting it, do not affect the 
 sense ; and in this argument are wholly foreign to our pur- 
 pose. We take the text as it stands in Micah. — " The goings 
 " forth of him," (who should be born at Bethlehem, to rule 
 over and feed Israel) would be " from of old, from ever- 
 " lasting".— D^ty *BN$ D"7j?.Jp K*/ c £o*<» «tfl« **» *tw s > E * 
 Vffwv uiwm: " And his goings forth from the beginning, from 
 
22 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 the days of eternity." (Sept.) Thus these ancient Jewish 
 interpreters translate the clause.— " In the beginning was the 
 " Word :" " and the Word was God : the same was in the 
 " beginning with God :"— " And the Word became flesh, and 
 " dwelt among us." * Is there nothing in the prophecy of 
 Micah, similar to this declaration of the Evangelist ? Nothing 
 at all different from what is spoken concerning the birth of 
 other men ? ' The words do naturally import an original, dis- 
 « tinct from the birth of Christ, mentioned in the foregoing 
 < sentence, which is here declared to be from all eternity.' 
 (Lowth.) "Art thou not from everlasting, Jehovah?" (D"Tj?p) 
 Here this word is used concerning the eternity a parte ante, 
 of the everlasting, self-existent God. D"Tp with this pre- 
 position, when duration is intended, always refers to past 
 duration. The learned reader may consult the texts referred 
 to;+ which are, I believe, nearly all the places, in which 
 it is used in this sense. — Antiquitas : eiernitas si de Deo 
 dicatur. (Robertson.) Past existence, without any intimation 
 of a beginning, is therefore intended.— It follows D^ty '•EMD 
 " from the days of eternity."— Here also the preposition ne- 
 cessarily refers to what was past; and the words always im- 
 ply past duration, either limited by the context, or wholly 
 unlimited.^ b$ fi^K D^ijrTJ/ D^tyftT " From ever- 
 " lasting to everlasting thou art God."|| When thus used 
 concerning past duration, it seems always to mean a dura- 
 tion, the beginning of which is hidden; according to the 
 meaning of the root thy. These terms, thus combined, and 
 strengthening each other, establish the Messiah's pre-exist- 
 ence, yea, eternal pre-existence, almost, if not quite, as com- 
 pletely as any texts in the New Testament. To evade 
 
 * 2 John i. 1 — 14. 
 
 + Ps. lxxiv. 12. Ixxvii. 6. 12. cxliii. 5. Is. xlv. 21. xlvi. 10. Hab. i. 
 12. Heb. It signifies "from the east." Is. ii. 6 ; and in many other places. 
 ± Mic. vii. 20. 2 Chron. xxx. 26. xxx v . 18. Heb. 
 \ Ps. xc. 2. ciii. 17. Heb- 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL, 23 
 
 this, (he Chaldee paraphrast expounds it, "His name was 
 « foretold of old :" by what authority, or with what propriety, 
 let the reader discover if he can. In this way of paraphras- 
 ing, any testimony may be explained away and set aside, by 
 a single stroke of the pen. 
 
 We would not, in reasoning from the scriptures with Jews, 
 adduce our Lord's words as evidence in the cause: but they 
 contain an argument, which we call on them to answer if 
 they can; for it completely silenced, though it did not con- 
 vince, their unbelieving progenitors; and it is equally suited 
 to silence modern Jews, Socinians, and Arians. "What 
 "think yc of Christ? Whose Son is he? They say unto him, 
 " the son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth 
 " David in Spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto 
 " my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine 
 " enemies thy footstool ? If then David called him Lord, how 
 " is he his Son?"* David died above 1000 years before Jesus 
 was born, and 1800 more have since elapsed : but David, 
 speaking by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, calls the Mes- 
 siah, " My Lord."t But if the Messiah was predicted 
 ' merely as a man, like other men,' how could he, so many 
 ages before his birth, be David's Lord? 
 
 If Jesse had lived till David was established in the king- 
 dom, David might, in some good sense, have been called 
 Jesse's lord, though Jesse's son: but could David with the 
 least propriety, nay, consistently with the common sense of 
 mankind, be called the lord of Obed, Salmon, Boaz, Judah, 
 Abraham, Noah, or Adam, his progenitors? Yet this would be 
 quite as reasonable as to call the Messiah David's Lord, if he 
 had no existence till a thousand years at least after David's 
 death. So conclusive is this argument of the Messiah's pre- 
 existence and authority, as King of Israel; that we may 
 challenge either Jews or nominal Christians to answer it, in 
 * Matt. xxii. 42—46. Mark xn\ 35—37. Luke xxi, 41—44. + Ps. ex. 1. 
 
24 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 any other way, than by denying the inspiration of him -who 
 wrote the Psalm in question. And who could be Lord over 
 Israel's anointed king, in the zenith of his authority, but 
 Israel's God and King ? 
 
 Since this was written, a Jew has asserted, as he says, on the 
 authority of a Spanish Jew in the eighteenth century, (contrary, 
 not only to the general tradition of former ages ; but to the 
 very title of the Psalm, by which it is assigned to David, 
 in the same manner that other Psalms are assigned to him, 
 and indeed to the whole history of David,) that Abner wrote 
 the Psalm and addressed it to David, who was " the Lord'' 
 here spoken of ! Had the scribes and Pharisees been ac- 
 quainted with this circumstance, they would not have been 
 put to shame and silence by our Lord's question ; at least, 
 not in the first instance. For, had they alledged this solu- 
 tion; he would probably have asked them, whether Abner 
 addressed David in the subsequent words; "The Lord sware, 
 " and will not repent, Thou art a Priest for ever, after the 
 " order of Melchisedek?" I believe it is not needful formally 
 to disprove so unwarranted an assertion; which only proves 
 the extreme difficulty, with which the hundredth and tenth 
 Psalm continues to press the Jews. 
 
 When the prophet Isaiah, in the scripture which has been 
 already considered,t says, "Behold a virgin shall conceive, 
 " and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel :" can it 
 be imagined, that the birth of * a person formed only like that 
 'of another man,' was predicted?'— Why then, did Jehovah 
 himself appoint him so extraordinary and significant a name? 
 Is he what *his name imports? If so, he is " God manifest 
 ** in the flesh."— Thus the evangelist understood it; and thus, 
 apart from his inspiration, he most rationally understood it.+ 
 
 Nothing can be more explicit, than another prediction of 
 the same prophet, * Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son 
 
 * Phil, ii. 6—11. + Is. vii. 14. Matt. i. 18—25. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 25 
 
 " is given : and the government shall be upon his shoulder : 
 " and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the 
 " Mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."* 
 Do the various terms here accumulated, on purpose, as it 
 evidently appears, to excite attention and raise expectation, 
 denote nothing more, than the birth of a mere man like other 
 men? Or, is some other than the Messiah meant? These 
 questions the Jews are called upon to answer : or to be silent, 
 as their ancestors were, when they "durst not ask Jesus any 
 "more questions ;"t and for the same reason. 
 
 Why should the name of this child be called Wonder- 
 ful ; iflhere would be nothing wonderful, either in his con- 
 ception, birth, or person?— When the angel appeared to 
 Manoah, who enquired his name; he answered, "Why ask- 
 " est thou my name, seeing it is secret,"^: or wonderful? — (Is. 
 K7D— Judg. ^a:) And Manoah afterwards said, "We shall 
 " surely die, because we have seen God."— In like manner, 
 after " his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor," it 
 follows; "the Mighty God." Can there remain a doubt, 
 whether the words, which the evangelist introduces the angel 
 speaking, at the birth of Jesus, be the true interpretation? 
 " Unto you is born, in the city of David, a Saviour, who is 
 " Christ the Lord." — " The second Adam, the Lord from hea- 
 " ven."§ 
 
 " The everlasting Father," 7JP3K "the Father of eternity." 
 Probably Bishop Lowth has given us the true meaning of this 
 clause, " The Father of the everlasting age."|| 
 
 If only two or three such texts suggested the idea, that the 
 predicted Messiah would be God, assuming into personal 
 union with himself the human nature, and thus properly be 
 Immanuel: this would suffice to excite the caution of a hum- 
 ble and reverent reader of the sacred oracles; even while un- 
 
 * Is. ix. 6, 7. t Matt. xxii. 46. + Judg. xiii. 18—22. 
 
 | Lukeii. 11. 1 Cor. it. 47. II Ps, xxii. 30. I§. 1 ii i . 1Q. 
 
2(j ANSWER TO THE 
 
 able to receive " the great mystery of godliness" with implicit 
 credence. This, however, is not the case: and though 
 enough has already been said to answer the enquiry, as far 
 as Mr. C. is concerned ; yet the vast importance of the sub- 
 ject impels me to adduce still more witnesses. 
 
 The Lord, by the Psalmist, most evidently addressing the 
 Messiah, and in special respect to his anointing and kingdom, 
 says, w Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ■ the sceptre 
 " of thy kingdom is a right sceptre : thou lovest righteous- 
 " ness and hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath 
 " anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows'''* 
 Is He then, concerning whom Jehovah speaks such language, 
 as lie never employs concerning the highest orders of created 
 angels, to be considered, 'as to the nature of his person formed 
 1 only like that of another man ?' Or is he Imm anuel, " God 
 " manifested- in the flesh ?" — ' They who imagine this Psalm to 
 ' be an epithalamium upon Solomon's marrying Pharaoh's 
 ' daughter, must suppose, that it is foretold, that Solomon 
 ' was to have a numerous progeny by her, whom he would 
 ' set up for princes and rulers, up and down the world.f — 
 ' But tills cannot be true: for beside that we read not of any 
 ' children Solomon had by Pharaoh's daughter, Rehoboam who 
 'succeeded him, was the son of Naamah, an Ammonitess. 
 ' A nd so far was he from being able to set up his sons to rule 
 'over other countries; that it was with great difficulty, his 
 
 ' successor kept two tribes of the twelve stedfast to him. 
 
 'Certainly, "a greater than Solomon is here."' — (Bp. 
 Pearce.) 
 
 Without entering into the argument, concerning the word 
 Elohim, translated, "O God;'' (which yet, used in the 
 plural, with singular pronouns, and verbs, as in these verses; 
 and evidently of one single person; is perhaps never used but 
 for one, who is by nature God:) it must in this place, at least 
 
 * Ps. xlv. 6, 7. Heb. i. 8, 9. t Ps. xlv. 16. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 2~< 
 
 mean something vastly superior in nature and person, to those 
 who, as he is Man also, are called "his fellows.*' 
 
 It is not to be expected, that a Jew should allow the words 
 of Zechariah to refer to -the Messiah : but a Jew may be 
 called on to shew explicitly, of whom, and of what events, 
 they are to be interpreted, if not a prophecy of the Messiah. 
 "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, against the Man 
 " that is my fellow, PJVE#) saith the Lord of Hosts: smite the 
 • Shepherd."*— "13)1 + quod est socius. — That is, it means 
 the same, with the word translated fellows, in the forty-fifth 
 Psalm. As the Messiah's subjects are "his fellows," partak- 
 ing with him in the same human nature; so he is "the Man 
 " who is the fellow of the Lord of hosts," as partaking of 
 his divine nature, — The word is generally rendered neigh' 
 hour; and is supposed by many Jews to refer to their nation 
 exclusively. The texts referred to in the margin are, 1 be- 
 lieve, all in which it occurs.:": The same nature is certainly- 
 meant, wherever it is used. But can it be conceived that 
 Jehovah should use such language as proximus sibi, socius, 
 particeps ejusdem natures, to one, who would have no ex- 
 istence for many ages to come ; and would then be a mere 
 Man, like other raen?§ In this view, the words of the same 
 prophet, and the reference to them by the evangelist,|j are 
 worthy of our attention.—" I will pour upon the house of 
 " David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of 
 " grace and supplication ; and they shall look upon me whom 
 "they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, &c." 
 When has this prophecy received its interpretation, or, when 
 will it ; except when the Jews of all ranks, by the pouring 
 out of the Holy Spirit, shall look to Immanuel, (whom their 
 progenitors pierced; and whom they crucify afresh from age 
 
 * Zech. xiii. 7. Matt. xxvi. 31. t Ps. xlv. 7. Heb. 
 
 + Lev. vi. 2. xviii. 20. xix. 11. 15. 17. xxiv. 19. xxv. 14, 15- I 7. 
 % Is.xl. IS, 25. Johni. 18 x. 31. j| Comp. Zech. xii. 10, with 
 
 John xx. 39. 
 
9$ ANSWER TO THE 
 
 to age) with penitent faith and humble confessions, and ear* 
 nest cries for mercy and forgiveness?* 
 
 Time would fail, and I fear I should weary my readers, 
 should I adduce all the scriptures of the Old Testament, 
 which bear on this question.— But the language of God by 
 the Psalmist, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten 
 a thee"—" Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, &c :"— " Blessed 
 "are all they who trust in him," are decisive on the subject.t 
 In what sense could the person spoken of be "the Son of 
 " God," in so appropriate a sense as is here stated? In what 
 sense could he be the object of honour and trust ;% if he were 
 merely a man like other men ? And if the Psalmist did not 
 speak of the Messiah, of whom else can the words used by 
 him be interpreted, without the greatest conceivable impro- 
 priety? — Even the words of Solomon, in Proverbs, are not 
 without importance in this enquiry. For, though Wisdom 
 may be considered as an allegorical character; yet the lan- 
 guage used is so personal^ and so accords with the other scrip- 
 tures which have been examined; that it is far more rational 
 and obvious to interpret them of the Messiah — "the Word" 
 and " Wisdom of God." The feminine of the original is no 
 valid objection. Verbum, by which Aoyos may be translated, 
 is neuter, and the Arabick word for it is feminine. 
 
 Let us then briefly consider the passage — " The Lord pos- 
 fi sessed me in the beginning of his way ; before his works 
 i( of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, 
 " or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was 
 " brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding 
 " with water ; before the mountains were settled, before the 
 " hills was I brought forth. While as yet he had not made 
 " the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust 
 "of the world. When he prepared the heaven, I was there; 
 
 * Matt, xxiii. 37—39 + Ps. ii. 6, 7, 12. Heb. i. 5. 
 
 + Ps. cxlvi. 3. Jer. xvii. 5, 6. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 29 
 
 " when lie S3t a compass on the face of the depth. "When 
 " he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the 
 " fountains of the deep : when he gave to the sea his decree, 
 "that the waters should not pass his commandment; when 
 " he appointed the foundations of the earth: then was I with 
 " him, as one brought up with him, I was daily his de- 
 " light, rejoicing alway before him ; rejoicing in the habitable 
 " part of his earth : and my delights were with the sons of 
 " men."* 
 
 On this passage, I shall only call the reader's attention to 
 two words used by the inspired writer — " I was brought forth," 
 twice used, t TO^in from ^in , which signifies among other 
 things, to bring forth young. It is pual, or the passive of 
 pihel, or rather poll el. Genitus est : for mains est. {Robert- 
 son). It is used in only a few places. " Art thou the first 
 "man that was born; or wast thou made before the hills?" 
 Wast thou brought forth ?% " Behold I was shapen in mi- 
 " quity, and in sin did my mother conceive me:" Or, "Be- 
 " hold I was brought forth in iniquity ; even in sin did my 
 " mother conceive me"§ — " Dead things are formed from under 
 " the waters." — Or, " Vast giant-like things are formed from 
 "under the waters." (Bp. Patrick.) "Giants are brought 
 ''forth from under the waters.'' (D^£p) The production 
 of the monsters of the deep is evidently meant; which are 
 brought forth by the parent animal. || These are, I believe, 
 the only places in which this passive form of the verb is used; 
 and they sufficiently fix the meaning of it.H But how is the 
 word applicable to wisdom, as an abstract attribute? In the 
 meaning, which it is most natural to affix to it, the coinci- 
 dence with the scriptures before adduced, and with the lan- 
 guage of the New Testament, concerning the "Word;" "the 
 " only begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the Father," 
 
 * Prov. viii. 22—31. t 24, 25- t Job xv. 7. ^ Ps. H 5. 
 
 S Job xxvi. 5. I See Ps. xc. 2. Heb. 
 
30 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 is peculiarly striking. — The second word, to which I would 
 request the reader's attention, is rendered, " One brought up 
 " with him,"* )1fttf (Nutricius, educatus, Jillus in sinu patris 
 vestatus: ty^oXvios.) Wisdom had said that she was brought 
 forth ; now she adds that she ' was in the bosom of the fa- 
 i ther,'t (Robertson) — A word from the same root. 
 
 What shall we say to the words of Jacob, a short time be- 
 fore his death? "And Jacob blessed Joseph, and said, God, 
 " before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, did walk ; 
 "the God, who fed me all my life long; the Angel who re- 
 " deemed me from all evil, bless the lads. &c."J If this 
 Angel were merely a creature, was not Jacob guilty of idolatry, 
 in ascribing to him redemption from all evil,§ and in pray- 
 ing solemnly to him to bless his grandsons ? We might mul- 
 tiply examples of this kind; but I must only refer the reader 
 to a few of the scriptures, where they stand recorded. || 
 
 God says of Moses, "The similitude of Jehovah shall he 
 "behold."? Now who or what is this "similitude of Je- 
 "hovah, " except it be Immanuel, "the Image of the in- 
 " visible God ?"** Again, Who was " the Angel of God's 
 " presence,'' that saved Israel ?++ Who was the Angel of the 
 covenant? "Jehovah, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come 
 " to his temple, even the Angel of the covenant, whom ye 
 « delight in."tt 
 
 All these things are perfectly easy, according to the Chris- 
 tian doctrine concerning " the great mystery of godliness, 
 "God manifested in the flesh;'' but perfectly inexplicable 
 on any other ground: as even the Rabbinical traditions, and 
 endeavours to put another construction upon them, most evi- 
 dently shew. Here I must cease, not because I have ex- 
 hausted the subject; but for fear of exhausting the reader's 
 
 * Prov. viii. 30. t John i. 18. X Gen - *Wiii. 15, 16. ^2 Tim. iv. 18. 
 
 |j Ex. iii. 2— 6. xxiii. 20 — 22. Josh. v. 13— 15. vi. 1,2. Judg. xiii. 
 
 15—23. f Num. xii. 8. ** John i. 18. 2 Cor. iv. 4. 
 
 Col. i. 15. tt Is.lxiii. 9. JJ Mai. iii. 1, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 31 
 
 patience. Lay all these scriptures together; ponder each 
 separately ; appreciate the amount of them as collected toge- 
 ther into a focus, like the rays of the sun in the burning glass: 
 and then ask seriously and impartially, Does the Old Testa- 
 ment predict the Messiah, as one, 'the nature of whose person 
 £ would be formed only like that of another man ?' With con- 
 fidence, and without fear of being refuted, I answer the ques- 
 tion in the negative. 
 
 P. 7. 1. 11. 'Forgiveness of sin.' As this entirely depends 
 on the questions under consideration respecting the person of 
 the Messiah, it needs not any particular answer. If the Mes- 
 siah were predicted as Immanuel, he "has authority to for- 
 " give sin." If as a mere man, and 'the nature of his person 
 1 be formed only like that of another man,' he has no such 
 authority. 
 
 P. 7 — 9. 1. 21. 'When is the Messiah to come?' Under 
 this head, I shall shall endeavour to give 'scripture-proof/ 
 that the Messiah is already come. Mr. C. indeed thinks that 
 this must be done from the prophecy of Daniel exclusively, 
 if it be done at all; nay, he speaks as if Christians were ready 
 to concede this! The prediction in Daniel, indeed, when 
 fully and impartially examined, approaches as near to demon- 
 stration, as the nature of the case can admit : but before I 
 enter on the consideration of it, or of Mr. C.'s remarks on 
 it ; I must prepare the way by examining some other prophe- 
 cies concerning the Messiah. Jacob, immediately before his 
 death, pronounced blessings on his sons, evidently by the 
 inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In blessing Judah he says, 
 " The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver 
 "from between his feet, till Shiloh come; and to him shall 
 " the gathering of the people be."* ®2V/ signifies, a rod or 
 staff, a sceptre, a tribe. When Jacob spoke, his posterity 
 was no more divided into tribes, than formed into a kingdom. 
 
 * Gen. xlix- 10. 
 
32 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 But he foretold, that the sceptre, or rod of authority, (like the 
 rod of Moses,) would devolve on Judah. Accordingly it did 
 so, as soon as Israel was numbered and marshalled in the 
 wilderness; and the tribe of Judah was the ruling and reigning 
 tribe, in general, from that time, till the destruction of Jerusa- 
 lem by the Romans. The word cannot here signify tribe: 
 for " the tribe shall not depart from Judah," that is, from the 
 tribe of Judah, gives no tolerable meaning. It is used for a 
 sceptre in two Psalms prophetick of the Messiah;* and in Eze- 
 kiel, where it is distinguished from an ordinary rod;t — and 
 by Amos4 — "The sceptre shall not depart." — 'A king, who 
 4 is of Judah, and a legislator, shall not both at the same time 
 
 * depart. The sceptre departed in Zedekiah, but the legis- 
 i lator departed not: except when Christ erected his kingdom 
 s over the nations, and took away the authority from the for- 
 
 * mer shepherds.' 4 The sceptre shall not be removed from 
 ; Judah ; (dux, dominus, dominator, rex) a leader, lord, ruler, 
 4 king, so called, says R. E. because he used to bear a sceptre 
 4 in his hand — Kings and the royal authority, according to 
 « the three-fold Targum, and the ancient Hebrew Talmudists, 
 4 and many even more modern ; so that they are employed in 
 4 vain, who interpret it otherwise.' (Robertson.) 
 
 44 And a lawgiver from between his feet" — ppPI/9 Part, 
 poheel from ppft one decreeing, giving laws.% The word 
 occurs in Numbers, and is translated lawgiver.^ In the 
 plural it is rendered " governors. 1 '? " The portion of the 
 44 lawgiver;"** that is, the portion which Moses, the lawgiver, 
 had prophetically assigned Benjamin ; or that which Joshua, 
 the governor, afterwards allotted him. " Judah is my law- 
 
 * Ps. ii. 9. — " A rod," or sceptre, " of iron." xlv. 6. " The sceptre of 
 ** thy kingdom is a right sceptre." 
 
 t Ez. xix. 14. "She hath no strong rod, for a sceptre to rule." The 
 
 Hebrew ^Wftb 01^ W Httft 
 
 + 'Am. i. 5. "Him that holdeth the sceptre." ^ Matt, xxiii. 2 
 
 Num. xxt. 18. f Judg. y. 14. ** Dcut. xxxiii. 21. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 33 
 
 "giver," with evident reference to this text* — "The Lonn is 
 " our Lawgiver," &c.+ I believe, these are the only places, in 
 which the word occurs in the Hebrew Bible : and they are 
 sufficient to fix its biblical meaning : — viz. One having autho- 
 rity to enact laws, or at least to enforce by power, laws al- 
 ready enacted — o 'Hya^fvor (Sept.) 
 
 « Till Shiloh come."— 4 That the ancient Hebrews by Shiioh 
 understood "the Messiah," the threefold Targura teaches, or 
 the Chaldee paraphrase of Onkelos, Jonathan, and Jerusalem ; 
 in which it is written for Shiloh, King Messias,' (Robertson.) 
 ( As all the three Targums agree, and the Talmud in the 
 ' title Sanhedrim ; and many other ancient and modern Jews : 
 ' I will mention only the words of R. Bechai, who confesses, 
 i that it is right to understand this verse of the Messiah.' (Bp. 
 Patrick.) 
 
 Different opinions prevail respecting the derivation and 
 meaning of the name : but the Peaceable One, " the Prince 
 " of Peace;" as tranquil, 'and the Author of eternal tranquil- 
 4 ity;' seems the most obvious. This, however, does not at 
 all affect our argument. 
 
 It was then expressly predicted by Jacob, when dying, as 
 his words are recorded by Moses, that the Messiah should 
 come, while Judah continued in authority; and while the 
 Jews, so called from Judah, had power to make laws, or to 
 enforce the law of Moses ; and to manage the affairs of their 
 nation by a government of their own : but that, afterwards 
 " the gathering of the peoples 1 ' (plural) would be to Shiloh; 
 or the obedience of the people would be rendered to him. 
 
 It is needless to go through the detail of the history of 
 Israel, and of the ruling and legislative authority of Judah, 
 previous to the Babylonish captivity. From the accession 
 of David to the eve of that event, during almost 500 years, 
 feis descendants, from father to son, possessed the kingdom. 
 
 * Psalm Ix. 7. cviii. 8. Heb. Isaiah xxxiii. 22- Heb. 
 
 F 
 
* 34 ANSWER TO THB 
 
 in lineal succession. Then, indeed, "the tabernacle of 
 ". David" fell into ruins : yet, even during the captivity, some 
 authority over the Jews, and their internal affairs, was evi- 
 dently vested in the descendants of Josiah : and Zerubbabel, 
 under whom the Jews were restored, was of that family. 
 The whole nation, however, was from that time called Jews, 
 or Judeans : and, though not wholly independent, they re- 
 tained their distinction as a nation, and were generally 
 governed by rulers from among themselves, during the con- 
 tinuance of the Medo-Persian and Macedonian kings; and 
 for some time after the Romans gained the ascendancy. Even 
 these conquerors did not deprive Judah of the sceptre and 
 lawgiver. King Herod, indeed, was by birth an*Edomite; 
 but he was a Jew, as proselyted ; the Sanhedrin still possessed 
 great authority, with little interference of the Romans, till 
 after the birtli of Jesus. But soon after, at the death of Arche- 
 laus, Judea was reduced to be a Roman province, under 
 Roman governors : the authority of the Sanhedrin was also 
 greatly limited, and its functions restricted. That court did 
 not possess legal authority to enforce their own sentence 
 against Jesus; but were constrained to apply to Pilate to 
 crucify him : and after a few very short intervals, in which 
 they recovered rather more authority, Jerusalem and the 
 temple were destroyed; the whole civil and ecclesiastical 
 government subverted, and annihilated ; the Jews dispersed as 
 wanderers through the nations; and they have continued for 
 almost 1750 years, « without a king, and without a prince, 
 " and without a sacrifice, &c."*— « They have been for 1745 
 4 years, more destitute of sceplre, lawgiver, and every kind 
 ' of legislative and judicial authority, than even during the 
 6 Babylonish captivity.' This consideration so perplexed a 
 learned Jew, above 700 years ago, that he wrote thus to hi* 
 friend : ' I would fain learn from thee, out of the testimonies 
 
 * Hoi. in. 3. 4 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 
 
 * of the law and the prophets, and other script«ftes, why the 
 ' Jews are thus smitten in this captivity wherein they are ; 
 4 which may be properly called the perpetual anger of 
 1 God, because it hath no end. For it is now above 1000 
 c years since we were carried captive by Titus ; and yet our 
 ' fathers, who worshipped idols, killed the prophets, and cast 
 6 the law behind their back, were only punished with a seventy 
 
 * years captivity, and then brought home again; but now there 
 
 * is no end of our captivity, nor do the prophets prornise 
 
 * any.' — (Bp. Patrick.) 
 
 Every attempt of the Jews to shew, that they have, or can 
 have, a sceptre, or lawgiver, in their present dispersed state, 
 only proves, how reluctant they are to believe, that Shiloh is 
 come. But he is come; and Jesus is Shiloh: to him has the 
 gathering of many peoples been, and soon I trust the Jews 
 also will be gathered to him; which "will be as life from the 
 u dead," to all the nations of the earth.* 
 
 The woYd'02tt/ signifies a rod, and in a very few instances 
 it is used for a rod of correction^ Hence some modern Jews, 
 would interpret the prediction thus, ' The rod of correction 
 ' shall not depart from Judah — till Shiloh come.' But where- 
 ever the word is thus used, God is indeed supposed to be 
 the Agent, and man the instrument; but sin the procuring 
 cause. In this place, however, it occurs in a prediction of 
 Judah's pre-eminence and long continued prosperity ; without 
 the least intimation of any thing respecting either sin or cor- 
 rection: and its connection with the word lawgiver wholly 
 excludes the interpretation, as entirely foreign to the subject. 
 Indeed every student of such subjects should remember, that 
 it is absurd, to explain a single clause in a sentence, to mean 
 what is in all respects unsuitable to the rest of the sentence, 
 or of the subject, of whidi the writer is treating. It is, how- 
 ever, evident, that the interpretation is adopted as a sort ot 
 
 * Rom. xi. 15. + Ps. lxxxix. 32. Lam ;i;. I. 
 
36 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 forlorn hope, when the Jews are hard pressed with this pro- 
 phecy, as to the time of the predicted coming of the Messiah. 
 
 II. The next passage of scripture, which I shall adduce, 
 in proof, that the time fixed by the prophets for the coming of 
 the Messiah, is past, and has been so for many ages; is taken 
 from the prophecy of Haggai — u For thus saith the Lord 
 " of hosts; yet once it is a little while, and I will shake the 
 " heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land : and 
 " I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall 
 " come ; and I will fill this house witli my glory, saith the 
 " Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, 
 " saith the Lord of hosts. The glory of this latter house 
 << shall be greater than that of the former, saith the Lord of 
 "hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord 
 " of hosts."* It is probable, that modern Jews will refuse 
 to admit this as a prediction of the Messiah: but, in that 
 case, it becomes requisite, that they should explicitly shew 
 what events are predicted; and who is marked out by "the 
 " Desire of all nations," iVl/PPI Desiderium, res desidera- 
 bills, expetibilis, concupiscibilis.i i That which all nations 
 i would desire ;' or, * which would be desirable for all na- 
 ' tions.' The Seed of Abraham, in whom all " the families 
 '- of the earth shall be blessed." — The noun is singular, but 
 the verb is plural, and perhaps the noun also should be 
 plural. A plural noun from the same root is used concern* 
 ing Daniel ;£ and rendered, " Thou art greatly beloved;" 
 as the Roman emperor was called, Delicice humani generis. 
 Some would render it, l the desirable things of all nations.* 
 The objections to this interpretation are, the great 'solem- 
 ' nity of the introduction, (6, 7,) and the impropriety of the 
 4 language, " shall come ;" when it should rather be said, 
 " shall be brought." It may well be doubted, whether the 
 
 * Hag. ii. 6—9. Heb. xii. 26—29. + 2 Chron. xxu 20. Ps.cvi. 24. 
 
 Jer. iii. 19. Heb. + Dan. ix. 23, 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL; 3? 
 
 * second temple could exceed that of Solomon, in the splen- 
 ' dour and costliness of its ornaments. Prideaux values the 
 ' gold, with which the holy of holies alone was overlaid, at 
 ' four millions three hundred and twenty thousand pounds 
 ' sterling. It seems to me, that, supposing the Messiah to be 
 ' prophesied of, greater precision in the language could not 
 i have been used.' (Bp Newcomc.) — Whoever compares the 
 sixth chapter of the first of Kings, with even the most splendid 
 accounts of the second temple, however " adorned with costly 
 " stones and gifts;" must perceive, that the former being over- 
 laid, in every part, even the very " floor, with pure gold," 
 had a glory, in this respect, which was incomparably be- 
 yond that of the second temple, in its highest magnificence. 
 So that nothing, but the presence of the Messiah, such a 
 Messiah as has already been spoken of under the preceding 
 question, could possibly cause the second temple to exceed 
 that of Solomon in glory. — Again, when Solomon's temple 
 was dedicated, "the Glory of the Lord filled the house:"* 
 but nothing of this kind occurred in respect of the second 
 temple. By the statement of the Jews themselves, the second 
 temple wanted many things, which were the glory of Solo- 
 mon's temple; especially the ark of the covenant and the 
 mercy-seat: and what occurred during its whole continuance 
 to compensate and overbalance these deficiences, except the 
 personal presence of Immanuel; "the Effulgency of Jeho- 
 " vah's glory, and the express Image of his person ?" 
 
 In this event, in this peculiar honour and distinction, 
 " the glory of the latter house was greater than that of the 
 "former;" and from Jerusalem, from that time, Jehovah 
 gave peace, spiritual and eternal peace, to all of every nation, 
 who believed in "the Prince of Peace," and embraced "the 
 " gospel of peace." 
 
 It was, then, predicted, that the Messiah should come, during 
 
 * 2 Chron. vii. 1,2. 
 
SS ANSWER TO THE 
 
 the continuance of the second temple: but that temple has 
 been destroyed above 1740 years; therefore the Messiah is 
 come; and Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, for he has no 
 competitor. 
 
 III. In coincidence with Haggai, Malachi, the last of the 
 Old Testament prophets, in the name of Jehovah, uses these 
 words : " Behold I will send my messenger ; and he shall 
 tl prepare my way before me : and the Lord, whom ye seek, 
 " shall suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger," 
 (or Angel,) " of the covenant, whom ye delight in. — Behold 
 " he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. But who may 
 "abide the day of his coming?"* Can any man reasonably 
 doubt, whether the messenger here spoken of, as sent " to pre- 
 "pare the way of the Lord," be the same, who is afterwards 
 foretold under the name of Elijah ?+ When this herald had 
 " prepared the way, the Lord, whom the Jews sought, would 
 u suddenly come to his te?nple." Who is this " Lord, who 
 *' would come," not to the temple of another, not to the 
 temple of Jehovah, but to his own temple? Who is He, 
 that is also " the Messenger of the covenant, " as sent by 
 another, for a special purpose? Who is he, in whom the 
 Jews, in prospect " delighted," yet whose coming they could 
 not " abide ?" Whom did the Jews expect at that time ? Whom 
 have they ever since been seeking ? Is not this the long-ex- 
 pected and desired Messiah ? Beyond all doubt, he is meant : 
 yet he must come, while the temple stood ; and that temple 
 has been destroyed for above 1740 years! « The person whose 
 ■ coming is so solemnly proclaimed, is described by the name 
 of the Lord, pIKH, the same whom David called his Lord,:j: 
 '(TFN) and he is the Lord of the temple, where he will 
 1 make his appearance.'— < He shall choose this place to pub- 
 ' lish his doctrine, and to do many of his miracles.' (Lowth.) 
 
 * Mai. iii. 1, 2. t Mal.iv. 5. Isaiah xl. 3, 4. Mark ix. 13. 
 
 Lukei. 15—17. 76. + Psalm ex. i. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 39 
 
 And also, to exercise his authority, and manifest his glory. II 
 This is no obscure prophecy : the outline is marked, and 
 clear, and strong ; and with that alone, in this place, we are 
 concerned. The time fixed for its accomplishment has long 
 since elapsed : so that either it has already been fulfilled, or it 
 has failed of accomplishment. But if it was not fulfilled in 
 our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, when and how has it 
 received its completion ? Till this is shewn ; we must con- 
 clude, with unhesitating confidence, that the Messiah was 
 predicted as coming, while the temple at Jerusalem was in 
 existence ; and that Jesus of Nazareth is He. 
 
 Grounded on these, and similar predictions, it is well 
 known, that in all the eastern regions an expectation pre- 
 vailed of some extraordinary person, who was about to arise, 
 and obtain dominion over the nations. ' Percrebuerat Orients 
 4 toto vetus et constans opinio, esse hi fatis ut eo tempore 
 ' Judea profecti rerum potirentur. — An ancient and constant 
 
 * opinion had been spread abroad through all the east, that it 
 i was in the fates, that persons coming at that time out of 
 4 Judea, should obtain the dominion.' (Suetonius) ' Pluribus 
 c persuasio inerat, ant i qui s sacerdotum Uteris contineri, eo ipso 
 1 tempore fore, ut valesceret oriens, profectique Judea rerum 
 1 potirentur. — A persuasion was in most men, of its being 
 ' contained in the ancient writings of the priests, that at that 
 
 * very time, it would be, that the east would become strong, 
 4 and that persons coming out of Judea, would obtain the 
 ( dominion.' (Tacitus.) It seems, that Vespasian, the Roman 
 general in the east, who exercised authority in Judea, availed 
 himself of this opinion, in his successful attempt to mount the 
 imperial throne. — The expected Messiah, at that very time, 
 was to the Jews o' Epx, ^^, " He who cometh;" and the false 
 Christs, or Messiahs, who began to arise about the same time, 
 one after another, furnish a clear proof, that, according to the 
 computation of the ancient Jews, the predicted time for the 
 
 * Matt, xxi. 12—15. Johnii, 14—21. 
 
40 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 appearing of the Messiah was arrived. The flatterers of 
 Herod the Tctrarch are said to have considered him as the 
 Messiah, and, as some suppose, they were on that account 
 called Herodians.— Virgil has his Pollio, taken from the Syb- 
 illine books, which were manifestly derived from the pro- 
 phecies of scripture concerning the Messiah ; and all was 
 either ' silent expectation,' or turbulent expectation, from a 
 short time before the days of Jesus, to the destruction of 
 Jerusalem by the Romans.— Yet after so many revolving cen- 
 turies, no Messiah appears, unless Jesus was He ! Various 
 have been the devices of the Jews, to account for this 
 delay; which only shews the perplexity to which it reduces 
 them; Mr. C. says, that i the end of any thing may be 
 shortened.' (P. 48. 1. 17.) Some have thought that it might 
 also be lengthened, and that 1800 years of delay, have 
 been appointed, as the punishment of their sins. But where 
 do we find in scripture, that God either lengthens, or shortens, 
 the term expressly marked out in any prediction ? The 
 deluge came, to a day, at the time previously appointed: 
 Israel was rescued from Egypt on the very day before 
 revealed to Abraham : and, the predicted seventy years of 
 he Babylonish captivity being finished, the Jews were liber- 
 ated and restored by the decree of Cyrus. All such evasions, 
 therefore, are wholly inadmissible. 
 
 Mr. C. has repeatedly said, that Daniel's prophecy of 
 seventy weeks, ' is that which we rely on ;' and that i we have 
 4 nothing else upon which we can rely.' But in fact, 1 think 
 it has been fully proved from the Old Testament, that the 
 time fixed in prophecy for the coming of the Messiah has 
 long since elapsed : and that the point is incontrovertible, 
 apart from the existence of that prophecy. I must not, how- 
 ever, close this part of our subject, without calling the reader's 
 attention to it : though the nature of this publication excludes 
 that adequate consideration of it, which is requisite, in order 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 41 
 
 to o-ive the demonstration, contained in it, the full prominency/ 
 to which it is entitled. 
 
 The solemn introduction to this extraordinary prediction, 
 consisting of Daniel's fasting, and most fervent prayer for 
 his people; and the Lord's sending to him the angel Gabriel, 
 to assure him that his prayer was heard ; and that lie was 
 "greatly beloved;" with the design, on which Gabriel came, 
 to cause him to " understand the matter and consider the 
 " vision ;" all these things, I say, combine to shew, that 
 events of no ordinary importance were about to be revealed. 
 
 The general term of seventy weeks is dated in Daniel, not 
 from the destruction of the first temple, as Mr. C. repeatedly 
 states ; (P. 65. 1. 21—23. p. 66. 1. 3, 4 ;) but « from the going 
 " forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jeru- 
 " salem." This should be particularly noticed : and it hence 
 becomes needful to enquire, What decree, or commandment, 
 noticed in scripture, is that referred to, in the prophecy ? for 
 they were all future when Gabriel spoke to Daniel. The decree 
 of Cyrus related merely to the rebuilding of the temple.* That 
 of Darius only confirmed and explained that decreet The 
 commission given by Artaxerxes to Ezra did not indeed 
 directly contain any thing about restoring and building Jeru- 
 salem.:}: But the commission granted to Nehemiah, in the 
 twentieth year of Artaxerxes, was expressly " a command- 
 " ment to restore and to build Jerusalem :" so he understood 
 it ; and accordingly he rebuilded the walls, and provided for 
 the fortification and replenishing of the city, and defending 
 it against invaders, with the greatest earnestness ; not at all 
 intimidated by the reports which were spread concerning his 
 designs.^ These considerations induced some learned men to 
 date the seventy weeks, from Artaxerxes' s commission to 
 Nehemiah; but the chronology does not easily admit of it 
 
 * Ezra i. i — 4. t Ezra vi. 
 
 i Kara vii. % Neh. ii. iv. vi. 
 
42 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 The commission indeed to Ezra was not explicit about the 
 rebuilding of the city, and its walls : yet the expressions 
 used in Daniel may be understood figuratively, and include 
 the re-settling of the whole estate of the Jews, civil and eccle- 
 siastical, which was begun by Ezra, and carried on and 
 completed by Nehemiah. It is, therefore, at present, the 
 general opinion of learned men ; that the decree spoken of 
 to Daniel by Gabriel, is that granted by Artaxerxes to 
 Ezra, in the seventh year of his reign. This commission to 
 Ezra, whence the seventy weeks should be dated, was granted 
 about four hundred and fifty-seven years before the Christian 
 JEra. The " seventy weeks," are divided into three parts; 
 " seven weeks," " sixty-two weeks," and " one week." The 
 first seven weeks, or forty-nine years, are generally allotted 
 for the execution of the decree " to restore and to build 
 " Jerusalem :" and in about that time, the walls and fortifi- 
 cations of Jerusalem were completed; her streets and houses 
 rebirlded ; and the city replenished with inhabitants, as in 
 ancient times. This leads us to four hundred and eight years 
 before the Christian JEra ; but this iEra commences, as it is 
 generally agreed, four years after the birth of Jesus. — " Sixty- 
 " two weeks," from this time, brings the calculation, to 
 A. D. 26, or the thirtieth year of our Lord's age. It is im- 
 material in this argument, whether the words, " the street 
 " shall be built again, and the wall, ev6n in troublous times," 
 be connected with the " seven weeks," during which that 
 work was performed; or with the "sixty-two weeks," during 
 which Jerusalem, amidst turbulent times, and various revo- 
 lutions, continued a fortified city, previously to the entrance 
 of our Lord on his publick ministry ; which seems to have 
 taken place, exactly at the end of the sixty-two weeks, when 
 he was thirty years of age.* Minute exactness is not requisite 
 in such computations, and learned men, who agree in the 
 
 * Luke iii. 23. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 43 
 
 grand outline, vary a little in subordinate matters ; but this 
 was at least nearly the case. The continuance of our Lord's 
 ministry, till his crucifixion, is likewise differently computed: 
 but, on every computation, he was crucified, during the con- 
 tinuance of the " last week," and after the end of the " sixty 
 " and two weeks."— The longer the part of the time is, which 
 we allot to his ministry; the less remains, for those events 
 which took place soon after his resurrection. Some compute, 
 that he expired on the cross, in the last year of the seventy 
 weeks ; and some, that it was in the middle of the seventieth 
 week; induced by the clause " in the midst of the week, he 
 u shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease :" but whether 
 this, " He shall confirm the covenant with many for one 
 " week," be understood of the term of John Baptist's mi- 
 nistry, and afterwards of our Lord's till his death : or 
 whether it take in the first successes of the gospel, after his 
 resurrection, we come nearly to the same point: and as near, 
 as the purposed obscurity of prediction, previously to its com- 
 pletion, allows us to expect. 
 
 Mr. C. indeed thinks, and probably the Jews in general 
 think, it incumbent on us to shew, that the seventy weeks 
 reached to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple; be- 
 cause in fact the oblation did not cease till that catastrophe: 
 and then-tindeed we might be reduced to some expedient simi- 
 lar to the ' shortening the end of a thing;' but we are under 
 no necessity of having recourse to so desperate a measure. If 
 Jesus be the Messiah, (and if this prophecy relate to tht 
 Messiah, that question is decided,) then our interpretation 
 of its language must be taken from Christianity. Now Chris- 
 tians consider, and must consider, all the typical sacrifices 
 and oblations as virtually abolished, when the one great 
 Sacrifice for sin had been offered. They might be tolerated, , 
 and attended on by Jewish converts to Christianity, as a 
 matter of expediency, and till they better understood their 
 
44 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Christian liberty : but they ceased to be " shadows of good 
 " things to come," instituted acts of worship, and ' means of 
 i o-race.' Commemoration immediately succeeded to prcfigu- 
 ration : Christian ordinances to Jewish : and from the time, 
 when Jesus expired on the cross, " when the veil of the temple 
 " was rent from the top to the bottom," the dispensation of 
 the Messiah superseded that of Moses. Sacrifice and oblation 
 ceased, as required or accepted by God, from those who 
 neglected the salvation of Christ, and the whole became as a 
 cancelled bond.* 
 
 This was not, indeed, fully understood, for some time, even 
 by the first preachers of Christianity ; and if we adopt the 
 opinion of those, who compute that the last week of the 
 seventy reached till two or three years after the death of Jesus ; 
 till his gospel had been fully offered to the Jews as a nation, 
 and rejected by them; or till the gentiles began to be admitted 
 into the Christian church ; our general conclusion will not 
 be, in the least, affected. From this period, according to 
 Christianit?/, the Jews, as such, ceased to be the people of 
 God, who now " called his people by another name."+ The 
 nation was, from that time, left in the condition of a con- 
 demned criminal; yet " the long-suffering of God waited, as 
 " in the days of Noah," that individuals " might save them- 
 " selves from that untoward generation." Of this Jong-suf- 
 fering many tens and hundreds of thousands availed themselves: 
 but when the time predicted by our Lord arrived, before that 
 " generation had passed away," the term of God's long-suf- 
 fering being expired, he fulfilled the rest of Daniel's prophecy. 
 " And the people of the prince, that shall come, shall destroy 
 "the city and the sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall be 
 " with a ilood ; and to the end of the war desolations are 
 "determined." — " The overspreading of abomination shall 
 " make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that 
 
 * Col. ii. 14. + Isaiah lxv. 15. Acts xi. 26. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 45 
 
 " determined shall be poured upon the desolate.'' Then the 
 virtual abolition of the sacrifice and oblation became actual ; 
 yea, the observance of the law of sacrifices became imprac- 
 ticable, as it has now been for above 1700 years. But no date 
 is in the prophecy explicitly fixed to any event subsequent to 
 Messiah's death, and the confirming of his covenant with 
 many. 
 
 It would be wholly unsuitable to the object of this publi- 
 cation, to enter, critically and fully, into the expressions used 
 by the angel Gabriel, in the twenty-fourth verse.* Perhaps 
 to " finish the transgression," means, the commission of that 
 crime by the Jewish nation, as the counsel of their rulers, 
 scribes and priests, adopted by the people, (when demand- 
 ing the crucifixion of Jesus, they exclaimed, " His blood be 
 " on us and on our children ;+) by which the measure of their 
 guilt was filled up : for the original word is not used by 
 Moses for any of the legal sacrifices. " To make an end of 
 " sin," or sin-offering, (as the word is often used) evidently 
 means, to abrogate the laws of sin-offerings. " To make 
 *' reconciliation for iniquity, and bring in everlasting righte- 
 *' ousness," can mean nothing less, than to offer that atone- 
 ment, and finish that righteousness; by which all the people 
 of the Messiah should be pardoned, reconciled to God, jus- 
 tified, made holy, and eternally saved. "To seal up the 
 "vision and prophecy,'' or "the Prophet," means, to fulfil, 
 and seal as accomplished, all the visions and predictions of 
 the prophets concerning the Messiah, and to seal him as the 
 Prophet of the new dispensation; "For him hath God the 
 " Father sealed.":}; " And to anoint the most holy,'' either 
 the 'Holy One of God,' or the true holy of holies; of which 
 that of the tabernacle, consecrated by anointing, was a type 
 
 * Mr. C. in quoting Daniel's prophecy, has wholly omitted three out 
 of the five verses of which it consists. 
 
 + Matt, xxvii. 25. i John vi. 27. 
 
46 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 and shadow.* It is not material to our argument, whether 
 the very best interpretation of each clause is here adopted, or 
 not ; and I am very willing that others should interpret some 
 of them differently. But, however interpreted, they must all 
 have had their fulfilment in the Messiah here predicted ; for 
 the time has long since expired : as also must the clause, 
 " He shall confirm the covenant with many for -one week," 
 " and he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease." 
 Mr. C. stops in his quotation at the end of the 26lh verse; 
 but the reader's attention must be called to the concluding 
 verse: "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for 
 lC one week : and in the midst of the week, he shall cause 
 " the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abomi- 
 " nations, be shall make it desolate, even until the consum- 
 u mation, and that determined shall be poured upon the 
 " desolate."t It is obvious to consider " Messiah the Prince,'' 
 as the person spoken of, who would do all these things. 
 Jehovah is not mentioned; and it is not easy to conceive 
 in what sense the Roman emperor, of whom some would in- 
 terpret it, could be said " to confirm the covenant with many 
 " for one week." But I here only draw the reader's atten- 
 tion to the language : the prophecy will come before us, on 
 other topicks, when some of the expressions will be more 
 fully considered. At present we must keep to the main ar- 
 gument; namely, to prove that the Messiah was to come, 
 before the destruction of the second temple. 
 
 Is then the Messiah, predicted by all the prophets, here 
 intended, or is some other person? The words, "Messiah 
 M the Prince," are in fact more explicit, than those used 
 in any other part of Scripture. Nothing can be more natural 
 and easy, than the application of every clause to Jesus 
 Christ, according to the New Testament : but if a Jew, (as 
 he must, continuing a Jew,) reject this application; let him 
 
 * Ex. xxx. 23—26. xl. 9. Heb. ix. 22—25. t Dan. ix. 27. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 4? 
 
 shew in whom not only one or two clauses may seem to have 
 been fulfilled; but in whom, and in what events, each part 
 and expression of the prophecy, without exception, received 
 its accomplishment. 
 
 We may now close this part of the argument, by briefly 
 adverting to what Mr. C. has advanced against the Christian 
 interpretation. (P. 7. 1.21.) That which relates to the seventy 
 weeks, and the time when Messiah should be cut off, has been 
 fully considered. Jesus was crucified at the time predicted, 
 and the several consequences followed, as foretold by the 
 prophet. 
 
 P. 8. 1. 19. Not one of the apostles, r c. The apostles 
 adduced those parts of the Old Testament, which their argu- 
 ment required: but they never professed to bring forward 
 every prediction of the Messiah contained in it. Several, even 
 of those which the Jews allow to have been spoken of the 
 Messiah, are not quoted: so that their silence is no proof 
 that 'they could not have thought of such a thing.' But 
 there might be special reasons for their conduct as to this 
 prophecy. Nothing so irritated the minds of the Jews, in 
 those days, as the declaration, that the temple would be de- 
 stroyed, and its worship terminated, according to the predic- 
 tions of the crucified Jesus.* No prophecy so clearly pre- 
 dicted these events, and so connected them with the " Messiah. 
 i( the Prince, being cut off," as this of Daniel: the apostles 
 could alledge and expound prophecies in abundance to prove 
 their point without it: it was their object to convince, not to 
 exasperate; and most of the New Testament was written 
 before the destruction of Jerusalem. This prophecy is how- 
 ever referred to in the gospels ;t and it must be included in 
 those prophecies, which Mr. C. afterwards mentions, as proofs 
 
 * Acts vi. 13, 14. xxi. 28. 
 + Comp, Dan. ix. 27, with Matt. xxiv. 15. Mark xiii. 14- Luke xxi. 20, 
 
48 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 that Jesus was not a prophet, but only repeated the prophe- 
 cies of the Old Testament. (P. 07, 68.) 
 
 P. 8. 1. 24. We read, &;c. Whatever objection a Christian 
 may have to the criticism of this passage, he can have none 
 to the conclusion deduced ; ' Messiah, which means the king, 
 '"shall be cut off," but not to him, ib |\S1 ; that is, he 
 1 shall have no successor.' For the Messiah, when tf cut off 
 "out of the land of the living;" when Jehovah made his 
 soul an "offering for sin, 1 ' yea, "because he poured out his 
 " soul unto death; saw his seed, and prolonged his days, 
 " and the pleasure of the Lord prospered in his hands."* 
 Thus Jesus arose from the dead, ascended into heaven, reigns 
 over all worlds, ' has no successor ;' but " must reign till all 
 " enemies be put under his fcet."t I do not think this the 
 meaning of the clause; but, waving this, on Mr. C.'s inter- 
 pretation, it clearly marks Jesus as the promised Messiah: — 
 1 By which is pointed out, that there shall be no more kingly 
 
 * power in the Jewish nation.' — " The sceptre was departed 
 "from Judah, and a lawgiver from between his feet; Shiloh 
 "was come, and to him," ever since, "the gathering of the 
 " peoples has been." 
 
 P. 8. 1. 32. ' This Messiah,' &c. c Agrippa was of the 
 i stock of Abraham, and king over Israel.' (P. 9. 1. 5.) — King 
 Agrippa was a descendant of Herod, who was of l the stock 
 
 * of Edom,' but a proselyte to Judaism. At the death of 
 his father Herod, ^ Judea became again a Roman province; 
 but, after some years, the Emperor Claudius made Agrippa 
 king of Chalcis; and afterwards gave him the tetrarchies of 
 Philip and Lysanias; namely, Ituraea, Trachonitis, and 
 Abilene: all these regions were without the boundaries of 
 the promised land. But JNero, along with some towns in 
 Persea, gave him part of Galilee. Agrippa also possessed 
 some authority, as deputy of the Roman emperors, over the 
 
 * I*. liii. 8. 10. 12, + 1 Cor. xv. 25. ± Acts xii. 23. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 49 
 
 treasury of the temple, and the succession of the high priest- 
 hood : and he seems to have used this authority, in deposing 
 and advancing the high priests, without regard to the law of 
 God. — But Felix, and Festus, and other Roman governors, 
 exercised the whole civil authority in Judea all the while. 
 In what sense then was Agrippa, " of the stock of Abraham, 
 "and king over Israel?" How could he be called "Messiah 
 " the Prince," by way of emphasis and distinction ? Or how 
 can the several parts of the prophecy be applied to him ? 
 
 My scanty library does not give me the means of ascer- 
 taining, in what manner Agrippa was cut off; it seems from 
 Josephus, that he was connected with the Romans and with 
 their armies, in the beginning of that war, which ended in the 
 destruction of Jerusalem; but afterwards we read nothing con- 
 cerning him. As to ' his son Monves,' I own I never before 
 read his name. I cannot find it in the Roman historians, or 
 in Josephus. I suspect, from the formation of the word, that 
 it is taken from the Rabbinical writers ; and I should be glad 
 to be informed, on what authority this part of the narrative 
 rests. It is clear, however, that both the death of Agrippa, 
 and every thing relating to his son Monves, are almost over- 
 looked by historians. If it had not been for Josephus, and 
 for the writer of the Acts of the apostles, even king Agrippa 
 would scarcely have been known to posterity. And can it be 
 conceived, that such an obscure, petty, dependent prince, 
 ruling by the courtesy of the emperors over a part of Gali- 
 lee, and some adjacent regions inhabited by gentiles, (while 
 Judea was ruled by Roman governors,) was " Messiah the 
 Prince;" and that his obscure death, and that of his son, were 
 the events intended by the Holy Spirit, in this prophecy, 
 which was introduced with such solemnity, and concludes 
 with such awful denunciations of judgments on the Jews? 
 It does not even appear, that the slaughter of Agrippa had 
 any political connection with these judgments : and being the 
 
 H 
 
50 ANSWElt TO THE 
 
 act of the Romans, could not be the deserving cause of them, 
 before God. 
 
 Indeed, this (as far as I can learn) new interpretation, is 
 a confession of the insuperable difficulties, to which Daniel's 
 prophecy reduces all those, who refuse to own Jesus, as 
 Messiah the Prince. 
 
 P. 9. 1.7. Thus far, %c. It is not difficult or uncommon 
 for men to boast of victories which they have not obtained ; 
 and with such evident complacency, as shews that they 
 really think they have obtained them. 
 
 L. 9. The coming of the Messiah, SfC. Mr. C. has, how- 
 ever, bestowed considerable pains in the subsequent pages, 
 to ascertain this unknown mystery. In fact, scarcely any 
 predictions in the scripture are so clearly dated, as those 
 which relate to the coming of the Messiah. This has already 
 been shewn. The reader must judge in what way the two 
 texts, adduced in proof of this assertion, bear at all on the 
 subject. In the first, (1. 12.) the Messiah returning from the 
 slaughter of his enemies, represented by Edom, says, "for 
 "the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my 
 " redeemed is come." He had had it long at heart to exe- 
 cute vengeance on his enemies, and to rescue his people, 
 and the fixed time was at length arrived. Nothing is said 
 Of the coming of the Messiah, but of his victory over his 
 enemies. Whatever God determines, whether revealed or 
 concealed, is " in his heart :" and the time being come im- 
 plies that it was no longer concealed.* In the second, (1. 15,) 
 Daniel was i longing to know,' not ' the coming of the Mes- 
 c siah,' as Mr. C. asserts, (1. 25,) of whom no mention is 
 made ; but when God " should have accomplished to scatter 
 " the power of the holy people ;"t that is, the time of the 
 gathering of Israel from their dispersions, their conversion 
 to Christ, their restoration, and the final triumphs of the 
 
 * Is. lxiii. 1—6. t Dan. xii. t, 8. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL,, 51 
 
 gospel : and even of these events, the prophet had received 
 such clear revelations, as have been a clue aad guide to the 
 expositors of prophecy, in every subsequent age ; though they 
 could not fully understand every thing respecting it. 
 
 P.O. 1.28. 'The Messiah is not yet come. We must 
 look, S?c.' This whole passage (P. 9 — 11,) is a mixture of 
 scriptural trutli ; of human traditions, which are not entitled 
 to the least credit; and of inaccuracies of little consequence. 
 
 P. 10. 1. 1. 6 The third, #c— The kingdom of the Messiah 
 is afterwards stated to be ' absolutely earthly,' (P. 36—39,) and 
 is such a kingdom, perfect, and to ' endure for evermore ?' 
 
 L. 19. 'slngels could give no names, fyc Angels did not 
 give names to the auimals, for they were not directed to do 
 it : but we have no reason to conclude from any thing re- 
 vealed in the Old Testament, that man was ever superior to 
 angels, or equal to them : man also was created with a mate- 
 rial body, angels are immaterial spirits. Our main argument, 
 however, is no ways affected by the opinion. — Again, we 
 are not informed what Satan was when God created Adam : 
 we only know, that, concealed in the serpent, he tempted and 
 ruined our first parents, and all their posterity in them. 
 
 P. 10. last line, 11, first line. ' Six thousand years, — but 
 1 no longer' — Mr. C. has then discovered e the unknown mys- 
 tery :' for ' this last period will commence with the coming of 
 i the Messiah.' (P. 9.) He will then come exactly at the end 
 of the six thousand years from the creation: and it is not 
 difficult to compute those years, principally from the Old Tes- 
 tament. The present is about 5818; and one hundred and 
 eighty-two years, or about that time, will complete the six 
 thousand years. Six thousand years, however, from the crea- 
 tion, either as the time of the coming of the Messiah, or 
 to the millennium, is no where stated in scripture : yet 
 many Christians have conjectured, that the millennium will 
 begin at the end of six thousand years ; and argued for it 
 
52 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 with considerable plausibility. — But this has not the least rela- 
 tion to the coming of the Messiah; and is no more than a 
 remote consequence of that event. 
 
 P. II. 1.7. ' Of what use, §c? — It must appear to every 
 real Christian, that the coming of a Messiah, to establish an 
 ' absolutely earthly kingdom,' can never be of much use to 
 sinful dying men; but as Mr. C. repeats this question after- 
 wards, I shall endeavour, once for all, to give it a distinct 
 answer. Corruption admits of degrees; and it might be of 
 some use for the Messiah to come, even if only to render the 
 world far less corrupt than it otherwise would have been. 
 
 P. 11. 1. 12. 'The new world will commence,' Sfc. It 
 will commence at the end of 6000 years from the creation, 
 and with the coming of the Messiah ! On this ground, the 
 time of the Messiah's coming, so far from being unknown, 
 never 'told to any of the prophets,' 'never revealed;' (P. 9.) 
 is known beforehand with an unexampled certainty and 
 exactness. 
 
 L. 16*. ' Above the angels*' — Some Christians have collected 
 an opinion of this kind, from the relation in which the re- 
 deemed stand to Immanuel, and from the Revelation of St. 
 John ;* but not a hint of the kind is given in the Old Tes- 
 tament. — It does not appear, how this most exalted view of 
 1 the new world under the Messiah,' can consist with his king- 
 dom 'being absolutely earthly,' or with the view given in 
 the subsequent pages, of the state of the gentiles, (that is, of 
 an immense majority of the inhabitants of the earth,) under 
 the reign of Messiah. 
 
 P. 11. 1. 22. 'The Messiah is not yet come. We 
 are assured, #c.' Isaiah in the text referred to, says, " The 
 "Redeemer shall come to Zion; and unto them that turn 
 " from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, 
 " this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord, &c." With 
 
 * Rev. iv. 4. v. 9-U. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 53 
 
 whom ? Not with Israel, as a nation, but " with them that 
 turn from transgression in Jacob." — But how will it be with 
 those, who "do not turn from transgression in Jacob?" Let 
 us, however, hear in what way the apostle quotes it from the 
 Septuagint : " There shall come out of Zion, the Deliverer, 
 " and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob ; for this is 
 " my covenant with them, when I shall take away their 
 " sins."* When the Deliverer, or Redeemer, shall turn 
 away ungodliness from Jacob; then he will "take away their 
 " sins,'' by forgiveness, confirm his covenant with them, and 
 so all Israel " shall be saved." But till ungodliness is taken 
 away, this will not be the case. Thus, in coincidence with 
 all the prophecies of Israel's restoration, that event is con- 
 nected with their conversion from sin and ungodliness; not 
 with the coming of the Messiah, which is not once mentioned, 
 in connection with their restoration^ The subject on which 
 the apostle was discoursing, shewed, that he had in prospect, 
 Israel's receiving Jesus as their Messiah and Saviour : indeed, 
 not the coming of the Messiah, but believing in him, is 
 effectual for the blotting out of sin, either of Jew or Gentile : 
 and how can the author persuade himself, or hope to persuade 
 others, that the apostle meant by one line in a quotation, to 
 contradict and disprove that fact, which he spent and ended 
 his life, in unremitted labours and sufferings, to render uni- 
 versally credited, viz. that the Messiah was come, and that 
 Jesus the Nazarene was the Messiah ? Or how does all this 
 accord with Mr. C.'s opinion, concerning the absolutely earth- 
 ly kingdom of the Messiah, and that the Messiah will not 
 forgive sins? (See, on 7.) 
 
 P. 12. 1.4. 'That the Messiah, &c.' There is not one 
 word in the quotation from Leviticus, or in the whole passage, 
 
 * Is. lix. 20, 21. Rom. xi. 26, 27. 
 + Lev. xxvi. 41 , 42. Deut. iv. 29, 30. xxx. 1—10. Jer. xxxii. 39—41. 
 Ez. xi. 17—20. xxxvi. 24—28. xxxvii. 23—28. Hos. iii. 4, 5- xiv. 1—8. 
 Zech. xii. 10—12. 
 
54 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 concerning the Messiah ; so that nothing can be inferred from it 
 respecting his coming. The crisis in the condition of Israel, 
 is never stated to be "the coming of the Messiah;" but "their 
 " uncircumcised hearts being humbled;" -which implies their 
 repentance and conversion, and their receiving in humble faith 
 that Saviour, whom they have pierced. Could Christians pro- 
 duce no better proof, that the Messiah is come, than Mr. C. 
 does that he is not come, their cause would be hopeless. 
 
 L. 18. < Hear you may learn, fycS Whence may we learn 
 these things ? Not a word is said either about the first or the 
 second temple, or even the tabernacle, or the coming of the 
 Messiah, in any of the texts referred to. I suppose the word 
 often referred to ( D^lpD ) in our version rendered 
 " sanctuaries," by Mr. C. translated temples, contains the 
 argument ; but it is used in the plural, when only one temple 
 could be meant, if at all included;* of the sanctuaries of 
 Tyre;+ of the idol temples of the kingdom of Israel 4 and 
 in a variety of other senses. — Nothing therefore can be in- 
 ferred from this single word. In fact, if the two temples 
 exclusively had been meant, the dual number would most 
 properly have been used. 
 
 Israel may "pine away in their iniquities," as well for 
 the guilt of " crucifying afresh" from age to age, the promised 
 Messiah, by impenitent unbelief and determined opposition, 
 as for any other of their national sins : and, as the nation has 
 not during many ages been guilty of gross idolatry, this 
 seems an obvious reason of their long-continued abject situa- 
 tion. If this be the case, welcoming in penitent faith this 
 long-rejected Saviour, must be the introduction to their res- 
 toration. — And if this be not the guilt, for which God so 
 permanently contends with them, (as I am most fully con- 
 vinced it is,) let them assign a more adequate and satisfac- 
 
 * Ps. Ixxiii. 17. Ez. xxi- 2. Heb. 
 i Ez. xxviii. 18. Heb. ± Am. vii. 9. Heb, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 55 
 
 lory reason, for the unprecedented dealings of the Lord with 
 their favoured nation, for above seventeen hundred years. 
 
 P. 12. 1. 23. < The first covenant, $c.' How does this 
 agree with the words of the prophets?* 'The first covenant ' 
 however, was not that made at Mount Sinai, but that made with 
 Abraham, " which the law which was four hundred and thirty 
 " years after could not disannul."t Mr. C. has indeed quoted 
 the forty-fifth verse, which seems to refer to the Sinai-cove- 
 nant ;|| but he has omitted several preceding verses, which 
 should not be unnoticed. "If they shall confess their iniquity 
 " and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which 
 " they have trespassed against me, and that also they have 
 " walked contrary unto me; and that I have walked contrary 
 " unto them, and have brought them into the land of their 
 " enemies ; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled 
 " and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity : 
 " then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also 
 " my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abra- 
 
 " ham will I remember, and I will remember the land."i 
 
 ' Christ could not be the Messiah .-'—that is, ' The anointed 
 i could not be the anointed!' 
 
 P. 12. last line. < How came the prophet to take notice of 
 'Edom?' Answer, — The Edomites hated Israel, and exulted 
 over the desolations of Jerusalem, and the miseries of the 
 Jews, with mingled cruelty and scorn. § It was, therefore, 
 natural for Jeremiah, when mourning over these desolations 
 and miseries, to think of the Edomites: and it pleased God 
 to employ him to foretel, that judgment from the wrath of 
 God, would ere long overtake these insulting foes, and that 
 the Jews would soon return from captivity, and be reinstated 
 in prosperity. Edom is indeed sometimes used, as a general 
 
 * Jer. xxxi.Sl— 34. Ez. xvi. 62. 
 
 t Gal. iii. 15—29. |j Lev. xxvi. 45. i Lev. xxvi'. 40—42. 
 
 S Ps. cxxxvii. 7. Jer. xlix. 7—22. Ez. xn,v. 8 — 14 xxxy. 
 Am. i. a, 12. Obad. 1— 16. 
 
56 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 name, for the enemies of God's people : but whether it be in 
 this place or not; it is certain, that not one word occurs in 
 it concerning the Messiah, or the time of his coming. It is 
 also obvious to remark, that if Edom be the general name of 
 the enemies of the people of God, of whatever nation; Israel 
 also is the general name of God's people, though of other 
 nations. Mr, C. I suppose, considers Edom as the proper 
 title of the Roman empire, in every form. If I misunder- 
 stand him, he must set me right. But, however this may be, 
 or whether his reasonings concerning Israel remaining a pri- 
 soner, ' so long as Edom is master,' be logical and well- 
 grounded or not; it is manifest, that a portion of scripture 
 in which the Messiah is not hinted at, can prove nothing 
 either way, concerning the time of his coming ; except to 
 those, who have ynscripturalli/ associated the ideas of his 
 coming with ' the restoration of Israel :' and as fact proves 
 that Israel is not restored, no further proof can be requisite 
 Co such persons: but ' an honest man,' (P. 13. 1. 26.) having 
 well considered this argument, may think with me, that it 
 has no relation at all to the present argument. 
 
 P. 13. last line but one. ' Five hundred years before Christ: 
 The Lamentations were written after the destruction of the 
 first temple; the second was not destroyed till above seventy 
 years after the birth of Jesus : yet Mr. C. in other places 
 computes that no more than 490 years occurred between the 
 one and the other ! (P. 65, 66.) 
 
 P. 13. last line. i He could do no good to Israel.' Jesus 
 did good to many tens of thousands of Jews, personally and 
 by his apostles : but what physician can do good to an ob- 
 stinate patient, who not only rejects his advice and his medi- 
 cines, but also — Fit pugil, et medicum urget? — Becomes a 
 pugilist, and Jights his physician ? 
 
 P. 14. 1. 11. 'Proof from the gospel. &c.' This is 
 a vain attempt to make the gospel destructive of itself. It 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 57 
 
 -would be indeed most wonderful, if Jesus, who before Caia- 
 phas and Pontius Pilate avowed himself the Messiah, and who 
 was crucified for that avowal, should be found just before 
 to testify that he was not the Messiah ! (1. 24.) But this is 
 not the only instance, in which our Lord is introduced, as 
 renouncing the claims, which he was crucified for advancing. 
 Mr. C. has it fully settled in his own mind, that the comino- 
 of the Messiah, and the restoration of Israel, must occur at 
 the same time: and thus 'he is every where led to assume as 
 self-evident, the very point which he ought to prove. 
 
 Our Lord's claim to be a Prophet will come under consi- 
 deration in another place. At present the expression, " until 
 " the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," may require a brief 
 consideration. 
 
 What then are we to understand by "the times 
 "of the Gentiles?" Considerable weight is laid on these 
 words; and Mr. C. takes for granted that they mean, 'until 
 ' the measure of the iniquities of the Gentiles shall be full :' 
 (1. 28 — 31.) but they appear to me to admit of a very different 
 interpretation. — A^f TrXypwSwa-i xxtpo, s&wv; "Until the times of 
 " the nations shall be accomplished," or, " shall have been 
 " fulfilled." No expression, at all resembling this, occurs in 
 the Old Testament ; or even in the New, except that of the 
 apostle, in the Epistle to the Romans :* «x/«* « ?<> mKfifuy.x 
 t*>v «9ywv £<o-£X$»j, " Until the time when the fulness of the na- 
 " tions shall come in," When the times shall arrive, for the 
 fulness of the gentiles to be brought into the church ; " the 
 " blindness," which " in part has happened to Israel," shall 
 be removed, " and so all Israel shall be saved."t This, or 
 somewhat to this effect, is the evident meaning of the apostle: 
 and from his argument it may be concluded, at least with 
 great probability, that, according to his views, the conver- 
 sion and restoration of Israel will occur nearly at the time, 
 
 * Rom. xi. 25. t Rora. xi. 25—31. 2 Cor. iii. IS— 16. 
 
 T 
 
58 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 when in the purpose of God, " the fulness of the nations " 
 shall become the subjects of Jesus Christ: and, that the con- 
 version of Israel, occurring at this crisis, shall introduce that 
 grand display of the power, and truth, and mercy of God; 
 and be " as life from the dead" to the nations of the world, 
 and be one grand means of accomplishing it. Certainly the 
 apostle meant the conversion of the nations ; and there can 
 be little doubt but that the words of our Lord had reference 
 to the same. — Till that period shall arrive, "Jerusalem shall" 
 continue "trodden under foot of the Gentiles." 
 
 I do not deny, that the restoration of Israel will be pre- 
 ceded, and attended, by most tremendous judgments on many 
 nations. In this the prophecies both of the Old and New 
 Testament agree.* l The restoration of Israel' will, no doubt, 
 be one grand part of the Messiah's triumph over the beast, 
 the false prophet, and the old serpent.t Besides antichristian 
 opponents, the Mohammedans and idolaters, in Canaan and 
 in the east, will no doubt vehemently oppose the reinstate- 
 ment of Israel in the promised land; as the Canaanites did 
 in the days of Joshua, and with the same event. But these 
 dreadful scenes will be of no very long duration, and will 
 introduce "the times of the Gentiles;" or the conversion of 
 all nations to Christianity. Among the converts to our holy 
 religion, Israel will assuredly have a peculiar pre-eminence, 
 as the nation through which God has blessed all other na- 
 tions: not, as they vainly dream, by ruling over them with 
 haughty dominion; which they will cease to desire, when 
 they fully. experience the loving spirit of Christianity: but by 
 the willing honour, and grateful deference, rendered them by 
 their fellow Christians. Then they will understand, and enter 
 into the apostle's meaning; "There is neither Jew nor Greek, 
 there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor 
 " female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." J 
 
 * E«. xxxviii. xxxix. 1—16. Joel iii. + Rev. xix. 11—21. 
 
 t Gal. iii. 26— 29. 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 59 
 
 * " The times of the Gentiles," seem to signify the times 
 
 < during which the Gentiles are permitted to keep possession 
 ' of Jerusalem ; namely, till the Jews be converted unto Christ : 
 ( then their times will be fulfilled ; — probably, the Jews will 
 ' be restored to their own land, and vengeance will be exe- 
 cuted on those who oppose their return. For these events 
 
 * seem to be predicted, introductory to the calling of the 
 ' nations into the church. Or, the times appointed for the call- 
 ' ing of the Gentiles, or all nations, into the church, may be 
 c meant. When this draweth nigh, the Jews will recover 
 
 * their holy city.' {Family Bible, Note, Luke xxi. 20—24.) 
 
 Nothing can be more clear, than that such a time is fore- 
 told throughout the Old Testament. I shall not, in this place, 
 anticipate a question, which will soon come under our con- 
 sideration : but let the reader carefully consider the texts re- 
 ferred to below; and he must be convinced, I should think, 
 that the times of the Gentiles in this sense may confidently be 
 expected : for "the scripture cannot be broken."* Whether this 
 conversion of the nations, to the worship of the God of Israel, 
 shall be by their being proselyted to Judaism, as the Jews 
 sometimes appear to admit, or by their conversion to Chris- 
 tianity, may with many persons be a matfer of doubt : but the 
 predictions are undeniable; and the times when these shall be 
 fulfilled, are "the times of the Gentiles;" and not the times 
 when the Gentiles, at large, shall be destroyed, or crushed, 
 which is no where foretold by the prophets. On the con- 
 trary, after several predictions of dreadful judgments on this, 
 or the other, nation, it is added, " Yet will I bring again the 
 " captivity of Moab, in the latter days." The same is said 
 of Amraon and of Elara.t The times are coming, not when 
 Judah shall rule with iron rod over all nations; but when all 
 nations shall be gathered to Judah's Shiloh; receive from 
 
 * Gen. xii. 3. xxii. 18. Ps. xxii. 27. Ixxii. 17, Is. ii. 1 — 4. xix. 24,25; 
 lx. Jer. xvi. 19. Mic. iv. 1 — 4. Mai. i. 11. * 
 
 + Jer. xlviii. 47. xlix. 6. 39. 
 
60 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Judah "the oracles of God;" worship, and serve, and bless 
 themselves, in the God of Israel ; and honour and love Israel 
 as the chief nation on earth, and the source of blessings to all 
 other nations. And surely, it might be thought, that this 
 would be more gratifying even to Jews, than their present 
 expectations of lordly dominion : and certainly it will be so, 
 when the Lord shall circumcise their heart, to love him with 
 " all their heart.'' Then pre-eminence in love, and gratitude, 
 and honour, from all the happy partakers of their own Mes- 
 siah's reign, will be far more delightful to them, than any 
 worldly superiority. 
 
 P. 15. 1. 1. ' This declaration, #c.' The apostle, in the 
 passage here in part quoted, is most undeniably speaking of 
 the eternal judgment of individuals, whether Jews or Gen- 
 tiles.* The Jew, " who is contentious, and does not obey the 
 " truth, but obeys unrighteousness;" will have the first and 
 largest portion " of tribulation and anguish," &c; but the 
 believing and obedient Jews, the first and largest portion of 
 glory and honour, " in the day when God shall judge the 
 i( secrets of men by Jesus Christ." This is the apostle's ex- 
 press meaning; and the passage has nothing to do, in the least, 
 with the state of Jews and Gentiles, as to this present world. 
 The degree, whether of anguish or of glory, and not the priority 
 in time, is intended; for both will be eternal. 
 
 P. 15. 1. 11. ' You see, ^-c' The texts referred to below, 
 may shew how Jesus and his apostles understood his predic- 
 tions on this subject.t 
 
 L. 25. ' Not one of, %c.' It is an attempt requiring no or- 
 dinary measure of heroism, for a man to undertake to prove, 
 from the New Testament, that none but Jevjs would be the 
 
 * Rom. ii. 4 — 16. 
 t Matt. xxi. 33 — 46. xxiii. 34 — 39. xxiv. 15 — 22. Luke xix. 41—44. 
 xx. 15—18. xxi. 20—24. Acts iii. 22, 23. iv. 10—12. 25—28. vii. 37—53. 
 xiii. 40,41. xxYiii. 23-28. Rom. ix. 1-3. 24-33. 1 Thes.ii. 13-16. 
 Jam. v. 1—6. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 61 
 
 servants of God! The ancient Jews had no idea of an at- 
 tempt of this kind. It is far from certain, that the Jewish 
 converts are exclusively intended by the hundred and forty- 
 four thousand, who were sealed as the servants of God, " out 
 " of all the tribes of the children of Israel;" it being impro- 
 bable, in the highest degree, that there should be exactly the 
 same number out of each tribe. The innumerable number 
 " of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues," 
 who are afterwards mentioned, are not said to have been 
 sealed, and so Mr. C. excludes them from the title, "the 
 " servants of God." — It is, however, said in the subsequent 
 verses, "these are they, which came out of great tribulation, 
 " and have washed their robes, and made them white in the 
 " blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne 
 " of God, and serve him day and night in his temple :* and 
 " he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They 
 u shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall 
 " the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb 
 " which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and 
 " shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God 
 " shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.''f If we, poor 
 sinners of the Gentiles, may attain such felicity as this, we 
 shall need no other honour. 
 
 Much of what follows is assertion — Part we assent to, and 
 part we dissent from. But the great point in controversy, 
 concerning Jesus, (Whether he be the predicted Messiah, or 
 some other is to be expected,) is not concerned in the inter- 
 pretation, well or ill-grounded, of the texts adduced ; and 
 therefore I shall not further notice them. 
 
 P. 16. 1. 3. ' Now when, fyc.' The prophecy of Zecha- 
 riah, here in part quoted, has been shewn, by the author of 
 these remarks, to have had a partial, yet illustrious, fulfil- 
 ment, in the days of the apostles, and in the succeeding ages : 
 
 * Rey. xxii. 2—4. + Rev. vii. 9-17. Is. xxy. 6-8- 
 
62 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 I 
 
 but, that it will have a still more enlarged and glorious 
 accomplishment, when God shall restore Israel, and make 
 the Israelites his willing instruments in converting the Gentile 
 world.* An extract from this may here be properly intro- 
 duced. — ' The conquerors and destroyers of the Jews have 
 become the worshippers of the God of the Jews. Jehovah 
 has superseded Jupiter, and all the other pagan deities, 
 through the vast dominions of the Greeks and Romans; not 
 to dwell on the utter extinction of the ancient idolatry of 
 Chaldea, Persia, and Egypt. The Lord has " famished all 
 ' the gods of the earth ; and men worship him, every one 
 ' from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.' '+ The 
 God of the Jews, long unknown, except to that obscure 
 and oppressed people, is now the professed Object of wor- 
 ship, throughout the mightiest and most distinguished na- 
 tions on earth. This is a fact, that cannot be denied or 
 doubted.' ' But in what way and by what means was it 
 effected ?' " Not by might, nor by power, but by my 
 
 * Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." " Ten men shall take 
 
 * hold, out of all the languages of the nations; even shall 
 ( take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, We 
 1 will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." 
 
 Compulsion was not one of the means employed : the con- 
 duct, of the persons here stated, was the effect of conviction. 
 — 'The Redeemer was a Jew; all his apostles were Jews, 
 * all the seventy disciples, and all the first evangelists, or 
 < missionaries to the Gentiles ; yea, and all the first converts 
 ' to Christianity, who, dispersed into various parts of the 
 'world, carried among the Gentiles the word of salvation, 
 ' were Jews!— At the lowest computation, each Jew, (con- 
 « verted to Christianity,) won over ten idolaters to " lay hold 
 4 " on his skirt, and to say, We will go with you ; for we 
 ' " have heard that God is with you." ' 
 
 * Sermon preached before the London Society, entitled, * The Jews a 
 blessing to the nations.' + Zeph. ii. 1 1 . 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 63 
 
 L. S. ( Where is the boasting, #c.' I believe no real Chris- 
 tian boasts or glories over the Jews: by the gospel, " boasting 
 " is excluded," compassion and good-will, yea, a kind of 
 respect and gratitude to the Jews, as a nation, must spring 
 from genuine Christianity :' nor is the sentiment, of glorying 
 over the Jews, common even among nominal Christians. 
 
 P. 16. 1. 10. ' By the WITNESS, &c.' — ' Here he ap~ 
 pointed, fycS L. 16. The question of the apostles to our Lord, 
 which was grounded on some degree of misapprehension, in- 
 volved three enquiries, 1. " When shall these things be ?" — 
 2. " What shall be the sign of thy coming?"— S. "And of 
 " the end of the world ?" And his reply without noticing 
 their misapprehension, gave distinct answers to each. The 
 words, " This generation shall not pass till all these things 
 " be fulfilled;" especially answers the question, " When shall 
 "these things be?" That is, When shall these buildings of 
 the temple be so entirely destroyed, that " not one stone shall 
 "be left upon another?"* The answer, however, includes 
 also, the total subversion of the Jewish constitution, ecclesi- 
 astical and civil. It is also evident, that by * the coming of 
 " Christ," the apostles, at this time, understood his coming to 
 judgment, which they supposed would be at " the end of the 
 " world." Nothing could be further from their minds, than 
 the coming of the Messiah, in the sense of Mr. C. and mo- 
 dern Jews: they believed, that Jesus was "the Messiah, the 
 "Son of the living God;" and consequently that, in this 
 sense, the Messiah was come— But though Jesus did not see 
 good, fully to rectify their mistakes on this head ; leaving that 
 to the times, when the Holy Spirit should be poured out upon 
 them; he evidently distinguished between his coming, in the 
 power of his providence, to execute vengeance on Jerusalem 
 and the Jews; and his final coming to judgment. The one 
 was so connected with the destruction of the temple; that it 
 
 * Matt, xxiy, 1—3. Mark xiii. 1—4. Luke xxi. 6, 7. 
 
64 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 may be allowed to be comprised in the words, "This gene- 
 " ration shall not pass away, till all these things be fulfilled." 
 But of the other he says, " Of that day knoweth no man, 
 " no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only."* If, 
 indeed, we are called on to argue with Jews from the New 
 Testament, we must explain one part of the New Testament 
 by another: and no impartial man, reading the account of 
 the three evangelists carefully, can doubt, but that the com- 
 ing of Christ, in most parts of these chapters, is not spoken 
 of, as personal and visible; but he came by the Roman armies, 
 the instruments of his avenging justice. " As the lightning 
 " cometh out of the east, and shineth even to the west ; so 
 " shall also the coming of the Son of man be : for where- 
 " soever the carcase is, there shall the eagles be gathered to- 
 " gether."t A Jew may consistently treat the whole of the 
 prophecy as uninspired, and so, inconclusive: but he can with 
 no consistency deny this to be intended by Jesus, in what 
 he spake to the disciples. In the sense intended, he came about 
 A. D. 71.; within considerably less than forty years, after he 
 delivered this prediction; and so before "that generation was 
 " passed away." This, therefore, can prove nothing, in the 
 argument before us: for an entirely different subject was 
 treated of. — Let it be noticed, that Mr. C. in order to render 
 his arguments more plausible, selects two verses, one at the 
 beginning, the other, near the end of the chapter, omitting 
 all that intervene ; but the whole read together leaves a far 
 different impression on the mind. 
 
 P. 16. 1. 23. The Messiah, &c. < When the Messiah, 
 #<?.' Answer. — Where does the writer learn, that when 'Mes- 
 ' siah shall come, all the sons of Adam will be of one lan- 
 'guage?' Nothing is predicted concerning this in the Old 
 Testament : the passage most like it runs thus, " Then will 
 
 * Matt. xxiv. 34-37. Mark xiii. 30-37. 
 
 + Matt. xvi. 28. xxiv. 27, 28. 30. 37. 39. Mark *iii. 26. 
 Luke jtxi. 30—39. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISR4EL. 65 
 
 "J turn to the people a pure language; that they may all 
 "call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one 
 " consent."* But not a word either precedes, or follows, con- 
 cerning ' the coming of the Messiah :' and Christians expect, 
 that during the days of the Messiah, (but long after his 
 coming,) the prediction will have a most glorious accomplish- 
 ment ; and men " shall worship God, evert/ one from his 
 " place, even all the isles of the Gentiles."t Thus all, both 
 Jews and Gentiles, shall serve the God of Israel, not as of 
 different religions, but " with one consent:" not in one place, 
 but " every one from his place. "J 
 
 Mr. C. seems here, however, to allow, that " the times of 
 " the Gentiles" may mean the times, ' when all of them shall 
 ' worship the true God.' (1. 26.) This, however, he after- 
 wards disallows, ' Secondly, that all the Gentiles will not 
 1 worship the true God even to the last day, 7 (P. 66. last line 
 but one.) 
 
 L. 29. e His coming was of no use, #c.' This assertion 
 gives occasion to a very important enquiry : — namely, 
 
 What have been the effects of the coming of 
 Jesus Christ on the state of the world, including 
 both Israel and the Gentiles? 
 
 Mr. C. repeatedly asks the question, ' Of what use was 
 6 the coming of Christ ?' He here says, i His coming was 
 f of no use, and therefore he could not be the Messiah.' 
 And he subjoins, that his having taught multitudes ' the true 
 i worship'' (which is supposing it to be ' the true worship') is 
 i a poor defence, and without foundation :' because Mohammed 
 ' established a new religion, &c. :' as if the true worship, and 
 a new religion were equivalent ! — We, erring, sinful, and self- 
 flattering mortals, are wholly incompetent judges of the plans, 
 counsels, and purposes, of the infinite, eternal, and only wise 
 God. To this day, some parts even of the structure of the 
 
 * Zepk. iii. 9. + Zeph. ii. 11. % Mai. L 11. 
 
 K 
 
66 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 v 
 human body remain so little understood, that the most skil- 
 ful anatomists differ in opinion, as to the functions performed 
 by them : and some have been tempted to enquire, ' Of 
 c what use are they ?' Yet God hath created them. If then 
 we are so incompetent to understand the plan of God, in 
 respect of our own bodies; how presumptuous must it be, 
 to reject any part of revealed truth ; because we do not see the 
 use of it! or rashly pronounce it useless! 1 would recom- 
 mend to all who venture on this kind of language, to consider 
 well the texts referred to below.* I might easily enlarge, 
 but let this hint suffice. It is manifest, that many things 
 exist, as the work of the Creator, of which we cannot perceive 
 the usefulness : and events occur, which, we might previously 
 have supposed, would have been prevented. The very ex- 
 istence of sin and misery, which God, infinite in wisdom and 
 power and goodness, could have prevented, yet did not; is 
 one grand instance, equally conclusive to persons of every 
 creed and nation ; that man's reasonings and imaginations 
 are in no degree the measure, or standard, of the works 
 and ways of God.t 
 
 The question, however, as it relates to the effects of the 
 coming of Jesus Christ, admits of a satisfactory answer. — 
 When Jesus was born at Bethlehem, the state of the Jews 
 was extremely corrupt, according to the testimony of their 
 own historian, Josephus; and was daily becoming more and 
 more so. This might easily be proved in various ways; 
 but I question, whether the Jews themselves, considering sub- 
 sequent events, will be disposed to deny it. 
 
 The nations of the earth were generally sunk in gross 
 idolatry, sensuality, and every species of enormous wicked- 
 ness. The speculations of the few, who called themselves 
 philosophers, terminated chiefly in a sort of practical Atheism : 
 
 * Job. xxti. 14. xxviii. 28. xl. 8. Psalm cxxxix. 6. Isaiah xl. 13, 14. 
 t Prov. iii. 5 — 7. Isaiah t. 21. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 67 
 
 and even their moral discussions had little effect, either on 
 their own conduct,, or that of other men. It would, indeed, 
 be no laborious task, to prove from their own writers, that 
 the apostle has by no means overcharged the picture of the 
 gentile world, in the first chapter of Romans. Now there 
 can be no doubt, that great numbers of the Jews were awa- 
 kened from their formal and vicious lethargy, by the ministry 
 of John Baptist, our Lord's forerunner, and by the preaching 
 of Jesus and his apostles. Soon after the crucifixion of Jesus, 
 several thousand Jews became his disciples, and, according to 
 records, which no adversary ever ventured to accuse of false- 
 hood, led most holy, harmless, and benevolent lives ; and 
 even " a great company (voXtv o^o*) of the priests became 
 « obedient to the faith."* 
 
 Persecution, however, soon drove great numbers of the con- 
 verted Jews into distant lands ; but wherever they went, they 
 made known the gospel to their countrymen, and in. every 
 place a remnant embraced it. These, in general, " walked in 
 " the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost," 
 Probably, at the time of Saul's conversion, there were ten 
 times, perhaps a hundred times, more sober, righteous, and 
 godly persons, among the Jews, than there were at the 
 beginning of John Baptist's ministry; and immense num- 
 bers were added to them, before the desolations of Jeru- 
 salem. These were only " a remnant" compared with the 
 whole nation : yet there can be little doubt, that this remnant 
 amounted at least to the 144,000, seen by John in vision, 
 sealed from the twelve tribes of Israel.t And was the turning 
 of so many tens of thousands of formal Israelites, with their 
 families, to the Lord their God, and bringing them into the 
 way of peace and salvation, ' Of no use,' because the Jews 
 as a nation rejected the Messiah ? 
 
 Soon, however, the ministers of Jesus preached to the 
 
 * Actsvi. 7. + R«v, vii. 4- c < 
 
68 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Gentiles also, ic that men should repent and tarn to God, and 
 " do works meet for repentance :" and in a short time vast 
 multitudes " turned to God from idols, to serve the living 
 " and the true God;" (p. 15. 1. 26;) whose pious, holy, and" 
 useful lives, rendered them as " lights" among their heathen 
 neighbours. And, not to be prolix, the sacred leaven of the 
 
 f 
 
 Christian doctrine, diffused its influence so rapidly among 
 the nations, notwithstanding fierce and bloody persecution, 
 that Christians abounded in all parts of the Roman empire : 
 they soon were found in all their cities, and even in their 
 courts and camps; millions were doubtless thus converted to 
 * the true worship' and a holy life ; and at length, in about 
 S00 years, Christianity became the established religion of all 
 the nations, which had formed the idolatrous Roman empire : 
 and it continues to be so, even to this day, in most parts of 
 it; besides its extension far beyond the utmost boundaries of 
 that empire, to the east and west, and north and south. 
 
 There always, indeed, have been far more nominal Chris- 
 tians, than real ones ; as well as far more Jews and Israelites, 
 than genuine children and imitators of Abraham and Israel : 
 but who can deny, that, after every reasonable reduction has 
 been made, immense multitudes have become in all successive 
 generations, the spiritual worshippers and servants of God, 
 " they and their children with them ?" Will even a Jew 
 deny, that everlasting salvation was the consequence of this 
 conversion from idolatry and wickedness, to God and holi- 
 ness ? If he do, let him state the grounds on which he 
 denies it. And is the everlasting salvation of millions of no 
 use ? Is the introduction of so many hundreds of thousands, 
 nay, millions, of families, into the company of the true wor- 
 shippers of God, which in many cases ensures " the oracles 
 " of God" and the means of grace to succeeding generations, 
 of no use? — Even among those, who we fear are only nomi- 
 nal Christians, Christianity has in every way produced most 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 69 
 
 salutary and important effects. It has fixed the standard and 
 tone of morals far higher, than it ever was in the Pagan 
 nations of old, or than it is among modern idolaters. It has 
 terminated gladiatorial shews, the allowed and sanctioned 
 murder of infants, and various other murders, as of slaves, 
 females, and even old persons ; with many more cruel and 
 detestable practices and customs : or it has driven them, like 
 wild beasts, into deserts and secret lurking places, Christi- 
 anity has mitigated the horrors even of war : it is under- 
 mining slavery and mitigating its horrors : Christianity alone 
 has built hospitals, and provided asylums for the aged and 
 destitute. We might easily enlarge, but a hint must here 
 suffice. Mr. C. allows, that the Jews receive better treatment 
 in this country than in others : but he is not perhaps aware, 
 that this is the effect of the superior knowledge of Christian 
 principles and duties, which prevails in this favoured land, 
 more than in most others in the world. Were these still more 
 fully understood and practised; the Jews would meet with 
 proportionably a more candid, equitable, and benevolent treat- 
 ment, from the inhabitants in general ; not affected, or as 
 deeming their religious difference from us of subordinate con- 
 sequence ; but as springing from our principles and heart, 
 and as the means of conciliating them to our holy and loving 
 religion. Ere long, I trust that the Jews will more effectually 
 know the use of the coming of Jesus, and of his having been 
 " preached to the Gentiles," by means of such institutions as 
 i the London Society,' and by the blessing of God, on our 
 endeavours to communicate our holy religion to Israel, and 
 being instrumental to their expected conversion and restora- 
 tion. In short all the true religion, which has been for suc- 
 cessive ages, in the whole world, or which exists at this day 
 on earth, and we trust will soon diffuse its sacred influence 
 among all nations, is the effect of the coming of Christ. If 
 the Jews plead, that their nation, or part of it, is at least an 
 
70 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 exception ; without examining the validity of the plea, it 
 must be allowed to be a solitary exception, and comprises 
 a very small portion indeed of the whole human species.— But 
 the meaning of Mr. C's. question and objection is evident: 
 he judges nothing of use, so long as his own nation is ex- 
 cluded from the desired dominion over other nations. In every 
 other view, the advantages of Christianity to mankind, even 
 as to morals and temporal good, have been incalculable ; and 
 millions, yea, probably hundreds of millions, have through it 
 obtained " salvation with eternal glory." Surely, then, Mr. 
 C's objection is satisfactorily answered. 
 
 P. 16. last line. l A man arose called Mohammed, SfC." 
 Leaving the consideration of several things advanced on this 
 topick, till afterwards, I will here take occasion to investigate 
 a subject of the highest importance in the controversy :— 
 namely, — 
 
 The triumphs op Jesus, as compared, and con- 
 trasted, WITH THOSE OF MOHAMMED. 
 
 I am not competent to decide, whether l Mohammed has now 
 * many more followers than Christ.' (p. 17. 1. 2.) Moham- 
 med has comparatively but few followers in Europe, pro- 
 bably none in America. We know very little of the interior 
 of Africa ; but it is likely, that continent has far more 
 Mahommedan than Christian inhabitants. China, Japan, and 
 many of the northern parts of Asia, contain few either Chris- 
 tians or Mohammedans. But, however that may be, the 
 followers of Mohammed are doubtless very numerous ; and 
 the success of that impostor has been exceedingly extensive 
 and permanent. But three things should be considered, in 
 comparing his success with that of Jesus. 1. The state of 
 those regions, in which the success of each was at the first 
 obtained. 2. The nature of the religion, which each propa- 
 gated : and 3. The means, by which the triumphs of each 
 were acquired. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 71 
 
 1. The state of those regions, in which the success of each 
 was at the first obtained. 
 
 When our Lord entered on his ministry in Judea and 
 Galilee, the inhabitants, though hypocritical, or immoral, to 
 a very great degree, were not illiterate or uncivilized. Most 
 of them could read, and were acquainted with the Old Tes- 
 tament, and there were many learned scribes among them. 
 They were also extremely attached to the forms of religion, 
 and to " the traditions of the elders," on the knowledge of 
 which they highly valued themselves. 
 
 The Gentiles also, among whom the most signal and illus- 
 trious triumphs of Christianity were obtained, constituted in 
 many respects the most civilized and learned part of the known 
 world, as known at that time : and the gospel began its course, 
 when learning was but little declined from its highest cele- 
 brity, immediately after the Augustan age. The Greeks and 
 Romans, who called the rest of the world barbarians, were 
 the very people, among whom the gospel obtained a vast 
 proportion of its success, both at first and in subsequent ages. 
 In the Roman colonies, and the Grecian cities, in Egypt 
 and the northern coast of Africa, in Syria, Asia Minor, Ma- 
 cedonia, Greece, and even Rome itself; the first Christian 
 churches, out of Judea, were planted. In the heart of those 
 renowned countries, not only addicted in a most haughty 
 manner to their own customs and superstitions, and de- 
 spising others, especially the Jews : but also comprising 
 almost all the learning, which was then known in the world; 
 Christianity, preached by converted Jews, acquired such a 
 firm establishment, as to undermine both pagan idolatry and 
 pagan philosophy, and to erect her throne on their ruins; 
 and the effects continue to this day. This was accomplished^ 
 amidst the persecuting rage and cruelty of the Roman Empe- 
 rors and other princes; and amidst the scorn and vain 
 reasoning of the philosophers, of every sect and name ! 
 
72 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 No doubt Christianity triumphed also, in uncivilized and 
 illiterate regions; and at an early period it was established 
 in Britain; then the abode of rude and almost naked savages. 
 But a veil seems purposely to have been cast over the his- 
 tory of Christianity in other parts of the world : and its tri- 
 umphs in the seats of civilization, learning, philosophy, and 
 authority, are almost exclusively recorded, at least in an au- 
 thentick and satisfactory manner. Christianity scorned, so to 
 speak, to shrink from the most acute and adequate investi- 
 gation, or to take any advantage of men's ignorance and 
 incapacity : it challenged the closest examination from all 
 those, who were most competent to detect the fallacy, if there 
 were any, and to judge of its claims. It challenged, I say, 
 this examination: it stood the test, and it triumphed over 
 every opponent, through succeeding generations; and it has 
 triumphed over all to this very day J 
 
 Mohammed, on the contrary, arose among the Arabs, who, 
 (except in a kind of astronomy, not much better than astro- 
 logy), were extremely illiterate, as he himself also was. The 
 time of his appearing coincided, not only with the deep cor- 
 ruption of Christianity, in various ways, but especially by 
 the idolatrous worship of images, of saints, and angels; but 
 also with a term in the annals of history, marked by the 
 decay, and almost extinction, of literature ; and only to be 
 exceeded in ignorance, by the dreary ages which followed. 
 The western empire had been subverted by the irruptions 
 of the northern barbarians and others : and the eastern was 
 so divided and enfeebled, that it was capable of making very 
 feeble resistance. Even the Persian empire was enfeebled 
 almost to helplessness. The eastern church, also, was torn 
 in pieces by fierce contests, as well as corrupted by pesti- 
 lent heresies and superstitions. 
 
 It is evident, that Mohammed by the teaching of some 
 Jews, or, as others think, of a Nestorian Monk, had acquired 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 73 
 
 a confused knowledge of (he Old Testament, and a super- 
 ficial acquaintance with Christianity : and, taking advantage 
 of the divided and corrupt state of the church, which had 
 widely deviated from the scriptures, he professed to be the 
 apostle of God, to rectify and perfect both the religion of 
 Jesus, and that of the Jews, and to establish the religion of 
 4 Abraham the orthodox,' The Halter, so the Arabick word 
 signifies. Abraham, says he, was not a Christian, not asso- 
 ciating any with God in worship; not a Jew, as not observ- 
 ing the Jewish ceremonies: but he halted -between both, and 
 so was orthodox. His plausible pretences, in this respect, 
 among those, who just knew enough to see that the worship 
 of images and of created beings, was idolatrous; but were 
 too ignorant to discriminate on other matters with any accu- 
 racy ; concurring with various other circumstances, gave him 
 at length, and after many delays, considerable success among 
 those of his own nation, and in the countries, which had 
 formed the eastern empire and the Greek church ; where the 
 most deplorable ignorance prevailed, not only among the 
 laity, but even among the clergy and bishops. In after times 
 indeed his successors and followers cultivated learning; and, 
 (which was easily effected,) added superiority in science, to 
 the victorious power of their arms. Thus their triumphs were 
 extended more and more widely ; in Asia, Africa, and many 
 parts of Europe: and the Turks, or Othmans, succeeding to 
 the Saracens, the successes of iVlohammedism continue to this 
 day. But neither at first, nor afterwards, were they required, 
 to exhibit their religion and its evidences, amidst keen, saga- 
 cious, learned, and philosophical opponents, possessed of su- 
 perior rank and authority, and able to excite the arm of 
 persecution, in aid of their exertions and reasonings, against 
 the detested innovators ; as the case had been, with those 
 by whom Christianity was propagated. The triumphs of 
 Mohammedism were in dark and illiterate ages, and in the 
 
 L 
 
74 
 
 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 dark and illiterate regions, of the world : and, however it 
 may have been in Africa and the east, the revival of 
 learning, and the spirit of acute investigation, which accom- 
 panied the reformation of Luther and his coadjutors, stayed 
 the progress of Mohammedism ; in all countries to which the 
 influence of that revolution in learning and publick opinion 
 extended, and terminated its triumphs ; nay, reduced its 
 dominion within more narrow limits. This leads us to 
 consider, 
 
 2. The nature of that religion, -which each of them, (Jesus 
 and Mohammed,) propagated. 
 
 The religion of Mohammed, as far as doctrinal points are 
 concerned, resembled in many respects that of modern Soci- 
 nians or Unitarians, as they very improperly and unfairly 
 call themselves. His great zeal was manifested against Asso- 
 ciators; or those who joined idols, or creatures, or Jesus 
 Christ, or the Holy Spirit, with God in religious worship ; 
 whom he condemns and anathematizes, and threatens with 
 hell-fire, almost in every chapter of the Koran, and often 
 repeatedly in the same chapter. He argued almost exactly 
 in the same manner, against the idea of God's having a 
 Son, as Mr. C. does. He attempted to divest Christianity, 
 not only of its corruptions, but also of its mysteries ; espe- 
 cially " the great Mystery of Godliness, God manifest in 
 { ' the flesh :'' and how palatable this is to the pride of self- 
 wise man, we well know. u The offence of the cross," the 
 doctrine of the atonement, and all ideas of redemption, are 
 excluded from his system ; along with that of regeneration, 
 and a new creation unto holiness. Consequently the doc- 
 trines of original sin, man's depravity as a fallen creature, 
 his universal exposedness to the wrath of God, and his need 
 of gratuitous mercy and salvation ; do not at all occur to 
 affront the self-righteous aud self-confident pride of the human 
 heart. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 7 J 
 
 In one particular indeed Mohammed wholly differed from 
 modern Socinians ; viz. that a state of future and eternal 
 punishment is a prominent part of his system : but this, as he 
 managed it, exceedingly forwarded his success among rude 
 and ignorant barbarians and half Christians : for none but 
 infidels, and associators, and apostates from his religion, were 
 exposed to it. All, who believed in God and in his prophet 
 Mohammed, and paid a kind of quit-rent of prayers, alms, 
 and pilgrimages, without regard to the holiness or unbo- 
 liness of their general conduct, were secured against this 
 tremendous doom. A sort of purgatory was declared for such 
 believers as were not wholly prepared for paradise, or deserv- 
 ing of it : and all zealous believers, especially such as fought 
 for the faith, were secure of immediate admission into his sen- 
 sual heaven. * The sword,' says Mohammed, 'is the key of 
 ' heaven and hell, a drop of blood shed in the cause of God, 
 
 * a night spent in arms, is of more avail than two months of 
 
 * fasting and prayer. Whoever dies in battle, his sins are 
 ' forgiven ; and at the day of judgment, his wounds shall be 
 ' resplendent as vermilion, and odoriferous as musk : and the 
 4 loss of his limbs shall be supplied by the wings of angels.' 
 I apprehend, that numbers of nominal Christians would feel 
 much less aversion to the doctrine of future and eternal pu- 
 nishments, if thus limited and explained, with reference to 
 the external profession of Christianity, and attachment to it. 
 Besides the dread of so dire a destruction for themselves, and 
 relatives, and connections, from which men shrink back ; the 
 idea that they are deserving of it for their rebellion against 
 God, excessively tends to set them against it. 
 
 The doctrine of human merit, in general, and of works of 
 supererogation in particular, were inculcated by Mohammed. 
 ' The two mountains, Sapha and Merva, are monuments of 
 1 the sacred things of God. He, therefore, who shall go on 
 ' pilgrimage to the house of God, and shall visit it, there shall 
 
^6 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 'be no guilt upon him, if he surround (hem: and he who 
 i performs any good work, of his own accord, truly God 
 \ will be grateful.' Koran ch. 2. £&'■> 5 Conj. £-k Suo libitu, 
 et sponle, cilra legis necessilatem aid dictamen boni quid fecit, 
 dcdilve. Golius. $ Of his own accord, beyond the necessity 
 4 or dictating of the law, shall give or do any good thing.' 
 Especially every exertion, contribution, or risk, by which 
 the faith of Mohammed could be propagated, was not only 
 meritorious, but entitled a man to indulgences and extra 
 rewards. 
 
 It is generally said, that Mohammed held predestination: 
 and this is in some sense true; but his sentiments on that 
 subject neither fully accorded with heathen fatalism, nor with 
 Christian predestination. Different from the heathens, he sup- 
 poses, what we may call the fatality of events, to originate 
 entirely from the decree of God: yet he by no means speaks 
 of it, as the result of infinite wisdom, justice, goodness, and 
 truth, fore-knowing and fore-appointing every thing in the 
 best manner possible, for the display of his own glory, and 
 the highest good of all obedient creatures, and of all the re- 
 deemed, and in general of his universal and eternal kingdom. 
 He had just enough of that persuasion, that all events are 
 decreed and must come to pass, which operated on his sol- 
 diers, in the very same manner, as notions of lucky and 
 fortunate, do among our soldiers and sailors, to make them 
 confident and fearless in every danger: but, in respect of 
 human actions, he seems to make God the author alike of 
 the good and of the evil. 
 
 Stated prayers, giving alms, chiefly a proportion of spoils 
 taken in war, or of other gains, which Mohammed required 
 as an oblation to God ; fastings, for which very convenient 
 and accommodating compensations are appointed, and pilgrim- 
 ages, but especially ' fighting in the path of God,' form the 
 substance of his practical religion. His moral precepts are 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 77 
 
 very thinly scattered in the Koran, and very~ vaguely ex- 
 pressed ; and with much allowance to believers, even as much 
 as the carnal heart can well desire. The "holy, just, good, 
 " and spiritual law" of God, is as much left out, or thrown 
 into the back ground, as the doctrines of redemption are. 
 As much indulgence to the sensual passion, in respect of 
 polygamy, and the concubinage of females taken in war, is 
 granted, as human nature can wish for. It would be an out- 
 rage to common decency to quote the Koran on this subject; 
 and still more its Mohammedan commentators, who generally 
 make the text itself appear more filthy by their glosses, than 
 it really is. All limitations, except men could not bear the 
 expence, were merely nominal : a limited number of wives 
 was connected with concubinage, in most cases; while Mo- 
 hammed's own example greatly exceeded in licentiousness, the 
 laws, however indulgent, which he prescribed to others. 
 
 He indeed, in some places, forbids the use of wine, but 
 in others he seems to allow of it; or to consider the use of it 
 only as unfavourable to his political designs: for delicious 
 wines form one of the gratifications of his paradise. Not the 
 least restraint was placed by his religion on pride, ambition, 
 avarice, rapacity, or the malignant passions: nay, the whole 
 of his system tended greatly to nourish and encourage them. 
 — Here then was every thing congenial to depraved nature; 
 every thing gratifying to one or other of the corrupt passions. 
 Even paganism, at least the system of pagan moralists and 
 philosophers, required far more self-denial, and fixed a far 
 higher standard of morals, than Mahommcdism does. To crown 
 the whole, it proposed to the hopes of its votaries, a heaven 
 of perpetual enjoyment of the most exquisite sensual delights, 
 which the most voluptuous imagination could conceive, or 
 heart desire: — 'They will feed on the most delicious fruits, be 
 ' clothed in the most splendid silken garments, refreshed with 
 * rivers of water, wine, milk, and honey, entertained with the 
 
7'g AN&WER TO THE 
 
 4 most delightful musick, and the ravishing girls of paradise, 
 « with black eyes, the enjoyment of whose company will be 
 e a principal felicity of the faithful.' 
 
 Mohammed is by many supposed to have maintained, that 
 women had no souls. This, however, docs not appear to be 
 well-grounded : but as a new creation of most beautiful wo- 
 men, to continue for ever in youth and vigour, formed on 
 purpose for the gratification of the faithful, was a most essen- 
 tial part of his heaven ; it is plain that the women who were 
 of his religion in this world could not well share the same 
 felicity : yet he repeatedly speaks of believing women being 
 admitted to paradise. Women, in his hateful system, were 
 considered, as almost exclusively, the objects of men's sen- 
 sual indulgence ; and were in other respects of so little 
 consequence, and he was so little concerned to excite them, 
 (who were in general the most abject slaves of the men,) 
 to exertion in his cause; that he seems almost to have over- 
 looked them in his views of a future world. 
 
 One further particular appears to belong to this part of the 
 subject. The followers of Mohammed were fully entitled to 
 all the spoil and captives taken from the vanquished, pay- 
 ing a small tax to him out of it : while the inhabitants of the 
 countries among whom they went, had only the option of em- 
 bracing the religion of the conquerors, and sharing their pri- 
 vileges, or of being either slain or made slaves. This exces- 
 si vely facilitated their success, when once begun: and though 
 political wisdom afterwards, especially as to the Christians, 
 modified this condition, yet the spirit of it prevailed to a 
 very great degree. From this view of the religion of Mo- 
 hammed, it is evident to all, who know human nature, and 
 what suits the market, or coincides with the desires and 
 imagined wants of men, that it was admirably adapted for 
 the purpose. It had nothing, in the general constitution of 
 fallen human nature, to oppose it, and much, very much 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. ^() 
 
 to recommend it. The powers of darkness had no interest 
 in exciting opposition to it, but the contrary. Local pre- 
 judices, customs, and superstitions, with personal interests 
 formed a temporal obstruction. So would learning and phi- 
 losophy also, had any been found in those dark times and 
 regions; and the authority of princes; if any had been 
 powerful enough to resist the torrent, but none were. Mo- 
 hammed accordingly found difficulty, great difficulty, at first 
 in putting his machine in motion : but that once effected 
 there needed no immediate divine interposition to give it effi- 
 cacy ; no, not even what Mr. C. calls ' good fortune-.'' an 
 immediate divine interposition was as requisite to arrest and 
 stop its progress, as to stop that of a tremendous conflagration, 
 or of an impetuous torrent. 
 
 Having obtained a full establishment, the same causes added 
 to its entire and inseparable union with the politicks and go- 
 vernment of Mohammed's successors, and other princes of that 
 religion, have prolonged its prevalence, in ignorant and de- 
 spotick countries ; and probably will do so, till the light of 
 pure Christianity expose the whole to neglect and disgrace. 
 
 Few words may suffice for the contrast of the holy religion 
 of Jesus, with the unholy system which we have deline- 
 ated. The perfect law of "loving God with all the heart, 
 iC and mind, and soul, and strength," and of " loving our 
 11 neighbour as ourselves," explained, and applied to every 
 circumstance and relation of human life. Man is uniformly 
 considered, as a sinner deserving the wrath of God for his 
 violations of this holy law; and by his proneness, arising 
 from the carnal mind, to refuse subjection to it, he is re- 
 presented as "a vessel of wrath, fitted for destruction;' 5 
 inheriting fallen Adam's rebellious and apostate nature, 
 and ready to imitate his disobedience. To him, in this 
 ruined and wretched state, the most full, and suitable, and 
 gracious, proposals of mercy, reconciliation, and recovery to 
 
SO ANSWER TO THE 
 
 holiness are made : but in such a way, as never for a 
 moment suffers him to lose sight of the dreadful and hate- 
 ful nature of sin, and his just desert of final wrath and 
 misery: and, in this proposal, through the righteousness and 
 redemption, and intercession of Immanuel, " God manifested 
 " in the flesh ;" the holy law is more especially honoured, both 
 in its precept and in its awful sanction. Evecy doctrine of 
 Christianity is diametrically opposite, nay, designedly opposed, 
 to man's pride of self-wisdom, self-righteousness, self-confi- 
 dence, and self-will. He must, in order to be saved, 
 "become a fool, that he may be made wise;" and " receive 
 " the kingdom of God," not as a reasoning philosopher, but 
 " as a little child.' 1 — He must seek mercy, as a self-condemned 
 criminal, " submitting to the righteousness of God," and re- 
 nouncing his own righteousness. He must come even " to 
 " the throne of grace," not in his own name, but in the name 
 of his faithful and merciful High Priest ; and seek forgive- 
 ness and grace, not for his own sake, or for the sake of any 
 thing, which he has done or can do ; but for the sake of the 
 righteousness and atonement of his heavenly Advocate, and 
 " through faith in his name :" nay, even " the spiritual sacrifices 
 •'of praise and thanksgiving," are only "acceptable, through 
 " Jesus Christ."* This repentance, and faith, and grace, and 
 " things accompanying salvation," are all to be considered 
 as " the gift of God;" and the whole glory given to him. 
 His restoration to holiness, his moral capacity of serving God 
 acceptably in this world, and enjoying his love in heaven, 
 must be effected by " a new creation."—" We are his work- 
 " manship created in Christ Jesus unto good works." Self- 
 dependence and self- glorying, in every thing, are systemati- 
 cally and most carefully excluded. Every difference is ascribed 
 to the grace of God. Even while we are called "to work 
 i; out our own salvation with fear and trembling ;" we are 
 * Phil. i. 11. Col. iii. 17. Heb, xiii. 15, 16. 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 81 
 
 reminded, that " it is God who workcth in us to will and 
 " to do of his good pleasure. " Every thing is suited to 
 give offence to all, except " the poor in spirit," and the 
 humble in heart. Yet not the least allowance is given to any 
 one of our corrupt inclinations. The mortification of those 
 passions, which among men are in high estimation, is as 
 absolutely required, as that of the most grovelling sensuality. 
 Ambition and the love of human applause, and emulation of 
 excelling others, and desire of power and pre-eminence, are 
 even more decidedly proscribed, than drunkenness and licen- 
 tiousness. "God resisteth the proud;" (vvsp^xvon afitlaurtrsTxi.) 
 Christianity, again, makes no exceptions, in her impartial 
 and holy requirements, in favour of the wealthy, the power- 
 ful, and the noble; no, not of kings and emperors: and so 
 far from making more allowance to the zealous professors of 
 her holy truths than to others, she considers sin in them as 
 far more heinous, than in "those who know not God;" and 
 denounces a doom on wicked professors of the gospel, more 
 intolerable at the day of judgment, than even that of Sodom. 
 No zeal, or labours, or endowments, though a man should 
 " speak with the tongues of men and of angels," and should 
 " give his body to be burned," after having preached as 
 long and as successfully as the apostle Paul himself, is al- 
 lowed as a compensation for " working iniquity :" and after 
 all, if the preacher, or martyr, hath not " kept under his 
 " body, and brought it into subjection," (what a contrast to 
 Mohammedan licentiousness ! ) he himself will be " a cast- 
 " away." — 
 
 At the same time, the heaven proposed by Christianity, is 
 one of perfect purity and holy love: a heaven of perfect 
 conformity to God, and constant delight in him, and in his 
 worship and service. Such a heaven, as no unholy man could 
 endure. " Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord." In 
 order to be « made meet for this inheritance of the saints 
 
 M 
 
82 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " in light," from which the most honourable and lawful of 
 our earthly comforts and satisfactions are excluded ; " the 
 "flesh must be crucified with its affections and lusts;" the 
 right hand, which causes to offend, must be cut off; and 
 even oar most lawful attachments and inclinations must be 
 habitually subjected to the holy will of God. As to this 
 world, nothing is set before us, but the prospect of self-denial 
 and tribulation ; except such supports and comforts, as come 
 from God alone, and consist principally in the hopes and 
 earnests of heavenly glory and felicity. Food and raiment, 
 with a contented mind, is the whole of that which is ex- 
 pressly promised. Instead of being allured, like Mohammed's 
 followers, by the hope of plunder, or power, of wealth and 
 sensual pleasure ; we are called on to " deny ourselves, 
 " and take up our cross," and follow our suffering Saviour, 
 forsaking all and prepared to " lay down our lives for his 
 « sake." 
 
 Were all men consistent Mohammedans, all would be sen- 
 sual, selfish, ambitious, deceitful, malignant, " having a form 
 " of godliness, but denying the power of it." Were all men 
 consistent Christians ; all would be piety, purity, humility, 
 integrity, disinterested, liberal, self-denying love. The earth 
 would be full of happiness, approximating to that of heaven, 
 and preparing for it: and, without any effort to induce them, 
 men would every where, " beat their swords into plow-shares, 
 " and their spears into pruning-hooks, and would learn war 
 ic no more." 
 
 But our divine religion wants a more able panegyrist; not 
 as panegyrists in general, to ascribe to her undeserved hon- 
 ours, but to do her justice in any tolerable measure. This, 
 however, may suffice to shew, that in such a world as this, 
 a religion, which declared war against all vices, and all the 
 proud virtues, all the ignorance and delusion, all the "science 
 " falsely so called," all the irreligion, and all the religion. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. S3 
 
 of the whole world ; which attempted not, like heathen 
 moralists, to rule by balancing parties, and to prevail against 
 grovelling vices, by sanctioning ambition and love of glory ; 
 but proscribed all, without exception : I say, that such a 
 religion should become triumphant to the degree and extent, 
 and in that durable manner, which it undeniably has; is an 
 event unprecedented and astonishing, and which never could, 
 in the prospect, have been imagined, except by those, who 
 considered the power of Almighty God as engaged to render 
 it successful. This may introduce the third part of our 
 subject, 
 
 3. The means, by which the triumphs of Christianity, and 
 those of Mohammedism were acquired. 
 
 The apostle might well say, " The weapons of our war- 
 " fare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the 
 " pulling down of strong holds ; casting down imaginations, 
 M and every high thing, that exalteth itself against the know- 
 " ledge of God, and bringing into captivity, every thought 
 u to the obedience of Christ."* Jesus himself appeared as 
 a poor man, " not having where to lay his head :" having 
 been educated, not in the schools of learning, but in the 
 cottage, nay the carpenter's shop of Joseph; without wealthy 
 or powerful connexions ; and despised and opposed by all 
 those who possessed learning, authority, rank, or influence, 
 and those who were invested with the priestly character. He 
 chose his immediate followers, and the ministers of his spiri- 
 tual kingdom, the commanders in this holy warfare, from 
 the fisher-boats of Galilee, or the receipt of custom. He 
 paid no court to the great and noble, but " preached the 
 «* gospel to the poor ;" which was an additional reason of the 
 opposition of the Jewish rulers to his claims, and continues 
 to be so to this day. " He went about doing good," in the 
 midst of all kind of opposition, contempt, reproach; and con- 
 
 2 Cor. x. 4, 5, 
 
84 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 tradiction : and ^when his numerous and stupendous miracles 
 so affected the common people, that they wanted to make 
 him a King, and to enlist under his banners, as a temporal 
 leader; he decidedly resisted or evaded their attempts. Hav- 
 ing spent some years, in constantly preaching the word of 
 life: exhibiting all the time a spotless example, performing 
 innumerable miracles of mercy, patiently suffering all hard- 
 ships and injuries, and employing his hours of retirement in 
 fervent devotion ; he was at last, " led as a lamb to the 
 " slaughter ;" nailed to the cross, as a deceiver and blas- 
 phemer; and expired, amidst the cruel insnlts of rulers and 
 people, the Jews and gentiles. 
 
 At this crisis, his cause appeared hopeless, and his follow- 
 ers almost despaired. But, behold ! in less than two months 
 after his crucifixion, his apostles, unarmed, unlettered, and 
 obscure men, began boldly to preach the crucified Jesus as 
 the Messiah, the Saviour, and Judge of the world, " the 
 " Lord of glory" and the " Prince of life :" charging the 
 rulers of the Jews with having wickedly murdered him; at- 
 testing his resurrection from the dead, and ascension into 
 heaven ; and calling on all to believe in him, as they would 
 escape the wrath of God and obtain salvation ; and appeal- 
 ing to the ancient prophets, that " thus it was written and 
 " thus it must be." 
 
 In this most perilous, and apparently hopeless service, 
 which could not but give intolerable offence to all the rulers, 
 and priests, and teachers, who had condemned Jesus; they 
 had not the least protection, except from the power of God ; 
 and as the miracles which they wrought, combined with their 
 dignified and mild courage, to overcome their superiors, and 
 impress favourably the multitude. They, however, stood their 
 ground; and did not so much as flee from Jerusalem, or 
 shrink from the most publick testimony, after repeated impri- 
 sonments. It would be tedious to enter into a further detail. 
 They engaged in what must have appeared to the wise men 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, S5 
 
 of this world, a desperate attempt. They undertook, (going 
 forth in the strength " of Jehovah, and proclaiming his 
 " righteousness,") to prevail against all the vice and proud vir- 
 tue, the religion and irreligion, the ignorance, and learning, 
 and philosophy of the whole world ; and all the rooted habits 
 and customs, and interests of every nation; with no other 
 weapons than faithful, argumentative, persuasive preaching ; 
 holy and exemplary lives; fervent prayers; patient and con- 
 stant sufferings, even unto death ; and miracles of mercy and 
 beneficence. If the reader would see a masterly delineation 
 of their ministry, let him carefully consider the apostle's de- 
 scription of his own conduct. " Giving no offence in any 
 " thing, that the ministry be not blamed : but in all things 
 " approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much 
 " patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes. 
 " in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in 
 "fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long-suffering, by 
 " kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned : by the 
 " word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of 
 " righteousness on the right hand and on the left : through 
 " honour and dishonour ; through evil report and good re- 
 " port : as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, arid yet 
 "well known; as dying, yet behold, we live; as chastened, 
 "'but not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, 
 "yet making many rich ; as having nothing, and yet pos- 
 " sessing all things."* 
 
 To preach, as the Saviour and Judge of the world, and 
 the Lord of all, the very person, whom Pontius Pilate, by 
 the earnest request of the Jewish rulers, priests, scribes, and 
 people, had crucified between two robbers; to preach this, in 
 an enlightened age, and among the most enlightened nations; 
 to preach this successfully and triumphantly : for such men 
 as the apostles were, to accomplish this, to so great a degree 
 
 * 2 Cor- vi. 3-10. 
 
86 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 as before their death, to fix the foundations of Christianity 
 on so firm a basis, and to prepare the way for such future 
 successes, by far inferior instruments: that Christianity should 
 effect the revolutions which it has effected, and continue and 
 prevail, during so many centuries, amidst such persecutions, 
 and so many internal corruptions and traitors, even to this 
 day, with clear and opening prospects of still greater tri- 
 umphs : this, I say, is the grand wonder of the world ! 
 But it was " not by might, nor by power, but by my 
 " Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." Every thing combined 
 to crush Christianity in its infancy and childhood, except as 
 protected and prospered by Omnipotence. — Its triumphs dur- 
 ing those ages, when, being exposed to persecution, no wea- 
 pons but those above described, were used, prepared the way 
 for its subsequent successes. Other weapons, which were after- 
 wards adopted, if they seemed to effect any thing, more than 
 counterbalanced it, by disgracing the cause. To this day, all 
 the valuable success of Christianity has been, and is effected, 
 by the same weapons, (miracles excepted,) which the apostles, 
 and primitive evangelists employed, and those exclusively. 
 And in the same way, there seems an opening prospect of 
 such increasing success, as shall fulfil the prophecy, of "the 
 " Stone cut out of the mountain without hands, becoming a 
 " Mountain, and filling the whole earth." — " When the enemy 
 " came in like a flood," in the late inundation of infidelity 
 and atheism, "the Spirit of God lifted up a standard against 
 " him." The different Societies for promoting the cause of 
 Christianity, are honoured as standard-bearers; but I must 
 consider the British and Foreign Bible Society, as the prin- 
 cipal standard-bearer of them all. 
 
 Now contrast the means by which Mohammed obtained his 
 triumphs : — 
 
 The first step of Mohammed's emerging from obscurity was 
 his marrying a rich widow, whose affairs he had successfully 
 
RESTORATION OF I3RAEL. 87 
 
 conducted i and it appears, that when he aspired to the office 
 and honour of a prophet, she was his first disciple; and then 
 some of her relations joined his cause. But he laboured 
 by preaching, and other methods of that kind, with very 
 discouraging success, for several years; and indeed was ex- 
 posed to much opposition and persecution, from his idolatrous 
 countrymen. He, at length, however, by paying court to the 
 wealthy, who probably became sensible that his views might 
 be rendered subservient to schemes of rapacity and ambition ; 
 of conquest, plunder, and dominion ; acquired several powerful 
 associates : and ere long he found himself placed at the head 
 of an army, well appointed, and eager for conflict, victory, 
 and rapine. The very nature of his religion, to those who 
 really credited it, supplied powerful incentives to the carnal 
 mind, to fight resolutely in promoting it : while the abundant 
 acquisitions made by the surviving combatants, most power- 
 fully allured numbers to combine with them. Still, however, 
 almost every chapter in the Koran shews the immense difficul- 
 ties, which he had to encounter, from his more sceptical fol- 
 lowers, because he wrought no miracles in proof of his mission. 
 He is compelled to use evasions, to make vain excuses, and to 
 menace those, who persisted in demanding such divine attesta- 
 tions, with miracles of vengeance. As new difficulties arose, 
 he added new chapters to his book, with a most imposing con- 
 fidence : and when the new revelation contradicted any of those 
 previously given, he did not scruple to say, that God had 
 changed his mind; in direct contradiction to what has been 
 called his belief of predestination! He also pretended to work 
 miracles: but he very wisely performed them, either entirely 
 in private, or among a few select friends; so that the report 
 of them was the only proof to men in general of his mission. 
 Every delusion was practised; and he seems fully to have 
 entered into the spirit of the maxim, Si populus vult decipi, 
 decipiatur, < After he had made himself master of Medina, 
 
88 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 ; he assumed in his new revelations, a fiercer and a more san- 
 4 o-uinary tone. — He was now commanded to propagate his 
 
 * religion by the sword, to destroy the monuments of idolatry ; 
 
 * and, without regarding the sanctity of days or months, to 
 4 pursue the unbelieving nations of the earth. In the first 
 4 months of his reign, he practised the lessons of this holy war- 
 4 fare : the martial apostle fought in person at nine battles and 
 ' sieges ; and fifty enterprizes of war were achieved in ten 
 4 years, by himself and his lieutenants.' — 4 In the exercise of 
 
 * political government, Mohammed was compelled to abate of 
 4 the stern rigour of fanaticism, and to comply, in some mea- 
 
 * sure, with the prejudices and passions of his followers, and 
 
 * to employ even the vices of men, as the instruments of their 
 
 * salvation — The use of fraud and perfidy, of cruelty and in- 
 
 * justice, were often subservient to the propagation of the faith: 
 
 * and Mohammed commanded and approved the assassination 
 4 of the Jews and idolaters, who had escaped in the field of 
 4 battle. By the repetition of such acts, the character of Mo- 
 4 hammed must have been gradually stained ; and the influence 
 4 of such pernicious habits, would be poorly compensated by 
 4 the practice of the personal and social virtues, which are 
 4 necessary to maintain the reputation of a prophet, among his 
 4 sectaries and friends. Of his last years, ambition was the 
 4 ruling passion; and a politician will suspect, that he secretly 
 4 smiled, (the victorious impostor,) at the enthusiasm of his 
 4 youth, and the credulity of his followers. In the support of 
 4 truth, the arts of fraud and fiction, may be deemed less cri- 
 minal; and he would have started at the foulness of the 
 4 means, had he not been satisfied of the importance and jus- 
 4 tice of the end.' — {Gibbon.) The reader will know how to 
 appreciate such a confession, as this from the infidel author of 
 4 The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire;' 
 and how to allow for his base insinuations. Let the reader 
 compare the apostle's words, "As we are slanderously reported, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 89 
 
 " and as some affirm that we say, Let us do evil, that o-ood 
 "may come; whose damnation is just;"* and learn the 
 principles of our holy religion, so opposite both to the con- 
 duct of Mohammed, and the insinuations of Gibbon. 
 
 After the death of Mohammed, many most absurd miracles 
 were said to have been wrought by him : but if his successors 
 had used no other " weapons of warfare," than either his 
 Koran, or his miracles, Mohammedism would soon have ex- 
 pired with its departed founder. 
 
 Such a sensual and worldly religion, however, enforced by 
 the sword of numerous, victorious, and disciplined armies, 
 full of enthusiastical devotees of their new faith, had little need 
 of miracles to secure its success among- the adjacent nations; 
 considering their enfeebled and distracted state. Indeed, it 
 must have been a most stupendous miracle, which could have 
 arrested its progress: and it is most wonderful, that with sucli 
 means, and such armies and commanders, it did not, as an 
 overwhelming deluge, spread far more extensively its most 
 destructive effects. But he who said to the ocean, " Hitherto 
 " shalt thou go, and no further, and here shall thy proud 
 "waves be stayed," limited and stopped its progress; exactly 
 at the time, when, and as, it had been predicted by the apostle 
 many ages before, t Since that period, the cause has at least 
 been stationary for some ages : and there are at present (di- 
 rectly contrary to the prospects which Christianity presents, at 
 a far later period of its existence,) many symptoms of its 
 declining influence, and indications of its approaching ruin. 
 
 I shall rejoice, if this compendious statement may excite 
 younger, and more learned men, who have access to books, 
 which in my retired situation I have not, to investigate this 
 subject more fully. For, though Chrisfians have hitherto 
 seemed little aware of it : Mohammedism, with the superfi- 
 cial, (that is, with a vast majority of mankind,) is the most 
 
 * Rom. iii. 5 — 8. + Rev. ix. 
 
 N 
 
90 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 specious and dangerous rival of Christianity on earth; and 
 requires far greater study and labour to expose it, than have 
 yet been employed. The most of what has been done, has 
 been done by papists — But, 
 
 Non tali auxilio, non defemoribus istis, 
 Tempus eget. 
 
 Compare then the state of the nations, as to learning-, policy, 
 and religion, in which Christianity triumphed, and in which 
 Mohammedism triumphed; the opposite nature of the holy 
 religion of Jesus, and the unholy imposture of Mohammed ; 
 and the means by which each succeeded : and I trust, it must 
 be allowed, that the success of Mohammedism does not afford 
 so much as the shadow of an argument against the divine 
 mission of the holy Jesus. 
 
 I believe, I might now leave the whole of what Mr. C. 
 says on this subject, to its doom, as requiring no further an- 
 swer, (P. 17, 18.) The doctrine of the Trinity, (P. 17. 1. 10,) 
 and that of antitrinitarians, cannot be disposed of, or the con- 
 troversy settled, by such remarks. The Jew laughing at 
 Christians and Turks; (1. 17,) the lawsuit; (1. 18,) the castle, 
 &c; (1. 28,) are surely so stated as to be displeasing even to 
 considerate Jews. It is indeed grievous, that in subjects of 
 infinite importance, men can so egregiously trifle; and divert 
 themselves and one another, in the great concerns of eternal 
 salvation or damnation. In this lawsuit there is no judge; 
 the parties, witnesses, and deciders, are all the same three 
 companies; viz. the Jew, the Turk, and the Christian; and 
 the Jew of course decides in his own behalf. But how will 
 God decide at last ? " Do ye think that I will accuse you 
 * l to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses 
 V in whom ye trust ; For had ye believed Moses, ye would 
 " have believed me; for he wrote of me."* I trust this will 
 be proved in the course of this work. 
 
 * John v. 45, 46 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 91 
 
 The Christian, indeed, heartily believes, that the law of 
 Moses is " the law of God :" but he distinguishes between, 
 what was introductory to the Messiah's coining, and what is 
 of permanent, nay, eternal, obligation: but the Mohammedan 
 equally allows the truth of Chris! ianity, as of the Mosaick law: 
 he distorts both of them, and endeavours to maintain his sys- 
 tem on the ruins of both. Mohammed never attempts to 
 adduce any thing from the Old Testament, but lie adds, al- 
 ters, leaves out part, and pollutes, the rest. Perhaps the 
 power of falsehood in marring the beauty, purity, and sim- 
 plicity of scriptural narrative, does not appear more striking 
 in Hesiod's dreams about Pandora's box, than in Moham- 
 med's history of Joseph. 
 
 In fact, of all the books, which I ever attempted to read, 
 the Koran contains the fewest ideas, and the most wearying 
 sameness. 1 suppose, they who, fully understanding Arabick, 
 read it as, in some respects, a living language, find the 
 periods and cadences sonorous and pompous. But it is the 
 dullest book I ever opened : and I turn from it with a sort of 
 anticipated satisfaction, not only to the sacred scriptures, or 
 to the writings of Christians, or to heathen moralists; but 
 even to the entertaining and ingenious fictions and trifles of 
 the Latin and Greek poets. 
 
 P. 18. 1. 4. ' Good fortune attended both. 1 What is the 
 meaning of c good fortune,' in the vocabulary of a Jew or 
 a Christian ? I read nothing of it, either in the original scrip- 
 tures, or in our translation of them. In our Prayer-book trans- 
 lation of the Psalms, ' good luck 1 thrice occurs: and it would 
 be an improvement, if it were changed for some other term; 
 but as it is 'good luck in the name of the Lord,' it does not 
 lead us to erroneous sentiments. — The heathen considered For- 
 tune as a sort of independent goddess, in some respects supe- 
 rior to their other gods; and they built temples and altars, 
 and offered sacrifices, to her:— and the clause 'good fortune 
 
92 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 < attended them both,' savours of the same heathenism. It has 
 been seen, how God made Christianity successful : but as to 
 Mohammed's success, we may write as one did under Pope 
 Adrian's inscription—' Hie Deus nihil fecit? indeed the same 
 reprehension is far more justly due to all Mr. C.'s language 
 in this passage — Moses, Jesus, Mohammed : Jew, Christian, 
 Turk, begin, continue, and end the whole ; as if altogether 
 independent of God, who is not at all mentioned, except as 
 the law of Moses is called ' the law of God.' But this is not 
 the worst. What shall we say to such language as this? 'If 
 ' Moses should one day come to visit his castle, he would be 
 'surprised to find two castles built on the top of his: and in 
 4 a great rage, he would command one of his tempests, saying, 
 * go ye and pluck them both off, and cast them away, and 
 ' let me see no more of them.' How different the language 
 of prophecy! "Thus saith the Lord God; I will even rend 
 " it with a stormy wind in my fury, and there shall be an 
 " overflowing shower in mine anger, and great hail-stones in 
 " my fury to consume it. So will I break down the wall 
 " that ye have builded with untempered mortar," &c* Are 
 the tempests then at the command of Moses? Are they his 
 tempests? Surely this language is as contrary to the Old 
 Testament as to the New. Let us at least, iu pleading our 
 several causes, not forget, that "the Lord reigneth." — Mr. 
 C. makes the word Turk to mean the same as Mohammedan : 
 (P. 17. 1. 2.) but Turk is the name of a nation, not a reli- 
 gion. Probably, the Turks in general are Mohammedans : 
 but the Mohammedans in Persia, the East Indies, and the 
 interior of Africa, are not Turks. 
 
 P. 18. 1. 13. * The castle of Moses, Sfc.'— What says 
 Jeremiah on this subject ? " Behold, the days come, saith 
 <c the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house 
 
 * Ez. xiii. 10— -16. Job xxxYiu . 22— 25. Ps. evil. 25. Jer. x. IS. 
 Jon. i. 4, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 93 
 
 " of Israel, and with the house of Judah. Not according to 
 " the covenant which I made with their fathers, when I 
 " took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of 
 " Egypt ; which my covenant ihcy brake, although 1 was an 
 " Husband unto them, saith the Lord. And this shall be 
 " the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after 
 " those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their 
 " hearts, and write it in their inward parts ; and I will be 
 <: their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall 
 li teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man 
 "his brother, saying, Know ye the Lord: for they shall all 
 " know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, 
 " saith the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I 
 " Avill remember their sin no more." Was not the apostle 
 warranted by this prediction to say, "In that he saith, a 
 " new covenant, he hath made the first old; now that which 
 " decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away?"* 
 Even the letter and form of the law of Moses, as it relates 
 to ritual observances, has, not only in its most important 
 requirements been rendered impracticable, ever since the 
 destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, that is for above 
 seventeen hundred years ; but it has also been disregarded in 
 many things practicable, by the Jews in their dispersions. 
 
 P. IS. 1. 14. ' It was ordained, <$c' The Messiah is 
 predicted by Daniel, as coming under the fourth kingdom, 
 made known by Nebuchadnezzar's dream :t but his com- 
 ing was predicted under the emblem of u a Sfone cut out 
 without hands;" evidently intimating the feeble beginnings of 
 his kingdom; being of the same import with the parables of 
 the grain of mustard-seed, and of the leaven, by which Jesus 
 Christ predicted the nature and progress of his gospel.^: Its 
 original was small, and its success gradual, and at first unob- 
 
 * Jer.xxxi. 31— 34 Heb. viii. 8— 13. t Dan. ii. Si, SS, 44, 45. 
 
 + Matt. xiii. 31—33. 
 
94 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 served by the rulers of the world : it proceeded without any 
 human help, or power, and amidst great opposition from man. 
 The coming of the Messiah must indeed be under the fourth 
 kingdom; and so was the coming of Jesus: but it is, his 
 final success, when " the Stone cut out without hands, became 
 " a great Mountain, and filled (he whole earth," which is pre- 
 dicted, as taking place when the fourth kingdom was divided 
 into ten kingdoms. There is no intimation that the Messiah 
 should not come till that time: on the contrary the same pro- 
 phet predicted, that he should come before the desolations of 
 Jerusalem.* — " Of the increase of his government and peace 
 " there shall be no end," says Isaiah.t Jesus came when the 
 fourth kingdom had attained to its height of power and do- 
 minion : and by the influence of his gospel, and those " wea- 
 " pons of warfare," which have been described, he under- 
 mined and subverted the pagan idolatrous power of Rome; 
 and its temporal dominion at length was enfeebled, till ten 
 kingdoms were formed from the ruins of that unwieldy fabrick; 
 the legs and thighs of iron terminated in the ten toes of the 
 image; and in this form, "the Stone cut out without hands 
 " shall smite the image," and fully dissipate it as chaff, and 
 " shall become a great Mountain and fill the whole earth." 
 This remains to be fulfilled ; but it is connected with the last 
 victories, and largest increase of the kingdom, of the Messiah, 
 and not with his first coming, and his feeble beginnings. 
 Indeed nothing in the whole prophecy is at all spoken con- 
 cerning the coming of the Messiah ; but merely about the 
 fifth kingdom, and its final prevalence, and its " filling the 
 " whole earth." 
 
 P. 18. 1. 23. 'Is the Messiah to come twice?' 
 Christians do not suppose that the Messiah will come twice, 
 in that sense in which Mr. C. seems to propose the question: 
 or, a second time, until he shall come in glory to judge the 
 
 * Dan. ix. 2 1—87. + Is. ix. 7. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. - 95 
 
 world. But in that sense, in which it has been shewed, that 
 he came in the early times of the gospel, to set up his king- 
 dom, to rescue his persecuted church, and to take vengeance 
 on his crucificrs, by destroying Jerusalem and the temple, 
 and inflicting the most tremendous judgments on the Jews : 
 even by the power of his Providence, and by the sacred 
 influence of his holy Spirit. He will also come again ere 
 long, to dissipate all the remains of the Roman, antichristian, 
 persecuting empire, and "to fill the earth with his glory.'' 
 He came once "as a Child born, as a Son given;" "as 
 " a Root out of a dry ground, without form or comeliness, 
 " or any beauty that men should desire him:"* but he shall 
 come again gloriously, as Lord of all, as " King of kings 
 and Lord of lords," to take to himself the kingdom over all 
 the earth. 
 
 Some Christians indeed expect his personal appearance and 
 reign on earth: but this seems, to me at least, not capable 
 of proof, either from the Old Testament or the New : and 
 the first verses of the sixty-third chapter of Isaiah, clearly 
 predict his coming as a Conqueror, to destroy his enemies, 
 and rescue his people; indeed as clearly as any part of the 
 New Testament. 
 
 Thus Daniel also says, "I saw in the night visions, and 
 " behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of 
 " heaven, and came to the Ancient of days; and there was 
 " given to him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that 
 " all people, nations, and languages should serve him: his 
 " dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass 
 *' away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."f 
 t( The Son of man," is here spoken of, not as coming from 
 heaven to earth, to receive this kingdom; much less as born 
 on earth, and coming as " a Child born, and a Son given ;" 
 but as ascending from the earth, into the presence of "the 
 
 *ls. ix. 6, 7. liii. 1,2. + Dan. vii. 13, 14. 
 
96 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " Ancient of days," and receiving from him this kingdom. 
 This then, however interpreted, must be distinct from his 
 first coming, as "a Child born." 'Though the immcdi- 
 ' ate Ruler of this kingdom be called "the Son of man:" 
 ' yet it is obvious, that there is something amazing in the 
 '" prophetick description of the high honour and glory that 
 
 * is given to him. There is at least some difficulty in con- 
 
 * ceiving, how such everlasting glory and dominion should 
 ' belong to any one, who should be no more than man, 
 
 * or a mere creature: and particularly in conceiving how 
 c such magnificent things should be ascribed (o one, who 
 
 * was no more than " the Son of man," by the prophets 
 ( who inculcated so strongly and justly, that all mere 
 
 * creatures, are before God, as nothing, and less than 
 6 nothing.' — {Maclaurin.) 
 
 If Christians have formed expectations, which the scripture 
 does not warrant, that may be shewn : but the coming of 
 Christ has been so unanswerably proved to be predicted, as 
 an event preceding the destruction of the temple by the 
 Romans, and the dispersion of the Jews : that no misappre- 
 hension of that kind can affect the main question. 
 
 Was the "little Stone" a great Mountain filling, or imme- 
 diately to " fill the whole earth," at the very time when it 
 was "cut out of the mountain without hands?" Isaiah pro- 
 phecies that of "the increase of his government and peace 
 " there shall be no end :" but this imagination would "pre- 
 clude increase. The prophet says, " In the days of those 
 " kings," and not after they were destroyed, but when they 
 were in full dominion; and his language implies, that the 
 kingdom, which the God of heaven would set up, would 
 have a sharp conflict with opposing powers, before its final 
 victory and triumph.* It should be carefully observed, that 
 the coming of the Messiah is not mentioued in this whole 
 
 * Daa. ii. 44. 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 9? 
 
 prophecy, nor even the Messiah himself. Mr. C. indeed 
 says, ' It pleased Goc! to shew to Nebuchadnezzar in a dream 
 * what should come to pass until the coming- of the Messiah, 
 ' and that there should be four empires until that time. (P. 
 J9. I. 5.) But this is so far from being accurate, that nei- 
 ther Nebuchadnezzar, nor any other man, would ever have 
 known that a Messiah should come at all; if no clearer pre- 
 dictions of his coming had been given, than this prophecy- 
 contains. — With the oilier prophecies before us, we can 
 understand that the fifth kingdom predicted is that of the 
 Messiah: but, neither from Nebuchadnezzar's dream itself, 
 nor from Daniel's interpretation of it, could any man have 
 known this. If Christians have indeed adduced it as the grand 
 proof that the Messiah should come twice; they seem to have 
 acted very injudiciously; for, in fact, the coming of the Mes- 
 siah at all cannot be proved from it, as an insulated pro- 
 phecy; much less can any conclusive argument be deduced, 
 respecting the time of his coming. — We only learn that the 
 fifth kingdom, the kingdom which ii the God of heaven should 
 " set up," would grow from " a Stone, cut out without hands, 
 " and become a great Mountain, and fill the whole earth ;" 
 and that this vast enlargement of the Stone, into a Mountain 
 filling the whole earth, would take place after the fourth 
 kingdom had been divided, and would be introduced by its 
 entire destruction and dispersion.* The dream deposes no- 
 thing beyond this: all else must be added, either from other 
 scriptures, or from human traditions and imaginations. 
 
 P. 20. I. 11. 'How could it he that the Messiah, fyc« 
 Answer: By his rising from the dead, and ascending into 
 heaven, and being invested, as the Son of man, with all 
 authority and "power in heaven and earth." 
 
 L. 14. { He could not come before the end of the fourth 
 ( empire.' How then could he subvert it ? 
 
 * Dan, ii. 33— 35. 44, 45. See Is. ii. 2-4. 
 o 
 
9S ANSWER TO THE 
 
 P. 20. 1. 26. ' The person who hath eyes, fyc.' Important 
 subjects must be discussed by argument; and not by assum- 
 ing wisdom and truth to be on our side. The reader may 
 obtain some information on this point from the texts referred 
 to below.* 
 
 P. 21. I. 6. ' He will smile them only once, fyc. 1 Where 
 does Daniel say this ? He shall smite them, and their de- 
 struction will be effected : but nothing is spoken whether it 
 will be by one blow or by many, at once or in a course of 
 ages. 
 
 P. 21. 1. 16. c No Messiah for the Gentiles,' The 
 first text adduced as a proof of this position, is an exhorta- 
 tion, or command, to "the daughter of Zion to rejoice, &c." 
 But exhortations are not always complied with ; commands 
 are not always obeyed ; nor were they by " the daughter of 
 " Zion," either in this, or in numerous other instances. "The 
 " daughter of Zion," had cause to rejoice, and ought to 
 have rejoiced, when her King came unto her : and some, yea 
 many, of the tens of thousands of the Jews did rejoice ;+ but 
 as the nation in general, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in 
 particular, rejected and crucified their King, and persecuted 
 with unrelenting enmity his loyal subjects, they were ad- 
 judged traitors ; and no wonder that the traitors did not rejoice 
 at the coming of their King. (1. 21.) No doubt the Messiah 
 is especially "the King of Zion;" and Jesus came to Zion. 
 Unto thee, and not to another. (1. 19.) In the next verse 
 after the text quoted, it is said, "He shall speak peace unto 
 il the heathen; and his dominion shall be from sea even to 
 u sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth. "J 
 The other texts adduced, (1. 30, &c.) either relate to widety 
 
 * Prov. iii. 5, «. xxvi. 1?. Is. vi. 9, 10. xxix. 10-14. xlii. 19, 20. 
 Rom. xi. 7—10. 2 Cor. iii. IS— 18. 
 
 t Zech.ix. 9, 10. Matt.xxi.4- 11. Mark xi. 9-11. Luke xix. 36— Si. 
 John xii. 12—19. % Zech. ix. 10. Eph. ii. 15— IT. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL 99 
 
 different subjects, from the coming of the Messiah, and the 
 question under consideration ; or they will come in our way, 
 when we consider what the prophets foretold, concerning the 
 reception of the promised Messiah by his countrymen, and 
 the event of their conduct in this particular. 
 
 P. 22. 1. 6. < There is no Messiah, Sfc' Certainly if Jesus 
 be not the Messiah, the Gentiles have none; nor the Jews 
 either. Wherever Mr. C. finds a proof, that the Messiah 
 would be Man, he imagines that he has found a proof that 
 he is no more than man: (p. 6:) and wherever he finds, that 
 the Messiah should come to Israel, he imagines he has found 
 a proof, that he will not come to any except Israel. But 
 was it predicted, that the Messiah would deliver Israel, even 
 if tbey obstinately rejected him? and all Israelites, however 
 wicked? and none but Israelites?— Moses and the prophets 
 teach a far different doctrine. 
 
 " Thy King cometh" ' hut not the King of the Gentiles: 
 « Unto thee" ' but not to another: Some may think the 
 whole of this is a quotation from the prophet; but the latter 
 part of each clause is either interpolation, or unfounded ex- 
 position. The prophecy from Joel, some detached parts of 
 which are quoted, does not mention the Messiah at all, or 
 the time of his coming. It is a remarkable prediction of 
 Israel's Restoration, and the terrible destruction of those who 
 obstinately oppose it; and of other coincident events, which 
 cannot be clearly understood till the fulfillment.— But, consi- 
 dered as the sequel of the preceding chapter, the whole 
 sets before us, 1st, The pouring out of the Holy Spirit on 
 the apostles and Jews, after our Lord's ascension. 2dly, The 
 terrible destruction of the unbelieving Jews, at the taking 
 and burning of their city; and their subsequent sufferings 
 and oppressions; and 3<\\y, Their restoration and the destruc- 
 tion of their enemies. 
 
 P. 22. 1. 19. 'No Messiah ior the Gentiles,— By 
 
100 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 * the proof of their gospel, fyc.' Here a similar interpolation 
 occurs, but not of the Gentiles; as if these were the words 
 of Matthew!* 
 
 To prove from the New Testament, that there is no 
 Messiah for the Gentiles, is such an arduous attempt, that 
 he who succeeds in it, needs not despair of accomplishing 
 any thing which he can possibly undertake. But far diffe- 
 rent proof will be requisite, than that which is here given. 
 A few hints on the texts quoted, and the use made of them, 
 will follow the more direct argument, that the Messiah is 
 predicted in the Old Testament, and recorded in the gospel, 
 as 'the Messiah of the Gentiles' as well as of the Jews. All 
 the prophecies, however, which speak expressly of the Mes- 
 siah, with one voice announce him to be the " Messiah of 
 "the Gentiles," as well as of Israel: but all these, as well 
 as the numerous passages 'which the New Testament con- 
 tains on this subject, are by Mr. C. passed over in entire 
 silence, as if they did not exist. I, however, must adduce 
 some of them as a specimen. — The first predictions of scrip- 
 ture which can possibly relate to this subject, having been 
 given at the very time, when the distinction between Abra- 
 ham and his seed, and the "families of the Gentiles," began 
 to be revealed, is decisive on this question. To Abraham: 
 " In thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed"t — 
 " In thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed"^— 
 And to Isaac, " In thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth 
 " be blessed"^— And to Jacob, " In thee, and in thy Seed, 
 " shall all the families of the earth be blessed. "H Now, was 
 the Messiah predicted in these promises to the patriarchs, 
 or was he not? — If he were, the question is at once com- 
 pletely answered. All nations were to be "blessed in him," 
 ttven " all the families of the Gentiles." If not, how, and 
 
 * Matt. ii. 6. + Gen. x. 5. 20. 31, 32. xii. 3. + Gen. xxii. 16. 
 
 % Gen. xxvi.4. R Gen. xxviii. 14. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 101 
 
 when, and in what u seed of Abraham; Isaac, and Jacob," 
 have "all nations been blessed?" or, shall they hereafter be 
 blessed ? This question requires and demands a clear and 
 full answer ; or the cause is abandoned, and no such answer 
 can possibly be given. 
 
 I shall reserve to another place, the words of God by 
 Moses, "Rejoice ye nations with his people;"* because Mr. 
 C. has made an observation on them, which will require 
 notice, (p. 88.) But probably, most readers will allow that 
 the apostle has made the proper application of it: and how 
 could any of the nations, or Gentiles, continuing such, 
 "rejoice with Israel," if there were no Messiah for them? 
 The language of ihe second Psalm demands our particular 
 attention : for several things, contained in it, can be verified 
 in no other but the Messiah. "Yet have I set," (or 
 anointed^ Marg. Heb.) " my King upon my holy hill of 
 " Zion — I will declare the decree — The Lord hath said 
 " unto me, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten 
 " thee. Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for 
 " thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for 
 " thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of 
 " iron, and shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. 
 "Be wise now therefore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye 
 "judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and re- 
 " joice with reverence. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, 
 " and so ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled 
 " but a little. Blessed are a4l they that put their trust in 
 " him."t How is this, that, in the midst of a prophecy of 
 the Messiah, as " breaking* the nations with a rod of iron, 
 " and dashing them in pieces as a potter's vessel ;" the kings 
 and judges of the earth are called on to kiss* " the Son lest 
 " he be angry ?" Does not this imply submitting to him, 
 and vowing allegiance to him, yea, honouring him as their Lo^d 
 
 * Deut. xxxii. 42. Rora. xv. 10. + Ps. ii. G-12. 
 
102 - ANSWER TO THE 
 
 and God?* How is it that they are not only thus called 
 on to avoid or deprecate his wrath, and escape destruction: 
 but that a general blessing is pronounced on all, who "put 
 "their trust in him?" How could this be, if there 'were no 
 < Messiah for the Gentiles ? Or, what blessing could be to 
 those who trusted in him, if he were no more than Man, 
 and " the Son of man," as other men are ?t If any assert 
 that this Psalm is not a prophecy of the Messiah; let him 
 shew, by a fair and particular explanation of the terms 
 employed in it, and by adducing facts coincident with it; 
 how it was or could be fulfilled in David, or in any 
 other, except David's Son and David's Lord; "the only 
 " Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."— In the 
 twenty-second Psalm, which will hereafter be shewn to be 
 a most undeniable prophecy of " the sufferings of Christ, 
 "and the glory that followed,"^: it is said, " All the ends 
 " of the earth shall remember themselves, and be turned 
 " unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall 
 "worship before him."— " A seed shall serve him; they 
 11 shall be counted to the Lord for a generation. They 
 " shall come and declare his righteousness to a people that 
 " shall be born, that he hath done this.' ? § It is here pre- 
 dicted, that all nations on earth shall, through the Messiah, 
 become the worshippers of Jehovah; and in him, "a 
 "generation," and "a chosen generation," like that of Israel; 
 61 a nation that shall be born, " according to the prophecies 
 of Isaiah ; " He shall be called the everlasting Father," or, 
 " the Father of the age to come." and " He shall see his 
 " seed, and shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the 
 "Lord shall prosper in his hand."|| 
 
 In another Psalm, it is said, " His name shall endure for 
 
 * 1 Sara. x. 1. 1 Kings xix. 18. Hos. xiii. 2. 
 + Ps.cxlvi. 3— 6. Jer. xvii. 5—8. + Luke xxiv. 26,27. 44—47. 
 
 1 Pet. i. 10—12. S Ps - mu\ 27—81. || Is. [ x . 6. liii. 10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 103 
 
 "ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and 
 " men shall be blessed in him ; all nations shall call him 
 "blessed:"* or, "shall bless themselves in him;" the very 
 words, are used in the original, which occur in the promise 
 made to Abraham,t except as the preterite with the vau con* 
 versive, is used in one place, and the future in the other. 
 Now, is this Psalm a prophecy of the Messiah, or is it 
 not? If it be, then, " all nations shall bless themselves in 
 " him, " and " call him blessed :" but how can this be, 
 if there be i no Messiah for the Gentiles?' If it is not; let 
 it be shewn how the several particulars predicted in it, were, 
 or could be, accomplished in the short lived glory of 
 Solomon's reign. — " Surely a greater than Solomon is here!" 
 
 " The Lord hath made known his salvation : his righte- 
 " ousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. 
 " He hath remembered his mercy and truth to the house of 
 "Israel; and all the ends of the earth have seen the Salva- 
 " tion of our God." " Make a joyful noise unto God, all 
 " the earth, &c."^ But how shall " all the ends of the 
 " earth see and rejoice in the Salvation of God," if there 
 be ' no Messiah for the Gentiles V 
 
 But, for the sake of brevity, I shall pass over many other 
 evident predictions of the same events. It will not be de- 
 nied, that Isaiah prophesied of the Messiah, as " the Rod 
 " from the stem of Jesse," in the eleventh chapter : but he 
 there says, " The earth shall be fall of the knowledge of 
 " the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day 
 " there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an 
 " ensign to the people, to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his 
 " rest shall be glorious." This precedes the prediction of 
 * the Restoration of Israel,' and the song of praise prepared 
 by the Holy Spirit, for the use of converted Israel on that 
 
 * Ps. Ixxii. 17. t Gen. xxii. 18. 
 
 % Ps. xcriii. 3—4. See also Ps. Ixxxvi. 9, cxvii. 
 
104 ANSWER TO THt 
 
 grand occasion.* The apostle quotes part of the prophecy 
 from the Septuagint: "He that shall arise to reign over the 
 " Gentiles, in him shall the Gentiles trust. "+ This gives 
 the real import, though not an exact translation. Let it, 
 however, be observed, that he who sprang from Jesse's root, 
 would "stand for an ensign to the peoples ;"% and "to him 
 " would the Gentiles seek ; and his rest would be glorious." 
 For, Shiloh being come, "to him would the gathering of 
 " the peoples be ;" " AH nations would bless themselves in 
 " him," and find a " more glorious rest," than Israel did in 
 Canaan. § Now the Gentiles could not flock to the Messiah, 
 as to a standard; || they could not seek to him, and find a 
 " glorious rest in him ;" if there were ' no Messiah for the 
 4 Gentiles.'* 
 
 "In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make to all 
 peoples" (plural,) " a feast of fat things, a feast of wines 
 " on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on 
 " the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this raoun- 
 " tain the face of the covering cast over all peoples, and 
 " the veil which is spread over all nations, &c."** How, 
 or when, has this prophecy been fulfilled, or can it be 
 fulfilled, except the blessings of Messiah's reign be im- 
 parted to all nations ? And how is it possible, if there be 
 * no Messiah for the Gentiles ?' 
 
 " Behold my Servant, whom I uphold, my Elect in whom 
 "my soul delighteth, I have put my Spirit upon him; he 
 " shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. — He shall not 
 " fail or be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the 
 "earth; and the isles shall wait for his law."tt — "In his 
 "name shall the Gentiles trust." (Sept.) Thus the evangelist 
 
 * Is. xi. 9 — 16. xii. t Rom. xv. 12. + John iii, 14, 15. xii. 32. 
 
 ^ Mat. xi. 28—30. Heb. iv. 8, 9. |) Is. v. 26. xiii. 2. xviii. 3. 
 
 xxx. 17. Heb. 5 See also Is. xix. 23 — 25, ** Is. xxv. 5 — 8. 
 
 ft Is. xlii. 1—4. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 105 
 
 quotes it. His Inw, evidently means his instruction, doctrine, 
 command, as in another prophecy of Isaiah.* " For his 
 " law shall the Gentiles look with expectation," I^H^ + 
 " The Lord hafli called thee in righteousness, and will 
 " hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and will give thee 
 * for a covenant of the people, for a Light to the Gentiles ; 
 " to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from 
 " the prison ; and them that sit in darkness out of the 
 "prison-house." — "Sing unto the Lord a new song; and 
 " his praise from the end of the earth, ye that go down 
 " to the sea, and all that is therein ; the isles and all the 
 "inhabitants thereof.";]:— What ! 'Is there no Messiah for the 
 'Gentiles?' "When "the Gentiles shall wait for his law;" 
 he " shall be the Light of the Gentiles." " When all the in- 
 " habitants of the isles shall sing," on account of him, " a 
 " new song unto the Lord."§ Who can help recollecting, 
 in this connexion, the words of old Simeon ? " Mine eyes 
 " have seen thy Salvation ; which thou hast prepared before 
 " the face of all people ; a Light to lighten the Gentiles, 
 " and to be the glory of thy people Israel. "|| 
 
 " And now, saith the Lord, who formed me from the 
 " womb, to be his Servant, to bring Jacob again to him : 
 " though Israel be not gathered ; yet shall I be glorious 
 " in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be my 
 " Strength. And he said, It is a light thing, that thou 
 " shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, 
 " and to restore the preserved of Israel. I will also give 
 " thee for a Light of the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my 
 " salvation to the ends of the earth."? Some parts of this 
 prediction will come again under consideration : but the 
 question here recurs ; Is the whole a prophecy of the 
 
 * Is. ii. 2—1. + Is. xlii. 5. li. 5. Heb. + Is. xlii. 6, 7. 10—12- 
 
 Zech. ix. 11. Acts xxvi. 18—20. S Rev. v. 9, 10. xiv. 3. 
 
 3 Lukeii. 25—32. Acts x ii. 47. xxviii. 28. 5 Is xlix. 5—12. 
 
 P 
 
106 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Messiah, or is it not? If not: whom, and what events, does 
 it foretel ? When hath it been, or when will it be, fulfilled ? 
 It is impossible to give any other interpretation of it, con- 
 sidered clause by clause, than that which refers it to the 
 Messiah; the treatment, which he met with from the Jews, 
 and the calling of the Gentiles : but how can these things 
 be, if there be •' no Messiah for the Gentiles ?' It foretels 
 also, that Israel, as a nation would not be gathered by 
 the Messiah ; but only a remnant of them, called " the 
 " preserved of Israel." For " the Redeemer of Israel, and 
 " his holy One," addressed " him, whom man despiseth, 
 " whom the nation abhorreth, a servant of rulers ;" yet 
 it is predicted that li kings shall see and arise, princes also 
 "shall worship, because of the Lord, who is faithful;" 
 with much more to the same effect.* — i( Behold," says the 
 Lord, " I have given him for a Witness to the people, 
 " a Leader and a Commander to the people. Behold, thou 
 " shalt call a nation, that thou knowest not, and nations 
 " that knew not thee, shall run unto thee.''+ Who is this, 
 to whom " nations, who knew him not shall run," but 
 " Shiloh, to whom the gathering of the people shall be?" 
 Is not then the Messiah predicted, as the Messiah of the 
 Gentiles ? J 
 
 In fact, I feel myself in this part of my subject, pressed 
 with a considerable difficulty ; having only the choice of two 
 things, each apart undescribable : viz, either to pass over, 
 and as it were suppress, a great part of the evidence ; or to 
 weary the reader with tedious argument, and superfluous 
 evidence. I, therefore, only just touch upon points which 
 might with great advantage be more fully opened, were 
 proofs scanty ; and pass over, or merely refer to, portions 
 
 * Is. xlix. 22, 23. + Is. lv. 4, 5. See also Is. Ix. Ixv. I, 2, 
 
 compared with Rom. v. 19 — 31, + i s . l XVi j4 ) 15^ compared with 
 
 Acts xi. 26. lxvi. 18 — 52. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 10? 
 
 of scripture, alone sufficient to decide the argument, beyond 
 all reasonable controversy. Some of these will come in our 
 way, on other topicks; and I must hasten to conclude this 
 part, by a few quotations from the other prophets. 
 
 " O Lord," says Jeremiah, " my Strength and my For- 
 " tress, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of 
 " the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers inherited lies, 
 " vanity, and things wherein there is no profit,''' * Cer- 
 tainly " the Gentiles from the ends of the earth," are here 
 represented, as, of their own accord, " coming unto" the true 
 God, as renouncing idols, and as avowing themselves his 
 worshippers. But shall this take place under the Messiah's 
 reign, or at some other time ? 
 
 Do the apostles give the true meaning of the predictions 
 of Rosea, when they apply them to the conversion of the 
 Gentiles ?— " I will call them my people, which were not 
 " my people, and her beloved, which was not beloved : 
 " and it shall come to pass, that in the place, where it was 
 " said unto them, ye are not my people, there shall they 
 "be called the children of the living God."+ Certainly, 
 apart from all claims of inspiration, the application must be 
 considered as very reasonable and apposite, by every atten- 
 tive and impartial reader. 
 
 One would suppose, that a man, not previously biassed 
 either way, could hardly avoid falling in with the apostle 
 James's application of a prophecy by Amos. " Simeon hath 
 " declared, how God did at the first visit the Gentiles, to 
 " take out of them a people for his name : and to this 
 ' agree the words of the prophets, as it is written, After 
 " this I will return, and build again the tabernacle of David, 
 "which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins 
 "thereof, and will set them up; that the residue of men 
 
 * Jer. xvi. 19. i Compare Hos. i. 10. ii. 23. with Rom. ix. 25, 26, 
 
 i Pet. ii. 9, 10. 
 
108 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " may seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon -whom 
 " my name is called, saith the Lord Avho doeth all tl)ese 
 " things."* The variation of the Septuagint, whence for 
 substance the quotation is made, from the Hebrew text, as 
 it stands at present, does not at all affect the general mean- 
 ing. But the reader may observe, that in Amos, this pre- 
 diction concerning the Gentiles, is introduced between a 
 remarkable prophecy of the dispersion of Israel, as at this 
 day; and another as remarkable, a prediction of his resto- 
 ration ;t and that it is expressly connected with the king- 
 dom of the Son of David. — Again, another prophet says, 
 " The; Lord will famish all the gods of the earth ; and 
 " men shall worship him, every one from his place, even 
 " all the isles of the heathen."! Does not this foretel the 
 conversion of Gentiles, to the worship of the true God, not 
 at Jerusalem, but " every one from his place ?" and when 
 shall this be, but under the reign of the Messiah ?$ 
 
 " Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for lo, I come, 
 "and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord; 
 "and many nations shall be joined together to the Lord 
 " in that day, and shall be my people ; and thou shalt 
 "know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee." || 
 Who is the Speaker in this prediction? Is not the Messiah? 
 When he comes to the daughter of Zion " many nations shall 
 " be joined to the Lord, and become his people." The 
 passage, from the eighth of Zechariah has before been 
 considered. 
 
 " From the rising of the sun, unto the going down thereof, 
 " my name shall be great among the Gentiles ; and in every 
 " place, incense shall be offered unto my name, and a 
 " pure offering ; for my name shall be great among the 
 " heathen. "i 
 
 * Corap. Am. ix. 1!, 12. with Acts xv. 14— 17. t Am. is. 9—15. 
 
 i Zeph. ii. 11. ^ Zeph. iii. 9. [| Zech. ii. 10, II. H Mai. i. 11, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 109 
 
 To what times does this last of the ancient prophets 
 refer in this prediction ? Does he not evidently speak of 
 the times of the Messiah ? " Under his reign, the name of 
 " Jehovah, shall be great among the Gentiles," and " in 
 " every place" acceptable worship shall be rendered ; as ac- 
 ceptable, as the incense and oblations at the temple, when 
 presented in the most proper manner : But how can this 
 be, if there is ( no Messiah for the Gentiles ?' 
 
 " To him give all the prophets witness, that through his 
 " name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission 
 " of sins."* « Is he the God of the Jews only ? is he not 
 " also of the Gentiles? Yes of the Gentiles also.''t— When 
 it is considered, that Israel, taken at his largest increase, 
 through all generations hitherto, hath not formed one hun- 
 dredth part of the human species, probably not above one 
 third of that proportion ; the mind revolts from the idea of 
 the Creator wholly overlooking all the rest of mankind, and 
 confining all his special favours to this single nation. No- 
 thing could reconcile the man of reflection to this, but 
 some clear proof, that this favoured nation was, either by 
 nature ) or at least by grace, and in character, decidedly 
 more holy and devoted to God, than other nations : but 
 their whole scriptural history, and the testimonies of Moses 
 and all the prophets, and even that of their own historian, 
 decide against this. It would also be previously expected, 
 in this case, that uniform pre-eminence in prosperity, as 
 well as piety, would have been conspicuous, in all the 
 annals of the nation : but the contrary to this has hitherto 
 been the case; and the whole term from the calling of 
 Abraham to this day, must constitute a vast proportion of 
 the duration of the world, according to the scriptures. — If, 
 however, the word of God had so decided it, though contrary 
 to all analogy and reasoning, we ought to be silent, and 
 * Acts x. 43. + Rom. iii. 29. 
 
110 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 adore the depths, which -vve cannot fathom: but, while a 
 precedency of honour and distinction is reserved for Israel; 
 it seems to be the clear tenour of scripture, that this prece- 
 dency was not conceded, merely for their own benefit; but, 
 that they might be a blessing to the nations of the earth in 
 general. " I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a blessing ;" 
 " In thee and in thy Seed shall all the families of the earth 
 il be blessed." This Israel has been, and shall be, most 
 eminently : and it might be thought this was more desirable 
 and honourable, than a monopoly of blessings, with curses 
 on all other nations on their account. 
 
 But Mr. C. is not apt to despair of his cause : and what 
 it was impossible he could support out of the Old Testa- 
 ment, he attempts to prove from the New ! 
 
 In quoting from Matthew, he inserts, c but not the 
 1 Gentiles;' (p. 22. 1. 22,) which is assuming the point in 
 debate. The scribes did not consider the Messiah, as the 
 Messiah of the Gentiles ; and neither the prophet, nor the 
 evangelist was speaking on that subject. 
 
 P. 22. 1. 24. ' J am not sent, Sfc' The personal ministry 
 of Christ was intended to be principally among " the lost 
 " sheep of the house of Israel :" yet he healed the centu- 
 rion's servant, and commended his faith ; and added, "■ Many 
 " shall come from the east, and from the west, and shall 
 a sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the 
 " kingdom of heaven : but the children of the kingdom 
 " shall be cast out, into outer darkness, where shall be 
 " weeping and gnashing of teeth."* He healed also the 
 daughter of the woman of Canaan, and commended her 
 faith.t He spent two days among the Samaritans.^ He 
 said expressly to the chief priests and elders, " The kingdom 
 " of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation 
 
 * Matt. Tiii. 5—13. t Matt. xv. 21—28. i John iv. 30— 42. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, III 
 
 et bringing forth the fruit thereof."* And his instructions 
 to his apostles shew what he purposed, concerning his future 
 church or kingdom.+ — It would not be fair, to argue with 
 Jews from the New Testament, if they did not absurdly 
 claim its authority, against the whole religion contained in 
 it. But this assuredly can never serve their cause. 
 
 L. 25. ' When the Son of man, fyc.' — When our Lord 
 says to his apostles, " Ye shall sit on twelve thrones, judg- 
 " ing the twelve tribes of Israel j"| he was so far from ex- 
 clusively assigning the blessings of his kingdom to Israel, 
 that he predicted the condemnation of Israel, by the testimony 
 and judgment of his apostles.^ 
 
 Last line. e Christ forgot the whole world, fyc. J — What 
 has already been stated sufficiently answers this ; especially 
 his commission, given to the apostles,! and his account of 
 the day of judgment.5 
 
 P. 23. I. 7. < Neither Christ, #<?.'— By far the greatest 
 part of the history of Christianity, in the acts of the apostles, 
 and the apostolical epistles, relate to the Gentiles. But let 
 the reader consult the passages referred to.** 
 
 It does not appear, why the quotation from Philippians 
 was brought in (1. 10, 11;) except to introduce the asser- 
 tion that follows; which would have stood quite as well 
 alone as with this introduction. 
 
 L. 14. ' Hitherto we have proved, $c.' — I trust the con- 
 trary to all this has been fully proved: viz, That the 
 Messiah is come ; that the Messiah was predicted, as " the 
 " Messiah of the Gentiles," as well as of Israel ; that Jesus 
 was the promised Messiah; and that he is "over all, God 
 " blessed for evermore." 
 
 * Matt. xxi. 43. t Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. Mark xvi. 15, 16. 
 
 Luke xxiv. 47. % Matt. xix. 2S. % 1 Cor. vi. 1—6. 
 
 H Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. Mark xvi. 15, 16. Luke xxiv. 47. I Matt. xxv. 
 31—46. ** Rom. iii. 29. ix. 84— 32. x. 18-81. *i. 11— -IS. 
 
 1 Thes. ii. 16, 17. 
 
112 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 L. 21, 22. < / am sent only to the house of Israel, fyc.* 
 " I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of 
 "Israel." These are our Lord's Avoids in" the passage 
 referred to.* His personal ministry, and his commission to his 
 apostles have already been considered : and it will hereafter 
 be fully shewn, that " the house of Israel," including and 
 principally signifying the rulers, priests, and teachers of 
 Israel; that is, "the blind guides," false teachers, and hypo- 
 critical wicked rulers of Israel ; means something vastly 
 different from " the lost sheep of the house of Israel." He 
 was sent " to the lost sheep," and not to the wicked 
 shepherds " of Israel;" through whose crimes, the people 
 were " as sheep not having a shepherd. "f 
 
 L. 23. c Why did they not believe in him?' Answer, 
 " Because they had not the love of God in them :" " be- 
 " cause they received honour one of another, and sought not 
 " the honour which cometh from God only :" and because 
 " they loved the praise of men, more than the praise of 
 " God. "| Because of the ambition, avarice, enmity against 
 God, and wickedness of their hearts and lives. 
 
 L. 24. ' Whose word shall stand, #c.' — I know not, how 
 Mr. C. means to apply this : but certainly the unbelief of 
 the Jews, when the Messiah came, fulfilled and established 
 " the words of God," as spoken by the ancient prophets.§ 
 This will be shewn more fully hereafter: at present, let it 
 be noticed, that Zechariah distinguishes between the " poor 
 " of the flock, that waited" on the Messiah ; or " the lost 
 " sheep of the house of Israel," and all the rest of Israel, 
 especially the pastors of the flock. 
 
 L. 26. ' When Moses #c.' Did the Israelites so unre- 
 servedly welcome Moses, when God sent him to them, as 
 
 * Matt. w. 24. + Mark vi. 34. + John v. 42—44. viii. 38. 
 
 42—44. x[\. 43. ^ Is. *lix. 4, 5. 7. liii. 1, 2. Zech. ii. 7— 11. 
 
 Mai. iii. 1, 2. Rom. iii. 3, 4. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 1 13 
 
 as to give Mr. C. a ground of glorying on that account? 
 The narrative given us by Moses himself, and the language 
 of all the prophets, exhibit a widely different view of the 
 subject. The mission of Moses was expressly for the pur- 
 pose of bringing Israel, as a nation, out of Egypt ; their 
 conduct therefore was not permitted wholly to defeat this 
 design. " But," says God by Ezekiel, ii they rebelled 
 "against me, and would not hearken unto me; then I said, 
 " I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my 
 " anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 
 " But I wrought for my name's sake, that it should not be 
 " polluted before the heathen."* And Moses, having num- 
 bered up many of the rebellions of Israel, concludes by say- 
 ing, "Ye have been rebellious against the Lord from the 
 " day that I knew you."t Nothing but the terrifick dis- 
 plays of the divine glory, and dreadful miracles, by which 
 thousands at a time were destroyed, proved sufficient to curb 
 their revolting and rebellious spirit; and to deter them from 
 stoning Moses, and returning unto Egypt: so that the 
 event was, that the generation which God brought out of 
 Egypt, fell in the wilderness, by the awful judgments of 
 God, notwithstanding the persevering intercessions of Moses 
 and Aaron for them.^ This was also expressly the punishment 
 of their unbelief: " Yea, they despised the pleasant land, 
 " they believed not his word.'*§ Even a candid Jew, who 
 has well studied the books of Moses and the prophets, must 
 allow that Stephen had scriptural ground for saying to the 
 rulers of Israel, " Ye stiff-necked, and uncircumcised in heart 
 and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost ; as your 
 " fathers did, so do ye— Which of the prophets have not 
 " your fathers persecuted ?"|| Except as he concluded by 
 
 * Ez. xx. 8, 9. t Deut. ix. 24. 
 
 % Ex. v. xxxii. Num. xi. xiij. xiv. xvi. xxv. 
 
 K Deut. i. S2. ix. 23. Ps. cvi. 24 — 27. Heb. ir. 10, f°. 
 
 II Acts vii. 51, 52. 
 
 Q 
 
114 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 applying it to their conduct towards Jesus of Nazareth. This 
 might be urged much further,* but I forbear. The argu- 
 ment, if it prove any thing, proves that the mission of any 
 one who professed to be the Messiah, must be tried, whether it 
 were of God or not, by the national reception with which 
 he met; and not by the credentials which he produced, that 
 he was indeed sent by God : or, that no demonstration could 
 have been sufficient, had the Jewish rulers and people per- 
 sisted in unbelief. By the fulfilment of ancient prophecies, 
 by stupendous miracles of mercy, by the coincidence of his 
 instructions with those of Moses and the prophets, by the 
 most perfect example of holiness, and by the subsequent most 
 astonishing and beneficial effects even to this day, God has 
 said, 'This is the Messiah;' "this is my beloved Son, in 
 "whom I am well pleased, hear ye him." 
 
 L. 30. ' But Israel said, No? And Israel's word is, 
 according to Mr. C. to prevail against the word of God. 
 
 L. 32. ' To what purpose, fyc' ? "But what if some did 
 " not believe, shall their unbelief make the word of God of 
 "none effect? God forbid." To what purpose was Moses 
 sent to Pharaoh, to demand the liberation of Isr-ael, when 
 God had said, " I am sure that the king of Egypt will not 
 " let you go, no, not by a mighty hand ?"+ To what pur- 
 pose did God commission Isaiah to " go and tell this people, 
 " Hear ye indeed, but understand not ; and see ye indeed, 
 " but perceive not; make the heart of this people fat, &c?" 
 When Mr. C. has answered these questions, he will have 
 answered his own. Many and important ends were an- 
 swered, even respecting the unbelieving Jews, and the glory 
 of God in his dealings with them; as an instruction to the 
 whole world, by the coming of the Messiah to them; though 
 
 * Is. liii. 1,2. Rom. iii. 3. + Ex. iii. 19-Comp.ix. 16, 17. 
 
 J Is. \i. 9, 10~Comp. Malt. xiii. 14, 15. John xii. 38-40. Acts 
 xxviii. 25 — 27. 
 
KESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 115 
 
 God foreknew and foretold, that the bulk of the nation 
 would not believe in him. But objections of this kind are 
 not started by Jews alone : for multitudes of nominal Chris- 
 tians seem to be the dupes of them ; though in fact they are 
 absurd and impious in the extreme. Upon the supposition 
 that God foreknew the perverse and ruinous use, which men 
 would make of his gifts, of whatever kind; they, in lan- 
 guage as remote as possible from reverence of his holy 
 name, either expressly, or by consequence, charge him 
 with having done wrong in conferring them. Thus, for in- 
 stance, we frequently hear an objection started against thank- 
 ing God for our creation ; because he foreknew, that to 
 multitudes creation would, through their own wickedness, 
 become a curse. " It had been good for that man, if he 
 " had never been born." Thus they transfer the guilt from 
 those, who pervert the goodness of God by their crimes to 
 their own destruction, unto God who foresaw that they 
 would do this! How deeply this kind of reasoning infects 
 the speculations of men, in controversies concerning the dis- 
 tinguishing and undeserved mercies of God, to some of our 
 fallen race above others, must here be only hinted. In many 
 cases it forms the grand hinge on which the controversy turns. 
 But how could these things be otherwise, unless God were 
 not omniscient, or not the moral and providential Governor 
 of the universe? 
 
 L. 33. 'Did God intend, Sfc ? "He shall be for a Sanc- 
 " tuary : but for a Stone of. stumbling, and a Rock of offence 
 " to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to 
 " the inhabitants of Jerusalem ; and many among them shall 
 " stumble and fall, and be snared, and be taken."* The 
 answer, contained in these words, does not depend on our 
 interpretation of them.t However explained, they prove 
 that God did appoint events in his providence, which he 
 
 * Is. \iii. 13-15. t Rom.ix. 32, 93. xi. 8-11. I P<*. »• 7 > * 
 
116 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 foreknew and foretold, would be " a Stone of stumbling, and 
 " Rock of offence to both the houses of Israel."* 
 
 P. 24. L 1. ' The word of God came to nothing, fyc. J It 
 has already been shewn, that the ' word of God,' as it related 
 to the Messiah, and as fulfilled in Jesus, did 'not come to 
 'nothing;' but produced effects of most prodigious ampli- 
 tude, and most beneficial and enduring consequences to the 
 human race at large. But the second and third clauses of 
 this passage are certainly true; 'the Messiah (even the true 
 ' Messiah) was rejected and despised, and he lost his life.' 
 It would too much interrupt our argument to take up the 
 subject in this place : but I shall hereafter illustrate the 
 apostle's words, by inductions from the prophets, " Him, 
 " being delivered, by the determinate counsel and fore- 
 " knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands 
 " have crucified and slain ; whom God hath raised up, hav- 
 " ing loosed the pains of death," &c.+ Or, rather the words 
 of our Lord himself, " Thus it is written, and thus it be- 
 " hoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third 
 " day.";]; In this especially 'the scriptures of the prophets' 
 were fulfilled ; and in this all the grand ends of the Mes- 
 siah's coming were accomplished, and could not have been 
 effected, according to the prophets, in any other way.§ 
 
 P. 24. 1. 3. ' We also learn, fyc' The words of the apostle 
 Paul are entirely coincident with the several prophecies of 
 the Old Testament, which he quotes :[| and therefore the 
 charge brought against him, falls on David and Isaiah; or 
 rather on the Holy Spirit who spake by them. Men first 
 proudly and wickedly close their own eyes against the truth, 
 in determined unbelief; and then God, as a punishment, 
 shuts them up in unbelief. 
 
 * Comp. Ps. cxviii. 22, 23. Matt. xxi. 42—45. Acts iv. 11. 
 + Acts ii. 23, 24. % Luke xxi v. 46. ^ Ps- xxii- lxir. 
 
 Is. liii. Dan. ix. 24— 27. Zech. xhi. 7. (| Ps. hix. 22— 28. Is. vi. 
 
 9,10. xxix. 10. Rom. xi. 7— 10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 117 
 
 L. 10. l Had Israel, #0' The unbelief of Israel was merely 
 the occasion, not the cause, of the calling of the Gentiles, 
 which had been predicted from the time, when the distinc- 
 tion between Abraham with his seed and the Gentiles com- 
 menced. 
 
 L. 13. ' Israel was to be made guilty, fyc.' If Uo be 
 1 made guilt?/,' means 'to be brought in guilty as a criminal 
 * by a just verdict,' God ' made Israel guilty :' but they 
 themselves committed, wilfully and obstinately, the crimes, 
 by which they exposed themselves to this righteous condem- 
 nation. Yet it has been shewn, that an immense number 
 u of the lost sheep of the house of Israel," were previously 
 gathered into his fold by the good Shepherd, who " came 
 " to seek and to save that which was lost." 
 
 I must notice with decided disapprobation, the whole pas- 
 sage under consideration ; as destitute of reverence towards 
 God, and humility before him. However criminal the con- 
 duct of Israel was; however obstinate in rebellion, and most 
 unreasonable in unbelief: still if God "leave them to their 
 " own hearts' lusts," and they reject the Messiah, and crucify 
 him, and are punished for it ; ' God did them wrong,' (p. 24. 
 1. 16,) * imposed on his creatures,' (1. 17,) ' destroyed them 
 ' without cause: (1. 22, 23.) Yet the Jews themselves have 
 never been able to assign any other adequate cause, of the 
 unexampled miseries, and degradation of their nation, for 
 above one thousand seven hundred years. By the common 
 voice of the rulers and people, when demanding the cruci- 
 fixion of Jesus, they imprecated this vengeance on them- 
 selves; "His blood be upon us, and on our children."* And 
 so long, as they proceed to "crucify him afresh," and put 
 him to open shame, by saying, < he received due punish- 
 1 ment, for by the law he was guilty,' (1. 28, 29,) their 
 dispersions and oppressions will continue. But when "the 
 * Matt, \xy\\. 25. 
 
118 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " Spirit of God shall be poured out upon tliem," and they 
 shall look wtth penitent sorrow, and humble faith, to " him 
 " whom they have pierced :"* they shall be gathered, re- 
 stored, and honoured, even far more than in times of old. 
 The day when this shall take place, I firmly believe to be 
 near at hand; and I earnestly long and pray for it, as the 
 very crisis of the world, so to speak. In the full persuasion 
 that such will be the event ere long, I have engaged in this 
 argument, and desire to conduct it in a manner as con- 
 ciliatory, as regard to truth and holiness will permit; in 
 hopes of being an instrument, in some small degree, of 
 effecting the happy revolution. 
 
 If it was the purpose of God, that Israel as a nation 
 should welcome the promised Messiah; and if it was pre- 
 viously revealed that they would: then, Israel, as a nation, 
 will receive him (1. 24) when he comes ; and he has not yet 
 come. 
 
 The text from Isaiah,+ (1. 30, &c.) certainly proves, that 
 the word of God shall accomplish his purpose, whatever that 
 may be: but this does not inform us what that purpose is, 
 at least in regard to Israel as a nation. Concerning the 
 secret purposes of God we know nothing. He predicted that 
 Israel as a nation would reject the Messiah, and be them- 
 selves for a long time excluded on that account.^ 
 
 P. 25. 1. 10. ' When he is sent he will be the Leader.' The 
 Messiah as Leader of the company, is not mentioned. In a 
 preceding part of the chapter indeed he is, but not exactly 
 so as to suit Mr. C.'s argument. " Behold, I have given 
 a him for a Witness to the people, a Leader and Commander 
 u to the people. Behold thou shalt call a nation that thou 
 " knowest not, and nations that knew not thee, shall run 
 " unto thee, because of the Lord thy God, and for the 
 
 * Ez. xx. 37, 38. 43, 44. Zech. xii. 9—14. 
 + Is. lv. 10, 11. % Is. xlix. 7. 1. 1,2. Hi>s. iii. 4, 5. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 119 
 
 •< Holy One of Israel, for he hath glorified thee."* The 
 nations here spoken of must be the Gentiles; and this is 
 the only place in which Israel is mentioned throughout the 
 chapter. 
 
 L. 13. ' Who being, #c.' Here Mr. C. charges Jesus with 
 wishing to set up for himself, and to be "equal with God:' 5 
 (1. 15, 16,) but in another passage he says, * Jesus himself 
 
 * never thought of such a thing ; therefore he called himself 
 
 * the Son of man; but had he thought that he was God, he 
 i would have called himself the Son of a woman.' (p. 8.) — 
 That Jesus did prosper and accomplish astonishing things 
 has already been shewn.. Mr. C. might have rendered his 
 statement, in the next words (1. 17—21,) more convincing, if 
 he could have quoted the words, which he puts into the 
 mouth of the Messiah, from " the scriptures of the pro- 
 "phets," instead of "speaking them out of his own heart," 
 and according to what he supposes will be the case. 
 
 L. 22. 'Was the Messiah of the Gentiles a pro- 
 
 * phet, or not V — The questions concerning our Lord's 
 predictions will come before us, more regularly in another 
 place, (p. 67, 68.) Indeed, after Mr. C. had decided that 
 Jesus was justly put to death, the question itself seems to 
 come too late. The clause however from the seventy-fourth 
 Psalm requires a brief notice. (I. 23—36.) It is plain, from 
 the whole of this Psalm, that it was written at a time, or 
 at least that it referred to a time, when the sanctuary lay 
 in ruins.i Either this was during the Babylonish captivity, 
 or after the destruction of the temple by the Romans. If it 
 related to the Babylonish captivity, it can be nothing to 
 the purpose; for several prophets arose subsequent to that 
 event. If it refer to the times following the destruction of 
 Jerusalem by the Romans; it does most affectingly describe 
 the state of the Jews, during above seventeen centuries : 
 
 * Is.lv, 4, 5. t Ps.texiv. 3—9. 
 
120 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 but as Jesus lived, and died, and arose again, many years 
 before the destruction of the second temple ; it can prove 
 nothing against his character as a Prophet, for it relates 
 exclusively to subsequent times. 
 
 P. 26. 1. 1 — 7. The prophecy of Daniel has been considered ; 
 but " the sealing up the vision and prophecy," or 
 " Prophet," relates to times three or four hundred years 
 subsequent to Malachi; namely to the end of the seventy 
 weeks, which Christians calculate to have been about the 
 time of the crucifixion of Jesus ; Mr. C. computes them 
 to end, either with the death of king Agrippa and his son 
 Menves, or at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. 
 There was no prophet in Israel, from Malachi, till near the 
 times of Jesus ; but the scripture does not say there never 
 would be any : and, however satisfied Mr. C. may be on 
 the subject; the scribes, and priests, and elders, in our 
 Lord's time, confessed, that they did not know, whether 
 John Baptist was a prophet or not. 
 
 L. 8. ' One thing, 8fd — If this proposition can be estab- 
 lished, the business is settled : for as Israel is not restored, 
 if c the restoration of Israel, and the coming of the Messiah 
 * be the same thing,' it is plain that the Messiah is not 
 come ! Indeed if ' the Messiah is Israel and Israel the 
 'Messiah:' (I. 10, 11,) then the Messiah came, when God 
 surnamed Jacob by the name of Israel: the Messiah is 
 now dispersed throughout the earth ; the Messiah is to be 
 restored, and not to restore others. What Mr. C. means by 
 this, I know not : but if he speaks the language of his 
 nation, it proves, that the Jews are apt to think of them- 
 selves, as the whole world; and that nothing is of much 
 consequence, in the dispensations of Providence, except as 
 it tends to the aggrandisement of their nation. 
 
 L. 12. ' The next, fycS— It has generally been thought, 
 that Elias, or Elijah, the prophet, either personally, or by 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. ]21 
 
 one " iii his spirit and power," would precede the coming of 
 the Messiah. This the prophets foretold:* and this the an- 
 cient Jews fully expected. t But, not to dwell on this, Mr. 
 C. here allows that the Messiah will be a Prophet: and we 
 allow, that if Jesus were not the Messiah, he could not 
 be a Prophet; and from the fulfilment of the prophecies of 
 Jesus, we draw a most conclusive argument, that lie was 
 the Messiah. With whom then does Mr. C. contend; when 
 assuming, that i Jesus was not the Messiah,' he attempts to 
 prove, * that he was not a prophet ?' Not with Christians 
 certainly. But in truth, the fulfilment of our Lord's pro- 
 phecies stands very much in the way of the Jews ; and they 
 seem sometimes to have great misgivings on the subject; 
 and almost to say among themselves: 'If not the Messiah, 
 i but a deceiver; how could he be a prophet? And, if 
 ' not a prophet, how could he predict the state of Jerusalem, 
 6 and of the Jews, for so many hundred years to come, and 
 1 with such wonderful particularity ?' This obstruction Mr. 
 C, repeatedly labours to remove; but I must think, com- 
 pletely without success. — The reader must determine, whe- 
 ther the right interpretation of the prophecy in Joel, is 
 given by the apostles, or by Mr. C. (I. 15.)| One thing 
 should be noted, that after the prediction " of the pouring 
 " out of the Spirit," and its effects ; it is added, " I will 
 " shew wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood, and 
 " fire, and pillars of smoke ; the sun shall be turned into 
 " darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and 
 " terrible day of the Lord come."§ The extraordinary 
 appearances, in the heavens, would be presages of the ap- 
 proaching destruction of Jerusalem, and of the subversion 
 of the Jewish church and state ; which would be attended 
 by immense bloodshed, terrible conflagrations, and "pillars 
 
 * Is. xl. 3—9. Mai. iii. 1. iv. 3, 4. t John i. 19—28. 
 
 + Joel ii. 28— 32. Acts ii. 16— 21. Rom. x. 1 1—15. § Joel ii. 30, SI . 
 
 R 
 
J 22 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " of smoke," such as ascend from the flames of burning 
 cities. Now, is not this a prediction of the destruction of 
 Jerusalem by 'the Romans, and the dissolution of the civil 
 and ecclesiastical state of the Jews, with dreadful massacres, 
 and miseries ? Yet this is predicted as subsequent to " the 
 M pouring out of the Spirit:" and only a remnant would be 
 rescued from these tremendous judgments. The events pre- 
 dicted in the New Testament, and recorded in Josephus's 
 History of the Wars of the Jews, confirm this interpretation 
 The third chapter of Joel contains a prediction of Israel's 
 restoration, but the second predicts those events which made 
 it necessary. 
 
 L. 24. ' Thus far, <$c' Mr. C.'s inferences, at least, are 
 not deficient in perspicuity and decision. 
 
 L. 26. 'The Gentiles' question.— Only one, %C 
 L. 29. 'The answer of the Jews. — Miracles, SfC. f 
 This, and the following pages, suggest a most important 
 question— 'How far and in what cases, miracles are 
 'the proof of a divine mission?' But before we 
 proceed to the more direct answer to it, a few particulars 
 require a cursory notice. 
 
 P. 26, last line. p. 27. I. 1. 'The wise men of 
 
 'Pharaoh performed also the same miracles, tyc' 
 
 Indeed ! The magicians imitated, or rather aped, a few 
 of Moses's miracles; whether by Satanical aid or not, or by 
 what power, forms no part of our present question. Their 
 rods were turned into serpents, as well as his : but his rod 
 devoured theirs, and their rods disappeared. When, at the 
 word of Moses, the waters of Egypt had been turned into 
 blood; they also turned into blood a little of the water, 
 which the mercy of God had spared : but to equal the miracle 
 of God by Moses, tliey should have turned the rivers, 
 and reservoirs, and streams of blood throughout the land 
 into water. They added to the plague of frogs; but they 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. \23 
 
 could do nothing towards removing it. They could neither 
 produce lice, nor remove the disgusting and mortifying 
 plague ; but were forced to confess, " This is the finger of 
 " God."* " The boil was upon the magicians," as well as 
 upon the other Egyptians, and they " could not stand 
 " before Moses."t Thus they were driven with contempt 
 from the field of contest, and are no more mentioned by 
 Moses. But why did God thus display the superior power 
 of the miracles wrought by Moses, in the sight of Pharaoh 
 and the Egyptians, if ' miracles be no proof of a divine 
 ' mission ?' Why did he work one miracle after another, 
 in proof of this, if the miracles wrought did not prove it ? 
 Why did Moses afterwards, in the wilderness, appeal to 
 the miracle about to be wrought, in the rebellion of Korah, 
 Dathan, and Abiram ? " If these men die the death of 
 " all men, or be visited after the visitation of all men, then 
 "the Lord hath not sent me: but if the Lord make a 
 " new thing,:}: and the earth open her mouth, and swallow 
 " them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go 
 "down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that 
 "these men have provoked the Loud."§ And why did 
 Elijah, (having put the proof of the important cause, 
 whether Jehovah, or Baal, were God, on the answer by 
 fire,) thus address the Lord—" Lord God of Abraham, 
 «* Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day, that thou 
 " art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and have 
 "done all these things at thy word? "II Why, I say, did he 
 make such an appeal, if ' miracles be no proof of a divine 
 
 * mission ?' The miracles of Moses were wrought by the 
 power of God; those of the magicians by their enchantments. 
 
 P. 27. 1. 5. < To drive devils, Sfc' Whatever credit may 
 
 * Ex.viii. 19. Lukexi.20. tEx.U. 11. 2 Tim. iii. 8, 9. 
 
 * See Jer. xx x i. 22. \ Num. svi. 29, 30. See also 1 Sam. xii. 16-18- 
 i| 1 Kings xviii. 36, 37. 
 
124 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 be attached to Josephus's narrative ; no doubt, exorcists 
 among the Jews, cast x out devils in some instances, or in- 
 duced them to go out. But, even in this respect, the mira- 
 cles of Christ were so vastly superior, and so stupendous, 
 that the people said, "It was never so seen in Israel:" and 
 the Pharisees were compelled to allege, that he cast out 
 " devils by Beelzebub the prince of the devils."* It must 
 be evident that evil spirits cannot be constrained to quit their 
 hold of a man, in any way, except by a superior power. + 
 This superior power ' a common man ' has not : (1. 6 ;) 
 either God or angels must help him, or the devil must retire 
 from motives of policy. 
 
 L. 7. ' They hate even the power, fyc.' I do not here 
 presume to determine, what evil spirits are or are not able 
 to perform, or discover, or foretel by sagacity or conjecture, 
 as far as God may see good to permit : or how far all 
 divination, fortune-telling, and sorcery have been from Satan- 
 ical agency, or from human imposture. But the power and 
 foresight of evil spirits must have limits; they cannot be 
 infinite : and when the apostle in the name of Jesus, cast 
 out the spirit from the Pythoness;^ and when he terminated 
 the enchantment, so that the effect was manifest both to the 
 enraged masters, and to the multitude; and when he silenced 
 the prophetess by a single word : it was sufficient proof of 
 superior power and authority. 
 
 L. 13. ' Two men, 4-c' Mr. C. informs us that he learned 
 the additional particulars, which he relates concerning Jamnes 
 and Jambres, from tradition : and it may amuse the reader 
 to learn, that Mohammed, perhaps on as good authority, 
 records, that they were converted, and cruelly martyred by 
 Pharaoh. — I do not clearly understand Mr. C.'s language, 
 6 Symbols, they also prophesied, but all by the works of the 
 4 devil :' (1. 17.) The number however, of well authenticated 
 * Matt. ix. 32-31. xii. 22—24. t Matt. xii. 29, 30. % Acts xvi. 16-19. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 125 
 
 undeniable miracles, wrought publickly, before powerful 
 enemies, in proof of a religion not jet established in au- 
 thority, will, on investigation, be found very few indeed. 
 Impostures in abundance are recorded ; and some ambi- 
 guous events, which, whether they arose from human, or 
 Salanical delusion, may admit of a doubt: but nothing can 
 be adduced which will bear a comparison with the miracles 
 of Christ, any more than those of the Egyptian magicians 
 could with the miracles of Moses. ' None can say, I com- 
 i mand that a jire shall come down from heaven :' ' none of 
 ' them can say I command the sun to stand still:'' (1. 21.) 
 May we not add, None could say, to one who had been 
 four days dead, " Lazarus, come forth." None could say 
 to the winds and waves, in a tremendous storm: "Peace, 
 " be still, and there was a great calm." 
 
 There was no occasion for our Lord to command " the 
 " sun to stand still;" unless for the purpose of ostentation, 
 or to gratify the wicked presumption of the scribes and 
 Pharisees : nor would there have been any propriety in 
 calling for fire from heaven, by him, " who came to save 
 " and not to destroy." But the sun was darkened, and the 
 promised land became as Egypt, in the plague of darkness, 
 while the lands of the Gentiles were as Goshen ; when Jesus 
 was suspended on the cross. 
 
 L. 26. ' There shall no sign, fyc.' Let the reader com- 
 pare the words of Matthew, with those here quoted from 
 Mark: "An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a 
 "sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of 
 " the prophet Jonas."* The sign, which our Lord gave 
 the Jews, was that of his own resurrection on the third day; 
 which, as predicted and accomplished, to the confusion and 
 silencing of his powerful enemies, and as connected with its 
 extensive and permanent effects, was immensely more 
 
 * Matt. xii. 38-40. xvi. 1—4. 
 
126 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 conclusive, than any transient " sign from heaven" could 
 have been. 
 
 L. 31. * It was his duty, fyc.' Our Lord, in his character 
 of the Ambassador, or Apostle, of the Father, was required, 
 and if such language must be used, concerning " the Lord 
 ." of all," * it was his duty,' to " fulfil the will of him who 
 4 i sent him;" but not to gratify the unreasonable demands of 
 those to whom he was sent, who " hated both him and his 
 " Father." God gives that degree and kind of evidence, 
 which he knows to be suitable and sufficient ; and not such, 
 as his rebellious subjects may insolently require.—" Nay, 
 « father Abraham, but if one went unto them from the dead, 
 " they will repent : and he said unto them ; If they believe 
 " not Moses and the prophets, neither would they be per- 
 " suaded, though one rose from the dead."* They, who 
 said, " Let Christ the King of Israel descend from the cross, 
 "that we may see and believe;" "Let him come down from 
 "the cross, and we will believe him;" (a demand subversive 
 of the whole design, for which he came into the world, as 
 predicted throughout the Old Testament ;) were by no means 
 disposed to believe in him, when he just after "arose from 
 " the dead." 
 
 Moses did not work such miracles, as either Pharaoh, or 
 Israel, prescribed to him : but such, and such only, as God 
 directed him to work. He who teaches the prophet his 
 duty, in the execution of his prophetical office, prescribes 
 the conduct, which he presumptuously thinks ought to have 
 been adopted by God himself. The false prophets were the 
 compliant persons; not Elijah, Micaiah, and the other true 
 prophets.t 
 
 P. 28. 1. 16. ( Moses the Lord of, 4'c.' — The reader must 
 
 * Luke xvi. 29—31- 
 
 t Ahab's messenger wanted to teach Micaiah his duty, or, more modestly, 
 to counsel him; but he received his answer. 1 Kings xxii. 13, 14. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 127 
 
 determine, how properly Moses, or any mere man can be 
 called ' the Lord of all the prophets.' 
 
 L. 23— 35. From the statement given in this passage, it 
 might be supposed, that God first commissioned Moses to 
 work miracles before the people ; but because Moses knew 
 that this would i not be sufficient to convince them,' he 
 was ' sent by God,' that u the token" was afterwards added. 
 Whereas the token was frst given ; and, it seems, Moses 
 supposed that it would be insufficient, and therefore, the 
 commission to work miracles was added. Indeed the whole 
 passage in Mr. C. is a reversal of the order, in which the 
 narrative by Moses is arranged. 
 
 But let that narrative speak for itself. " Moses said unto 
 " God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and 
 " that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of 
 "Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and 
 " this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee, when 
 u thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall 
 " serve God upon this- mountain."* " This shall be a token 
 li unto thee" for his own satisfaction, as one who believed 
 the promise of God. It does not appear that the people 
 were made acquainted with it; and his asserting that God 
 had spoken this to him, would not be any proof to them 
 of his divine mission. 
 
 Afterwards, " Moses answered and said, But behold they 
 w will not believe me, nor hearken to my voice ; for they 
 " will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And 
 " the Lord said unto him, What is that in thy hand? And 
 " he said, a rod. And he said, cast it on the ground. 
 " And he cast it on the ground and it became a serpent ; 
 " and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto 
 " Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. 
 " And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became 
 * Ex. iii. 11, 1*. 
 
128 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " a rod in his hand, That they may believe that the Lord 
 " God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of 
 « Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. 
 " And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thy 
 " hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: 
 " and when he took it out, behold, it was leprous as snow. 
 " And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And 
 w he put his hand into his bosom again ; and plucked it out 
 << of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other 
 " flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe 
 " thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that 
 " they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall 
 " come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, 
 " neither hearken to thy voice, that thou shalt take of the 
 " water of the river, and pour it out on the dry land ; and 
 !f< the water which thou takest out of the river, shall become 
 " blood upon the dry land." — " And Moses and Aaron went 
 f and gathered together all the elders of the children of 
 " Israel. And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord 
 " had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight of 
 " the people. And the people believed."* It must now be 
 clearly ascertainable, whether the token, or the miracles, 
 were the ground on which the people were required to 
 believe Moses. 
 
 The sign to Moses that " God would certainly be with 
 " him," was a private and personal token : but his publick 
 miracles proved that Jehovah had sent him, and established 
 him as a prophet, both to Israel and to Pharaoh. Indeed, 
 Pharaoh and the Egyptians were destroyed, and a most 
 important part of Moses's commission, as a prophet, was ac- 
 complished, before Israel came to Horeb. The same kind of 
 reasoning which Mr. C. adopted concerning Jesus, may lead 
 us to ask, Of what use then were the miracles of Moses to 
 
 * Ex. iv. 1—9. 29— SI. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 129 
 
 Pharaoh and the Egyptians? or the establishment of Moses 
 as a prophet, or his subsequent miracles, to the rebels 
 who afterwards perished by thousands ? or to that whole 
 generation which fell in the wilderness ? Yet these miracles 
 answered great and important purposes, both to Israel, to 
 the surrounding nations, and to all subsequent generations, 
 even to this day. 
 
 P. 29. 1. 2. < Establish Moses, #c.' — L. 21. < All the 
 < Miracles, SfC.' — Notwithstanding Moses's establishment as 
 a prophet at Horeb ; the people, it seems, were so little 
 satisfied respecting it, and so prone to murmur, if their 
 desires were not immediately granted ; that nothing but 
 miracles of wrath could prevent their open rebellion against 
 both the prophet, and God who sent him ! This also shews, 
 that the conduct of the Jews in rejecting Jesus, is no proof, 
 that he was not the true Messiah : for, by exactly the same 
 kind of evidence, it may be proved, that Moses was not a 
 true prophet; and this is at least a valid argumentam ad 
 hominem. 
 
 L. 32. ' Now to make them all Jit, #c.'— -The people after 
 all confessed, that they were not able to hear the word of 
 God.* 
 
 L. 34, 35. c Became a whole nation, in one moment, 
 ( prophets, Sfc. y — When the Lord appointed to Moses seventy 
 assistants, he said " I will take of the Spirit, which is upon 
 " thee, and I will put it upon them."—" And he took of 
 "the Spirit that was upon him, and gave unto the seventy 
 " elders.— "And Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp." 
 " And Moses said, Would God that all the Lord's people 
 " were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit 
 * upon them."t In this place alone, do we read of God's 
 " pouring out of his Spirit on Israel," to make any of them 
 prophets, and this only seventy out of the whole nation- 
 
 * Ex. xx. 19. Deut. v. 23— 27, f Num, xl 17. 24—29. 
 
 s 
 
130 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Moses's wish, according to Mr. C.'s account, would have 
 been superfluous and absurd. 
 
 P. SO. I. 1. ( We Jind that afterwards, ^c.'— Nothing is 
 recorded in the scripture of this kind, concerning prophets 
 in general ; nor what entirely accords to it, respecting any 
 particular prophet : but, as it does not affect the general 
 argument, it does not require further notice. The same may 
 be said of the rest of this page. 
 
 Let it here be distinctly observed, that Mr. C. admits the 
 authenticity of the history, contained in the New Testament, 
 concerning the ministry and miracles of Jesus, and of his 
 apostles: at least he says nothing to the contrary, and he 
 frequently appeals to it. Indeed, this is the only original 
 history, extant in the world, of the introduction and estab- 
 lishment of Christianity. Neither friends nor enemies gave 
 any other which has been preserved, and which can be 
 referred to as authority. This is a most extraordinary, 
 though little noticed, fact ! The greatest revolution, in itself, 
 and productive of by far the most extensive, important, and 
 permanent effects, in the history of the human race ; occupies 
 scarcely any pages in the writings of original historians, 
 except those of the New Testament : all else is tradition or 
 report. These books were written by Christians ; and no 
 contemporary opposer ventured to publish a counter nar- 
 rative: though the credit of the Jewish rulers, priests and 
 scribes, and even that of pagan persecutors and philosophers, 
 loudly demanded it of them ! This is a testimony to the 
 fidelity of the sacred historians of the New Testament, which 
 is altogether without parallel. Even modern enemies to 
 Christianity, are compelled to derive all their information 
 from the evangelists themselves ! 
 
 Let it be also observed, that Mr. C. does not attempt to 
 deny the reality of the miracles, recorded as wrought by 
 Jesus and his apostles ; but ascribes them unreservedly to 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. J31 
 
 witchcraft and enchantment : ' All by enchantment.' (P. 27. 
 1. 20.) This is exactly the ancient solution of the difficulty 
 given by the Pharisees ; and our Lord's answer to it, is 
 worthy the consideration of moderns also, who retain it.* 
 
 Having premised these things, we proceed more directly 
 to the question : — 
 
 HOW FAR, AND IN WHAT CASES, MIRACLES ARE A 
 PROOF OF A DIVINE MISSION ? 
 
 It is readily allowed, that ' bad and wicked men have 
 * wrought miracles;' (p. 31. 1. 2, 3.) yea, real miracles, by 
 the power of God : for to be a prophet, and to be a saint, 
 or holy person, are quite distinct things. No doubt, Judas 
 wrought miracles, as well as the other apostles : and our 
 Lord assures us, that many instances will be made known 
 at the day of judgment of miracles wrought in his name 
 by "the workers of iniquity. "t 
 
 It is also conceded, that wicked men, by various artifices 
 of legerdemain, imposing on the senses of the ignorant, may 
 perform many things, which appear to be miraculous ; and 
 the history of the church abounds with such " lying mira- 
 " cles," in which some knowledge of chemistry, or mechan- 
 icks, or opticks, and other sciences ; combining with the 
 tricks of a juggler, among illiterate people, and those, who 
 were not permitted closely to investigate what they saw, 
 gave reputation to appearances, which passed for miracles; 
 but in which neither divine power, nor diabolical operation, 
 were at all concerned. This was clearly ascertained at the 
 reformation from popery. It appears also to me undeniable, 
 that by witchcraft and enchantment, the actual operation ot 
 evil spirits has been, in many instances, obtained: and thus 
 supernatural effects have been produced ; and the magicians 
 of Egypt seem to have wrought their miracles, at least some 
 of them, in this way; nor is it easy to say, which of the 
 * Matt xii. 23—32. + Matt. vii. 21—23. 
 
133 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 lying miracles of the antichristian church, have been wrought 
 by human imposture, and which by Satanical influence. 
 
 In this view, however, it is worthy of notice, that the only 
 formidable rival to Christianity, on earth, Mohammedism, 
 was established without any publick miracles ; and that 
 Mohammed employs no small portion of the Koran, in 
 framing excuses, for not giving signs and miracles in proof 
 of his mission, and in intimidating those who demanded them. 
 The only religions in the whole world, which so much as 
 profess to have been at first introduced, and established, by 
 publick miracles, wrought in the presence of powerful op- 
 posers, and demanding investigation from the most learned, 
 potent, and sagacious of them, are that of Israel as con- 
 tained in the Old Testament, and that of Jesus in the New. 
 There never, in any age or place, was another introduced 
 with this avowed claim. Miracles, said to have been 
 wrought in support of a system already established, and 
 possessed of authority ; or by those, whose rank or supe- 
 riority, in any respect, precluded or discouraged free ex- 
 amination; are widely different from those wrought during 
 the feeble infancy of a new religion, in the midst of oppo- 
 sition, by men in other respects obscure, challenging inves- 
 tigation, and forcing opponents to say, " This is the finger 
 " of God ;" " This man doeth many miracles;" " That 
 ;c a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest 
 f< to all, and we cannot deny it:"* Thus driving them 
 to persecution, and to calumniate the most undeniable 
 miracles, as the effect of magick and enchantment. 
 
 It is further granted, that there may be cases, in which, 
 those events which appear to us true miracles, are insufficient 
 to prove a divine mission. — When the Avorship of the One 
 living and true God alone had been established in Israel, 
 by most stupendous miracles, and invincible evidences, no 
 * Ex. viii. ID. John xi. 47. Acts iv. Iti. 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 133 
 
 sign or miracle was to be considered, as any argument, to 
 authorize the worship of idols : for it could not possibly 
 outweigh, nay it could not be worthy of comparison with 
 (he demonstration already given to the contrary ; but must 
 be considered as a temptation.* 
 
 If therefore real miracles could be wrought in support of 
 any doctrine, manifestly and expressly contrary to li the 
 " oracles of God ;" they would not prove the truth of that 
 doctrine. But the Lord graciously so orders it, that careful 
 examination has hitherto sufficed to distinguish the miracles 
 by which new impostures sprung up, almost like yearly 
 Almanacks, to have their short notice, and the admiration of 
 the superficial; and then, like old Almanacks, to be neg- 
 lected and forgotten; from such miracles as introduced the 
 Mosaick dispensation, and afterwards the religion of Christ. 
 Yet each of these successive impostures deludes some, or 
 many; and often disgraces the cause of truth, and seems to 
 weaken the credibility of scripture, through the sanction 
 given them by some ill-judging religious characters. 
 
 Were a few apparent, or even real miracles, the only 
 proof, which Christians can adduce, in support of their holy 
 religion : and could it be as easily proved, as it is confi- 
 dently asserted, that this religion is subversive of that 
 contained in the Old Testament; plausibility at least would 
 be given to the arguments of a Jew against them. But it is 
 observable, that amidst all the stupendous miracles, wrought 
 by Jesus and his apostles, they every where appealed to 
 the Old Testament ; alledging that " thus it was written, and 
 " thus it must be."t 
 
 In this respect Christianity has an important advantage 
 above the Mosaick dispensation, because, prophecies, during 
 many ages, introduced it : and not only were all other par- 
 ticulars respecting the Messiah and his kingdom, his labo- 
 * Deut, xiii. 1—4. t John v. S5— 47. 
 
134 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 rious suffering life, and his violent death as a sacrifice for 
 our sins, and his glorious resurrection and ascension,* pre- 
 dicted even with minuteness, but his very miracles also 
 were foretold.t Thus Jesus, when John Baptist sent to 
 enquire of him, " Art thou He that cometh, or do we look 
 "for another?" answered, "Go, and shew John again, those 
 " things which ye do see and hear : the blind receive their 
 " sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the 
 " dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached 
 " unto them. "| Whereas Moses could appeal to no pre- 
 ceding prophecies, as marking out any particulars of his 
 mission.^ 
 
 The religion of Moses, therefore, stands more singly on 
 the demonstration of undeniable miracles, than that of Jesus 
 does : and he, who allows that Jesus wrought the miracles 
 recorded of him, and his apostles those recorded of them, 
 and then says, i miracles are a poor and miserable defence,' 
 &c, (P. 26. 1. 29, SO,) does what in him lieth to undermine 
 the authority and divine mission of Moses, and to give 
 advantage to infidel opposers of the whole scripture. 
 
 Let it be observed also, that the two miracles, which 
 Mr. C. mentions, intimating, that Jesus should have wrought 
 them, (P. 27. 1. 22 — 24,) were not performed by Moses, 
 but by Joshua and Elijah, after the religion of Moses had 
 been fully established. || 
 
 If Moses had gone to Israel and to Pharaoh, exactly as 
 he did in all other respects; if they had answered, " The 
 " Loud hath not appeared unto thee," and demanded some 
 proof of his mission; and, if he could have produced none, 
 except the private token given to encourage his own faith, 
 " This shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee, 
 
 * Ps. xvi. 8—10. Ixviii. 18. Is. Hii. 4 — 12. Dan. ix. 24 — 27. Z<?ch. xiii. 7. 
 + Is. xxix. 18. xxxv. 4 — 6. + Is. lxi. 1—3. Matt. xi. 4 — 6. 
 
 Luke vii. 20—23. ^ Gen. xv. 13 — 10. Ex. xii. 40 — 42. 
 
 U Josh. x. 12, 13. 1 Kings xviii. 22—38. 2 Kings i. 10—15. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 135 
 
 " When thou hast brought forth this people out of Egypt, 
 "ye shall serve God upon this mountain:"* it may, I 
 suppose, be spoken confidently, that there would have been 
 an end of the whole business; except that Pharaoh would 
 have punished him as a deceiver, and have oppressed the 
 people more severely, for forming designs of recovering their 
 liberty. The token would have come too late, either to 
 induce Pharaoh to let the people go, or Israel to venture 
 on leaving Egypt. — But when, in proof that Jehovah had 
 sent him, Moses gave the appointed miraculous signs to 
 the people; and when, by the lifting up of his shepherd's 
 rod, or waving it, the waters of Egypt were turned into 
 blood ; and tremendous judgments denounced beforehand^ 
 followed one another in rapid succession, which were also 
 removed at his word; the Lord God almighty bare 
 witness to his mission ; so that even Pharaoh and the Egyp- 
 tians could not disprove it, or indeed doubt of it. 
 
 If, however, the magicians had been able, by their art, 
 to remove each judgment at once, and to repair the damages 
 of it, the case might have still remained doubtful: but 
 when, after aping a few of his miracles, they were con- 
 strained to confess, "This is the finger of God;" when 
 " the boil was on them, as well as on the other Egyptians," 
 and when they were driven away, defeated, and covered 
 with ignominy : the difference between Moses, who spake 
 in the name of Jehovah, and these impotent contemptible 
 jugglers, was fully demonstrated; and "their folly was made 
 " manifest to all men."t 
 
 It is manifest, that Moses himself, and all the subsequent 
 writers of the Old Testament, appeal to the miracles wrought 
 in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, as the 
 foundation of their religion. Something has already been 
 adduced on this topick, and I will not enlarge. "Hath 
 * Ex. iii. 12. +2 Tim. iii. 9. 
 
136 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 «' God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst 
 " of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by won- 
 " ders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a 
 " stretched out arm, and by great terrors ; according to all 
 "that the Lord your God did for you before your eyes? 
 " Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know, that 
 " the Lord he is God,"* — " How long will it be ere they 
 " believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among 
 "them?"+ These miracles are also represented as exciting 
 convictions in all the neighbouring nations, which were not 
 forgotten for ages afterwards.:]: 
 
 It is readily allowed, that this was far from the only 
 proof, that the Lord spake by Moses : and careful examiners 
 find decisive internal evidence of his divine legation, pervad- 
 ing the whole of the books written by him. The sublime 
 and truly rational v : ews of the nature, perfections, and 
 works of God ; and the history of the creation of the world ; 
 the holy, just, and good law, which Moses promulgated; the 
 excellent judgments, or political laws, which he enacted, com- 
 pared with those of other ancient legislators, nay, with modern 
 codes of law, even in Christian countries; the sacramental 
 prefigurations, in the ritual law, of "good things to come;" 
 and the prophecies contained in his writings, and either 
 fulfilled in past events, or fulfilling at this day, especially 
 in the state of Israel; are a few of the other conclusive 
 proofs, that God spake by Moses. — His disinterestedness, 
 and some laws and promises, which no politician would have 
 committed himself upon, except conscious of delivering the 
 word of God, § and even the obscurity of his own descen- 
 dants render his divine mission illustrious. Yet the whole 
 
 ** Deut. iv. 31, 35. t Num. xiv. 11. Comp. Mark ix. 19. 
 
 Johnxii. 37. See also Num. xvi. 28 — 30. xvii. 2-10. % Ex. xv. 
 
 14—16. Josh. ii. 9-11. 1 Sam. iv. 8. ^ Ex. xxxiv. 24, Lev xxr. 
 
 20—22. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 137 
 
 was introduced, and established by miracles; without which 
 there would have been no opportunity of exhibiting the 
 other evidences of his mission, or of calling the attention of 
 Israel, or of mankind, to them. 
 
 In like manner, the holy nature of Christianity, in which 
 all, that has been noticed of the perfections and holy law 
 of God, is still more clearly exhibited ; and the success of 
 such a holy religion, in this wicked and unholy world, by 
 such means and instruments as have been considered ; with 
 innumerable internal proofs, and prophecies already fulfilled, 
 and fulfilling at this day; not to dwell again on the pro- 
 phecies of the Old Testament fulfilled in these events; 
 constitute a full proof, and moral demonstration, that Chris- 
 tianity is from God, even apart from the miracles of Jesus 
 and his apostles : nay, the prevalence and continuance of 
 his religion to this day, is more wonderful than any exter- 
 nal miracle, or all of them united. The tendency also of 
 Christianity, yea, its actual effects, shewing that if it uni- 
 versally prevailed, not in name and form, but in power and 
 efficacy ; if men did indeed repent, believe, love God, and 
 love one another, according to its peremptory requirements, 
 universal peace and felicity must be the consequence; this, I 
 say, proclaims its divine original. 
 
 Yet the whole was introduced, and must have been intro- 
 duced, by miracles, to excite the attention of the prejudiced 
 Jews, and of a careless world ; to force a temporary con- 
 viction at least, even on its opponents; and to procure the 
 preachers a patient hearing from those whom they addressed. 
 Without this, no other evidences could have been so brought 
 before men, as to have obtained a fair investigation. In this 
 respect, the case of the Mosaick, and that of the Christian 
 dispensations are entirely similar. 
 
 The nature of our Lord's miracles also should be con- 
 sidered.— Mr. C. seems indeed favourable to tremendous 
 
]38 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 and splendid miracles : and to " turn water into blood" 
 was more suited to the law given by Moses; but to "turn 
 " water into wine 1 ' better accorded to him, by whom " grace 
 " and truth came" to mankind. The power which raised 
 the dead, in many instances, was doubtless sufficient to 
 strike dead the living opponents; and certainly, it ought 
 not to be an objection to our Lord's miracles, that he did 
 not inflict, I will not say such miraculous judgments, as 
 desolated Egypt, but such as slew rebellious Israelites by 
 thousands and ten thousands, in the wilderness. When 
 Jesus merely said, " I am he," his numerous and powerful 
 assailants "went backward, and fell to the ground;"* and he 
 shewed that his mild conduct in this respect did not arise 
 from want of power. The special miracles wrought by 
 Jesus, which accord to the predictions of the prophets, 
 
 should not be overlooked No prophet or apostle, except the 
 
 Lord Jesus, ever " opened the eyes of the blind," either 
 of those who had been before known to be blind, or born 
 blind.i Nothing of this appears in the history of the Old 
 Testament, or in the Acts of the Apostles. The same may 
 be said of his " unstopping the ears of the deaf, and giving 
 " speech to the dumb." " He hath done all things well ; he 
 66 maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. "^ 
 Not to dwell upon the suitableness of these miracles, to be 
 emblems of his salvation; it is plain that the predictions 
 referred to never were accomplished but in him; and 
 nothing could more explicitly point out the promised Mes- 
 siah, for " unto many that were blind he gave sight." 
 
 (;J£»pi<7«T0 TO £As9rE*v). 
 
 He healed all manner of diseases, cleansed the lepers, 
 raised the dead by a word spoken; rebuked a legion of 
 evil spirits, and drove them out; "rebuked the winds and 
 
 * John xviii. 3 — 6. + Is. xxxv. 5, 6. John ix. 32. 
 
 + Mark vii. 39. Comp.Eaiv.il. Luke xxi. 15. Actsxxvi. 1G— 18, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 139 
 
 "waves" in a violent storm, "and there was a great calm;" 
 " walked upon the waves of the sea :" and, to complete the 
 whole, he shewed that he had u power to lay down his 
 " life and power to take it again." 
 
 This last miracle was the grand sign given to that genera- 
 tion. It was predicted by the prophets; and so clearly fore- 
 told by Jesus himself, from the beginning of his ministry, that 
 it was well known to the scribes, priests, and rulers : yet all 
 their precautions were vain; the body was gone, and their 
 silence, after the bold and explicit testimony of the apostles 
 to his resurrection, with the unqualified accusation of them, 
 as the murderers of the Messiah, " the Prince of life," was 
 a clear confession that they could adduce nothing against 
 it. The testimony of twelve men of sober minds, good 
 characters, and most evidently disinterested, who had inti- 
 mately known him for several years, and ate and drank 
 with him after his resurrection, and saw him ascend towards 
 heaven, was enough to prove any fact, not wholly impos- 
 sible in the nature of things. In this testimony they all 
 persevered, without one discordant voice, amidst labours, 
 hardships, and persecutions, even until death; and most of 
 them sealed it with their blood. Besides their testimony, 
 very many others bare witness also ; and the apostle Paul, 
 several years after, could appeal to the greater part of five 
 hundred persons, who saw Jesus after his resurrection. 
 But it was deemed proper, to put the matter beyond all 
 reasonable doubt; therefore, as if no human testimony was 
 sufficient in such a cause, "God himself bare witness with 
 " signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts 
 " of the Holy Ghost."* The gift of tongues, enabling un- 
 learned men to speak fluently, and understand readily, the 
 languages of all the nations, to whom they addressed them- 
 selves; every miracle which the apostles wrought in the 
 
 * Heb. ii. 4. 
 
140 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 "name of Jesus of Nazareth;" every instance, in which they 
 conferred the gift of tongues and power of working miracles 
 on others, by the laying on of their hands ; not only in- 
 creased the number of witnesses to the resurrection of 
 Jesus, but was the attestation of God himself to their tes- 
 timony. Either the resurrection of our Lord must be dis- 
 proved ; or it must stand confirmed, I had almost said, 
 beyond demonstration, that " Jesus is the Christ, the Son 
 " of the living God.'' 
 
 Impostors have made many vain pretensions : but did any 
 man, from the beginning of the world to this day, having 
 rested the proof of his mission on this ground, ' Put me to 
 i death ; and if I do not rise again on the third day, I am 
 ' a deceiver :' I say, did any man ever establish such a 
 demonstration of his mission, except Jesus of Nazareth? 
 Why talk of magick and enchantment? What could these 
 do in such a case as this ? 
 
 It appears then, that miracles, publick, undeniable miracles, 
 wrought in the name of God, (as an express proof and con- 
 firmation of a doctrine not manifestly contrary to preceding 
 revelations in essential matters, and destitute of human sup- 
 port ; but vehemently opposed by the powerful, sagacious, 
 and learned, and the multitude,) are one grand evidence that 
 God sent him who wrought them, and by them God himself 
 attests the testimony; that they introduce and make way for 
 all other proofs; and that when such changes, as Christianity 
 introduced, are to be effected in consequence, by unarmed 
 instruments, and without human power or violence, they 
 are almost, if not absolutely, indispensable. 
 
 When only a few of our Lord's miracles had been per- 
 formed, they drew from a ruler and teacher in Israel, the 
 confession, in his own name and that of his company ; 
 " Rabbi, we know that thou art a Teacher come from God : 
 " for no man can do the miracles that thou docst, except 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 141 
 
 (l God be with him."* " Many of the people," also, « be- 
 " lieved on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he 
 "do more miracles, than this man doeth?"t And the man 
 born blind spoke unanswerably, when he said, " Herein 
 " is a marvellous thing, that ye know not whence he is, 
 " and yet he hath opened mine eyes ; — since the world 
 " began was it not heard, that any man opened the eves 
 H of one who was born blind : if this man were not of 
 " God, he could do nothing." % The council also felt the 
 energy of this proof, after he had called Lazarus out of 
 the grave — " What do we? for this man doeth many 
 " miracles ; and if we le£ him thus alone, all men will 
 " believe on him."$ After his resurrection, the testimony 
 of his apostles produced the most embarrassing difficulties 
 to the opposing rulers: and they were induced to put the 
 cause on another kind of trial, when Gamaliel had coun- 
 selled, after introducing apposite examples, Ci Refrain from 
 i{ these men, and let them alone ; for if this counsel and 
 u work be of men, it will come to nought ; but if it be of 
 (i God, ye cannot overthrow it ; lest haply ye be found to 
 " fight against God." || According to the reasoning of this 
 prudent opponent, trial has been made for much above 
 seventeen hundred years ; and because Christianity is " of 
 " God," neither Jews nor Gentiles, neither open enemies, nor 
 treacherous friends, have been able to overturn it, to this 
 very day. After all, no other religion, from the beginning 
 of the world, except that of Moses, and that of Jesus, 
 ever claimed to have been introduced and established by 
 publick miracles, as the testimony of God to the teacher and 
 his doctrine. Popish miracles, heathen miracles, and Mo- 
 hammedan miracles, accord in this, that they were wrought, 
 or asserted to be wrought, in favour of a religion already 
 
 * John iii. 1, 2. + John vii. 31. i John ix. 29—34. 
 ^ John xi. 47, 48. H Acts v. 33—40. 
 
142 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 established and possessed of authority, or publick favour } 
 privately, among friends, or at most before those, who 
 dared not, or were not able, to investigate their preten- 
 sions. There are, therefore, no other claimants in this 
 cause ; though some men speak, as if such claims were 
 quite common things ! The miracles of Moses, and of Jesus, 
 were as much superior to all the effects of magick and 
 enchantment, as well as to those of human imposture, " as 
 " the heavens are above the earth. They stand on the same 
 ground, and must be supported by the same arguments, 
 and share the same fate. So that, if either Jew or Christian 
 could succeed, in discrediting the miracles of Moses, or of 
 Jesus, as God's attestation to the divine mission of either 
 of them ; every shrewd opposer of both, would perceive 
 his advantage, and right him with his own weapons : nay, 
 the attempt itself would tend to universal scepticism. 
 
 P. 31. 1. 4. < The authorities, 4ft •' The quotations, though 
 inaccurate on this page, do not affect the main question. 
 But if the Messiah is to be only an earthly, and not a 
 spiritual Deliverer; what connection can his coming, and 
 the restoration of Israel, have with " the circumcision of the 
 " heart to love the Lord ?" (L. 28—31.) Is not this a 
 spiritual blessing? Or what does Mr. C. suppose to be 
 meant by it? Does he, with many writers concerning Chris- 
 tian baptism, suppose the sign and the thing signified to 
 be the same, or inseparably connected with each other? 
 
 P. 31. last 1. P. 32. 1.1. ' Let evert/ one observe, fyc' 
 — The law of Moses, undeniably, contains three distinct 
 kinds of precepts: moral, ceremonial, and judicial. The 
 moral law is contained in the ten commandments; sum- 
 med up in the two great commandments of " loving God 
 " with all the heart," and " our neighbours as ourselves ;" 
 and explained and enforced by every precept or exhorta- 
 tion in scripture, requiring piety, justice, temperance, inward 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 143 
 
 purity, truth, and love.— The ceremonial law comprises all 
 instituted worship, and the whole of the external observ- 
 ances, respecting sacrifices, festivals, distinction of meats, 
 purifications, and various things; neither arising from the 
 nature of God and man, and mens' relation to God and 
 one another, nor previously obligatory. — The judicial laws 
 were the magistrate's rule of political government. Of the 
 two last, it may be questioned whether they be now in 
 force, or not : but, it is manifest, that they have not 
 been, as to the most essential parts of them, obeyed, since 
 the destruction of the temple, and the dispersion of the 
 Jews; nor can they be obeyed, in the present state of the 
 nation. The ceremonial institutions, not being previously 
 obligatory, might be abolished by the same authority as 
 instituted them. Christians consider them, " as having been 
 " shadows of good things to come ;" and having now 
 answered their end, and received their accomplishment, as 
 disannulled, and of no validity : and it appears to us, that 
 this was intimated with sufficient clearness by the ancient 
 prophets.* Several of the prophets, also, allowed of devi- 
 ations from the ritual law ; and set the example of thern, 
 with acceptance from God, in peculiar circumstances : as 
 Elijah and Elisha, and the other prophets, who were sent 
 to the ten tribes ; and who neither went themselves, nor 
 required the pious remnant of Israelites, to go up to 
 Jerusalem to worship ; and they always marked strongly 
 the superiority of moral to ritual obedience.t Now that, 
 which is inferior in excellency, cannot be of the same 
 nature, and the same immutable obligation, as that which 
 is superior, and to which it must give place, when they 
 
 *Ps. xl. 6—8. Corap. Heb. x. 1-9. Jer.xxxi. 31-34. Comp. Heb. viii. 
 8—13.' t Ps. 1. 23. li. 16, 17. Is. i. 10—18. Jxvi. 3. 
 
 Jer. ?ii. 21- -23. Hos. yi. 6. Am. v. 21—24. 
 
144 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 interfere with each other. — "I desired mercy, and not 
 «-« sacrifice."* 
 
 The judicial laws were framed, with an equity, wisdom, 
 mildness and benevolence, which marks their divine origi- 
 nal : but they were so specially accommodated to Israel, 
 as under a Theocracy,* that they could not be adapted to 
 the political government of nations, in different circum- 
 stances ; though the spirit of them might be very advan- 
 tageously infused into, perhaps, every code of laws on 
 
 earth. 
 
 But the moral law is unchangeable, as to its substantial 
 requirements, in its own nature ; the gospel establishes it, in 
 its full authority, both by the obedience and atonement of 
 Immanuel, by giving it as a rule of duty to all called 
 Christians, and by writing it, in the heart of all, who are 
 really Christians ; thus leading them to love and delight in 
 it to repent of every transgression of it; and to breathe 
 out the constant prayer, « Oh, that my ways were directed 
 " to keep thy statutes !" 
 
 Many professed Christians, and teachers, speak of ' the 
 1 law being abolished,' and a better, a new and mitigated 
 law, introduced by Christianity : but, as I believe this to 
 be, the most general of all heresies, and one of the most 
 destructive both to law and gospel, I shall only say 
 concerning it, "Let Baal plead for himself." The notion 
 undermines the very doctrine of redemption, and hides 
 its glory ; it makes void the holy^ just, and good law of 
 God ; and gives the Jew one of his most plausible argu- 
 ments against Christianity. 
 
 P. 32. 1. 10. < The law of Moses is perfect: '—Each of 
 these laws cannot be perfect, in exactly the same sense, 
 or, the one never could have been preferred before the other. 
 Each of them is perfect, as entirely suited for the purpose, 
 
 * Hos. vi. 6. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 145 
 
 for which God intended it. But if God intended the moral 
 law, as the complete and unchangeable standard of holi- 
 ness, and rule of duty, to all his worshippers under every 
 dispensation, according to which also he will judge the 
 world : if he intended the ritual law, as a temporary rule 
 for instituted worship, a wall of separation to preserve Israel 
 from apostacy to idolatry, and being lost among idolaters, 
 by familiar intercourse with them ; and as a shadow of good 
 things to come : and if he intended the judicial law for the 
 political law of Israel, under the theocracy; the perfection 
 of each, to answer these several intentions, could not be 
 precisely the same. — Now absolute perfection must be 
 entirely the same, wherever it exists ; that is, in God alone % 
 relative perfection, in the fullest sense, belongs to all his 
 works, as he made them ; not more to an angel than to 
 Adam, or the lower creation, or any part of it. — " God 
 <c saw every thing that he had made, and behold it was 
 " very good."* " As for God, his work is perfect :" yet 
 the perfection of the human body does not consist in all 
 being one member; but in the completeness and symmetry 
 of the whole, consisting of many members, each perfectly 
 fitted to its place and office. 
 
 P. 32. I. 23—32. i I have produced, #c.' Perfectly satis- 
 fied with the testimonies from Moses and from David, when 
 soberly interpreted, we have no desire to bring forward any 
 witnesses to oppose them. If indeed there were any con- 
 trariety, Ave might point out Immanuel, and say, " Behold 
 "a greater than Moses, than David is here!" "I am one 
 " that bear witness of myself; and the Father that sent me 
 " beareth witness of me :" the apostles also concur in his 
 testimony ; and so doth " the Holy Spirit, which God 
 « hath given to them that obey him."* But there is no 
 
 *Gen.i.3I. t Matt. xii. 41, 42. John viii. 13-18, xv. 26,27, 
 
 Acts v. 32. 
 
146 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 contrariety ; yea, rather there is the most entire coinci* 
 dence. 
 
 P. 32, last line. p. 33. 1. 1. < These two tables contained 
 4 the whole law. 1 Then the ceremonial and judicial law 
 form no part of that, in behalf of which Mr. C. is plead- 
 ing; for the ten commandments alone were written on the 
 two tables of stone. And, in that case, I have no further 
 controversy with him, on this part of the subject. 
 
 P. 33. 1. 2. ' In the ten, fyc.' I should probably labour 
 in vain, did I attempt to advise Christians, to count the 
 letters of the ten commandments; and to compare them with 
 the number of precepts, of every sort and kind, in the law 
 of Moses. Will not reasonable Jews allow this to be 
 egregious trifling ? " How forcible are right words ! but 
 "what doth your arguing prove?"* If indeed God, or 
 Moses, had told us that each letter in the ten command- 
 ments was the representative of a precept in the law, we 
 ought to have attended to it: but asserting that it is so, 
 without proof, or with no proof but from "the tradition of 
 "the elders," requires no attention. The only sense, in 
 which the ten commandments comprised the whole law, 
 moral, ceremonial, and judicial, is this : — it virtually re- 
 quired every one to obey each ritual, or instituted appoint- 
 ment, for the time in which it continued to be in force ; 
 as a part of the general obedience to the law of God : but 
 if the same authority, which instituted, afterwards abolished 
 the institution, that obligation ceased. 
 
 Let it, however, be carefully observed, that a law, in 
 every sense as perfect as it can be, is not all which a 
 sinner wants, in order to salvation or happiness, (p. 33. 
 1. 7 — 9.) " If there had been a law given, which could have 
 " given life, verily righteousness should have been by the 
 Jt law : but the scripture hath shut up all under sin."t An 
 
 * Job. vi. 25. + Gal. iii. 21,22. Comp. Ps. exxx. 3, 4. cxliii. 2. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 141 
 
 act of parliament, however good, cannot meet the case of 
 a criminal exposed to condemnation, or already condemned 
 for breaking it; or supersede the necessity of a pardon from 
 the king. Mr. C. himself observes, that in the twenty-eighth 
 chapter of Deuteronomy, ' is pronounced the blessing for 
 4 obedience and the curses for disobedience.' Now the law 
 cannot be sufficient for the happiness of him, whom it curses 
 for disobedience ; the law in itself says nothing concerning 
 forgiveness ; this must come from the mercy of the Law- 
 giver. "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose 
 " sin is covered :"* and " the circumcision of the heart," by 
 which transgressors are brought to repent and turn to God, 
 and love and serve him, is the work of his special grace, 
 according to the new covenant, by which he " writes the 
 " law in our hearts," while " our sins and iniquities lie 
 " remembers no more."t We suppose that the ritual law, 
 rightly understood, contained the gospel of mercy and grace, 
 as proposed to Israel ; which when Christ came, and after 
 liis crucifixion, was virtually abrogated: and plain testi- 
 monies, invitations, and promises, made known the way 
 of salvation to mankind. As * a law of works,' the gospel 
 itself cannot save transgressors, any more than the law of 
 Moses can. "All have sinned, and come short of the 
 " glory of God ;" yea, every man has broken his own law, 
 that which he, however erroneously, has proposed to him- 
 self as the law of God; and thus he is condemned by his 
 own conscience and heart : and if our " heart condemn us, 
 *' God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things!" 
 
 We do not then say, that God has by Jesus given a 
 new and better law: but that "he is the Mediator of a 
 (t better covenant" than that made with Israel, by the 
 typical mediation of Moses. It is manifest, that God made 
 a covenant with Abraham, of which circumcision was the 
 
 • Ps. xxxii. 1,2, t Jcr. xxxi. 31— S4« 
 
148 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 outward seal; but of which the Aaroniek priesthood and 
 most of the ceremonies were no part : and surely the apos- 
 tles argument is conclusive, " The covenant which was 
 "confirmed," (that is, with Abraham) "of God in Christ; 
 " the law which was four hundred and thirty years after, 
 " could not disannul."* This covenant, so manifestly distinct 
 from the Sinai Covenant, we suppose to have comprised for 
 substance what the prophets, and the writers of the New 
 Testament, speak of, as " a new and everlasting covenant." 
 
 But as the new covenant, in various circumstances, differed 
 from that made with Abraham ; it is generally spoken of, 
 in appropriate language, distinguishing it from the national 
 covenant with Israel. The passage from Jeremiah, which 
 the apostle produces and argues from, in an unanswerable 
 manner, has been considered :t and the same prophet pro- 
 poses the subject in similar language in a subsequent chapter. 
 " I will give them one heart and one way that they may 
 " fear me for ever ; for the good of them, and of their 
 " children after them : I will make an everlasting covenant 
 " with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them 
 "good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they 
 " shall not depart from me."}: This must certainly be dis- 
 tinct from the Sinai-Covenant, in which none of these things 
 are engaged for. — Thus Ezekiel also; "I will remember my 
 " covenant with thee, in the days of thy youth, and I will 
 "establish with thee an everlasting covenant. —Then shalt 
 " thou remember thy ways and be ashamed, when thou shalt 
 "receive thy sisters, the elder and the younger," (Samaria 
 and Sodom,) " and I will give them unto thee, for daugh- 
 ters, but not by thy covenant:^ "God will remember his 
 "covenant with Israel;" "He will establish unto Israel an 
 
 * Gal. iii. 16, 17. 
 
 f Jer. xxxi. 31—34. Heb, viii. S.— 13. x. 15— 18. 
 
 i Jer. xxxii. 39, 40. ^ Ez. xvi. 60, 61. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 149 
 
 "everlasting covenant:" and he -will give the Gentiles "to 
 " them for daughters, but not by thy covenant." — What 
 does this mean ; but that God will restore Israel, not by the 
 national covenant, but by another distinct covenant, including 
 the Gentiles also ? For substance, this was the Abrahamick 
 covenant;* more explicitly proposed by the Messiah, as 
 " the new covenant in his blood/' and of which he is the 
 Surety and Mediator. — Thus again, speaking of the restora- 
 tion of Israel ; " My Servant David shall be their Prince for 
 " ever ; and I will make a covenant of peace with them ; 
 " and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them, &c."+ 
 Is it not evident, that this " covenant of peace,'' which God 
 will make with Israel, on their restoration, and under which. 
 " David shall be their Prince for ever," is entirely distinct 
 from that covenant, which God made with their fathers, at 
 Mount Sinai ? 
 
 In like manner, God by Isaiah says to the Messiah : " I 
 " will give thee for a Covenant of the people, for a Light 
 " of the Gentiles.":}:— And again, " I will preserve thee, and 
 <l give thee for a Covenant of the people, to establish the 
 u earth, &c"§ And again, " Incline your ear, and come to 
 " me, hear and your souls shall live : and I will make an 
 " everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of 
 " David."|| Whether we understand this literally of David,? 
 or figuratively of the Messiah; it must denote a covenant 
 distinct from the national covenant of Israel; and one which 
 is made through the Messiah with individuals, who < obe}' 
 ' the calling,' and with no others. — Again, "And the Re- 
 " deemer shall come to Zion; and unto them who turn from 
 " transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord, as for me, this is 
 u my covenant with them, saith the Lord, &c." — Now, this 
 
 * Ps. cv. 8—10. t Ez. xxxvii. 25-27. $ Is. xfii- •• 
 
 ^ Is. xlix. 8. See also liv. 10. I! Is. lv. 3- 
 
 ? 2 Sam. xxih\ 5, Ps. lxxxix, 4, 5. 
 
150 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 covenant made with a remnant of penitent Jews, at the 
 coming of the Redeemer, (or at any other time,) could not 
 be the same, with the national covenant made with Israel at 
 Mount Sinai." In like manner, also Gabriel says to Daniel, 
 concerning the Messiah, " he shall confirm the covenant with 
 "many for one week."* Now this covenant which was 
 confirmed " with many" while the rest were given up to 
 desolations, could not be the national covenant of Sinai. — In 
 fact, in the Old Testament, as well as the New, the covenant 
 made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and not the Sinai 
 Covenant, is almost always referred to, whenever the pro- 
 mised mercies to Israel are spoken of.+ 
 
 We therefore conclude, that the Messiah is " the Mediator 
 " of a new and a better covenant," than that made with 
 Israel at Mount Sinai, promising far more valuable blessings 
 to those with whom it is made, and securing them in a far 
 more irrevocable and unalterable manner : being for sub- 
 stance the same, with the covenant made with Abraham, in 
 behalf of himself and his Seed, even Christ, and confirmed 
 by the oath, which was sworn unto him : including also the 
 Gentiles, who are grafted into the good olive-tree by faith 
 in the Messiah, and so " partake of the root and fatness of 
 " the good olive-tree.''^ — But as this is proposed, in a new, 
 and clearer manner, and its extent, and blessings, and secu- 
 rity, are more explicitly exhibited; it is generally called 
 " the new covenant," as distinguished from the Sinai Cove- 
 nant. I forbear to quote the New Testament on this subject; 
 except as I introduce it, to shew what our views on this 
 subject are, and on what grounds we consider them war- 
 ranted by clear testimonies from the Old Testament. This 
 
 * Dan. ix. 27. 
 
 + Deut. iv. SI. viii. 18. 2 Kings xiii. 23. I Chr. xyi. 15—18. Neh. ix. S. 
 
 Ps. cv. 9, 10. Micah vii . 20. Luke i. 54, 55. 72—75. 
 
 i Rom. xi. 16-24. Heb. vi. 13—18. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 151 
 
 part of the subject is wholly overlooked by Mr. C. but 
 this new covenant, is a far different thing from a new law. 
 This I suppose St. Paul meant, when he said, " not with- 
 " out law to God, but under the law to Christ." (swo^oc 
 
 We indeed read in the New Testament of " fulfilling the 
 "law of Christ:" but I apprehend the apostle meant, the 
 new commandment requiring Christians to love one another 
 for his sake, and according to the pattern of his love to 
 them.t However, the constant reference of the apostles to 
 the moral law of ten commandments as the rule of our duty, 
 sufficiently proves, that Jesus did not intend to abolish the 
 holy, just, good, and spiritual law of the Old Testament, 
 to substitute one of a milder and more indulgent nature 
 in its place-! 
 
 P. 33. 1. 12. ' This law cannot make happy, fyc.' — No 
 law can make happy him who has broken it. — " Blessed are 
 " they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness 
 " at all times." " He that doeth these things shall live in 
 " them." " The soul that sinneth, it shall die."§ « Where 
 "is then the blessedness?" "Blessed is he whose iniquity 
 " is forgiven, and whose sin is covered." " Blessed is the 
 " man, to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity." But 
 this properly belongs, not to the law but to the gospel ;|| 
 for " Without shedding of blood there is no remission." 
 
 L. 19, 20. * He ought to have, tyc.' — True Christians 
 never think of prescribing to God what he ought to do : it 
 is their question, " What must I do to be saved ?"— " Lord 
 "what wouldst thou have me to do?" 
 
 L. 22. < In number seventy, %c:— It is not very easy to 
 make out the number of the distinct families, which sprang 
 
 * 1 Cor. ix. 21. + Johnxtii. 34. Gal. vi. 2. 1 John ii. 7, 8. 
 
 + Rom. vii. 12. xiii. 8—10. Gal. v. 14. Eph. vi. 1, 2. Jam. ii- 8—11. 
 ^ Ps.cvi. 3. Ez. xviii. 4. -w. 11. 21. Luke x. 25—29 
 )| Ps. xxxii. 1, 2. exxx 4, 5. Rom. iv. 6— S. 
 
152 ANSWER TO TOE 
 
 from Noah's three sons; as any one will find, if he attempt 
 to be accurate, and to distinguish exactly between their 
 immediate and their more remote descendants. I do not 
 think the matter deserving of a laboured investigation : but 
 as Mr. C purposes to build much upon it, he ought well 
 to secure the foundation; else the whole superstructure will 
 fall to the ground on the slightest assault. 
 
 L. 29 SO. * Lest we be scattered, and God said, they 
 'shall he scattered.' — Scatter is not a very appropriate 
 word for such a regular allotment, as Mr. C. supposes 
 was made of the earth, to these seventy families at this 
 time.* Jacob said of Simeon and Levi, " I will divide 
 "them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel."* And God 
 declared by Moses, "I said, I would scatter them into cor- 
 ners." — " I W ould make the remembrance of them to cease 
 " from among men. "J And Israel is now scattered among 
 the nations : but could Joshua, when he divided the promised 
 land among the tribes of Israel, be said to scatter them in 
 Canaan ? 
 
 L. 31. ' The heavenly Sanhedrin, %c> As the scripture re- 
 veals nothing of this Sanhedrin and their proceedings; I 
 must consider the whole as a mere fable, and class them 
 with the legends of popery; that especially, which gives 
 the several countries of the world, to different saints, who 
 are the special patrons of them: and who, I suppose, go 
 to war with one another, when these nations choose to 
 engage in war; nay, with God himself, when they war 
 against his chosen people! Thus St. James is the patron 
 saint of Spain, St. George of England, St. Patrick of 
 Ireland, St. Dennis of France.— The virgin Mary, I have 
 lately heard, is now substituted in the place of the latter. 
 We require the word of God, not the dreams of men- 
 
 * Gen. *i. 3—9. + Gen. xlix. 7. i Lc\, xxyi. 33. Deut, ir. 27. 
 
 xxx, 3. xxxii. 26. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. ]53 
 
 C; What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord ?"* 
 There is not the least ground in scripture, for supposing 
 any such regular allotment of the countries, to the several 
 families descended from Noah. The greatest part of the 
 earth was to them terra incognita, an unknown country. 
 A succession of most stupendous miracles must have oc- 
 curred, even in many respects far greater, than that of 
 Israel's deliverance from Egypt and settlement in Canaan ; 
 in making known to each of these families the distant, 
 unknown, and uncultivated country allotted to it; in pre- 
 vailing on them to leave the rest of mankind, and all the 
 cultivated parts of the world, to go in quest of this un- 
 known land ; and in conducting them, some to one region, 
 and some to another ; several of them to the most remote 
 districts of the four continents ; and also to the islands of 
 the sea, before, as far as we know, ships were in use. — 
 To raise such an hypothesis as this, from the two verses 
 in the eleventh of Genesis on this subject, may prove 
 ingenuity ; but it must fall, and 
 
 4 Like the baseless fabrick of a vision, 
 ' Leave not a wreck behind.' 
 
 God was pleased to scatter mankind : he knew where each 
 tribe or family would eventually settle ; and he left matters 
 to their course, according to the usual methods of his pro- 
 vidence. This sufficed, as far as the intended inheritance 
 of Israel was concerned :t and we have no further infor- 
 mation of his purposes. 
 
 P. 34. 1. 33. ' The lot of God, #c.' (L. 18.)— God, then, 
 did not choose Abraham and his posterity to be his por- 
 tion ;£ but the heavenly Sanhedrin settled it by lot. (P. 33. 
 1. 31—34.) But what is the lot? " The lot is cast into 
 
 * Jer.xxiii. 25—29. + Dan. xxxii. S. £ Deut. rii. 6, 7. 
 
 Neh. ix. 7. Is. xli. 8, 9. xliv. 1. 
 
 x 
 
154 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 (l the lap, but the whole disposing of it is of the Lord."* 
 The heart revolts and shudders, at the narration of the great 
 dispensations of the infinite God, in such language, as 
 hardly suits even the more important concerns of puny 
 mortals. 
 
 Last line but one. * One good family :' i a right to his 
 6 oracles:' (P. 35. 1. 7.) < an act of justice: (L. 12.) I 
 only note these expressions, that they may not escape the 
 reader's attention. At present, I desire the reader to recol- 
 lect, if he can, any thing of similar language on the sub- 
 ject in the scripture: and I quote a passage or two, suited 
 to convey other ideas of the transaction : lt Speak not in 
 " thine heart,— for my righteousness the Lord hath brought 
 " me in to possess this land. — Not for thy righteousness, nor 
 " for the uprightness of thy heart, dost thou go in to 
 " possess this land : but for the wickedness of these nations 
 " the Lord doth drive them out from before thee ; and 
 il that he may perform the word, which the Lord sware 
 u unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. — Under- 
 " stand, therefore, that the Lord thy God giveth thee 
 " not this good land to possess it for thy righteousness, for 
 "thou art a stiff-necked people." — ''Ye have been rebel- 
 il lious against the Lord, from the day that I knew you."t 
 _" In the day when I chose Israel, and lifted up my hand 
 " unto the seed of the house of Jacob, and made myself 
 ** known to them in the land of Egypt.'' — " I said unto 
 " them, Cast ye away every man the abominations of his 
 " eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt; 
 "I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled against 
 " me, and would not hearken unto me ; they did not cast 
 " away every man the abominations of their eyes, neither 
 " did they forsake the idols of Egypt : then I said, I will 
 " pour out my fury to accomplish mine anger in the midst 
 
 * ProY. xvt. 33. + Deut. ix, 4—7, 24. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 155 
 
 t* of the land of Egypt. But I wrought for my name's 
 
 * sake."*—" And ye shall remember your ways, and all 
 "your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall 
 " lothe yourselves in your own sight, for all your evils 
 " that ye have committed. And ye shall know that I am 
 "the Lord, when I have wrought with you for my name'* 
 " sake ; not according to your wicked ways, nor according 
 " to your corrupt doings, O ye house of Israel, saith the 
 "Lord God."t The man, who claims of God what is 
 
 justly due to him, shall have it "without mercy." But 
 God confers his favours on those, who allow that they do 
 not deserve them. As I cannot understand, so I do not 
 stay to enquire, in what sense i the lot of God was in 
 
 * number, as much as that of the seventy angels.' (P. 34. 
 1. 30.) 
 
 P. 35. 1. 28. ' They are called and invited by the word of 
 
 4 the Lord, #c.' Does this mean, that without circumcision, 
 
 or being proselyted to the observance of the ritual law, 
 men may share the benefits of Israel? If it do, it is a 
 concession, which I did not expect to meet with ; but the 
 words, no law, no promise, seem to confine it to those who 
 are fully proselyted. 
 
 P. 36. 1. 30. ' Here is the calling, SfcJ — Are then no 
 more Gentiles to share these blessings, than can dwell 
 among the Jews and Israel in the land of promise? This, 
 I fear, will in great measure disannul the former conces- 
 sion ; for the land of Canaan can hold a very small part 
 of the Gentiles, that is, the inhabitants of the globe, along 
 with Israel. — It is, however, proper to note the assertion, 
 that Abraham was forty-eight years old, when the earth was 
 divided. (P. 34. 1. 10.) 
 
 We find in Genesis, that " unto Eber were born two 
 " sons : the name of the one was Peleg ; for in his days 
 * Ez. xx, 5—9. + Ez. xx. 43.. 44. 
 
156 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 "was the earth divided,"* The word Pekg signifies dim* 
 sion. According to the chronology, calculated from the 
 fifth and the eleventh, of Genesis, Peleg was born about 
 A- M. 1757. Terah, the father of Abraham, descended from 
 Peleg by Reu, Serug, and Nahor, was born about A. M. 
 1878. Terah died at the age of 205 years, and his son 
 Abraham was then seventy five years old ;t so that he was 
 born when Terah was 130 : about A. M. 2008; or 251 years 
 after Peleg was boVn : but Peleg lived in all, no more than 
 239 years4 — Peleg died A. M. 1996. Abraham, according 
 to Moses, was born A. M. 2008. — This suffices to shew, that 
 general assertions from tradition, when compared with the 
 scripture, are often detected to be false, and are always 
 ■uncertain. — Probably, Peleg 1 s name was given him, about 
 the time of his birth, which occurred 251 years before that 
 of Abraham. 
 
 L. 14. ' He cursed them, Sfc. 1 The Psalm, from which 
 Mr. C. adduces the words of Abraham's curse, le Destroy, O 
 " Lord, and divide their tongues," is expressly ascribed 
 to David, in the Hebrew Bible, after the manner of the 
 other Psalms written by him.§ It is generally allowed to 
 have been composed during Absalom's rebellion, and to 
 relate to Ahitophel.|| 
 
 P. 36. 1. 11. ' For he who will be a sharer, $c.' This 
 hint should be carefully observed ; as it seems to be over- 
 looked in great measure, in the following parts of the 
 publication. Perhaps, however, it is exclusively meant of 
 proselytes from the Gentiles, and not of Israelites by birth. 
 
 P. 36. last line but one. 'The Messiah's kingdom is 
 'not spiritual, but absolutely earthly.' 
 
 is the kingdom of the messiah spiritual, or 
 absolutely earthly? 
 
 * Gen. x. 25. t Gen. xi. 32. xii. 4. + Gen. xi. 18, 19. 
 
 \ Ps.lv. Title. || Ps.lv. 9— 15. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 157 
 
 I introduce this part of our subject, by forming Mr. C's 
 assertion into a question, which I purpose to discuss. 
 
 Last line. ' In the last chapter of Ezekiel, <$c.' It would 
 be easy to shew, that the strictly literal interpretation of 
 Ezekiel's vision, including the last nine chapters, is attended 
 by very great, if not absolutely insurmountable difficulties. 
 It is generally allowed to be one of the most obscure por- 
 tions in the whole scripture; I apprehend, the most obscure 
 of all. Various opinions have been formed respecting the 
 times and events to which it relates: but the order in which 
 it follows the predictions of ' the Restoration of Israel,' and 
 the slaughter of those powerful opposers, predicted under the 
 names Gog and Magog ; its coincidence, in this respect, with 
 the New Testament predictions of the establishment of the 
 millennium, after the terrible destruction of all opposers ;* 
 and, in addition to all, its very obscurity leads me to con- 
 clude, that it relates to events yet future, and subsequent to 
 the conversion and ' Restoration of Israel.' But I am fully 
 persuaded that nothing, previous to its fulfilment, will enable 
 any man to know, how far it should be understood liter allj/, 
 and how far figuratively. The city, (which is never called 
 Jerusalem,) according to the admeasurement assigned to it, 
 would be forty miles square : and the land, (which is never 
 called Canaan,) of far larger dimensions, than that divided 
 by Joshua. Exactly the same proportion is assigned to each 
 tribe, without any difference as to numbers ; and each por- 
 tion is stated as extended directly across the country. I only 
 hint these things, as obvious difficulties to the strictly literal 
 interpretation ; and to shew how little certainty there can 
 be in our reasonings from this obscure unfulfilled prophecy, 
 
 I have already observed, and desire again to point out to 
 the reader; that ' the Restoration of Israel' is, neither in Eze- 
 
 * Notes, Ez. xxxix. xl. xlviii.— Rev. xix. xx. Family Bible by the 
 author. 
 
158 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 kiel, nor in any of the prophets, directly connected with the 
 coming of the Messiah: but if his coming be spoken of, 
 something is constantly introduced, between the mention of 
 it and the prophecy of Israel's restoration- — Thus in Isaiah, 
 the calling of the Gentiles is introduced between the coming 
 of the Messiah, and the Restoration of Israel.* Thus in 
 Amos, the same order is observed. t — But in very many pro- 
 phecies, the coming of the Messiah is not at all mentioned : 
 He is supposed to have come, and to have set up his king- 
 dom ; and at length Israel receives him, or submits to him, 
 and is restored.^ — The prophecy of Jeremiah seems more 
 like an exception to this statement, than any other :$ yet the 
 days of the Restoration of Israel, are marked distinctly, as 
 subsequent to his coming. It may also be observed, that 
 the coming of the Messiah is, in several prophecies, closely 
 connected with judgments on the Jews, as the immediate 
 consequence; which is wholly inconsistent with the restora- 
 tion of the nation being the immediate con sequence. |j 
 
 I would however most especially observe, as connected 
 with the present question, that ' the Restoration of Israel' is 
 uniformly connected with the promise of spiritual blessings: 
 if forgiveness of sins, and renewal of the heart to holiness, 
 be spiritual blessings. It will, I believe, be difficult to find 
 any clear exception to this arrangement. Thus Moses con- 
 nects that event with their confessing their sins, " their 
 " uncircumcised hearts being humbled ; and their accepting 
 (i the punishment of their sin." — And let it be here noted, 
 that the Lord says, " Then I will remember my covenant," 
 " with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also 
 " my covenant with Abraham. "H — The Abrahamick, not 
 the Sinai-covenant is pointed out. 
 
 * Is. xi. 10— 1G. t Am. ix. 11—15. + Ez. xxxiv. 23—31. 
 
 xxxyi. 21 — 28. Hos. iii. A, 5. ^ Jer. xxiii. 5 — 8. U Dan. ix. 
 
 24—27. Zee. ix. 9, 10. xiii. 7—9. Mai. iii. 1—5. f Lct. xxvi, 4o— 4?> 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL, 159 
 
 Again, predicting of the present dispersion of Israel : 
 " But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, 
 " thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart 
 " and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and 
 "all these things are come upon thee in the latter days; 
 " if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient 
 «' to his voice, (for the Lord thy God is a merciful God,) 
 " he will not forsake thee, nor destroy thee ; nor forget the 
 t6 covenant of thy fathers, which he sware unto them."*— 
 Observe again, " the covenant of thy fathers, which he 
 " sware unto them.''t The Sinai Covenant was not con- 
 firmed with an oath. 
 
 But whence does this conduct of the dispersed Israelites 
 arise? — Moses, speaking concerning the same events, says, 
 iC The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart to love 
 " the Lord thy God, with all thy heart."{ 
 
 It would be far too prolix to adduce the other passages, 
 which connect the Restoration of Israel with spiritual bless- 
 ings; and I must only refer the reader to them.§ And let 
 those, who contend for an absolutely earthly kingdom, pro- 
 duce those prophecies, in which this connection cannot be 
 traced; if indeed any such can be found. If then the 
 Restoration of Israel be seldom, if ever, immediately con- 
 nected with the coming of the Messiah ; if his coming be 
 sometimes predicted in connection with judgments on the 
 Jewish nation ; and if i the Restoration of Israel' be uni- 
 formly predicted in connection with spiritual blessings to be 
 poured out on the nation : we shall understand what estimate 
 we ought to make of the assertion; that " the kingdom of 
 " the Messiah is not spiritual, but absolutely 
 
 * Deut. iv. 29—31. + Gen. xxii. 16, 17. Ps. cv. 8-10. 
 
 luke i. 72—74. Heb. vi. 14—18. % Deut. xxx. 6. 
 
 \ Is. xi. 11—16. xii. 1-3. lix. 20,21. Jer. xxxi. 31—36. xxxii. 39—41. 
 Ez. xi. 17—20. xxxvi. 24-28. Ho». xiv. Mic. "vii. 15—20. Zcph. iii. 
 IS— 20. Zech. xii. 10—14. 
 
160 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 "earthly: 1 ' especially as the kingdom of the Messiah 
 and the Restoration of Israel are constantly considered by 
 the writer, as inseparably united. 
 
 P. 37. h 10. 'One Shepherd, #c. s We Christians are 
 apt to think, that invaluable spiritual blessings are implied 
 in the title of Shepherd, as used concerning the Messiah, 
 in several of these prophecies : and we suppose, that this is 
 grounded on many parts of the Old Testament, as well as 
 on the New ; and contains a prominent revelation of " the 
 " great mystery of godliness, God is manifest in the flesh." — 
 "Jehovah is my Shepherd," says David; and again, "Give 
 " ear, O Shepherd of Israel."* — " He shall feed his flock 
 " like a Shepherd : he shall gather the lambs with his arm, 
 " and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those 
 * that are with young."t— " And he shall stand and feed 
 " in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name 
 "of Jehovah his God.":}; Who is here spoken of? Surely, 
 he who was to be born at Bethlehem, " whose goings forth 
 f have been from of old, from everlasting." — « Awake, O 
 " sword, against my Shepherd, against the Man, who is my 
 "fellow, saith the Lord of hosts; smite the Shepherd,"^ — 
 When, I say, we consider these predictions in connection, 
 with what the New Testament says, of " the good Shep- 
 " herd, who layeth down his life, for the sheep :" (i the 
 " great Shepherd of the sheep :" " the chief Shepherd :"|j 
 we consider vast, yea, all spiritual blessings, involved in 
 this name alone. 
 
 P. 38. 1. 6. * He shall execute judgment and justice in 
 i the earth ,•' but not in heaven. I do not see the intention 
 of this addition to this text from Jeremiah. Our enquiry 
 is not concerning the kingdom of the Messiah in heaven ; 
 (though he there reigns Lord of all worlds,) but the nature 
 
 * Ps. xxiii. 1,2. Ixxx. 1. + Is. xl. 11. i Mic. v. 2—4. 
 
 § Zech. xiii. 7. B John x. 11 — 14. 26—30. Heb. xiii. 20. 1 Pet. v. 4. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 161 
 
 of that kingdom, which he hath set up, or will set up, on 
 earth ; whether the nature and administration of it be spiritual 
 or 'altogether earthly.'— Perhaps it is meant, that he shall 
 reign visibly on earth; and not as ascended into heaven, 
 and ruling by his providence and the influences of his 
 grace. This, however, suggests the propriety of stating most 
 explicitly our views of a spiritual kingdom, as distinguished 
 from one ( altogether earthly.' 
 
 We consider that as an earthly kingdom, (whether we see 
 the king or not,) which is administered, in great measure, 
 like the other kingdoms of this world ; and which pro- 
 vides, or professes to provide, only for the temporal secu- 
 rity and prosperity of its subjects. It may indeed be con- 
 nected with the support or establishment of religion, in 
 one form or other; but it does not profess directly to confer 
 spiritual blessings on those, over whom it is established. 
 On the other hand, we consider that as a spiritual kingdom, 
 which is conducted on different principles, from the king- 
 doms of this world, and for other purposes ; which does not 
 profess to confer temporal wealth, honour, and prosperity 
 on any of i<s subjects; nor always to secure them from 
 great and heavy temporal trials, and oppressions; but 
 immediately to confer spiritual blessings, on all who truly 
 belong to it, even "righteousness, and peace, and joy in 
 "the Holy Ghost."* "Spiritual blessings," are those bene- 
 fits which, (besides their tendency to our temporal comfort) 
 secure the eternal happiness of our immortal souls, and also 
 that of our bodies as raised incorruptible and glorious: but 
 merely earthly blessings, at most, only conduce to our 
 comfort and well-being, for our short and uncertain con- 
 tinuance in this present world. To say, therefore, that the 
 Messiah's kingdom is spiritual, implies, that it secures, (as 
 distinct from temporal good,) eternal happiness, to all the 
 
 * Rom. xiv. 17. Eph. i. 3. 
 Y 
 
162 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 true subjects of it: but to say, that it is ' altogether earthly,' 
 in our view of it, denotes, that it only secures earthly 
 advantages to its subjects, however loyal and faithful ; and 
 that, as to eternal happiness or misery, it leaves them pre- 
 cisely as they were. If Mr. C. or the Jews in general, 
 understand the terms in any other sense, when that sense 
 is clearly stated, it may require consideration. 
 
 Our view of the Messiah's kingdom, as spiritual, does 
 not exclude many temporal advantages ensured to its 
 genuine subjects: for whatever prepares the soul for holy 
 happiness in another world, adds to our true comfort in 
 this life ; and to them, who " seek first the kingdom of 
 " God, and his righteousness," " all other things shall be 
 "added." "The Lord will give grace and glory; and 
 " no good thing will he withhold from them that walk 
 " uprightly."* But we exclude from the catalogue of these 
 blessings, whatever tends to gratify, and give energy to, 
 man's corrupt passions; such as rapacity for wealth, am- 
 bition of pre-eminence, lust of dominion, thirst after revenge, 
 desire of the pleasures, pomp, and pride of life; and 
 indeed the craving after any animal indulgence, beyond 
 the rule of duty, expediency, and love to all men.— -And 
 we give an immense pre-eminence to those blessings, which 
 will be enjoyed for ever, above the most rational and legi- 
 timate comforts of this present state.— To be made partakers 
 of heavenly wisdom and knowledge; to have " the heart 
 " circumcised," by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit; 
 to be pardoned, and justified by faith, with believing 
 Abraham; to be renewed unto holiness; to have God for 
 our Father, Friend, and Portion ; our " Guide unto death, 
 " and," at that crisis, " to receive us to glory ;" to walk 
 with him, in assured faith and hope; to worship him in 
 " the Spirit of adoption;" to enjoy the earnests and fore- 
 
 * Ps. lxxxiv. 11. Matt. vi. 33. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 163 
 
 tastes of eternal happiness; to be delivered from the fear of 
 death, and at length from death itself, when " mortality 
 " shall be swallowed up in life :" These are some of the 
 spiritual blessings of our Messiah's kingdom. 
 
 On the other hand, < a kingdom altogether earthly,' 
 would supply or ensure none of these things; neither 
 heavenly wisdom and knowledge, nor renewal unto holiness, 
 nor "justification unto life," nor " reconciliation unto God," 
 nor adoption into his family ; nor the meetness for a holy 
 heaven, nor admission into it; nor "the resurrection of the 
 "just." If these things belong exclusively to a spiritual 
 kingdom ; it would be waste of time, to bring a formal proof, 
 that the Messiah's kingdom, at least includes spiritual bless- 
 ings to its true subjects. But if such blessings be included 
 in Mr. C.'s notion of an altogether earthly kingdom; he 
 only uses words in a different sense, than we do, or men 
 in general do, and " a strife of words" is not edifying. 
 
 I suspect, however, that the question, whether these things 
 are included among the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom, 
 or not, was out of sight, when he wrote the passage : 
 for, while temporal advantages appear far most prominent 
 in his mind, in every part of his book, he occasionally 
 gives intimations of some things, that are certainly spiritual 
 blessings, which will be conferred by the Messiah. 
 
 According to the expectations of the Jews in the time 
 of Jesus, and even the expectations of his apostles before 
 his resurrection ; it is evident, that a Messiah, coming, like 
 the conquerors of this world, but far superior in power to all 
 of them ; to free the nation of Israel from subjection to the 
 Romans, and from all foreign vassalage ; to lead them forth 
 to victory and triumph ; to subjugate other nations, and to 
 advance Israel to pre-eminence, prosperity, and dominion; 
 constituted the object of their desires and hopes. It is also 
 evident, that this, in most instances, was connected with the 
 
164 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 thirst after a contemptuous and insulting revenge upon their 
 oppressors, and of exercising a haughty and severe domina- 
 tion over mankind at large: and, as far as I can judge 
 from the specimen before me, it appears, that the expec- 
 tation and desire, of modern Jews, are nearly the same. If 
 this be not the case, let them explicitly declare, what they 
 do expect and desire, at the supposed coming of their 
 Messiah. 
 
 It is now becoming more and more the opinion of stu- 
 dious Christians, that when Israel shall be converted to 
 their long rejected Messiah, they will be gathered from 
 their dispersions, and reinstated in their own land ; which 
 being rendered as fertile, as in times past, (perhaps much 
 more so,) and extended to the utmost limits of the grants 
 made to the patriarchs ; will yield them in rich abundance 
 all things needful and comfortable for this present life. It 
 is also thought, that they will live in this land, under rulers 
 of their own nation, as the vicegerents of the Messiah, of 
 David, or " the Son of David," in entire peace and security, 
 free from invader or oppressor, and from the fear of any : 
 and that, along with all spiritual blessings in rich abun- 
 dance, they will be voluntarily regarded, by all other 
 nations, then truly converted to Christianity, with peculiar 
 love, and gratitude, and honour, as the source of all their 
 spiritual blessings ; and especially, as most nearly related 
 to their common Messiah and Saviour, who is " the Light 
 " of the Gentiles, and the Glory of his people Israel." 
 
 It is indeed supposed, according to several prophecies, 
 that great opposition will be made by many powerful 
 enemies, to this their restoration ; and that immense destruc- 
 tion of opposing Gentiles will precede and attend it, while 
 other Gentiles will concur in promoting it. But, this being 
 accomplished, a general conversion of the nations will follow, 
 till those prophecies, which assure us, " that the earth shall 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. l(j^ 
 
 " be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord 
 " as the waters cover the sea," shall be literally accom- 
 plished; that then, "they will beat their swords into 
 "plough-shares — and learn war no more;" and that this 
 state will continue at least a thousand years, and nearly to 
 the end of the world. During this whole period, an hono- 
 rary and affectionate pre-eminence will be freely rendered 
 to Israel, by all the numberless partakers of the blessings 
 of their Messiah's reign. 
 
 But it is not supposed, that Israel will either possess or 
 desire authoritative dominion over the nations; or any 
 thing to gratify the corrupt passions before spoken of; but 
 every tiling to promote "righteousness and peace, and joy 
 " in the Holy Ghost," The personal reign of Christ on 
 earth, the existence, or non-existence, of the ceremonial 
 law of Moses; and several other things, are differently held 
 by different persons: and it is not needful for the author 
 to be very explicit here, concerning his own sentiments on 
 these points. — But the above is the outline of his views, 
 after the constant study of the scriptures, day by day, 
 during thirty-eight years at least. 
 
 Every promise of the Messiah, from that made to our 
 fallen first parents, which contains, as it were in embrio, 
 all the blessings of redemption and deliverance from sin 
 and all its consequences; from Satan and his dominion, 
 with victory and triumph over all enemies; and those to 
 Abraham, and throughout the scripture; to the last pre= 
 diction of the Old Testament, " Unto you that fear my 
 " name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing 
 " in his beams ;"* combine in shewing, that spiritual bless- 
 ings, primarily and especially, constitute the felicity of 
 Messiah's reign: and I shall not weary the reader by 
 enlarging in so plain a case. 
 
 * Gen. iii. 15. Mai. iv, ?. 
 
166 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 In fact, I should feel an increasing- disregard to the re- 
 sult of the controversy, if I could doubt that the blessings 
 of Messiah's kingdom were spiritual and eternal. Were 
 I a Jew, or proselyte; and were 'an altogether earthly 
 1 kingdom,' in all possible glory and majesty established, 
 under an earthly Messiah ; and did I occupy the highest 
 station in this kingdom : what, at my time of life, and 
 with the full conviction, that " shortly I must put off this 
 " my tabernacle;" I say, what good could such a station 
 secure to me? — But if I am partaker of those spiritual and 
 eternal blessings, which "are the gift of God through Jesus 
 "Christ," I have "all my salvation and all my desire;" 
 and may say with Simeon, " Now, Lord, dismissest thou 
 w thy servant in peace ; for mine eyes have seen thy sal- 
 " vation :" or, with dying Jacob, " I have waited for thy 
 "salvation, O Lord."* And here, I cannot but lament 
 that Mr. C, throughout his book, does not appear to be 
 possessed with any deeply realizing and influencing views 
 of an eternal world of happiness or misery. It is not easy 
 to discover, with exactness, what his sentiments are on these 
 topicks. There are indeed, occasionally, some intimations 
 on this immensely momentous subject; yet in general he 
 writes, very much as if this world were our all. Probably, 
 he has the same sentiments of the superior advantages 
 of Jews above Gentiles, as to eternal salvation, which his 
 ancestors had in the days of Christ: but they are not 
 prominently stated, or particularly insisted on, as the grand 
 concern; and not at all, in any connection with the com- 
 ing and kingdom of the Messiah. If I understand him, 
 salvation is to be to the Jews by the law of Moses; and in 
 no respect by the Messiah. 
 
 Now, as I most firmly believe, that after this vain, 
 transient, and uncertain life, a state of endless happiness 
 
 * Geo. xlix. 18. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 167 
 
 or misery will follow ; and that, as all arc sinners, no 
 man can be saved from final misery, and obtain eternal 
 happiness, but by the mercy and grace of God, in the 
 way of his appointment, which, I am assured is, by faith 
 in the Messiah, promised from the fall of Adam: and as 
 all else seems nothing to me, in comparison of this, 1 stand 
 amazed, that a man can think it worth while, to dispute 
 about an i altogether earthly kingdom ;' which by his own 
 account, will not commence, till he is either very far ad- 
 vanced in years, or has entered into the eternal world ; 
 and so can have no farther concern with any of those things 
 which "are done under the sun!" or in the words, which 
 he marks in Italicks, under the whole heaven. 
 
 All the past generations of Israel, according to this, 
 have left the earth, without the least advantage from this 
 4 altogether earthly kingdom of the Messiah :' at any rate 
 most of the present race will leave the earth, before the 
 earliest period now specified for his coming shall arrive: 
 and, alas! if there were any well grounded hope of its 
 arrival, still only a few of the whole race could partake 
 of the more splendid advantages expected; and that only 
 for a short space. Still " vanity and vexation" would be 
 the inventory of earthly good; still man must "eat his 
 w bread in labour and sorrow, till he return to the ground 
 "whence he is taken." Are we then to consider this 
 writer's views as a specimen of Judaism? At any rate it 
 excites my deepest commiseration. 
 
 I shall close this part, by asking, whether the texts 
 adduced, concerning the Messiah's kingdom, on the thirty- 
 seventh page, contain no predictions or promises of spi- 
 ritual blessings ? 
 
 P. 38. 1. 6. In adducing the prophecy of Daniel, " The 
 " kingdom and dominion—shall be given to the people of 
 "the saints of the most High." Mr. C. quotes it, "to the 
 
188 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 « holy nation of the most High."* I am not fully com- 
 petent to say, how far the Chaldee will bear this translation: 
 but I thought it right to note the variation. Our version 
 seems to be literal. 
 
 P. 38. 1. 19. * Proof from the gospel, &c.' From 
 these quotations, it is probable, that the place, where the 
 Messiah reigns, or shall reign, is principally intended by 
 Mr. C. when he affirms, the Messiah's kingdom to be I alto- 
 * gether earthly :' as he has added after the quotation from 
 Jeremiah. — "He shall execute judgment and justice in the 
 " earth,"+ but not in heaven. 
 
 L. 26. ^A throne, #c' "Thy throne, O God, is for 
 " ever and ever ; the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right 
 "sceptre, &c." Will any 'throne on earth' be "for ever 
 " and ever .'"J It appears evidently, that the dominion 
 mentioned by Daniel, as given to the Son of man, is estab- 
 lished in heaven, and not on earth. § This, however, is a 
 subject, on which I shall not at present enter: many, who 
 hold with me, the general views of the Messiah's kingdom, 
 expect a personal and visible reign of Christ on earth, dur- 
 ing the millennium. (1. SO.) " Eating and drinking," are 
 terms often used figuratively^ as in the place referred to: 
 but in the Messiah's kingdom, as far as this world is con- 
 cerned, men literally eat and drink, as well as in other 
 kingdoms, though in a more holy manner. It is surpris- 
 ing, that a proof, from the New Testament, of Christ's 
 judging Israel only, should be brought ; and that judging 
 Israel should be considered as synonymous to "reigning 
 "over Israel;" when the judgment spoken of most evi- 
 dently must be judging, in order to the condemnation of 
 the nation in general. The same is the . import of the 
 promise to the apostles, that they shall " judge the 
 
 * Dan. vii.27. + Jer. xxiii. 5, G. + Vs. xU. G. 
 
 % Dan. vii. 9 — 14. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. J6i) 
 
 fr twelve tribes of Israel."* When Mr. C. asserts, (last line 
 but tzco,) that the Messiah will be king ' over Israel only,' 
 he fixes a meaning on the words, which is totally incon- 
 sistent with the whole of the New Testament : indeed it 
 does not clearly appear in what sense he himself under- 
 stands them ; for I suppose he will allow that the Messiah 
 shall rule the nations, though it be only to punish and 
 destroy them. 
 
 P. 38, last line but one. 'Law of an ambassador.' 
 P. 39. 1. 2. * This ambassador, #£.' If the ambassador be 
 commissioned and instructed to go to the government of the 
 country, to which he is sent, he certainly ought to do it : 
 but it is not the uniform practice of kings to send ambas- 
 sadors to the governors of a country ; especially when those 
 governors are usurpers, rebels, and traitors to their prince; 
 and tyrants over his loyal subjects. In these cases, they 
 sometimes send ambassadors to inferior persons, who loyally 
 adhere to their lawful king. Indeed it is by no means 
 uncommon for princes to send ambassadors to those, who, 
 in any country, resist the authority of the ruling powers, 
 according as political purposes may be answered by it. — But 
 were it otherwise, surely the infinite God is not bound 
 by the rules and customs of puny mortals. — " My thoughts 
 " are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, 
 " saith the Lord: for as the heavens are higher than the 
 " earth ; so are my ways higher than your ways, and my 
 
 thoughts than your thoughts. "t Even Moses was sent to 
 the enslaved Israelites to deliver them, and not as an am- 
 bassador to treat with Pharaoh about their deliverance. 
 The prophets in general were sent to the people, as well 
 as to the princes: and when sent to the princes, it was 
 never to treat irith them, as the ambassadors of one king, 
 
 * 1 Sara, ii. 25. Ez, xx. 4. xxii. 2. xxiii ?4> 36. 45, xxiy. 14 
 Ob. 21. 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. + I», lv.8,9- 
 
 z 
 
170 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 with another king, thus placing the Sovereign of the world 
 on a level with his creatures: but as reprovers of their 
 crimes in the name of Jehovah, or as encouraging their 
 confidence in him. What does Mr. C. think of Jeremiah's 
 conduct, who even counselled the people to desert Zedekiah 
 and the princes, and to submit to the Chaldeans ?* Did he 
 observe i the law of an ambassador ?' It is awfully pre- 
 sumptuous, in this manner to dictate and prescribe to God, 
 what his conduct ought to be. — " Who hath directed the 
 " Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught 
 " him ? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed 
 " him, and taught him the path of judgment, and taught 
 " him knowledge, and shewed him the way of understand- 
 iC ing ?"+ — It is ' the law of an ambassador,' at all times 
 and in all cases, to obey the commands, and adhere to the 
 instructions, of him who sent him ; and not to deviate a 
 hair's breadth, to oblige or conciliate those to whom he 
 is sent. If either inclination, or fear, or hope, induce him 
 to act contrary, in any respect, to the instructions given 
 him, he betrays his trust, and is liable to be disowned and 
 punished by his principal. — Thus Jesus says, " I came 
 il down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the 
 "will of him that sent me:":}: and he continually declares 
 himself to this effect. His apostles also declare, that — " if 
 " they were men-pleasers, they could not be the servants of 
 (l Jesus Christ." If an ambassador be sent to one people, to 
 make proposals; and, in case they will not accede to them, 
 if he be ordered to go to another people, (which is not 
 uncommon^) he fulfils the Maw of an ambassador,' by acting 
 according to these instructions. 
 
 P. 39. 1. 24. * Burst out a laughing, #c.' The reader 
 will judge how far this language suits the nature and 
 importance of the subject. It however approaches more 
 
 * Jer. xxvii. 12—17. xxxviii. 1—3. + Is.xl. 13, 14. £ Johnvi. 38, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. HI 
 
 nearly to the actual conduct of the Jews, in our Lord's 
 days, than perhaps even Mr. C. was aware.* 
 
 L. 30. i Punished with a just punishment.' — Thus the 
 Jews, "crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, &c:" 
 therefore the old imprecation of their ancestors remains in 
 force, " His blood be on us and on our cliildren."t 
 Oh, may " the Spirit of grace and supplication be speedily 
 " poured out upon them," that they may look on him 
 " whom they have pierced," with godly sorrow and peni- 
 tent faith; and have the curse exchanged for a blesssing, 
 and for all blessings! Let all Christians pray for this 
 without ceasing. 
 
 L. Si. ' This was the case with the Gentile Messiah. He 
 1 was sent, fyc.' — Our Lord's personal ministry was princi- 
 pally among the Jews : but the commission which he gave 
 to bis apostles shews, that he considered himself, as Saviour 
 and King of all nations4 Let it, however, be observed, 
 that he said, " I am sent to the lost sheep of the house of 
 "Israel:" but he never said, 'J am sent to the nation of 
 i Israel f much less was he sent to its corrupt and wicked 
 shepherds. His profession therefore was consistent with his 
 conduct, and it was his duty to adhere to his commission, 
 or " the will of his Father who sent him." 
 
 L. 35. < King Herod, $c. y — King Herod died when 
 Jesus was an infant : § but had he been living, would it 
 have been proper that Jesus, when about to enter on his 
 ministry, should go to that cruel tyrant, who had before 
 attempted to murder him ?— Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee, 
 (who probably is meant,) had no authority in Judea, 
 or connection with the Sanhedrin. Pontius Pilate was 
 governor of Judea. Ought Jesus then to have gone to 
 
 * Lukevi. 25. xvi. 14. Jam. iv. 9. + Matt, xxvii. 25. 
 
 Heb. vi. 6. + Matt, xxviii. 19, 20. Mark xvi. 15, 16. Luke xxiv. 47, AH 
 Actsi. 8. ^ Matt. ii. 19, 20. 
 
172 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 this idolatrous governor, as well as to Annas and Caiaphas 
 and the Sanhedrin ? 
 
 P. 40. 1. 1, 2. i He never went to Jerusalem, #c.' — It 
 would be well, if men, before they publish their remarks on 
 any book, or attempt to refute it, would carefully read the 
 whole of it. Our Lord went to Jerusalem soon after he 
 entered on his publick work; and when he had hitherto, as 
 far as we can learn, wrought only one miracle.* Nothing 
 could be more publick, than his conduct on this occasion, in 
 driving the buyers and sellers from the courts of the temple; 
 nothing more suited to make his claim known to the rulers 
 and priests; nothing more efficacious could be even ima- 
 gined, to excite them to investigate that claim. Accord- 
 ingly he was interrogated concerning it ; and the Jews 
 " said unto him, What sign she west thou unto us, that thou 
 " doest these things ?"+ To this demand, he gave an 
 answer, exactly coinciding with what he spake on another 
 occasion ; making his resurrection from the dead, after 
 they had slain him, the sign, above all others, of his 
 authority to do these things. The language, in which this 
 answer was given, implying a decisive intimation of his 
 divine dignity and power, being misunderstood, and mis- 
 reported, yet remembered long afterwards, formed one of 
 his accusations before Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin4 Thus 
 the prophecy of Malachi was fulfilled, " The Lord, whom 
 "ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple; even the 
 " Messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in : behold, 
 " he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts : But who may 
 tc abide the day of his coming ?"§ 
 
 At this time, he wrought such miracles, that Nicodemus, 
 one of the Sanhedrin, acknowledged in his own name, and 
 in the name of other rulers and Pharisees, " We know, that 
 
 * Johnii. 11—13. t John ii. 14—18. + John ii. 19— 22- 
 
 Matt. xxvi. 61, 62. ^ Mai. iii. 1, 2. 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. ITS 
 
 u thou art a Teacher come from God ; for no man can do 
 " the miracles which thou doest, except God be with him."* 
 Indeed the miracles wrought by him at Jerusalem procured 
 him a favourable reception even in Galilee.t 
 
 This preceded the imprisonment of John Baptist. It was 
 also in an early part of our Lord's ministry, that he healed 
 the man at the pool of Bethesda, and ordered him to carry 
 his bed on the Sabbath. On account of this he was per- 
 secuted evidently before the Sanhedrin ; and made that 
 defence, which contains as high claims of Deity and uni- 
 versal dominion, as can be conceived ; and at the same 
 time stated before his judges, the evidences by which those 
 claims were supported, in the most explicit, and, as the 
 event shewed, most unanswerable manner.;}: 
 
 * He never went to Jerusalem? Such an assertion should 
 render the reader cautious how he credits other unproved 
 assertions of the writer. 
 
 L. 2. i And why? Because he had heard, fyc? L. 9, 10. 
 4 He was afraid to go to Jerusalem, fyc.' 
 
 Our Lord certainly went to Jerusalem, both before and 
 after John's imprisonment; and taught boldly at the temple 
 without fear of any man, or body of men. But why should 
 John Baptist's imprisonment by Herod make Jesus afraid 
 of going to Jerusalem ? What authority had Herod in 
 Jerusalem ? He was tetrarch of Galilee, § while Pontius 
 Pilate was governor of Judea. Had a motive of this kind 
 acquired any influence on our Lord, he would have declined 
 going into Galilee, lest Herod should imprison and kill him 
 also : and indeed his insidious enemies did afterwards urge 
 this reason, why he should leave Galilee.|| 
 
 Jesus had preached and wrought miracles, in Judea, 
 in Galilee, and at Jerusalem, for a considerable time 
 
 * John ili. 1, 2. + Johnir. 45. + John v. 16— 4T. 
 
 ^ Iaikeiii. 1. it), 20. xxiii. 6, 7. | Luke xiii. 31—35. 
 
174 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 before John was imprisoned : and his usual abode seems 
 to have been at Nazareth. — " But when he had heard 
 f c that John was cast into prison, he departed" (probably 
 from Judea) " into Galilee ; and, leaving Nazareth, he came 
 " and dwelt at Capernaum.''* So far from fearing the 
 power, which had shut up John in prison, that he went 
 to reside in the heart of Herod's dominions; and his more 
 stated labours were from that time in Galilee. 
 
 P. 40, 41 The quotations on these pages are made with 
 
 the omission of many verses, on which the meaning greatly 
 depends ; but nothing requires special notice. 
 
 P. 41. 1. 5. ' What sign, #<?.' L. 21. ' Not once gave them 
 1 a sign, <5fc.' Our Lord paid no more court to the many 
 than to the powerful; and would no more work a needless 
 ostentatious miracle, to satisfy the presumptuous multitude, 
 who were disposed to " take him by force and make him 
 "King;" than at the demand of those enemies, who deter- 
 mined to " take him by force, and put him to death." 
 
 P. 41. 1. 27, 28. * Was his, commission, Src?' — "Jesus came 
 "into the world to save sinners." "I came not to call the 
 " righteous, but sinners to repentance." He came to be 
 "the Saviour of the world:" the Prophet, Priest, and 
 King of his church ; the Ruler over the whole universe, 
 and the Judge of the living and the dead. But his per- 
 sonal ministry consisted principally in teaching, and in con- 
 firming his doctrine by miracles of mercy and love. " He 
 " went about doing good." 
 
 L. 31, 32. < If this is true, fyc — Let the reader make 
 his own remarks on the language of this sentence. It could 
 hardly have been expected from a Rabbi, or from a teacher 
 of Hebrew in the University of Cambridge. The end of 
 our Lord's coming, both as stated by Gabriel and Zacharias, 
 takes in the whole effect of his mission, from his birth to 
 * Matt. iv. 12—18. Mark i. 14. John iii. 22—24. iv. 3. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 175 
 
 the end of the world ; and not merely his personal 
 ministry. 
 
 P. 42. I. 8. ' His people, #c.'— Not to adduce the New 
 Testament use of this expression, before the conclusion 
 drawn from it be established, some passages in the prophets 
 should be noticed. — " Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, 
 " saying, blessed be Egypt, my people, and Assyria the 
 * work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance."* " In 
 " the place, where it was said to them, Ye are not my 
 " people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons 
 " of the living God." — " And I will say to them, which 
 " were not my people, Thou art my people ; and they shall 
 " say, Thou art my God."f " And many nations shall be 
 "joined unto the Lord in that day, and shall be my 
 " people.^X " His people," therefore, includes, all who truly 
 believe and obey him, whether Jews or Gentiles, and none 
 else. " He became the Author of eternal salvation unto all 
 " them that obey him."§ 
 
 L. 10. 'Not a preacher.' The predictions, that the 
 Messiah should be a King, by no means prove, that he 
 would not be a Preacher. Moses was " king in Jeshurun:"|) 
 Yet he says, " Behold I have taught you statutes and 
 "judgments, even as the Lord my God hath commanded 
 " me."fl~ ■ il The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because the 
 " Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the 
 " meek ; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted ; 
 " to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of 
 " the prison to them that are bound." Is this a prophecy 
 of the Messiah, or not? If not, Whom does the prophet 
 personate ?** Again, either David, or the Messiah says, " I 
 " have preached righteousness in the great congregation. 
 " Lo, I have not refrained my lips, and that thou knowest 
 
 * Is. xix. 25. t Hos. i. 10. ii. 23. + Zech. ii. 11. S Heb - T - 9 - 
 1) D«ut. xxxiii. 5. H Deut. iv. 5. ** Is. Ixi. 1—3. Luke iv, 17-21. 
 
176 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart ; I have 
 " declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation : I have not 
 " concealed thy loving kindness and truth from the great 
 "congregation."* And again, " My mouth shall shew 
 ** forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day." 
 " Hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works. N ow, also, 
 "that I am old and grey-headed, O God, forsake me not; 
 " until I have shewed thy strength to this generation, and 
 "thy power to every one that is yet to come. "t Even 
 Solomon appears perhaps more glorious as a preacher, than 
 a king. — "The words of the preacher, the son of 
 
 as 
 
 ■&■ 
 
 "David, the king of Jerusalem:" "I the preacher was 
 "king over Israel in Jerusalem. "| In this especially 
 Solomon was a type of Christ : but " behold, a greater 
 " than Solomon is here." 
 
 P. 43. 1. 2. « Tofght, ^c.'-No doubt, the Messiah will 
 fight against the enemies of Israel : but probably Zechariah ? 
 or the Holy Spirit as speaking by him, intended enemies 
 of another kind, from whom the Saviour delivers all true 
 believers as his people. And let it be observed, that the 
 Sinai-covenant is not referred to ; but that which was con- 
 firmed to Abraham by an oath. 
 
 P. 43. 1. 21, l Conclusion of the embassy.' 
 
 P. 44. 1. 3. < Well might, #c.'~ That worldly and ungodly 
 men should oppose and revile the holy Jesus, cannot be 
 wonderful : but that any one should consider their revilings 
 as a proof, that he was a bad man, without any other evi- 
 dence adduced, is most unreasonable and most marvellous. 
 He was indeed taken, and judged, and put to death ; but 
 his embassy did not conclude with his death. For he arose, 
 and ascended, and reigns over all worlds, while the deso- 
 lations of Jerusalem and the temple, the dreadful judg- 
 ments which overtook his crucifiers ; and the subsequent 
 
 * Ps.xl. 9, 10. + Ps. Ixxi. 15. 17, 18. ± Ec. i. 1. 12. xii. 8—10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 177 
 
 establishment of Christianity in the world, with all the 
 past, present, and future happy consequences, resulting from 
 it, are sequels of his embassy; which will be concluded, 
 when he shall come to judge the world, to " put all 
 " enemies under bis feet," and cause his friends to sit down 
 with him upon his throne: but not till that final catastrophe. 
 
 P. 44. I. 9. 'The Messiah was to be a conqueror.' 
 
 6 He will subdue^ #c.' — The Messiah will eventually sub- 
 due all nations ; but not immediately at his coming. " The 
 " Stone cut out of the mountain without hands," does not 
 at once, " become a great Mountain and fill the whole 
 (i earth." — " Of the increase of his government and peace. 
 " there shall be no end."* It is no where said, that this 
 should occur at his coming. With what weapons, and 
 in what manner, the Messiah fights and conquers, may 
 give occasion to discordancy of sentiment : but we all agree, 
 that he fights and conquers, and will conquer, and "must 
 " reign till all enemies are put under his feet."t Vast mul- 
 titudes have been and will be conquered by those " wea- 
 " pons, which are not carnal but mighty through God," 
 and become his willing subjects.:}: Others he has fought 
 against, and will fight against, by his hostile armies; as he 
 did against Jerusalem by " his armies" the Romans ;$ and 
 as he will against all antichristian opposcrs of his cause, 
 at the introduction of the millennium. || Among others, he 
 will fight against the adversaries of converted Israel, when 
 the time of their restoration shall come. "And the breath 
 " of his lips shall slay the wicked" at the day of judgment. 
 
 The prophecies here produced, (P. 44, 45.) prove nothing 
 in this argument ; because, when compared with the con- 
 text of each, they evidently appear to refer to different parts 
 of the same general subject. 
 
 * Dan. ii. 34, 35. 44, 45. Is. ix. 5, 6. f Ps. ex. I. 1 Cor. xv. 25. 
 
 I Ps.cx. 2, 3. 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. % Zech, xiy. 1. 2. Matt. xxu. 7. 
 
 J] Ez, xxxyiit. Rev, six. 11 — 2!. 
 
 2 A 
 
178 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 The first promise of a Messiah, " Her Seed," (that of the 
 woman,) " shall bruise thy head," (that of (he serpent, the 
 devil,) leads us to consider other victories of the Messiah, 
 and over very different enemies, than those mentioned by 
 Mr. C. as of by far the greatest importance in this holy 
 warfare. Satan, sin, the world, and death are especially 
 those enemies, which Zacharias meant, when he said ; " that 
 " being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, wc might 
 " serve him without fear, in righteousness and holiness 
 " before him all the days of our life."* Thus it is said 
 in Micah. " He will turn again, he will have compassion 
 upon us : he will subdue our iniquities :" and by Ezekiel, 
 " I will also save you from all your uncleannesses. " + 
 These are enemies and victories, which Mr. C. seems not to 
 have a thought of. 
 
 It is indeed frequently predicted, that the Messiah will 
 terribly destroy his enemies, and graciously protect his 
 people : but it is by no means so prominent in prophecy, 
 that he will exalt his people to dominion over the rest of 
 the world. In the millennium, " the kingdom and dominion, 
 " and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, 
 " shall be given to the people of the saints of the most 
 " High. "J In and with their King, they shall have the 
 pre-eminence. But where is the prediction, that Israel as 
 a nation shall have dominion over other nations ? Little 
 is spoken upon this part of the subject. Even the result of 
 their restoration, is generally represented, as their dwelling 
 in peace and security, and none making them afraid. § 
 
 P. 46. 1. 10. c A particular observation, fyc.' 
 
 L. 11. l Every man knows that whatever has a beginning 
 < has also an end." 1 — According to this, there are no created 
 immortal spirits, either angels or men. If Mr. C. did not 
 
 * Luke i. 71—75. -f Ez. xxxvi. 29. Mic. \ii. 19. + Dan. vii. 14. 27. 
 % Jer. xxiii. 5—7. xxxii. 37. xxxiii. 16. Ez. xxxir. 25—28. Am. ix. 14, 15. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 179 
 
 mean, (as I should not suppose he did,) to deny the im- 
 mortal i<y of the human soul, and of holy angels, here is an 
 exception to his universal rule. Plato seems to have held 
 a similar opinion ; for he grounds many of his arguments 
 for the soul's continuing to live after the death of the body, 
 on the supposition that it had a previous existence, to which 
 he assigns no beginning. (Phcedo.) 
 
 L. 2b'. ' A drawing, S;c: — That " known unto God are 
 <c all his works from the beginning of the world," yea, from 
 eternity ; that he formed, so to speak, a plan of his grand 
 designs in his own infinite mind ; that he revealed, in the 
 way of prophecy some particulars of this plan ; and that he 
 invariably and without any change of purpose, is accom- 
 plishing this great object, through successive generations; 
 I firmly believe. But when the drawing of this plan is 
 said to be contained in * the law of Moses,' (P. 47. 1. 4.) 
 further proof is needful. The tabernacle, and all connected 
 with it, was made " after the pattern, which was shewed 
 " Moses in the Mount :"* for they were intended, as " a 
 u shadow of good things to come." And in like manner 
 David had " the pattern of all — by the Spirit," respecting 
 Solomon's temple. " The Lord made me to understand in 
 " writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of the 
 " pattern."! Moses also seems to have had something of a 
 drawing, or delineation, shewn him of the promised land 4 
 but where do we meet with any intimation, that God gave 
 him a drawing, of all the particulars here mentioned? or 
 indeed how was it possible ? Can mortal man receive and 
 comprehend all the plans and designs of the infinite God ? 
 Some intimations are given concerning a few of the particu- 
 lars in this catalogue; but very little: and in most cases, 
 that little is intimated with considerable and intended ob- 
 scurity. ' In this drawing is also to be found, how long 
 * Ex. xxv. 40, + 1 Chr.xxviii. 11. 19. t Num. *" iv ° 
 
ISO ANSWER TO THE 
 
 < this world shall exist,' (P. 47. I. 2.) I ask, Where ? Con- 
 jectures have been made, some sufficiently presumptuous ; 
 and conclusions from inadequate premises : but I believe, 
 that neither man, nor angel, knows the exact time, when 
 the world shall come to an end.* As Mr. C. means to 
 build a great deal indeed on this drawing; something more 
 than assertion is requisite, in laying and strengthening his 
 foundation. The subdrawings, (P. 47. 1. 5.) of the prophets, 
 contain some further intimations; but very far from what is 
 ascribed to them ; they only contain detached extracts, so to 
 speak, out of the volume of God's secret decrees. 
 
 P. 47. 1. 11. 'Abridgment of the law and of the prophets.'' 
 
 L. 18. ' Six is a complete number' — Some think, seven 
 is a complete number ; and it must be allowed, that the 
 number seven is so often, and so emphatically, specified 
 in scripture, as to imply something peculiar in it : I 
 suppose from the six days of creation, and the seventh of 
 rest. Yet nothing, in a way of argument, can thence be 
 deduced. 
 
 L. 28 — 52. c His name was called Adam, #c.' — The name 
 Adam, as every smatterer in Hebrew knows, is the name 
 of the human species, as well as of the first man ; and seems 
 to have been taken merely from JIQI^, the material from 
 which his body was formed.t The scripture indeed assigns 
 special significations to several names, and the reasons for 
 which they were given ; as Eve, Abraham, Ishmael, Sarah, 
 Isaac, Jacob, Israel, &c : % but not a hint is given, that 
 there was any mystery in the name Adam : all advanced 
 therefore on this ground is mere assertion or imagination. 
 
 Last line. ' So long, or near it, <!yc.'— The words l or near 
 4 it,' are very conveniently introduced : for Mr. C.'s com- 
 putation, must be made to fit his ht/pothesis. This resem- 
 
 * Malt, xxiv, 3(1. + Gen. ii. 7. v. 2. + Gen. iii. 20. xvi. 11. 
 
 xvii. 5. 15, 19. xxi. 3—6. xxv. 26. xxvii. 30. xxxii. 28. Ex. ii. 10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 181 
 
 bles the bed of Procrustes, ? -who, having seized on tra- 
 
 * vellers, measured them by his bed ; and if too long he 
 ' cut them shorter, but if too short he stretched them 
 
 * longer.' 
 
 P. 47. last line but one. P. 48. 1. 1—11. ( In the year of 
 ' the creation, 8?cS According to the most approved chro- 
 nologists, the computation being made from the Hebrew 
 bible, David was born A. M. 2919; and the present is 
 computed to be about A. M. 5818. — Exactness is not the 
 object. The Septuagint makes it much more, but I believe 
 few well-informed persons make it much less. Yet this en- 
 tirely subverts the whole of Mr. C.'s hypothesis: for 2919 
 years to David's birth, require 2919 subsequent to it, before 
 the coming of the Messiah; which would lead us to A. M. 
 5838, instead of A. M. 5708, and so prolong the term of 
 his expected coming 130 years longer, than Mr. C. calcu- 
 lates. — But perhaps our chronology may answer his purpose 
 as well, when fairly considered; for, according to our com- 
 putation, the present year is A. M. 5819 : and this leaves 
 only 19 years to A. M. 583S, when the date of David's 
 birth will be doubled. This would be more convenient for 
 his scheme than 137 years yet to come ; it would also save 
 him the trouble of shortening the term ; and besides be 
 more consistent with his calculations in another place, 
 (p. 66.) 
 
 P. 48. 1. 17. « The end of any thing maiy be shortened." 
 —It seems it may also be lengthened: for, from the time 
 of Jesus, false Messiahs have appeared, almost in every 
 century; and have for a while been welcomed by many of 
 the Jews, and then disappeared. Thus every disappoint- 
 ment has reduced them to the necessity of lengthening the 
 termination of the intervening period, one hundred years 
 after another, to the present day : and when the present 
 dream has proved a delusion, (as it most assuredly will,) 
 
182 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 some other will be dreamed, lo find a pretence for still 
 lengthening the period : till " the Spirit of grace and sup- 
 " plications" be poured out, and they shall look with peni- 
 tent faith on him whom they have so long "pierced," and 
 " crucified to themselves afresh," from age to age.* 
 
 But there is no grappling with a phantom, or grasping 
 smoke : like the shade of Anchises, it eludes the hand of 
 him who would seize on it, Par levibus ventis, volucrique 
 simillima somno. A serious argumentative answer cannot 
 be expected, and the subject is too momentous for any 
 other. The passage may, however, remind the reader of 
 the prophet's words : " They hatch cockatrice eggs, and 
 " weave the spider's web :" — " their webs shall not become 
 4< garments."+ 
 
 L. 18. i We know that Christ was bom 910 years after 
 DavidS — 'The Jews have a tradition, that in the last year 
 4 of Darius, (Hystaspes,) died the prophets Haggai, Zecha- 
 ' rial), and Malachi. And from the same tradition they tell 
 ' us, that the kingdom of the Persians ceased also the same 
 ' year. For they will have it, that this was the Darius 
 ' whom Alexander conquered, and that the whole continu- 
 ' ance of the Persian empire was only fifty-two years. This 
 
 * shews how ill they were acquainted with the affairs of 
 1 the Persian empire. And their countryman Josephus, in 
 1 the account which he gives us of those times, seems to 
 
 * have been very little better informed concerning them.' 
 (Prideaux.) They confound Darius Hystaspes, with Darius 
 Codomannus; though Xerxes, Artaxerxes, Longimanus, 
 Darius Nothus, and Artaxerxes Mnemon, reigned between 
 them. The Persian empire, from the accession of Darius 
 the Mede, to the death of Darius Codomannus, continued 
 for about 207 years. This occasions the great difference in 
 chronology between Jewish and Christian writers, as to the 
 
 * Zecb. jtii. 10—14. t Is. lis. 4—6.. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 183 
 
 times between the captivity, and the coming of our Lord : 
 but Mr. C. varies even from this, and is repeatedly incon- 
 sistent with himself. It is generally computed that David 
 died 1015 years before Christ, and consequently was born 
 1085 before him; but this is of little consequence. 
 
 P. 48. 1. 32. < 7 y he placing of Adam in the garden of 
 4 Eden.'' As far as this passage agrees with the narrative 
 of Moses, it is entitled to firm credence: (P. 48, 49.) but it 
 is 'intermixed with a few traditions/ (P. 49. 1. 32.) I do 
 not indeed believe these traditions, yet they are not of suffi- 
 cient importance to require any remarks. But the familiar 
 colloquial manner, in which the events recorded in the word 
 of God, and inseparably connected Avith the present and 
 eternal interests of the human species, are mentioned, cannot 
 satisfy any serious mind, Christian, Jewish, or Gentile. 
 
 P. 48. last line but One. l No angel could, Sfc. 1 This the 
 scripture does not say. — ' And God taught Adam the names 
 ' even all of them. Then he proposed them to the angels, 
 1 and said, Declare unto me the names of these things, if ye 
 
 * be true. They answered : Praise is thine ; we have not 
 c knowledge, except as much as thou hast taught us. Truly 
 ' thou art knowing and wise : and God said, O Adam, 
 4 Declare to them the names of these things. And when he 
 ( had declared to them their names ; he (God) said, Did not 
 
 * I say to you, that I know the secret of the heavens and 
 ' the earth ; and I know what ye do openly and what ye 
 1 conceal? And when we said to the angels, Adore Adam; 
 
 * they even adored : but Eblis (the devil,) refused, and was 
 ' lifted up in pride.' i And Satan caused them to fall from 
 ( paradise, and we said, Go down, the one an enemy to 
 < the other.' {Koran, 2d Chap.) Probably Mohammed de- 
 rived his information from Jewish tradition ; and he has 
 added absurdity to it : but the coincidence is remarkable. 
 
 P. 49. 1. 28. ' Overcame Satan' It is well that Satan, the 
 
184? < ANSWER TO THE 
 
 grand enemy of all, is at all mentioned, as to be overcome 
 by man : but is this victory to be obtained by the power of 
 Adam, or any of his fallen and sinful posterity, or, by that 
 of " the Seed of the woman, who shall bruise the serpent's 
 "head?" "The second Adam is the Lord from heaven." 
 
 P. 50. I. 3. l The law of Noah.' It may be proper 
 here to make a few remarks on this supposed law of Noah : 
 because many writers, Christians as well as Jews, have 
 mentioned it, as of an existing rule of duly: but where 
 it is to be found in scripture, they do not state. In fact, 
 it belongs to tradition : and, like the traditions of men in 
 general, it "makes void the law of God," and at the same 
 time disannuls the gospel. The law of God commands " us 
 " to love him with all the heart," and " all men as our- 
 " selves." And the gospel calls transgressors to repentance, 
 conversion, faith in the mercy of God, through the promised 
 Redeemer, and obedience to the divine law as the fruit of 
 this faith. But what do these precepts of Noah require, 
 in order to acceptance and future happiness? Provided 
 idolatry, blasphemy, (a crime not easily denned with pre- 
 cision,) incest, (another ambiguous term, diversely explained,) 
 murder, robbery, and theft, and eating the member of a 
 living creature, be avoided: a man may be a fornicator, an 
 adulterer, a liar, a perjurer, a drunkard and glutton; a 
 malignant, envious, contentious neighbour ; covetous ; a 
 tyrant in his family; and in short guilty of almost all kinds 
 of ungodliness, unrighteousness, and licentiousness; besides 
 sins of omission of every kind without exception : and all 
 this without endangering his salvation ! Future happiness, 
 according to this law, is secure even to such a character, 
 without repentance, conversion, faith in the Saviour, mercy, 
 or any benefit from " the covenants of promise." On the 
 other hand, if a man have once committed idolatry, blas- 
 phemy, incest, murder, robbery, or theft; this law opens 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. I $5 
 
 no door of faith or repentance ; provides no refuge or re- 
 dress; but leaves him under hopeless condemnation. It is 
 not probable, that all, perhaps any, of those who have 
 spoken of this law, or these precepts, as actually given to 
 Noah and his posterity, meant the whole of this: but as 
 the matter is stated, in this publication especially, these are 
 the undeniable consequences of such a law given to men, 
 by which the obedient may obtain eternal life; and none 
 else. 
 
 The third precept to { appoint and constitute just and 
 * upright judges, that justice might be maintained and im- 
 ' partially administered to all,' could be obligatory upon 
 very few, as few are concerned in the appointment of 
 magistrates : and if no other law, cither from revelation, 
 or from man's reason and conscience, were in force, what 
 could be the standard or rule of that justice, which was 
 to be impartially administered? — We may therefore con- 
 clude, that these precepts of Noah never were inculcated 
 by God, for the purposes here spoken of: though some 
 things afterwards incorporated into the ceremonial law of 
 Moses, were previously obligatory, with respect to the 
 atoning sacrifices, and the blood especially, "which is the 
 " life," and that by which the atonement was made.* 
 
 We Gentiles, however, have the less cause to complain 
 of the Jews, in endeavouring exclusively to appropriate 
 the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom, which they con- 
 sider as 'altogether earthly;' while they allow us almost 
 an equality, in those things which "accompany salvation 
 " with etornal glory." And we would desire, in return 
 for this liberality, to communicate to them, if possible, the 
 inestimable blessings of the true Messiah's spiritual and 
 eternal kingdom. "That which we have seen and heard 
 " declare we unto you ; tint ye may have fellowship with 
 
 * Gen. ix. 4. Lev. xvii. 10—14. 
 2 B 
 
Ig6 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 "us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and 
 "with his Son Jesus Christ."* 
 
 P. 50. 1. 16. ' There is a tradition, #c.' I foresaw that 
 the seventy nations, before spoken of, (p. 33, 34,) would 
 introduce a difficulty about the descendants of Abraham, by 
 Ishmael, by Keturah, and by Esau: but tradition comes 
 in very conveniently to obviate or remove it: and as the 
 Jews have tradition almost wholly in their own power; it 
 must always be at hand for their accommodation, whenever 
 its help is wanted. As Mohammed, when pressed with any 
 new difficulty, always had a new revelation, and added a 
 new chapter to the Koran; often in part contradictory to 
 those which had before been published: so, from the im- 
 mense farrago of traditions in the Talmuds, some one may 
 at any time be produced, by him who will bestow the pains 
 to rummage for it, suited to the emergency, whatever it 
 may be; but not always consistent with other authorities 
 produced from the same inexhaustible store. Something 
 further, however, still remains to be done about these 
 i seventy nations,' before the whole can stand free from 
 insuperable objection. It will be needful to shew, how 
 many of the seventy nations were destroyed, whether by 
 deluges, or fire, or earthquake, to make room for all the 
 descendants of Reu, Serug, Nahor, and Terah, except 
 Abraham. The seventy nations are those mentioned in the 
 tenth of Genesis. " By these were the nations divided in 
 "the earth after the flood. '■+ But no descendants of Heber, 
 except Peleg, and his brother Joktan, are mentioned in 
 that chapter : therefore, the descendants of Peleg, except 
 Abraham, are there omitted ; and niches must be provided 
 for them, if they be admitted among the seventy. 
 
 L. 21. ' Proof that there were no more than seventy 
 'nations.* L. 25. The text from Deuteronomy has already 
 
 * 1 John i. 3. + Gen. x. 33. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. J 87 
 
 been considered. (L. 29.) It is indeed commanded that seventy 
 bulls should be sacrificed on the several days of the feast 
 of tabernacles ;* and different methods have been taken of 
 accounting for the singular arrangement of the number, as 
 decreasing each day. But traditio?i alone informs us, that 
 they were sacrifices for the seventy nations: and then this 
 same tradition about these sacrifices is adduced as a proof, 
 that there were seventy nations and no more i The proof, 
 however, of this tradition itself will presently be considered. 
 
 P. 51. 1. II. * Abraham and his family. — Next, tyc. 1 
 There is nothing in this passage requiring particular no- 
 tice ; unless it be the notion of a drawing (1. 12,) and sub- 
 drawing; (1. 22;) for which, I suppose, even tradition 
 does not readily furnish authority, as it is not mentioned. 
 In this drawing, ' it is recorded, that a man by the name 
 * of Abraham was to appear in the world, &c.' Now it so 
 happens, that the drawing was not made till long after 
 Abraham's death ! 
 
 P. 32. 1. 6, 7. i I say, they are mistaken.'' This may be 
 compared with what has already been adduced concerning 
 Shiloh, u and the gathering of the people to him." 
 
 L. 10. 6 Everlasting, fyc* It is impossible, that any 
 thing on earth can be everlasting, because the earth itself 
 is not to endure for ever: neither does the original denote 
 this. As, however, the seed of Abraham has not been 
 possessed of the promised land, during more than seventeen 
 hundred years past; the stubborn fact is against this inter- 
 pretation. And if it be said, that Israel shall be rein- 
 stated in Canaan, and possess it till the end of the world, 
 (which I doubt not will be the case) this does not in the 
 least disprove our exposition of Jacob's prophecy. The 
 sceptre and the lawgiver departed from Judah, as a nation, 
 when Jesus came, and have been withheld from them ever 
 
 * Num. xiix. 12—3? 
 
188 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 since ; which proves that Jesus is Shiloh, the promised 
 Messiah. The prophecy of Hosea, in the former part of 
 it, has been turned into history ; " The children of Israel 
 " have abode many days without a king, and without a 
 " prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, 
 " and without, an ephod, and without a teraphim." And, 
 I trust, that in answer to the prayers, and by the blessing 
 of God on the exertions, of Christians, the latter part also 
 shall soon become history: "Afterward shall the children 
 "of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God and David 
 "their King; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness, 
 " in the latter days."* The sceptre and the land are not 
 precisely the same thing: had God seen good, he might 
 have continued the Jews in Canaan, and kept them in hard 
 and oppressive bondage under the Romans, the Saracens, 
 and the Turks, to this day, without sceptre and lawgiver; 
 yet they mi^ht have lived in the promised land. It cannot 
 be properly said, the sceptre is the land, and the land is 
 the sceptre; (p. 53. 1. 5.) for a nation may have a country 
 as their own to inhabit, and may yet be the abject slaves of 
 a foreign despot in that land. Israel, however, for seventeen 
 hundred years has neither had the land nor the sceptre. 
 
 P. 53. 1. 17. 4 The true explanation of the prophecy, 
 (1. 21.) 'As long as Israel shall obey the law.' Jacob did not 
 speak one word about Israel obeying the law: how, indeed, 
 should he? for the law was not yet given. — The possession 
 of Canaan was conditional, and the sceptre also; but the 
 coming of Shiloh was not. 
 
 L. SO. i The kingdom shall be restored to Israel.' Then 
 certainly the kingdom has departed from Israel; else how 
 could it be restored? Therefore Shiloh is come. 
 
 P. 54. 1. 10. * The argument of the Gentiles, that the 
 i sceptre has departed from Judah.'' 
 * Hos. iii. 4, 5. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 189 
 
 L. 12. ' Take notice, <SjC.' — This paragraph states the fact, 
 according to our interpretation of the prophecy. — When 
 Jesus, the Son of David, came, he took the kingdom over 
 Israel, and over all nations ; whether they " would have 
 " him to reign over them," or not.* But Israel, as a naiion, 
 crucified their King, and still " crucify him to themselves 
 " afresh." The sceptre then departed from Judah, as a 
 people, that it might be swayed by Judah's most illustrious 
 Descendant. And when Israel shall welcome their long 
 rejected King, they shall share the blessings of his king- 
 dom pre-eminently ; but never till that time. — " Thus saith 
 " the Lord God, I will also take of the highest branch of 
 "the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the 
 "top of his young twigs a tender one; and will plant it 
 " upon a high mountain and eminent. In the mountain 
 "of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring 
 " forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar : and 
 " under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing ; in the 
 " shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all 
 " the trees of the field shall know, that I have brought 
 " down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried 
 " up the green tree, and made the dry tree to flourish. I 
 " (he Lord have spoken and have done it."t 
 
 The sceptre and the lawgiver were departing from Judah,. 
 as a nation, when Shiloh came, whose right they were. As 
 his kingdom more and more attained establishment, the 
 sceptre and lawgiver disappeared, more and more from 
 Judah : and at length his spiritual rule being fully con- 
 firmed ; the whole political as well as ecclesiastical state of 
 the Jews was subverted, and continues so to this very day. 
 « He shall be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord 
 (M God shall give unto him the throne of his father David; 
 
 * Is. ix. 6, 7. Luke xix. 1 1—27. t El. xyu. 22—24. See also 
 
 Ez. xxi. 26, 27. Dan. vii. U. Am. ix. 11, 12. 
 
J90 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " and be shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever ; 
 " and of his kingdom there shall be no end."* 
 
 P. 55. 1. 17. c The four empires were shewn to Abraham? 
 
 L. 24. s In the shape, fyc. J — It was revealed to Abram, 
 that his seed should be in bondage in a strange land, till 
 four hundred years were expired ; and then God wonld 
 bring them forth : and, respecting this, God made a covenant 
 with him ; and ordered him to prepare the animals here 
 mentioned as a sacrifice, that the covenant might be ratified, 
 with the customary rites and observances. Further than 
 this Moses testifies nothing. The four kingdoms in Daniel 
 were represented by a lion, a bear, a leopard ; and a fourth 
 beast, far more dreadful than any of them.t In a subse- 
 quent vision, a ram was the emblem of the Medo-Persian 
 kingdom, and a he-goat of the Grecian : yet this he-goat 
 is described as very powerful and formidable.! But in the 
 dream of the four empires here given, a young heifer, (not 
 an ox or bull,) is the emblem of the first kingdom ; a she- 
 voat of the Persian ; a ram of the Grecian ; and a gentle, 
 loving, harmless turtle-dove, of the tremendous Roman 
 power !— ' In the shape of a bird he saw the family of 
 * Israel.' (L. 28.) I suppose it is meant, that a young pigeon 
 was an emblem of the Messiah's kingdom : but, according 
 to the view of it given in this publication, it is scarcely 
 more apposite, than that of a turtle-dove of the Roman 
 victories and domination ! Do men, who amuse themselves 
 and others, with fancies of this kind, really believe them? 
 However that may be, I cannot think they require any 
 answer. 
 
 P. 56. 1. 27. l Although, fyc.' — I am not disposed to ob- 
 ject to Israel's primogeniture, or pre-eminence among the 
 nations : but fathers in general have some affection, and 
 make some provision, for other children, besides the first- 
 
 * Lukei. 31—33. + Dan. vii. 4—7. i Dan. viii. 1— S. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 191 
 
 bom ; nay, they sometimes disinherit the first-born, for ill- 
 behaviour, and give the inheritance to their other children. 
 This passage, however, concerning the unalienable right of 
 the first-born, not only to the inheritance, but to the sub- 
 jection of the other children as his servants, always to 
 remain so, (P. 56, 57 ;) come with rather an ill grace from 
 a Jew. Not only was Ishmael older than Isaac ; but Esau 
 was Jacob's elder brother, by the same mother ; and by 
 God's express appointment " the elder was to be the servant 
 u of the younger." Judah was younger than Reuben, and 
 Simeon, and Levi ; yet Jacob made him c lord over all 
 ' his brethren.' David was Jesse's youngest son : yet 
 God chose him to be king over Israel. Solomon was not 
 David's eldest surviving son ; " and of all mj' sons," says 
 David, " God hath chosen Solomon to sit upon the throne 
 " of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel."* The general 
 rale, therefore, admits of so many, and such important 
 exceptions, that every argument grounded on it must be 
 wholly inconclusive. 
 
 P. 57. 1. 14. 'Question.' — L. 16. c His birth made him 
 4 Lord, #c.' — I suspect, that Mr. C.'s political sentiments, 
 which suppose subjects not born for themselves, but to be 
 servants to the king, and to obey the orders of their king, 
 (L. 19 — 23 ;) will not be much approved in this land of 
 liberty; in which most men reasonably think, that kings 
 and rulers are born, or advanced to authority, not for 
 themselves ; but for the benefit of the people ; and will 
 have a terrible account to render to God at least, if they 
 neglect the welfare of their subjects, in order to please, 
 and gratify, and aggrandize themselves. In respect of the 
 kingdom of our God, who is infinite in wisdom, justice, 
 truth, and goodness, the statement, though improperly ex- 
 pressed, might be admitted; and so in respect of the 
 *• 1 Chr. xxYiii. 5. 
 
192 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Messiah's kingdom, which yet is established wholly for the 
 benefit, not only of subjects, but of rebels who submit to 
 him • the o-lory alone of his manifested wisdom, righteous- 
 ness truth and love being reserved to himself. But that 
 God should appoint one nation so to rule over other na- 
 tions, as that all others should be considered as born to 
 obey the orders, just or unjust, wise or foolish, of this 
 favoured people, gives such a view of the divine conduct, 
 as is wholly unscriptural, irrational, and intolerable ; and 
 makes the heart recoil at the very thoughts of it. 
 
 L. 27. ' His great seal, that is circumcision? — As by 
 God's express command, Ishmael, and the men of Abraham's 
 household, and the sons of Keturah and Esau were circum- 
 cised; this great seal has been given to many others, besides 
 Israel :* and if this be the only token of dominion over all 
 nations,- there will be a danger of great competition about 
 it, among the several nations who use circumcision at this 
 day ; and profess to derive it from Abraham. Even Ishmael 
 and Edom may contest it with Israel. 
 
 L. 32. * The noun, ^r.'— Learned men in general, whether 
 Jews, Christians, or heathens, have hitherto agreed, that 
 Israel signifies "a Prince of God." "Thy name shall 
 " be no more called Jacob, but Israel ; for as a prince 
 *' hast thou power with God and with men, and hast pre- 
 " vailed, "t " By his strength he had power with God." 
 ^NHfc . is composed of CHt^, he obtained the dominion, 
 and 'jtf God:— Vi*""^ is therefore, "a prince of God," 
 'one who obtains principal power from God.' (Leigh.) 
 Sarai, from the same root, signifies, my princess, Sarah 
 a princess. 
 
 If, however, Mr. C. contrary to the text itself, and the 
 general opinion of learned men, chooses to assign to the 
 name another derivation ; it is not a matter of such im- 
 * Gen. xvii. 10— -15. 23—27. + Gen, xxxii. 28. Hos. xii. 3—5. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 193 
 
 portance, as to require a refutation. The derivation assigned 
 seems to require Ishrael, not Israel : as Jeshurun, 
 not Jesurun.* 
 
 P. 58. 1. 4. ' To Israel was delivered, #c.' — St. Paul 
 calls "circumcision the seal;" but it was "the seal of the 
 " righteousness of the faith, which Abraham had, being 
 M yet uncircumcised."t Circumcision is never called a seal, 
 much less the great seal, in the Old Testament; nor yet 
 the crown. The scriptures of the Old Testament never 
 speak of any special blessings, as connected with the 
 outward circumcision ; but sometimes the contrary 4 — When 
 peculiar blessings are promised, they are connected with 
 "the circumcision of the heart."§ Indeed it is surprising, 
 in examining this subject, to find how very seldom circum- 
 cision is mentioned in the Old Testament, except at its 
 appointment; and when the Israelites were circumcised on 
 entering Canaan. || There can, however, be no doubt, thai 
 the apostle has summed up the instruction of the Old 
 Testament on the subject, when he says, " That is not 
 " circumcision, which is outward in the flesh : — circum- 
 " cision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the 
 "letter, whose praise is not of men but of God."5— "A 
 " great seal," and " a crown," in which Edom, the type 
 of the fnost inveterate enemies of Israel, participated equally 
 with Israel, is not greatly to be gloried in. The noun 
 circumcision occurs but once in our version of the Old 
 Testament.** 
 
 L. 9. ' Israel was elected before the creation oj this world 
 < to be the lord and king of it.'— It is rather unfavourable to 
 this statement, that Israel, through so long a course of years, 
 has had so little, even of the appearance of dominion among 
 
 * Deut. xxxii. 15. xxxiii. 5. f Rom. iv. 11. + Jer. ix. 25, 26. 
 ^ Deut. xxx. 6. Jer. iv. 4. || Gen. xvii. Josh. v. 2—9. 
 
 1 Rom. ii. 28, 29. ** Ex. iv. 26. 
 
 2 c 
 
194 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 the nations. This the writer felt, and anticipated the answer 
 of the Gentiles; and he tries in vain to repel it. Above 
 3500 years have passed since the calling of Abraham, and 
 the institution of circumcision. More than 400 years passed 
 before the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage:* 
 480 from that time to the building of Solomon's temple :+ 
 434 more to the Babylonish captivity: 588 from the begin- 
 ning of the captivity to the Christian rera, and above 1800 
 years since that commenced. Yet the reign of David, after 
 he became king over all Israel, and that of Solomon, com- 
 prising together 73 years, is almost the only term, in -which 
 they had any considerable dominion over other nations; and 
 this was in comparatively a contracted circle, not extend- 
 ing over the twentieth part of the continent of Asia, and 
 not at all including any part of Africa or Europe. So that, 
 if dominion over the world was the grand temporal advan- 
 tage intended for Israel, they have hitherto been unac- 
 countably kept out of the possession of it. All the great 
 kingdoms and empires, noted in history, have been possessed 
 by the Gentiles ; and Israel was generally subjected to 
 one or other of them. Now 3500 years are so large a 
 part of the 7000 to which the author seems to limit the 
 duration of the world ; and another so large a part had 
 elapsed before the calling of Abraham; that it seems im- 
 possible, this design of Israel's election can ever be 
 answered. 
 
 The passage under consideration, may, however, remind 
 us of the answer, which the Jews of old made to our 
 Lord, and which has perplexed commentators. — He had 
 said " to those Jews which believed in him, If ye continue 
 " in my word, then are yc my disciples indeed : and yc 
 " shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 
 "They answered him, We be Abraham's seed; and were 
 * Ex. xii. 41. t 1 Kinsrs vi. I. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 195 
 
 i{ never in bondage to any man, how sayest thou, Ye shall 
 " be made free ?"* The nation had been bond-slaves in 
 Egypt, captives at Babylon, and vassals to the three 
 preceding great empires; Judea was at the time a province 
 of the Roman empire, and deeply oppressed by that 
 haughty power : yet they had " never been in bondage to 
 w any man !" The whole may also illustrate the words : 
 i And to this day, Israel is still Israel:' — not the same as 
 in the days of their pious progenitors; but the same, as 
 in the days of Christ and his apostles. — St. Paul has given 
 us the true meaning of the promises, to this effect. " The 
 •* promise that he should be the heir of the world, was not 
 w to Abraham and his seed, through the law, but through 
 
 * the righteousness of faith." t The Messiah to descend 
 from him, would be Lord of all the world : and all true 
 believers of every age and nation, being considered as one 
 with him, " inherit the earth," the world, " all things. "$ 
 
 L. 18, 19. £ It is a vain thing for the Gentiles to grasp 
 
 * at the kingdom of this world. 1 — Whatever other Gentiles may 
 have, Christians, as such, have no controversy with Jews on 
 this subject : they have no idea of l grasping at the kingdom 
 e of this world :' — Though sons, yet their valued inheritance 
 is in heaven, not on earth. It is nothing to them, whether 
 Gentile conquerors and oppressors exercise dominion over 
 Jews, and treat them as abject slaves ; or Jews exercise 
 similar dominion over Gentiles. The oppressed they com- 
 passionate, and condemn the oppressors : yet they at least 
 equally pity them also. The fact is clearly as here stated : 
 
 1 the Gentiles are the lords of the world and Israel are 
 'their servants even until this day:' (L, 26, 27.) the right 
 or grant is another thing, as is the future superiority or 
 dominion. These things however seldom occur to the 
 
 * Jolinviii. 31—35. + Rom. iv. 13. $ Dan. vii. 13, 14. 27. 
 
 1 Cor. hi. 21— 23. Gal. iKi 28, 29. Rev. iii. 21. v. 10. xl 15. xxi. 7. 
 
1% ANSWER TO THE 
 
 thoughts of real Christians : and they severely condemn 
 themselves, if conscious of any rising desire of rule and 
 dominion of this kind, over any human being. They know 
 it to be wholly inconsistent with their principles to rule 
 with rigour over the meanest servant : all men are their 
 brethren, if not in Christ, yet in Adam; and their neigh- 
 bours to be " loved as themselves." Even nominal Chris- 
 tians in general think little on the subject ; nay, the pagan 
 nations do not think of grasping in this sense l at the 
 ' kingdom of this world.' The idea seems peculiar to the 
 Jews, and almost exclusively their own. I cannot con- 
 ceive, that it ever enters into the politicks either of the 
 potentates on the continent, or the Grand Turk, or the 
 Great Mogul, or the Emperor of China ; much less is it 
 any part of the object of the London Society. The event 
 will prove, whether (he vain expectations of the Jews, from 
 age to age, of temporal dominion over all nations, will ever 
 be realized or not. I say vain : for what advantage could 
 this be to all preceding generations, who have here lived 
 in a state of vassalage, and have, previously to the expected 
 period, entered the eternal world? and what real advan- 
 tage, will the gratification of rapacity, ambition, love of 
 domination, and vindictive passions, prove even to those who 
 live at the expected time ? An honourable precedency we 
 allow will be given to converted and restored Israel; even 
 that of cordial love and gratitude, for their and our 
 iledeemer's sake. We know that, taught and influenced by 
 Christian principles, they will bear these honours meekly and 
 lovingly : and if God shall see good to invest them with 
 any other authority; we know, that they will exercise it 
 in righteousness, truth and goodness ; and that their fellow 
 Christians will cordially submit themselves in the fear of 
 God. We feel, therefore, no concern on the subject. But 
 we are fully convinced, that so long as their present ambi- 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 197 
 
 tion of dominion prevails, they never can be the subjects 
 of the true Messiah. Till this be humbled and mortified, 
 they never can receive the blessings of his kingdom. " The 
 " loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness 
 "of man shall be made low; and the Lord alone shall be 
 " exalted in that day."* As far as this is their expectation 
 from their Messiah, they should enjoy it unmolested ; did 
 I not believe, yea, certainly know, that they want a Messiah 
 for far other and more important purposes, and are dying 
 in their sins, because they believe not that Jesus is He.+ 
 
 The statement in the rest of the passage might in many 
 things be shewn to be doubtful or erroneous : but there 
 seems nothing peculiarly requiring notice ; nothing that 
 affects the main argument. 
 
 P. 59. 1. 28. s The wilderness. — One question, #e.' — 
 The reason assigned for the law having been given in a 
 wilderness contains no argument, and has not much plau- 
 sibility. It is probable, however, that the apostles at first 
 thought, that the Gentiles would share the blessings of 
 Messiah's reign, by submitting to the law of Moses, and, 
 as proselytes to Judaism, embracing also Christianity. But 
 they were afterwards led to a different view of the subject. 
 The ceremonial law of Moses never could combine with a 
 religion, which was to fill the whole earth. 
 
 P. 60. 1. 3. c The Sabbath.' 
 
 L. 14. ' Every person knows, fycS — This pairing of the 
 days, and pairing of the nations, is so entirely without 
 foundation in scripture, and so remote from all deduction 
 of reasoning, or analogy, that one can hardly refrain from 
 asking, Can any man be serious in maintaining such 
 notions? In the pairing of the nations, we ought to have 
 known which were joined together : and it can hardly help 
 occurring to the reader, that, on the supposition, of any 
 
 * Is. ii. 11. 17. + John viii. 24. 
 
10S ANSWER TO THE 
 
 tiling of the kind having indeed taken place ; it certainly 
 was an introduction to stated and habitual quarrelling and 
 fio-htino- : for which pair have not repeatedly gone to war 
 one with the other ? 
 
 L. 28. * The zoorld compared to a ship without a rudder* 
 — If Israel, as a nation, be the rudder to this ship, as the 
 rudder was made so very long after the ship, and has had 
 so very little connexion, in any age, with the greatest part 
 of it ; no wonder that the ship has been tossed about by 
 storms. But it is a wonder, that men will amuse themselves 
 and one another with these fancies, on the brink of death, 
 and of an eternal slate of happiness or misery; and upon 
 subjects intimately connected with that awful alternative. 
 
 P. 61. 1. 5, 6. < This compass, $-c'— That Israel should 
 be the foundation of the law of Moses, and that law the 
 compass of a ship, and that ship the world ; and that the 
 law of Moses, the ritual part especially, never known to one 
 part out of a hundred, or a thousand, of the world, are 
 very wonderful things : but they do not at all affect the 
 question, Whether Jesus be the promised Messiah or not. 
 
 L. 17. l Come then, #c.' — God gave Israel his sabbaths, 
 but they greatly polluted them.* This seems the short his- 
 tory of this * blessed pair.'— The question about the sabbath, 
 as far as Christianity is concerned, will ere long be consi- 
 dered : and I by no means deny, that the sabbath, as given 
 to Israel, was an honourable and important distinction and 
 advantage; but merely to state, that they have little reason 
 to glory in what has been so grievously neglected and 
 perverted. 
 
 P. 62. 1. 4. * Millennium and properly, fyc.'— The word 
 
 millennium is not found in scripture ; it simply means a 
 
 thousand years. It is generally agreed, that these thousand 
 
 years, of which no intimation is given in the Old Testament, 
 
 * Ez. xx. 12. 20, 21. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 199 
 
 or in the New, except in the Revelation of John, will be 
 passed under the especial rule of the Messiah, as the ac- 
 knowledged, and willingly obeyed, King, over all the 
 earth: but that they comprise the whole term of his reign 
 is not only not said, but it is directly contrary to many 
 scriptures ; especially that of Isaiah ; " Of the increase of 
 " his government and peace there shall be no end :"* and 
 that of Daniel, concerning " the Stone cut out of the moun- 
 " tain without hands," which " became a great mountain, 
 " and filled the whole earth. "t 
 
 P. 62. 1. 6. l The opinion of the Gentiles concerning the 
 i sabbath.' 
 
 L. 7. i Jf I say, <$•<?.' — The views of Christians concern- 
 ing the law of Moses have been sufficiently explained. 
 Some things further concerning the abolition of the ritual 
 law, as predicted in the Old Testament, will come under 
 consideration, when the priesthood of the Messiah, (a subject 
 wholly omitted by Mr. C.) will call for our attention. 
 
 We certainly consider the dedication of a portion of 
 our time, even of one day in seven, as a part of the moral 
 law. It was appointed, as it appears evident to me at 
 least, from the creation ; and was merely incorporated into 
 the law of Moses, being of previous and universal obliga- 
 tion. But perhaps it is not so eas^Jy ascertained, as at 
 first glance it may appear to be, which of the seven days 
 that constitute our weeks, answers to the seventh day at the 
 creation. A voyage round the world, whether it be en- 
 tered upon in a westerly, or an easterly direction, always 
 gains or loses one day in the computation. Two navigators 
 setting sail on the same day, one taking his course to the 
 East Indies, and returning by South America; and the 
 other, going by South America, and returning by the 
 Cape of Good Hope; would vary two days in their com- 
 
 * Is. ix. 7. + Dan. ii. 34, 35. 44, 45. 
 
200 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 putation of time: as one would proceed according to the 
 daily course of the sun, and lose one whole day; and the 
 other against the course of the sun, and would have one 
 day over. Now which would be the seventh day of the 
 week, to these two navigators ? If the sabbath were only 
 obligatory on the inhabitants of one small country, as 
 Canaan, the difficulty would not be found : but if extended 
 to all nations, the sabbath would not consist of precisely the 
 same individual hours, in any of the countries, either to the 
 east or to the west. But, however that may be, it appears 
 to many Christians, provided one day in seven be thus con- 
 secrated to the worship and service of God, to the exclu- 
 sion of all worldly emplo}^ments, however lawful, if neither 
 necessary, nor connected with piety and charity, that the 
 moral obligation is satisfied. Not that zee are to choose the 
 day for ourselves: but that the determining which of the 
 days by our great Lawgiver, is a matter of positive appoint- 
 ment, and not of moral or immutable obligation. From the 
 creation to the giving of the law, the seventh day was 
 appointed, in commemoration of the creation being com- 
 pleted ; " pronounced very good," and rested in by the 
 great Creator. And, though the intervention of the fall 
 greatly altered the state of this lower creation, and of man 
 especially, the original appointment continued. It appears 
 to me also, (though this is not undisputed,) that the Mosaick 
 sabbath was instituted on the same day of the seven : but 
 the redemption from Egyptian bondage was added, as one 
 great benefit to be commemorated by Israel on the sabbath ; 
 and this redemption we consider as typical of spiritual re- 
 demption by Jesus Christ. We, however, are satisfied, that 
 " the Lord even of the sabbath day, 1 ' Jesus Christ the 
 Son of God, has, by his authority, changed the instituted 
 part of the command, and has appointed the first day of 
 the seven, instead of the last, in commemoration of his 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 201 
 
 resurrection: because that event, as completing his work of 
 redemption, was of far greater importance, and an infinitely 
 greater benefit to fallen man, than creation without re- 
 demption would have been. Our observation of the first 
 day, as the Christian sabbath, is not ' derived from what 
 i Paul said;'* but from the general language of the New 
 Testament, and the general practice of the primitive Chris- 
 tians, in the apostles' days. It is by the apostle John called 
 " the Lord's day,"t (r* Kvpizx.* vptpx, as St. Paul calls the 
 eucharist, Kvpixxo* fonTw.)% The same authority which, as 
 we suppose, abolished the other festivals of the ceremo- 
 nial law, changed the ceremonial part of this law. "The 
 " first day of the week" is, subsequent to our Lord's resur- 
 rection, distinguished from other days;§ and sabbaths are 
 put among those ritual observances which are no longer 
 in force. J| With this the constant practice of the Chris- 
 tian church accords: and every argument, which proves 
 Christianity to be from God, establishes this change in the 
 day of sacred rest. " This is the day which the Lord 
 " hath made: we will rejoice and be glad in it;" for "the 
 " Stone, which the builders refused," on this day arose, that 
 he might " become the Head-stone of the corner."* If 
 indeed God said to the apostles on the mount, as we be- 
 lieve, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
 "pleased; hear ye him:" and if he, as it is manifest, 
 made known his will to the apostles concerning this change 
 of the day; then the same authority, which appointed the 
 seventh day, for wise and holy reasons substituted the first 
 in its place. But it pleased God, that this change, as some 
 others, should be gradually introduced, rather by apos- 
 tolical example, than by direct injunction; that no need- 
 
 * 1 Cor. xmi. 2. + Rev. i. 10. $ l Cor. xi. 20. 
 
 5> John xx. 19. 26. Acts xx. 7. 1 Cor. xvi, 2. R Col. it 16. 
 
 ? Fs, cxYiii. 22—24. Act* ir. 10, 11. 
 
 2n 
 
202 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 less stumbling block might be thrown in the way of the 
 Jews. 
 
 P. 62. I. 30. ' Type, fyc' — It is no where in scripture 
 said, that ' the sabbath is the type of the millennium ;' but 
 if it were, this would confirm the view which we have of 
 it, namely, that in some respects it was a part of instituted 
 worship. The apostle shews, that he considered it as a 
 figure or anticipation of heavenly happiness ; when he says, 
 " there rcmaineth therefore a rest," (VaCCal^or, the keeping 
 of a sabbath,) " for the people of God." 
 
 L. 33, 34. * They have no right to keep holy, fyc' — 
 To have no right to obey the command of God, seems an 
 uncommon idea, or expression. The rest of the paragraph 
 does not require any particular answer. Christians consider 
 the festivals, as well as other parts of the ceremonial law, 
 as abolished ; and they judge that the moral part of the 
 fourth commandment, is obeyed, by observing the Lord's 
 day, if it indeed be kept as the Lord's day should be. 
 P. 63. 1. 10. 'The day of atonement.' 
 P. 64. last line. ( A little sanctuary. 1 — It is rather difficult 
 to conceive how many synagogues widely dispersed through 
 distant countries, could be " a little sanctuary." I have no 
 doubt, but that believing and humble Israelites of old wor- 
 shipped God by prayer and praise, with acceptance at 
 the synagogues, wherever dispersed: but this was always 
 ■with a reference to the tabernacle and temple, where alone 
 sacrifices, atoning sacrifices, were appointed to be offered. 
 The name and perfections of God,* his grace and pro- 
 vidence, and promises, trusted in by a few prudent, pious 
 Jews, was to them as " a little sanctuary ;" when they could 
 not go up to the temple. Their worship was accepted, 
 wherever presented, through the ministrations of the priests, 
 and the atoning sacrifices offered " in the place, which 
 * Ps, xx. lo Prov. xviii. 10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 203 
 
 " God had chosen to place his name there."* But since 
 the coming of the Messiah, and the rejection of him by 
 the Jews, we Christians must think, that the efficacy of 
 the typical sacrifices ceased, and that no worship is accep* 
 table from those who reject the Substance of all those types. 
 
 P. 64. I. 3 — 15. ' Sacrifices.' — We acknowledge that 
 a broken spirit, and some other things, are " spiritual 
 il sacrifices," of far higher value, than any sacrifices of 
 animals burnt on altars, except when these were offered with 
 reference to the great Antitype and his atonement; but we 
 consider these spiritual sacrifices as required by the moral 
 law, or as connected with the " gospel of our salvation." 
 Indeed, to speak of synagogues, and the sacrifices of praise 
 and thanksgiving, in answer to the argument that there 
 exists no temple, or any such sacrifices as the ceremonial 
 law prescribed; is merely to evade the conclusion manifestly 
 deducible from the undeniable fact. We simply enquire, 
 ' Are these the sacrifices appointed by Moses to be offered 
 1 on the day of atonement?' Are they offered in obedience 
 to the ceremonial law ? The answer is, ' that in our dis- 
 * persions we cannot offer these; and we do what we can.' 
 Be it so ; but is not this the very thing that we maintain ; 
 that God, in proof that the ritual law is abolished, has 
 rendered the observance of it, in its most essential require- 
 ments, impracticable even to those who would observe it? 
 We allow, that the moral law remains in full force : but 
 that the ritual law of Moses, having answered its purpose, 
 is abolished, and in fact cannot be observed. Now to shew, 
 that sacrifices required by the moral law, or, certainly not 
 appointed in the ritual law, may still be offered by the 
 Jews, even in their dispersions, confirms, instead of answer* 
 tog, our argument. 
 
 L. 9. l Now when, 4r.' — It is no part of our present 
 
 * I«. viii. 13—15, 
 
204 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 concern, to enquire into the nature of the services, said to 
 be performed by the Jews, in the synagogue on the day of 
 atonement: this at least is certain, that they do not, and 
 cannot, perform the sacrifices and ceremonies, instituted in 
 the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus. The temple, the holy of 
 holies, the high priest; his own sin-offering, the sin-offering 
 for the people; the two goats, and the entrance of the high 
 priest into the holiest, with the blood of the sacrifices, and 
 the burning of incense; these, and other things, essential 
 to the observance of that day, as a part of the ritual law of 
 Moses, and typical of good things to come, have been 
 wholly disused for above seventeen hundred years. 
 
 Several parts of the ritual law may be performed by the 
 Jews in their dispersions, and some are attended to: but 
 who can read the books of Moses, especially Leviticus, 
 without a deep conviction, that the priesthood of Aaron's 
 family, the altar, the sacrifices of innocent and clean ani- 
 mals with the shedding and sprinkling of blood, and the 
 burning of incense; as connected with the tabernacle, the 
 holy of holies, the ark, and the mercy-seat; are the most 
 appropriate and central parts of the ritual law ? In fact 
 all the rest had such an intimate connection with these, 
 that, take away the sanctuary, priesthood, and sacrifices; 
 and the whole must appear as broken and scattered frag- 
 ments of a fabrick, once grand, but now irrecoverably 
 destroyed and shattered to pieces. " Almost all things were 
 " by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of 
 " blood, there was no remission." From the entrance of 
 sin, till the death of Christ, this principle pervaded every 
 dispensation : but a short time after that event, this was 
 entirely superseded. Christians offer no sacrifices, with 
 shedding of blood ; and for seventeen hundred years, Jews 
 have offered none. This extraordinary change, this sudden 
 cessation of the whole system of blood shedding, which 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 205 
 
 had continued from the fall of Adam, as connected with ac- 
 ceptable worship of the true God, must surely require some 
 explanation ; and that, however it took place, whether by 
 express divine appointment, as Christians suppose, or by 
 the dispensations of Providence, as the Jews must allow for 
 chance and fortune are out of the question ; in one way or 
 other, " it is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our 
 " eyes." — And here, I shall introduce a few remarks on a 
 subject, wholly omitted by Mr. C. namely, the priesthood 
 of the promised Messiah. He indeed admits, that priests, 
 as well as kings and prophets, were anointed under the 
 law: (p. 5,) and if so, they were typically Messiahs; 
 but he waves all further notice of this part of prophecy. 
 Had we no other evidence of Messiah's priesthood than that to 
 be derived from types, analogy, and intimation of a sacrifice 
 for sin to be offered by the Messiah ; the proof might per- 
 haps be rejected as inconclusive. — But it is most explicitly 
 predicted of the Messiah, and in a Psalm, which Mr. C. 
 does not deny to belong to him; "The Lord hath sworn 
 "and will not repent; Thou art a priest for ever, after the 
 " order of Melchisedek."* It is also foretold by Zechariah, 
 " Behold the Man, whose name is the Branch : and he 
 " shall grow up out of his place ; and he shall build the 
 "temple of the Lord. Even he shall build the temple of 
 " the Lord ; and he shall bear the glory ; and he shall 
 " sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a Priest 
 " upon his throne ; and the counsel of peace shall be be- 
 " tween them both."t It is in vain to attempt explaining 
 this, either of Zerubbabel or of Joshua. Zerubbabel, even 
 if his authority might be considered as that of " a king 
 " upon his throne," (which was far from the case,) was 
 not, and could not be a priest. Joshua, the priest, did 
 not sit and " rule on his throne :" but the two persons, 
 * P«, ex. 4, + Zech, vi, 12, 13. 
 
206 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 exercising separate!}', the ruling and the sacerdotal office, 
 formed a type and shadow of "the Branch,"* in whom 
 the two characters of King and Priest would combine; and 
 from this union, "the counsel of peace" and reconciliation 
 betwepn God and man, would be accomplished. 
 
 The Messiah was, as all acknowledge, to be the descen- 
 dant of Judah, and of king David ; and these prophecies, 
 therefore, of his being a Priest, are in fact express pre- 
 dictions of the abolition of the whole Mosaick ceremonial : 
 according to which, no one, except of the tribe of Levi, 
 and the family of Aaron, might on any account, act as 
 priests. Whatever objections Jews may have to the authority 
 of Paul, it behoves them to enquire, whether his arguments 
 can be answered on this subject. " If therefore perfection 
 "were by the Levitical priesthood; (for under it the people 
 " received the law ;) what further need was there, that 
 " another Priest should arise after the order of Melchisedek, 
 " and not be called after the order of Aaron ? For the 
 " priesthood being changed : there is made of necessity a 
 " change also of the law : for he, of whom these things 
 " are spoken, pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man 
 " gave attendance at the altar." How could the ritual law 
 of Moses continue in force, under a priest of the tribe of 
 Judah, of the family of David, and "after the order of 
 "Melchisedek?" The Messiah's priesthood, as being "after 
 " the order of Melchisedek," a King and a Priest, at the 
 same time, a priesthood, in which, like Melchisedek, he 
 had no predecessor, and would have no successor; that of 
 one, "who abideth a Priest continually," and for ever; of 
 one whose priesthood was confirmed by an oath, the irre- 
 vocable oath of Jehovah : all these things, and several 
 other circumstances might be enlarged on ; but it suffices 
 for our purpose, that the Messiah was predicted as " a 
 
 * Is. xi. 1,2. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 20? 
 
 * 4 Priest for ever," as well as a King ; though he was not 
 to arise from the family or tribe, to which by the law of 
 Moses, the priesthood was absolutely restricted. 
 
 It is remarkable, that Melchisedek, after the brief and 
 indeed obscure, account of him by Moses;* is never once 
 mentioned in the Old Testament, except in this remarkable 
 prophecy of the Messiah: nor in the New, except in this 
 argument of the apostle to the Hebrews, concerning the 
 ritual law ; and as shewing, that it was especially a type 
 of the blessings of the Messiah's atonement and intercession. 
 The whole seems to have been arranged by the Holy Spirit 
 for this one express purpose. 
 
 If then, the apostle's argument, (to say nothing of his 
 inspiration,) be U7W7isz?erable ; (which I venture to say it 
 is,) and the shedding and sprinkling of blood, with the 
 burning of incense, under the law, were shadows of the 
 all-atoning sacrifice of Christ, and his all-prevailing inter- 
 cession : if he was indeed " the Lamb slain from the 
 " foundation of the world ;" so that the shedding of blood, 
 even before the law, was needful to remission and accep- 
 tance; it is sufficiently clear, why, after his atonement had 
 been made, and his intercession, as our High Priest in 
 heaven, openly revealed; the shedding and sprinkling of 
 blood, and the burning of incense, with the whole institu- 
 tion of the Levitical sanctuary and priesthood, should at 
 once terminate. — The thing signified was come; the sign 
 was no longer needful. — This makes the whole satisfactory 
 on Christian principles ; but the cessation of bloody sacrifices 
 after having continued 4000 years, now for above 1700 
 years, can never be explained on the principles of the 
 Jews. The subject, however, will again come under con- 
 sideration, when the scriptures relating to the sufferings, 
 death, resurrection, intercession, and glory of the promised 
 
 * Gen. xiv. 18—20, 
 
208 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Messiah, (a subject wholly omitted by Mr. C.) shall be 
 brought forward, and distinctly examined. 
 
 L. 22. ' Seventy nations, 8fc.' — The seventy nations*, and 
 tlie age of Abraham, at the building of Babel, have occu- 
 pied enough of our attention: the whole is destitute of 
 foundation, and indeed inconsistent with the scripture. 
 
 L. 25. ' The Lord made a covenant with Abraham, — 
 'Abraham was seventy years old.'-— Moses expressly records 
 that " Abram was seventy and five years old when he 
 " departed out of Haran."* Some time occurred after this, 
 before God entered into covenant with him;t and he was 
 " ninety-nine years of age," when circumcision, the out- 
 ward seal of the covenant, was instituted.^: These scriptural 
 dates are quite sufficient to sweep away the cobweb of the 
 seventy nations, seventy years, seventy descendants, seventy 
 ano-els, &c. It is wonderful that a Jew, writing on such 
 an argument, and building so very much on these numbers, 
 should not have previously examined the dates of his 
 Hebrew Bible! 
 
 P. 65. 1. 12. * Every nation, #C— Daniel's words shew 
 no more than that the angel who spake to him was, on 
 that particular occasion, commissioned to aid the kings of 
 Persia. How absurd is it to suppose, that God so left the 
 nations of the earth to guardian angels; that these angels, 
 aiding Persia, or Greece, should fight, by God's approba- 
 tion, against each other! or that he should commission one 
 angel to help this nation, and another to help that nation, 
 in direct opposition to one another ! just like the gods and 
 goddesses, in Homer's Iliad, or Virgil's iEneis! 
 
 L. 21. i From the destruction of the jirst, %c'— It has 
 been shewn, that above six hundred and fifty years inter- 
 vened between the destruction of the first temple, and that 
 of the second; but, apart from the chronological computa- 
 * Gen, xii. 4. + Gen. xv. i Gen. xvii. 1. 24. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 209 
 
 tion; the language of the angel, "from the going forth of 
 " the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem," 
 cannot possibly allow us to date the seventy weeks from the 
 desolation of the first temple. 
 
 P. 66. 1. 1. ' Account. — From, fyc.' 
 
 L. 3. ' From the desolation, fyc.' — I shall not stay (o 
 enquire how far this computation agrees with one before 
 given. (P. 48.) Neither of them proceeds on any fixed 
 principles of chronology, which can stand the test of 
 examination ; and enough has been said to shew, that the 
 seventy jubilees have no foundation in scripture. 
 
 L. 13 — 20. ' By this calculation, Sfc.'' — Mr. C.'s conjee- 
 tures in this passage, coincide with those of some Christian 
 expositors of prophecy : but how far recent events operate to 
 deduct from the vast importance given to the French revo- 
 lution, by these calculations or conjectures, or to subvert 
 the whole system, I do not determine. He who lives at 
 the end of the thirty-six years here mentioned, will know 
 whether the passage printed in capitals has then been veri- 
 fied. A former calculation left 137 years yet to pass, before 
 these expected events : (P. 48 :) but ' the end of the things 
 1 seems to have been shortened,' to make it concur with the 
 French revolution : and should the Bourbons be again 
 established on the throne of France, as it is probable that 
 they will, the end may perhaps be again lengthened. I do 
 not, however, at all profess to prophesy from prophecy. 
 Our posterity will be more competent judges than we are. 
 
 P. 66* 1. 21. ' Israel is separated for ever from the 
 ' nations, Sic.'— There is an important meaning, in which this 
 position is grounded on scripture: Israel will never be finally 
 or totally mixed with the other nations of the earth ; but 
 will be gathered from their present dispersions, to reside, as 
 a separate nation, in their own land. But Mr. C. neither is 
 inconsistent with the scripture, nor with himself, when he 
 
 2e 
 
210 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 avers, l that all the Gentiles will not worship the true God 
 'even until the last day.' (Two last lines.) 
 P. 67. 1. 1—8. l Moses foretotd, SfC 
 L. 11, 12. < But what, Sfc. ?'— The writer of the thirty- 
 fourth chapter of Deuteronomy, whether Joshua, or Samuel, 
 or some other prophet, previous to the captivity, or Ezra, 
 merely stated the fact; that, at the time when he wrote, 
 " there had not arisen a prophet in Israel like unto Moses, 
 " &c. :"* but he by no means asserted, that ' there never 
 4 will be a prophet equal to Moses.' This 1 indeed would be 
 directly to contradict the words of Moses himself. Christians 
 maintain, that the Messiah (not ' the Messiah of the Gentiles,' 
 as distinguished from some other Messiah,) was predicted, 
 as " a Prophet like unto Moses," and that he was far 
 superior to Moses ; and if the Messiah were indeed to be 
 a prophet, (as the name imported, P. 6.) one would sup- 
 pose, that even Jews themselves would allow him to be a 
 Prophet, at least equal to Moses. 
 
 L. 14. e The text sai/s, I will put mij words in his 
 ' mouth, #c.'— God says to Moses, " Thou shalt speak to 
 " him," (Aaron,) " and put words in his mouth, &c."+ 
 Does this text prove, that Moses and Aaron did not " speak 
 "face to face" with each other? 
 
 L. 17. ( Again, what honour, tyc.'— It seems of little use 
 to dispute, whether the prophet, or the high priest in Israel 
 were the more honourable character ; especially, as Israel, 
 during so many ages, have had neither the one nor the 
 other. The reader may, however, be reminded, that God 
 instructed even " the child Samuel," as a prophet, to warn 
 and rebuke Eli the high priest ;% that Josiah sent "Hilkiah, 
 " the high priest, to the prophetess Huldah, to enquire of 
 "God by her."§ i{ And by a prophet the Lord brought 
 
 * Deut. xxxiv. 10 — 12. + Ex. iv. 15. t 1 Sam. iii. 
 
 S 2 Kings xxii. 8—14. 2 Chr. xxxiv. 9—22. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 211 
 
 "Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved."* 
 Moses was a prophet, and a priest, and " a king in 
 ** Jeshurun." As a priest he anointed and consecrated 
 Aaron and his sons. In this union of the three offices, 
 respecting which anointing was prescribed ; and in his 
 being a mediator between God and Israel, and mediator of 
 the Sinai-Covenant, Moses was especially a type of the 
 Messiah. Various other particulars might be mentioned, in 
 which a most remarkable coincidence between Moses and 
 Jesus Christ, appears : perhaps indeed there are more points 
 of similarity, than between any other two persons who 
 ever lived on earth. The above, however, seems the great 
 outline of the prediction delivered by Moses, concerning 
 " a prophet like unto him." But, even to the close of the 
 Old Testament canon, " no prophet had arisen," in these 
 respects, at all like unto Moses ; nor has there arisen any 
 since, except Jesus Christ. Neither does it appear, ac- 
 cording to Mr. C. that there ever will: for he passes over the 
 priesthood of the Messiah, and speaks not very clearly of 
 his prophetical character. Some notice will ere long, be 
 taken of his interpretation of the prophecy, but the appli- 
 cation of the prophecy by the apostle Peter, and by 
 Stephen the first martyr of Jesus ;t compared with the state 
 of the Jewish nation, ever since they crucified the Lord 
 Jesus, and finally refused to hearken to him ; gives immense 
 weight to our interpretation of the prophecy. 
 
 We maintain then, that Moses predicted the Messiah, 
 " the Light of the Gentiles, and the glory of his people 
 "Israel," as "a Prophet like unto himself;" a Lawgiver 
 and King, a Priest and a Prophet, a Mediator of a cove- 
 nant between God and his people; and as introducing a 
 new dispensation to the worshippers of the true God, which 
 Moses also had done. 
 
 * Hos, xii, 13, + Act* iii. 82, 23- vii. 37. 
 
212 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Every text, in the Old Testament, which speaks of the 
 Messiah, as " sending forth his law ;" as " teaching the 
 "people," as "the Light of the people, and of the Gentiles;" 
 shews that he would be a Prophet and " the Sun of 
 '• Righteousness."* 
 
 L. 25. * When the Messiah shall come, he will have, #c.' — 
 Some events in Providence, will doubtless occur, during the 
 reign of the Messiah, even according to the notion of the 
 Jews ; and these events may be predicted, a long time 
 before they take place. But the word prophet does not 
 necessarily mean, one who foretels future events : but ' one, 
 1 who by immediate revelation makes known the will of God 
 * to man.' — In every sense we however consider the Messiah, 
 not only as a Prophet, but as, in some respects, the only 
 Prophet ; and all other prophets as speaking to men the 
 revelation which Immanuel hath received from the Father. 
 P. 67. 1. SO. ' Prophecies of Jesus' 
 
 P. 68. 1. 8—18. ' We shall go backward, ^c.'— There is 
 not the slightest shadow of proof, that David wrote the 
 hundred and thirty-seventh Psalm : and indeed the suppo- 
 sition is extremely unreasonable. It is far more likely that 
 Ezekiel did. That the first verse of this Psalm, in which no 
 mention is made of the desolations of the temple, should 
 be assumed to be a prediction of the destruction of the first 
 temple by the Chaldeans; and the seventh, concerning the 
 subversion, not of the temple, but of Jerusalem, and the 
 exultations of Edom over it, should be a prediction of the 
 destruction of the second temple, shews a talent at ex- 
 pounding scripture, which sets criticism at defiance. A plain 
 fact, that Zion was desolated, and that Edom exulted, and 
 a prediction of Babylon's destruction, form the substance 
 of the Psalm : when this took place, the Psalmist called on 
 
 * Is. xlii. 1—4. G, 7. xlix. 6. lv. 3, 4. Iix. 20, 21. Ixi. 1—3. 
 Mai. iv. 2. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 2 1 3 
 
 the Lord to remember Edom. — Whether events yet future 
 were not also thus pre-intimated, I do not here determine. 
 
 It, however, is not requisite to dwell on these things : 
 no judicious Christian will deny, that our Lord's predic- 
 tions, in many respects, coincided with those of the ancient 
 prophets, (P. 68, 69.) But the claim of Jesus to be a 
 Prophet, as predicting future events, and not as merely 
 ' quoting predictions previously delivered by the ancient 
 * prophets,' is sufficiently supported, in the judgment of all 
 reasonable and impartial men, by the following consider- 
 ations. — He foretold the total destruction of the temple, 
 so " that one stone should not be left upon another ;" and 
 the desolation of Jerusalem, as certainly to take place within 
 the term of the existing generation ; subjoining a variety of 
 precedent circumstances, no where in the Old Testament 
 connected with those events, or but obscurely hinted. There 
 was not, when he delivered this prediction, the least proba- 
 bility, that such entire desolations should so speedily occur: 
 and not a single Jew, except the disciples of Jesus, could 
 endure the thought of such desolations, without indignation 
 and abhorrence.* He also added, "They" (the Jews) "shall 
 " be led away captive into all nations ; and Jerusalem shall 
 " be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time of the 
 " Gentiles be fulfilled."t This has now been accomplishing 
 for above 1700 years. Daniel and Zechariah had indeed 
 foretold the desolations of the temple and of Jerusalem, sub- 
 sequent to the captivity; and Moses and the prophets had, 
 in o-eneral terms, foretold a long continued dispersion of 
 Israel, for their sins, among the nations of the earth: but 
 the abject subjection of the holy city to the heathen, is 
 not mentioned by the prophets, or even hinted at, except 
 in an obscure and distant manner : especially, the long 
 series of ages, during which " Jerusalem should be trodden 
 *Actsvi. 13, 14. + Lukexxi. 24. 
 
Q14 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 « under foot of the Gentiles," is no where intimated. Yet 
 this event was so unprecedented and so unexpected, that the 
 prediction of it was equivalent to a prophecy wholly origi- 
 nal. Not a Jew on earth, (without excepting even the 
 disciples,) with the Old Testament in his hand, had the least 
 expectation of such a catastrophe : and there has not been 
 any period, since the dispersion of the nation, in which the 
 Jews have not expected their restoration long before the 
 present rera. The predictions of the subversion of the eccle- 
 siastical and political estate of the Jews, with the desolations 
 of the temple and city, and immense slaughter of the people, 
 and entire dispersion of the rest, were predicted, as to be 
 accomplished during that generation ; and the fulfilment was 
 notorious to all the world. The other parts have been ful- 
 filling through every age to this day: and neither Jew nor 
 Christian knows exactly, when the termination of the disper- 
 sion, and rescuing of Jerusalem from the Gentiles, shall take 
 place. 
 
 P. 70. 1.6. 'Oral law.'— L. 3. 'It is well known, #c.'— 
 
 We here come to the strong-hold of Judaism, as opposed to 
 
 Christianity. It was so in our Lord's time ;* and it became 
 
 so more and more in subsequent ages. The specimen, 
 
 which Jesus gave of the nature and tendency of this oral 
 
 law, or " the traditions of the elders," as requiring a man 
 
 to break the clearest and most express command of God, 
 
 written in the law of Moses, rather than fail of compliance 
 
 with the traditions of the elders, is only one instance out of 
 
 many, which might be adduced of the same kind. ' A man 
 
 ' may be so bound by them,' (the traditions,) e that he cannot, 
 
 ' without great sin, do what God has in his law commanded 
 
 6 to be done. So that if he made a vow, which laid him 
 
 ' under the obligation to violate God's law, that he might 
 
 4 observe it ; his vow must stand, and the law be abrogated.' 
 
 * Matt. xv. 3—9. Mark vii. 8—12. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 215 
 
 {Jewish Canon in Pocock.) In like manner, the Papists, 
 having established it as a principle, that ' the traditions of 
 
 * the church' are of equal authority with the written word, 
 or even superior to it ; are inaccessible, (while they adhere 
 to this principle,) to all arguments from the scriptures. 
 ' The Jews tell us, that at the same time, when God gave 
 c unto Moses the written law in Mount Sinai, he gave unto 
 ' him also the interp relation of it; commanding him to com- 
 
 * mit the former to writing, but to deliver the other only 
 
 * by word of mouth, to be transmitted down from generation 
 ' to generation by tradition only : from hence the former is 
 ' called the written, and the other the oral law.' — ' But all 
 
 * this is mere fiction, spun out of the fertile invention of the 
 6 Talmudists, without the least foundation in scripture, or 
 c in any authentick history.' — ' The truth of the matter is 
 
 * this. After the death of Simeon the Just, there arose a 
 4 sect, called the Tannaim, or the Mishnical doctors, that 
 
 * made it their business to study and descant upon those 
 4 traditions, which had been received and allowed by. Ezra, 
 ' and the men of the great synagogue,* and to draw 
 ' inferences and consequences from them ; all which they en- 
 i grafted into the body of these ancient traditions, as if they 
 
 * had been as authentic as the other ; which example being 
 
 * followed by those who afterwards succeeded them in thu 
 c profession, they continually added their imaginations to 
 
 * what they had received from those that went before them ; 
 ' whereby these traditions becoming, as a snow-ball, the 
 
 * farther they rolled down, from one generation to another, 
 
 * the more they gathered, and the greater the bulk of them 
 ' grew. — Thus it went on to the middle of the second 
 6 century after Christ; by which time they found it neces- 
 
 * This part, in this learned and laborious writer, though admitted as 
 fact, stands on no scriptural ground; and grants more, than ought to 
 be conceded in the argument. 
 
216 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 4 sary to put all these traditions into writing. For they were 
 * grown to so great a number, arid enlarged to so huge a 
 4 heap, as to exceed the possibility of being any longer 
 4 preserved by the memory of men. — Rabbi Judah, the son 
 4 of Simeon, president of the Sanhedrim, methodically di- 
 4 nested all that had hitherto been delivered to them of their 
 4 law and religion, by the tradition of their ancestors. This 
 4 is the book called the MishnahJ — 4 This, with the com- 
 4 ments on it, make up both their Tahnuds, that is, the 
 4 Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonish Talmud : the for- 
 4 mer is published in one large Folio : — the last edition of 
 '• the latter is in twelve folios.' {Dean Prideaux.) 
 
 The reader may find in Prideaux's Connection, Part I. 
 Book 5. much more information on this subject : but these 
 extracts must suffice for our present purpose. 
 
 An excellent friend of mine* used to say, that ( a story 
 4 was at first like a bit of wire ; but one polishes it, another 
 4 heads it, and another points it, and so it becomes a pin."* 
 Every one, who considers, how circumstantial alterations, 
 in reporting any fact, take place, as it passes from one per- 
 son to another, even without any intentional misrepresen- 
 tation, must be aware, that Oral tradition, except in a 
 few simple principles, maxims, and rules, must, without a 
 greater and more constant miracle, than any recorded in 
 scripture, be a most vague and uncertain mode of transmis- 
 sion : especially when interpretations, additions, exceptions, 
 and limitations of six hundred and thirteen precepts, must 
 in this manner be transmitted, from one to another, during 
 the course of three thousand years! But I forget: the 
 snow-ball grew at length too large : it became necessary to 
 write the Oral law ; and thirteen folios are filled with it, 
 and with comments on it! 
 
 If a man should publish the Bible in English, with all 
 
 * Rev. John Newton, Rector of St. Mary, . Woolnoth. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 2 IT 
 
 the discordant expositions, which have ever been given of 
 it; it would not be a more heterogeneous mass, than this 
 written and expounded oral law; and it would not contain 
 half, if the tenth part, of the grossly offensive and pernicious 
 things comprised in it. 
 
 Onr Lord, who taught his disciples to observe the cere- 
 monies of tiie Mosaick law, and to obey the scribes as 
 " sitting in Moses's seat," and teaching his doctrine ; most 
 decidedly protested against " the traditions of the elders," 
 and taught his disciples and the people to do the same. 
 Nor is there any prospect, of succeeding in our attempts to 
 bring the Jews to embrace Christianity ; so long as we, 
 either timidly, or by a mistaken policy, allow them to retire 
 unmolested, behind these entrenchments. These strong holds 
 must fall; or they must be drawn forth from them, to the 
 fair ground of " the law and the testimony," the written 
 word of God ; before our arguments, in other respects, will 
 receive any adequate attention from them. 
 
 P. 70. 1. 5. ■ Moses received, fyc.' — If Moses received the 
 oral law, how is it that he gives no intimation of it, either in 
 connection with other laws, or in his addresses to the people, 
 his charges to Joshua, his prophetick song, or his blessings 
 on the tribes of Israel ? How is it that he gives such plain 
 commands of quite a contrary nature ?* How is it that the 
 written law was to be set before the people, every seventh 
 year, at the feast of tabernacles,f but not a hint of any 
 other law ? Not a hint from Joshua, the next in order, 
 (1.9,) but the contrary ;| or from any of the twelve judges, 
 (1. 9,) the next successors mentioned ? Some quotations 
 they made from the written law, but no allusion to the 
 oral law. Many of the persons mentioned in this trans- 
 mission of the oral law, have left us nothing on record; 
 (1. 10 — 12,) none of them any thing favourable to it. 
 
 * Deut. iv. 2., xii, 32, i Deut. xxxi. 9 — 13. + Josh. i. 9. xxiii. 6. 
 
 2f 
 
218 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Isaiah's appeal is "to the law and to the testimony."* 
 Hosea says, in the name of God, " I have written unto 
 « him the great things of my law ;"+ but not a word 
 about any oral law. This must be wholly unaccountable, 
 if any such oral law existed. But, in fact, this oral law 
 was not invented, till after the close of the Old Testament 
 canon: and it is never mentioned, in any writings prior 
 to the New Testament, as far as I have any opportunity 
 of learning. Either Josiah had never heard of it, or it 
 was something widely different from the written law ; else 
 his consternation at finding and reading the latter would 
 not have been so great4 Ezra and Nehemiah ordered 
 everything according to the written law; constantly referred 
 to it, and read it to the people.^ Malachi calls on the 
 people, saying, " Remember ye the law of Moses."|| Had he 
 been asked, what law, would he not have said, that con- 
 tained in the Pentateuch? 
 
 L. 26, 27. ' Malachi was — the great seal, fyc.'' — I do not 
 understand in what sense l Malachi was the great seal of the 
 1 Old Testament,' except as his short prophecy is placed 
 last among the prophetical books of that sacred volume. 
 Nor does it appear, (however his prophecy, that God 
 would "send Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of 
 " the great and dreadful day of the Lord," may be inter- 
 preted,) what way it can prove, 'that there should be no 
 4 more a prophet in Israel, until the restoration of Israel.' 
 Not a word is said on that subject in the context ; and " the 
 " great and dreadful day of the Lord," evidently means, 
 " the day which shall burn as an oven ; and all the proud, 
 " yea, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble : and the 
 " day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of 
 
 * Is. \iii. 20. xxix. 11 — 13. + Hos. \iii. 12. 
 
 + 2 Kings xxii. 9—13. ^ Ezra ix. 10—14. Nch. viii. ix. x. 28— S<>- 
 xiii. 1—3. 1 Mai. iv. 4. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 219 
 
 " hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." 
 These are contrasted with the opposite character. "But 
 " unto you, that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteous- 
 " ness arise, with healing in his wings, &c." Nothing is 
 hinted about Gentiles : two opposite characters among the 
 Jews are most clearly described, with reference to the 
 preceding chapter :* and the day spoken of is that of 
 dreadful destruction on the proud, wicked, and obstinate 
 Jews ; such as took place, at the desolation of Jerusalem 
 and the temple by the Romans, and not that of ' the 
 'Restoration of Israeli — But even if this were not so; the 
 promise of one prophet being sent, does not necessarily 
 imply, that no other would be sent. 
 
 P. 71. 1. 1, 2. 'Each receiver was as Godf in his age, as 
 i Moses in his age.' — This is assuming a very high ground 
 indeed for the oral law; and it naturally occurs to en- 
 quire, < Who is the receiver in this present day V For he 
 may perhaps prove a rival to "the man of sin," described 
 by St. Paul, " who opposeth and exafteth himself, above all 
 "that is called God, and worshipped: so that he as God 
 " sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is 
 " God :" % especially as oral tradition, not the written word 
 of God, is the sole support of the infallibility of each com- 
 petitor. If, however, it be answered, that none in this 
 age makes this high claim ; we further ask, ' Who was the 
 < last of these infallible and divine receivers ?' And how 
 can we know, whether those, who have since handed down 
 these oral traditions, either by word of mouth, or in large 
 books, have infallibly communicated what they received 
 from the last of those who ' was God in his age?' Till 
 these things be clearly ascertained, we remain in the same 
 
 * Comp. Mai. iii. 1— 6. 11— 18. iv. 1— 3. 
 
 + So it is in Mr. C.'s book : but I doubt whether good M not meant L 15. 
 
 + 2 Thcs. ii. 3, 4. 
 
220 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 uncertainty or hesitation as before ; or rather we are the 
 more convinced, that so arrogant a claim must be unfounded. 
 
 P. 71. 1. 8, 9. 'The seventy elders, $c'— Mr. C. before 
 maintained that all Israel were prophets, (p. 29, 30,) but 
 here only the seventy elders. (L. 9. 10.) $ Only Moses, <SfC.' 
 — Eldad and Medad, at least, of these prophets, are men- 
 tioned.* .Will learned and considerate Jews fully approve 
 of this statement: that 'each of these prophets was as good 
 4 in his day, as Moses was in his?' (1. 14, 15.) It may be 
 proper to compare this passage, with what has been before 
 considered, when Mr. C. was interpreting the words, " And 
 "there arose not a prophet since in Israel, like unto Moses, 
 "whom the Lord knew face to face;" 'Which is,' says 
 he, * that there never will be another prophet like unto 
 4 Moses.' (P. 67.) Were the words adducedt added by 
 Joshua ? Then Joshua ' was as good in his age, as Moses 
 * was in his.' The same consequence must follow, whoever 
 added the clause contained in the last chapter of Deuter- 
 onomy. But indeed was it possible, that Moses could be 
 4 more than God in his own age." If not, then every pro* 
 phet and every scribe, according to the account here given, 
 must have been at least equal to Moses. And the farther 
 distant from the death of Moses, we remove the insertion 
 of these words, the greater difficulty must they involve : as 
 not only one prophet, but many prophets, in this sense, 
 " like unto Moses," and equal to him, had been already 
 raised up, when they were written. The plural number also 
 can never accord to the prediction of Moses, " of a prophet 
 " like unto him :" and God did not put his words into 
 the mouth of these receivers \% but they put it in the 
 mouth, each of his successor, from age to age, according to 
 the statement here given. It is, however, enough to ask, 
 whether each of them, like Moses, united in himself the 
 
 * Num. xi. 6, 27. + Deut. xxxiv. 10. + Deut. xviii. 18. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 221 
 
 distinct offices of prophet, priest and king ? Whether each of 
 them was a lawgiver, and introduced a new dispensation of 
 religion, as Moses did ? And whether each of them acted as 
 mediator between God and Israel, in establishing a covenant? 
 It was in no wise peculiar to Moses, or to the prophets 
 here mentioned, that 'what they desired of God, he granted 
 4 them.' It is the privilege of all true believers, as far as 
 they ask according to the will of God. — "-Delight thyself 
 u in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desire of thy 
 " heart."* Even Moses, when he earnestly desired and 
 prayed, that he might pass over Jordan, was refused .f 
 Samuel prayed all night against the rejection of Saul,^: but 
 did not prevail. And when Elijah impatiently prayed for 
 death, God did not grant his request.^ 
 
 P. 72. 1. 1. 'Galatians.' — This whole passage (p. 72 — 75) 
 requires little answer. A law concerning any particular de- 
 scription of persons, is no law to those who are not of 
 that particular description. The commands to parents and 
 children, to husbands and wives, in the letter of them, are 
 not binding on those who do not stand in these relations to 
 others. " The woman that hath an husband, is bound by 
 " the law to her husband ; but if the husband be dead, she 
 " is loosed from the law of her husband."|| The same is, 
 in the judgment of the common sense of all mankind, the 
 case of the several laws respecting the priests and Levites, 
 the Nazarites, the lepers, and others. This having been 
 noticed, all the strange speeches put into the mouths of 
 different persons introduced, as actors upon a stage, in these 
 pages, may be left to the reader without any answer; for 
 how can a man break a law, or fall under the condemnation 
 of it, who never was in the situation expressly specified 
 in it? 
 
 * Ps. xxxvii. 4. i Deut. iii. 23— 26. t 1 Sara. xv. II. 
 
 ^ 1 Kings xix. 4, \\ Rom. vii. «, 3. 
 
22% ANSWER TO THE 
 
 P. 75. 1. 11. to p. 76. 1. 19. 'Proof.— Paul, #c.'~The 
 accusation brought against the apostle, in the passage under 
 consideration t like some others, is supported by no evidence 
 except that of the passage itself in Galatians, which it may 
 be proper briefly to consider : " Abraham believed God, 
 " and it was accounted to him for righteousness."* This 
 occurred above four hundred years before the giving of the 
 law. "Know ye, therefore," says the apostle, "that they 
 " who are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 
 " And the scripture^ foreseeing that God would justify 
 " the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel 
 " unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be 
 " blessed. So then they which be of faith arc blessed 
 " with believing Abraham."! What is there in this, which 
 either an ancient or ..a modern Jew can disprove? "But as 
 " many," says the apostle, " as are of the works of the 
 " law, are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed is every 
 " one that continueth not in all things, which are written 
 " in the book of the law to do them."| All the curses 
 denounced in the remarkable chapter from which the quo- 
 tation is made, are against violations, not of the ritual, but 
 the moral law, which the apostle had principally in view : 
 yet the letter of the several precepts adduced, could not 
 possibly involve in the annexed curse, any one who was 
 not in the situation, or relation, which it described. The 
 verse, which Mr. C. so severely condemns, is taken from 
 the close of the chapter, and it sums up and seals the 
 whole. It stands in our version, " Cursed is he, that 
 " confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them." 
 It may be literally rendered, " Cursed is he, who shall 
 u not establish the words of this law, to do them:" that 
 is, fully to obey them. Now suppose any man, in the 
 
 * Gen. xv. 6. Gal. iii. 6. + Gen. xii. 3. Gal. iii. 7—9. 
 
 i Deut. xxvii. 26. Gal. iii. 10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 223 
 
 affairs of (his life, should hear it said, by the highest legal 
 authority, concerning any law or code of laws, "Cursed 
 " is he who doth not establish the words of tin's law, to 
 " perform them :" meaning by cursed, the penalty de- 
 nounced against the transgressor: would that man, because 
 the word all did not occur, ask the question, Which of 
 the words of this law? And if he did, would not the ob- 
 vious answer be, All the injunctions contained in it? 
 Should he say, I am not a clergyman, I cannot obey the 
 law to register baptisms, burials, and marriages ; must I 
 fall under the denounced condemnation ? 1 am not an 
 exciseman, I cannot obey the law concerning excisemen ; 
 must I fall under the condemnation ? If we did not think 
 his intellects so far deranged, as to render him incapable 
 of attending to an answer, should we not say, You have 
 nothing to do with these laws ; nor can have, unless you 
 take on you the office to which they refer. We should 
 also perhaps add, There are many other laws, under which 
 you live, and which are obligatory upon you; and several 
 of these denounce the punishment of death against trans- 
 gressors : now, if you keep some of these, but not all; 
 as, for instance, if you do not commit murder, but are 
 o-uilty of forgery; you will be exposed to this punishment. 
 And if you keep all, for many years, yet at last break 
 only one of them, in one instance, you will become liable 
 to this punishment. There are also many statutes, which 
 relate to you, in your particular station, or profession; and 
 these require likewise your unreserved and persevering obe- 
 dience : so that, " if you keep the whole law, and ofTend 
 " in one point, you are guilty of all ;" and you must " con- 
 " tinue in all things written in the book of the law to do 
 " them," if you would escape condemnation. Would not 
 this be very plain to the common sense of the most illiterate 
 enquirer? And if the person addressed had already broken 
 
224 ANSWER TO Til K 
 
 some law and become liable to punishment : would it not be 
 very intelligible, if you should inform him, that if he should 
 be dealt with according to the law, he must sutler the de- 
 nounced punishment : that the law could not help him, but 
 he must seek relief from another quarter ; even from the 
 clemency of his prince, and from a pardon granted by him ? 
 This is precisely the scope of the apostle's argument. 
 
 The law of God "is holy, just, and good;" it is " excecd- 
 " ingly broad ;" and it is " spiritual," taking cognizance 
 of the heart and secret motives of our conduct. " Thou 
 "shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;" — 
 " Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." These two 
 great commandments comprise, under their most extensive 
 demand, obedience to numerous moral precepts, which spring 
 from them ; and even to every ritual institution as long as 
 it remains in force. Now "he, who doeth these things shall 
 "live in them;" but "the soul that sinneth shall die." 
 This is the tenour of the law : if any man hath kept the 
 whole perfectly, and continued in this obedience to the 
 end ; " the reward is reckoned to him as of debt," not of 
 grace. But if he has once failed, in any one particular, 
 in thought, word, or deed, whether by omission or commis- 
 sion ; the law condemns him and pronounces him accursed ; 
 and grace alone, or mercy unmerited, and contrary to his 
 merits, can relieve him, rescue him from the condemnation, 
 or give him the reward. Either he hath " continued in all 
 " things which are written in the book of the law to do 
 " them," or he hath not. — If he have failed only in one 
 instance by violating one precept ; he has for ever forfeited 
 " the reward of righteousness," according to the law, and 
 incurred its awful curse, and the mercy of our King is his 
 only resource. It will no more avail him to say that he 
 hath kept all the precepts but one : than the same plea 
 would in our courts of justice avail a traitor : or to say, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 225 
 
 * I have kept that one also, except in a single instance ;' any 
 more, than for a criminal to say, 'I never committed any 
 ' other crime against the law, but forgery, and that only in 
 
 * one instance.' Still the jury must bring in the verdict 
 guilty, and the judge must pronounce the awful sentence. 
 He might indeed add ; ' Circumstances are such, that I shall 
 
 * recommend him to mercij :' but mercy, is not from the law, 
 but remits the deserved punishment of the law : '' Mercy 
 " rejoiceth against judgment." These considerations made 
 David say, " If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquity, who 
 " shall stand ? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou 
 " mayest be feared.''* " Enter not into judgment with thy 
 " servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. "4 
 It might easily be shewn, that this sentiment pervades the Old 
 Testament, as well as the New: and that all the approved 
 characters, from the fall of Adam to the close of the Old 
 Testament, sought acceptance with God as sinners, from 
 mercy, by faith; and not by their own obedience to the 
 holy law of God; for in that case, they could not have 
 wanted forgiveness. 
 
 The apostle did not intend to shew, that Jews alone, who, 
 refusing the proffered mercy of the gospel, continued to 
 be " of the works of the law," were " under the curse :" 
 but that this is, and must be, the case of all men; Jews 
 or Gentiles, who, having acted in any thing contrary to their 
 known duty, persist notwithstanding, in justifying them- 
 selves, and claim " the reward of righteousness" as a debt, 
 or reward, and not as an unmerited favour. This appears 
 in his subsequent reasoning, which he sums up by saying, 
 "The scripture hath concluded," (or, shut up together, 
 <rvnx.-ku<T h ) " all under sin ; that the promise by faith of Jesus 
 « Christ might be given to them that believe. "^ 
 
 The Galatians in general had been Gentiles; but, after 
 * Ps. exxx. 3, 4, t Ps. cxliii. 2. t Gal. iii. 22. 
 
 2g 
 
226 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 their conversion to Christianity, other teachers endeavoured 
 to proselyte them to Judaism ; and the apostle fortifies their 
 minds against this temptation, by a chain of conclusive rea- 
 soning from the Old Testament, which no man can answer. 
 It is also evident, that they had become acquainted with the 
 law of Moses, and were not liable to be imposed on 
 through ignorance. Mr. C. professes to give the whole verse, 
 (L. 17.) as it is in the Hebrew ; but he only gives a part 
 of it ; and joins his own comment to it, as if it were a part 
 of the text : ' Which is to say, that he must do and observe 
 4 all those commandments, that he can, and which may be 
 ' done :' — words so vague and ambiguous, that it cannot be 
 known, what ideas they convey. 
 
 It does not appear to me, that the word all, which the 
 apostle is most severely reprehended for inserting, in the 
 smallest degree alters the meaning of the passage ; for were 
 it omitted, what difference of sense would arise from it ? If 
 Moses only meant some of the things written in the law ; 
 which did he mean to include, and which to exclude? Had 
 the apostle said ; * He is under the curse who does not con- 
 ' tinue in these two tilings, " written in the book of the law 
 " to do them ;" namely, " in loving God with all his heart," 
 and " in loving his neighbour as himself," the result would 
 have been precisely the same ; but the statement would not 
 have been equally obvious and intelligible to every reader. 
 
 L. 14. ' For any person that knows the original Hebrew, 
 ' <Sfc.' — To this I subjoin : and i if any person understand 
 < Greek, and will consult the Septuagint, he will see, that 
 i what I am about to say is true,' viz. That St. Paul quoted 
 the text, as he found it in the Greek translation, made by 
 Jews, before the times of our Lord Jesus Christ. He wrote 
 to those, who used this Greek translation; it expressed the 
 original with sufficient exactness for his purpose; and he 
 took it as he found it, not indeed verbatim, as the learned 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 227 
 
 reader will observe in comparing the texts ; but so far, as 
 to take the word all, which is here so strongly and severely 
 objected against, from that translation. No doubt he quoted 
 from memory ; but the quotation conveys precisely the same 
 meaning as the Septuagint version. 
 
 These ancient translators did not mean c to deceive the 
 'Gentiles,' (L. 20.) by inserting the word (too-<) all: but if 
 there were any such intention, the blame belongs to them, 
 not to the apostle ; unless any should think, that he was to 
 blame, as a Christian, to pay so much deference to a trans- 
 lation made by Jews. 
 
 If Christians adduce this text against the Jews, as " under 
 " the curse," in any other sense, than as other unbelieving 
 and unpardoned sinners are, they misapply it; for that was 
 not the apostle's object in quoting it. He meant to teach 
 all men, both Jews and Gentiles, the difference between 
 " the righteousness of faith," and u the righteousness of 
 " works ;" " the covenant of grace," and ' the covenant of 
 { works.' If it be applied exclusively to the Jews, by 
 professed Christians, with self-preference and severity or 
 contempt of the Jews, it is a very unchristian conduct. 
 
 The word all, in the translation of the original text in 
 Deuteronomy,* being in Italicks, marks that it is not in the 
 Hebrew : and, in my opinion, it would have been better not 
 to have inserted it. Such insertions are, in some cases, 
 necessary to give the meaning in the English idiom : but 
 where not absolutely necessary, they constitute a paraphrase, 
 or a comment, instead of a translation : and this would be 
 better avoided, even if it were only to prevent cavils and 
 objections. It is, however, certain that the translators were 
 not influenced by a desire to please St. Paul, (P. 75. last 
 line.) (for, why should they?) much less to offend God: but, 
 in fact, they paid in this, as in some other instances, too 
 * Deut. xxvii. 26. 
 
22S ANSWER TO THE 
 
 great deference to the Septuagint: and, doubtless, their 
 reverence of the apostle's words, as the language of inspi- 
 ration, induced them the rather to do it. But if indeed they 
 acted improperly in this, a reproof, even in far milder 
 language than that given by Mr. C. would have come with 
 an ill grace from one, who has himself taken such unwar- 
 rantable liberties, in quoting scripture, as have already been 
 pointed out. If, < in the day of judgment,' the venerable 
 translators of the Bible, have nothing worse than this to 
 answer for; their honest and very able endeavours to give 
 their countrymen the word of God, in their vernacular 
 language, will meet with a gracious recompense. The word 
 might indeed be well spared; but it does not, in the 
 smallest degree, alter the meaning of the text : and, in 
 conceding thus much respecting our version, in a few in- 
 stances, I feel as if I needed an apology: — TJbi plurima 
 nitent, baud ego paucis qffendar macula. 
 
 P. 76. 1. G— 19. 'Let them, $C— It would be well for 
 both Jews, Christians, and Gentiles, to " give the more 
 "earnest heed" to the texts of scripture here quoted: but 
 the reader may not at first perceive, for what purpose the 
 words of God to Balaam are added. The subsequent para- 
 graph will explain it. 
 
 J, # 20—24. ' Conclusion.— The blessed, #c.'— God blessed 
 Israel, and Balaam wanted to curse them ; and it is here 
 insinuated, that St. Paul, and Christians approving his argu- 
 ment, in the text which has been considered,* imitate Balaam, 
 in this conduct. But neither the apostle nor his expositors, 
 nor well informed Christians, so much as attempt to shew that 
 Israel, or unbelieving and disobedient Israelites, are " under 
 " the curse," in any other sense, than all other unbelievers, 
 and impenitent sinners are ; or than they themselves were, 
 till " they fled for refuge" to the covenant of grace, the 
 
 * Gal. iii. 10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 229 
 
 righteousness of faith, and the salvation of the gospel. Yet 
 Moses, or God by Moses, addressing Israelites exclusively , 
 both in the chapter from which the text is quoted, and in 
 other places, hath gone much beyond this in pronouncing 
 a curse on disobedient Israelites.* And so far was the 
 apostle, and so far are we, from desiring with Balaam, that 
 Israel should be cursed; that it may confidently be said, 
 Even Moses himself did not more earnestly desire lt that 
 " Israel should be blessed" than the apostle did ;t and we 
 would zealously endeavour to imitate his example. I am 
 conscious, in the sight of God, that this is my prevailing 
 motive in this publication; and I cannot doubt, but it is 
 that of the London Society, and its best friends. 
 
 But where, in the books of Moses, or in the Old Testament, 
 is the blessing engaged to Israel, merely as ' having the law 
 ' given them,' without any respect to their obedience or dis- 
 obedience? In the face, however, of the awful curses, on 
 those who broke particular precepts, and did not confirm the 
 law by doing it; as well as many other passages to the same 
 effect; Mr. C. seems to take for granted, that the blessing 
 contained at the close of Moses's prophecy concerning the 
 tribes of Israel;! belongs to every individual Israelite and 
 every proselyte, however rebellious and hardened in impeni- 
 tency ! But this subject will again require our notice. — 
 " Keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, 
 " and to them that keep his commandments." — This was 
 Daniel's view of the subject.^ There are some sentiments, 
 charged on different descriptions of men, which it is very 
 difficult to believe they really maintain. When the apostle 
 expostulates with his countrymen, " Behold, thou art called 
 t( a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of 
 
 * Deut. xi. 26— 28. xxvii. 14—26. xxviii. 15—20. xxix. 19—21. 
 + Ex. xxxii. 32. Rom. ix. 1—3. $ Dent, xxxiii. 29. 
 
 ^ Dan. ix. 4. x. 4. 
 
230 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " God ; and knowest his will, and approvest the things that 
 '" are most excellent, being instructed out of the law : and 
 " art confident that thou thyself art a guide of Ihe blind, a 
 " light of them which are in darkness ; an instructor of the 
 " foolish ; a teacher of babes ; who hast the form of 
 "knowledge, and of the truth in the law. Thou therc- 
 " fore which teacliest another, teachest thou not thyself? 
 " thou that preachcst, A man should not steal, dost thou 
 ''steal? thou that snyest, A man should not commit adul- 
 " tery, dost thou commit adultery ? thou that makest thy 
 " boast of the law ; through breaking the law, dishonour- 
 " est thou God ?"* In reading this, I say, it is difficult 
 to conceive, that the apostle could be combating an oppo- 
 nent, who avowed such sentiments. It is scarcely credible, 
 that men should "trust in the law," "boast in God," and 
 keep up that confidence, while guilty of the grossest and 
 most scandalous violations of the law! Yet this was the 
 case in the apostle's days, and in that of the prophets. + 
 And we may therefore be the less surprised, at hearing a 
 similar confidence avowed in our days. The words before 
 noticed may perhaps recur to the reader's mind, on this 
 occasion. 'Israel is still Israel;' the same as in ancient days. 
 (P. 58. 1. 16.) The Gentiles may be saved by keeping the 
 precepts of Noah, but Israelites and proselytes by receiving 
 the law of Moses. 
 
 L. SO. ' Question respecting the dispersion of 
 { Israel.' 
 
 P. 77. 1. 19. 20.- ' To convert the whole world, #c.' — 
 Then 'the whole world will at length be converted to the 
 ' true worship of the only God of Israel.' This I believe; 
 and likewise, that the dispersion of Israel will eventually 
 be over-ruled as one grand means of accomplishing this 
 
 * Rom. ii. 17 — 24. + Is. xlviii, 1—5. Jer. vii. 7—10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 23\ 
 
 most blessed object. Mr. C. however, before denied, that 
 this would ever be the case. (P. 66. last three lines.) 
 
 P. 78. I. 26. ' In this night was burnt the Jirst and 
 1 second temple.'— This I suppose is learned from tradition 
 and it may be true for any thing I know to the contrary. 
 
 P. 79. 1. 11. ' That is, 490 years, c^c.'— Daniel's prophecy 
 was delivered nearly seventy years after the destruction of 
 the first temple ; but this subject has repeatedly been 
 considered. 
 
 Last line but one. i Sj)oke with them face to face.''— 
 This was peculiar to Moses ; as Mr. C. has before stated. 
 
 P. 80. 1. 1. ' As for the rest, 8>c.'— It is not clear how this 
 statement of the oral law being given to Israel, in general, 
 can accord with what went before: (P. 70. 71.) 'The 
 ( oral law,' however, is now no secret, for it is written in 
 books; and any man may learn the secret, who has 
 money to purchase, and time "and patience to read those 
 books. 
 
 P. 80. 1. 8. ' Ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests." 
 —It should be noticed, that this was spoken before any 
 part of either law was given.* 
 
 L. 12. * The ministers, fyc.' — When it is clearly stated, 
 what is here meant by the word ministers; whether servants 
 simply ; or ministers of state, or ministers of religion / it 
 may be requisite to give some answer to the passage. The 
 Israelites in general were not ministers of religion : indeed 
 none of them but the priests of Aaron's family, the Levites, 
 their assistants ; and the prophets who were occasionally 
 raised up. And we read in Isaiah, concerning the Gentiles, 
 " I will also take of them, for priests and Levites, 
 " saith the LoRD."t The words of Malachi also are of 
 great importance in this argument. Speaking to the 
 priests, he says, " Who is there even among you, that 
 * Ex. six. 6, + I». lxvi. 19—21. 
 
232 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " would shut the doors for nought ? Neither do ye kindle 
 " a fire on my altar for nought. I have no pleasure in 
 "you, saith the Lord of hosts; neither will I accept an 
 " offering at your hand. For from the rising of the sun, 
 " to the going down thereof, my name shall be great 
 "among the Gentiles: and in every place, incense shall be 
 " offered unto my name, and a pure offering : for my 
 " name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord 
 " of hosts."* — But perhaps, the word is used in some 
 other sense. No doubt, Israel has been very honourably 
 distinguished among the nations of the earth : but, alas I 
 that people has been as much distinguished by rebellion 
 against God, and persecution of his true ministers, even 
 his holy prophets, as by external privileges. It is, how- 
 ever, cordially allowed, that converted and restored Israel 
 will have a high pre-eminence among the christian nations 
 of the earth. I fully believe, that they will have all that 
 distinguished honour among the nations, which a spiritual 
 mind would be even willing to accept : and that they will 
 cease to desire that domination over other men, to which 
 they now aspire. But when " all the ends of the earth 
 " shall remember themselves, and turn unto the Lord; and 
 " all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him; 1 ' 
 are these unnumbered millions to have no spiritual pastors 
 and teachers? or none but Israelites? If this is to be 
 the case, a new and more extensive, though more honour- 
 able, dispersion of Israel must take place, than any which 
 has ever yet occurred. 
 
 L. 24. 'Idolatry taken away from Israel.' 
 
 Last line. i If idolatry had not been taken, fyc' — I believe 
 
 this remark to be just and well grounded, and that this 
 
 has not been sufficiently noted by writers on these subjects. 
 
 How far this adherence to the true God has been, and 
 
 * Mai. i, 10, li. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 233 
 
 is, that of knowledge, faith, love, and spiritual worship, 
 is another question; respecting which, it cannot be supposed 
 that Jews and Christians should be of the same sentiments. 
 
 P. 81. I. 8. l All of them, ^t.' — In what sense and how 
 far this was true, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, the 
 prophecies of Haggai, Zcchariali, and Malachi, and the 
 histories of Josephus, as well as the New Testament, best 
 explain : but a melancholy conclusion must be deduced 
 from their combined testimony. 
 
 L. 12. { To begin their ministry.'' — It was certainly a 
 most inauspicious beginning; and the progress and success 
 have hitherto been according to it : but something far 
 better may speedily be expected. 
 
 L. 20. ' You shall go abroad, and make an atonement, 
 * fyc.' — Where do we learn from Moses, or the prophets, or 
 any part of the Old Testament, that atonement could be 
 made, except either by the condign punishment of the 
 criminals, or by the sacrificing of innocent animals; the 
 shedding and sprinkling of blood ; the death of the innocent 
 for the guilty, according to the rites of the law ? The 
 apostle states the fact, and his words cannot be disproved. 
 <c Almost all things are by the law purged with blood ; 
 " and without shedding of blood is no remission."* 
 
 Moses indeed says, after the sin of Israel in making the 
 golden calf, " Peradventure, I shall make an atonement 
 " for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, 
 " and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and 
 " have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt 
 ." forgive their sin, and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out 
 " of thy book which thou hast written. And the Lord 
 "said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, 
 " him will I blot out of my book."t As if he had 
 said, ' O Lord, instead of destroying Israel as a sacrifice 
 * Hcb. ix. 22. t Ex. xxxii. 30—33. 
 2h 
 
234 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 e to thy justice; let me be the sacrifice, and spare them.' 
 The answer of God seems to imply, that this was his 
 meaning; and that by this disinterested proposal, he hoped 
 to make an atonement : but it could not be acceded to. 
 Phinehas also " made an atonement for the children of 
 " Israel," that is, by the condign punishment of the daring 
 criminals.* " He executed judgment, and so the plague 
 a was stayed."+ 
 
 L. 27. 28. ' All those families, #c.'— I doubt not, but 
 individuals and nations have suffered, and will suffer, 
 severe punishment, for their cruel oppression of Israel. 
 But Jews should remember, that their ancestors shed the 
 blood of their own prophets and righteous men, and were 
 the most sanguinary persecutors of Christians. All parties 
 are deeply criminal : may God give all, concerned in this 
 hateful work, true repentance and forgiveness; and teach 
 them that, forgiving one another, they may henceforth 
 only " strive together in love and good works." Surely, 
 however, those who shall be the friends and helpers of 
 Israel, at his Restoration, will not be involved in the 
 vengeance inflicted on his obstinate enemies. 
 
 Last line. ' One bushel of Jine wheat, Sfc. 1 — Moses and 
 the prophets give a far different view of the nation. ;£ 
 Israel, before he is restored, must be humbled, and made 
 " to loathe and abhor himself; and to acknowledge, that 
 " God hath wrought with him, for his own name's sake 
 " and not according to his evil deeds ;" otherwise he 
 would have been utterly consumed. Till the Jews cease to 
 boast and be " haughty, because of their holy mountain" 
 and their special distinctions, their dispersion will continue. 
 But when God shall "pour out upon them the spirit of grace 
 "and supplication," they will use a far different language. § 
 
 * Num. xxv. IS. + Ps. cvi. 30. + Deut. xxxi. 16—18. 
 
 xxxii. 21—28. Am. ix. 1 — 10. \ Zeph. iii. 11. Zech. xii. 10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 235 
 
 " That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and 
 " never open thy mouth any more for thy shame ; -when 
 M I am pacified unto thee, for all that thou hast done> 
 "saith the Loud."* " For I will take you from among the 
 " heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will 
 * bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle 
 "clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all 
 "your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 
 " A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will 
 " I put within you ; and I will take away the stony 
 " heart out of your flesh, and will give you an heart of 
 " flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and 
 " cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep 
 " my judgments and do them. And ye shall dwell in the 
 " land that I gave unto your fathers ; and ye shall be 
 " my people, and I will be your God." — " Then shall ye 
 " remember your own evil ways, and your doings that 
 " were not good ; and shall loathe yourselves in your own 
 u sight for your iniquities, and for your abominations. 
 " Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it 
 " known unto you. Be ashamed and confounded, for your 
 " own ways, O house of Israel. "t From prophecies of 
 this kind we learn, " the restoration of Israel :" and we 
 also learn, what restored Israel will think and say concern- 
 ing their own character and conduct, and those of their 
 ancestors from age to age. 
 
 P. 82. 1. 5. 6. " This people have I formed for my- 
 il self; they shall shew forth my praise" l but not the 
 £ Gentiles.' — Any one, not acquainted with the writings of 
 Isaiah, would suppose that the concluding clause was quoted 
 along with the rest from him ; and marked with Italicks, 
 to put additional emphasis on it : but it is in fact Mr. 
 C.'s addition to Isaiah's words; which has no ground t» 
 * Ez. xvi. 63. t Ee. xxxvi. 24-32, 
 
236 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 rest on either in the passage quoted from the prophet, or 
 in any part of the scripture : " Praise the Lord, all ye 
 " nations, praise him all ye people."* " Sing to the Lord 
 "a new song, and his praise from the ends of the earth: 
 "ye that go down to the sea, and all that is therein; the 
 " isles and the inhabitants thereof. Let the wilderness and 
 " the cities thereof lift up their voice, the villages that 
 " Kedar doth inhabit : Let the inhabitants of the rock 
 " sing ; let them shout from the top of the mountains. 
 " Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare his 
 " praise in the islands."! Do Israelites exclusively inhabit 
 " the isles of the sea," and " the villages of Kedar ?" 
 
 L. 24. 25. < But now no excuse, #c.' — Mr. C. sees the 
 propriety of leaving the Gentiles " without excuse :" and 
 it would be well, if he were fully aware, that Israel is, 
 and will be, without excuse also at the great day of God. 
 The apostle lias proved, that both Gentiles and Jews are 
 without excuse; and "that every mouth shall be stopped, 
 " and all the world become guilty before God."}: Here at 
 least is impartiality in the charge or verdict. It must, 
 alas, be added, that the conduct and character of Israel, 
 throughout their dispersions, has not generally been suited 
 to produce the conviction, that they are the true people 
 of God, and theirs the true religion. This is intimated 
 by the prophet : " And ye shall behold their ways and 
 " their doings ; and ye shall be comforted concerning all 
 " the evil, which I have brought upon Jerusalem. And 
 " they shall comfort you, when ye see their ways and 
 " their doings : and ye shall know, that I have not done 
 "without cause all that I have done in it, saith the 
 "Lord God."§ "And I scattered them among the heathen, 
 " and they were dispersed through the countries : according 
 
 * Ps. cxvii. 1. t Is. xlii. 10—12. + Rom. i. 20. ii. 1. iii. 9—20. 
 ^ Ez. xiv. 22, 23. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 23? 
 
 " to their way, ' and according to their doings, I judged 
 " them. And when they entered among the heathen, whi- 
 " ther they went, thej' profaned my holy name, when 
 f( they said to them; These are the people of Jehovah, 
 " and are gone forth out of their land.''* 
 
 P. S3. 1. 7. 8. ' They preached wonderful sermons, &c.' 
 The * wonderful sermons,' which will be made effectually 
 successful, in the conversion of the Gentiles, have not 
 yet been preached by dispersed Israel. We, however, 
 confidently expect that they will be ere long; and that 
 their conversion to their long rejected Messiah, accom- 
 plishing, after so astonishing a manner, the prophecies of 
 scripture respecting the nation, will be " as life from the 
 "dead/' to the world at large. But the wonderful sermons 
 here intended, are of a widely different nature. " Fifteen 
 " hundred of them took knives, and stabbed their wives 
 " and children, &c." (L. 13. 14.)— Was this done accord- 
 ing to the law of God, or directly contrary to it? Was 
 it not atrocious murder, rebellion, and desperation ? Was 
 it suited to convince the persecutors; that they, the Jews, 
 were the true "people of God?" Was it not calculated 
 to fill them with abhorrence of both them and their religion? 
 Let any man compare it with the mild, dignified, and 
 firm conduct of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when 
 the fiery furnace was before their eyes; or that of Daniel, 
 in the prospect of the lions' den ; or that of Jeremiah, 
 in the hands of his persecutors ;t or even with that of the 
 Maccabees, under the cruel persecutions of Antiochus: and 
 let him ask himself, Which was more consonant to the 
 command of God, or suited to produce a favourable 
 impression on the beholders? The conduct of the wretched 
 Jews was indeed a fulfilment of the words of Moses: " Thou 
 
 * Ez. xxxvi. 19—21. See also Deut. xxix. 22—28. 1 Kings ix. C— 9, 
 Jer. xl. 1—3. Lam. iv. 13—16. 
 + Dan. iii. 16-18. vi. 10—23. Jer. xxvi. 12 — 5 
 
238 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes, which thou 
 "shalt see."* I do not mean to palliate the conduct of 
 those detestable wretches, who drove the poor Jews to 
 this madness and desperation. t It was hateful beyond 
 expression. 
 
 L. '20. ' They must have a good reason, SfcS — Can any 
 man have a good reason, for committing the most atroci- 
 ous complicated murder of the nearest relatives, and closing 
 the horrid scene, with suicide ? The persecuted saints, from 
 Abel to the close of the Old Testament, neither murdered 
 themselves nor others ; but meekly and patiently adhered 
 to the Lord ; leaving to their persecutors exclusively the 
 guilt of the murders committed by them. If the Jews 
 never preach other sermons than these e shocking sermons,' 
 (1. 20,) no good effect on the nations will follow : but 
 when they become the lowly disciples of him, " who was 
 " led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before 
 "his shearers was dumb;" he will teach them other lessons, 
 and they will preach far other sermons. Then indeed, 
 " the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many 
 " people, as the dew from the Lord, as the showers on 
 " the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waifeth for 
 " the sons of men.":!: Then also the prophecy of Zccha- 
 riah, will receive a far more full accomplishment, than it 
 has hitherto done.§ (P. 84. 1. 1—6.) 
 
 P. 83. 1. 24. ' Christians boast very much about this 
 1 new law.'' — It may be confidently said, that if any called 
 Christians do indeed thus boast very much of a new law, 
 they know little or nothing of the real nature , of Chris- 
 tianity; as both their boasting, and their language about a 
 new law, shew. We desire to induce Israel to look unto 
 him, " who is the end of the law for righteousness, unto 
 " every one that believeth." 
 
 * Deut. xxviii. 32 — 31. I F.c. \ii.7« + Mic. v. 7. 
 
 % Zech.-viii. 20 — 23. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 231) 
 
 L. 25. * Their new law permits them, SfcJ — Certainly no 
 law of God warrants Christians to murder Jews: any more 
 than any law of Cod warranted the fifteen hundred Jews to 
 murder their wives and children and themselves. So far 
 from it, that Christianity requires us, to do all the good 
 in our power, even to the Jew, who would persecute and 
 destroy us, if such there now be. 
 
 P. 85. 1. 2. ' Perhaps, #c.' — They, who have murdered or 
 injured the Jews, will, unless truly penitent, suffer condign 
 punishment. We, indeed, who have never personally, cither 
 committed this atrocious crime, or approved it in others, 
 cannot 'repay the blood of Israel.' But we would "do 
 "what we can;" and we desire, by way of compensation 
 of past injuries from men called Christians, to treat Israel 
 with all candour, benevolence, and compassion ; and to pay 
 some little of the immense debt, which we acknowledge 
 ourselves to owe to their progenitors, through whom we 
 enjoy all our invaluable blessings. This exclusively is the 
 object of the London Society. 
 
 L. 4. l A way, <5fc.' — It must also be allowed, that im- 
 mense injustice has been done to the Jews by slanders 
 and false accusations, which, in many cases, are as pernicious 
 and cruel, as more direct murder : but it would be well, 
 if the Jews would endeavour to refute these, by a strict 
 adherence to equity, truth, and mercy. However guilty 
 their revilers, I fear the epithet innocent does not belong 
 to the Jews : and I would simply ask, has nothing in the 
 conduct of the Jews given even plausibility to these calum- 
 nies ? I do not ask this, to excuse, in any degree, the 
 calumniators; but to suggest an useful hint to the calum- 
 niated. — We ought not to speak, to the injury of others, 
 even what we know to be true, unless we have some good 
 reason for doing it. 
 
 P. 85. 1. 20. ' The title of Israel.'— The word Title 
 
240 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 is not scriptural, nor does the import of it clearly appear : 
 but I suppose it means the right and title to temporal do- 
 minion over the nations. The texts, however, afterwards 
 adduced, (L. 23 — 35,) speak nothing concerning this right 
 or title/ but merely state, that God will no more disannul 
 or violate his covenant with Israel, than he will terminate or 
 alter the ordinances of the sun and moon. 
 
 L. 22. ' No Israel, no world." — It is both scriptural and 
 reasonable, to maintain, that all things in creation and 
 providence have been so ordered and constituted, as to for- 
 ward the eternal good of all the spiritual worshippers and 
 holy servants of God ;* and in subserviency to the display 
 of his glorious perfections, and the interests of true religion. 
 But that all things, relating to the immense multitudes of 
 those, who have hitherto inhabited, or shall hereafter inhabit, 
 this globe, without any distinction of character and conduct, 
 should be as nothing, in the view of their common Creator ; 
 except as the temporal aggrandisement of one small nation, 
 often most wicked, rebellious, and ungrateful, is concerned ; 
 is wholly unscriptural, and unreasonable, nay, even monstrous ! 
 
 Last line. ' Israel, who observes the covenant, <$c' — But 
 what becomes of that very large part of Israel, which does 
 not * observe the covenant of God?' "Which my covenant 
 " they brake." " They have transgressed the laws, changed 
 " the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant. "t This is 
 the very thing on which we insist. — " Truly God is good to 
 u Israel, even to such as are of a true heart. "J We con- 
 sider none of the descendants of Abraham, as a part of the 
 true Israel, except those, who inherit his obedient faith : 
 and we suppose the promises as made to them exclusively, 
 and not as including all those, who from age to age, have 
 lived and died, unbelieving, disobedient, impenitent, uncon- 
 verted rebels and enemies. It is true, that, taught by the 
 
 * 1 Cor. iii. 21—23. 2 Cor. iv. 15. f Is. xxiv. 5. ± Ps. Ixxiii. 1. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 241 
 
 New Testament, we consider the nation of Israel, as a kind 
 of type of the true Israel ; viz. of all, whether of the race 
 of Israel, or of Gentile extraction, who are the believing, 
 obedient, and spiritual, servants and worshippers of the God 
 of Abraham. The apostle expresses our views of this subject, 
 when he says of Abraham; "He received the sign of circum- 
 <( cision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he 
 a had yet being uncircumcised ; that he might be the father 
 iC of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised ; 
 " that righteousness might be imputed unto them also : and 
 " the father of circumcision to them, who are not of the cir- 
 " cumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of the faith 
 " of our father Abraham, which he had, being yet uncircum- 
 " cised.''t Some proof that the term, Israel, admits of this 
 application, might be adduced even from the Old Testament : 
 but, as it is peculiarly the doctrine of the New Testament, 
 it is not to be expected that Jews will receive it ; and this 
 hint shall here be urged no further. 
 
 P. 86. I. 3. ' Rachel is called the moon, fyc.'' — Rachel was 
 dead, before Joseph had this dream : but whoever was 
 spoken of, their doing obeisance to Joseph, not others 
 doing obeisance to them, was evidently meant.t 
 
 L. 12. l Moses divided the sea, #c.'— Jesus "walked on the 
 " sea," and he " commanded the winds and the waves and 
 "they obeyed him." The texts adduced, (L. 12—25,) however, 
 only prove, that some individuals in Israel wrought miracles, 
 which no Christian denies. c But miracles are a poor and 
 6 miserable defence, &c.' (P. 26. 1. 29.) It seems, when mira- 
 cles are wrought for Israel, or by Israel, 'the case is altered.' 
 
 L. 23. ' Angels are not called the sons of God, SfC — 
 " When the morning-stars sang together, and all the sons 
 " of God shouted for joy.":j: 
 
 L. 26. < We do not find, ^c.'— Angels did not, and could 
 *Rom.iv. U, 12. fGea.xxxv. 15-20. xxxvii, », 10, + Job xxxvhi. 6, ? 
 
 2i 
 
2^2 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 not need the ministry of Israel, and Israel had no power of 
 ministering to angels; but an angel ministered unto Hagar, 
 who was not of Israel.* Angels brought Lot, who was not 
 of Israel, out of Sodom. + An angel also instructed Eliphaz4 
 
 P. 87. 1. 4. ' Erellim, Sfc' — Rather Erallam, as the Maso- 
 rites have properly pointed it. The word occurs in two 
 places, and no more, and is translated " lion-like-men. "% 
 The word rendered here angels, means, messengers or ambas- 
 sadors. When Sennacherib invaded Judah, Hezekiah's lion- 
 like-men cried out ; and the ambassadors whom he sent to 
 meet Rabshakeh and treat about peace, returned with their 
 clothes rent, and no doubt with bitter lamentations over the 
 deplorable condition of their country. The idea of angels 
 mourning and weeping has no support in scripture nor is it 
 at all reasonable in itself. 
 
 L. 12. * The title of the Gentiles.' 
 
 L. 19. "All nations before him are as nothing, SfcS'W — Is 
 it here meant, that in this respect Israel is an exception to 
 this general rule ? The other texts, quoted in this para- 
 graph, are parts of distinct prophecies : the first and second, 
 of the destruction of Sennacherib's army ; and the fourth, of 
 the vengeance of God on Edom. Probably, in this, the ene- 
 mies of the people of God are designated under a general 
 name, and future events are also predicted : but bj' the same 
 rule of interpretation, all the friends, the spiritual worship- 
 pers, and believing servants of God, are designated by the 
 name Israel. The texts prove nothing in the main argument. 
 
 L. 26. ' The last fortune of the Gentiles.' — The 
 word fortune, in this application is objectionable, as it has 
 already been shewn. {On P. 18.) 
 
 L. 28. < Will they not acknowledge, SfC.?' — Certainly all 
 the evil, and all the good likewise, which God has predicted 
 
 *Gen. xvi. 6-14. xxi, 17-19. + Gen. xix. 1—22. 
 
 % Job iv. 12—21. $ 2 Sam. xxiii. 20. 1 Chr. xi. 22. \\ Is. xl. 17- 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. <^43 
 
 concerning the nations, and concerning Israel, shall be ac- 
 complished. " Heaven and earth shall pass away, but his 
 " word shall not pass away." It only remains to be shewn 
 what evil, and what good, is predicted respecting the Gen- 
 tiles and Israel : for Christians are not required to acknow- 
 ledge, that all the conclusions of Jews, concerning these 
 predictions, are well grounded. 
 
 L. 34. * It is now 1744, fycS — This is more accurate, than 
 the preceding calculation, but not so well suited to com- 
 plete the seventy jubilees. (P. 66.) 
 
 Last line. ' King David foresaw, fyc.' — It is not said, in 
 the title, that the forty-fourth Psalm was written by David ; 
 and indeed it is highly improbable. Mr. C. applies it to 
 the present dispersions of the Jews : the apostle quotes it, 
 concerning the persecutions of the Christian church.* The fol- 
 lowing words, " All this is come upon us; yet have we not 
 " forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy cove- 
 " nant : our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps 
 " declined from thy ways ;"+ seem to render it inapplicable, 
 either to the Babylonish captivity, or the present dispersion 
 of Israel. The whole, indeed, is far more suited to the 
 situation of a company 'suffering "persecution for righteous- 
 " ness' sake," than to any people enduring miseries as the 
 punishment or chastening for their sins4 If, however, the 
 Jews think this applicable to their case, during the 1744 
 years spoken of, because they have not been guilty of gross 
 idolatry, it would answer little purpose to contest the point. 
 When God shall " pour on them the Spirit of grace and 
 i( supplications," they will see the matter in another light. 
 
 The passage, quoted from the apostle Paul, refers entirely 
 to the final judgment of the world, and the eternal state of 
 individuals; and to the precedency "in tribulation and 
 " anguish" of wicked Jews over wicked Gentiles. § 
 * Horn. viii. 36; + Ps. xliv. 1G-18. + Ver.'20— 82. ^ Rom. ii. 9-16. 
 
244 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 P. 88. 1. 17. c Do they imagine, fyc? — The Messiah will 
 forgive either his crucifiers, or the persecutors of his people, 
 whenever they truly repent, and seek forgiveness from him. 
 But he will not forgive either Jew or Gentile, who does not 
 repent and seek mercy.* I am sorry to add, that such re- 
 marks betray a vindictive spirit, in the writer; who, it is 
 evident, judges of the Messiah's conduct from his own 
 feelings. I make this remark with reluctance, but it must 
 not be repressed. ' The Messiah forgive.'' (See on P. 7.) 
 
 L. 19. ' The blood of Israel cries, SfC."" — This ' blood of 
 ' Israel' includes the blood of the prophets and righteous 
 men shed by the ancient Jews and Israelites ; the blood 
 of Stephen, of James, of other apostles, and many other 
 martyrs, as well as the blood of Israel shed by the Gentiles : 
 yea, it includes the blood of Jesus himself. But " his blood 
 " speaketh better things, than that of Abel," which cried for 
 vengeance on him who shed it.+ No doubt, the time 
 cometh, when the earth " shall disclose her blood, and no 
 " more cover her slain. "J Then the blood of Israel, shed by 
 Gentiles, and the blood of Israelites and Christians, shed 
 by Jews, will alike meet condign punishment on all the 
 impenitent and unbelieving ; but not on those who repent 
 and flee for refuge to that God, to whom belongeth " mercies 
 " and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him." 
 The cry of blood for vengeance is not peculiar to that of 
 Israel shed by Gentiles, but is equally spoken of blood shed 
 in murder, to whatever nation the murdered person or the 
 murderer belonged. § 
 
 L. 20. ' And here, ^c.'-No Christian doubts, but that 
 
 " tribulation and anguish" shall come on impenitent workers 
 
 of iniquity, whether Jew, or Gentile ; but ' our own apostle' 
 
 (L. 20, 21.) spoke not of this present world, but of the 
 
 * Ez. xviii. 30—32. + Heb. xii. 24. Gen. iv. 10. 
 
 + Is, xxv i. 21, % Gen. ix. 5, 6. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 245 
 
 " day. when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus 
 " Christ."* 
 
 L. 28. ' It is not said, " Rejoice, O all ye nations, #c."' 
 — Supposing, that only some of the nations were meant, 
 how does it appear, that these were " exclusively those 
 " nations which never troubled Israel ?" (L. 30.) Moses 
 says no such thing, nor do any of the prophets. It is 
 however a concession of importance, to allow, that some 
 nations will rejoice with Israel. " Thus saith the Lord 
 " against all mine evil neighbours, that touch the inheri- 
 " tance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit : 
 " Behold I will piuck them out of their land, and pluck 
 " the house of Judah from among them. And it shall 
 " come to pass, that after I have plucked them out, / 
 " will return and have compassion on them, and will 
 " bring them again every man to his heritage, and every 
 " man to his land : And it shall come to pass, that if 
 " they will diligently learn the ways of my people, to 
 ' c swear by my name ; as they have taught my people to 
 " swear by Baal ; they shall be built up in the midst of 
 " my people." t " In that day shall Israel be the third 
 " with Egypt and Assyria, even a blessing in the midst 
 " of the land ; whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, say- 
 " ing, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the 
 " work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance. ":{: Did 
 Egypt and Assyria never trouble Israel ? The word all, 
 however, is added in many similar predictions.^ It is unde- 
 niable, from these prophecies, that some nations, even of 
 those who have injured and oppressed Israel, shall be 
 built up in the midst of Israel, and rejoice with them. 
 
 Last line but one, P. 89. 1. 1—12. « Whoever shall be, 
 
 * Rom. ii. 9—16. + Jer. xii. 14—17. t Is- xix. 23—25. 
 
 ^ Gen. xviii. 13. xxii. 18. Ps. xxii. 27. lxvii. 2. lxxii. 17. lxxxvi. 9. 
 :xvii. 1. Is, ii, ?. xxv. 7. 
 
246 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 e 40.' This question has already been considered : but the 
 Jews would do well to enquire very seriously and impar- 
 tially, whether the former part of the prophecy here 
 quoted from the second Psalm, was not fulfilled in the 
 events, to which the apostles referred it. " Of a truth 
 " against thy holy child," (or Soti, n«/2*,) u Jesus whom 
 " thou hast anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with 
 ii the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered 
 " together ; for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel 
 " determined "before to be done."* No doubt the Messiah 
 hath crushed and will break, as a potter's vessel is broken 
 with an iron rod, all nations which persist in opposition 
 to him : but if there would be no mercy for those who 
 submit to him, why was it added, " Be wise now there- 
 " fore, O ye kings; be instructed, ye judges of the earth : 
 " Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 
 " Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and so ye perish from 
 " the way ; when his wrath is kindled, yea, but a little, 
 blessed are all they who put their trust in him."f 
 
 P. 89. 1. 11. 'Conqueror of the world, #c.'— This title 
 of the Messiah is not found in scripture, but doubtless 
 he is and will be c the Conqueror of the world :' and 
 all must either bow to the sceptre of his grace, or be 
 broken by his iron rod. "He must reign till he hath 
 " put all enemies under his feet."| If the Jews have no 
 enemies but the Gentiles; and if the Messiah and his 
 people have no other enemies than human beings of what- 
 ever nation, this might be specious. But we consider this 
 evil world, sin, Satan, and death, as especially those 
 enemies, from which the Messiah delivers all his people;" 
 and we are firmly of opinion, that Zechariah had these 
 enemies especially in view, when he said, "that he would 
 
 * Acts iv. 25—28. + Ps. ii. 10-— 12. + Fs. ex. 1. 
 
 1 Cor. xv. 25—27, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 247 
 
 ii grant unto us, that we, being saved from the hand of 
 " our enemies, might serve him, without fear, in holiness 
 " and righteousness, before him all the days of our life.''* 
 We are, however, very willing to allow, that the Messiah 
 will save Israel from all their Gentile enemies : but to be 
 saved from them is one thing ; to be avenged on them, 
 or to exercise lordly dominion over them, is another thing. 
 " When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even 
 " his enemies to be at peace with him."t And if God so 
 influence the minds of the nations, that instead of hating and 
 injuring Israel, they should vie with each other in expres- 
 sions of love and gratitude to Israel ; and in rendering 
 them all the honour, which either reason or scripture can 
 admit to be desirable ; one would think it must be as 
 desirable a deliverance, to any but an incurably vindictive 
 and ambitious mind, as the destruction or absolute subju- 
 gation of the Gentiles. I think I can answer for tens of 
 thousands in this land, of us poor " sinners of the Gen- 
 " tiles," that we feel no enmity to Israel, no, not to the 
 most hostile Jew ; but simply goodwill and compassion ; 
 that we seldom forget to pray earnestly for them, accord- 
 ing to our views of what would be a blessing to them; 
 and that we could receive no higher gratification, than 
 to welcome the Jews as our brethren in Christ, and 
 partakers of all our advantages. These feelings concerning 
 this dispersed, and cruelly oppressed people, I am happy 
 to say, are getting ground rapidly among christians. May 
 the Lord increase them more and more! 
 
 L. 22. ' This is also confirmed, #c.'— I am of opinion, 
 that the short and inadequate contents, at the head of each 
 chapter, in the common editions of the Bible, would be far 
 better omitted. Certainly, in the instance adduced, a very 
 ^vrong view is given of the chapter. The title, as it stands 
 * Luke i. 71—75, t P«>*- xvi ' 7 ' 
 
248 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 in the quarto Oxford Bible 1731, runs thus: "The land 
 " of Israel is comforted, both by the destruction of the 
 " heathen, who spitefully used it ; and by the blessings 
 " of God promised unto it. Israel was rejected for their 
 " sin; and shall be restored without their desert. The 
 " blessings of Christ's kingdom." I suppose, that the con- 
 tents, as annexed by the venerable translators, are contained 
 in the large Bibles, with marginal readings, &c. : but I do 
 not know who abridged them for the smaller editions. It 
 seems, however, to have been done with little judgment. 
 At any rate these contents are simply a comment : and I 
 would, with great deference, as speaking of a Society, 
 which I especially admire and honour, suggest the hint, to 
 the conductors of the British and Foreign Bible Society, 
 should this fall into the hands of any of them, that the 
 retaining of these contents is a deviation from their grand 
 and most important rule of distributing the scriptures without 
 note and comment. The instance here adduced (to which I 
 could easily add very many more,) shews, that the abridged 
 contents sometimes are a highly erroneous comment on the 
 sacred text. 
 
 P. 89. 1. 24. i Question.' There is not much argument 
 in the close of these questions. c Israel hath lost all these 
 i things, &c.' (L. 10, 11.) But why cannot God give them 
 all these things, and all other temporal and providential 
 benefits in the same way, by which he delivered their 
 ancestors, and settled them in Canaan? or as he has given 
 them to the Gentiles without a Messiah ? 
 
 We, « sinners of the Gentiles," want a Messiah to 
 " save us from the deserved wrath of God, from the 
 "curse of his law, by enduring it himself;" from "the 
 "wrath to come," from our « sins;" " from this present evil 
 " world," from death, and him that hath the power of 
 death, that is, the devil : we need to be " saved in the 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 249 
 
 "Lord with an everlasting salvation;" to have "our sins 
 " subdued , and buried in the depths of the sea." We need 
 a Messiah who " by the knowledge of him, shall justify 
 " many, for he shall bear their iniquities;" who shall be 
 "a Light to the Gentiles," and "the salvation of God to 
 u the ends of the earth." Deliverance from sin, and all its 
 consequences; reconciliation to God and recovery to holiness; 
 supports and comforts in our souls, while passing through 
 this vale of tears ; hope and exultation in death, and ever- 
 lasting happiness in another world, are the blessings, which 
 we Gentiles desire from the Messiah. And all, who feel 
 their need of them, and desire them, know that they can 
 be found in no other. Millions, very many millions, have 
 already received these blessings, by faith in Jesus Christ; 
 and increasing numbers shall receive them, till " all nations 
 " shall be blessed in him." Having this salvation, the 
 spiritual mind desires no more : but " the carnal mind," 
 (which prefers, and values as the best things, those tem- 
 poral advantages which are enumerated in these questions,) 
 " is death," and " enmity against God." Were we satisfied 
 to enjoy these blessings ourselves, and cared nothing about 
 the eternal salvation of the Jews; did we not "count it 
 * more blessed to give, than to receive ;" and long to 
 communicate, our good things, infinitely good things, to 
 them, rather than to share their transient imaginary good 
 things; (which most of the present generation must, at any 
 rate, come short of:) we should leave the Jews to their 
 dream of kings, of lands, of nobles, and riches, and glory; 
 and should never think of advancing a claim, or entering 
 into a competition about them. For we are not only fully 
 convinced, that such a Messiah, bringing a redemption of 
 this kind, will never come : but also, that if such a one did 
 come; the satisfaction arising from his coming, would be 
 " as the dream of a night-vision. It shall even be as when 
 
 2k 
 
250 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 u an hungry man drcameth that he eateth ; but he awaketh, 
 " and his soul is empty : or as when a thirsty man 
 " dreameth, and behold he drinketh ; but he awaketh, and 
 te behold he is faint, and his soul hath appetite."* " Vanity 
 " of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity of vanities, all is 
 " vanity. "t 
 
 If the Jews wanted a Messiah only for such purposes, as 
 are stated in these questions ; it would be comparatively a 
 small matter, should all future generations of Israel live 
 and die, as all former generations have lived and died, with- 
 out a Messiah. But we " sinners of the Gentiles," being 
 the race of fallen Adam, ourselves also being disposed to 
 imitate him, having in numberless instances, actually copied 
 his example of ingratitude, apostasy, and rebellion; and 
 being thus involved in his condemnation: we, knowing that 
 " it is appointed to men once to die, and after death the 
 " judgment ;" and that " in the sight of God shall no man 
 " living be justified ;'"J need a Redeemer and Saviour, from 
 the wrath of God, from the curse of his violated law, from 
 the power of the devil, from our own sinful propensities and 
 habits, "and from this evil world." We want an atonement, 
 which can satisfy Divine justice, and render it honourable to 
 an infinitely holy and just God, to pardon our sins; and 
 one "to bring in an everlasting righteousness," "for our jus- 
 " tification :" we stand in urgent need of an Advocate and 
 Mediator to " appear in the presence of God for us," to 
 render our prayers and services acceptable to him. We 
 want a mercy-seat, and a High priest before that mercy- 
 seat; " a Priest upon his throne," who, being " Lord of all," 
 may render by his power, the sacrifice of his death, and his 
 intercession, as risen and ascended, effectual " to redeem us 
 " from all iniquity," and to " save us from our sins." We 
 need a Saviour who can "pour upon us the Holy Spirit" to 
 * Is. xxix. 7, 8. + Ec. i. 2. + Ps. cxliii. 2. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 251 
 
 renew us unto holiness, and make us, who are in ourselves 
 " vessels of wrath fitted for destruction," to become " vessels 
 a of mercy prepared for eternal glory." In short we need 
 a Messiah, who " is able to save to the uttermost all who 
 " come to God through him ;" to receive our souls at death, 
 to raise our bodies, incorruptible and glorious, at the resur- 
 rection ; to silence all accusers at the day of judgment, 
 and to put us in full possession of everlasting glory and 
 felicity. 
 
 We are also deeply convinced, that the Jews equally 
 want such a Messiah. " The whole indeed need no phy- 
 sician:" the wise, strong, righteous, and holy, the perfectly 
 righteous and holy, need not such a Redeemer. Yet there is 
 vast danger of deception in this matter, through the excessive 
 self-flattery of the human heart ; which is " deceitful above 
 " all things," as well as " desperately wicked."—" There is 
 " a way, that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof 
 " are the ways of death."* And we consider the words of 
 our Lord to the Laodiceans, fairly applicable to this case: 
 " Because thou say est, I am rich and increased with goods, 
 " and have need of nothing ; and knowest not that thou art 
 " wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked ; 
 " I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that 
 " thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest 
 « be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not 
 "appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou 
 " mayest see."+ But we have no occasion to refer to the 
 New Testament: the ancient prophets often give similar 
 warnings and counsels.:}: 
 
 P. 89. 1. 32. to P. 91. 1. 10. ' The punishment, Sfc'— I do 
 not think, that all these quotations from the prophets bear 
 upon the case of Israel, as a nation : but I shall not contest 
 
 * Prov. xvi. 25. Jer. xvii. 9. t Rev. iii. 17, 18. J Jer >>■ 2fi — 35 ' 
 Hos. xiv. 1. ?, 
 
252 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 that matter: especially, as the main argument, about Jesus of 
 Nazareth being the Messiah, is not much concerned. I agree 
 with the writer, that God hath severely punished the heathen, 
 who have injured offending Israel; that he will do the 
 same to their future oppressors; and that he will execute 
 dreadful judgments on those, who combine to oppose Israel, 
 when he shall restore that people. But I contend, that all, 
 both nations and individuals, who repent of former injuries, 
 and concur in God's purposes of mercy, to Israel ; and all, 
 who, at length renouncing their enmity, shall be cordially re- 
 conciled to converted Israel, and disposed to love and honour 
 them, will share Israel's blessedness; and thus, that their 
 restoration " shall be as life from the dead," to the whole 
 earth. This I suppose "will be the case of all nations during 
 the Millennium. 
 
 P. 91. 1. 10. < By Ezekiel.'— ( In the thirty second, #c.' 
 — This chapter seems to be wholly unconnected with the 
 subject. Nothing is said in it of the fate of < all nations ' 
 but merely of several nations mentioned by name: as Asshur 
 Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, and the Zidonians. This 
 emphatical word all,, which Mr. C. so severely blames the 
 apostle and our translators for adding, is here introduced by 
 him without any warrant. 
 
 P. 91. last line. P. 92, 93.— -Mr. C. explains several of 
 these prophecies, nearly as some modern Christian writers 
 have done. The outline of the plan is indeed probable ; 
 though the wonderful changes, which perpetually take place, 
 during these eventful times, blot and deface, from time to 
 time, every attempt to fill up that outline. I do not, 
 however, mean to commit myself, as attempting to prophesy 
 from the prophecies : it suffices to observe, that the Messiah 
 is not once mentioned in any one of them. Indeed it 
 seems throughout taken for granted, that he is already 
 come, but that neither Israel, nor the nations at large, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 253 
 
 have hitherto received him and submitted to him : and that 
 very much violent opposition will yet be made to (he 
 establishment of his kingdom throughout the earth; but 
 that all opposition shall eventually be overcome and ter- 
 minated. 
 
 P. 92. 1. 30. * Circumcised. 1 — The word, circumcised, does 
 not occur, in any of the prophecies quoted, or referred to 
 in the whole passage: though " uncircumcised," does in the 
 thirty-second of Ezekiel. This inaccuracy is, however, of no 
 consequence, except as it leads to an acknowledgment, that 
 the Mohammedans are circumcised. As these are computed 
 to be more numerous than Christians ; and as circumcision is 
 the great seal of Israel; there are very many competitors 
 with Israel for the honour of this external distinction. (P. 17. 
 P. 58. 1. 4.) 
 
 P. 93. 1. 11. ( Messiah, son of Joseph, #c.' — Hosea says 
 nothing of * Messiah, Son of Joseph.'— J udah and Israel shall 
 have " one Head," and not two. But tradition, I suppose, 
 contradicts the words of Hosea. Sennacherib carried the 
 Israelites captive in the fourth year of Hezekiah; and ten 
 years after, in the fourteenth year of Hezekiah, " he came 
 " up against all the fenced cities of Judah, and took them."* 
 Does this prove, that ' a great part of Judah went into cap- 
 ' tivity with the Israelites P y 
 
 L. 21. l We read in Joshua, fyc' — Is then the tenth of 
 Joshua a prophecy, and not a history ; or is it both a his- 
 tory and prophecy? 
 
 L. 28. ' Battle of Gog.' — Concerning the battle of Gog 
 we are agreed: but it has been stated, that the closing 
 verses of the second chapter of Joel, relate to other events, 
 even to the awful destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. 
 {Last line but one, &,c.) The prophecy in the third of 
 Joel, coincides with the prediction of Gog and Magog by 
 * 2 Kings xviii. 9—13. 
 
254 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Ezekiel, but includes also, as it appears to me, other events 
 which will occur about the same time. 
 
 P. 94. 1. 3. ' Boasting of the Gentiles.'' — The apostle 
 warned the Gentile converts at Rome on this subject: 
 " Boast not against the branches ; but if thou boast, thou 
 " bearest not the root, but the root thee." — " Be not high- 
 " minded, but fear."* But, in the course of my reading, I 
 have met with very little boasting of the Gentiles over 
 Israel; not so much in the whole, as there is boasting of 
 the Jews, in this one small tract. The truth is this; the 
 Gentiles, including the bulk of nominal Christians, think 
 very little about such matters : and whatever else they boast 
 of and glory in, it never comes in their way to boast or 
 glory over the Jews, about the dominion under the reign of 
 Messiah. And true Christians, by the same train of serious 
 reflection, in which the comparative situations of the Jews 
 and Gentiles are brought to their thoughts, learn humility, 
 gratitude, and compassion. They consider all " boasting" 
 over others as extremely wicked; and, in proportion as they 
 regard themselves favoured above others, they acknowledge 
 their own unworthiness, give the whole glory to God, who 
 alone hath made the difference, and pray for those, whom 
 they look on as less favoured. And not only so; but they 
 do what they can to impart their peculiar advantages to 
 them also. 
 
 P. 94. 1. 8. 'Restoration of Judah and Benjamin, SfC. r 
 L. 13. * The Gentiles would pay no attention, SfC.' — 
 The reader must observe, without my noticing it, that Mr. C. 
 wavers on this subject: and sometimes seems to speak of 
 the Gentiles as brought to worship God by the Jews, and 
 sometimes as wholly neglecting the instructions given them. 
 The text, however, here adduced, proves nothing in this 
 respect; as it only means, that every people will have regard 
 * Rom. xi. 18—20. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 25.J 
 
 to that object of worship, which they acknowledge as their 
 god ; but not that they will never " turn from idols to serve 
 "the living and true God;" and the verses which go before, 
 prove directly the contrary: "Many nations shall come and 
 " say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, 
 " to the house of the God of Jacob,— and he shall teach 
 " of his ways, and we will walk in his paths."* The wor- 
 shippers of God profess, that " they will walk in the name 
 "of the Lord their God for ever and ever:" yet many 
 of Israel apostatized, and became idolaters; and numbers 
 of idolaters have forsaken, and still greater numbers will for- 
 sake, their idols, to worship the true God. 
 
 L. 24. ' The worship of Israel, tyc.'— If this mean, the 
 worship instituted by the ritual law of Moses, we cannot 
 believe that it will i endure for ever and ever.' We are 
 confident, that it is predicted in the Old Testament, that 
 this ceremonial worship would be put away, when the 
 " Priest after the order of Melchisedek" should come : but, 
 however that might be, it will hardly be maintained, that 
 the worship of heaven will be conducted according to the 
 ritual law of Moses. As to the substance of the worship 
 of Israel, as contained in the law and in the prophets, we 
 firmly believe that it will endure to the end and for ever : 
 and that the Gentiles become the people of God, by joining 
 in that spiritual worship of Israel, of which all their forms 
 were shadows, or prefigurations. But, according to Mr. C.'s 
 statement, what is to be done with . the Gentiles ? The 
 different forms * of worship used by them are to be put 
 'away;' (L. 18 — £0.) 'yet they shall not become true wor- 
 ' shippers.' I suppose, it is meant, that in order to their 
 being true worshippers, they must be proselyted, and cir- 
 cumcised, become Jews, and keep the law. If this be 
 intended, it might have been more clearly stated. Malachi 
 * Mic. iv. 1—5. 
 
256 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 however says, or rather the Lord by Malachi, " From the 
 <{ rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my 
 " name shall be great among the Gentiles ; and in every 
 "place, incense shall be offered to my name, and a pure 
 " offering; for my name shall be great among the heathen, 
 H saith the Lord of hosts."* 
 L. 27. ' But let us see, &-c. i 
 
 Last line. ' Forced to acknowledge, <5jrc.' — Nothing is said, 
 in the passage quoted from Jeremiah,+ of forced to acknow- 
 ledge. Every true convert acknowledges his guilt, without 
 compulsion ; and so will the Israelites, when converted 
 and restored, t " Coming to the Lord from the ends 
 " of the earth," implies a voluntary renunciation of idols, 
 to join his worshippers; if words, when the Gentiles arc 
 concerned, can express that idea; and surely there are other 
 ways of " knowing the hand and might of God," besides 
 that of falling victims to his omnipotent vengeance! Sup- 
 posing, that multitudes of the opposing nations should be 
 crushed by " the hand and power of God ;" and others, 
 thus perceiving how immensely superior he is to all the 
 idols of their worship, should submit to him, seek mercy, 
 renounce idols, and become his spiritual worshippers ; will 
 not this be a fulfilment of the prophecy ? Beyond doubt, 
 this, for substance, was meant by it. 
 
 P. 95. 1.'7. ' Further we observe, fyc.' — Impenitent crimi- 
 nals do not generally ' come of their own accord, without 
 ' being called,' in order to be punished. 
 
 L. 16, 17. * No need to shew miracles, except in Egypt.' 
 - — Whether there was, or was not need, many and great 
 miracles both of mercy and judgment were shewn in the 
 wilderness, k in the time of Moses. '§ And without these, it 
 
 * Mai. i. 11. + Jer. xvi. 19—21. % Zech. xii. 10. 
 
 % Ex. xv. 25. xvi. 11—35. xvii. 5—17. Num. xi. IS— 23. 31— 33. 
 xiv. 22, 23. 37. xvi. 25—35. 44—49. xvii. 5-10. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 257 
 
 does not appear how the people could have been sustained, 
 Moses and Aaron protected • and either the return of the 
 whole company to Egypt, or their entire destruction in 
 the infatuated attempt, prevented. 
 
 L. 18. * Miracles shall be shown, #c.' — There is no 
 proof of this in scripture. God will work powerfully 
 in restoring; Israel; and he may, for ought which is said 
 to the contrary, work miracles of vengeance, like those 
 wrought in Egypt : but that this will be < in the whole 
 c world,' is no where intimated, nor is it in the least 
 probable. Christian expositors have drawn many confident 
 conclusions from the obscure prophecy in the eighteenth of 
 Isaiah, not wholly dissimilar from that of Mr. C: but I, as 
 I cannot adopt, so, I do not presume to oppose, their 
 reasonings: the event must determine. (L. 21 — 24.) 
 
 L. 24. ' Scattered throughout the whole land of Egypt 
 * #c.' — This directly contradicts the history by Moses. The 
 Israelites dwelt together in Goshen, ft and had light in 
 " their dwellings," during the plague of darkness. In 
 what manner were they ' all brought together in one 
 'time?' (Last line but two.) 'And how shall the Israelites 
 i at their restoration be brought together ?' (Last line but 
 one.) God will do it, no doubt; but will they be mira- 
 culously transported, from one country to another? This 
 is no where intimated.* 
 
 P. 96. 1. 2—20. I will not enter into any argument 
 concerning the texts of scripture here adduced : though it 
 may be well doubted, whether, they all relate to the future 
 ' Restoration of Israel,' or not ; for I do not deny but 
 that they may be literally fulfilled in that event. But the 
 misquotation of one passage from Isaiah must be noticed. 
 The text is, " Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross 
 " darkness the people," or peoples, which includes Israel 
 
 * Is. xi. 11— 16. Ixvi. 19, 20. 
 2l 
 
21)8 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 also. Mr. C. puts " the kingdoms," as excluding Israel. 
 But I apprehend, the calling of the Gentiles in the primi- 
 tive times, the Restoration of Israel, and the conversion of 
 the Gentiles all over the earth, and the millennium, are all 
 predicted in this chapter.* 
 
 L. 31. 32. — 'Every true son of Abraham.' — Does 
 this include upright proselytes ? Does it exclude wicked 
 Israelites? The New Testament necessarily suggests to Chris- 
 tians another view of the true sons of Abraham ;+ but on 
 that it would be improper to insist. 
 
 L. 33. l Afraid to come near him.'' — u Ten men, out of 
 u all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the 
 " skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with 
 " you ; for we have heard that God is with you.":}: Chris- 
 tians believe, that love will draw the Gentiles to converted 
 Israel ; Jews imagine that fear will drive them to a dis- 
 tance from them. I own, I had rather be loved than 
 dreaded; " perfect love casteth out fear." 
 
 Two last lines. P. 97. I. 1. The twenty fourth chapter 
 of Isaiah is generally considered as a prophecy, which 
 more especially relates to Israel, and to all their disper- 
 sions and sufferings hitherto ; with intimations of mercy to 
 the Gentiles, and to a remnant of Israel ;$ and a glorious 
 event to the whole : but the interpretation of it does not 
 concern our main subject. No doubt very great troubles 
 will be experienced by the nations of the earth, at that 
 grand crisis, which will terminate in the glorious millen- 
 nium; and the conclusion of the chapter certainly predicts 
 that event, however the other parts of it may be ex- 
 plained. 
 
 P. 97. 1. 2. The two last verses in the thirteenth 
 chapter of Zechariah, most evidently predict the desola- 
 
 * Is. lx. + Rom. iv. 11—18. Gal. iii. 7. 29. $ Zech - vui 20 ' 
 \ Is. xxiv. 10—16. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 259 - 
 
 tions of Jerusalem by the Romans; the subsequent miseries 
 of the Jews ; and the future conversion of Israel.* 
 
 L. 4. 6 The breaker, SfC — There is no doubt concern- 
 ing the weaning of the word translated " the Breaker," in 
 Micah.t Let it here also be conceded, (though this is far 
 from certain,) that the conversion and restoration of Israel are 
 predicted ; and that " the Breaker" is the Messiah : (Note, 
 P. 97:) yet there is no intimation of his coming at that 
 time ; but only of his marching before the Jews, or " at 
 " the head of them." He will, no doubt, at that time 
 break in pieces all obstinate opposers, as " with an iron 
 " rod ;" but he will also break through all hindrances and 
 impediments : he will break off the chains and bondage of 
 Israel ; he will break through the impediment, arising 
 from the pride, impenitence and unbelief of their uncir- 
 cumcised hearts, the opposition of their carnal prejudices, 
 and reigning sins; their " neck of steel and brow of 
 " brass.":j: He will " break the stout heart, and bind up the 
 "broken heart." He once broke the gates of the grave; he 
 still quickens the dead in sin ; and at length, " all that 
 " are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come 
 " forth ; they who have done good, unto the resurrection 
 " of life ; and they who have done evil, to the resurrection 
 " of damnation. "§ 
 
 The term " Breaker," may therefore mean far more, 
 than < crushing the Gentiles.' All are his " enemies, who 
 " will not have him to reign over them :"|| and " his 
 "hand shall find out all his enemies, and make them 
 " as a fiery oven in the day of his wrath ;"f But whe- 
 ther all the Gentiles, or the Gentiles exclusively be those 
 enemies, constitutes another and very different question. 
 « The nation and kingdom, that will not serve thee shall 
 
 * Zech. xiii. 8, 9. + Micah ii. 13. % I». slviii. * 
 
 % John v. 28, 29. || Luke xix. 27. « Ps. xx.. 8, 9. 
 
260 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 "perish;" but not such nations or individuals, as welcome the 
 salvation of Zion's King, and join themselves to his people. 
 
 L. 10. * Who hath believed, 6fC.' — This is the only 
 place, in which the fifty-third of Isaiah is quoted or 
 referred to : and as some further notice must be taken of 
 it, I shall not examine particularly this application of the 
 question, with which it begins: the New Testament applies 
 it far otherwise.* But it may be asked, in what sense 
 could this be the report of the Gentiles? How could they 
 say, " Who hath believed our report?" 
 
 Last line. ' Pick up every Jew, #c.' — This conduct 
 will scarcely be adopted by the enemies of God and 
 Israel. As far as the prophecies adduced relate to events 
 yet future ; the full and clear understanding of them must 
 be waited for till the accomplishment take place. (L. 11 — 28.) 
 It cannot, however, be supposed, that those Gentiles, who 
 so zealously and laboriously concur, in bringing Israel into 
 their own land, will be involved in the destruction of 
 those, who obstinately oppose them. 
 
 P. 98. 1. 6. ' Brethren, #c.'— Probably, it will be 
 found that " the brethren" here spoken of,t will be the 
 converted Gentiles, presented as an oblation to Jehovah, 
 by the Jews, " on whose skirt they have laid hold :"^ for 
 when it is said, " I will also take of them for priests and 
 "Levites;" it does not appear, how Israelites of the other 
 tribes could possibly be meant. None, who are not already 
 Levites, can be taken according to the law as Levites, 
 none as priests, who are not priests of Aaron's race. But 
 to take of the Gentiles ministers of religion, as the priests 
 and Levites were in Israel, was an event worthy to be 
 dignified by a place in prophecy ; and the more so, as it 
 was remote from every thought and expectation of the Jews. 
 
 * John xii. 37, 38. Rom. x. 15—17. + Is. lxvi. 20, 21. 
 
 ± Rom. xv. 16. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 261 
 
 P. 98. 1. 19. t Next to this, <$c' — This accords more 
 nearly with our sentiments, than with the previous statement 
 of the author: and with all the attention of which I am 
 capable, I cannot find out, what his sentiments are con- 
 cerning c all the nations of the earth,' after the opposition to 
 the restoration of Israel has finally ceased; except that they 
 are to be "servants to Israel:" (L. 25.) but it does not 
 so clearly appear, whether they will be the accepted wor- 
 shippers of Israel's God, or not. I shall soon proceed to 
 consider the prophecy in the forty-ninth of Isaiah ; and shall 
 here only observe, that Mr. C. has substituted nations for 
 nation: thus shifting off from the nation of Israel, that which 
 is spoken of it, and charging it on the nations of the 
 heathen. The Hebrew is singular. Whether the prophecies: 
 concerning the subjection of the nations to Israel, ought to 
 be understood of an outward subjection to the restored Jews, 
 or not, might be questioned : but I have already conceded 
 most freely, that converted Israel will have a precedency 
 in honour and love, above all other people ; no subjection 
 will ever be required by Israel, when "the Lord has cir- 
 " cumcised his heart ;" except that of love ; and the superi- 
 ority will be exercised in meekness, equity, and kindness ; 
 and from this none except obstinate enemies will be excepted. 
 
 There are several prophecies, which clearly imply a sub- 
 jection of all nations to one power, or collective body ; in 
 many of which the names, Israel, Judah, Jacob, Zion, 
 Jerusalem, are introduced.* But Christian expositors, by no 
 means, consider these prophecies, as predicting the political 
 subjugation of all other people, to the one nation of Israel. 
 Daniel says, " I saw in the night visions, and behold one 
 " like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and 
 " came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near 
 "before him; and there was given to him dominion and 
 
 * Is. xlix. 13— 2G. lx. Ixvi. 10—24. Mic. vii. 12—20. Zech. xiv. 
 
262 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and Ian- 
 " guages should serve him." — And again, " Until the Ancient 
 H of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of 
 u the Most Higii, and the time came that the saints possessed 
 M the kingdom." And again, " And the kingdom and do- 
 " minion, and the greatness of the kingdom, shall be given 
 "to the people of the saints of the Most High? whose 
 " kingdom, • is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions 
 " shall serve and obey him."* In this prophecy nothing is 
 said of Israel as a nation : and " the little horn which made 
 " war on the saints,"t we consider as the principal enemy 
 and persecutor of the Christian church. But when the 
 Messiah shall destroy this power, " the kingdoms of the 
 " earth shall become his kingdom ;" and that of all true 
 believers, whether of Jev^ish or Gentile extract, being one 
 with him. Thus all nations will become subject to these 
 " saints of the Most High." Many of us consider this, as 
 the clue to all the other prophecies on this subject, in the 
 Old Testament : and being fully convinced that the New 
 Testament is " the word of God," we interpret them in 
 connection with the doctrine and the prophecies contained in 
 it. Especially the words of the Apostle, " The promise that 
 " he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham 
 " and his seed, through the law, but through the righteous- 
 *f ness of faith.":j: We do not suppose, that Israel as a nation 
 will be excluded : but that, being in the first instance 
 brought to submit to the Messiah in penitent faith and love, 
 they will form a pre-eminent part of this company : that, 
 when God shall restore Israel to their own land, many 
 nations will oppose them violently; as others will struggle 
 hard against the general cause of Christianity : that in both 
 respects terrible vengeance will come on vast multitudes : 
 that the survivors, convinced that " God fighteth for Israel" 
 * Dan. vii. 13, 14. 22. 27. + Dan. vii. 21. ± Rom. iv. 11—14. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 263 
 
 and his church, will at first, perhaps with terror and 
 reluctancy, submit to a power, which they cannot resist : 
 but after some further interpositions of mercy and judgment; 
 all nations will become willing subjects to Christ, and thus 
 the saints as one with him shall possess the kingdom. 
 We do not, however, expect, that so long as the Lord 
 Jesus, and the New Testament, arc rejected by the Jews, 
 they will be satisfied with this interpretation : and, as it is 
 not essential to the argument, concerning Jesus being the 
 true Messiah, I shall not further insist on it. If I could 
 conceive that the Messiah was not come ; or that when 
 he shall come his kingdom would be an earthly kingdom : 
 I should feel no further interest in the concern. Like other 
 contests about temporal dominion, I should consider it wholly 
 out of my line. The Lord who "doeth all things well," who 
 once gave the kingdoms of the earth to Nebuchadnezzar ; 
 and at other times even to still viler lords; will give it to 
 whom he sees good ; and if he see good to give it to Israel 
 as a nation, " his will be done." 
 
 Even with my present views of the subject, I feel little 
 concern about it. I have no objection to Israel's having any 
 degree of political dominion over other nations, which can 
 be desirable for them, or even practicable. But an uni- 
 versal political empire, over all the four continents and the 
 isles of the sea, exercised by one nation, in a small country 
 in Asia, seems not to accord to many prophecies ; and in its 
 own nature is not at all probable, or indeed conceivable.* 
 This, however, which forms so large and prominent a part 
 of Mr. C.'s book, seems to me an object of no consequence, 
 where the great concerns of eternal salvation, or its awful 
 alternative, are under consideration. 
 
 Indeed, the grand subject of debate should be brought 
 back, from all conjectures of what shall be, to a simple 
 
 * Is. xlix. 23. lx. 10. 16. 
 
264' ANSWER TO THE 
 
 and accurate consideration of what hath been : for we are 
 far more in danger of erring, in respect of unaccomplished 
 prophecies, than in respect of those events, which have 
 evidently occurred on earth. The fulfilment of the pro- 
 phecies, concerning the Messiah, and his kingdom, in 
 Jesus Christ, and the success of Christianity, may be clearly 
 made out: but both Jews and Christians have to encounter 
 many difficulties in explaining unfulfilled prophecies; and 
 will, probably all of them, in the event, discover how 
 greatly they were mistaken. 
 
 P. 99. 1. 15. ' The life of Israel, #c.'— Does this mean 
 the life of every individual Israelite, or the continuance 
 of Israel's dominion over the nations? The duration of the 
 church's prosperity, and of Israel, will be at least a thou- 
 sand years. 
 
 L. 18. ' Days of the tree of life.'' — The words of life 
 are not found in the passage in Isaiah. An oak from its 
 first planting, till its final decay by old age, is supposed, 
 in some instances, to last a thousand years. This seems 
 referred to : but it is not clear what can be meant by 
 '•'the days of the tree" of life; or what tree of life is 
 intended.* 
 
 L. 22. * The unity of God established.' 
 
 P. 100. 1. 14. i Because he is not worshipped, #c.' — It 
 seems then, that the Lord will reign and be worshipped, 
 as the only God, all over the earth : and if so, " all the 
 "Gentiles," as well as Israel, will thus obey and worship him. 
 
 L. 23. ' Joash king of Judah, was the second, Src* — 
 There is no scriptural record concerning Joash making 
 himself God.t 
 
 L. 27. i Hiram, king of Tyrus, #c.' — It is generally 
 supposed, that the name of this king of Tyre, was Itho- 
 
 * Gen.ii.9. iii. 22 — 24. Prov. iii. 18. xi.SO. xiii. 12. xv. 4. Rev. ii. 7, 
 xxii. 2. 14. t 2 Kines xii, 18— -2L 2 Cbr. xxiv. 17—25. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 265 
 
 balus, or E.thbaal. The name Hiram, does not, however, 
 occur.* 
 
 L. 33, < Every man, #c.'— Nebuchadnezzar lived some 
 time after his extraordinary madness, died a natural death, 
 and was evidently a humble penitent worshipper of Je- 
 hovah. It is not indeed said, that Nebuchadnezzar ' made 
 ' himself a god ;' though his arrogant language seemed to 
 imply it.t The language ascribed to the king of Babylon 
 by Isaiah was intended chiefly of Belshazzar.i: It is also 
 meant, that the crucifixion of Jesus was the punishment of 
 his claim ; but " he was declared to be the Son of God 
 "with power, by the resurrection from the dead.§" Herod, 
 who put James to death, and, because it pleased the Jews, 
 purposed to kill Peter also, should have been added to 
 the list; || if not from the New Testament, yet from 
 Josephus. 
 
 P. 101. 1. 7. i If he will still say, #c.' — Balaam is 
 the antecedent : but the writer means, ' If any one will 
 'say, that man is a God,' 'tell him he is a liar.' That is, 
 if a Christian will say this of Jesus, Balaam is directed to 
 I call him a liar.' It is not clear how Mr. C. makes out 
 this meaning from Balaam's words ;f but the interpretation 
 is so little plausible, that it may safely be left. 
 
 L. 8. ' They that make them.'— That is, images. 
 Mr. C. in this and the following quotations and reasonings, 
 (P. 101, 102.) endeavours to disprove the deity of Christ, or 
 rather to set his seal to the sentence of the Jewish San- 
 bedrin ; that he deserved to die, because " he, being a 
 " man, made himself God."** But certainly texts proving 
 that images of gold and silver, wood or stone, are not 
 god, must be wholly irrelevant to the argument; as well, 
 
 • Ez. xxviii. 1—19. f Dan. iii. 15. iv. 30. v. 19, 20, 
 
 X Is. xiv. 12—14. ^ Rom. i. 4. [| Acts xii. 1—4. 21—24 
 
 *L Numb, xxiii. 19. ** Johu x. 33. 
 
^66 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 as all declarations, that man is not God, or that unity is 
 not Trinity. (P. 103. 1. 25— 29.)— After all the laboured, 
 acute, and learned efforts of Socinians, and other nominal 
 Christians, against the doctrine of the Trinity ; the loose 
 and general objections against it, thrown together in this 
 place, are not greatly to be dreaded. A large proportion 
 of learned Trinitarians give up, as an interpolation, the 
 text quoted from John ;* yet whether authentick or not, it 
 must be allowed to be a clear and concise statement of 
 our doctrine. " The Father, the Word, and the Holy 
 " Spirit, and these three are one :" (Ov%i a r^is tv u<n.) 
 These three persons (masc.) " are one," (neuter) Qaov, nu~ 
 men. We allow that the clearest and fullest revelation of 
 this mystery is contained in the New Testament. There it 
 is so full and undeniable, that Antitrinitarians have evi- 
 dently no resource left them : but to pronounce very 
 many of the passages in proof of it, either interpolations, 
 or corrupt readings, or the erroneous conclusions of the 
 writer, as a fallible man and a feeble reasoner. If this 
 procedure, which reduces the word of God to the level 
 with other ancient, venerable, and authentick books, claim- 
 ing no divine inspiration, be not needful to their tottering 
 cause, why do they so constantly have recourse to it ? 
 But indeed, even the Jews may teach them, that it is the 
 doctrine of the New Testament; as one of their strongest 
 objections to this sacred book is taken from that doctrine, 
 being so undeniably contained in it.— Fas est et ab hoste 
 doceri. Let the point once be established, that Jesus is 
 the Messiah, predicted in the Old Testament; and the 
 proof that the doctrine of the Trinity is taught by him, 
 and his apostles, will not be a matter of great difficulty; 
 On the question, ' Was the Messiah to be a mere man 
 ' like other men? some things have been adduced from the 
 * l John v. 7, 8. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 2(fi 
 
 Old Testament, as to his Deity, which, I am confident 
 cannot easily be answered. (On P. 5—7.) In addition to 
 these, it may here be observed, on the general doctrine; 
 that the name of God in Hebrew being plural, and yet 
 almost always, in this sense of it, used with singular 
 verbs and pronouns ; is at least a remarkable circumstance, 
 in the phraseology of that book, which especially makes 
 known to " mankind the one living and true God," as dis- 
 tinguished from all false gods. The language used in the 
 creation of Adam, " Let us make man, in our image, aftei 
 " our likeness : so God created man in his own image, in 
 " the image of God created he him."* The circumstance 
 also, that in the Hebrew, the word, rendered Creator, 
 is plural, Remember thy Creators, (Marg;t) with many 
 things of this kind, are such as Antitrinitarians, Jews or 
 Christians, would not have previously expected, and which, 
 however light they may affect to make of them, they would 
 much rather had not been found in Scripture. 
 
 The following passage from the law, is worthy of notice 
 in this argument : " On this wise ye shall bless the children of 
 " Israel saying unto them, Jehovah bless thee and keep 
 "thee- Jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be 
 "gracious unto thee; Jehovah lift up his countenance upon 
 "thee and give thee peace; and they shall put my name 
 " upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them." This 
 threefold repetition of the name, Jehovah, has generally 
 been considered as implying some mystery : yet who, except 
 him that believes a Trinity of persons in the unity of the 
 Godhead, can shew what that mystery is? and what Chris- 
 tian can help recollecting the form of Christian baptism, " In 
 "the name (one name,) of the Father, and of the Son, 
 "and of the Holy Ghost?" Or the Christian benediction, 
 « The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of 
 * Gen. i. 26, 27. + Ec. xii- l. 
 
268 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you 
 " all. Amen ?"* 
 
 Some explication of those texts, which speak expressly 
 of the Messiah as God ;+ yea, some peculiarly satisfactory 
 explication ought in all reason to be given ; before the 
 doctrine should be treated with decided irreverence. 
 
 What shall we say to the command, " Kiss the Son, 
 " lest he be angry," " Blessed are all they who trust in 
 " him ?"$ Are not both these, ascribing divine honour and 
 worship to him ?§ "Cursed is he that trusteth in man, 
 " and maketh flesh his arm. — Blessed is the man that 
 "trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.'' 
 
 How then can he be blessed, " who trusteth in the 
 " Messiah," if the Messiah be only ' man like other men ?' 
 And, if the Messiah be not meant ; What man, or angel, 
 or creature, can be substituted m his place, to whom 
 Jehovah would say, " Kiss the Son, lest he be angry 
 " and ye perish from the way ; if his wrath be kindled, 
 " yea, but a little ; blessed are all they that put their trust 
 " in him?! 
 
 The language of many Scriptures, which are little regarded 
 in the argument, require somewhat more notice. 
 
 Thus we read in Isaiah : " Hearken unto me, O Jacob 
 
 " and Israel, my called, I am he. I am the First, I 
 
 " also am the Last.5 My hand also hath laid the foundation 
 
 " of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the 
 
 " heavens : when I call, they stand up together. All ye, 
 
 " assemble yourselves, and hear ; which among them hath 
 
 "declared these things? The Lord hath loved him; he 
 
 " will do his pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shalf be 
 
 * Numb. vi. 23—27. Matt, xxviii. 19. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. t Ps. xlv. S. 
 Jer. xvii. 5, 6. Is. \ii. 14. ix. 6, 7. Mic. iv. 2. Zech. xiii. 10. 
 t Ps. ii. 12. ^ p s . cx ] v j. 3j 4. 
 
 II Is. xi. 10. xii. 2. Matt. xii. 21. Rom. xv. 12. Eph. i. 12, 13. 
 "8 Isa. xii. 4, xliv. 6. Rev- i. 11. 17. ii. 8. xxii. 13. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 269 
 
 " on the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken ; yea, I have 
 " called him ; I have brought him, and he shall make his 
 " way prosperous. Come ye near unto me, hear ye this. I 
 " have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the 
 " time that it was, there am I, and now the Lord God, and 
 " his Spirit hath sent me."* Who is the Speaker in this 
 passage? There is not the least intimation of any change 
 in the Person speaking the former and the latter part 
 of the quotation ; in which the peculiar style of Deity, and 
 the name Jehovah are used. Even in the latter part, he 
 speaks decidedly the language of Deify ; yet he says, 
 " Adonai Jehovah and his Spirit hath sent me." Or, 
 " hath sent me, and his Spirit." For this is the more 
 obvious rendering of the clause. 
 
 Is there then in this passage nothing favouring the doctrine 
 of the Messiah's Deity, or that of the Trinity? In like 
 manner, by another prophet ; " Thus saith the Lord of 
 " hosts, after the glory hath he sent me unto the nations 
 "which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you, toucheth the 
 u apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake mine hand 
 " upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants ; 
 " and ye shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me. 
 " Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for lo, I come, and 
 "I will dwell in the midst of thee, sai(h the Lord: and 
 " many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, 
 " and shall be my 'people : and / will dwell in the midst of 
 " thee, and thou shalt know, that the Lord of hosts hath 
 " sent me unto thee."f I must intreat the reader to exa- 
 mine carefully the language of this prophecy. I have 
 marked some clauses, in Italicks, as requiring peculiar 
 notice. But it is manifest, that the Speaker repeatedly 
 calls himself Jehovah; and uses expressions peculiar to 
 
 * Is. xlviii. 12 — 10. 
 
 t Zech. ii 8—11, See also Zech. iii. 1, 2. vi. 12—14. xii. 10. 
 
270 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 God; and yet he says again and again, "the Lord of 
 " hosts hath sent me." I scarcely know any passage in 
 the New Testament more decided in this respect; and it 
 must lead him, who is intimately conversant with the 
 scripture, to recollect the several texts, in which it is said, 
 "God dwelleth in you;" "Christ dwelleth in you;" 
 "Ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God 
 " dwelleth in you."* Especially the words of our Lord, 
 must occur to him, " The Spirit of truth dwelleth with 
 " you, and shall be in you." " If a man love me he 
 " will keep my words, and my Father will love him ; and 
 " we will come to him, and make our abode with him.^f 
 
 Again, we read in Malachi; " The Lord whom ye seek, 
 " shall suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger of 
 "the covenant whom ye delight in; behold he shall come, 
 " saith the Lord of hosts. "J Here again, I ask; who is 
 this Lord, that shall come to his temple? Surely the tem- 
 ple was not consecrated to man, or angel, or any other 
 except Jehovah. Had modern Antitrinitarians dictated the 
 scriptures, we should no more have met with this phrase- 
 ology, in the Old Testament; than in the New, with the 
 passage of John supposed to be interpolated ; or another, 
 which is not said to be so : " We know, that the Son 
 " of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, 
 " that we may know him that is true ; and we are in 
 "him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This 
 " (Ovros) is the true God, and eternal life. Little children 
 "keep yourselves from idols."§ I say again, all Antitrini- 
 tarians had much rather these passages were not found in 
 scripture; and would be glad to alter or expunge them. 
 
 The traditions, of almost every nation, contain something 
 analogous to plurality in unity, however distorted, in re- 
 
 * 1 Cor. iii. 16. + John xiv. 16—23. % Mai. iii. 1, 2- 
 
 % I John y. 20, 21. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 271 
 
 spcct of the Deity : and many passages have, by learned 
 men, been adduced even from the Targums and Talmuds of 
 the Jews, which concur in this opinion. I do not adduce 
 these things as proofs : but to induce Jews, as well as 
 others, to use more caution and reverence of God, in speak- 
 ing on this sublime, mysterious, and awful subject ; and in 
 order to shew that Christians did not invent the doctrine of 
 the Trinity. "Canst thou by searching find out God? 
 " Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection!" We can- 
 not comprehend ourselves, or how " body, soul, and spirit," 
 form one individual man : how then are we competent to 
 decide, as ex cathedra, concerning the infinite God ? 
 
 P. 101. 1. 27. ' What does Paul mean by this sentence, 
 i ftc.r* — ' He saith not that the Father, mentioned iu the 
 'twenty-fourth verse, but that "God may be all in all;" 
 ' and so he seems to lead us to that interpretation of the 
 
 < Godhead, which comprehends Father, Son, and Holy 
 ' Ghost ; that the Godhead may govern all things by him- 
 ' self, without the intervention of a mediator to exact our 
 ' obedience in his name, and to convey to us favours and 
 
 • rewards. So as now Christ, God-man, is " all in all," 
 '(Col. iii. 11:) because the Father hath put all things 
 ' into his hand, does all things, and governs all things by 
 6 him ; when this economy ceases, the Godhead will be 
 '"all in all." ' (Jfhitby.) 
 
 « The distinction between the absolute, universal, and 
 
 < everlasting kingdom of God, the Governor of all ; and 
 
 • the mediatorial kingdom of Christ, as instituted for the 
 'benefit of fallen man, which was intended to endure for 
 ' a time, in order to accomplish certain important ends, to 
 ' the glory of God in man's salvation ; will, after the day 
 'of judgment, be terminated. Christ, having executed 
 ' his commission, will cease to reign over all worlds, as Me- 
 
 * l Cor. xv. 88. 
 
272 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 4 diator, having publickly delivered up (lie kingdom to 
 4 God in the person of the Father : yet he will, in hu- 
 4 man nature, retain a peculiar authority over his re- 
 ' deemed people; and, as one with the Father, he will, 
 l . with him and the Holy Spirit, reign one " God over all 
 " blessed for evermore." Nor will he any more cease to 
 f reign in this sense, when he hath given up the mediato- 
 rial kingdom, than the Father ceased to reign, when he 
 i appointed the Son to that kingdom.' (Family Bible.) 
 
 P. 102. 1. 3—7. < The last verse, #c.'— As God was 
 pleased that his servant Moses should place the verse in 
 question last, it seems not very reverential to say, ' Why 
 ' is not this verse first in the song, as indeed it ought to be?'' 
 I think few persons will be satisfied with the reason as- 
 signed for the transposition ; however assured he may be 
 "that the kingdoms of the earth" shall, in the last days, 
 become the kingdoms of God and his Messiah. 
 
 L. 17. " My Father is greater than /." — < As Mediator, 1 
 
 * receive my commission from the Father: and as I am his 
 
 * Ambassador ; he is my Principal, and as such my superior.' 
 An ambassador is equal in nature to his prince. " Neither 
 "the Son, but the Father." (L. 24. 25.) The Son, as 
 Mediator, does not know that day; it being no part of 
 that u revelation which was given'' him to make known to 
 his church. — Let the reader compare this part, which con- 
 sists of quotations from the New Testament, with the lan- 
 guage of angels concerning the " Lamb that was slain," in 
 the Revelation of St. John.* 
 
 P. 103. 1. 2. l The difference is uncommonly great, fycS — ■ 
 The Pharisees ascribed the miracles of Jesus to the power 
 of Satan: thus they " blasphemed the Son of man," during 
 the season of his humiliation. They also condemned him 
 to death, as a blasphemer, for making "himself God," 
 * Rev, v. 12 — 14, 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 27 ?> 
 
 But lie arose from the dead : " This Jesus hath God 
 " raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being 
 " by the right hand of God exalted, and having received 
 " of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, lie hath 
 " shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."* 
 
 Thus he was "justified by the Spirit:" and tliey who 
 rejected this last demonstration of his being the divine 
 Messiah, would never be forgiven : not because the Holy 
 Ghost is greater than the Son ; but because the guilt of 
 those who blasphemed this grand proof that Jesus was the 
 Messiah, was more heinous than the guilt of those, who 
 blasphemed him, when living as Man on earth. If a Jew 
 will attempt to prove his doctrine from the New Testament; 
 he must so far be answered from the New Testament, and 
 according to it. Indeed Jesus may be said to be greater 
 than the Holy Spirit, in the very same way, in which 
 the Father is greater than the Son : not in nature and per- 
 fections; but as sent by him, and glorifying him, as the 
 ambassador does his principal. All other inferiority Trini- 
 tarians deny. 
 
 If Jesus be Immanuel, he is both God and Man : 
 whatever is said of him as Man, must be understood 
 of his human nature : whatever of him, as God, of his 
 divine nature. Suppose, for a moment, the doctrine to be 
 true; we ask, how could it be possible to speak of him in 
 other language, than that which he uses concerning himself, 
 and which the writers of the New Testament Use concerning 
 him? Before any objection can be made to bear against 
 this language; the doctrine must either be proved false, or. 
 by a petitio principii, be assumed to be false. 
 
 'Secondly, Christ says, Not, Sfc.' — (J- 5— 12.) In 
 condescension to Jewish prejudices, and those of Jewish 
 converts to Christianity, some particulars of the Mosaick 
 
 * Acts ii. 32, 33> 
 
 2 N 
 
274 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 law were recommended to the observation even of the Gen« 
 
 tile converts , but the Aposlles evidently considered that law 
 
 as, in itself, abolished. On the other hand, our Lord by 
 
 no means intended, that his disciples during his life should, 
 
 in any instance, disobey the written ceremonial law. He 
 
 himself perfectly observed it, and taught them to do the 
 
 same.* The oral law, " the traditions of the elders," he 
 
 indeed protested against, as making void the written law 
 
 of God. These hints suffice to shew, that there was no 
 
 discordance between our Lord's doctrine, and that of the 
 
 apostles, as speaking by the Holy Spirit. 
 
 That the words and works of Christ, and those of the 
 
 Holy Spirit, were, according to the New Testament, in 
 
 many respects one and the same, might easily be shewn : 
 
 let the reader carefully compare the texts referred to in 
 
 the margin, and he must be convinced of this.t 
 
 P. 103. 1. 17. 'A man, #c.'— That Jesus was "a Man 
 
 u approved of God," no Christian denies : but how does 
 
 this prove that he was no more than a Man? Even by 
 
 assuming, before all proof, that the doctrine in debate is 
 
 false and impossible, and in no other way. But is this 
 
 sound logick ? 
 
 L. 28. 29. ' To take the glory, <5fc.' — If we give the 
 
 glory due to God to mortal man, or to any creature, we 
 
 are guilty of idolatry. But, except by assuming without 
 
 proof that our doctrine is false, this does not evince that 
 
 our worship of Jesus Christ is idolatry : for we believe 
 
 him to be One with the Father and the Holy Spirit, 
 
 " God over all, blessed for evermore." He requires, and 
 
 we believe that he had a full right to require, that " all 
 
 " men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Fa- 
 
 5{ ther: He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the 
 
 * Matt, xxiii. 2, 3. + Matt. x. 20. Mark xiii. 11. Luke xii. 12. 
 xxi. 15. Rev. ii. 1. 7, g. 11, 12. 17, 18. 29. iii. 1. 6, 7. 13, 14. 22. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 275 
 
 u Father who hath sent him."* And we must have far 
 stronger arguments, than those here adduced, to convince 
 us, that we are mistaken in this grand concern. 
 
 But if indeed the great and glorious God do subsist 
 in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit ; if he 
 have revealed this, as plainly as words can convey the 
 mysterious truth ; and if men, " leaning to their own un- 
 11 derstanding," treat this revelation as a lie, ("He that 
 " believeth not, hath made God a liar,") is there, I say, 
 no danger on the other side? Is it not possible, that the 
 Supreme Being of ArHitrinitarians, whether Jews, Christians, 
 or Mohammedans, may be no more the true God, than Baal 
 or Jupiter was ? Not only the mysteries of his nature, but 
 the perfection of his justice and holiness, are (to say no 
 more) grievously veiled and clouded, by all Antitrinitarians, 
 " The Holy One of Israel ceases from before us." " A 
 " just God and a Saviour" is not recognised. Mercy, 
 without an atonement of infinite value, dishonours the law 
 and justice of God ; and many of us are greatly alarmed 
 in respect of Antitrinitarians, lest they should be found wor- 
 shippers of an ideal Supreme Being, an ens rationis: though 
 not "the work of their own haricls," yet the creation of 
 their imagination; and no more the God of Abraham, 
 " the Holy One of Israel," " the God and Father of our 
 « Lord Jesus Christ," than the supreme deity of the Chinese 
 or Hindoos. An impartial man must allow, that there is 
 danger on both sides: and none, except him who takes 
 it for granted, that his own doctrine is true, and his op- 
 ponent's false, will contend that all the danger lies on one 
 side.t 
 
 Some at least of the Jews consider Christianity, as 'mate- 
 1 rializing or corporalizing the divine essence :' but this 
 
 * John v. 23. t See Matt, xi. 27. John v. 23. 1 John ii. 23. 
 
 V. 21, 22. 
 
276 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 originates wholly from misapprehension. It cannot be denied 
 that there have been Christians, so called, who at least give 
 occasion for such a charge; and indeed there still are; but 
 Christianity itself is not answerable for any sentiment, which 
 is not authorized by the New Testament. And in this sacred 
 book, where especially the doctrine of the Trinity is most 
 fully revealed; the idea of ''materializing or corporalizing, 
 1 the divine essence,' is wholly excluded. " No man hath 
 '•' seen God at any time." " The King eternal, immortal, 
 " invisible" " whom no man hath seen, or can see.''* The 
 doctrine of " God manifest in the flesfli," doth not suppose 
 that the divine essence is corporalized ; but, that it manifests 
 itself to man, in and through the human nature of Jesus 
 Christ, who is "the image of the invisible God," and "in 
 " whom it pleased all fulness to dwell," even " all the fulness 
 " of the Godhead bodily :"+ for " the Word became (lywro) 
 " flesh, and tabernacled among us;" (htxhvwo-ev;) as the glory 
 of Jehovah, did in the tabernacle in the wilderness, or in 
 Solomon's temple. Therefore Jesus said, " Destroy this 
 " temple :" — " but he spake of the temple of his body," or 
 human nature.^: The divine perfections are displayed in the 
 person, and by the words and works of Christ, who, as 
 God, is " One with the Father ;" and his divine nature is 
 manifested in and through his human nature, being mysteri- 
 ously united to it. Thus, ' as the reasonable soul and flesh 
 ' is one man, so God and Man is one Christ.' But this 
 materializes, or corporalizes, neither the reasonable soul, nor 
 the divine Essence. ' One, not by the conversion of the 
 < Godhead into flesh, but by taking the Manhood into 
 6 God.'§ Perhaps no Protestant creed enters so minutely 
 into particulars, or approaches so near the vain attempt 
 of rendering the incomprehensible mystery of the Trinity 
 
 * Johni. IS. 1 Tim. i. 17. vi. 1G. + Col. i. 15. 19. ii. 9. 
 
 Heb. i. 3. + John i. 14. ii. 19—21. % Athan. Creed. 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 277 
 
 comprehensible, as the Athanasian Creed does: yet it most 
 decidedly protests against the idea of corporalizing the 
 essence of the Deity. " The form of God,"* which some 
 object to, has nothing to do with materialism. " A spirit 
 " stood before me, — I could not discern the form thereof," 
 says Eliphaz in Job.t " The form of the fourth is as the 
 " Son of God," says Nebuchadnezzar of the angel who ap- 
 peared with the three young Jews, in the fiery furnace.}: 
 "The similitude of Jehovah shall he behold."§ This simi- 
 litude of Jehovah, we believe to be "the form of God," 
 in which the only begotten Son of God manifested himself, 
 to the patriarchs, to Moses, and to others. " No man hath 
 " seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, who is in 
 " the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."|| Forma 
 animi ozterna, (' the form of the mind is eternal,') says 
 Tacitus, who, as neither Jew nor Christian, may be supposed 
 impartial: but had he any idea of 7nateriali%ing or corpo* 
 ralizing the human soul? It might easily be shewn, that 
 there are expressions and narrations in the Old Testament, 
 more suited to convey this idea, than any in the New :H but 
 I reverence the Word of God in both Testaments, and am 
 confident that, properly interpreted, the whole sacred volume 
 is calculated to exclude all such gross ideas of the divine 
 Essence, and deeply to impress the contrary : — " God is a 
 " Spirit, and they who worship him, must worship in spirit 
 « and in truth."** 
 
 P. 103. I. 30—36. P. 104. 1. 1—6.— I do not object to 
 the conclusion which Mr. C. deduces from the text in 
 Deuteronomy : — " I will cause them to die, that shall say 
 " there is another God :" and it would be a relief to hear 
 him speak so seriously about " the second death" (P. 104. 
 
 * Phil. ii. 6. \ Job. iv. 15, 16. + Dan. iii. 25. ^ Num. xii. 8. 
 H John i. IS. f Gen. iii. 8. xxxii. 24—29. Ex. xxiy. 10. 
 
 Hos. xii. 3—5, ** John iv. 24. 
 
278 ANSWER TO THL 
 
 J. 6.) and ' the day of judgment,' were it not counter- 
 balanced by other considerations. As, however, the clause, 
 " the second death," is taken from the New Testament; the 
 several passages where it occurs, are seriously recommended 
 to his attention.* Christians, at least Protestant Christians, 
 hold as strongly as the Jews, that it is a damnable sin, to 
 give divine honour to any creature, to any except God : 
 but they believe, that the One living and true God incom- 
 prehensibly exists, as three Persons, " The Father, the Son, 
 " and the Holy Ghost ;" into whose One name, we are bap- 
 tized. Divine perfections are ascribed to each separately, 
 divine operations are stated to be performed by each, and 
 divine honours are rendered to each: yet there is only "One 
 " living and true God." This we think revealed in* the 
 whole scripture, but most clearly in the New Testament. 
 
 But though I do not object to Mr. C.'s conclusion from 
 the passage adduced, I must strongly object to his new 
 version of it, which is only a translation of a part of the 
 verse, and not at all consistent with the other part of it.— 
 " For I, I, He, and there is no God besides me : I cause 
 " to die, and I cause to live ; I wound and I heal, and not 
 "from my hand a Deliverer."— This, I think, is strictly a 
 literal translation. There is no affix pronoun to the verb, 
 " I cause to die," which there should be, to give even the 
 former clause the meaning Mr. C. puts upon it; and the 
 latter part is wholly incompatible with it. Had a Christian 
 taken such a liberty with the scripture, and in the same 
 manner, I should have marked it with more indignant dis- 
 approbation. 
 
 P. 104. 1. 7. < O how wonderful, fyc.'— It is indeed won- 
 derful, that such an immense majority of Christians, during 
 almost 1800 years, including the most sagacious; the most 
 learned; the most holy, pious, and useful men, whom the 
 * Rev. ii. 11. xx. 14, 15. xxi. g. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 279 
 
 world ever saw, should have maintained the doctrine of the 
 Trinity ; and have formed both their creeds, and liturgies, 
 and their whole worship ; with all their hopes of eternal 
 salvation, and all their motives for self-denying labours and 
 patient sufferings, from this doctrine, if it be not the doc- 
 trine of revelation ! And that they should have been so 
 deeply convinced, in the midst of persecutions, and at the 
 approach of violent, or natural, death, that it was the "sure 
 " testimony of God." It is also most wonderful, that at the 
 reformation from Popery, when every part of Christianity, 
 as corrupted by Papists and others, was examined and 
 re-examined, with the most acute, patient, and diligent in- 
 vestigation, by men of no ordinary talents and learning, 
 many of whom sealed their testimony in the flames, and 
 others lived in constant expectation of the same martyrdom ; 
 when numberless ancient, and in that view venerable, notions 
 and practices were abolished, as antichristian ; that they, I 
 say, at this crisis, should, without one exception, as to a 
 collective body, retain the doctrine of the Trinity in their 
 creeds, articles, and -liturgies. This is indeed wonderful, if 
 it be not the doctrine of scripture. That they should also 
 persist in recommending this faith, with their dying lips, 
 to their surviving friends: that this should, especially, have 
 been the case with those, who spent their lives in studying 
 the scriptures ! That all the labours of able, zealous, and 
 learned Socinians, as well as the sneers and sarcasms of 
 avowed infidels, should have effected so very little compara* 
 tively, in opposition to it, and that little by no means per- 
 manent : and that, in every age, the men, who have most 
 zealously aimed to effect the conversion of idolaters, in every 
 part of the globe, to the worship of the God and Father 
 of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the wicked from the errors 
 of their ways, should have held, as essential to Christi- 
 anity, the doctrine of the Trinity : these things are indeed 
 
^80 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 wonderful, most wonderful, absolutely unaccountable : and if 
 they were not capable of such proof, as excludes doubt, 
 they would be perfectly incredible. If this be not the 
 doctrine of the prophets, and of the apostles of Jesus 
 Christ ! this fact is indeed more wonderful, than any of the 
 miracles recorded in scripture ; or any other well attested 
 fact in universal historj'. 
 
 If the writer may be permitted to speak of himself, after 
 such a venerable company, he would say ; that before he 
 had, with any proportionable degree of seriousness and dili- 
 gence, studied the scriptures, he was a Socinian ; and could 
 have retailed all the ordinary objections to the doctrine of 
 the Trinity, and the other doctrines which depend on it, 
 with sufficient plausibility and confidence, and with an 
 assumed air of superior discernment. But, by searching the 
 scriptures with great assiduity, and by prayer for that 
 wisdom, which God has promised to those, who seek wisdom 
 from him, as one in most deep concern about the salvation 
 of his own soul; with little aid from Trinitarian writers, and 
 none from preachers; after much opposition of heart to the 
 doctrine, he became, in about two years, a decided Trini- 
 tarian. This has been stated in " The Force of Truth," 
 which has now been published more than thirty-six years. 
 All these years have been employed, almost exclusively, in 
 searching and explaining the scriptures, from the pulpit and 
 the press : and at this day, his assurance, that the doctrine 
 of the Trinity, is the clear testimony of God in his holy 
 oracles, is even stronger than ever. He, indeed, finds no 
 capacity of doubting the doctrine, except on the supposition, 
 that the scriptures are not the word of God. 
 
 P. 104. 1. 9. < A father is above the son, #c.'— -Not in 
 nature certainly; but merely as the senior and superior 
 relation, the same nature being common to both. 
 
 Last line. < The Gentiles to know that his name is not 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 9§l 
 
 e three, but one.' — Every zealot for a sect, or sentiment, is 
 ready to say, ' Ere long: all will be of my opinion:' but, 
 I do not read in the prophets, that « God will cause the 
 f Gentiles to know, that his name is not three but One.' 
 Christians, however, have no objection to the position : 
 " Baptize them in the name" (not names,) " of the Father, 
 " and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Certainly three 
 names do not imply three persons. Marcus Tullius Cicero, 
 Caius Julius Caesar ; each three names of the same man : 
 but we have no objection to three persons. Our doctrine 
 is, Three persons and one God. 
 
 Here Mr. C. closes : but before I close, I must take some 
 notice of his omissions. He has never, as it has before 
 been shewn, brought forward the question, Whether it was 
 predicted, that the Messiah, should be a Priest, or not ? 
 He has not stated, Whether the predicted Messiah should 
 die, or not ; probably he thinks that he will not. But sup- 
 posing him to die, Whether he would die a natural or a 
 violent death ; if a violent death, in what manner, and by 
 whom, and what the event would be ; whether as a Sacrifice 
 for sin, or not. Mr. C. must know, that Christians lay very 
 great stress on each of these particulars; and they consider 
 certain parts of the Old Testament, as most explicitly, and 
 undeniably, predicting them, even to minuteness ; in short, 
 that all the prophets " testified beforehand the sufferings of 
 " Christ, and the glory which should follow." 
 
 It has indeed been publickly asserted, and it remains, I 
 
 believe, uncontradicted, that the Jews are forbidden by their 
 
 Rabbies to read the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah. If this be 
 
 not true, it should be publickly contradicted. 
 
 2o 
 
283 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 Whatever were the motives of these, and other similar 
 omissions, by Mr. C; I must not conclude my answer with- 
 out bringing forward, in a compendious manner, the sub- 
 stance of the prophecies of the Old Testament, on tha 
 following points. 
 
 i. Concerning the reception, with which the Messiah would 
 meet from the nation of Israel. 
 
 2. Concerning his violent death, and that kind of death 
 by which he would be cut off, with the special end and 
 design of his crucifixion. And, 
 
 3. Concerning his resurrection, and subsequent glory; and 
 the kingdom, which he as risen and ascended would esta- 
 blish, preserve, and extend, through the whole earth ; to 
 endure till the end of the world. 
 
 1. Concerning the reception, with which the Messiah would 
 meet from the nation of Israel. 
 
 Thus we read in Isaiah: " Listen, O isles unto me, and 
 " hearken, ye people from far : The Lord hath called me 
 " from the womb ; from the bowels of my mother hath he 
 " made mention of my name. And he hath made my mouth 
 " like a sharp sword ; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid 
 " me, and made me a polished shaft ; in his quiver hath he 
 "hid me; and said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, 
 "in whom I will be glorified." It is plain, that (he Messiah 
 is intended in this prophecy ; for the particulars specified in 
 it never met, or can meet, in any other person: and he may 
 be called Israel, in the same way as he is called "the seed 
 "of Abraham," being the "glory of his people Israel;'* 
 the Head of that body, which with the Head, is " the Israel 
 " of God ;" and as having, like Jacob, when lie received 
 the name of Israel, wrestled with God, and prevailed for 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 283 
 
 the blessing.* But an individual, and not the nation, must 
 be intended; or tlie whole which follows in the context will 
 be destitute of meaning. — " Then I said, I have laboured 
 " in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in 
 " vain ; yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my 
 " work with my God. And now, saith the Loud that 
 " formed thee from the womb to be his Servant, to bring 
 " Jacob again to him; Though Israel be not gathered, yet 
 "shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God 
 "shall be my strength. And he said, It is a light thing, 
 " that thou shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes 
 "of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will 
 " also give thee for a Light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest 
 "be my salvation unto the end of the earth." The Messiah 
 here complains of having " laboured in vain," evidently 
 among his countrymen; and supposes, that "Israel would 
 " not be gathered;" that is, as a nation, at the first, or for 
 a long time, but only a remnant of them ; called " the 
 " preserved of Israel." In order to compensate this, and as 
 something far beyond the "gathering of Israel;" Jehovah 
 promises, that he, the Messiah, " shall be the Light of the 
 " Gentiles, and his salvation to the end of the earth." — 
 It then follows, "Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of 
 " Israel and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to 
 " him whom the nation abhorreth," (IJ singular, not 2>^J 
 plural,) tJ to a Servant of rulers, kings shall see and arise, 
 " princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is 
 " faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall chonse 
 " thee."f Surely this prophecy leads us to expect, that when 
 the true Messiah should appear, the nation of Israel, and the 
 rulers of that nation, would reject, despise, and hate him; as 
 they had generally done the prophets who went before him. 
 Again, in the same prophet, " Behold, my Servant shall 
 * Comp. Hos. xii. 3, 4. Heb. v. 7. + Is- xhx. 1—7. 
 
2S4 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be 
 "very high. As many were astonished at thee; his visage 
 " was so marred more than any man, and his form more 
 " than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle many nations : 
 "the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which 
 " hath not been told them shall they see, and that which 
 " they have not heard shall they consider."* ' This is the 
 i King Messiah, who shall be exalted above Abraham, and 
 1 extolled above Moses, and be high above the angels of the 
 e ministry.' (Misrach Tenctuma, an ancient Jewish writing ) 
 Indeed, none but the Messiah can be meant. The same 
 prophecy is evidently continued in the next chapter: " Who 
 " hath believed our report ? and to whom is the arm of the 
 "Lord revealed ? for he" (the Servant before mentioned,) 
 " shall grow up before him," (Jehovah,) "as a tender 
 " plant, and as a root out of a dry ground : he hath no 
 "form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is 
 " no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and 
 "•rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with 
 "grief: and we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was 
 " despised, and we esteemed him not."+ The very person, 
 who " should be exalted, and extolled, and be very 
 " high," would be " despised and rejected by men," nay, 
 by Israelites! Does not this prophecy, when carefully con- 
 sidered, tend to prepare the mind for the history of Jesus, 
 contained in the four evangelists ? and for the Acts of the 
 Apostles? If the Messiah were not meant, let it be shewn 
 in whom the prophecy has been, or ever can be, fulfilled. 
 The rest of the chapter will come under our consideration 
 in another part of this enquiry. In a Psalm, which will 
 shortly be more fully shewn to be a prediction of the 
 Messiah, he is introduced as saying; " I am a worm, and no 
 " man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All 
 * Is. Hi. 13—15. + Is. liii. 1—3. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 285 
 
 " that see me laugh me to scorn ; they shoot out the lip, 
 "they shake the head, saying; "He trusted on the Lord, 
 " that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he 
 " delighted in him."* The subsequent parts of the Psahnt 
 could not be spoken by David, or by any other man, in 
 those days, concerning himself : and nothing in the pre- 
 ceding part of the Psalm, had been spoken of the Gentiles: 
 so that the reception of the Messiah by Israel is most unde- 
 niably predicted ; " the sufferings of the Messiah and the 
 c< glory which followed." Several other Psalms relate to 
 the same subject; but do not so obviouslj*, and expressly 
 state it.J 
 
 Thus again, Isaiah; "Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; 
 " and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And 
 " he shall be for a Sanctuary : but for a Stone of stumbling, 
 "and for a Rock of offence, to both the houses of Israel ; 
 " for a °"in and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem: 
 " and many of them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, 
 " and be snared, and be taken. "§ Who is here spoken of, 
 except Immanuel, just before mentioned ? || Or, when did 
 Israel so stumble, and fall, in respect of "Jehovah of 
 " hosts ;" as in the rejection of Immanuel ? 
 
 However the prophecy be interpreted, it stands indelibly 
 on the face of it, that what should have been a Sanctuary, 
 would prove " a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence, 
 "to both the houses of Israel, and to the inhabitants of 
 "Jerusalem." If Jesus was the promised Messiah, the ful- 
 filment is known to all men: otherwise, what events are 
 predicted ? 
 
 " The same Stone, which the builders rejected, is become 
 "the Head-stone of the corner; this is the Lord's doing: 
 " it is marvellous in our eyes."« I do not refer to the New 
 
 * Ps. xsii. 5—8. + Ps. xxii. 12-18. $ Ps. i«- 1—5- lxix. 
 
 $ Is. viii. 13—15. || Is. viii. 8. * Ps- «▼">• 2 2 > 23 ' 
 
286 ANSWKIt TO THE 
 
 Testament, as authority to Jews; but can they answer, as 
 an argument^ the application of this text by our Lord and 
 his apostles?* What other so evident a fulfilment of it has 
 ever taken place? — Again, one speaks, by Zechariah; 
 " Three shepherds also I cut off in one month ; and my 
 ." soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me." 
 — " And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my 
 " price, and if not, forbear : so they weighed for my price 
 " thirty pieces of silver : and the Lord said unto me, Cast 
 "it to the potter; a goodly price that / was prized at 
 " by thein."t If the Messiah be not here spoken of; 
 what events are narrated or predicted? If he be; then he, 
 even Jehovah, would be despised and abhorred by the 
 shepherds of Israel ; in the manner recorded by the Evan- 
 gelists. Enough has been said to shew, that it might pre- 
 viously have been expected, tlmt the Messiah would be 
 received with conte?npt and aversion, by a large proportion 
 of the people, to whom it was sent, and especially by their 
 rulers and teachers: but our next enquiry, 
 
 2. Concerning the death, by which, according to the pro- 
 phets, the Messiah would be cut off; will bring before us 
 much more proof of this particular also. 
 
 Even the first promise of a Redeemer implied the idea, 
 that he would be a sufferer ; " I will put enmity between 
 "thee and the woman; and between thy seed and her Seed; 
 "it shall bruise thy head; and thou shalt bruise his heel. "if 
 " The sufferings of Christ, and the glory which followed," 
 in the triumphs of Christianity over idolatry and wickedness, 
 or the cause of Satan, constitute the best, and the only 
 satisfactory, comment on this original promise of a Messiah: 
 yet the more complete fulfilment of the last clause is still 
 future; as the crucifixion of Christ, and the persecutions of 
 
 * Matt. xxi. 42. Acts iv. 10, I J. 
 
 + Zech. xi. 8-13- Matt, xxvii. 3— 10. + Gen. iii. 15. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 287 
 
 his people, by those very persons, to whom he said, " Ye 
 "are of your father the devil; and the lusts of your father 
 " ye will do: he was a murddrer from the beginning:"* 
 this, I say, forms the clearest exposition of the other clause; 
 " Thou shait bruise his heel." 
 
 But it would far exceed my limits, to adduce, and com- 
 ment on, all the prophecies, respecting this subject, in the 
 Old Testament; " The Son of man must suffer these things, 
 " and be rejected of the chief priests, and scribes, and be 
 " slain, and be raised up the third day." " Ought not 
 " Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into 
 " his glory . 5,, t 
 
 The portion of scripture, part of which was before con- 
 sidered, must now be proceeded with. When any man at- 
 tentively reads the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah; the question 
 almost irresistibly forces iteelf upon him : " Of whom speak- 
 " eth the prophet this ? Of himself? or of some other man ?"$ 
 I do not know, that the prophet was ever supposed to have 
 spoken of himself: so it is needless to dwell on the absur- 
 dity of such a supposition. Nor does it appear, that an/ 
 individual has been pointed out, in whom the prophecy was, 
 or will be, fulfilled. 
 
 Extracts are given by Dr. Whitby, on the eighth of Acts, 
 from ancient Jewish writers, maintaining, that the prophecy 
 relates to the Messiah : but modern Jews do not admit this* 
 and cannot be supposed to do it. We only request to 
 know, of whom, or, what company, or, what transactions, it 
 is either a prediction, or a history ? As a part of " the 
 * oracles of God committed to them," and owned by them 
 to be 'the word of God ;' it must have some important mean- 
 ing, and we would gladly be informed, what they suppose 
 that meaning to be? When this is fairly and clearly stated, 
 I trust learned Christians will give it a candid and impartial 
 * John Tiii. 44. + Luke \x. 22. xxxr. 25-27. 44-47. % Act* vim 34. 
 
288 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 consideration. But we do not live in an age, in which 
 silence and imposed restraints on such a subject, will pro- 
 duce any other effect, than a conclusion, in the minds of 
 men in general, that the Jews are conscious of being totally 
 unable to disprove the Christian interpretation of the pro- 
 phecy ; though determined not to accede to it. 
 
 Some writers, as I recollect, have, in a general and inde- 
 finite way, asserted, that the nation of Israel was intended ; 
 and not any individual: but it is almost self-evident, that 
 this interpretation cannot be maintained, or even rendered 
 plausible, by any genius or learning of man. Let us, how- 
 ever, proceed to examine some parts of it. — " Surely he hath 
 " borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows ; yet did we 
 " esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But 
 " he was wounded for our transgressions ; he was bruised 
 " for our iniquities ; the chastisement of our peace was upon 
 " him, and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like 
 " sheep, have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his 
 " own way, and the Lord hath laid" (or, caused to meet) 
 " upon him the iniquities of us all."* It is undeniable, that, 
 in these verses, the writer speaks of many sinning, and ex- 
 posed to suffering : and of One as suffering for their sins ; 
 and that by his suffering the punishment which they had 
 deserved, they are delivered and healed. Now if the nation 
 of Israel be the sufferer, considered as one person; who are 
 they, for whose transgressions Israel was wounded and 
 bruised ? Such language can never mean, that Israel suffered 
 for his own sins : nor, that one generation of Israel suffered 
 for the sins of other generations : because their sufferings 
 could not be " the chastisement of their peace," or avail 
 for " the healing of former generations." — And what genera- 
 tion of Israel ever suffered for the sins of their fathers; being 
 themselves innocent and deserving no sufferings? Neither 
 
 * Is. liiL 4 — 6. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 289 
 
 will It be allowed by the Jews themselves, that Israel suf- 
 fered for the sins, and in order to the salvation, of the 
 Gentiles, or any part of them. In short, it does not ap- 
 pear, that any meaning, even specious meaning, can be 
 given to the passage : except by supposing Israel, or some 
 other collective body, confessing their guilt, and speaking 
 of some individual, who suffered the punishment due to them, 
 in order that they might be pardoned and saved. Supposing . 
 the prophet, for argument's sake, (I do not adduce it as 
 authority,) to mean the company, of whom St. John speaks 
 in Revelation, who say to " the Lamb that had been 
 " slain," " Thou hast redeemed us to God with thy blood, 
 " out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and na- 
 u tion :" suppose the prophet, I say, to mean this company, 
 and himself as one of it, when he says, " All we, like 
 "sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to 
 "his own way; and Jehovah has made to meet on him 
 " the iniquities of us all :" Can any oilier interpretation be 
 adduced, which will bear a competition with this? In Isaiah 
 is a lock, the wards of which are so intricate, that no key 
 could be found to open it : till at length one is brought 
 from the apostle John, which with perfect ease opens it, at 
 the first touch. Was not this the key originally intended 
 for that lock? 
 
 " He was oppressed, and he was afflicted;" (more exactly, 
 " It was exacted, and he became answerable.") " He was 
 " led as a Lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before 
 " her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. He 
 " was taken from prison and from judgment: and who 
 " shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the 
 " land of the living. 1 ' Here the person, who was " bruised 
 " for the iniquities" of the company spoken of, of whom 
 their " debt was exacted and he became answerable,' is 
 represented as suffering in meekness, patience, and silence, 
 
 2 p 
 
290 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 and not murmuring or complaining ; though hurried to 
 execution without judgment, and without any one to ap- 
 pear in his behalf; and not only to suffer grievously in 
 other respects, but, as " cut off from the land of the 
 " living" " for the trangression of my people was he 
 " stricken." If the Messiah be intended, it is manifest, 
 that he was not only to be a sufferer, a meek, harmless 
 and patient sufferer, under oppression and iniquity ; but to 
 die also, and by a violent death, as paying a debt, which 
 lie did not contract ; as " stricken for the transgression, 1 ' 
 of that people, whom the prophet or God owns as his 
 people. Who can help, in this connection, recollecting the 
 language of Gabriel to Daniel; " Messiah the Prince shall 
 "be cut off, but not for himself?"* Different methods 
 have been adopted, of evading our conclusion from Daniel's 
 prophecy; but what method can be taken of escaping the 
 same conclusion from Isaiah ? Inadmissible, as Mr. C.'s 
 interpretation of Daniel has been shown to be ; he proba- 
 bly cannot adduce any thing, even so plausible as that is, 
 in respect of Isaiah's words. 
 
 " And he made his grave with the wicked, and with 
 lt the rich in his death ; because he had done no violence, 
 u neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the 
 " Lord to bruise him , he hath put him to grief." Here 
 the innocence of the sufferer also is attested; yet, notwith- 
 standing this, " it pleased Jehovah to bruise him." He 
 suffered unto death, and was buried. Dying as a male- 
 factor, " he made his grave with the wicked." tl A grave 
 " was appointed for him among the wicked ; but with a 
 u rich man in his death." Every one knows the christian 
 interpretation : viz. Jesus, being interred in the sepulchre 
 of Joseph, instead of being buried with the malefactors, 
 in the grave appointed for them. And is not this singular 
 * Is. liii. Dan. ix. 25, 2€. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 291 
 
 coincidence of the event, with the obscure words of the 
 prophet, a proof that this was intended by the Spirit of 
 prophecy ? Or what other interpretation has any man to 
 propose, which can stand the competition with it? 
 
 ' That his grave should be " appointed with the wicked," 
 ' (which was the case of those who suffered as criminals,) 
 ' but that " he should be with the rich in his death," 
 6 are circumstances, which before they happened, were very 
 * improbable should ever concur in the same person.' Camp- 
 bell. Edinburgh. 
 
 But how was it, that it should " please the Lord to 
 cc bruise him, &c?" What follows answers the question. 
 " When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he 
 " shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, arid the 
 " pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 3 ' No- 
 thing can be plainer, than that the person here spoken of, 
 when " cut off from the land of the living,' 7 when he 
 ; suffered, and died, and was buried ,' would be considered 
 by Jehovah, as a propitiatory Sacrifice ; and therefore as 
 bearing the guilt, imputed to him, and the punishment, 
 due to those, in behalf of whom he suffered. And there- 
 fore as the Lord, every where in the law, speaks of the 
 typical atonements and the smell of the burning victims, as 
 "a sweet savour;" because this was a display of his 
 righteous hatred of sin, and determination so to punish it 
 in the sufferings of the person here spoken of-, Jehovah is 
 said to "take pleasure in bruising him, and in putting him 
 «to grief, and making his soul an offering for sin:" 
 that is, he took pleasure in the display thus given of his 
 glorious holiness and justice, as connected with " the praise 
 " of the glory of his grace." This accords to the language 
 of the apostle: « Christ hath given himself for us, an offering 
 « and a Sacrifice to God of a sweet smelling savour."* 
 
 * Eph. v. 2. 
 
292 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 It is equally manifest, that the person predicted, after 
 " having been cut off from the land of the living," and 
 after having been buried, " should see his seed, and prolong 
 " his days, and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper iu 
 "his hand." But how could this be, except he rose again? 
 "Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures; and 
 *« was buried, and rose again on the third day, according 
 " to the Scriptures."* Let another interpretation, equally 
 satisfactory, be given by those who reject this : and let 
 them not suppose, that " the oracles of God" have no 
 meaning. " He shall see of the travail of his soul, and 
 " shall be satisfied : by the knowledge of him shall my 
 " righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their 
 " iniquities." The person spoken of is here called " the 
 " righteous servant of Jehovah ;" this wholly excludes 
 the idea of an individual, or a nation, suffering for per- 
 sonal or national transgression. It is declared, that " he 
 " shall bear the iniquity of those whom he justifies.'" Not 
 only should he suffer, to exempt them from suffering ; but 
 their iniquity should be imputed to him, and laid on him, 
 as on the legal sacrifices. Thus he would " justify many;" 
 or entitle them to the reward of righteousness, "by the 
 " knowledge of him ;" which is equivalent, in this view, 
 to believing in him : and as this was his great object in 
 thus suffering and dying, he would, in justifying many, 
 " see of the travail" (or agony) of his soul, (when God 
 " made his soul a sacrifice for sin ;") and " be satisfied ;" as 
 the mother, who " as soon as she is delivered remembereth 
 " no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into 
 "the world." 
 
 " Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, 
 " and he shall divide the spoil with the strong ; because 
 " he hath poured out his soul unto death : and he was 
 * l Cor. xv. 3, 4. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 293 
 
 " numbere with the transgressors ; and he bare the sin 
 " of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." 
 Here the fact, of the death of the person predicted, is 
 again repeated in emphatical language ; to shew the cer- 
 tainty of that event, which would be so incredible to the 
 persons immediately concerned. It is also stated that he 
 would not only die a violent death, but this death would 
 not be in war, not by assassination, not by a private mur- 
 der, but by an ignominious execution ; being " numbered 
 " with malefactors." It is likewise repeated, that " he bare 
 " the sin of many ;" so that, while in the sight of man 
 he died as a justly condemned malefactor, in the sight of 
 God he was regarded as a spotless sacrifice, atoning for the 
 sins of others. In consequence of this, implying as before 
 his resurrection, it is added; "he made intercession for the 
 " transgressors." " It is Christ that died, yea, rather is 
 " risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who 
 " also maketh intercession for us."* I do not quote this 
 passage as authority; but merely to shew, with what 
 exactness and ease, the language of the apostle interprets 
 the words of the prophet. 
 
 Consider Satan, then, as the great and powerful enemy 
 of God, and as lording it over our fallen race : how obvi- 
 ous is it to interpret the beginning of the verse, to pre- 
 dict the effects of the sufferings, death, resurrection, and 
 intercession of the person predicted; when the serpent and 
 his seed, having "bruised his heel;" he began immedi- 
 ately to crush the serpent's head; and to rescue millions 
 of wretched slaves from Satan's destructive bondage? 
 " Who hatli delivered us from the power of darkness, and 
 " hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son ; in 
 " whom we have redemption through his blood, even the 
 "forgiveness of sins." + "Thus he saw his seed;" for 
 * Rom. viii. 34. t Col. i. 13, 14. 
 
294 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 these redeemed persons are counted to him for a genera- 
 tion or progeny. But I by no means intend to give an 
 adequate comment on the chapter : I would merely touch 
 on some prominent particulars ; shewing, what must be 
 found in the person and the facts, which fulfil such a 
 prophecy. It is not requisite to enlarge on the Christian 
 interpretation. No other even plausible interpretation has 
 yet been given : nor does it appear possible, that any 
 should be given; for nothing can be more remote from 
 such a completion in the Messiah, than the expectations 
 of the Jews are at present. 
 
 I would only add, that it is by no means sufficient, in 
 order to subvert the argument from this prophecy, concerning 
 the Messiah, that he would suffer, and die by a publick 
 execution as a malefactor, in man's esteem, but in reality as 
 a Sacrifice for sin, and would rise from the dead, 
 become an intercessor, " justify many," and set up a king- 
 dom on the ruins of the usurped dominion of Satan; it 
 is, I say, wholly insufficient to subvert this argument, to 
 make objections, to propose other readings or translations; 
 or to argue in a way of speculation against it. Another, 
 and more satisfactory interpretation must be adduced, or 
 nothing to the purpose can he done. The grand outline 
 must be otherwise interpreted, or our interpretation must 
 be admitted, and at least silently allowed to be unanswer- 
 able ; a very common and convenient waj' of disposing of 
 unanswerable books, and by far the best way, in policy, of 
 leaving them to fall into oblivion. 
 
 Did this prophecy stand single in the Scripture, there 
 might be some ground for hesitation as to the strong con- 
 clusions to be drawn from it : but this is so far from being 
 the case, that a history of our Lord's sufferings, and death, 
 and even the minute circumstances of it, might be com- 
 
IlESTOKATION OF ISRAEL. 295 
 
 piled in the very words of the ancient prophets; only, on 
 some occasions substituting the preterite for the future. 
 
 We will therefore now proceed to take a concise view 
 of another remarkable prophecy. The twenty second Psalm 
 opens with the very words, which our Lord used on the 
 cross, only substituting the Syriack or Chaldee word, for 
 the Hebrew ; Sabachthani, for \jrQ?J7. " My God, my 
 " God, why hast thou forsaken me." This might be the 
 less remarkable, were not the coincidence at the beginning 
 carried throughout, in language which never suited any 
 other person ; nor is there the least probability, that it ever 
 will. It is not necessary, that every part of the Psalm 
 should be gone through : The Speaker in it says, " But 
 u I am a worm, and no man ; a reproach of men, and 
 " despised of the people. All they that see me, laugh me 
 " to scorn : they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, 
 " saying, He trusted on the Lord, that he would deliver 
 " him; let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him." 
 This might indeed be in some sense spoken by David, 
 especially in respect of the ill usage, with which he met 
 from Israel, during Absalom's rebellion. Yet the language 
 is more energetick, than even that usage warranted ; and 
 it was not literally fulfilled : for, though enemies at a 
 distance spake and acted most cruelly and contumeliously 
 to David ; all who approached him, except Shimei, treat- 
 ed him with great respect and affection. But who, that 
 has read the New Testament, can help perceiving how 
 exactly and literally it was fulfilled, while Jesus hung on 
 the cross ? " They that passed by reviled him, wagging 
 "their heads, and saying, Thou, that destroyest the tem- 
 "ple and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou 
 « be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise 
 « also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and 
 
296 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " elders, said, He saved others, himself he cannot save. 
 " If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down 
 " from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in 
 " God : let him deliver him, if he will have him ; for he 
 "said, I am the Son of God." The thieves also, who 
 " were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth."* 
 This concurrence of the rude multitude, with those in au- 
 thority, with the principal ministers of religion, and with 
 the most learned men of the nation, in reviling and in- 
 sulting a poor sufferer on a cross ; joined with the insults of 
 his fellow sufferers, is unparalleled in the history of man- 
 kind ; but it most exactly fulfilled the prophecy under 
 consideration, as well as many others to the same purpose. — 
 " In my adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves 
 "together: yea, the very objects gathered themselves toge- 
 " ther."+ Nothing occurs in the history of David like 
 this: Nor indeed can any instance be produced, in which 
 the prophecy before us received a literal interpretation, 
 except in the history of Jesus of Nazareth. It is also 
 remarkable, that the Psalm contains no confession of sin, 
 or any thing in the least intimating the criminality of the 
 sufferer : whereas David, in all the other Psalms, which 
 he wrote, during those calamities, which he suffered from 
 Absalom, continually recurs to the sins, which had occa- 
 sioned them. So far from this, the Speaker uses words 
 concerning himself, which no mere man could in strict 
 propriety use. " Thou didst make me to hope, when I 
 " was upon my mother's breasts." 
 
 Again, " Many bulls have compassed me; strong bulls 
 « of Bashan have beset me round : they gaped upon me 
 " with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. 
 " I am poured out like water ; and all my bones are out of 
 "joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of 
 * Ps. xxii. 6—8. Matt, xxvii. 39—44. + Ps. xxxv. 15. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 29? 
 
 f< my body : my strength is dried up like a potsherd, and 
 "my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought 
 " me into the dust of death."* David was never thus sur- 
 rounded by powerful and fierce enemies, till brought down 
 to the dust of death : on the contrary, he was, in his severest 
 trials, surrounded by faithful friends and followers, who 
 valued his life more than their own ; and he lived to tri- 
 umph over all enemies, and ended his life in great honour 
 and prosperity. But a consider Jesus," surrounded not 
 only by insulting multitudes, not only by the powerful 
 chief priests, rulers, and scribes, but also by the Roman 
 soldiers ; scourged, mocked, crowned with thorns, nailed to 
 the cross; the raising up of which, and placing it in its 
 foot, shook or dislocated his bones; parched with thirst, 
 fainting in languor and anguish ; and at length expiring ; 
 and you have a most striking accomplishment of a most 
 extraordinary prediction : nor can any other example be 
 adduced from universal history, which accords to it, in a 
 similar manner. Sufferers in extremity are commonly com- 
 passionated, if not by the rude multitude, yet by superior 
 persons : or if the superiors be hardened against them, the 
 people often sympathize with them. This has almost always 
 been the case, with martyrs in general; but it was not the 
 case of Jesus the Nazarene : even his disciples forsook him, 
 and were afraid to own him. 
 
 " For dogs have compassed me : the assembly of the 
 " wicked hath inclosed me ; they pierced my hands and my 
 " feet : I may tell all my bones ; they look and stare upon 
 a me."— « Of whom speaketh the prophet this? Of himself? 
 " or of some other man?" Of what other man? Of Jesus, 
 and of him only. 
 
 It is true, that in the Hebrew text, the clause rendered, 
 « They pierced my hands and my feet," stands, « as a lion, 
 
 * Ps. xxii. 12—15. 
 2q 
 
298 _ ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " my hands and my feet." But this contains no clear meaning 
 at all. The Septuagint, which is certainly more ancient than 
 the Christian JEra, and the work of Jews, evidently read it, 
 as we do, (wpu|«y x il f us ** 8 xa " 7ro ^ ay ) " they dug my hands 
 " and my feet." Some indeed think the word compounded 
 of H13 and *>")tf, and to mean, " they dug as a lion my 
 " hands, &c. :" but it does not appear how this construction 
 can be maintained. It is more obvious to allow, that a 
 trivial alteration has taken place in the text y through the 
 error of some ancient transcriber. But, however that may 
 be ; " the hands and the feet" of the sufferer were espe- 
 cially affected, and no punishment, yet invented by the 
 cruel ingenuity of man, ever so affected " the hands and 
 " the feet" as crucifixion, by nailing them to the cross, 
 and suspending, in great measure, if not wholly, the weight 
 of the body, on ih & nails mus driven through those ex- 
 quisitely sensible parts of the human frame. 
 
 It may be doubted whether crucifixion were originally 
 a Roman punishment, but it was not used in Israel. The 
 " hanging on a tree" mentioned in the scripture, was sus- 
 pension bf the dead corpse after execution ; or, perhaps, 
 sometimes death by suspension, or strangulation : and there 
 can scarcely be a reasonable doubt, but that the Holy 
 Spirit, speaking by the Psalmist, pointed out the special 
 manner of the Messiah's death, above a thousand years 
 before the Christian iEra. 
 
 " They part my garments among them, and they cast . 
 "lots upon my vesture."* Three of the Gospels, in which 
 the fulfilment of this prediction stands recorded, were ex- 
 tant at an early period; when either Jews or Romans 
 might have denied the fact if they had been able: yet 
 this was never done. The singular circumstance, that while 
 
 * Ps. xxii. 18. Matt, xxvii. 35. Marls xv. 24. Luke xxiii. 34. John 
 xix. 23, 24. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 299 
 
 the other garments of Jesus were divided into portions ; 
 his vesture should be so formed, that the soldiers rather 
 chose to cast lots for it, than to rend it, is worthy of 
 special notice : for, whatever any others, concerned in these 
 transactions might be supposed to do, from regard to the 
 predictions of the prophets; the Roman soldiers cannot be 
 imagined to have regulated their conduct by them. Thus the 
 prophetick history becomes more and more circumstantial : 
 and in whom was it ever realized, except in Jesus of 
 Nazareth? Have then the words of the Psalmist any 
 meaning? and what is that meaning, if it be not that which 
 Christians maintain? Still the simile recurs, A lock of such 
 intricate and complicated wards, that no key but one, can 
 be found, however forcibly applied, to move it; and that 
 one opens it by' a touch. < Is not this the key, which 
 was made for the lock i Who can reasonably doubt it ? 
 
 * But be not thou far from me: O Lord O my strength, 
 " haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword, 
 "thy darling from the power of the dog." (Yachadika; 
 thy only One, unicus, unigenitus. Robertson. t*?* fcovoy^ 
 ft», my only begotten, femin. Septuagint. The substantive is 
 masculine, and the pronoun is the second person, in the 
 original. The translators, probably, supposed the word to 
 coincide with my soul; but the idea of only begotten is 
 recognized.) — "Save me from the lions' mouth; for thou 
 " hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns."* 
 
 Immediately after this, he who had complained in such 
 doleful lamentations, and who had been " brought into the 
 "dust of death," bursts forth in a most triumphant 
 manner : the last clause quoted being something such a 
 connecting step to transition from the depth of suffering 
 and debasement, to the glory which followed, as our 
 Lord's last words on the cross were : " Father, into thy 
 
 * Ps. ixii. 19, 20. 
 
300 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " hands I commend my Spirit." — " I will declare thy 
 "name unto my brethren;* in the midst of the congrega- 
 " tion will I praise thee. — Ye that fear the Lord, praise 
 " him. All ye seed of Jacob, glorify him ; and fear him, 
 " all ye seed of Israel : for he hath not despised nor abhor- 
 " red the affliction of the afflicted, neither hath he hid his 
 "face from him; but when he cried unto him he heard."+ 
 
 " My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation ; I 
 " will pay my vows before them that fear him. The meek 
 " shall eat and be satisfied ; they shall praise the Lord 
 "that seek him; your heart shall live for ever.":j: 
 
 Who can read these verses, as compared with the pre- 
 ceding part of the Psalm, without being reminded of the 
 risen Saviour conversing with his disciples; and commis- 
 sioning the apostles to preach to all nations, beginning at 
 Jerusalem ; and of their urWreoacs and exhortations to the 
 Jews, before they turned to the Gentiles ?§ Especially what 
 can be made of the clause, as referred to David, or any 
 other person, than Jesus : " The meek shall eat and be 
 "satisfied — your heart shall live for ever ?"|| Let the reader 
 carefully and impartially compare with this clause, the scrip- 
 ture referred to, and he must be struck with the coincidence. 
 Hitherto, however, Israel exclusively may be considered 
 as spoken of; but the next verse predicts the conversion 
 of the Gentiles all over the earth, as our Lord intimated,, 
 when the Greeks wanted to see him : " And I, if I be 
 " lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me. 
 " This he said, signifying what death he should die."! 
 Thus the prophecy; " All the ends of the earth shall 
 " remember themselves, and shall turn unto the Lord, 
 "and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before 
 " him : for the kingdom is the Lord's, and he is the 
 
 * John xvii. 6. 26. + Heb. v. 7. + Ps. xxii. 22—26. 
 
 $ Acts xiii. 26. 38, 39. g John vi. 48—58. 5 John xii. 20—33 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 301 
 
 il Governor among the people. All that be fat upon earth 
 " shall eat and worship ; all that go down to the dust, 
 " shall bow before him :* and none can keep alive" (or 
 make olive) "his own soul. A seed shall serve Mm, it shall 
 " be accounted to the Lord for a generation. "t What can 
 these verses mean, if referred to David, or to any other, 
 than the Messiah ? Except as referred to him, of whom 
 Isaiah says, " He shall be called, the everlasting Father," (or 
 the Father of the everlasting age,) and whom the apostle 
 calls " The second Adam, the Lord from heaven ;" from 
 whom all the true church derive spiritual and eternal life, 
 as all men derive natural life from the first Adam ? This 
 concurs with what was before adduced from Isaiah; " He 
 " shall see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied." 
 " He shall see his seed.";}: With evident reference to this, 
 the apostle applies to the Christian church many of those 
 things, which were spoken of Israel by the Lord : "Ye 
 " are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 
 " a peculiar people. "§ And can it be said, that the words 
 of the Psalmist, connected with the preceding verses, do not 
 warrant this application ? — " They shall come, and shall 
 " declare his righteousness, unto a people that shall be born, 
 " that the Lord hath done this."|| 
 
 Thus the Psalm contains a regular prediction, which has 
 received an exact accomplishment, even to minuteness, in 
 "the sufferings of Christ, and the glory which followed;" 
 except that which remains to be fulfilled, when " the king- 
 " doms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our 
 "Lord and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and 
 " ever."5 If this most obvious and easy interpretation be 
 rejected; let another be produced, not of a few expressions, 
 but of the whole prophecy, which can stand a competition 
 
 * Phil. ii. 8—11. + Ps. xxii. 27—30. t Is. «x. 5. liii. 10—12, 
 
 % 1 Pet. ii. 9, 10. II Ps. xxii. 31. * Hev. xi. 15. 
 
302 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 i 
 
 with it. Till this be done, our interpretation must be con- 
 ceded to be the true one; 
 
 A few extracts alone, from other predictions, must now 
 be adduced ; which corroborate our interpretation of these 
 scriptures, which have been more fully examined. The sixty- 
 ninth Psalm might be shewn to be throughout a prophecy 
 of the Messiah; fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, and in the 
 judgments which came upon the Jews, because they rejected 
 and crucified him. But, as I only mean to call the attention 
 of the reader to these prophecies, and not to write an expo- 
 sition of them, I shall merely quote one passage ; u Reproach 
 " hath broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness, and I 
 M looked for some to take pity, but there was none, and for 
 " comforters, but I found none. They gave me also gall to 
 " eat, and when I was thirsty, tney gave me vinegar to 
 " drink."* David was indeed often extremely ill-treated, 
 both by Saul and his adherents, and in Absalom's rebellion : 
 but when was he destitute of faithful adherents and affec- 
 tionate comforters? When was this the case with any one 
 of whom we read in scripture, except Job, who was a re- 
 markable type of the Messiah ? The literal fulfilment of the 
 latter verse, in Jesus of Nazareth, is well known; and the 
 persons concerned, assuredly did not intend to fulfil the 
 scriptures.t 
 
 Again, in Isaiah One says, " Wherefore when I came, was 
 "there no man? When I called, was there none to answer? 
 " Is my hand shortened, that it cannot redeem, or have I 
 "no power to deliver? I clothe the heavens with blackness; 
 "I make sackcloth their covering.}:— The Lord God hath 
 " given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know 
 " how to speak a word in season to him that is weary. He 
 
 * Ps. lix. 20, 21. i Matt, xxvii. 34. 48. John xix. 28, 29. 
 
 t Matt, xxvii. 43. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 303 
 
 <% wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth my ear to 
 " hear as the learned. The Lord God hath opened mine 
 " ear,* and I was not rebellions, neither turned away back. 
 " I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them 
 " that plucked off the hair ; I hid not my face from shame 
 " and spitting; for the Lord God will help me."t 
 
 Let the reader carefully observe, that the person, Avho 
 speaks throughout, is the same, without the least intimation 
 of a change : and who was this person, who united such 
 divine dignity, authority, and power; so much meekness and 
 condescension in teaching and comforting the weary ; and 
 such submission to the most contemptuous and cruel usage, 
 with full confidence of victory and triumph ? Who but 
 he who " endured the cross, and despised the shame, and 
 " is set down at the right hand of the throne of God ?" 
 In whom was this prediction ever fulfilled, but in Jesus of 
 Nazareth? Let the fulfilment of it in any other person be 
 adduced, if there ever was any. It is a prophecy of a 
 divine Messiah, Immanuel; who was treated with indignity 
 and opprobrium, and who triumphed over all: and the second 
 verse shews the reason, why the Jews have, during so many 
 ages, been, as it were, divorced from the Lord. " Where- 
 w fore when I came, was there no man ? When I called, 
 " was there none to answer ?" For according to the Evan- 
 gelist, " He came to his own, and his own received him 
 " not.":}: 
 
 The prophecy of Daniel has already been considered, in 
 another part of the general argument ; and, I am persuaded, 
 that the Christian interpretation has been confirmed, not 
 indeed beyond contradiction, but beyond all refutation. I 
 shall here only call the reader's attention to the language 
 employed, in respect " of Messiah the Prince," who should 
 be " cut off, but not for himself." Our argument does not 
 * Ps. x\. 6. + Is. 1. 1-9. + Johni. II. 
 
304 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 rest on the words " not for himself''' It is undeniable, that 
 Messiah the " Prince" there spoken of, would, according to 
 the prophet, "be cut off;" that is, die by violence, and not 
 a natural death : while the language previously used, coin- 
 ciding, as that expression does, with the words of Isaiah, 
 shews, that while he died, in man's esteem as a criminal, 
 he suffered in reality, not as a martyr, but as an atoning 
 sacrifice for sin: " To make an end of sins," or of sin- 
 offerings, " and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to 
 " bring in everlasting righteousness."* How could this be 
 verified in king Agrippa, or in any other man, of whom the 
 records of history make mention ? 
 
 Again, Of whom does the prophet Zechariah speak, or 
 rather Jehovah by him? " I will pour upon the house 
 " of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,, the 
 i( Spirit of grace and supplication ; and they shall look 
 "on me, whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for 
 " him, as one mourneth for his only Son." The Christian 
 interpretation is known. — It is Imraanuel, who speaks of the 
 Jews, whose ancestors " pierced his hands and feet," and 
 temples, and sides, by the Roman soldiers employed in 
 mocking and crucifying him ; whose blood the Jews impre- 
 cated " upon them and their children ;" and whose posterity 
 have, in every age consented, with full approbation, to the 
 deed of their fathers ;t thus " crucifying the Son of God 
 " afresh, and putting him to open shame :":£ but who will 
 ere long, by the " pouring out of the Spirit upon them," 
 look to him with intensely penitent sorrow, and with obe- 
 dient faith and love. May the Lord speedily vouchsafe this 
 " pouring out of the Spirit" on Israel ; and thus, according 
 to another prophecy, " take away the stony heart out of 
 " their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh. "§ 
 
 * Dan. ix. 24. Is. liii. 10—12. f Matt, xxvii. 25. John xix. 37. 
 
 Heb- vi. 6. + a-vnv^oKclle, Luke xi. 48. §Ez. xi. 19, 20. xxxvi. 25 — 27. 
 
RESTORATION OP ISRAEL. 305 
 
 i 
 I shall close this part with another prediction from the 
 
 same prophet. " Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, 
 " against the Man that is my Fellow, saith the Lord of 
 "hosts; smite the Shepherd." Who is this person, whom 
 Jehovah owns as "his Shepherd?" not as one of his 
 shepherds, much less f an idol-shepherd,' but exclusively his 
 Shepherd ? and " the Man," the only Man, who is " his 
 "Fellow?" Is it not Immanuel; whose "name is Won- 
 " derful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, 
 " the Prince of Peace ?"* Is it not he, of whom another 
 prophet speaks, " I will set one Shepherd over them, and 
 " he shall feed them, even my servant David ; he shall feed 
 "them; he shall be their Shepherd, and I the Lord will 
 " be their God ; and my Servant David, a Prince among 
 " them : I the Lord have spoken it ?"t Is it not he of 
 whom Micah prophesies ; — . " Out of thee," (Bethlehem,) 
 " shall he come forth unto me, that is to be Ruler in Israel ; 
 "whose goings forth have been from of old, from 
 "everlasting." — "And he shall stand and feed, in the 
 strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the 
 "Lord his God: and they shall abide: for now shall he be 
 " great unto the ends of the earth ?"$ Surely this is He, 
 whom Jehovah calls "My Shepherd: the Man that, is 
 " my Fellow." Could this language be used with truth of 
 any other shepherd ? Where do we read any thing like it 
 of David, or any of those who fed Israel most faithfully ? 
 No, here is " the good Shepherd, who laid down his life 
 "for the sheep:" "the great Shepherd, who made our 
 " peace by the blood of the everlasting covenant ;" " Yea, 
 "the chief Shepherd, who shall appear" to judge the 
 world. § 
 
 But what does " the Lord of hosts" say, concerning this 
 
 * Is. vii. 14. ix. G, 7. + Ez. xxxiv. 23, 24. + Mic. v. 2-5, 
 
 ^ John x. 11—14. Heb. xiii. 19, 20. 1 Pet. v. 4. 
 
 2r 
 
 a 
 
306 ANSWEIl TO THE 
 
 his Shepherd ? " Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd. 
 " — Smite the Shepherd." How can tbis be ? — The sword, 
 which Jehovah calls to awake, must be that of avenging 
 justice. Why must this "sword smite his Shepherd?" Let 
 Isaiah answer the question: "He was wounded for our trans- 
 " gressions ; he was bruised for our iniquities. — All we, like 
 " sheep, have gone astray, we have turned every one to his 
 "own way; and the Lord hath caused to meet on him the 
 " iniquity of us all." — " It pleased the Lord io bruise him : 
 " he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul 
 "an offering for sin; he shall see his seed; he shall prolong 
 "his days; and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in 
 " his hand."* 
 
 Have we then no ground in the Old Testament to con- 
 clude, that (he promised Messiah, would, when he came, be 
 rejected, despised, hated, persecuted, put to death as a male- 
 factor, even crucified ; yet die as an atoning Sacrifice for 
 sin ? Certainly, these things ought not to be passed over 
 in silence, or without notice; by him, who would disprove 
 the Messiahship of Jesus the Nazarene. Certainly, these 
 prophecies must all be satisfactorily explained, in another 
 meaning; or else, our appeal to the Old Testament cannot 
 be set aside, or resisted. Indeed I have by no means 
 brought forward all the proof of this from the Old Testa- 
 ment: but when what I have adduced, has been disposed 
 of; some other Christian writer, (for my age and infirmities 
 exclude the thought of my attempting it,) will cut out for 
 the answerer further employment; if that ever be needful, 
 which indeed I do not think it will be. 
 
 Our next particular has been so far anticipated, that little 
 remains to be done. 
 
 3. It is predicted in the Old Testament, that the Messiah 
 should arise from the dead, and ascend into heaven ; and 
 
 * Is. liii. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 30? 
 
 that most glorious effects would follow his ascension and 
 exaltation. 
 
 They, however, for whose benefit I chiefly write, if once 
 convinced of those facts, concerning the Messiah, which have 
 been stated, will not require much proof of this particular; 
 and without this conviction, all proof must be disregarded : 
 it therefore is not requisite to enlarge upon it. 
 
 The passage in the sixteenth Psalm can never admit of 
 any other interpretation. " I have set the Lord always 
 " before me : for he is at my right hand ; I shall not be 
 " moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory re- 
 " joiceth ; my flesh also shall rest in hope: for thou wilt not 
 " leave my soul in hell ; neither wilt thou suffer thy holy 
 il One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of 
 " life."* The person here speaking evidently considers 
 himself as one, who was about to die and be buried; " My 
 " flesh shall rest in hope." His soul would go into Hades > 
 ^ISJ^ the unseen world, but would not be left there : his 
 body would be a corpse, but it would " not see corruption;" 
 that is, not remain dead, so long as to begin to putrefy, and 
 return to the dust. On the contrary, he was confident that 
 he should arise, not to remain on earth, and die a second 
 time, as those who were raised by miracle did ; but that 
 he should be shewn the path of life; and enter the presence 
 of God, " where is fulness of joy, and pleasures at his right 
 « hand for evermore." — Now in what other person were all 
 these particulars ever verified, except in Jesus of Nazareth, 
 "the Holy One of God?" But I forbear: the apostle's 
 argument is so conclusive, and proved so efficacious; that I 
 need only adduce it; not as authority; but as an argument, 
 requiring an answer, in the same manner as my arguments 
 may do: for I expect a Jew to consider it in the same 
 light.—" Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you 
 * Ps. xVu 8—11. 
 
30S ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " of the patriarch David ; for he is both dead and buried, 
 " and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore, 
 " being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with 
 " an oath unto him, that of the fruit of his loins, accord- 
 " ing to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his 
 <f throne : he, seeing this before, spake of the resurrection 
 u of Christ ; that his soul was not left in hell, neither did 
 " his flesh see corruption." — In like manner, another apostle 
 says ; " He saith, Thou shalt not surfer thy holy one to 
 " see corruption. For David, after he had served his ge- 
 " neration, by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was 
 il laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption : but he whom 
 a God raised again, saw no corruption."* 
 
 Indeed, every prediction of the glorious and enduring 
 kingdom of the Messiah, (when once it is established, that a 
 Messiah was predicted, who should bleed and die,) immedi- 
 ately becomes a demonstration of his resurrection. Inti- 
 mations of this are given, in several other scriptures, as, 
 u Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body 
 " shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the 
 " dust ; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth 
 "shall cast forth her dead:" Who here speaks? Even he 
 who " is risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of 
 " the resurrection ; who said, I am the Resurrection and the 
 " Life !"+ 
 
 It is also foretold in the scriptures, that the Messiah 
 should ascend into heaven, as introductory to the grand 
 establishment of his kingdom. " Thou hast ascended on 
 "high; 'thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received 
 " gifts for men ; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Loud 
 " God might dwell among them." — Who is this, who as- 
 cending on high, and leading captivity captive, received 
 
 * Acts ii. SO— 32. xiii. 34— 37. t Is. xxvi. 19. Johu xi. 25. 
 
 1 Cor. xv. 20. See also Hos. vi. 2. xiii. 14. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 30'J 
 
 gifts for men? If Jehovah, from whom did he receive them? 
 Yet the whole context speaks of Jehovah. If not Je- 
 hovah, who is intended? Of whom are these things spoken? 
 Is not the apostle's application of the passage, far more 
 obvious and reasonable, than any other which can be 
 adduced or imagined ? — " Wherefore he saith, when he 
 t( ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave 
 " gifts to men. Now that he ascended, what is it, but 
 " that he also first descended into the lower parts of the 
 " earth ? He that descended, is the same also who ascended 
 " far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. And 
 " he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some 
 "evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, &c."* " There- 
 " fore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having 
 " received of the Father, the promise of the Holy Ghost, 
 " he hath shed forth this, -which ye now see and hear. 
 "For David is not ascended into the heavens; but he 
 "saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on 
 M my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool."t 
 
 I do not expect, that Jews should receive these quota- 
 tions from the New Testament, as the word of God ; but 
 can they deny, that they are at least very apposite and 
 probable expositions of texts, which scarcely admit of any 
 other intelligible interpretation? 
 
 The consequence of the Messiah's sufferings, death, re- 
 surrection, ascension, and exaltation, as "a Priest upon 
 " his throne," at the right hand of the Father; in respect 
 of those, whether Jews or Gentiles, who were " his people, 
 "willing in the day of his power;" has already appeared, 
 in that part of the work, in which the effects of the coming 
 of Jesus are considered. Far more might indeed be added, 
 concerning Ihe predictions which clearly foretold these effects, 
 
 * Ps. lxviii. 18. Eph. iv. 8—1?. t P». ex. 1, 2. Acts ii. 33- 
 
310 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 and connected them with his humiliation: and something has 
 been adduced, on the flffy-third of Isaiah and on the 
 twenty-second Psalm, to this effect. But I would now hasten 
 to a close. 
 
 I have only one more subject to adduce, which must not 
 by any means be passed over; yet I mention it with a kind 
 of trepidation ; lest I should seem, as a Gentile, ' to boast 
 t over the Jews,' or not to have suitable candour and 
 good will towards them. But the facts are undeniable; 
 namely, the desolations of Jerusalem and the temple in less 
 than forty years after the crucifixion of Jesus ; with the 
 unspeakable miseries endured by the Jews, and the incre- 
 dible slaughter made of them, during the siege of Jeru- 
 salem, as recorded by their own historian Josephus; and 
 their despised and oppressed condition ever since, for 
 above seventeen hundred years. These facts have exceed- 
 ingly perplexed the Jews themselves; and they cannot 
 account for it, that their sufferings, since the destruction of 
 Jerusalem by the Romans, have continued so much longer 
 than the Babylonish captivity did; though they had not 
 previously been guilty of any direct idolatry. It would 
 however answer little purpose, to assign the reasons of this 
 most extraordinary event, from the writings of Christians, 
 or even from those contained in the New Testament: but 
 it is of the highest consequence to call the attention of the 
 Jews to what their own prophets spake on this subject. 
 
 It is the design of these testimonies, to ascertain indis- 
 putably, what has been the real cause of these dire and 
 long continued judgments of God, on his ancient people; by 
 shewing the manner in which some of the prophets connect 
 the rejection, sufferings, and death of the Messiah, with the 
 desolations of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews.— 
 Thus Gabriel says to Daniel: "After threescore and two 
 " weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself: 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 31 I 
 
 " and the people of the prince that shall come, shall destroy 
 " the city and the sanctuary ; and the end thereof shall be 
 " with a flood, and to the end of the war desolations are 
 " determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many 
 " for one week ; and in the midst of the week, he shall 
 " cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. And for the 
 '* overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, 
 lf even until the consummation, and that determined shall be 
 " poured upon the desolate."* 
 
 What attentive and impartial reader can help seeing and 
 acknowledging, in this prophecy, the connexion between "the 
 " Messiah being cut off," and the predicted desolations ? 
 Is it not here expressly foretold, that the coming of the 
 Messiah, and his sufferings and death, would eventually oc- 
 casion, at least, the desolations of Jerusalem, the termination 
 of the temple-service, the awful miseries inflicted on the 
 Jews by the idolatrous Romans, and the introduction of their 
 permanent dispersion? And did not these events follow 
 speedily after the Jews had cut off our Lord Jesus Christ ? 
 It is in vain to criticise on single words or expressions, or 
 to make objections to this or the other explanation : nothing 
 but an interpretation of the whole prophecy, and of 
 ever?/ clause, in another more satisfactory manner ; grounded, 
 as ours is, on known and undeniable facts ; can do any thing 
 effectual to obviate the conclusion, that Jesus is the Messiah, 
 and that, by rejecting and crucifying him, and cruelly per- 
 secuting his disciples, the nation of the Jews filled up that 
 measure of iniquity, which brought upon them their past 
 and present sufferings.—" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that 
 " killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto 
 « thee, How often would I have gathered thy children, even 
 « as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and ye 
 « would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 
 * Dan. x. 2fi, 27. 
 
312 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 " For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till 
 " ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of 
 " the Lord."* These calamities therefore will last, till the 
 " Spirit of grace and supplications be poured on them, and 
 " they shall look" with penitent sorrow and genuine faith 
 " to him whom they pierced," and have crucified afresh 
 ihrough all succeeding generations. But then the "Foun- 
 " tain for sin and uncleanness shall be opened for them." 
 For in that day, when God shall restore Israel, they 
 shall thus look unto him whom they pierced.t 
 
 Another prophecy of Zechariah must here again be ad- 
 duced. "Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, against the 
 " Man that is my Fellow, saith the Lord of hosts. Smite 
 '*■ the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered ; and I will 
 " turn my hand upon the little ones. And It shall come 
 " io pass, that in all the land, two parts thereof shall be 
 " cut off and die, but the third shall be left therein. And 
 « I will bring the third part through the fire ; and I will 
 " refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as 
 "gold is tried; and they shall call on my name, and I 
 " will hear them. I will say, It is my people, and they 
 " shall say, The Lord is my God. Behold the day of the 
 "Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the 
 " midst of thee: and I will gather all nations against 
 "Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and 
 "the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of 
 « the city shall go forth into captivity ; and the residue ef 
 "the people shall not be cut off from the city.":}; 
 
 This passage begins with the death of the Messiah, the 
 Shepherd and Fellow of Jehovah ; by the sword of his 
 avenging justice, yet by the wicked hands of the Jews. It 
 proceeds, to shew the terrible vengeance of God on the 
 
 * Matt, xxiii. 34-39. + Zec . xi j. I0 _, 4# xiii . ,. 
 
 t Zee. xiii. 7—9. xiv. 1, 2. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 313 
 
 nation, " two thirds shall die:" it points out "the remi\ant 
 " according to the election of grace;" their trials, pre- 
 servation, and sanctification. It proceeds to represent the 
 dreadful siege and taking of Jerusalem ; and to intimate, 
 that half would be destroyed in the siege, or carried into 
 captivity, and disposed of in different ways. Difficulties may 
 rest on some expressions ; but this is the undeniable outline. 
 Namely, the Sword of Jehovah shall first " awake against 
 "his Shepherd:" and then, against those, who murdered 
 his Shepherd, against the nation of the Jews, except a 
 tried remnant; against Jerusalem, where his blood was 
 shed; and finally, against the Roman empire, who had 
 been the instruments, both of crucifying his Shepherd, 
 and destroying Jerusalem and the Jews; not from regard 
 to him, but from ambition, rapacity, revenge, and enmity 
 to the true God and true religion. And can any reflecting 
 and impartial man doubt, whether the past and present 
 sufferings of the Jews were not the consequences of re- 
 jecting and crucifying their Messiah, and that these events 
 were here predicted? 
 
 The Psalmist also concludes a doleful account of his 
 sufferings, in which there is sufficient proof that he spake 
 as the type of the Messiah, by saying, "Reproach hath 
 " broken my heart, and I am full of heaviness : and 1 
 " looked for some to have pity on me, but there was 
 " none ; and for comibrters, but I found none. They gave 
 "me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave 
 " me vinegar to drink." He then proceeds, in this awful 
 manner: "Let their table become a snare unto them; and 
 "that which should have been for their welfare, let it 
 "become a trap: Let their eyes be darkened, that they , see 
 "not- and make their loins continually to shake. Pour 
 « out' thine indignation upon them, and let thy wrathtul 
 " anger take hold of them. Let their habitation be deso- 
 
 2 s 
 
31 If ANSWER TO THE 
 
 "late; and let none dwell in their tents. For they persc- 
 u cute him whom thou hast smitten," (the Messiah;) "and 
 " they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded;" 
 (his disciples.) "Add iniquity to their iniquity; and let 
 u them not come into thy righteousness. Let them be 
 " blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written 
 " among the righteous."* 
 
 Many of the passages in the Psalms, which appear as 
 imprecations, may perhaps more properly be rendered as 
 prophecies : yet in either way they should not be under- 
 stood, as pertaining to the personal enemies of the Psalmist, 
 but to those of the Lord and his Messiah, of whom Da- 
 vid was an eminent type. But the passage here quoted is 
 strictly an imprecation ; several of the verbs being in the 
 imperative : and there is scarcely room for a doubt, but 
 that they denounce sentence against the Jewish nation for 
 rejecting and crucifying their Messiah, and persecuting his 
 apostles and disciples. If, indeed, these words stood alone, 
 in this argument, some doubt might be entertained ; and an 
 immense difficulty must remain, concerning the speaker, 
 supposing him inspired by the Holy Spirit; and the per- 
 sons intended, and the manner in which the prediction has 
 been fulfilled. Certainly David, according to the history, 
 was, during Absalom's rebellion, by no means disposed 
 thus to curse his opponents ; and, after its termination, no 
 special judgments fell upon Israel, answerable to them: and 
 when, on his numbering the people, wrath was upon them; 
 he considered it as the punishment of his own sin, and 
 prayed, " Lo, I have sinned, and done wickedly : but 
 "these sheep, what have they done? Let thine hand be 
 " against me, and against my father's house."t But when 
 we view the. words of the Psalm, in connection with the 
 clear and express predictions, before considered ; their import 
 * Ps. \x\x. 20—28. + 2 Sam. xxiv. 17. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 315 
 
 and fulfilment is evident; and the application of them in 
 the New Testament fully satisfactory.* 
 
 Several other prophetical indications to the same effect 
 might be adduced :+ but these are the most clear and 
 decisive ; and they are quite sufficient. I shall however 
 adduce again the words of God by Moses. " I will raise 
 " them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto 
 " thee ; and will put ray words in his mouth ; and he shall 
 " speak unto them all that I shall command him : and it 
 " shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto 
 " my words which he shall speak in my name, I will 
 " require it of him. "if If the Messiah be meant, and if 
 Jesus were the Messiah ; there can be no longer any 
 doubt concerning the consequences of the Messiah's coming, 
 the rejection by the Jews; or concerning the veal cause of 
 the long continued calamities of the nation. " Do not 
 " think, that I will accuse you to the Father: there is 
 "one that accuseth you: even Moses, in whom ye trust. For 
 " had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me ; for 
 " he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how 
 "shall ye believe my words r"^ 
 
 Thus, I trust, it has been shewn, that the prophecies 
 of the Old Testament, if read attentively and repeatedly, 
 and carefully compared with each other, by any competent 
 person, who could, (if that may be supposed possible,) 
 consider himself wholly unconcerned in the result; would 
 appear to him, to predict a Messiah, who would meet with 
 a contemptuous and hostile reception from his own nation; 
 who would, notwithstanding his wisdom, holiness, meek- 
 ness, and numerous miracles of love and mercy, lead an 
 afflicted and suffering life, and this closed by a violent 
 
 * Acts i. 20-22. Rom. xi.7— 11. + Mai. iii. 1-4. iv- 1. 4 5. 
 ± Deut. xviii. 18, 19. Comp. Acts Hi- 22,23. vi.. 35-37. 51-6S. 
 
 * John y. 45-47. See also Matt, xxiii. 34-37. Luke x.. 49-51. 
 xiii. 33—37. 1 Thess. ii. 15, 16. 
 
316 ANSWER TO THE 
 
 and ignominious death, by that kind of punishment, which 
 the law pronounced accursed ;* as a Malefactor in man's 
 estimation, as an atoning Sacrifice for sin, in the judgment 
 of God : That, while he died with malefactors, he would be 
 buried in the tomb of a rich man : that according to the 
 prophets, he would arise from the dead, before his body 
 "began to see corruption:" That " he would ascend to hea- 
 " ven" as a triumphant Conqueror, to be seated "at the right 
 " hand of God." That in his high exaltation as " a Priest 
 " upon his throne," he would establish a glorious, extensive, 
 permament, and increasing kingdom : And that the imme- 
 diate effect to the Jewish nation, (a remnant excepted,) 
 would be, their rejection for a season from being the pe- 
 culiar people of God, who would leave " their name as a 
 "curse to his chosen; for the Lord God would slay them, 
 " and call his people by another name;"! together with the 
 desolation of Jerusalem and the temple; the termination, or 
 at least, the long-continued interruption of almost the whole 
 ceremonial of Moses ; and the dispersion of the wretched 
 remains of the Jews, through the nations of the earth. 
 
 I have already so often 'shewn it; that I have not in 
 this part particularly stated what, I firmly believe, such a 
 student of prophecy would conclude from the Old Testa- 
 ment, of 'the Restoration of Israel;' by receiving, in pe- 
 nitent faith and love, their long rejected Messiah, and 
 their subsequent honour and distinction of love and grati- 
 tude from all other nations, now converted to Jehovah 
 and his Christ, as the channels, through which all the 
 blessings of true religion, and eternal salvation, have flowed 
 to them. 
 
 And now, after this whole argument, I can most confi- 
 dently adopt the apostle's words, " Brethren, my heart's 
 " desire, and prayer <o God, for Israel is, that they might 
 * Gal. iii. 13. + Is. lxv. 15. 
 
RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. 317 
 
 " be saved?'— The argument cannot be done justice to 
 without bringing forward many things which strongly imply 
 blame, to the former and present generations of the Jews : 
 but, God knoweth, that this is not done, in any self- 
 preference, or disposition to glory over them. There is one 
 thing peculiarly pleasing to me, in stating my views to 
 them ; that I am not constrained to say with Jeremiah 
 " I have not desired the woeful day, O Lord, thou know- 
 " est." I trust " the woeful day" with Israel is nearly 
 terminated, and that blessed and glorious times, to that 
 nation especially, though not exclusively, are at hand. It 
 is not likely, that I should live to witness them: but it 
 seems to my feeling, as if the knowing of them, would 
 add extacy to joy even in heaven; and I should count it 
 one of the greatest honours and pleasures of my life, if 
 any thing I have written should, in the smallest degree, 
 contribute to it. I have not, that I know of, written one 
 line, but in the spirit of love ; and in transcribing my rouo-h 
 draught, I have been continually reminded of the words of 
 Pope. 
 
 ' Poets lose half the praise they would have got, 
 ' Were it but known what they discreetly blot. 
 
 In the eagerness of my natural spirit, many things were 
 put down in the sketch ; which they who love controversy 
 would probably have better approved, than what I have sent 
 to the press : and I am aware, as in other- instances, that 
 the popularity of the work will suffer by the suppressions; 
 but not the usefulness, which is of infinitely greater impor- 
 tance; and unless we can defend Christianity, and its 
 doctrines, in the Christian spirit of meekness and love, we 
 may obtain the praise of men, but shall not be partakers 
 of "the honour which cometh from God only." Much 
 I have expunged, lest I should give needless, or injurious, 
 offence; and if any thing remains of this kind. 1 must 
 
o 
 
 18 ANSWER TO THE, &C 
 
 intreat a candid construction : for though convinced that 
 " the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of those who 
 " make peace;" I am not in all cases able to discern, what 
 may be inconsistent with this, in what I have written ; or 
 to come up to the standard, which I would prescribe to 
 mvself. 
 
 F/JVY5- 
 
INDEX. 
 
 N.B. The single inverted commas, in this Index, mark Mr. Crooll's words,-" 
 and the double inverted commas mark quotations from scripture. The 
 Figures mark the pages in the Answer. O. T. stands for the Old Testa- 
 ment. N. T. for the New Testament. 
 
 -\_ 
 
 Abner. — The assertion of a modern Jew, that Abner wrote the cxth Psalm, 
 and addressed David, proves the difficulty which that Psalm gives the 
 more reflecting Jews, 24. 
 ' Abraham was forty -eight years old, when the earth was divided.' — Abram 
 was not born, according to Moses, till after the death of Peleg, who had 
 his name from that division, 155, 156. 
 
 — The true son of Abraham, 258. 
 
 Adam.— No mystery in his name, 180.— The first aud second Adam, 301. 
 Advantages, which the state of the surrounding nations, and of the church, 
 
 gave Mohammed, T.I — 74. 
 Age.— That in which Mohammed lived, noted for ignorance, and only ex- 
 ceeded by those which followed, 72. 
 Agrippa.— 'King Agrippa was Messiah the prince.' (Dan.ix. 25.) Some 
 
 account of Agrippa: the extreme absurdity of the notion, 48 — 50. 
 All.— The word all added in Gal. iii. 10. does not alter the sense in the least, 
 226. — It was taken from the Septuagint, 226, 227. 
 
 A Jew should not blame St. Paul for following a translatioP made by 
 
 Jews, 227. 
 
 -All is added by Mr. C. without any warrant, in another citation, 252. 
 
 Allotment of the earth, by regular division, to tbc seventy families of 
 Noah, a mere dream. It could not have been carried into effect, without 
 the most stupendous miracles, 233, 234. 
 
 Almanacks.— New impostures spring up; last their time; are out of date, 
 and succeeded by others, like Almanack?, 133. 
 
S20 INDEX. 
 
 Ambition and the malignant passions encouraged by Mohammedisra, 77. 
 
 Angels, whether man was created superior to angels ? 51, 52. 
 
 ' Not called the sons of God' — Not correct, 21 1 . 
 
 ' Ministered to Israel.' And to those who were not of Israel, 242. 
 
 See Guardian, 
 
 Angel.—" The Angel, who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads." — 
 Who was this Angel ? 30. 
 
 Answer. — Mr. C.'s book seems to challenge an answer, 3. 
 
 Arabs, among whom Mohammed arose, and obtained his first triumphs, ex- 
 tremely illiterate, 72. 
 
 Ascend. — Predictions in the O.' T. that the Messiah would ascend into heaven, 
 308, 309. 
 
 Association, in Mr. C.'s mind, between the coming of the Messiah, and the 
 Restoration of Israel, leads him constantly to assume, as true, the very 
 thing which ought to be proved, 56, 57- 
 
 Associators of creatures, or of the Son of God with God, in worship, con- 
 demned in almost every chapter of the Koran, 74. 
 
 Atonement, according to the Old Testament, made, either by the condign 
 punishment of the criminal, or by the innocent suffering death instead 
 of the guilty. The cases of Moses and of Phinehas, 233, 234. 
 
 B. 
 Bare. — " He poured out his soul unto death, and bare the sin of many, and 
 
 " made intercession for the transgressors." — Have these words any meaning? 
 
 292, 293. 
 Bear. — " My righteous Servant shall justify many, for he shall bear their 
 
 " iniquity." Can any other, except the Christian interpretation, be put 
 
 on these words ? 293. 
 Bible Society, British and Foreign, . the principal " Standard bearer,". 
 
 " lifted up by the Spirit of God," against " the enemy, when he came in 
 
 " like a flood," 86. 
 i A respectful hint to its truly honourable conductors, on the 
 
 contents at the head of each chapter, in their English Bibles ; which are a 
 
 comment, and often a bad one, 248. 
 Blessed. — Moses did not desire that Israel should be blessed, more than 
 
 St. Paul did : and we would emulate him, 229. 
 Blessing. — No blessing on Israel, merely as having the law, intimated in 
 
 O. T. 229. 
 — The honour of being a blessing to the nations, which belongs to 
 
 Israel, more desirable, than a monopoly of the blessing, with curses on 
 
 others, 109, U0. 
 That in Num. vi. 23—27, not dissimilar to that 2 Cor. xiii. 14: 
 
 and accords in some respects with the form of Christian baptism, 2G7, 268. 
 Blessings, spiritual and earthly, distinguished, 161 — 163. 
 Those, which we Gentiles need, and expect from the Messiah, 
 
 249. 
 
INDEX. 321 
 
 Blood. — All instituted worship, from Adam's fall to the death of Christ, con- 
 nected with the shedding of blood, &c. Yet this, after 4000 years, ceased 
 all at once, soon after the death of Christ. How is this, as the appoint- 
 ment of God, to be accounted for? 204, 205. 
 
 ' of Israel cries for vengeance.' — What blood is here included ? All 
 
 blood cries for vengeance on the impenitent murderer, 244. 
 
 Boasting, or glorying, of Gentiles, whether Christians or not, over the Jews, 
 certainly wrong, but by no means common, 63. True Christians are far 
 from it, and others think too little about such matters, 254. 
 
 Bourbons, Restoration of, seems to militate against the vast importance 
 attached to the French Revolution, by Mr. C. and many Christian expo- 
 sitors, 209. N. B. This was printed before the late unexpected changes, 
 and nothing is further built on it. 
 
 Breaker. — Mic. ii. 13. If meant of the Messiah, may be applied in a 
 variety of ways, distinct from that selected by Mr. C. 259. 
 
 Britain. — It is acknowledged by Mr. C. that Jews are better treated in 
 Britain than elsewhere: and this arises from Christianity being better 
 understood among us, 3. 
 
 Bruise. — " It pleased the Lord to bruise him: — when thou shalt make his 
 " soul an offering for sin." Who is here meant ? 291. 
 
 * Bushel of fine wheat,' (Mr. C.'s emblem of Israel,) considered, 234, 235. 
 
 Captives, including females, as well as the spoil, (a tax being paid,) under 
 Mohammed, belonged to the captors; while slavery, death, or embracing 
 his religion, were proposed to their choice, 78. 
 
 Carnal mind. — " The carnal mind" which chooses such things, as Mr. C. 
 says the Jews want from the Messiah, " is death," 249. 
 
 Castle.— That of Moses. According to Mr. C. Christianity and Moham- 
 medism are built upon it, and shall fall ; but the castle of Moses shall 
 stand for ever. This compared with the prophets, &c. 92, 93. 
 
 Ceremonial law.— Malachi shews that the Gentiles will become the ac- 
 cepted worshippers of God without it, 255, 256. 
 
 Challenge.— Mr. C.'s book challenges an answer, and he expected one, 3, 4- 
 
 Chronology, Inconsistencies in Mr. C.'s, noted, 56. 
 
 Church, Christian, was corrupted by idolatry, sunk in gross ignorance, 
 divided and enfeebled, when Mohammed succeeded in establishing his im- 
 posture, 72, 73. 
 
 Circumcision, ' The seal and crown as given to Abraham:' yet BJom and 
 Ishmael, and all the Mohammedans, share it! 193. 253. 
 
 Cobweb of seventies swept away, by comparing the dates in Genesis with 
 Mr. C.'s, 208. 
 
 Comk. — shall the Messiah come twice ? 94 — 96. 
 
 Cometh.— The Messiah called by the ancient Jews, " He that cometh" yd 
 after above 1700 years, no Messiah, but Jesus, is come. 40. 
 
 2 t 
 
322 INDEX. 
 
 Coming. — ' Time of the Messiah's coming, an unknown mystery.' This con- 
 sidered, 50. 
 
 . Fixed by Mr. C. to 6000 years from the creation: about ISO years 
 
 hence, 51. 
 
 of Christ, how meant in the N. T. 63, 64. 
 
 Commandments, ' The ten, contained the whole law of Moses: as many 
 
 ' letters in them, as precepts in the whole law !' 146. 
 Communicate.— Did we not desire to communicate to the Jews the blessings 
 
 of the Messiah's kingdom, rather than to share the dominion which they 
 
 expect; we should leave them to their vain dreams, 249, 250. 
 Conclusion, conciliatory, 317, 318. 
 Conduct of the dispersed Jews has not been suited to impress mankind 
 
 favourably as to their religion, 236, 237. 
 Connection, in the prophecies of the O. T. between the rejection and 
 
 violent death of the Messiah, and the desolations of Jerusalem and the 
 
 temple, &c. 310 — 314. 
 Conqueror. — ' The Messiah, the Conqueror of the world,' 246. 
 Contents, at the head of each chapter, in our smaller Bibles, an inadequate, 
 
 and often very erroneous, comment, 247, 248. 
 Controversy, between Christians and Jews, has not been hitherto conducted 
 
 on a comprehensive and enlarged plan, 4. 
 Conversion of -the Geniilps t" *i»o *>"e iiod, may confidently be expected, 
 
 59, 60. 
 Covenant.—" He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; in 
 
 " the midst of which, he shall cause the oblation to cease.'' This must be 
 
 done by the Messiah predicted in Dan. 46. 
 — Shewn from the prophets, that God would, under the Messiah, 
 
 make a new covenant with his people, 147 — 150. 
 
 -That with Abraham and Isaac, &c; and not the Sinai-Covenanf , 
 
 to be remembered by God in favour of Israel, 158, 159. 
 -of works and of grace, 227. 
 
 Country, This. See Britain. 
 
 Crooll, Mr. Regretted, that he speaks so little, and with so little interest, 
 
 about the vast concerns of eternity, 166, 167. 
 Crucifixion, not a punishment used in Israel ; yet predicted of the Messiah 
 
 by David, 298. 
 Curse. — Insinuation, that Paul, like Balaam, wished to curse Israel, refuted. 
 
 228, 229. 
 Curses. — Moses pronounces many curses on disobedient Israel, 229. 
 Cursed. — * He' (Abraham,) ' cursed them,' the families among whom the 
 
 earth was divided ; proved from a Psalm of David! 156. 
 " Cut off from the land of the living," evidently spoken of the Messiah, 
 
 compared with Daniel ix. 25, 26. 290. 
 Cyrus, the only heathen king called Messiah: the reason, 6. 
 
index. S23 
 
 I) 
 
 Danied.— Not the words of God by Daniel; but those of Nebuchadnezzar's 
 
 baffled magicians, quoted by Mr. C. 1 6. 
 Reasons why the apostles might decline quoting his prophecy of 
 
 Messiah, Dan. ix. 24 — 27, in addressing the Jews, 47. 
 
 His prophecy briefly considered, 41 — 47. Fulfilled in Jesus, and 
 
 in no other, 303, 304. 
 David never treated in the manner described in the xxii. Psalm, nor any 
 
 person except Jesus, 2!) 7. 
 Day, First of the week specially noticed in the N. T. 201. 
 Death, by which the prophets foretold, that the " Messiah should be cut 
 
 " oflf," 286, &c. 
 Declaration, Answer to, 3,4. 
 
 " Desire of all nations," must mean the Messiah, 36, 37. 
 ' Devils have power to prophesy ?' considered, 124. 
 Die.— Whether the Messiah should die, or not, &c? 282. 
 Disregard. — The author Would disregard the controversy, could he consider 
 
 the Messiah's kingdom as earthly, 166, 167. 
 Dominion. — Should God assign converted Israel any dominion over other 
 
 nations, they will „ S e it in love, and their brethren will submit to God 
 
 and to them for his sake, lyo, iq7 # 
 Dust of death.— He who speaks in the xxii. Fsalm, after being brought 
 
 " into the dust of death," bursts forth in praise and adoration, 299, 300. 
 j) UTY . — « it was his' (Jesus's) ' duty to have complied with their requests.' — 
 
 The duly of an ambassador is to follow the instructions of his principal, 
 
 and not the requests of those to whom he is sent, 126. The false prophets 
 
 alone thus compliant, Ibid. 
 
 E. 
 
 Earthly.— What good can a mere earthly kingdom of the Messiah do all 
 
 the former generations of Israel, or the present, or indeed any? 167. 
 Edom used as a general name of the enemies of God's people; though not 
 
 Edomites by birth. If so, Israel is a general name of God's people, though 
 
 not Israelites by birth, 55, 56. 
 Effects of Christianity, on morals, society, and even war; in hospitals and 
 
 schools ; in undermining slavery; terminating gladiatorial shews, and the 
 
 murder of infants, &c: all these good things arising from the conrn'g of 
 
 Jesus, 69. 
 Elohim. — God. A remark on the word, 26, 27. 
 ENEMY.-Mr. C. not an enemy to Christians; his answerer no enemy to 
 
 Jews, 3. 
 Enemies. — The enemies to be put under Christ's feet, 246, 247. 
 The Messiah will save converted Israel from all Gentile enemies , 
 
 but this implies neither vengeance nor lordly dominion, 247. 
 
iJ2i INDEX. 
 
 Enemies. — The determined enemies of Israel distinguished, from such as re- 
 pent of their enmity, and act as cordial friends, 252. 
 
 Equal. — ' He,' Jesus, 'wished to set up for himself, and be equal with God.' 
 — This compared with another passage in Mr. C. 119. 
 
 Erellim. — Lion-like. Not Angels, but Hezekiah's ambassadors, 242. 
 
 Established. — In consequence of the coming of Jesus, the worship of the 
 true God, instead of abominable idols, was, within 300 years, established 
 throughout the Roman empire, and has since been far more widely ex- 
 tended, 08. 
 
 Eternal punishment held by Mohammed; but so stated as admirably to 
 serve his purpose of terrifying his opposers alone, 75. 
 
 Everlasting salvation of many millions, if a true worship and a holy life be 
 " things accompanying salvation," the consequence of the coming of 
 Jesus, 68. 
 
 Evil. — All the evils predicted against the Gentiles will be fulfilled; not all 
 supposed by the Jews to be predicted, 243. 
 
 Expect. What events an unconcerned person would be led to expect, from 
 a careful perusal of the prophecies, concerning the Messiah, as the word 
 of God, 315, 316. 
 
 Expectation, General, of a Ruler, or Rulers, immediately, to arise out of 
 Judah, about the time of Jesus, 39. 
 
 Of ancient Jews from *»•* messiah : that of modern Jews pre- 
 cisely the same, 163, 164. 
 
 That of modern studious Christians, in general, concerning the 
 
 Restoration of Israel and their felicity, precedency, and true honour, when 
 restored, 164. 
 
 And concerning the conversion of the Gentiles, and the sub- 
 
 sequent state of the world, for at least 1000 years, 164, 165. 
 Expectations. — The extreme vanity of all earthly expectations of the Jews 
 
 from Messiah, exposed, 160, 167. 
 Ezekiel's vision of a temple, &c, very obscure: insuperable difficulties 
 
 attending a literal interpretation of it: nothing can be concluded from it 
 
 till fulfilled, 157. 
 
 F. 
 
 Father. — ' A father is superior to his son:' not in nature, surely, but s««- 
 
 ority, and as the superior relation, 280. 
 " My Father is greater than I." — He who sends an ambassador, 
 
 is, as principal, greater than the ambassador who is sent; or his superior, 
 
 though of the same nature, v72. 
 Fear.—* The Gentiles shall fear to come near restored Israel.'— Is it not 
 
 more desirable, to be loved, than dreaded? 258. 
 Finish.--" To finish transgression, to make an end of sin, to bring in ever- 
 
 " lasting righteousness, and to seal the vision and prophecy."--All these 
 
 belong to " Messiah the Prince," of whom Daniel prophesied, 45, 46. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Forced—' The Gentiles forced to acknowledge God, &c. and to receive 
 
 'punishment:' yet they come of their own accord! Jer. xvi. 19 — 21. 256. 
 Forgive. — ' Do they imagine the Messiah will forgive thenit' A vindictive 
 
 spirit betrayed, 244. 
 Forgiveness of sin, ' not with the Messiah,' considered, 31, 
 Forgot. — ' Christ forgot the whole world.' — Witness his commission to the 
 
 apostles, and his account of the day of judgment! 111. 
 Fortune. — ' Good fortune attended him.' ^Mohammed). What is fortune, 
 
 in the creed of a Jew or Christian ? Fortune was a heathen goddess, 91, 92. 
 ' The last fortune of the Gentiles,' 242. 
 
 G. 
 
 Galatians. — Remarks on the objections to the doctrine of St. Paul; and 
 
 against him, for inserting the word all, Gal. iii. 221—228. 
 Gall. — " They gave me also gall for my meat, &c." Ps. lxix. 21, fulfilled 
 
 in Jesus, 303, 304. 
 Genealogy of Joseph, in the line of Solomon, given by Matthew; that of 
 
 Heli, the father-in-law of Joseph, and the father of Mary, in the line of 
 
 Nathan, given by Luke, 8. 
 They who labour to prove both to be the genealogies of Joseph, 
 
 perplex the subjo«i. an( j labour in vain: Joseph could not be begotten both 
 
 by Jacob and Heli, 9. 
 
 -No Genealogy can prove Jesus to be the 5>on urinaria, accord- 
 
 in"- to some Jews, except he had a human father. Th'is examined, 9, 10. 
 
 . .Less depends on the Genealogies than the Jews suppose, 10, 11. 
 
 Numbers owned Jesus as " the Son of David," before the 
 
 genealogies were published, ibid. 
 The evangelists only answerable for the faithfulness of their 
 
 transcripts, 10, 11. 
 
 -How do Jews think to prove their expected Messiah to be 
 
 " the Son of David," now all genealogies are lost? They cannot even 
 
 imagine any clearer proof, than we have, concerning Jesus, independent 
 
 of genealogies, 11. 
 Gentiles.— "Times of the Gentiles," 57—60. Millions of them turned from 
 
 gross idolatry and iniquity, to the true worship and a holy life, in three 
 
 hundred years after the coming of Jesus, 65, 70. 
 ■ , Those among whom Christianity first triumphed, the most civilized, 
 
 learned, and philosophical part of the world, in an age renowned for geniui 
 
 and learning, 71. 
 
 Its triumphs among uncivilized Gentiles not so fully r^otded, 72. 
 
 ' No Messiah for the Gentiles,' considered, 98, 99. 
 
 -' Proof from the N. T. 100.' 
 
 All the families of the Gentiles to be blessed «n the Seed of Abraham, 
 
 Isaac, and Jacob, 100, 101. 
 
326 INDEX. 
 
 Gentiles.— The kings of the Gentiles called on to " kiss the Son," and to 
 
 trust in him, 101, 102. 
 
 Prediction in respect of the Gentiles, in Psalm xxii. considered, 102. 
 
 In Psalm lxxii. 103. 
 
 Proof of a Messiah for the Gentiles, from many passages in Isaiah 
 
 and the other prophets, 103—109. 
 
 -'No Messiah for the Gentiles;' that is, for Israel alone, not a hun- 
 
 dredth part of the human race, or near it; and neither in prosperity nor 
 character, hitherto, peculiarly distinguished, 109, 110. 
 
 -" Israel shall shew forth my praise," ' but not the Gentiles,'— added 
 
 contrary to the tenour of the O. T. 235, 236. 
 
 ' The Messiah no friend to the Gentiles,' 246. 
 
 -Who laboriously concur in Israel's Restoration, will not be involved 
 
 in the destruction of those who oppose it, 260. 
 
 -All the Gentiles, according to Mr. C. will become servants to Israel ; 
 
 but whether worshippers of Israel's God or not, is not made clear, 261, 
 -Our views of the prophecies which speak of the Gentiles, as becom- 
 
 ing servants to Israel, stated, 261, 262. 
 
 As a political question out of our line, 263. 
 
 -Conversion of, predicted, Psalm xxii. 300. 
 
 Gibbon, Quotation from, respecting Mohammp'' 
 
 Glory.— The glory of the sp™— 1 *-"pie could not exceed that of Solomon's, 
 
 except by the presence of Immanuel, 37, 38. 
 Goo. — ' Every man who said he was a God, never died a natural death.' — 
 
 This considered, 265. 
 Hebrew word for God plural. Several things of this kind Antitrini- 
 
 tarians would not have chosen, or previously expected, 267. 
 God and Man: — If Jesus be so, the language of the N. T. exactly what 
 
 might have been supposed, 275. 
 ___ A few texts, at least seeming to imply this, in the O. T. should 
 
 render all who reverence the oracles of God, more cautious aud reveren- 
 tial in speaking on the subject, 25, 26. 
 Gog, Battle of, not intended by Joel, in the close of the second chapter, 
 
 253, 254. 
 Good. — ' Jesus could do no good to Israel.'— Not to those of Israel, who 
 
 would not have him to save and rule them, 56. 
 — — — ' One good family;' a right to the ' oracles,' &c. This language com 
 
 pared with scripture, 154, 155. 
 Good wit,l of increasing numbers among Christians to the Jews; their prayers 
 
 for them; and readiness of mind to render converted Israel all desirable 
 
 honour and respect, 247. 
 Grasp.—' It is vainibr the Gentiles to grasp at the dominion of the world; 
 
 that is, under the Messiah, what Gentiles do grasp at this ? 195, 196. 
 Guardian Angels, over different countries, an unscriptural notion, fraught 
 
 with absurdity, 1 52. 208. 
 
index. 327 
 
 H. 
 
 Halter, Mohammed professed to restore the religion of Abraham, the ortho- 
 dox, or the Halter. The reason of that title, 73. 
 
 Heaven. — Mohammed's sensual heaven crowned his licentious religion, and 
 gave it vast attraction to the carnal mind, 77, 78. 
 
 Heroism. — To prove from the N. T. that none but Jews will be servants of 
 God, is no common degree of heroism, GO, 61. 
 
 History, that of Jesus, and of the first introduction of Christianity, con- 
 tained in the N. T. the only original record, of the greatest revolution 
 which ever took place on earth. Neither Jew nor Gentile published anj 
 narrative to confront thai of the Christians themselves! Even modern 
 opposers draw their information from the N. T. ! An extraordinary fact; 
 and without parallel, as a testimony to the veracity of the historians, 130, 
 
 Honour, which will be voluntarily rendered to Israel, when converted, by 
 all Christians, as the source of all their blessings, 164, 165. 
 
 Idolatry. — ' If idolatry had not been taken from Israel, Israel would have 
 ' been lost among the nations,' 232, 233. 
 
 The worship of Jesus not idolatry, as he is " the mighty God." 
 
 " God over ail ;" i»ut \ s there no danger, lest the Supreme Being of Anti- 
 trinitarians, should be founa u.. jt„, ra iionis, and no more the true God 
 than Baal or Jupiter? 274, 275. 
 Immanuel, the name of the Virgin's Son, 17. 
 
 Impostor.— Did ever impostor, having declared, that being put to death, he 
 would rise from the dead, establish his imposture by fulfilling his word? 140. 
 Inferiority, What kind of, in respect of the persons in the Trinity, Trini- 
 tarians admit; viz. that of sending and being sent, 273. 
 
 Intend. ' Did God intend to impose on Israel, and to lay a great stumbling 
 
 1 block ?' What say the prophets ? 1 15, 1 1 6. 
 Interpretation of Isaiah liii. No plausible one yet given, except that of 
 Christians.— Without a satisfactory interpretation of the whole, on some 
 other ground, ours must stand, notwithstanding objections, and detached 
 criticisms, 294. 
 Isaiah, Fiftieth chapter, a prophecy fulfilled in Jesus, which points out the 
 cause of the present rejected state of the Jews, 302, 303. 
 
 . the fifty-third chapter. It has been publickly said, that the Jews are 
 
 forbidden to read it, and this remains, 1 believe, uncontradicted, 281- 
 
 Some parts of it adduced and explained, 282—289. 
 
 Israel.—" I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Isrp-C 1 10, 111- 
 
 « Lost sheep of," far different from ' the wicked sh^herds of,' 112. 
 
 « Was to be made blind;' 'was to be made ffuilly, &C-A general 
 
 stricture on the whole passage, 117. 
 
 ,—The cause of Israel's dispersion, and the termination of it, 117, 118. 
 
 , « Israel the Messiah, and the Messiah Israel, briefly noticed, 120. 
 
32S INDEX. 
 
 'Israel elected king of this world, before it was created.'— Facts have 
 hitherto been irreconcilable with this, 103, 194. 
 
 fulfilled in Christ and the true Israel, 195. 
 
 -* Alone ministers.' — Only the priests and Levites could be stated minis- 
 
 ters of religion : but the prophets predict ministers of religion from among 
 
 the Gentiles, 231, 232. 
 Other ministers of religion must be absolutely needful to convert the 
 
 world, and to the world when converted, 232. 
 
 ' No Israel, no world,' 240. 
 
 The true Israel, 241. 242. 
 
 J. 
 
 Jannes and Jambres. — Tradition of the Jews concerning them; and that 
 
 of Mohammed, that they were converted and martyred by Pharaoh, of 
 
 equal authority, 124. 
 Jehovah.— Prophecies, in which One who calls himself Jehovah, and speaks 
 
 the language of Deity, says also, "Jehovah hath sent me," 268 — 270- 
 
 Compared with some texts in the N. T. 270. 
 Jew- — "The Jew first, and also the Gentile."— St. Paul had no reference to 
 
 the state either of Jew or Gentile in this world, 60. 
 'Jews a blessing to the nations:' quotation fro™ - -crmon on this subject, 
 
 Zech. viii. 20 — 23., 62. 
 , Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Jews, brought 
 
 from a formal, or grossly wicked life, to become spiritual worshippers of 
 
 God, and holy characters, between the opening of the gospel by John 
 
 Baptist, and the destruction of Jerusalem: all, the consequence of the 
 
 coming of Jesus, 67. 
 The acknowledged better treatment of Jews in this country than in 
 
 others, an effect of the coming of Jesus, 69, 7o. 
 Not illiterate, or uncivilized, when Jesus appeared : and excessively 
 
 attached to the ceremonies of the law, and the traditions of the elders, 71. 
 Not Jews exclusively meant by the apostle, when he says, " as many as 
 
 " are of the works of the law are under a curse," 225 — 228. 
 Joel, prophecy of, ii. 2S — 32. considered, 121, 122. 
 Joseph, — ' Messiah, Son of Joseph.' The prophets say nothing of him, 253. 
 
 K. 
 
 Key.— -The apostle John's words, (Rev. i. 4—6.) as a key to open Isaiah's 
 prophecy, (liii. 4—6.) 289.— Another similar instance, 299. 
 
 King. — " lty King cometh ;" Zion's. Mr. C- adds, 'but not of the Gentiles:' 
 yet the Gentile* are mentioned in the next verse, Zech. ix. 9, 10. 98, 99. 
 
 Kingdom.— Daniel predicted that the Messiah would come under the last of 
 the four great kingdoms : bat that he should come, and be cut off, before 
 the desolations of the sanctuary, &c. Wis final success, not his first coming, 
 is fixed to the time subsequent to the division of the fourth kingdom. 
 93, 94. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Kingdom of the Messiah, whether spiritual or altogether earlhly, I 66—167 
 An earthly, and a spiritual kingdom, separately described nod 
 
 distinguished, 161—163. 
 " Kiss the Son;" what implied, 101. 
 Koran.— The Koran contains the fewest ideas, and is the dullest book, which 
 
 the author ever read, 91. 
 
 Language.— 'When the Messiah comes, all will be of one language.' This not 
 foretold. Zeph. iii. 9. considered, 64, 65. 
 
 — Which the prophecies, as fulfilled in Jesus, sometimes sugge r .l t<> 
 
 the Jews, 121. 
 
 La w~-of Moses, threefold; moral, ceremonial, and judicial: the too latter, i" 
 their grand requirements, have not been observed for ages; nor can be, in 
 the present state of things. The moral law, always spoken of as superior, 
 by the prophets, 142 — 144. All not perfect, in exactly the same sense, 
 144, 145. 
 
 New and mitigated. — The most general and pernicious of heresies, 
 
 subverting both law and gospel, 144. Not a new law given, but a new cove- 
 nant mediated by Jesus Christ, 147, 148. 
 
 The most pcifcct ln. w is not all that a sinner wants, to make him happ\ . 
 
 He wants what no law can gtr* , i>„t the mercy and clemency of the 
 Prince, 149—151. 
 
 "of Christ.'' What law is meant? 151. 
 
 " of an ambassador, 169 — 172. 
 
 Jews cannot obey the ceremonial law: all they can do, forms only mere 
 
 fragments of a shattered structure, 204. 
 
 ' Christians boast about a new law ; Does it allow them to shed innocent 
 
 'blood?' Considered, 238, 239. 
 
 Lawgiver, Meaning of the original word, Gen. xlix. 10. 32,33. The law- 
 giver has ceased from Judah above 1700 years, 34, 35. 
 
 Lawsuit, between Jews, Christians, and Mohammedans. No judge but the 
 parties; and of course the Jew decides in favour of Jews: but how will 
 God decide ? 90. 
 
 Leader. — The Messiah predicted as a Leader, 118, 119. 
 
 Lengthen.— God does not lengthen the fixed and predicted time, for fulfilling 
 
 prophecies, nor shorten it, 40. 
 Liar.— 'If any one will say, that man is God, tell him he is a liar,' 265. 
 London Society, far from any competition with Jews, about the dominion 
 
 of the world, under the Messiah, 196, 197. 
 Its object, to make some compensation *•> Jews, for in- 
 juries, committed by nominal Christians, in other age«<»» d places, 239. 
 LoRD.-David called the Messiah his Lord, above 10<*> years hefore the birth 
 of Jesus: an unanswerable proof of the Me«iahs prcex.stence, and of 
 his Deity, 23, 24. 
 
 2 v 
 
330 INDEX. 
 
 Lord.--' Moses the Lord of all the prophets.' The expression noticed, 
 
 126, 127. 
 Lord's day, spoken of, in the same manner, as " the Lord's Supper." The 
 
 Christian's day of sacred rest, 201. 
 ' Lots cast hy the heavenly Sanhedrin,' 'and the lot which fell to the portion 
 
 'ofGoil,' 153, 154. 
 Luck, good, occurs in the Prayer-book version of the Psalms, improperly: 
 
 but not in our Bibles, 91. 
 
 M. 
 Madness— Cruel oppression drove the Jews to madness, 237, 238. 
 Malachi, 'The great seal of the 0. T.' His prophecy considered, 218, 219. 
 Man— Christ being Man, no proof that he is no more than Man, 6, 7. 274. 
 
 . — ' If Jesus is Man, he is no God.' This answered, 15, 16. 
 
 Was the Messiah to be a mere man like other men? 21. Proof to 
 
 the contrary from many prophecies; and the question decidedly answered 
 
 in the negative, 21 — 31. 
 Materializing.— The charge of some Jews, against the doctrine of Christ's 
 
 Deity, as materializing the Divine essence, shewn to be entirely ground- 
 less, 275, 276. 
 Mean.—' What doth Paul mean :' 1 Cor. xv. 28 ? Answer. 9? i , 272. 
 Melchisedek, only mentioned twice in tho o. t. and in the N. only as to 
 
 the Higli Pricnthoou or ennst, 207. 
 Mercy and Forgiveness, not from law, but from another source, 225. 
 Merit of fighting for the faith, and of works and prayers, in Mohammed's 
 
 religion, 75, 76. 
 Messiah. — The word used of Rulers, high Priests, and Prophets, 6. 
 ' When is the Messiah to come?' Full proof from the O. T. that 
 
 he is already come, 31 — 47. 
 ' The time of his coming unknown :' yet Mr. C. attempts to cal- 
 
 culate it, 50. 
 
 In fact scarcely any thing is so clearly predicted, Ibid. 
 
 Was the Messiah to have a man, as his immediate father, or 
 
 not? 16. 
 If he was, no previous intimation required. If not, such inti- 
 
 mation required, !6, 17. 
 Auswered in the negative, from Is. vii. 14. Gen.iii. 15. Jer.xxxi. 
 
 22. 17—21. 
 
 The Prince, 47. 
 
 'The kingdom of, not spiritual, but altogether earthly,' 156, 157. 
 
 Cfcthid expressly God in the O. T. 268. 
 
 See Gn^ tiles. 
 
 Micah, prophecy in, considered, 251, 255. 
 
 Millennium. — Many th;nk it will hegia 6000 years after the creation, 51. 
 
 The word not found in scripture. The reign of the Messiah 
 
 not limited to it, 198, 199. 
 
INDEX. 331 
 
 Miracles of Jesus, how a Jew will account for them ?' 122. 
 
 ' are a poor and miserable defence,' 122. 
 
 ' The wise men of Pharaoh performed the same miracles which 
 
 ' Moses did.' Disproved, 123, 123. 
 ' Are no proof of a Divine mission.' Some questions started on this 
 
 position, 123. 
 ' To drive out devils is no miracle at all ; common men could do it;' 
 
 Considered, 123, 124. 
 
 ■ Few undeniable miracles wrought puhlickly before powerful 
 
 enemies, and challenging investigation, in support of an unestablished re- 
 ligion, are recorded in history. Those of Moses and those of Jesus and his 
 apostles, nearly, if not quite, the whole on record, 125. 141. 
 
 Some of Jesus's compared with some recorded in O. T. 125. 
 
 Those of awful judgments alone, rendered Israel submissive to 
 
 Moses, even after established as a prophet, 129. 
 
 How far and in what cases miracles are the proof of a Divine 
 
 mission? 131. 
 
 Bad men have wrought real miracles, 131 . 
 
 and apparent miracles, by legerdemain and Satanical influence, 
 
 131, 132. 
 
 Cases in triiiOj w hat appear to us real miracles, do not prove a 
 
 Divine mission, 132,133. 
 
 Not the only support of Christianity, which perfects, instead of sub- 
 verting, the religion delivered by Moses, 133. And has in this respect an 
 advantage, as the latter rests more entirely on miracles, 133, 134. 
 
 . Two miracles, mentioned by Mr. C. wrought not by Moses, but 
 
 long after, 134. 
 
 Had Moses gone to Pharaoh, without miracles, he could not have 
 
 succeeded, 134, 135. 
 
 Difference between the miracles of Moses, and those of the magi- 
 cians, 135. 
 
 Moses and the sacred writers always appeal to the miracles 
 
 wrought, 135, 136. 
 
 There are other proofs, besides miracles, of the mission of Moses; 
 
 and still stronger to that of Jesus: but without miracles, these proofs 
 would never have been noticed, 136, 137. 
 
 Benign nature of the miracles of Jesus: as easy at least, to strike 
 
 the living dead, as to raise the dead to life, 138. 
 
 The peculiar miracles of Jesus predicted by the prophets, concern- 
 ing the Messiah, 138. 
 
 Divine attestations to the greatest of the mirac 1 -^ of Jesus, even 
 
 his own resurrection, 139. 
 
 Are in general a proof of a Divine nriwfon: as the Jews, in the 
 
 days of Jesus and his apostles, felt aod allowed, 140, 141. 
 
 Popish, heathen, and Mohammedan miracles, in proof of a religion 
 
 already established : not publick, nor challenging investigation, 141, 14.'. 
 
SS2 ijsuex. 
 
 Miracles. — Mohammed's difficulties about miracles, 87. 
 
 When wrought by a Jew, in behalf of Israel, not ' a poor defence.' 
 
 '241- 
 
 ' To be wrought all over the earth, at the restoration of Israel,' 257. 
 
 Misquotation of Is. lxi. 1. noticed, 257,258. 
 
 ' Mohammedans, more numerous, than Christians,' 70. As circumcised, 
 
 they are all competitors with Israel, as to the great seal of circumcision, 
 
 253. 
 Were all men consistent Mohammedans, what would be their 
 
 character? Were all men consistent Christians, what their character ? 82. 
 Mohammed. — His triumphs compared and contrasted with those of Jesus, 
 
 70— 90. 
 The state of the adjacent countries, and the character of the age, 
 
 iu which Mohammed succeeded, contrasted with the countries and the 
 
 character of the age, in which Christianity was established, 71 — 74. 
 Neither he nor his successors exhibited their religion before men 
 
 capable of investigating its claims, and daring to do it, 73, 74. 
 JValme of the religion which Mohammed, and which Jesus 
 
 established, contrasted, 74 — 83. 
 Means, by which Jesus, and by which Mohammed, obtained 
 
 success, contrasted, 83 — 90. 
 
 always mars, or Doling -hai lie adduces from the 0. T. 91. 
 
 Mohammedism, with the superficial, who are a vast majority, the most 
 
 specious rival of Christianity on earth, 89, 90. 
 Monves, son of king Agrippa, and cut off" with him: the author cannot 
 
 find out any thing about him, 49, 50. 
 Morality of Mohammedism, very lax and slight, and sparingly treated 
 
 of, 77. 
 Moses.— ' When Moses was sent to Israel, they believed him.' — What say 
 
 Moses and the prophets on this subject? 112 — 1 14. 
 Motion. — Mohammed had great difficulty in setting his machine in motion; 
 
 but that once fully effected, every thing combined to urge it forward; and 
 
 Omnipotence alone could stop its progress, 79. 
 
 Mystery The time of the Messiah's coming, no hidden mystery, 50. 
 
 Mysteries.— Those relating to original sin, the person of Christ, the Trinity, 
 
 redemption, regeneration, &c. wholly excluded from Mohammedism, 
 
 which in these respects nearly resembles Socinianism, 74. 
 
 N. 
 Name of God; the " little Sanctuary," Ez. xi. 16. 202. 
 
 One iHme, one God three Persons, is our doctrine, 281. 
 
 Nations, in the country where Mohammed established his religion by the 
 
 sword, were at that time divided, enfeebled, and incapable of effectual 
 resistance, 72, 73. 
 " All nations before Jehovah are as nothing." Is Israel to be 
 
 excepted ? 242. 
 
INDEX. 333 
 
 Nations. — ' It is not said "Rejoice all ye nations;" Deut. xxxii. 86. but some, 
 ' those who never troubled Israel.' Assyria and Egypt are mentioned by 
 Isaiah with special favour, (Is. xix. 23 — 25.-) did tbey never trouble 
 Israel? 245. 
 
 All nations are mentioned in other prophecies, Ibid. 
 
 Nature, distinct, of the religion which Mohammed, and of that which Jesus, 
 established, 74—83. 
 
 Need. — What we " sinners of the Gentiles" need from the Messiah, 250i '-"»' 
 
 The Jews need the same, though not aware of it, 351. 
 
 Nothing.— ' The word of God came to nothing,' answered, 110. 
 
 Number of Mohammedans, supposed to exceed that of Christians, 70. 
 
 0. 
 
 Oblations, Legal, virtually ceased, when Jesus expired, 43, 44. 
 
 Offering for sin. — " Thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin." Win. 
 is meant ? 291. 
 
 Old Testament.— Have we no ground in it, to maintain, that the promised 
 Messiah, when he came, would be despised, hated, persecuted, and put 
 to death, by the people and rulers, as a malefactor ; but as a Sacrifice 
 for sin, in the judgment of God ? 306. 
 
 Omissions ; those of Mr. c. must be noticed, and the subjects omitted con- 
 sidered, 281. 
 
 Opinion, of the approaching conversion and restoration of the Jews, grows 
 more and more general among studious Christians, 164, 165. 
 
 OpiNiONS.-Some opposed in controversy, which it seems difficult to believe 
 were ever maintained. Rom. ii. 17—24. One similar in Mr. C. 229, 230. 
 
 Oral law, or traditions, considered, 214—221. 
 
 It is now written and commented on in thirteen folios ! 216. 
 
 No hope of convincing Jews, till driven from the entrenchments 
 
 of the oral law, 217. 
 
 -Moses, Joshua, and other receivers of the oral law, say nothing 
 
 of it; but much to the contrary, 217, 218. 
 « Each receiver of it, is as God in his age.' Who is then the 
 
 present receiver ? or Who was the last? 219. 
 
 . Now no secret, 231. . 
 
 Ought.-' God ought to have given the law to all of them.'-We should 
 
 enquire what we ought to do, not prescribe what God ought to do, • 
 
 P. 
 Pairing the nations, and pairing Israel and the Sabbath- considered, 
 
 197, 198. 
 Patrons, angels of this or the other country, 152, 153- 
 P ul -AUempt to prove from Paul, that the MessW. is not ~gM; 
 
 who spent and laid down his life, in testifying that Jesus was the Mess.ah. 
 
 53. 
 
334 INDEX. 
 
 Paul. — His words (Rom. xi. 32.) accord with those of the prophets, 116. 
 
 Perfection, absolute and relative, distinguished, 145. 
 
 Persecution and oppression; hoth nominal Christians and Jews deeply 
 
 criminal in this respect, 244. 
 Physician. — " The whole need not a physician :" hut many think themselves 
 
 whole who are not, 251. 
 Pierced. — " They pierced my hands and ray feet," a prophecy of Jesus, 
 
 297, 298. 
 p JN . — The improvement of a story, compared to the making of a pin, 216. 
 " Pine away in iniquities." Has not this heen the case with Israel, ever 
 
 since they crucified Jesus ? 54, 55. 
 Place. — Probably, by ' a kingdom altogether earthly,' Mr. C. meant the 
 
 place, in which the Messiah would reign, 168. 
 Polygamy, and concubinage, allowed, as far as the licentious could desire, 
 
 by Mohammed, 77. 
 Portion.- " I will divide him a portion with the great, because he poured 
 
 " out his soul unto death, &c." 292—294. 
 Preacher. — ' The Messiah not a Preacher.' Answered, 175, 176. 
 Precedency, " in tribulation and anguish" at the day of judgment, given 
 
 to wicked Jews, the meaning of the apostle (Rom. ii. 9.) 243—245. 
 Predestination. — How held by Mohammed, 76. 
 Pre-existence of the Messiah." <-u^r »i*ted by Micah, 22. 
 Prideaux (Dean) Quotation from him, concerning the 'oral law,' 215, 216. 
 Priest. — The Messiah predicted as a Priest, 6. 
 A Priest after the order of Melchisedek; which, as the Son of 
 
 David, he could not be, without disannulling the ceremonial law. The 
 
 reasoning of St. Paul on this subject, (Heb. vii,) absolutely unanswerable, 
 
 205,206. 
 « Whether the Messiah should be a priest or not ? one of Mr. C.'s 
 
 omissions, 281. 
 Priests and Levites. — In what sense could God take of the Israelites, to be 
 
 priests and Levites? (Is. lxvi. 21.) The tribe of Levi and the family of 
 
 Aaron were such already ; and those of other tribes could not be substi- 
 tuted or added, according to the law, 260. 
 -' Poor of the flock," who would attend to the Messiah, distinguished by the 
 
 prophet from the rest of the nation, 112. 
 Prophecies. — Mr. C. explains several unfulfilled prophecies, nearly as some 
 
 Christian expositors do; whether aright or not the author does not 
 
 determine, 252, 253. 
 — Such as have been already fulfilled are our proper study : 
 
 the unfulfilled replete with difficulty, 263, 264. 
 Prophesy.— The a^hor does not attempt to prophesy from the prophecies, 
 
 209. 252. 
 " Prophet like unto Moses," 210, 9\ 1. 220, 221. 
 — — Jesus proved to be a Prophet, as predicting future events, re- 
 
INDEX. 33 b 
 
 specting Jerusalem, as " trodden under foot of the Gentiles" to this day ; 
 and various other things, far more explicitly and particularly, than in the 
 ancient prophets. Now, if in this sense a Prophet, then the Messiah. This 
 the Jews feel, 120—122. 213,214. 
 
 Prophets. ' Thus became a whole nation, in one moment, prophets.' This 
 directly contradicts the history, (Num. xi.) 129, 130. 
 
 Whether a prophet be superior to a high priest? 310, 21 1. 
 
 Psalm, Forty-fourth. By whom written, and of whom? 243. 
 
 Second. — What events does it predict? Does it not clearly indicate 
 
 mercy to the Gentiles ? 246. 
 
 — Twenty-second, begins and proceeds to the end, in language which 
 
 never did and never can, throughout, suit any one except Jesus, whose 
 " sufferings, and the glory that followed," it most particularly foretels, 
 296—302. 
 
 No confession of sin in it, as in the other Psalms composed by David 
 
 in his afflictions, 296. 
 
 -Sixty-ninth, some of it considered, 302. 
 
 Purgatory in Mohammedism, 75. 
 
 Purpose ' Israel would not receive Christ: to what purpose was he sent?' 
 
 Answered by some other questions. The tendency of this species of rea- 
 soning, 114, 115- 
 
 Question The question to be debated in this publication is, • Whether 
 
 the Messiah, predicted in the O. T. be already come, or not ? 5. 
 
 What have been the effects of the coming of Jesus, on the state of 
 
 the world, including Jews and Gentiles ? 65 — 70. 
 
 How far, and in what cases, miracles are a proof of a Divine 
 
 mission ? 131 — 142. 
 
 For what purposes, Israel and the Gentiles need a Messiah? 
 
 248—251. 
 Quotation, remarkable, from a Jew in the eleventh century, on the long 
 continued wrath of God against the Jews, and the cause of it, 34, 35. 
 
 R. 
 
 Reality.— Mr. C. intimates no doubt, as to the reality of the miracles re- 
 corded in the N. T. but ascribes them, as the Pharisees of old did, to 
 enchantment, 130, 131. 
 
 Reason.—' The Jews had a good reason,' that is, for « murdering their wives, 
 'and children, and themselves!' The conduct of prophets and martyrs 
 contrasted with this, y37, 238. 
 
 Receiver.—' Each receiver' (of the oral law,) ' as good in *'« a g e as Moses.' 
 How is this consistent, with there being no othe; prophet like unto 
 Moses? 220, 221. 
 
 Reception.— The reception, with which the prophets foretold, the Messiah 
 would meet from his nation, 288— 286. 
 
336 INDEX. 
 
 Redeemer. — The Messiah allowed to be called a Redeemer; a term at least 
 
 as appropriate to Jehovah, as a Saviour, 14. 
 Religion.— All the true'religion now in the world, at least among Gentiles, 
 
 is the effect of the coming of Jesus, 69, 70. 
 Report.—' The nations shall see the glory of Israel, and will cry out, " Who 
 
 u hath believed our report ?" ' How could the Gentiles call this our report ? 
 
 The only notice in Mr. C.'s book of Is. liii. 260. 
 Restoration of Israel. — The title of Mr. C.'s book creates a difficulty to 
 
 the answerer; as he firmly believes "the Restoration of Israel," 5. 
 
 Opinion of studious Christians respecting it, 164, 165. 
 
 . Not ouce in the 0. T. connected immediately with the 
 
 coming of the Messiah; but generally with Israel's conversion from ini- 
 quity and ungodliness, 53, 54. 158, 159. 
 . The coming of the Messiah often connected with pre- 
 
 dictions of judgments on the Jews : the Restoration uniformly with spiri- 
 tual blessings, 158, 159. 
 
 Restored Israel, according to the prophets, will speak the language, not 
 of boasting and self-preference, but of deep humility and self-loathing, 
 234, '235. 
 
 Reversed. — The order of the history, in Exodus, reversed by Mr. C. to 
 prove his point. The whole passage adduced. «-*'- remarks on it, 127, 128. 
 
 Resurrection of Jesus. prn^J ^j t'ic most overwhelming accumulation of 
 human testimony, established by the indisputable testimony of God him- 
 self, 139, 140. 
 
 Predictions in the 0. T. of the Messiah's resurrection, 306 — 308. 
 
 Revival of learning, at the time of Luther's reformation, stayed the progress 
 of Mohammedism, 74. 
 
 Rich. — " His grave with the wicked ; with the rich in his death," (Is. liii. 9.) 
 The Christian interpretation, 290, 291. 
 
 Rudder. — ' The world a ship: Israel the rudder!' 198. 
 
 Sabbath. — Views of Christians, as to its obligations; and thoughts on the 
 day on which it is observed, 199—202. 
 
 ■ Whether a type of the Millennium ? 202. 
 
 Sacrifices. — Are atoning sacrifices, according to the law of Moses, offered by 
 the Jews at present? Especially, are the legal sacrifices offered on the great 
 da\ of atonement ? 203. 
 
 spiritual, if offered, cannot prove, that the ritual law is not abro- 
 gated, or Tendered impracticable, 203. 
 
 SANCTUARiES.--t,i,ev. xxvi. 31.) Mr. C. translates the word temples, and sup- 
 poses the first and: the second temple to be meant. This considered, 54. 
 
 Sanhedrin, Heavenly. AH spoken of it a mere fable, 152, 153- 
 
 Saviour.—' The Messiah not called a Saviour by Zechariah,' (ix- 9) Yet 
 his prediction of great importance in the argument, 12, 13. 
 
i n d t: \ . 
 
 Saviour. — The original word for Saviour, used of others besides Jehovah; 
 
 and belongs to the Messiah, 13, 14. 
 
 as in some respect, the Jews themselves admit, 1 1. 
 
 Scattered, not an appropriate word, for an orderly allotment of the earth 
 
 among seventy families, 152. 
 Sceptre. — Meaning of the word (Gen. xlix. 10.) fixed, 31, 32. It cannot 
 
 mean rod of correction , in this connection, 35, 30. 
 The Sceptre has departed from Judah above 1700 years: therefore 
 
 Shiloh is come, 34, 35. 
 Seal and crown, circumcision, 193. 
 
 Second death;— a N. T. expression. Where and how used, 277, 278. 
 Seed. — ' The seed is of the father, and not of the mother,' say the Jews: 
 
 and, as far as appears, there is only one exception to this in the 0. T. 
 
 viz. " The Seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head." This an 
 
 intimation that the predicted Messiah would not have an human father, 
 
 19, 20. 
 After the person predicted, (Is. liii.) had been " cut off from the 
 
 " land of the living; made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in 
 
 " his death, &c," it is subjoined, " He shall see his seed, and prolong his 
 
 "days, &c." How can this be, except he arise, as Jesus did? and live. 
 
 as he does ? 2'j*. 
 
 " A seed shall serve him, r„i£.ii«H i n the Christian church, aok 
 
 Separated.— Israel separated for ever from the nations, 209, aio. 
 Septuagint. — This translation excludes the ass and ass's colt, from Zccha- 
 
 riah's prophecy of the Messiah, 12. 
 , Our translators of the Bible, perhaps, paid too much deference 
 
 to the Septuagint, in adding all, Deut. xxvii. 20. but are not deserving 
 
 of Mr. C.'s harsh censure, 227, 228. 
 Sermons.— Wonderful and shocking preached by the cruelly oppressed Jews. 
 
 237, 238. 
 Seventy.—' Abraham was seventy years of age, when God entered into 
 ' covenant with him.'— Abram was seventy-five, when he left Haran to go 
 to Canaan; and ninety-nine, when the covenant made with him wu seal, d 
 by circumcision, 208. 
 
 weeks in Daniel, whence to be dated, how divided, and when 
 
 terminated, 41 — 43. 
 
 families of Noah, not easily made out, 151, 152. 
 
 See Cobweb. 
 
 Shepherd.— All spiritual blessings, according to the 0. T. as we" « ihe 
 N. T. comprised in this one title of the Messiah, 100. 
 
 « My Shepherd, the Man that is my fellow- " Smite the 
 
 <« Shepherd, &c." This fully proves, that the Mess-" would be made a 
 Sacrifice for sin, by the sword of Divine justice, *i5, 300. 
 
 Shiloh, acknowledged in the Talmud aud Tar 6 ums to be the Mess.ah, 33. 
 
 , , _ Sep ScEPTR.E» 
 
 Su,>".-« No sign shall be given you, but that of the prophet Jonas, 125. 126 
 
S3S INDEX. 
 
 Sign. — A Virgin bearing a Son is predicted as a sign, or miraculous tokcis 
 
 of favour to the house of David, given by Jehovah himself, 17. 
 Signs, which Moses was empowered to shew, were publick miracles, that 
 
 the people might believe, 127, 128. 
 Similitude of Jehovah. — (Num. xii. 8.) Who or what is meant ? 30. 
 Sin and Misery do exist: yet God, infinite in power and goodness, could 
 have prevented it. This the grand difficulty, which attaches to all religions 
 alike, 66. 
 Slanders. — Much cruel injury done to the Jews by slanders. A question. 
 
 however, is grounded on this concession, 239. 
 Son of Man. — Jesus certainly claimed also to be " the Son of God," and was 
 
 crucified for that claim, 15, 16. 
 Spiritual kingdom, the nature of, distinguished from an earthly one, 
 161, 162. 
 
 Blessings, a summary of, 162, 163. 
 
 Every predictiou of the Messiah, from Gen. iii. 15. to Mai. iv. 2. 
 
 connects spiritual blessings with Messiah's reign, 165. 
 The controversy of no consequence, unless Messiah confer spiri- 
 tual and eternal blessings, 166, 167. 
 State of the Jews, at the birth of Jesus, as to religion, deplorable, f>6. 
 
 That of the Gentiles, 66, 67. 
 
 " Standard bearf.ps— nf ilw» e r :.u, trflen the enemy came in like a flood," 
 
 the diiterent Societies, 86. 
 Stone, Utile, becoming " a great mountain, and filling the whole earth." 
 The Messiah is not mentioned in it, nor could his coming be proved from 
 it, apart from other prophecies. It is explained to mean "a kingdom, 
 " which God will set up," and evidently by gradual increase, (Dan. ii. 
 34,35. 44,45.) 97. 
 Successor. — " Not to him," 'to the Messiah no successor.' (Dan. ix. 26.) 
 
 This suits Jesus, as well as " not for himself" does, 48. 
 Supererogation, Works of, intimated by Mohammed, 75, 76. 
 
 T. 
 Temple.—" The Lord shall come to his temple, — even the Messenger" 
 (or Angel) " of the covenant, &c." (Mai. iii. 1.) To whom did the temple 
 belong ? Who is this " Angel of the covenant ?" 3S, 39. 
 Tempests. — ' Moses would command one of his tempests.' This compared 
 
 with scripture, 92. 
 Temporal good things, what are really such, promised to Christians: but 
 the things which worldly men most crave, are excluded from the list, 162. 
 Testament. — \\\ approved characters, in the 0. T. sought acceptance with 
 God, as sinners, from his mercy, by faith. They were conscious of deeply 
 needing forgiveness, 225. 
 Traditions.— Our Lord t^ght his disciples to obey the laws of Moses, but 
 to refuse obedience to the tradHiune of the Elders, 217. 
 
 ■ Those of most nations, and even of the Jewish Talmud, contain 
 
 intimations of plurality in unity in the Godhead. Christians did not 
 invent the doctrine, 271. 
 Translators of the Bible defended, with a tribute of due respect to them, 
 228. 
 
INDEX. ,'jjf) 
 
 Three. — Divine perfections and operations, are ascribed, in scripture, to the 
 Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Yet there is only " one living 
 and true God." — Hence we say, " These Three are One." Three persons 
 and One Deity, 278. 
 
 Throve. — A throne on earth cannot be for ever and ever, (Ps. xlv. 6.) 16S- 
 
 Title of the Gentiles, '2 42. 
 
 •' Times of the Gentiles," 57— GO. 
 
 Token. — " The token. — (Ex. iii. 12) a private sign to Moses, not men- 
 tioned afterwards, 127, 128. 
 
 Transgressors. — "He was numbered with the transgressors, he bare the 
 " sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Is. liii. IS.) 
 What other interpretation of these words can stand a competition wilh 
 that of Christians ? 293. 
 
 Tree of life. — ' As the days of the tree of life.' Thus Mr. C. quotes 
 Is. lxv. 24. What is meant by ' the days of the tree of life f What ' tree 
 'of life?' 264. 
 
 Trifling, egregious, in matters of eternal salvation, or damnation, 90. 
 
 Trinity.— The objections of the Jews shew, that this is undeniably the doc- 
 trine of the N. T. but it. is also found in the 0. T. 263—272. Mr. C.'s 
 arguments against it by no means formidable, 86ft. 
 
 See Wonder * I.*. 
 
 Trusts. He who trusts in man is amJ, <Jo- wli. 5, c,:) but he who 
 
 trusts in " the Son," the Messiah, is blessed, (Ps. ii. 12.) 268. 
 
 U. 
 
 tj SE# « of what use was the coming of Jesus?' 'Of no use,' &c. 65. An- 
 swered, 65 — 70. 
 
 lt had no t this use, to give the Jews their desired dominion over 
 
 the nations, 70. 
 
 , Of what use, were the miracles of Moses to Pharaoh, and that gene- 
 ration of Israel, which fell in the wilderness? L2S, 129. 
 
 V. 
 
 Vain. _Thc hopes of a temporal Messiah, and an earthly kingdom, vain and 
 empty. What real good could such a Messiah do to dying men? 196, 197. 
 
 Vesture.—" Upon my vesture they cast lots." (Ps. xxii. IS.) The exact ful- 
 filment of this when Jesus was crucified, 298, 299. 
 
 VinuiN.-Was not the Almighty able to make a virgin the mother of a Sonl 
 And was he not able to prove this Son of a virgin, to be descended from 
 the ancestors of that virgin ? 10. 
 
 Isaiahs prophecy concerning -'a Virgin bearing a S">, con- 
 sidered, and the Christian interpretation established, 17— I* 
 
 . Some other clear and satisfactory interpretation •'« lhc whult ' l m ' 
 
 sage must be adduced, or our interpretation must stand- 19. 
 
 W. 
 
 Wilderness.-' Why the law given in one,' rJT. 
 
 Wine.-How forbidden by Mohammcd.-Dcliaous Wine* an enjojment of 
 
 wZoT^t^it/0rth before the mountains. brought up with JmOTAM, 
 
 "&o." (Prov. viii. 22—31.) 29, 30. 
 
340 INDEX. 
 
 ' Witness of the gospel,' that Christ was ' not the Messiah,' 63. The absur- 
 dity of making the gospel testify against that which is the grand subject of 
 it, 64. 
 
 Woman.—" The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, a woman shall 
 " compass a man," Jer. xxxi. 22. adduced in proof that the Messiah would 
 have no human father, 20, 21. 
 
 Women. — The women of this world almost overlooked by Mohammed, in 
 his -view of heaven, 78. 
 
 'Wonderful sermons,' 237,238. 
 
 Why should the Child's name, predicted by Isaiah (ix. 6, 7.) be 
 
 called Wonderful; if there were nothing uncommon, or peculiarly 
 wonderful respecting him ? 25. 
 
 -The belief of the Trinity, (if not the doctrine of scripture,) to 
 
 the extent and degree, in which it has been believed ; by the persons, who 
 have believed it; and amidst circumstances suited to subvert every Anti- 
 scriptural tenet, &c. is the most wonderful fact in the world, 27S — 280. 
 -The Author's case, in respect of this doctrine, 280. 
 
 Words and works, of Jesus, and of the Holy Spirit, in many respects spoken 
 of, as one and the same, 274. 
 
 Worship. — ' The true wo7-shiy very different from f a new religion' 66> 
 
 All acceptable worship by Israel of oM. w ^rerence to the taber- 
 nacle and temple- ***» ■»««««—» *o <uk, and the mercy-seat, &c. 203, 204. 
 
 ' of Israel will continue for ever and ever.' Considered, 255. 
 
 Y. 
 
 Yes. — ' God said yes, but I, Israel, said no' Did Israel's saying no, prove 
 that God did not say yes ? 114. 
 
 Z. 
 
 Zechariah.— His prophecy of Zion's king, entering Jerusalem, riding on ao. 
 ass's colt, (ix. 9, 10,) examined; and compared with the history of Jesus, 
 11—14. 
 
 That in viii. 20 — 23, considered, 60, 61. 
 
 " They shall look upon me whom they have pierced," (xii. 10.) 
 
 a prophecy of Jesus, as crucified, 304. 
 
 -" Awake, O sword, against my Shepherd, &c." (xiii. 7.) And 
 
 the subsequent predictions considered, 304 — 306. 
 Zelophehad.--- Jesus proved to be "the Son of David," in the same manner 
 as a son of Zelophehad's daughter, might be proved the descendant of 
 Zelophehad, 7, 8. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 P. 22. Ref. * for 2 Johai i. l—u. read John i. 1, 2. 14. P. 79. 1. 25. between ourselves and ex- 
 plained, read is. P. si. 1. \, between us and to will, read both. P. 97. 1.28. for 1. 11. read 
 1. 9—11. P. 98. 1. 19. after m any, oinii of the. P. 106. 1.26. for undescribable, read undf 
 sirable. P. 120. 1. 12. for Merges, read Monves. 
 
 A. M'INTOSH, Printer, London Society's Office, 
 SpitalCelds, London. 
 
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