m '"■ '. " ,f v ,( '* milt i:^ I t'A ' ,\ i! /' ^teiiiiiill liiiiil r • ;•!, DS 1A8 .J3 Janeway, J. J. 1774-1858 Hope for the Jews Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in 2010 witii funding from Princeton Tlieological Seminary Library littp://www.archive.org/details/liopeforjewsorjewOOjane HOPE FOR THE JEWS OR, THE JEWS WILL BE CONVERTED CHRISTIAN FAITH; SETTLED AND REORGANIZED AS A NATION, LAND OF PALESTINE. By J. J.JANEWAY, D. D NEW BRUNSWICK, N. J. PRESS OF J. TERHUNE AND SON, 31 ALBANY STREET. 1853. Entered according to Act of C'oiigress, in the Tcsr 185', by J. J. JANE WAY, la tlie Clerk's Office of the U. S. Court for the District of tho ^tate of New-Jersey. CONTENTS. CKAPTi:;i 1. Page 13 Conversion of the Jews — First, ijroof — Nature of the Ahrahamic covenant — Twofold blessings — Twofold seed — Sovereignty and Justice of God — Great design of the covenant — Kcclesiastica! — Seminal transmission of the blessings of Salvation — L'nreiealed. CIIAPTEM II. Page 30 Second Proof — Perpetuity of the Covenant — Everlasting — State of the Jews wonderful — Reason — Quotation — Clinnge of Dispensation gradual — Old Covenant complex — Heavy burden to the Jews — Penalty of exscision could not be inflicted by Christian Church — God alone could inflict it — Season of forbearance — Error of Mr. W. — Paul's judgment — Timothy circumcised CHAPTER HI. Page 50 Impediment to a correct interpretation of Kotn. xi. — Re- sults of Mr. W.'s plan of investigating the scriptures — First result — Erroneous views — He fails to make proper distinctions — Vile character of the Jews by JeremiaJi . — State of Gentiles — Paul's character before conver- sion — Second result — Paul's view of heirs of the promise — Penalty cf exscision explained in regard to uncircumcis- ed children^^In regard to David — Individuals and a City — When idolatry generally prevailed God alone could in- flict the penalty. CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. Page 73 God has a visible Church — Committed to fallible men — Perfectly pure Church never existed — Children members — Covenant unchanged — Not a Will — Consequence of re- garding it as such — Promise boundless and eternal CHAPTER V. Page 80 The New covenant not opposed to the Abrahamic — Why called New — Illustrated — Sets aside the Old — Incip- ient fulfilment — More glorious fulfilment future — Made with the visible Church — Promises not to be taken in a literal and absolute sense — Jeremiah xxxi. — Line of suc- cession remains in the Visible Church. CHAPTER VI. Page 102 Ample discussion of the subject in the Epistle to the Romans — Chapter xi — Twelfth verse — Jews a nation — Conversion of a number did not diminish them — Ac- knowledged as a Nation by Paul, A. D. 61 and 63 — Ex- scision not till A. D. 70. — Then diminished. CHAPTER VII. Page 119 " Their fulness" refers to Israel — Admission of Mr. W. — His singular interpretation — Remarks on it — " Life from the dead" explained — Scripture illustration in verse 16th — McKnight's note — Covenant at Sinai did not orig- inate the Visible Church — Second illustration — Neither Peter nor Paul admitted the exscision of the Jews in their day — " Some of the branches broken off" explained — Fearful condition of the Church at Rome. CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. Page 140 Conversion of the Jews — Objections — Answered — Plain- ly taught by Paul in Rom. xi. — Wonderful Plan of Infinite Wisdom and Mercy — Confirmed by Paul's teachings in 2 Cor. iii. 12-18. CHAPTER IX. Page 151 Restoration of the Jews to their own land — Remarks on paragraphs of Mr. W. — Testiraoi.y of Moses— Deut. xviii. 15-19 — Deut, xxviii. explained — Quotation from Bp, Newton. CHAPTER X. Page 163 Testimony of Moses continued — Deut. xxx. 1-1 1 — Ex- tract from Mr. W.'s letters — Remarks on it — Plan of Sal- vation one and same always — Difference between the former and present dispensation — Mr. W. opposes the plain teaching of Moses. CHAPTER XI. Page 179 Testimony of Hosea — Testimony of Isaiah. CHAPTER XH. Page 189 Testimony of Jeremiah — Remarks on Chapters xxx and xxxi — Quotations from Drs. Clarke, Scott, and Lowth. CHAPTER XIII. Page 203 Testimony of Ezekiel — Chaps, xxxiv, xxxv, xxxvi, xxxvii. CHAPTER XIV. Page 215 The testimony of Christ — Luke xxi. 24 — " Jerusalem trodden down of the Gentiles" — When will they cease to tread it down 1 — Answer. CHAPTER XV. Page 218 Questions to the reader — Difficulties nothing to the Al- mighty — Past miracles in favor of the Jews — No greater needed — A more abundant effusion of the Spirit will ac- complish God's promises. APPENDIX A. Page 228 The Visible Cht:rcii. 1. What the Confession of the Presbyterian Church teaches in regard to the visible Church. 2. Extracts from the Home and Foreign Record. 3. Relative or External Holiness. APPENDIX B. Page 230 Extracts from Br. Newton's Drs.sERTAT!o^'s ox the Prophecies. TO THE READER. As the Contents and Introduction^ al- though, set np in type, has not been struck off, the Author embraces the opportunity of expressing his regret, that so much delay has occurred in carrying his work through the press. It is unnecessary to state the cir- cumstances. Safhce it to say, that, after selecting the most convenient press, and de- livering a portion of the manuscript, about the close of June, a variety of concurring circumstances beyond control, produced de- lay, so that the whole of the manuscript up to a part of Appendix, had not been struck off and. presented to the Author for correction, till the close of September. On the first of this month he corrected th© last of the Appendix. J. J. JANEWAY. Monday, October 3. 1853, INTEODUCTION. Desirous of employing tlie short remnant of his life, in a way the most appropriate to his ministerial vocation, the author of this little volumn had engaged in the study of sacred prophecy. The prophetical writings constitute a large portion of the Bible ; and the command of our Divine Master to " search the scriptures," renders it an imperative duty to search the prophetical scriptures, as time and opportu- nity will allow, as well as other parts of them. His object in studying the prophecies was to endeavor, in their light, to discover the present position of the Church of God ; what lies before her, and what she is authorized to expect. Had he proceeded in what he designed to write and publish, he would INTRODUCTION. H have devoted a short chapter to the conside- ration of the case of the Jews. But he was interrupted in his pourse of study : first by domestic affliction ; then by writing and printing, mthout pubhshing, a memoir of his dear departed companion, for the benefit of her children and descendants ; and afterwards by duties imperiously claim- ing his attention. In the meantime, "the Letters to a Millen- arian, by the Kev. Mr. Williamson," were published. Having purchased a copy, he read it, and felt grieved at its tendency to withdraw Christians from praying for the conversion of the Jews ; which the writer had, for many years, regarded as an impor- tant duty. More than forty years ago, he was led, by occurrences in Philadelphia, to study the Abrahamic covenant, to discover the true basis of the right of children to be members 10 INTRODUCnOK. of the visible church, and to baptism, the new token of that unrepealed covenant, under the Christian dispensation. The re- sult of his study was published in 1812, in a series of letters addressed to the members of the Second Presbyterian Church, in Phil- adelphia. These letters discussed, first, the nature and great design of that covenant ; — Secondly, the Divine right of Inf mts to bap- tism, and thirdly, the mode of baptism. To counteract the unhappy tendency of Mr. W.'s letters, the author prepared a short exposition of his own views of the case of the Jews ; and was on the point of publish- ing it. Bat occurrences, which he regarded as providential^ induced him to withhold it from the press ; and led him to believe it to be his duty to devote more time and pains to this interesting subject. Thus the discassion has become a small volume. mTRODUCTIOX. 11 His design is to endeavor to establish the following important points : 1. That the Jews, will, as a people, be con- verted to the Christian faith, and be intro- duced into the Christian Church. 2. That they, and a portion of the Ten Tribes of Israel, will return to the land of their forefathers, and there be reorganized as a single and united nation ; acknowledging Christ to be their Messiah and king ; and 3. That, after being established in the quiet and peaceful possession of that land, they will hold it, in nndistnrbed enjoyment, through future generations, to the end of the world; when the last and unsuccessful as- sault will be made on the Church of God, by apostate nations deceived by Satan. In this work will be found an exposition of the three covenants ; in regard to w^hich Mr. W.^s views appear to be vagu'^, incorrectj - and confused. 12 INTRODUCTION. The author would willingly have avoided any particular notice of the above named letters. But this he found a due regard to truth would not allow. It became necessary to remove an impediment which they had thrown in the way of a cor- rect interpretation of the inspired writers, both of the Old and of the New Testaments, in reference to the purposes of God towards His ancient covenant people. In some remarks on his letters, there may appear severity. But, it is hoped, the reader will ascribe it to the nature of the case, and believe the author could not withhold them, consistently with a firm adherence to the par- amount claims of scriptural truth. HOPE FOR THE JEWS. CHAPTER I. Conversion of the Jews — First proof— Nature of the Abrahamic Covenant — Twofold blessings — Twofold seed — Sovereignty and Justice of God — Great design of the Covenant — Ecclesiastical — Seminal transmission of the blessings of Salvation — Unrepealed. FIRST POSITION. The Jews will be converted as a people, to the Christian faith . How delightful tlie prospect ! What chris- tian acquainted with the history of this wonderful people, and reflecting that God was pleased to use them as the channel of communicating to us such inestimable bene- fits, as the birth of our Eedeemer— the oracles of God and all their precious promi- ses — and the church under its new and more spiritual organization ; will not rejoice to 2 14 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. learn, from the sacred scriptures, that God has revealed to us his purpose, of restoring his wandering people, "beloved for the father's sake," (Rom. xi. 28,) to an interest in that " better covenant which was established on better promises ?" (IIeb. viii. 6.) But is this taught by inspired writers as a truth? Blessed be God it is; and we may indulge our faith in contemplating the delightful union ; which, we believe. He who is faithfal to His word and covenant, will not fail to realize. Long indeed, and for ages, nearly eigh- teen hundred years, have they been disowned by God as his covenant people, expelled from that goodly land, which God gave them for an inheritance, and for " an everlasting pos- session^ (Gen. xvii. 8.) His power and grace are sufficient to accomplish all that He has promised. FIRST PROOF. The first proof in support of our position, ghall be drawn from the covenant which God condescended to make with their father ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 15 Abraham. It is recorded in the 17tli chap- ter of Genesis. That the force of the proof drawn from this covenant may be felt, it will be necessary to consider its nature. This covenant contained both spiritual and temporal blessings. I. It contained spiritual blessing. This appears evidently from the 7th verse : " and 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^ The natural import of this great promise, looks far beyond and above any temporal blessings, which God ever bestowed on the Patriarch or his seed. A more glorious promise could not be expressed in the lan- guage of mortals. To be a God unto THEE ! It comprehends the richest prom- ises in the Bible. Its comprehensive fullness is well expressed in the words of David ^ " For the Lord God is a sun and a shield ; the Lord will give grace and glory ; no 16 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. good thing will lie withhold from them that walk uprightly." (Ps. Ixxxiv. 11.) That this promise is to be taken in this enlarged and unlimited sense, is manifest from the consideration, that Abraham was, when the covenant was made with him, a true believer, and looked to his promised seed, the Messiah^ for salvation. How, then, could he have supposed, that this highest style of covenant language, could merely relate to temporal blessings, to be conferred on himself and his seed ? These inferior blessings, are promised in the subsequent part of the covenant. (See verse 8th.) The Apostle Paul tells us how Abraham understood this great promise of the cove- nant. By it the Patriarch was led to " desire a better country that is an heavenly ;" (Heb. xi. 16 ;•) and the Apostle further says, K God had not prepared for him " a city, which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God," He would have been '' ashamed to be called his God." Compare (Heb. xi. 16 with 10 verse, and from 8 to 16 \ ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 17 In this covenant Abraham was constituted the FATHER OF ALL TRUE BELIEVERS, down to the end of time. This is taught exphc- itly by the apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Eomans; (chap. iv. 11, 12 ;) and further the Apostle teaches, that he was thus constituted their father, "that the promise niight be sure to all the seed." (vs. 13—16.) In this covenant Abraham was made a father of many nations. (See Gen. xvii. 4—6.) Several nations did descend naturally from this illustrious Patriarch, and the covenant may have respect to them. But, when we consider him as the father of all believers to the end of time ; and that, in the millenial period, all nations, as such, will be brought under the operation of this covenant, how our views of this title become enlarged ; and the import ol the words of Grodto him, quoted by Paul, " so shall thy seed be," is expanded! (Gen. XV. 6, and Rom. iv. 18.) II. The covenant contained temporal or external blessings. The promise in Gen. xvii. V. 8, is this : " And I will give unto thee and 18 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession ; and I will be their God." All who had impressed on them circumcision^ the token or seal of the cove- nant, were brought into a peculiar relation to God. He became their God in a lower sense ; in consequence of which thej had the enjoyment of important privileges. They were favored with the instructions of the well-informed and pious head of the cove- nant, who did not fail to explain to them its nature ; to teach them how they might secure an interest in its great spiritual bless- ings, and have God to be a God unto them, in the highest sense of the promise. In Gen. xviii. 17 — 19, it is written, "And the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do ; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?' For I know him, that he will command his children and his household Sifter him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 19 justice and judgement ; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." His servants as well as his children were circumcised ; and certainly it was a distinguished favor to all who were brought into the covenant of the Patriarch, to have secured to them the signal benefit of his wise instructions and holy example. Doubtless he told them he himself desired and sought a better country, than the land promised, in which they sojourned ; and a city far more to be desired than any on earth, a city in heaven ; and taught them to imitate his example, and not to be satisfied with any temporal benefits of their cove- nant relation to God. In a preceding chapter, it is written, *' and God said unto him, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them ; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again ; for the iniquities of the Amo- rites is not yet full." (vs. 13, 16.) Apprized 20 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. of tliis revelation none of his descendants could expect to gain possession of tlie prom- ised land, till tlie expiration of this period so positively set. III. Corresponding to the two-fold bless- ings of the covenant, there was a twofold seed ; natural and sjm^itual, or children by bii^th and the children of promise. See this distinction among the seed of Abraham illus- trated by Paul in his epistle to the G-alatiaus. (chap. iv. 28 — 31.) And the same important truth is illustrated, by the pen of this great Apostle, in his epistle to the Romans, where he says, " For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh ; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly ; and circumcis- ion is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter ; whose praise is not of men, but of God.'' (chap. ii. 28, 29.) And our Lord, in his controversy with the Jews, recorded by John in the 8th chap- ter of his Gospel, adverting to the same distinction, admits in verse 87, they were ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 21 "Abraham's seed ;" yet in the 89 verse, de- nies they were Abraham's children. He reproaches them as being the children of the devil, and assigns the proof, (vs. 41 — 44:.) SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. IV. In conferring both the temporal and the spiritual blessings of his covenant, Jeho- vah always exercised his sovereign pleasure, and bestowed them on whom he chose. When Abraham was called by God, he lived among idolaters, and may have been previously an idolater himself. God was under no obligation to call him and afterwards constitute him head of the cove- nant, and make to him and to his posterity such great and Avonderful jDromises. He might have selected some other man and his posterity, on whom to confer his signal favors and most distinguishing honors. Of the millions then living He was pleased to choose Abraham ; and to take him and his offspring into covenant, for the purpose of conveying unnumbered blessings on future nations and generations of mankind. 22 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. His son Ishmael " after the flesh," and " by the bond woman," although circumcis- ed was cast out of the covenant ; and Isaac, " the son of the free woman, and by prom- ise," was constituted his heir. Jacob obtained, by fraud, from his father Isaac the blessing of primogeniture ; and Esau, the elder, was deprived of it, and could not obtain it, though he earnestly sought with tears to produce a change in his father's mind. Such was the sovereign will of God, who had foretold this occurrence to their mother, Rebecca, when He told her before their birth, " The elder shall serve the younger." (Rom. ix. 10 — 14.) What was there in the condition and character of Jacob's posterity, when God commissioned Moses to deliver them from Egyptian bondage, to dispose Him to call them, " my people," (Ex. iii. 7,) and to com- mand him to deliver this message to Phara- oh : " Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness?" (Ex. v. 11.) ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 23 What had they done to merit the wonderful miracles that were wrought by the Almighty to effect their triumphant deliverance from Egyptian bondage, and to open for them a passage, as on dry land, through the Bed sea? And why did Jehovah say to that perverse generation in the wilderness? "I will set my tabernacle among j^ou ; and will not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and v»dll be your God, and ye shall be my people." (Levit. xxvi. 11, 12.) Yet this generation of Israel ites, whom God was pleas- ed to denominate his people, for whom he wrought such wonders in Eg^'pt and at the Red sea, and with whom he condescended to talk, with an audible voice, from Mount Sinai, and there to enter into a solemn na- tional covenant ; failed to reach the promised land, although led by Moses to its very bord- ers, and commanded to go forward, and take possession of the goodly inheritance. Spies were sent to search out the land, twelve princes among the tribes. They brought an evil report, of the strength of the cities. 24 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. and the great stature of tlie inliabitants. The people became frightened at the report, and refused to advance. The sentence went forth from the mouth of Jehovah; they were doomed to wander in the wilderness forty years^ till every one of that murmuring and rebellious generation had died, except- ing Joshua and Caleb, who had been faithful and obedient. (Deut. i. 34 — 40.) The next generation, after the death of their fathers,, were led by Joshua into the land of Canaan. They are regarded by some as the best generation of the Isrselites. Of them Moses says, (Deut. iv. 4.) " But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are alive every one of you this day." They gave a remarkable proof of confidence in God, when, after crossing Jordan and being near to Jericho, they so readily submitted to the painful right of circumcision, that, for a time, disabled them from fighting, and ex- posed them to defeat, if attacked by their enemies. When settled in the land of Canaan, be- ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 25 sides possessing a goodly inheritance, the natural descendants of the Patriarch enjoyed what was far more valuable ; the oracles of God — the instructions of inspired prophets — the examples of the pious — the worship of the tabernacle, and afterwards of the temple, — and His watchful and powerful protection, while they were obedient. But neither their covenant relation to God, nor the possession and enjoyment of their external benefits, valuable as they cer- tainly were, could give to any of Abraham's natural seed an interest in the spiritual bless- ings contained in the great covenant promise, *' to be a God to thee and thy seed after thee." Many of that generation, led by Joshua into Canaan, were probably pious, having the faith of Abraham, and consequently an in- terest in the spiritual blessings ; but how many we cannot determine. The two kinds of the covenant benefits were distinct and different in their respective natures, and by no means inseparably connected. In subse- quent ages, millions enjoyed the one, who 2d conversion of the jews. never enjoyed tlie other. From the history of that people, it appears, that, while they abstained from idolatry and were obedient to their laws, they were always prosperous ; but this state of things implied invariably the presence of many sincerely pious, who walked in the steps of their father Abraham, and, like him, looked for a heavenly inheri- tance, to be conferred on them, through his great promised seed, the Messiah. Millions lived as circumcised Israelites, and were acknowledged as members of the visible church, who never became members of the invisible church ; and consequently died in their sins. They were like those whom our Lord denominated "children of the king- dom" and yet " cast out into outer darkness." (Mat. viii. 11, 12.) JUSTICE OF GOD. V. God acts as a sovereign in the bestow- ment of all his favors ; but let it not be for- gotten, that his sovereignty is always exercised in perfect accordance with justice- ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 27 Was Ishraasl cast out of the covenant ? He was a persecutor of Isaac who was "born after the Spirit." (Gal. iv. 29.) Was Esau deprived of the blessing ? He was " a profane person," " who for one morsel of meat sold his birth- right. (Heb. xii. 16.) Was the generation led out of Egypt, whom God condescended to style "my people;" and for whom He had wrought such wonders — with Avhom He talked from heaven, and among whom He promised " to walk and to be their God ;" doomed to wander forty years in the wilder- ness, and perish in it ? Justice demanded the punishment, on account of their repeated rebellions against a merciful and forbearing God. Thus Jehovah has acted, and always will act towards those who live under this cov- enant, as a sovereign and just God. If any fail to obtain salvation and perish in their sins, it will be owing to their own unbelief and perverseness. " Ye will not" said our Redeemer, " come to me, that ye may have life." (John v. 40.) 28 CONVEKSION OF THE JEWS. ECCLESIASTICAL COVENANT. VI. The Abrahamic covenant contained, and exhibited the covenant of grace ; but it was an ecclesiastical covenant ; having for its great design the organization of a visi- ble church, in the family of that iDustrious Patriarch, as a nursery for the invisible church ; or, in other words, to transmit the blessings of salvation seminally to the end of time. Accordingly the history of the church proves, that, in every age, the pious, the friends of God, have been found among his natural offspring, and the natural off- spring of Gentile believers, introduced, in conformity with the original provisions of the covenant, as his spiritual seed, and " heirs according to the promise." (Gab iii. 29.) Thus it has been, and thus it will be, to the end of time. In expounding this cove- nant, the Apostle says, " Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace ; to the end the promise might be sm^e to all the seed ; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham ; who is the father of us all. "(Rom. iv. 16.) COVENANT UNREPEALED. 29 VII. And let it not be forgotten, tliat this covenant remains unrepealed in any of its provisions,- as the Apostle proves, both in his epistle to the Romans, and in his epistle to the Galatians. Gentile believers come into it with their children^ who are now entitled to baptism, the ncAv token or seal of it; just, as in former days, the children of the Jews were entitled to circumcision, the first token or seal. Here, in fact, is the right of chiMre^i to hajAism to be founded. God gave to children a right to the seal of the covenant, which He never revoked. It is a divine right. Those who wish to see a larger discussion of this important subject, may find it in a book published by the writer, in 1812 ; en- titled " Letters explaining the Abrahamic covenant, with a view to establish on this broad and ancient basis the divine right of infant bajytism; addressed to the members of the Second Presbyterian Church, in Phila- delphia." CHAPTER IT. ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. Second Proof— Perpetuity of the Covenant — Everlast- ing — State of the Jews wonderful — Reason — Quotation — Change of Dispensation gradual — Old Covenant complex — Heavy burden to the Jews — Penally of exscision could not be inflicted by Christian Church — God alone could *nflict it — Season of forbearance — Error of Mr. W. — Paul's judgement — Timothy circumcised. In explaining the nature of the Abra- hamic covenant, it has been shown, that it contained both sjjiritual and temporal bless- ings ; — and that in correspondence with this two-fold kind of blessings, there was intro- duced into the covenant a two-fold seed, to which they respectively belonged; — that Abraham, the constituted head or father of the covenant, understood the great promise of it as relating to spiritual blessings, and accordingly looked for a better countr}^ than that of Canaan, a heavenly inheritance ; — ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 81 that, in the bestowment of both kinds of its blessings, God has exercised, and ever will exercise, his sovereignty^ though in perfect accordance with his justice ; that this cove- nant contained and exhibited the covenant of grace, and is an ecclesiastical covenant ; having for its great design the organization of the visible church, in the Patriarch's family, as a nursery to the invisible church, or in other words the transmission of saving blessings .SEMINALLY to the end of time; and that while the apostle Paul proves, both in his epistle to the Komans, and in that to the Galatians, its continued existence, he gives no intimation of its being repealed in any of its provisions. Mr. Williamson, while he admits the per- petuity of the Abrahamic covenant, has incautiously and without proof, laid it down as a rule, that "the line of succession or heirship, is to be found not in the churchy as under the old covenant, but only in true believers, as foretold by Jeremiah xxxi. 81.'* (p. 8.) Here we shall only observe in regard to 32 CONVEESION OF THE JEWS. . this great error, which goes to exclude* the children of believers from a covenant dela- tion with God, and to deprive them of a right baptism,, that the line of succession to spirit- ual blessings and right to circumcision, were not established b j the old covenant or law of Moses, but by the Abrahamic covenant ; which was not repealed in any provision by the new covenant of which Jeremiah speaks. "Moses, said our Lord to the Jews, there- fore gave unto you circumcision ; (not be- cause it is of Moses, but of the fathers ;) and ye on the Sabbath day circumcise a man." Of all the covenants the ideas of Mr. 'W. appear to be vague. He fails to make the correct and necessary distinctions. This will hereafter be proved. From the nature of the Abrahamic cove- nant, then, we infer its perpetuity. " This gracious constitution," (to use the writer's own language in his letters,) was intended by its glorious author, not merely to answer a temporary purpose, and last while the Mosaic economy continued ; but to endure as long ABEAHAMIC COVENANT. 33 as the sun and moon, and bless his church with heavenly influence, till He translate her from earth to heaven." This is our first argument to prove that the Jews will be converted as a-peojAe. I am aware of what reply might be made to this argument, on the supposition that Mr. Wil- liamson's theory is true. But what will become of the reply, when its foundation is subverted? In the mean time, we shall proceed on the plan of exhibiting our own views first, which we think will gain strength as we advance. SECOND PROOF. Perpetuity of the Covenant. It is expressly called everlasting. Here the writer may be permitted to use his own language uttered by him more than forty years ago. "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 34 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. thee." This term, it is admitted, has some- times a more limited sense, and is connected with things which last only for several ages- It is applied to the priesthood of Aaron, and to the great annual atonement for the Jewish people ; both of which have long since been abolished. But it will not follow, from this application of the term, in these two in- stances, and in others of a similar kind, that it should be understood, in the same limited sense, in its application to the Abrahamic covenant. It certainly is applied to objects as lasting as time, and to objects absolutely eternal. We read of the everlasting hills, the everlasting mountains, the everlasting remembrance of the righteous; everlasting life, everlasting kindness, the everlasting God. Why then should we not understand this term, in its application to the covenant, as expressing perpetuity ? WJiat just reason can be offered for taking it in a more limited sense ? Will it be said, the term is applied to the land of promise, from which the de- scendants of Abraham have for ages, been ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 35 expelled ; and tliat, therefore, the covenant ought not to be considered as being perpetual, any more than the possession of the land of Canaan ?" " We reply, Before a solid objection can be founded on this application of the term, it behooves those who urge it to prove, that the Jewish people shall never return to their ancient land, and occupy again the inheri- tance from which, on account of their crimes, they have been ejected. Their expulsion from it no more proves the grant to have terminated, at that dreadful period when they became vagabonds over the earth, than their former exile, under the Babylonish captivity, proved the term of donation to be then expired ; unless it can be clearly evinced, that they shall never return to their own country. Can this be done ? Can sat- isfactory proof be derived from the present state of this unhappy people ? They are indeed like dry bones. But the same Al- mighty power, which made them live when they themselves thought deliverance impos- S6 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. sible, and that there was no more hope of their being reorganized into a nation in their own land, than of bones, dry and bleached with the sun, being raised to life again ; can, with perfect ease, breathe on them, and cause them to live ; collect them out of all coim- tries whither they have been driven, and reestablish them in the country of their fore- fathers, in greater power and glory than ever. Indeed their present state renders.it probable, that the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, their illustrious progenitors, pitying their miseries, will at length redeem them out of the hands of all their enemies. For what purpose have they been, so many ages, preserved, amid innumerable hard- ships, a separate people ? No other nation, in similar circumstances, ever retained their distinctive character. All captives have, sooner or later, lost the marks which distin- guished them, and become incorporated with their conquerors. But the Jews, notwith- standing all attempts by Christian nations to destroy them as a people, have, in spite of ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 37 the greatest and most cruel severity employ- ed to subdue them, retained their distinct character, sentiments, and worship. How visible the finger of Jehovah in this phe- nomenon ! For what purpose this unusual interposition ? Why has Grod, by his prov- idence, preserved them as a separate people ? Only to render their conversion the more con- spicuous and remarkable, and then to amal- gamate them with other Christian nations ? Or is it his intention to restore them to their former inheritance, as well as to convert them to the faith of Christ ? If we consult the history of this wonderful people, and the marvellous deliverances effected for them in times past, there appears nothing incredible in an expectation of theii' return to their own land. The preservation of them as a separate people, evidently encourages it." pp. 50 — 53. Here the author, in his former publication, adduces particular prophecies in confirma- tion of his views. But in this, before he proceeds to that part of his proof, he will present the reader with the evidence which 2- 38 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. the apostle Paul fiirnislies tis for believing the Jews will, as a people, be converted to the faith of Christ, and brought into the Chris- tian Church. Previously to this, however, it will be proper to look at the condition of the Jews, during the period intervening between the death of Christ and the actual infliction of the penalty they had incurred, by crucifying and afterwards persisting in rejecting Him, by the Providence of God. The generation in which the Saviour was born, were very corrupt and wicked ; and to punish them the Romans had already been permitted to reduce them to a state of subjection to their empire, though they were allowed, in a great measure, to govern them- selves by their own laws, and to retain their peculiar worship. The sceptre had not de- parted from Judah; but it was shattered. " The kingdom of God," said our Lord, "shall be taken from you, and be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof (Mat. xxi. 43.) ABRAHAMIC COVENANT. 39 It was not then taken from them. The church still remained with them. And after his resurrection, the Redeemer directed his Apostles to remain at Jerusalem, until they received the promise of the Father, the gift of the Holy Ghost, to qualify them for their work ; He also commanded them to begin their ministry, by preaching the Gospel first at Jerusalem. (Acts i. 4 — 8.) They did so ; and continued, for a considerable time, to preach only to the Jews ; being unacquain- ted with the extent of their commission, until Peter was taught, by a remarkable vision, that it was lawful and proper to preach to the Gentiles, and freely associate with them. See Acts tenth chapter. The change contemplated by infinite wis- dom in regard to the church, was gradually brought about. It comprized the abolition of the old covenant and the introduction of the ncAV, as well as a new token or seal of the Abrahamic covenant. The accomplish- ment of this purpose required time, and a season of forbearance towards the Jews. 40 CHANGE OF DISPENSATION. At the death of Christ and his resurrec- tion, the typical part of the old covenant virtually lost its binding power on the church. This is illustrated by the apostle Paul, in the eighth^ ninth^ and tenth chapters of his epistle to the Hehreivs. But the whole of that covenant was not abolished. It was complex ; comprising moral, ecclesi- astical, civil, SiJid judicial laws. This will appear to any one who carefully reads the four books of Moses, Exodus, Le- viticus, Numbers and Deuteronoray . This covenant was not designed, originally to come in place of, or to supersede, or alter, but to subserve, the Abrahamic covenant. So Paul expressly teaches, in his epistle to the Galatians ; and that " the law was our school-master to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." See the third chapter. The moral law required from the Jews what it ever did, and ever will, require from all men, supreme love to God and perfect GRADUAL. 41 love to our neiglibor. Compare wliat our Lord said to a lawyer who inquired, " Master, wliich is the great commandment in the law ? (Mat. xxii. 36—39.) with what Moses said God required of Israel ; (Deut. x. 12, 13 ;) and you will see the same perfect obe- dience was required under the Old that is now required under the New covenant. The moral law has been the great rule of obedience in every covenant ; and from the demand of perfect obedience no one can be freed. Every deviation from this most perfect rule, ever has been, and ever will be, sin. Here may be introduced a passage from Mr. Williamson's letters to show how incor- rect his language is, and what wrong impres- sions it may make on uninformed minds. " In this consisted the difference between the old and the new covenant. According to the old, all those who complied with a few of the external conditions of that cove- nant, though they were not converted men, were Israelites (what kind?) in cov^enant, and heirs to the land of Canaan, which was 42 CHANGE OF DISPENSATION. one of the legacies bequeathed m the first covenant, and also to the privileges and blessings of the service of the temple. But in the new none would be admitted but true converts, who had the law written in their hearts." pp. 134, 135. Heirs to the land of Canaan ! That land had been promised to Abraham's " seed for an everlasting possessions^'' (Gen. xvii. 8,) and the promise had been fufilled. For ages they had been in possession of their inheri- tance. How then could these Israslites, " according to the flesh," be now denomina- ted " heirs to the land of promise ?" Is it proper to call a man who has possession of the legacy bequeathed by his father his heir ? Clearly not. He was an heir before his father's death, but not since " the legacy, (to use brother W.'s favorite language) was paid," and he has been living in the enjoyment of it. Again let it be remarked, his language is calculated to make a wrong impression on the mind of some readers, and lead them to suppose, that it was an easy matter to sus- GEADUAL. 43 tain the character of an Israelite in covenant with God. And was it so? To what a multitude (not a ''^fevo'^) external observances Avere the natural descendants subjected ! How fre- quently did they become unclean and unfit for the temple service ! Mr. W. has some- where cited a large number of offences for which they were to be "cut off from the people." The old covenant, far from being an easy, was a very severe service ; an intoler- able burden in the judgment oi Peter ; who, in the council held at Jerusalem, addressed to them this strong and emphatic question : " Now therefore, why tempt ye God, to put a yoke on the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we ivere able to bearT^ (Acts XV. 10.) Another remark should not be omitted on the language of Mr . W. He does not accurately distinguish between the Old and the Ahrahamic covenant, but rather con- founds them. We shall have occasion hereafter to show that, in our opinion, he M CHANGE OF DISPENSATION. does not understand correctly the import and effects of the new covenant of which Jeremiah prophesied. In further elucidating the condition of the Jews, in the intervening period referred to, let it be observed, that every converted Jew, and avowed disciple of our Lord, was, while he continued in Judea, bound to yield obe- dience to the laws enforced by the civil and ecclesiastical rulers of the land, which did not conflict with laws of Christ. Admitted ; the Jewish people, by reject- ing the Gospel of Christ and refusing to submit to his blessed reign, were exposed to the sentence of expulsion from his king- dom or church. But whose province was the infliction of this tremendous sentence ? . It was not put in the power of the Christian Church. The Apostles could warn and entreat, but not assume the prerogative of their Lord and Master. The ten tribes, by setting up the golden calves, in the two extremities of their land, became idolaters, and incurred the penalty GRADUAL. 45 of being disowned bj Jehovah. But the sentence was not executed immediately. In great mercy, God bore long with them, and sent prophet after prophet to warn and re- claim them ; and a period of forbearing mercy of about two hundred and fifty years intervened between the institution of idola- trous worship among them, and the infliction of the sentence so frequently denounced. A season of siniilar forbearance was allow- ed to the Jews, though not so long, before the Eomans were commissioned by God, to capture their cities, desolate their country, de- stroy Jerusalem, burn their temple, make an indiscriminate slaughter of its inhabitants, sell those that were not slain, and disperse them over the world. This fearful occur- rence took place in the year of our Lord 70, or about forty years after his resurrection from the dead. Then, and not till then, was proclaimed by God to the world against the Jews the fearful words, he had ages before proclaimed against Israel: " Ye are not my people, and I will not be your God." (Hosea i.9.) 46 CHANGE OF DISPENSATION. Mr. W. greatly errs in regard to tlie exe- cution of the sentence of exscision of the Jews. In the course of his reasoning to show this event took place at the death of Christ, he quotes a passage from PauVs epistle to the Hebrews ; (chap. viii. 13 ;) which if he had duly considered would have discov- ered to him his error. Had he given the whole verse, his readers might have detected his mistake. The verse reads thus : " In that he saith, A new covenant he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish awayJ^ Evidently, although old, decayed, and ready to vanish away, it had not yet, in the judgment of Paul, vanished away. That this was the real judgment of Paul, more proof will be presently furnished. Before this is presented, the readers atten- tion is requested to the manner in v/hich Mr. W. treats this text. He quotes it pcLr- tially. Having cited these words : "In that he saith a new covenant he hath made the first old." Here he stops; and instead of GKADUAL. 47 giving the Apostle's judgment, by quoting the remaining part of the verse, he substi- tutes his own opinion, by adding, "So it would vanish away." And then he inquires, *' Has it passed away ?" In answer to this question, by an errone- ous interpretation of the reasoning of Paul about the typical part of the old covenant, he is led to this conclusion, "The end of which, (the old covenant,) Paul says, had come when Christ died.'''' (p. 139.) But Paul did not say so ; for, although he had asserted in the text quoted above, " It was ready to vanish away ; yet he knew it had not vanished, and was not deprived of all its force. Parts of it retained their author- ity. This gTeat Apostle, while he firmly assert- ed and maintained the liberty which Christ had granted to Gentile believers, and, at Antioch, boldly rebuked the improper and timid conduct of the apostle Peter ; (Gal. ii. 11 — 21;) yet complied with Jewish prejudices as far as the just maintenance of " the truth of the Gospel," would allow. 48 CHANGE OF DISPENSATION. Timothy was the son of a Jewess by his father, who was a Greek ; and when Paul resolved to take him with him in the work of the ministry, we are informed, by the sa- cred historian, that " Paul circumcised him, because of the Jews which were in those quarters ; for they all knew that his father was a Greek." (Acts xvi. 1 — 3.) The Apostle knew that God alone, who had established the Mosaic economy or the old covenant, could put an end to it, by His Providence subverting the whole govern- ment of the Jewish nation, both ecclesiastical and civil ; and hence in his epistles, he in- culcated on christians, mutual forbearance towards one another in unessential matters, and in regard to what they might in each other consider as the dictates of an erroneous conscience, (see Eom. xiv. 18 — 28.) When he wrote his epistle to the Hebrews, (supposed by Scott to have been written during his imprisonment at Kome,) he saw the great decisive act of Divine Providence approaching; and therefore, while he en- GRADUAL. 49 deavored to enlighten the minds of the Hebrews, in regard to the new and christian dispensation, which God was gradually in- troducing over j_^His church, he expressed himself in the text quoted above, as he did : " Now that which decay eth and waxeth old, is ready to vanish away.'''' It was ready to vanish, but it had not yet vanished away. — The final stroke of its Divine Author, by which it would be prostrated, had not fallen upon it. Misled by his theory^ Mr. W. has, in our judgment, rashly asserted, that no intimation of the conversion of the Jews is to be found in the Bible ; although he has looked at the 11th chapter of the epistle to the Eomans, and written his remarks on it : which, we think, contains not only intimations, but c?ear p'oofs of so cheering an event. CHAPTER III. Impediment to a correct interpretation of Eom. xi — Results of Mr. W.'s plan of investigating the scripturea — First result — Erroneous views — Vile character of the Jews by Jeremiah — State of Gentiles— Paul's character before conversion — Second result — Paul's view of heirs of the promise — Penalty of exscision explained in regard to un- circumcised children — In regard to David — Individuals and a City — When idolatry generally prevailed God alone could inflict the penalty. To the exposition of that delightful chap- ter we should now proceed ; but we deem it expedient, first, to present to the reader the results of Mr. Williamson's theory and plan of investigating the sacred scriptures, to find out the designs of Divine Providence in re- gard to the Jewish people. This, it is believed, will lead to a discovery, that his theory is unfounded and his plan of inquiry erroneous ; and prepare the reader to receive an exposition of that portion of inspired truth, which we deem to be correct. OBJECTIONS. 51 The results to wliich Mr. W. has come appear to us indeed surprising. 1. The first is, That thej will never be converted to the Christian faith^ as a people^ nor ever belong to the Christian Cliurch. He says, "There appears, therefore, no promise in the Old or New Testament, that they will ever return as a nation, either as the church, or to the church, or in any other way, except as individuals in common with the Grentiles.'' (pp. 5, 6, Introduction.) " Thus far, then, we see nothing like a direct or ever implied assertion, that more than a very few of the Jews are ever to return to the church." p. 125. Further, Mr. W. contends, that the Jews will, as a people, not only remain out of the church, but be held up, by Divine Provi- dence, as a heacon to warn others against the danger of unbelief to the end of time. On page 9, he says, *'That the church has no more to seek for, and expect their conversion, than that of Q% CONVERSION OF THE JKWS. any other people : and beyond that, it seems more than intimated, that these scattered Jews as a nation (people ?) will never be con- verted, nor amalgamated with other nations^ except a feiv of them, bnt will always, as now, stand out, in every nation, as beacons of warning to them of the fearful conse- quence of rejecting Christ, calling him an impostor, and trampling on his blood." This is followed (j^p. 9, 10,) by a singular and confused argument. In opposition to it our design is to show, in the proper place, that more than one j)rophet has distinctly taught that the Jews would go into captivity after that in Babylon ; and that the Jews, as Jews, would be carried captive by the Komans, after the final capture and destruc- tion of Jerusalem. How could the Jews be carried captive by the Komans but as Jews ? Jews they certainly were at the time ; though not such spiritual Jcavs as Paul char- acterizes in Eom. ii. 28, 29 ; and the seed of Abraham," in the sense affixed to the terms by our Lord, when, in his controversy with OBJECTIONS. 53 the Jews, lie said, "I know that je are Abraham's seed," (John viii. 87,) and when He at the same time, (verse 44,) said, " Ye are of your father the devil, and the Inste of your father ye will do." It is owing to not making proper distinc- tions, that brother W. speaks as he does, in the last paragraph of the 10th page. While the Jews occupied their own land, before the advent of our Lord, none but true believers were the " seed of Abraham," as Paul (Gal. iii. 29,) used the term, '' and heirs according to the promise ; the great promise of the covenant, as we have explained. (See pp. 15, 20.) No one who understands the scriptures, will call the existing Jews the seed of Abra- ham according to Paul's meaning, or say they have any claim to this great promise. Here we think it proper to notice two other passages, to show how strangely our brother reasons. One is found on page 149. "But first I would remark, that if we have been successful in proving that the only 54 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. seed of Abraham and heirs of the promises, are at present true behevers, then they are not in captivity, and so cannot now come out of it." It is evident from what has been just said, that we shall admit his premises ; but we cannot admit his conclusion. John, in his apocalypse, (chap. xii. 12,) has given a glorious symbol of the true church of God ; and (in verse 6,) he says, "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days." Is she not in captivity ? Who drove her into the wilderness ? Was she not driven there by those anti-christian men who re- ceived jDOwer from the " great red dragon?" And does she not contain many true be- lievers ? Her period of 1,250 3'ears are not expired ; and when they shall expire, and she shall be permitted to come out of the wilderness, and enjoy her glorious liberty, will she not come OBJECTIONS. 55 out of captivity^ and receive greater blessings, tlian tlie Jews received under the proclama- tion of Cjrus, by wbicli tliey were set free from Babylonish captivity ? Another paragraph is found on page 159. '' Besides, all this was to be done for the house of Israel and the house of Judah, which were then to go into captivity, includ- ing the whole church of Christ. But if this return be future, then these blessings are either promised to a people whom Christ calls the children of the De^^l, or to the church, which is not captivity." This is not the place to expose the erron- eous interpretation Mr. W. puts on pre- dictions referred to by him, in regard to the restoration of the Jews to their own land. This Avill be attended to in another part of our discussion. Here we only ask. What was the charac- ter of the Jews, when the promise on which he so much insists, that they should be delivered from captivity in Babylon ? Were they not exceedingly corrupt ? Were they 56 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. not dismally stained with tlie guilt of gross, idolatry ? Miglit not tlie great mass of them be characterized as "the children of the Devil ?" And did not God send them into captivity as a punishment of their idolatry and other crimes ? What a black catalogue. of their crimes, is given by Jeremiah, in chapter xxxiii. 26—85 ; and yet from verse 36 to the end of the chapter, he utters those most gracious promises of their return, and of the signal blessings God engaged to be- stow on them ! Now, if Jehovah could give to this de- praved people such precious promises of what He intended to do for the next genera- tion ; why could He not utter to the same people, the same house of Israel, and the same house of Judah, promises of what He designs to do for generations in some far distant period ? How vile was the character of the Gen- tiles, when the Lord was pleased to direct the prophets to record their predictions, that the Gentiles should be brought into his OBJECTIONS. 75 cliurcli? And, indeed, how exceedingly abandoned to wickedness, were tliej when the Gospel was first preached to them ! How black and dismal the colors in which Panl has drawn their character ! (Eom. i. 18 — 32.) What was Paul himself when he was converted? Was he not a child of the Devil? Does he not characterize himself as having been "a blasphemer, a persecutor, and the chief of sinners ?" And does he not magnify the grace of Christ in dying, not only for sinners, but for the chief of sinners ? How futile, then, the alternative proposed by our brother in the close of the paragraph cited above 1 "But if this return be yet future, then these blessings are either promised to a peo- ple whom Christ calls the children of the De^T-1, or to the church, which is not in cap- tivity. Yes, when first given they were uttered to that wicked and abandoned people de- scribed by Jeremiah; and when fulfilled 58 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. they will confer inestimable blessings upon a vile generation, that will change tlie cliil- dren of the Devil into sons of the most High God! And, doubtless, were brother W. to hve to see the fulfilment of these blessed prom- ises, he would feel somewhat as the pre- judiced disciples of Christ at Jerusalem did, after Peter had rehearsed his visit to Corne- lius, the Eoman Centurian ; "When they heard these things they held their peace, and glorified God, saying. Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life." (Acts xi. 1—4, 18.) 11. The second result to which Mr. "W. has arrived, is stated by him, in his Introduction (p. 8.) thus : " So that after this, the line of succession or heirship is to be found, not in the chiircli^ as under the old covenant, but only in true believers, as foretold by Jer. xxxi. 31." A sad result indeed ! It cuts off children from the great privilege of being in cove- nant with God, secured to them by the OBJECTIONS. 59 Abrahamic covenant, and deprives them of its seal. It was not tlie Old or Sinai cove- nant that conferred on them these inestima- ble privileges, but the Abrahamic. The Old^ or national^ covenant was instituted in subserviency to this ecclesiastical covenant, as we have shown, (page 23.) It was made at Mount Sinai with the Israelites ; because they had become a nation. It gave them no title to the great promise in the Abra- hamic covenant ; it only repeated the prom- ise of the land of Canaan, which the wicked generation that came out of Egypt, after- wards lost through their repeated rebellions. (Num. xiv. 22—24.) Mr. W. greatly fails in making proper distinctions, and not unfrequently confounds the covenants. This will often aj^pear. Let us look, at the different steps by which he has reached his conclusion. On page 38 we find these words : ^' After the complete organization of the Jewish Church, (Israelitish ?) none were re- cognized as belonging to the heirs of promise, who were not in that church, whether Jews 60 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. or of Gentile origin, while all in it were counted heirs." How erroneous ! Paul has explained the meaning of the Abrahamic covenant, in two of his epistles ; and in Gal. iii. 29, he has given us this rule : " And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs accord- ing to the promised This text is quoted again and again by Mr. "W. ; and yet, with it before his eyes, he has fallen into so great an error 1 Were all in the church when completely organized, whether Jews or of Gentile origin, Chrisfs f Had they the faith of Abraham? "Were they heirs of the promise f Were they jus- tified, as Abraham was when he believed? and were that whole generation concerning whom, God, provoked by their repeated re- bellions, sware, that their carcasses should fall in the wilderness, heirs of the promise ? Did they fall from grace? On page 44, Mr. W. subsequently to the dispersion of the ten tribes, or Israel, by the Assyrians, says : *' This, I think, we may now safely lay it OBJECTIONS. 61 down as our future rule of examination till the deatli of Christ, that all who were regu- larly in the Jewish Church, after its complete organization, were counted Israel the seed of Abraham and heirs of the promises, and none others." Here he betrays the same want of dis- crimination, and fails to profit by the instruc- tions of Paul ; who says ; For they are not all Israel which are of Israel ; neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is. They which are the chil- dren of the flesh, these are not the chil- dren of God : but the children of promise are counted for the seed." The Apostle goes on, in illustration of his distinction, and shows how from the beginning, God, as a Sovereign, bestowed his blessings, on whom He was pleased to choose. (Eom. ix. 6 — 24.) "All regularly in the Jewish Church," were not counted Israel in the Apostle's sense of the appellation ; nor were they, according to his meaning, the seed of Abra- ham, nor heirs of the ^promise. 62 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. The questions proposed by brother W., in his sixth letter, are singular indeed ! Who ever maintained or even hinted, that the beheving Jews who received and obeyed Christ our Lord, " forfeited their character as Jews, and their claims as heirs of the promises made to Abraham and his seed? Or whoever asserted, that those Jews, "who called him an impostor, and joined in purse- cuting and putting to death the Son of God, thereby secured to themselves and their children forever all those rich legacies which were yet due by covenant promise to the lawful heirs of Abraham ?" Here we have another specimen of the strange alteimatives^ into which Mr. "W. has been betrayed by his erroneous theory. To the questions proposed by him at the close of this letter, (pp. 65, 65,) we answer ; That the " rebellion" of the unbelieving Jews did not constitute them the exclusive heirs, or heirs at all to the promises, but led to their expulsion from the covenant ; and that the obedience of the believing part, so OBJECTIONS. 63 far from cutting them off from the promises, made tliem what they were not before, though in the church, the true seed of Abra- ham. Christ, after his resmTCction had a kingdom, and he reigned not only over be- lieving Jews ; but, as their king, he punish- ed, in due time, those Jews who said, "We will not have this man to reign over us," by expelling them from his kingdom or church. And we believe, that as they never had been, so now they are not the spiritual seed of Abraham ; but may be denominated, as Christ did denominate them " the children of the devil;" and yet a future generation of these opposers of Christ, v/ill, according to prophetic assurances, receive converting grace, from Him who died for sinners, and " came to call not the righteous, but sinners to repentance ;" and be brought again into His church, to hail Him as their King, and yield to Him a willing obedience. The interpretation which Mr. W. puts on two passages, quoted by him, is entirely in- correct ; and, of course his reasoning on 64 COXVERSION OF THE JEWS. tliem is in conclusive, (pp. 62, 63.) He assumes tliat our Lord was not invested with universal power, nor constituted judge, be- fore his resurrection. Is this so ? John, His forerunner, early delivered this testimony : " The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands. He that beUeveth on him hath everlasting life, &c. (John iii. 35, 36.) And just after He had commissioned the twelve to preach in the villages of the Jews, He said of Himself, " All things are delivered unto me of my Father ; and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father ; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him," (Mat, xi. 27.) And again in vindicating his conduct in healing the impotent man on the Sabbath, He told the enraged Jews, "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son ; th^t all men should honor the Son, even as OBJECTIONS. 65 they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son, honoreth not the Father which hath gent him." John v. 21—23. See also vs. 24 —29. Chap. xiii. S—6, 12—17. It was, then, no want of power in our Redeemer, as Mr. W. assumes, or of au- thority as a judge, that He refased comph- ance with a request about dividing an inheritance, or that He hmited the commis- sion of the twelve to the Jews. His infinite wisdom prompted Him to act as He did in both cases. Difference hetween exposure to, and the in flic- iion of a penalty. There is a manifest distinction to be made between the incurring of a penalty and the execution of the penalty. In illustration of this remark, let us refer to a passage in Mr. W.'s letters. He writes (pp. 7, 8,) thus : " Then when we trace the history of Judah down to the time of Christ, we see them again divide into two parties," (had not such parties always existed among the Jews from their 66 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. return from Babylonisli captivity?) "the smaller, as always, following, and the larger rejecting Christ, and refusing to obey Him, and finally causing Him to be put to death, and seem thereby to incur the penalty of FINAL exscision from all future connection with the people of God, according to the law of Moses ; Deut. xviii. 19, as explained by Peter, Acts iii. 23, in further proof of which they have remained separate now for more than 1,800 years. The penalty here, as explained by Peter, seems as positive as that of an uncircumcised man child ; and therefore all the heirs that remain after this, are to be found in that party that received Christ as their Saviour, and obeyed Him as their King, and those that fell to him from other Jews soon after." • On this passage we ask, first^ To what were the circumcised male children heirs ? Not to the land of Canaan, for they were born in it, and as they grew up, lived in the enjoyment of the inheritance that had been promised to their fathers. Without faith OBJECTIOXS. 67 tliey could not become lieirs to tlie great promise of wliicli Paul speaks, in Gal. iii. 29. Second^ Was no room left for repentance, to the uncircumcised man-child, whose crim- inal parents had neglected to have impressed on him the token of the covenant ? When he grew up, and wished to be restored among God's people, could he not enter again and recover his forfeited privileges, as well as a Gentile ? This, it is presumed, our brother will hardly deny. The case then of an uncircumcised man- child is unfortunately introduced as a proof of i\\Q final exscision of the Jews. The children of that rebellious generation that came out of Egypt, were not circum- cised in the wilderness; and the reason probably was, because their fathers were cast out of the covenant, when God swore they should not enter the land of promise. But their children were admitted into the covenant; and therefore, circumcised by God's command, soon after they had crossed 68 CONVERSION OP THE JEWS. the river Jordan, and entered the land of promise. See Joshua v. 2 — 7. David, h J committing adultery with Bath- sheba, and murdering her husband, had exposed himself to the penalty of death. (Levit. XX. 10.) But who shall execute the law, and put the king to death ? Nathan, the Prophet, was sent to David to convince him of the greatness of his guilt, and that he deserved to have the pen- alty of God's holy law inflicted on him. (2 Sam. xii. 1—12.) But when David acknowledged his guilt, the Prophet an- nounced his forgiveness : "And Nathan said unto David, The Lord also hath put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die." (2 Sam. xii. 13, 14.) CASE OF IDOLATERS. Further to illustrate the importance of distinguishing between liability to punish- ment and the infliction of the threatened punishment, take another case. Look at OBJECTIONS. 69 idolatry. Tlie laws of God against tliis great crime were very severe and very just. If a man were secretly enticed to this vile transgression, by his brother, or son, or daughter, or the wife of his bosom, he was, not only forbidden to yield, but solemnly required to cause the offender, to be put to death, and to commence the act of stoning, Deut. xiii. 6 — 11.) Then follows, from verse 12 to 17th, directions how the Israelites were to act in regard to a city that had gone astray in this matter. After making due inquiry, if it was found that the city was guilty, they were commanded to " smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword," and. " burn with fire the city." CASE OF NATIONAL IDOLATRY. But when the people of Israel became generally idolaters, it is manifest the punish- ment could not, and would not, be inflicted by the hands of their rulers ; and that God alone could deal with them as they deserved. How often did Israel, after their settlement 70 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. in Canaan, fall into the great sin of idolatry ! They deserved to be disowned by Jehovah, and He might have destroyed them. But He did not, although He often sold them into the hands of their enemies ; and thus severely punished them. Yet, being merci- ful and long suffering, when they repented and cried to Him, He heard and delivered them, and restored them to favor. Eeadthe Book of Judges, and particularly chap. ii. 11 — 23. chap. iii. 5 — 30. chap. vi. 1—14 ; 33—40. chap. vii. 1—25. It is apparent, then, that exposure to a penalty and the infliction of it, are two distinct and different things. Mr. W. fails to make this necessary distinction. Let the language of Moses, (Deut. xviii. 15 — 19,) be compared with Peter's exposi- tion ; (Acts iii. 23 ;) and it will be found they perfectly agree. If brother W. had cited what Peter says in 25 and 26th verse, the reader would have seen these words : " Ye are the children of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, OBJECTIONS. 71 saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed. Unto you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities." This agi'ees with what he had said, on the day of Pentecost : " Kepent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children^ and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Let it be observed, that, on both occasions, Peter addressed his hearers thus : " Ye men of Israel." (chap. ii. 22. chap. iii. 12.) It is plain, then, that Mr. W. cannot de- rive, either from the words of Peter, or from the case of the uncircumcised man-child, any proof, that the penalty of exscision from the covenant had, at the time of Peter's ad- dresses, after our Lord had arisen from the dead and ascended to heaven, been inflicted on the Jews. 72 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. The contrary is apparent ; for they were addressed still as God's covenant people. Nor can lie prove from sacred scripture, that God, by His providence, expelled them from the covenant, in the life-time of the Apostle Peter, CHAPTER TV. God has a visible Church — Committed to fallible men — Perfectly pure Church never existed^-Children members — Covenant unchanged — Not a Will— Consequences of regarding it as such— Promise boundless and eternal. Let US now return to the passage transcrib- ed from Mr. "W. ; at tlie head of this par- ticular. What does he mean ? Does he intend to teach that the New Covenant engages that all the members of God's church on earth, shall be taught of God, be regenerated per- sons, true behevers ? Then he teaches what the covenant does not engage. VISIBLE CHUECH. God has a visible church on earth ; and this church is made visible in regard to adult members, by their profession of religion and participation of the sacraments, baptism, and the Lord's supper; and the administration 3* 74 COXVERSION" OF THE JEWS. of its affairs, lias been committed, by our Lord and Saviour to ministers appointed by Himself for tlie purpose ; wlio are dXl fallible men, unable to searcli the heart and guard against deception. They may receive into the church, not only self-deceivers, who do not intend to deceive, but real hypocrites , who design to impose on them. NO VISIBLE CHURCH PERFECTLY PURE. There never existed such a pure church, as Mr. "W. contemplates, since the organiza- tion of it in the family of Abraham. Even in the small family of our blessed Lord there was a de^dl, a traitor. And in the Apostohc church were found Ananias and Saphira, his wife, who were both stricken dead at Peter's feet ; because they lied to the Holy Ghost. (Acts v. 8 — 5, 8—10.) Simon Magus professed to believe, and was baptized by Philip ; but, when he dis- covered the wickedness of his heart, by offering money to i)urchase " the gift of OBJECTIONS. 67 God," Peter said, " Thy money perisli with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter : for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Eepent therefore of this thy wicked- ness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitter- ness, and in the bond of iniquity." (Acts viii. 20—23.) Subsequently when the church at Jerusa- lem had so increased, that many thousands of Jews believed, {mi/riads, many ten thous- ands in the original,) the probabihty is, that many false professors had gained admission into the church. Besides, to the visible church belong the baptized children of professing christians. The privilege of membership was given to children by God, in the covenant made with Abraham ; and it is out of the power of Mr. W. to prove it was ever taken from them, or that the covenant organizing the 76 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. church, was ever so changed, as to throw children out of a co vena at relation to God. The new covenant was not designed, as will hereafter appear, to deprive children of their long enjoyed privilege. They are still entitled to it, and are yet embraced within the covenant's ample folds. If, then, the Abrahamic covenant remains essentially the same, its great design of making the visible church a nursery to the invisible church, or, in other words, trans- mitting the blessings of salvation seminally, must still remain unaffected by any change of dispensation. So believed Peter when he said, " Ye men of Israel" — " The promise is to you and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." — Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, "And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." OBJECTIONS. 77 This covenant contemplated the introduc- tion of the Gentiles ; and when the grace of God brought them into the Jewish Christian Church, their children came with them ; and the great design of the covenant remained the same." " The line of succession" was not taken from the visible churchy and given to the world. Bead and search the history of the church, after it had been augmented by large acces- sions from Gentile nations ; and it will be found, that the blessings of salvation were transmitted to the children of professing christians. The line of succession is still in the church, and will remain in it, to the end of time. ^ The day approaches when that prediction will receive a glorious accomplishment : " In- stead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth." (Ps. xlv. 16.) From the review of the two results, at which Mr. W . has arrived, in his investiga- *See Appendix, A. 78 CONVERSION OF THE JEAVS. tion of the present and fature condition of the Jews, it is clear in our judgment, that he has been misled by a false theory, and want of suf&cient and correct views of the covenants. Had he duly studied the Abrahamic cov- enant, he would have discovered, that it contained both spiritual and temporal or eX' ternal blessings, and that, in corresjDondence with the two-fold blessings, it comprehended a two-fold seed ; " children of the jlesW and ''^ children of promise f^ or children hj hirth and children by grace. Had he sufficiently studied this great ecclesiastical covenant, he would not have commenced with such a vague inquiry, as is found on page 4th of his Introduction : " Who are, at present, the recognized seed of Abraham, to whom the promises belong ?" Adverting to the two-fold kind of bless- ings or promises, and the two-fold seed contemplated in the covenant, he would have proposed his inquiry in a less general OBJECTIONS. 79 and more correct form ; lie would have ex- plained to wliicli seed lie referred, and shown distinctly what promises he meant. Had he done this, he wou\d have preserved both himself and his readers from going astray from the true path. Had Mr. W. possessed an adequate ac- quaintance with the Abrahamic covenant, he would have seen the impropriety of con- sidering this covenant as a Will or Testament It is no where presented, by the inspired writers, in this light ; it is uniormly denom- inated by them a covenant. It is so styled by Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians ; when he shows that the law, or Old covenant, instead of disannulling, was designed to subserve the fulfilment of this covenant ; that had been confirmed before of God in Christy four hundred and thirty years pre- viously to the gi^T.ng of the law. (chap, iii.) And so in his epistle to the Hebrews, (Chap. vi. 13 — 18,) it is called, ^^ promise^ couiiseV But, in neither of these chapters of that epistle, (the eighth, ninth and tenth,) where 80 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. he contrasts tlie New and the Old cove- nant, is it once so named. In reference to the death of Christ, the covenant of which he is Mediator, is denom- inated a Testament; and the Old covenant, with which this covenant is contrasted, receives a like denomination. By viewing the Abrahamic covenant as a Will or Testament^ Mr. W. falls into a mani- fest contradiction, and confounds it with the Old covenant. At the top of page 16, he writes thus : "In examining the question who are heirs to a will, both the law of the land and the conditions of the will, are to be carefully examined." This is certainly true. But in regard to the question, (page 177.) "Who are the lawful heirs of the bequests made to the seed of Abraham ?" he writes very differently ; and says : " This seeihs to be a question totally dis- tinct from the question, AYhat are the con- tents of a will? and should surely be OBJECTIONS. 81 definitely settled before we look at the contents of tlie will ; for before I know whether I am an heir, the contents of the will are of little consequence to me. Indeed, it is always difficult to understand an obscure will till we know distinctly of whom it speaks ; and so of the Abrahamic will as expounded by the Prophets." Now this, in my opinion, is in direct op- position to the rule laid down in the first quotation. On page 19, we find this passage : " In looking over the will of our Lord, among many things a little obscure, the fol- lowing seem to be plain in the conditions of the will as recorded." Mr. "W. then goes on to specify seven conditions as plain. We shall not stop to show how inaccurately several of them are expressed, but only draw the attention of the reader to the seventh^ on page 20. When he has perused it, we request him to attend to a few questions. How many of those who were conveited on the day of 82 CONVEESION OF THE JEWS. Pentecost, liad cried out for tlie crucifixion of Ckrist? (Acts ii. S6.) Subsequently we are informed, that tlie number of the disci- ples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the Priests were obedient to the faith; (Acts vi. 7;) how many of these Priests and disciples had rejected Christ, and united in the dreadful impreca- tion ? " His blood be upon us and our children !" The same question might be asked in regard to the many myriads^ many ten thousands who afterwards were converted and believed in Christ. (Acts xxi. 20.) Paul was an obstinate blasphemer, and bitter persecutor; yet he obtained mercy, and became the great Apostle of the Gen- tiles, eminently successful in preaching the Gospel of Christ. The attention of the reader is called to these questions to impress his mind deeply with the conviction, that there is a vast dif- ference between liability to exscision from the covenant and the actual and permanent infliction of that tremendous punishment ; OBJECTIONS. 83 and to disabuse his mind from the impres- sion, wliicli Mr. TV. wished to produce, that no hope of the future restoration of the Jews can be entertained; because they have been expelled from the covenant for 1,800 years. The language which Mr. AY. is led to use, by viewing the Abrahamic covenant as a Will, sounds u.npleasantly to the writer's ear. He talks nhoiit j^ccid and inipcdd legacies and hequests. Such words seem to me to be unsuitable to the dignity of the subject ; for what legacy or bequest of a spiritual kind has ever been paid. Take, for illustration the father of the faithful. What was prom- ised to him, while 3'et on earth? "A hea- venly country ; a city which hath founda- tions, whose builder and maker is God ;" which, if it had not been prepared for him and his sons, Isaac and Jacob, God would have been ashamed " to be called their God." (Heb. xi. 9, 10 ; 13—16.) When Abraham died, this promise to which he had been earnestly looking, Avhile on earth, began to be fulfilled. It was also promised\ that he 84 CONVEESION OF THE JEWS. should be "the heir of the world;" (Eom, iv. 13 ;) and this also has received an incip- ient fulfilment. But neither promise has, at this distant day, received its full accomplishment. The Millenium is yet to come ; the spirit- ual seed of Abraham, among all future nations, in that glorious period of light and truth and grace, must be brought into the church; the harvest^ the harvest of souls, is yet to be reaped ; — the last trumpet must sound ; — the dead must rise ; — ^the judge must " sit upon the throne of his glory ;" the righteous and the wicked must be arraigned before Him ; the sentence must be pronounced on the righteous, " Come, ye blessed of my Fa- ther, inherit the kingdom prepared for you, from the foundation of the world;" — the righteous must " go into life eternal." (Mat. XXV. 81—34, 46.) And will the promises be then fulfilled ? Oh! no; they will be fulfilling through eter- nal ages ; and yet never fulfilled. This is their crowning glory : they run parallel with eternity. OBJECTIONS. 85 Use, brother, scripture language. Away with " paid and unpaid legacies and be- quests ;" they clip the wings of the imagina- tion, when it ought to soar into regions of blessedness that have absolutely no bounds. Eternal holiness and eternal happiness ! '\Vliat a subject of contemplation for an im- mortal mind ! CIIAPTEK Y. The New covenant not opposed to the Abrahamic — ^Why called New — Illustrated — Sets aside the Old — Incipient fulfilment — More glorious fulfilment future — Made with the visible Church — Promises not to be taken in a literal and absolute sense — Jeremiah xxxi — Line of succession remains in the Visible Church. In the course of this review of Mr. W.'s letters, it has been said, he does not under- stand correctly the New covenant of which Jeremiah speaks. To show that this has not been spoken unadvisedly and without foundation, an at- tempt will now be made to explain its true nature. Already from several remarks thrown out, it is plain, he has confounded the Abrahamic with the Old covenant ; and thus set the new covenant in opposition to the former. I. It may throw hght on the subject, if we inquire, why this covenant is called a Neio covenant ? The reason cannot be, because the law OBJECTIONS. 87 was not written hy God on the hearts of any, till the operation of this co vena] it. It was thus written, on the heart of Abra- ham, " the friend of God." It was thus written on the heart of Noah : Of him the Apostle says, " B}^ faith Noah, being warned of God, of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house ; hj which he condemn- oxl the world, and became heir of the ridit- eousness which is by faith." (Heb. xi. 7.) It was thus written on the heart of Enoch, and of Abel. See Avhat is said of them in Heb. xi. 4, 5. In fact, the law was, from the beginning of the world, thus written on the hearts of all who became pious. All were taught, and enlightened, and sanctified, by the Spirit of God. Not one was seen walking in the fear of God and obeying Him, who was not indebted to the Spirit for light to bring him out of his native darkness, and for grace to change his de- ]>raved nature. 8S CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. It is denominated a New covenant ; be- cause, under its operation, God engaged to bestow bis spirit in a more abundant measure, on bis cburcb, — to increase ber bgbt, — to enlarge ber privileges, — and multiply ber spiritual members. Tbis may be illustrated, by referring to language used by our Eedeemer, on two occasions. " In tbe last day, tbat gTeat day of tbe feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man tbirst, let bim come unto me, and drink. He tbat believetb on me, as tbe scripture batb said, out of bis belly sball flow rivers of living water. (But tbis spake be of tbe Spirit, wbicb tbey tbat believed on bim, sbould receive : for tbe Holy Gbost was not yet given ; because tbat Jesus was not yet glorified.) (Jobn vii. 87—39.) Tbis interpretation of our Lord's meaning by tbe Evangelist, is not to be taken literally and strictly, as asserting tbat tbe Holy Spirit bad not been before imparted to tbe cburcb ; but as teacbing us, tbat tbe abundant measure OBJECnONS. 89 of his heavenly influence was reserved, till the Redeemer's glorification ; and that the abund- ant effusion of the Spirit, was to be granted, after his ascension into heaven and session at God's right hand, to the church, as his cor- onation gift ; and thus to honor Him, who was so highly exalted, as a reward for his obedience unto death, even the death of the cross, as our Mediator. On another occasion, the night in which He was betrayed, Jesus said to his disciples : " A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another ; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John xiii. 34.) This commandment was not absolutely new ; for one gi^eat commandment of the law was this : " Thou shalt love thy neigh- bor as thy self." And we have seen how the Redeemer explained it, in reply to a ques- tion presented by a lawyer. John, in his first epistle says, " Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment, which ye had from the 90 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the begin- ning. Again, a itew commandment I write unto you ; which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. (1 John ii. 7. 8.) In like manner, and for reasons already suggested above, the covenant referred to is denominated a New covenant ; and also in reference to that made at Sinai, which be- came Old^ by the introduction of the New. But it contains no promise, that every member of the visible church shall be regen- erated and really pious. II. The New covenant was designed to set aside, and actually did, in due time, set aside the Old covenant made at Sinai. But it pro- duced no essential change in the Abrahamic covenant. With this ecclesiastical covenant, the New is in perfect accordance ; being de- signed to impart to its operations new life, and vigor, and greater extent. The Apostle Paul expressly teaches (Gal. iii. 29,) that all true christians are the spirit- 0BJECTI0X3. 91 nal seed of Abraham, and " heirs according to promise ;" the great promise made to him and to his seed ; and all true chris- tians do accordingly receive the enlightening and sanctifying, comforting and strengthen- ing influence of the Spirit, (though in different degrees,) engaged to be granted in that promise ; and they will through life, continue to receive the blessed influence of the Holy Spirit ; and at death will be conveyed, by angels, to Abraham's bosom, in the heavenly countrv to which he has gone. And all true christians do jDarticipate in every blessing specified in the New covenant, in the degree appointed to each, by infinite and sovereign wisdom. III. But the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, contemplated in other prophetic prom- ises, while they are given to the churchy and are intended for her general advancement, yet do not belong to all her members ; that is, all do not receive these miraculous gifts of the Spirit. This subject is amply treatelc. Paul's testi^iony. 135 So in times past, on individuals wlio escaped punishment from the rulers of the church, God doubtless inflicted j)unishment, by remo^dng them from this world. It was made the duty of magistrates to put false prophets to death. (Deut. xiii. 1-5.) But, in times of general corruption, this duty was neglected ; and then God sometimes inflicted punishment in some remarkable manner. (See Jer. xxix. 20-23, 30-32.) Nearly thirty years had elapsed from the death and resurrection of our Lord to the date of this epistle to the Komans ; and dur- ing that period, many of the chief priests, scribes, and pharisees, who were leaders in the opposition to Him, would, in the natural course of things, if not by special providence, be removed to another world, and have gone to give an account of their great wickedness in persecuting the Son of God. Yet the term some^ and not many, is used by the inspired writer in the seventeenth verse. In the followino- verses. (17-22,) the apos- 136 COXVEESION OF THE JEWS. tie reminds the believing Eomans of their obligations to the Jews into whose church thej had been introduced, and of the great privileges and blessings thej enjoyed from their standing in it ; and that, as they were admitted as members by faith in Christ, so they could remain members only by the continued exercise of faith. He inculcates the necessity of humility of mind, and warns them, that if they fail in profiting by their peculiar spiritual advantages, they would incur such guilt as might provoke God to treat them with the severity exercised to- wards the offending Jews, and finally cast them away as dead branches from the good olive tree, fit only to be burned up in the fire. Alas! the fearful consequences of not con- tinuing to give heed to this solemn warning ! The believing Eomans occupied a distin- guished place of residence. Eome was then the Mistress of the world, the centre of civili- zation, learning, wealth, and the arts. Their faith and piety qualified them for a residence PAUL'S TESTIMONY. 137 in tlie world's cajDital. What a high com- mendation is jDassed on them by the great apostle ! " To all that be in Eome, beloved of God, called to be saints : Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world." (Chap. i. 7-8.) The faith and piety of this church continued to flourish through bitter seasons of terrible persecutions. But when Christianity had gained the ascendant over Paganism, and even before, this church became infected with ambition, and soon sadly declined in faith and piety. And what is it now ? The Synagogue of Satan ! John in the Apocalypse has drawnher char- acter, and written it on her forehead: ^'MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIOiSrS OF THE EARTH." (Rev. xvii. 5.) And he has pronounced her doom : '' Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, 188 CONVEESION OF THE JEWS. and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and liateful bird." (Chap, x^dii. 2-8.) See to the end of the chapter. The prophetic history of this same vile^ idolatrous, persecuting, and anti-christian power of Eome, was written by the apostle Paul, under a different name and character, more than thtrti/ years before John wrote his. * Paul, in his second epistle to the Thessa- lonians, gives, First; the name and character of this power : " That man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition : who exalte th himself above all that is called God, or that is wor- shipped ; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." (vs. 3-t.) Second ; the means by which this power was formed : " Whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and Ijdng wonders ; and with all deceivable- * The 2d epistle to Thess. was written A. D. oG, and the Revelations, A. D. 95. PAUL'S TESTIMONY. . 139 ness of umigliteoiisness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause, God shall send them strong delu- sion, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrigteous- ness." (vs. 9-12.) Third; the ruin of this power: "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the bright- ness of his coming." (vr. 8.) CHAPTER Ylir. Conversion of the Jews — Objections — Answered — Plain- ly taught by Paul in Rom. xi. — Wonderful Plan of Infinite Wisdom and Mercy — Confirmed by Paul's teachings in 2 Cor, iii. 12-18. Having given a solemn warning to the church of Rome, the apostle resumes his subject, and encourages our hope for the conversion of the Jews, their restoration to their own church, and enjoyment of its privileges and blessings under the Christian dispensation. Conversion of the Jews ! exclaims our brother W. What, after having been exscind- ed for 1800 years, from the covenant, shall this wicked people, these " children of the Devil," be taken into covenant again ! " shall they take a prominent and separate stand at the head of the church" and " receive rich blessings, which the belie\dng Jews have forfeited to their descendants by becoming Christians ?" Shall thev be treated and re- 141 warded thus, " because they have rejected Christ ?" (See p. 146.) No, no; "They will always stand before the eyes of the world as a proof of the consequence of the sin of rejecting Christ, just as the plates on the covering of the tabernacle did of the sin of Korah and his company in rebelling against God. These were placed before them as a warning, till the service of the tabernacle ceased." (See pp. 145, 146.) What strange language is this ! Who ever imagined, much less asserted, that the be- lieving Jews have forfeited rich blessings to their descendants, by becoming Christians ! Who ever taught, that the future conversion of the Jews and return to the church, would be a reward of their great sin in rejecting Christ ! The Gentiles have been brought into the Christian church ; did they receive this sig- nal blessing as a reward for ages of sottish idolatrv and shameless wickedness ? or was this unutterable blessing granted to them to signalize the riches of God's sovereign grace ? 142 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. And may not God display, in like manner, at a future period, towards tlie descendants of the present, wicked, and unbelieving Jews, the same infinite grace, by regenera- ting them by his Spirit, and working faith in their hearts ? Can the many ages during which the Jews have lived in unbelief and been expelled from covenant relation to God, be pleaded against their future return ? How many more ages had the Gentiles lived in the most debased idolatry, and how vile their charac- ter, (see Eom. i. 1 Cor. vi. 9-11,) when God was pleased to call them, by his gospel and introduce them into his church ? The foresight of ages of obstinate mibe- lief in the Jews formed no objection to their future restoration in the Apostle's mind ; for he says, " And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, sltall be grafted in : for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou werfc cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert gi^afted contrary to na- ture into a good olive tree ; how much more PAUL'S TESTIMONY. 143 shall these, whicli be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree ?" (vs. 23-24.) jSTo one can doubt the ability or the w^- lingness of a merciful God to restore his ancient people to covenant favor, if they shall hereafter repent and believe. But will thej repent and believe ? Hear what Paul says in the next (2oth) verse : " For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits ; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in." Is not this plain enough to teach us what we are to beheve ? Would the apostle have spoken thus, if he believed, as Mr. W. does, that the Jews " will now, as always stand out, in every nation where the Bible is read, as beacons of warning to them ?" (p. 9.) May we not take encouragement from his language to hope, that God will hereafter grant to the Jews "repentance unto life," as He did, contrary to the expectations of the 144 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. believing Jews, to the Gentiles ? (Acts xi, 18.) Is not tlieir blindness to terminate Avith the harvest of souls to be reaped among the Gentiles ? Does not the following language confirm this interpretation of the apostle's meaning ? " And so all Israel^ whether Jewish or Gen- tile believers, 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 imto them, when I shall take away their sins," (vs. 26-27.) The Redeemer shall come out of Sion, his church, his kingdom, and visit with his grace the Jews, the children of Jacob, and turn them from the great sin of unbelief ; and these wonderful displays of his grace will be in conformity to the perpetuity of the covenent made with Abraham, in whic hit is written, " to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee." (Gen. xvii. 7.) In the same strain of encouraging lan- guage the apostle adds in the next verse : (28 ;) " As concerning the gospel, they are 145 enemies for your sakes." God had designs of mercy toward you Gentiles ; and, there- fore, to accomphsh his gracious purpose, He permitted them to act out their enmity to the gospel, that its tidings of salvation might be carried the more speedily to, and be em- braced by you; and that you might be brought into the church, and enjoy its dis- tinguished blessings. But remember, that their blindness, although deplorable indeed, yet is not total ; it affects a part, not the whole people in all coming generations. — " There is now a remnant according to the elec- tion of grace." When God chose Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, He acted, in a sovereign manner, in bestowing His favors on them ; and, in the exercise of His sovereign preroga- tive, He has dealt with their natural descend- ants. He has never forsaken them, so as to cast them all away. There is still a people whom He foreknew : and such a peoj^le mil be found in every age, till " their fullness ;" and, then, it will be seen, that the Jews, as a people, are, in the coming generations, "beloved for the father's sake." 1^1:6 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. And all this will occur, because " the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (v. 29.) His covenant with Abraham is .everlasting in both parts ; in that which re- spects spiritual blessings, and in that which secures to his descendants external or tem- poral blessings. In confirmation of this, it is added, " For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy, through their unbelief : even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they may also obtain mercy. For God had concluded, shut up, " all in unbelief" that he might have mercy on all." (vs. 30-32.) How plain is this ! The plan of infinite wisdom was laid, so as to aflbrd the greatest display of mercy ; so as to convince every attentive mind, that salvation through Christ is the result of sov- ereign grace. God was, therefore, pleased to leave, first^ the Gentiles to the blinding in- fluence of an unbelieving and wicked heart ; and after thus giving thein up to their own Paul's testimony. 147 perverse ways, for ages, to overrule the apostacy of his own covenant people, for sending the invitations of the gospel to the Gentiles : and then, secondly^ by the favors shown to Gentiles, whom they were accus- tomed to despise as uncircumcised and desti- tute of divine favor, to convince them of their folly ; and thus bring them to a partic- ipation of the mercy in which those who, during so many past ages, had not been the people of God, were now rejoicing. In contemplating this wonderful mj'stery of the dispensation of Divine Providence and grace towards our fallen race, in regard to matters of the highest interest to them, as ra- tional, immortal, and accountable creatures, thus revealed by an inspired writer ; who is not ready to exclaim with him : " the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowl- edge of God ! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out ! For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? or who hath been his counsellor ? Or who hath^first given to him, and it shall be rec- 148 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. ompensed unto him again? For of liim, and through him, and to him, are all things : to whom be glorj for ever. Amen." (vs. 33-86.) Let the reader now turn to 2 Cor. iii. 12- 18, and he will lind there recorded the tes- timony of Paul on this interesting subject, that not only harmonizes with his testimony in his epistle to the Eomans, but corrobo- rates strongly the interpretation we have put on it. Having shown how superior the Christian dispensation is to that of Moses, the sacred writer says : " Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech : and not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stead- fastly look to the end of that which is abol- ished; but their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail un- taken away in the reading of the old Testa- ment ; which vail is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart. Nevertheless, PAUL'S TESTIMONY. 149 wlien it (Israel) shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Is not this plain ? Are we not taught in this passage of holy scripture, that the vail that has so long covered the minds of the Jews, and concealed from them the true meaning of the writings of the Old Testa- ment, shall be removed by the teachings and gracious influences of the spirit of God ; and that, then, by understanding the true meaning of Moses and other prophets, they will see, that Jesus of Nazareth, whom their fathers, blinded by unbelief, wickedly re- jected and crucified, is indeed the true and long promised Messiah? Will they not acknowledge Him with penitence, gratitude, and joy, as their Lord and Saviour; and be received into the Christian Church, re-estab- 150 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. lished in covenant relation to God, and enjoy greater light, richer privileges, and a larger measure of spiritual influence, than their fathers ever enjoyed? With what deep abasement of soul and self loathing, will they mourn over their past unbelief and enmity to the gospel ? and with joy will they proclaim Christ as their Lord, and Master, and Saviour, and long for the arri- val of that time, when all nations shall haU Him Lord of all ? CHAPTER IX. Restoration of the Jews to their own land — Remarks on paragraphs of Mr. W. — Testimony of Moses — Deut. xviii. 15-19— Deut. xxviii. explained — Quotation from Bp. Newton. SECOND POSITION. The Jews will he restored to their own land and reorganized there as a nation. This is utterly denied by Mr. Williamson. "We have had occasion more than once to remark on his want of discrimination and his singular reasoning. And in this part of the discussion the same fault will be seen. His tenth letter, which begins his argu- ments, founded on the predictions of the Old Testament prophets, commences \x\ih. this paragraph : " Having seen that the present nation or people called the Jews, have forfeited all claim to the character or title of the seed of Abraham, and heirs to the promises made to him and to his seed, and that according to 152 COXVERSIOX OF THE JEWS. Christ anil Paul, tliose who are in Christ are now the seed and heirs of Abraham ; it fol- lows that whatever the j^rophets have said of bequests yet due to the seed of Abraham, they have said of true believers, whom Paul says are now Abrah-am's heirs." On this paragraph we remark, that both the premises and the conclusion are express- ed in an obscure and incorrect manner. 1. The j^remises are obscure and incorrect. The Jews certainly are the natural seed of Abraham, though not his sjnritual seed. This distinction was made by our Lord in his controversy with the Jews. (John viii. 37-39.) And it ought to have been made by the writer of the paragraph just quoted. True believers are never in the scriptures called " heirs of Abraham ;" nor could they, with propriety, be so stjded. They are " heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." God is their father, and they are his heirs. In Gal. iii. 29, to vdiich our brother has fre- quently referred, they are not called Abra- ham's heirs, but only Abraham's seed, and 153 '' heirs according to the promise." Abra- ham was an heir to this great promise of the covenant, as well as his believing seed. How exactly does this accord with the language of the same Apostle in his epistle to the Romans? (Chap. iv. 13.) " For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through. the righteous- ness of faith." This promise was made to Abraham's believing seed, as well as to him- self ; and both receive the promise or its fulfilment in the same way, "through the righteousness of faith." So the great prom- ise of the covenant made to Abraham and to his seed : " To be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee." (Gen. xvii. 7.) We have already expressed our disappro- bation of styling this covenant a Will or Testament ; because it is never so called by inspired writers. (See p. 79-85.) But brother "\Y. constantly styles it so, and speaks of legacies and bequests ^ paid and unpaid. Correct views of the covenant 154 CONVERSION OF THE JEWS. miglit have taught him the impropriety of denominating believers " Abraham's heirs ;" for it was not Abraham's but God's Will ; and Abraham was but a legatee : not how- ever, as happens in human affairs. God did not bestow on him the spiritual blessings of the covenant, so as to give him the right of determining to whom they should be dis- tributed after him. This God reserved to Himself. Faith is His gift ; and they only become heirs, to whom He is pleased to im- part faith : " even (to use Peter's words,) as many as the Lord our God shall call." (Acts ii. 39.) 2. Similar remarks might be made in re- gard to the conclusion in the above quoted paragraph. When Mr. W. shall have written his premises and his conclusion, more distinctly and more correctly, it may be necessary to examine what follows : " It is not perceived how this conclusion can be avoided, if the premises are fairly established." We only remark that the obscurity of his vision, could not but mislead him. OBJECTIONS. 155 So it lias happened. In the next para- graph, by way of testing the soundness of his argument, he makes what seems to us a strange and uncalled for supposition ; and then concludes his supposition or argument on it thus : " May we not safely say, that whatever the prophets did teach, they did not thus encourage the Jews to reject Christ? They did not give the blessings promised to the rebels and disinherit the friends of Christ." Now, what has this to do with the ques- tion, Has God foretold that the Jews, as a people, shall be converted and introduced into the Christian Church f God had foretold, by the prophet Ilosea^ B. C. 784 years, the calling of the Gentiles into the Christian Church and participation in all the blessings of the Abrahamic cove- nant. (See Rom. ix. 24-26.) This certainly had no tendency to keep them in rebellion, or " disinherit the friends of Christ." What "previous established facts" Mr. W- refers to, on page 102. T oaniiot, for rea- 156 EESTORATION OF THE JEWS. sons already assigned, "understand ; nor shall I stop anj longer to inquire. But the great fact he wishes to be conceded in this discus- sion, must be refused. He assumes that the Old Testament prophets speak of no other captivity than that of Babylon. This we deny ; and now proceed to the proof Somewhere he says, "I am no student of the prophets :" and if it shall, in the course of this discussion, appear that he has been led, by attachment to a theory, to put an er- roneous interpretation on predictions, it may naturally be .asked, Why he did not study at least, the prophets to whom he refers, with suf&cient care to understand them, and not suffer himself to assert as a fact what they do not authorize, that they hold out no encouragement to hope for the future con- version of the Jewish people ? At the head of the list of those who have predicted this blessed event, so dear to Christian hearts, we place their most ancient prophet. Moses, enlightened by the Spirit of God to look into far distant ages, not only OBJECTIONS. 157 predicted their destruction as a nation and dispersion over the world, but also their re- turn to their own land and reorganization there as a nation. The arguments presented, in our preced- ing discussion, in favor of the conversion of the Jews, as a people, we deem conclusive; though every reader will of course judge for himself. We only take the liberty of reminding him, that they have been drawn from the nature and the great design of the Abrahamic covenant ; — from its perpetuity in both its parts, viewed in connection with the wonderful preservation of the Jews as a distinct people by Divine Providence; an event for which no parallel can be found in the history of nations ; — from the inspired writings of the Apostle Paul, and a passing reference to Old Testament prophets. (See the discussion.) Mr. W., I think will hardly deny, that Moses has given, in one phace, a prophetic history of Israel that reaches to the end of time. He refers to that remarkable predic- 6 158 RESTORATION OF THE JEAVS. tiou concerning Clirisi ; (Dent, xviii. 15-19 ;) and contends, that, for tlieir disobedience to Christ, the Jews are noiL\ and will be, pun- ished, by being held up "as beacons of warn- ing to all nations among whom they dwell." And can he deny, that a part of the punish- ment inflicted on them, by divine Provi- dence, for their great sin in crucifying and afterwards rejecting the Saviour, was the capture of their cities and the destruc- tion of Jerusalem and its temple, the great slaughter of the Jews, and subse- quent dispersion of them among many na- tions, by the Eomans ? This is an established historical truth, and not to be denied by an}^ one. Here then is a second captivity involv- ed in the very brief threatening ; "I will require it of him." (Deut. xviii. 19.) I know how Mr. W. evades this. He appeals to Peter's interpretation of this threatening of God, and asserts the meaning of it to be what Peter says : " And it shall come to pass that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from UBJECTION.S. 159 among the people." (Acts iii. 23.) And he asserts the final exscision of the Jews took place nearly tldrty years before it actually occarred. The inaccuracy of his reasoning on this point has been shown already, and that he has entirely failed to support himself by the authority of Paul in his epistle to the Hebrews. s(See pp. 46-49.) Nor does Peter sustain his conclusion. Its incorrect- ness is apparent from what Peter adds in the three verses that follow the verse just quo- ted ; in which he shows the Jews were not at the time he spoke, " destroyed from among the people." A season of divine forbear- ance was granted, during which not "a very few," but a great number of those finally exscinded by Mr. W., were brought into the Christian Church. "We read in the Acts of the Apostles : First, of 3000 being added to the Church, in one day ; Then, of daily additions ; Then, of 5000 believing men : Then, of mu.ltitudes of both believing men and women : 160 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. Then we read, " And tlie word of God increased ; and tlie number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly ; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith/' Again : But the word of God grew and multiplied. And, finally, when Paul went the last time to Jerusalem, the apostles said to him, " Thou seest, brother, how many thousands (original myriads) of the Jews there ai'e which believe ; and they are all zealous of the law." Acts ii. 4:1, 47. iv. 4. V. 14. vi. 7. xii. 24. xxi. 20. That Moses actually predicted the captiv- ity of the Jews we adduce a proof from the tiuenty-eighth chapter of Deuteronomy. That chapter, it will be seen, contains a long list of tremendous curses against the Israelites ; but it is not to be read as if it were written with a strict regard to chrono- logical order. Particular portions will apply to different periods. For example, what is contained in vs. 49 — 57, may be applied to the invasion of Judah and siege of Jerusa- TESTIMONY OF MOSES. 161 lem by Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon ; but it applies more empliatieally to the inva- sion of that land and siege of that city, by the Eomans. They are clearly described in vs. 49, 50. They were far more remote from Judea than the Babylonians ; "as swift as the eagle flieth." They used an eagle as their standard which their soldiers followed with the greatest alacrity, and guarded with the utmost care and bravery ; regarding the loss of one as the greatest disgrace. " Whose tongue thou shalt not understand." " The latin language," says Dr. Clarke, " than which none was more foreign to the structure, and idiom of the Hebrews." " A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favor to the young." How accurately this characterized the Romans, is well known to those who are acquainted with their history at this particu- lar period. The miseries inflicted on this unhappy and infatuated people, by the besieging of their walled towns, and especially Jerusalem, — by 162 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. famine and pestilence that followed the sword ; are fearfully described, in vs. 52- 57, and full}- attested by their own historian, Josephus ; an eye witness of many facts, and thoroao-hly informed in res-ard to the occur- rences of that war, so fatal to his own people. Here large quotations might be made from Bp. Newton ; and we might transcribe what he quotes from Basnage^ to prove how exactly the sixty-fourth verse has been ful- filled, in the conduct of the Jews in Spain ; but we forbear, and refer the reader to the Appendix. - We shall however transcribe what he says, at the close of page 125. " Here are instan- ces of prophecies above three thousand years ago, and yet as we see, fulfilling in the world at this very time ; and what stronger proof can we desire of the divine legation of Moses? How these instances may aftect others, I know not, but for myself I must acknowledge, they not only convince, but amaze and astonish me beyond expression. * Appendix B. CHAPTEBX. Testimony of Moses continued — Deut. xxx. 1-11 — Ex- tract from Mr. W.'s letters — Remarks on it — Plan of Sal- vation one and same always — Difference between the former and present dispensation — Mr. W. opposes the plain teaching of Moses. Let tlie reader now pause for a moment, and recollect wliat has been proved. Have not the following points been estab- lished ? 1. That the Jews will, as a people, be converted to the Christian faith ; 2. That Moses was gifted with a Spirit of prophecy, that enabled him to write a pro- phetic history of Israel to the end of time ; and 3. That he actually predicted, not only the Babylonish captivity, but also that more terrible and lasting captivity, by the Ro- mans ; who destroyed them as a nation, and dispersed them over the face of the world. 164 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. Kow, if these points have been establisli- ed, what becomes of the theory which brother WiUiamson has built upon the assumption, that the Old Testament prophets have not predicted any captivity besides that of Babylon ? And what becomes of objec- tions to their future restoration to their own land, founded on the same unauthorized assumption ? They must fall like a building deprived of its foundation. But has Moses foretold the restoration of the Jews to the land of their forefathers ? That he has, is our belief; and we ground our belief on the thirtieth chapter of Deuter- onomy. Were I disposed to examine the interpre- tation put on Levit. 26, by Mr. W., it would be no difficult thing to show how incorrect he is; but I forbear; I only request the reader to examine the 14th and 15th verses of that chapter mentioned by him, and he will find, that they do not contain one word about captivity. (See p. 150.) TESTOEONY OF MOSES. 165 Moses, in tlie chapter named above writes : 1. And it sliall 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 Grod hath driven thee ; 2. And shalt return unto the Lord thy God, shalt obey his voice according to all that I have commanded thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul : 3. That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return, and gather thee from all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. 4. K amj of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee. 5. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy flithers possessed, and thou shalt possess it ; and he will do 16(3 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6. And the Lord thy God wiU circum- cise 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. 7. And the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which persecuted thee. 8. And thou shalt return, and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his command- ments, which I command thee this day. 9. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of th}^ body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good : for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he rejoiced over thy fathers ; 10. If thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his command- ments and his statutes, which are written in this book of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thv soul. TESTIMONY OF MOSP:S. 167 The remark made in regard to Deut." xxviii. 49 — 50, may be made in regard to the above quotation. It may be applied to the Babylonish captivity; but it applies emphatically to the Eoman captivity. Let the reader carefully attend to the extent of the dispersion of the Jews over the world expressed with so much force of terms, in the fourth verse ; the great favor and multi- plication of their race promised in the fifth verse ; and he will see how much more applicable they are to the last than the first captivity. Besides, it is to be considered that the promise contained in the sixtJi verse, was not fulfilled Avhen the Jews returned from Babylon to their own country. Their heart, as a nation, was not circumcised, and never has been to this day. The book of Ezra, particularly the 9th and 10th chapters, and the book of INehe- miah, will show what the Jews were on their return to their own land, as a people. They were far from having their hearts circumcised. Many were doubtless pious, but not the body of the jjooplc. 168 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. Let us now hear Mr. "W., on this subject. On page 152 he ^mtes : " Now, since both the threatening and the promise depended on disobedience and obedience to the same ceremonial law, must it not refer to a period prior to the death of Christ, while that law was in force, after which Christ solemnly commanded all Jews to believe on him, and be baptized — not circumcised — on pain of death." (Paul circumcised Timothy, long after the death of Christ. Did Paul and Timothy deserve to die for this?) " And if that return is future must not the condition be obedience to the ceremonial law," (what after the abolition of the ceremonial law for more than 1800 years?) " or in other words rebellion against Christ ?" (What ! would a Jew by obeying Christ rebel against him 7) " But surely you will not say that rebellion against Christ is the condition." (Surely not ; and why does brother W. say it is ?) " Must not then that return have been ful- filled?" (For a moment let us admit the assertion to be true, that the Old Testament TESTIMONY OP MOSES. 169 propliets have predicted no captivity but tliat of Babylon ; and let us suppose, they will hereafter be converted to the Christian faith, and return to their own land. What will follow ? As christians they will cease to circumcise their children ; and knowing that the ceremonial law has been abolished, by the same supreme authority by which it was enacted, they will feel released from any obligatioi* to observe it ; and will of course obey the laws of the Christian dispensation. In these circumstances what ground can Mr. W. find for his strange question, "Must not the condition be obedience to the ceremonial law ?" Kone whatever ; accordingly he himself abandons it in his next question, which is : " Would it now be sin in a con- verted Jew to offer sacrifices as much as for any other person, and is it not so for the un- converted ?" We answer Yes ; and so it would be in the whole body of the Jews, if they were converted. This shows the utter inconsistency of the question proposed by him above. 170 KESTOEATION OP^ THE JEWS. We cannot forbear saying that this para- graph is most singular. The general cause of the strange reasoning seen in this and other portions of his letters, is the adoption of an erroneous theory^ that the Jews, as people, will never be converted, but remain "as beacons of warning to all nations." The particular causes are, I. The assumption that the Old Testament prophets have predicted no captivity but that of Babylon. Of this he offers no proof, but his assertion that he has found no proph- et that speaks of another captivity. We think that Moses has spoken very distinctly of the Eoman captivity. II. The second cause is his insisting very erroneously on a literal interpretation of the words, " This day^"^ occurring frequently in Deuteronomy. To show his error we tran- scribe the follo^dng interpretation of Deut. ix. 1. by Dr. A. Clarke. " Thou art to 2'>ciss over Jordon this day^ [hayom^'] this time : tlicy had come thirty-eight TESTIMONY OF MOSES. 171 years before tins, ncarl}' to tlie verge of the promised land, but were not permitted at^ tlicii day or time^ to pass over, because of their rebellions : but this time^ they shall certainly pass over. This was spoken about the elev- enth month of the fortieth year of their jour- neying ; and it was on the first month of the following year they passed over : and during this interim Moses died." Let it be added that Mr. W. might have discovered his error, if he had looked care- fully at the 10th verse of the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy, to which he refers on p. 151 ; for there it is written, "If thou shall hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this hook of the law, and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God, with all thine heart, and all thy soul." Here then is a condition far more compre- hensive than the few ceremonial laws that might be uttered by Moses in a single day. It embraces all the commandments recorded in the whole "book of the law," and obe- 172 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. dience to that great propliet of Avliom lie ■writes, iu chap, xviii. 15-19. The ceremonial law was to be observed while it was in. force, but not after the aboli- tion of it by the great Prophet. Here we see, Moses looked beyond the captivity of Babylon to the time of our Saviour, and pre- scribes the condition on which the Jews may return to the land of their "fathers and pos- sess it," although " driven out unto the ut- most parts of heaven." HI. A third cause, is his mistaken views of the ceremonial law. Already (pp. 30 — 72) his defective views of the nature of the Old covenant, its re- quirements, and the time when it was abol- ished, have been shown. These erroneous views, together with his failing to distinguish between exposure to a penalty and the actual infliction of it, have sadly influenced his reasoning. Some additional light may be' shed on that covenant, to enable the reader to understand aright the place occupied in that covenant by the ceremonial law, and TESTIMONY OP MOSES. 173 the design it was intended to subserve ; of wliich Mr. W.'s ideas do not appear to be correct. Let it, then, be remarked, and never for- gotten, that since the apostacy of man, the plan of salvation devised, executed, and re- vealed by infinite wisdom and mercy, has been, in all past ages, and will be in all coming ages, one and the same. It is a free, gratui- tous salvation, through the righteousness of Christ. The first intimation of it was given in the promise concerning the seed of the woman. (Gen. iii. 15.) That promise was the germ of the great mystery, to illustrate and de- velop which, both the Old and the New Testaments were written, by men inspired by the Holy Spirit; sacrifices were instituted, types employed, and ceremonies appointed. Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and the Patri- archs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were saved by the same grace and the same right- eousness, by which believing christians are now saved. The only difference is, that 174 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. those who lived before the advent of Christ, looked through the dim light of promises, predictions, types, and sacrifices, to a Saviour who ivas to come ; but we look, through the clear light of promises revealed, predictions accomplished, types realized, and the grand sacrifice offered by the Son of God, and typ- ified by innumerable sacrifices of former ages, to a Saviour who has come ; and, hav- ing finished his work on earth, has ascended to heaven as our gTeat High Priest and Ad- vocate, and as our glorious King to reign there " Head over all things to the church." (Ei3hes. i. 22.) Sacrifices were not originally instituted by Moses. They had been divinely instituted long before that great lawgiver was born ; so that Abel, Adam's second son, "by faith offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain ; by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts : and by it he being dead yet speaketh." (Heb. xi. 4.) Moses only multiplied sacrifi- ces ; and by divine direction instituted a TESTIMONY OF MOSES. 175 variety of types ; sucli as the brazen serpent, the tabernacle in its various departments, the Aaronic priesthood, the transactions of the great day of atonement, and a variety of ceremonial laws in regard to contracting un- cleanness and its removal. Having, in the ninth chapter of his epistle to the Hebrews, explained the typical nature of the ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary, of the " first or Old cov- enant," the apostle Paul tells us, that the sacrifices could only sanctify " to the purify- ing of the flesh, (v. 13.)Then, in the fe?^^/i chap- ter, he says, " For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never by those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually, make the comers thereunto per- fect. " For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins." (vs. 1-4.) The design of the ceremonial law was, not to introduce a new method of salvation, but to subserve the advancement of the method 176 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. originally revealed. It taught the evil of sin, its odious nature in the sight of God, the necessity of a more efiicient atonement than the slajdng of dumb animals ; it taught the Jews to look for salvation to that great sacrifice to be offered by the Messiah, to which all their sacrifices pointed. In fact, it preached to them the gospel ; as the apostle Paul testifies, where he says : " For unto us was the gospel preached, as luell as unto them : but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it." (Heb. iv. 2.) True, the great body of the Jews pervert- ed the design of the ceremonial law, by turn- ing it into a covenant of works, by relying on their own observance of it, in one form or other, for acceptance with God. Hear what the sacred writer says, (Rom. x. 1-4.) " Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteous- TESTIMONY OF MOSES. 177 ness, and going about to establish their own rio-liteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that belie veth." Individuals, before the advent of Christ, while they committed no outward act that subjected them to exscision, were Israelites as Mr. W. says ; but certainly they were not Israelites, in the sense Paul uses that term ; nor were they heirs of the great promise in Abraham's covenant. It was exhibited to them in the scriptures ; but as they failed to embrace it by faith, they lost its invaluable blessings. And does not the same unhappy occurrence take place in the Christian Church? A man makes a profession of religion. He is examined by the officers of the church and received. But he is unre- newed, and destitute of saving faith. He relies on his own works, and not on Christ. Of course he has no saving interest in his glorious righteousness. While the real state of his heart is unrevealed by outward acts, 178 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. his standing in the church is good, whether he be a self 'deceiver^ or a real hypocrite. One remark more, and we leave the testi- mony of Moses. Mr. W. calls the exscision of the Jews final. This has been previously noticed. Here we request the reader to re- member, that it is an unauthorized assertion ; for which he has furnished no scriptural proof that can bear examination. It contra- dicts the prophetic testimony of Moses ; and it will be found to be in opposition to the testimony of other prophets. CHAPTER XL Testimony of Hosea — Testimony of Isaiah. We bring forward this prophet after Moses, because we think it is as well to adopt the chronological order, as any other. On page 103 of letters to a Millenarian, we find this paragraph : " Will it not be admitted, that when the prophets foretold the captivity of the ten tribes, they did not connect with it any promise of their return from that captivity, as was the common practice when they pre- dicted the captivity of the Jews by the Chaldeans ? If they did, the plac« where they did it, should be distinctly marked, as Ave have not found it." While we withhold the concession he wishes, we shall comply with his request, and distinctly mark the places in the proph- et, that will disprove his assumption. Hosea prophesied a long time. He began 180 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. to exercise his office in the year B. C. 786, and continued to utter his predictions to Israel and Judah, till the year B. C. 723 ; so that his labors were extended over a period of 63 years, and ceased only two years before the capture of Samaria^ and captivity of the nations by the Assyrians. I. The first place we mark, is Chap, ii, 14r-23. That passage contains a precious promise of restoration to the favor of God, and of the signal blessings and prosperity He would bestow on Israel, when brought again into covenant relation to Himself — That promise has never been fulfilled to Israel, as a people or nation, since their cap- tivity and removal from their own land. II. The second place, we, not only mark, but transcribe the passage. (Chapt. iii. 4-5.) " For the children of Israel shall abide many days, Avithout a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and with- out a teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel, shall return, and seek the Lord TESTIMONY OF HOSE A. 181 their Grocl, and David their king : and shall fear the Lord and his goodness, in the latter days." Is not this plain? It has never been fulfilled. III. The third place is chap. xi. 8-11. "This," says /Sco^ "evidently looks for- ward to the future conversion and restoration of Israel ; as well as to the times subsequent to the Babylonish captivity, and the days of Christ, and his apostles." IV. In the fourth place, we offer ihe four- teenth chapter ; which, as it is too long for transcription, the reader is requested to open his Bible, and attentively consider. Scott says, " This chapter is very different from the general tenor of the preceding prophecy; and perhaps it was delivered after the reduction of Samaria, and the ruin of the kingdom of Israel." Ought not such plain testimonies to satisfy even brother W. himself? It is really singular that Mr. Williamson could not find something in this Evangelical prophet to convince him, how utterly erro- 6^ 182 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. neous is liis tlieon', that the Jews are to serve no other purpose than to be "beacons of warning," to other nations, and are never to be brought into the Christian Church as a people. The second chapter of this prophet inspires us with hope in regard to this infatuated people. How cheering his language ! " And it shall come to pass in the last days^ that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be estab- lished on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills : and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths ; for out of Zion shall go forth his law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (vs. 2-3.) These are figurative expressions of the pros- perity and enlargement of the Christian Church in future time. TESTIMONY OF ISAIAH. 183 The prophet goes on to say, " And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people : and they shall beat their swords into plow shares, and their spears into pruning hooks : nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." (vs. 4-5.) On verse 1st., Scott says, " The last days, or the latter days, signify the times of the Messiah by the common consent of the ex- positors, not excepting even the Jews." And on vs. 3-5 he writes, " There needs no other proof, that the grand accomplish- ment of this prophecy is reserved for some future period, than the consideration, that nothing in any measure answerable to such forcible expressions has yet occurred on earth. — The prophet closes his predictions by exhorting his people to avail themselves of their advantages, and not to reject the gospel when preached to them : for these prophecies were intended to instruct future 184 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. ages." — Then follows a quotation from that great critic Lowt\ which is : " This prophe- cy will not receive its utmost completion, till the destruction of the four monarchies, (Dan. ii. 2>6^) and the fulness of the Jews and Gen- tiles are come into the church. (Mic. 4.) — Yet both these prophecies may be partly fulfilled, in the several advances which Christ's kingdom makes in the world, who is described as " going forth conquering and to conquer." (Eev. vi. 2.) — This seems to have been a maxim in interpreting prophe- cies received among the Jews before Christ's time ; that wherever they saw an imperfect completion of prophecy in an historical event, which no way answered the lofty ex- pressions and extensive promises, which the natural sense of the text imported ; there they supposed the times of the Messiah to be ultimately intended ; ''in whom all the promises of God are yea, and amen." To prevent any misunderstanding, it may be likewise proper to take notice, that this mystical sense of prophecies is now and then, TESTIMONY OF ISAIAH. 185 but not so fitly, called a secondary sense ; not as if it were less principally intended by the prophets ; but rather with respect to the time, because it is the last and ultimate com- pletion of their predictions. — " The times of the Messiah are the times from his coming, to the end of the world." The eleventh chapter of Isaiah presents a delightful proof of the blessings in reserve for God's ancient people. There we find a glorious description of the kingdom of our blessed Ee(^eemer in coming time, and of the signal blessings that will be bestowed on the world, when He shall, in accordance with his Father's promise, (Ps. ii. 8,) claim " the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession." In another place (pp. 94, 95,) this chapter has been referred to in showing that the promises of the New Covenant have re- ceived but an incipient fulfilment, and that their glorious fulfilment is reserved for a future age. Let the reader peruse that chap- 186 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. ter, from the first to the tenth verse inclusive, and dwell on tlie "wonderful state of peace and purity, and happiness, to which this earth, so long cursed by sin, and wickedness, and misery, will be brought, by sovereign grace, under the reign of Jesus Christ. When he has sufficiently considered this part of the chapter, let him read and study the remainder ; which is here transcribed. 11. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recoA^er the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Gush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. 12. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. 13. The envy also of Ephraim shall de- part, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Juhah, and Jiidali shall not vex Ephraim. TESTIMONY OF ISAIAH. 187 14. But they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines toward the west : they shall spoil them of the east together : they shall lay their hand upon Edom and Moab, and the children of Amnion shall obey them. 15. And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea : and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dry- shod. 16. And there shall be a highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria ; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt. Can it be doubted, that this part of the chapter relates to God's ancient people, de- nominated Israel and Judah ? (See vs. 11 and 12.) Mark with what particularity^ the places from which that people are to be gathered, are named, and the extent of country from 188 RESTOEATION OF THE JEWS. which they will be assembled. (See vs. 11 and 12.) Observe, that this event will take place at the time^ when the world is undergoing a blessed glorious revolution. " It shall come to pass in that day." (Compare vs. 10 and 11-) Take notice of the happy change that will then be wrought in the feelings of Ephraim and Judah, towards each other. All envy, and contention, and strife will cease. They will live in brotherly love, (verse 18th.) What prosperity will God bestow on his people, and what wonders will he work for them ! (vs. 11-16.) Does not this chapter foretell the future restoration of the Jews to the land of their fathers, given to them in the Abrahamic covenant, " for an everlastimj possessionV To me it appears so plain that I cannot withhold my belief Various other predictions of this prophet might be adduced in proof of the restoration of the Jews to Palestine ; but wc forbear. CHAPTEE XII. Testimony of Jeremiah — Remarks on Chapters xxx and xxxi — Quotations from Drs. Clarke, Scott, and Lowth. Here we make our appeal to a prophet, on wliom Mr. Williamson places most reli- ance. If the reader will turn to pp. 98-101, he may see what has been written already on the 30th and 31st chapters of this prophet, to show that he has foretold the conversion of the Jews, as a people, to the Christian faith. We are now to re-examine what Jeremiah has written, to prove the future restoration of the Jews to the land of their fathers, Abra- ham, Isaac, and Jacob ; which Grod was pleased, by his covenant, to give to their natural seed, " for an everlasting possession^ This shall be attempted under the following remarks. I. It is a settled prindple, that the 2^rophets 190 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. did not always understand the true meaning of their own predictions. They were amanuences in tlie hands of the Spirit of God, who dictated their words. See Dan. xii. 8, 9, 13. See also 1 Peter i. 10-12. n. These chapters let it be remembered, relate, not only to Judah, but to Israel, They were written more than one hundred years after the captivity of Israel. See chap. XXX. 3, 4, 7, 10, 18. chap. xxxi. 1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 18, 23, 27, 31. III. They contained predictions that, al- though partially fulfilled, yet remain to be fulfilled. 1 . Dr. Clarke writes, chap. 30th, verse 3, " The days come.'] First, After the conclusion of the seventy years. Secondly, Under the Messiah. " That I loill bring again the captivity of Israel.] The ten tribes, led captive by the king of Assyria, and dispersed among the nations. TESTIMONY OF JEREMIAH. 191 ^^And Judah.'] The people carried into JBahylon at tiuo different times ; first, under Jeclioniah^ and secondly under Zedekiah, by Nebuchadnezzar. '''' Loioth^ quoted by Scott, says, Israel and Judah. " Several prophecies foretell the res- toration both of Israel and Judah, and their reunion after their restoration." 2. We add on verses 5-7, " Thus saUh the Lord, &c." May not this prediction relate emphatically, though not exclusively, to the imminent danger, to which the Jewish people were exposed by the exterminating decree of the king of Persia, j)rocured by the malice, and influence of that wicked and haughty favorite Haman ? See the record of it in Esther iii. 8-15. Perhaps the Jewish people were never, at any time, so exposed to extermination. And may we not believe that Mordecai was supported by his faith in this prediction, in his whole conduct, and especially when he said in his message to the Queen ? " Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther^ 192 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. Think not witli thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For, if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place ; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this ?" (Chap. iv. 13,14.) The prediction is applied, by Scott^ to the distress of the Jews during the siege of Jeru- salem, by Nebuchadnezzer ; but improperly, if Clarke's opinion is correct, as it probably is, that this and the next chapter were writ- ten by Jeremiah^ after the capture of Jerusa- lem. (See Clarke chap. xxx. 1.) By Clarke it is applied to the distress of the Jews during the siege of Babylon, by the Medes and Persians. And may not the promise concerning JacoVs deliverance, (chap. xxx. 7,) be used, both by Christians and the Jews when con- verted, for their support and consolation, in those times of danger that are yet to come on the Church ? TESTIMONY OF JEREMIAH. 193 Does not David predict sucli a time, in tlie second psalm ? (See vs. 4-12.) And will not sucli a time precede the introduction of the Millenium^ foretold in the 46th Psalm and bv Isaiah in his second chapter ; where he speaks of the displays of the glorious majesty of Jehovah, and of its terrifying effects on idolaters? "When he shall arise to shake terribly the earth." (See vs. 10-21.) Has not Zechariah predicted such a time? See chap. xiv. 1-11. In all such alarming times of "Jacob's trouble," may not believers, whether Gen- tiles or Jews, rejoice to know that it is writ- ten, " He shall be saved ont of it." — -And strangers shall no more serve themselves of him : but they shall serve the Lord their G-od, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them." (vs. 7-9.) 3. If the reader will consult Scott on chap. XXX. 19-22, he will see, that that judicious commentator, thinks the prediction was only partially fulfilled after the return of the Jews to their own land; and thit the 21st 1^4 KESTOKATIOX OF THE JEWS. verse was fulfilled by the mediatorial work of our Lord Jesus Christ. His quotation from Lowth on the term " Nohles^^ in that verse, is worthy of deep consideration. ly. What is said, in vs. 23-24, about " the whirlwind of the Lord" — " a continuing whirlwind &c.," has been fulfilling, at differ- ent times, and in different events. It has fallen "with pain upon the head of the wicked," both Gentiles and Jews ; and it will continue to fall on them, until the Jews shall, " in the latter days" be brought to " consider it,^^ as springing from the anger of Grod against them, for rejecting and crucify- ing His beloved Son, spoken of in the 21st verse, as their Mediator, and in the 9th verse, as David their king. Chapter xxxi. 1, Scott says, " This is a continuation of the prophecy that was be- gun in the preceding chapter, which evident- ly relates to the kingdom of Christ. The same time, therefore here mentioned must refer to those events, and to the latter days of the Church. — Not onlv would the Jews TESTIMONY OF JEKEMIAIJ. 195 be reinstated in their privileges as the peo- ple of God ; but the same blessing is prom- ised to all the families of Israel." Dr. Clarice writes, "This discourse was delivered at the same time with the former ; and with that, constitutes the Bool\ which God ordered the prophet to write." Y. These two chapters of Jeremiah contain 'predictions that have never heen^ and are yet to he, fulfilled. 1. What is written in vs. 8, 9, has never been fulfilled : " And strangers shall no more serve themselves of him. But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them." Dr. Clarke writes thus: " David was long- since dead ; and none of his descendants reigned over them after the Babjdonish captivity ; nor have they since been a regal nation. Zeruhhahel^ under the Persians, and the Asmoneans, can be no exception to this. They have been no nation since ; they are 7]0 nation now: and it is onlv in the Ja/tpr 190 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. dmjs that thej can expect to be a nation^ and that must be a Christian nation^ "Christ is promised under the name of his progenitor David^ Isa. Iv. 3, 4. Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 24. xxxvii. 24, 25. Hosea iii. 5. Dr. Loivth agrees with Dr. C. See Dr. Scott. 2 What is written in the 10th verse has not been fulfilled : " And Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be in quiet, and none shall make him afraid." " No doubt," says Scott, " the future resto- ration of that people from their present dis- persions and quiet settlement in Canaan, will, in a still more astonishing manner, at- test the same most important truth, to the conviction and conversion of the nations of the earth." 3. As it would be tedious to notice all the predictions in these chapters that have not been, and will be, fnlfilled, we pass over them; and merely remark, in regard to chap. xxxi. 31-34, that the New Covenant has never, to this day, been " made with the TESTIMONY OF JEREMIAH. 197 house of Israel and with the house of Ju- dah," as meaut in the prophecy. 4. In vs. 35-36, the restoration of the Jews, as a nation, is made as sure as the con- tinuance of the sun, and moon, and stars. They are a people now, but not a nation ; and they can no more continue in their present dispersed condition, till the end of time, than that the siju shall cease to give light by day, and the moon and stars by night, to the earth, before its end, in its present form, shall have arrived. 5. Dimensions are assigned to Jerusalem, in vs. 38-40, which it never possessed, either under the reign of David and his successors, or after it was rebuilt subse- quently to the deliverance of the Jews from Babylonish captivity. Such enlarged dimen- sions the city must receive. VI. How far Jeremiah understood Im own predictions, lue are unable to tell. We know, however, that liis vision was delightful ; for he has told us so. (vr. 26.) By reviewing these chapters, we may form VJS KESTUKATIOX OF THE JEWS. some suitable conception of the extent of his knowledge. What did this prophet, who had been so often employed in delivering sad and mourn- ful messages, see and hear in his vision ? Before we answer this question, let the opinion of Dr. Clarke on Chap. 31, 26, be quoted : "It appears that the prophecy com- mencing with chap. xxx. vr. 3, and ending with vr. 25th of this Chapter, was delivered to the prophet in a dream." See also what Dr. Clarice says on the 2d verse of the 30th Chapter. He saw Jacob in distressing anguish, like a woman in travail^ but shielded and deliver- ed from his dangers, by the power of God ; Avho assured hhn of ultimate triumph over all his enemies and oppressors, and a final, peaceful, and prosperous settlement in the land of his forefathers, (vs. 6-11.) He saw Jacob laboring under a disease in- curable by human skill, but relieved and entirely cured by the power of the Almighty ; (vs. 12-17 ;) and by the mediatorial work of TESTIMONY OF JEREMIAH. 199 the Messiali brought again into covenant rela- tion with Jehovah, his God. (vs. 21, 22.) He saw Israel after suffering long, under the whirlwind of Divine anger, brought "in the latter days," to serious consideration and deep repentance, and " all the families of Is- rael," reconciled to the Lord, their covenant God. (vr. 24, chap. xxxi. 1.) He saw the mountains of Samaria covered with flourishing vines, and her inhabitants rejoicing in plenty, (vs. 4, 5.) He saw Ephraim, the head and represen- tative of the ten tribes, turning his face to Zion, and exhorting all to return to the true worship of God ; and he heard the command of God to publish the glad tidings to the nations, (vs. 6-9.) He saw EacJiel weeping for her lost chil- dren, but comforted by the assurance of God, that they should be restored to her from the land of the enemy, (vs. 15-17.) He saw the penitence of Epliraim, and the tender compassion with which God received his returning prodigal, (vs. 18-20.) 200 KESTOKATION OF THE JEWS. He beheld the return of justice and piety to Israel and Judah, and their consequent prosperity, (vs. 23-25.) Such was the vision of the prophets. Ko wonder to hear him say : " Upon this I awaked, and beheld ; and my sleep was sweet unto me." (vr. 26.) THE VISION EXPLAINED. To enable the prophet the better to under- stand the meaning of his vision, he was favored with new revelations : First, Of the great increase of "the house of Israel, and of the house of Judah ;■' and of the loving kindness and watchful care of God over them. (vs. 27-30.) Secondly, Of the establishment of the New Covenant " with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah ; that would secure to them the writing of the law on their hearts ; the prevalence of religious knowledge among all ranks of people, the forgiveness of their sins, — and a conduct becoming their covenant relation to God. (vs. 31-34.) TESTIMONY OF JEREMIAH. 201 Tiiirdly^ Of the perpetuity of their exist- ence as a nation in their own land, (vs.85-37.) And fourthli/ J and finally, of the re-build- ing of Jerusalem, in extent and glory it had never possessed before ; " holy unto the Lord ;" secured by the promise, " It shall not be plucked up, nor thrown down ani/ more forever." (vs. 38-40.) These additional revelations must have shed oTcat lioht on the meanino- of what o o o the prophet had seen and heard in his vis- ion ; and tended greatly to establish his faith in the wonderful blessings which were to be bestowed on all Israel," in the latter days." How must he have delighted to recall to mind his blessed vision ! and what support and consolation must he and the few pious people, have derived from it, under the trials they were called to endure ! If the reader will recollect what has been said, in explaining the two chapters of this mourning prophet, he will probabl}- be pre- pared to turn away his eyes from that awful 202 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. doom, to wliich Mr. Williamson would per- suade liim to believe that the Jews are hope- lessly consigned, by the teachings of inspired truth. He will rejoice to say. It is not so : the Grod of mercy has rich blessings yet in store for his people, — exscinded indeed from his cove- nant, and punished for ages, and justly too, for their wicked unbelief, and malignant treatment of the Son of God, and persever- ing rejection of his gospel message of recon- ciliation and salvation, through his atoning sacrifice ; but not finally exscinded. They are yet to be called, by rich and sovereign grace, to the enjoyment of that *' New and better covenant, established on better promises;" — and to enjoy, as a people and as a nation^ far greater light and richer privileges, nearer approaches to God in re- ligious worship and higher communion ^vith Him ; — and to exhibit a conduct more exemplary and worthy of imitation ; than their fathers ever did ; — and to be established in this blessed condition, by their covenant God, till time shall end. CHAPTER XIII. Testimony of Ezekiel — Chaps, xxxiv, xxxv, xxxvi, xxxvii. The proofs contained in tlie above men- tioned Chajoters, are in onr opinion, conclusive^ that the Jews and the Israelites will be re- stored to their own land, and reorganized there as a nation, under the reign of the promised Messiah. The reader is requested to bear in mind that the predictions^ contained in these chap- ters were delivered, about 134 years after the captui'e of Sctmaria^ and the dispersion of Israel, by the Assyrians ; and about one or two years after the capture of Jerusalem, by Nebuchadnezzar, and the carrying away of its inhabitants into Babylon. It would be foreign from our purpose to go into an extended exposition of these chapters. This, instead of strengthening, would weaken our argument, by divei'tiii.c!: 204 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. the mind of the reader from the great object in view. CHAPTER XXXIV. The prediction, in this chapter, which has never been, and, therefore, remains to be, fulfilled, is found in vs. 23-31. David, who is promised as the Shepherd and* Pnnce of Israel^^ is certainly Christ \hQ Messiah. David the king of Israel, had long been dead, and will remain in his grave, till the last day. He was an eminent type of the Redeemer, and was to be his father^ in regard to his human nature ; and, there- fore, the prophets, as shown above, call the Messiah David. (See also Acts ii. 29-36.) " The covenant of peace," spoken of in the 25th verse, has never been made with the Jews, as a people ; nor did thej ever be- come an independent nation, nnder the decrees of Cyrus and his successors. The terms in which their safety and p/ros- perity are described. "* e far too strong to depict their condition at any time subsequent *Israel is the subject of the prediction ; see vs. 2, .30. TESTIMONY OF EZEKIEL. . 205 to the Babylonisli captivity. They have ever since been more or less " a prey to the lieathen." Besides, the safety and prosperity of Israel here predicted, is what they are to enjoy under the reign of Jesus Christ. CHAPTER XXXV. The judgments denounced against " Mount Seir," or the Edomites, in vs. 3-6, were brought upon them, at different times, for their unbrotherly and wicked conduct to- wards the Jews and Israehtes. But the predic- tion, in the seventh verse : " Thus will I make Mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth,* was not falfilled till after the destruction of Jerusalem, by the Eomans. At that tune the Idumeans were, according to Joseph almost as as numerous as the Jews. (See Keith on the prophecies, p. 138.) The same writer tells us (p. 140,) that Straho identified the N'eba- theans with the Idumeans. And, by Goodrich we are informed this people were not finally subdued by the Eomans, till the year 106, by their emperor Trajan, (p. 215.) * This prediction has been proved by Keith to have re- ceived a most remarkable fulfillment. Sec his treafisf.-. 206 • RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. The reason of the Judgments denonnced against Mount Seir, in verse 9, is assigned in the next verse, : " Because thou hath said, These two nations and these two coun- tries shall be mine, and we will possess it ; where as (margin, though) the Lord was there." Grod regarded this language as blas- phemous ; impeaching his power to restore to Judah and Israel the land which He had given in the covenant made with Abraham, to his natural descendants, ^^ for an everlasting pos- session.'''' It is added, (v. 11,) " Therefore, as I live, saith the Lord God, I will even do accordins; to thine anger, and according to thine envy, which thou hast used out of thy hatred against them." Thou shalt be disappointed in thy cove- tous and malicious desires ; thou shalt not possess the two countries. I will restore them to Judah and Israel. They shall pos- sess them, in more perfect safety, and in more abundant fertility and prosperity, than ever before. And when my judgments TESTIMONY OF EZEKIEL. 207 shall have been executed on thee, and the quiet possession of their covenanted inher- itance, restored to them : then " When I have judged thee," — "I will make myself known among them." (v. 11.) To mark the Divine displeasure against the Edomites, and the reasons of it, the more emphatically, the prediction is repeated in a different form of words, in the two next verses. And then to show the certainty of the execution of God's purpose, it is added : " When the whole earth (rather land of Ca- naan) rejoiceth," under the smiles of heaven and increased prosperity, " I will make thee desolate." " As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was deso- late, so will I do unto thee : " thou shalt be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it : and they (the house of Israel) shall know that I am the Loed :"v. 15. Jeho- vah, the all-sufiicient and self-sufiicient, the immutable and covenant keeping, and Al- 208 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. miglity God : able to accomplish all my pleasure, and to fulfill all my promises. CHAPTER XXXVI. In the first part of this chapter the proph- et was commanded to prophesy to the moun- tains of Israel.''^ The heathen had taken possession of the land of Israel. They exulted in claiming it as their own, and poured contempt on the people of God. In this criminal conduct, Idiimea was preeminently guilty ; displaying despite against Israel, and reproach against Jehovah^ (vs. 1-5.) The wicked conduct of the heathen pro- voked God's righteous indignation. He determined to disappoint their malignant purposes, — to rescue the land they had made desolate from their polluted hands, — to re- store it to his chosen people for a permanent jDOssession, — and to bestow on it such a blessing, as would render it more fertile and populous than it had ever been before, (vs. 8-11.) TESTIMONY OF EZEKIEL. 209 This prophecy was partially fulfilled, by the return of the Jews and Israelites from Babylon, and their possession of part of the land, till they were again expelled from it, by the Komans. This direful calamity proves, that the prophet looked far beyond that mournful event, and beyond the present time, to that blessed day when Israel shall enjoy the land of their inheritance, so secure- ly as to be freed from any annoyance from the heathen, and never lose it again, while time shall last. (vs. 12-15.) The correctness of this interpretation is confirmed by the subsequent part of the chapter. Here God tells '' the house of Israel," (v. 17,) that he had "scattered them among the heathen," and " dispersed them through the countries ; on account of their pollutions and crimes; (vs. 17-19 ;) and that the punishment which justice inflicted on them, led the heathen to blaspheme his holy name, by uttering this reproachful speech : " These are the people of the Lokd, and are gone forth out of his land." (v. 20.) 210 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. God then declared, that, from a regard to his own holy name, and not from respect to their desert, He would act in such a way as to defend his great name from reproach, and sanctify it in the ej'cs of the heathen, (vs. 21-23.f And how was this to be done ? In a marvellons way ; for God promised, not only to " gather them out of all countries, and to bring them into their own land ; (v. 24 ;) but to produce in them, by his grace, such a temper, heart, and conduct, as would qual- ify them to fulfil their covenant obligations. (vs. 25-28.) His temporal and spiritual blessings would have such an effect on them, as to lead them to unfeigned repentance and self-loth- ing, for their past iniquities and abomina- tions, (vs. 29-31.) Such a change in the land of Israel would be produced as would lead beholders to ex- claim ; " This land that was desolate is be- come like the garden of Eden : and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced and arc ii)habitcd." (vs. 33-85.) TESTIMONY OF EZEKIEL. 211 So conspicuously would tlie liaucl ot God appear in tliis marvellous work wrought for Israel, tliat the heathen would be comjDelled to acknowledge it to be the work of the Al- mighty : " Then the heathen that are left round about you, shall know that I the Lord build the ruined 'places^ and plant that that was desolate : I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it:' (v. 36.) Finally, it would be the duty of Israel to pray earnestly for the coming of this blessed time : " Thus saith the Lord God, I will jet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them: I will increase them with men like a flock." (v. 37.) And it would be their duty to recollect what is Avritten : (in v. 32.) " Not for your sakes do I this, saith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and con- founded for your own ways, house of Israel." And to ascribe all the praise to rich and sovereign grace. CHAPTER XXXVII. This chapter contains two very forcible / 212 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. proofs, that tlie interpretation we have as- signed to the preceding chapters, is correct. The one is a yqtj str iking vision; the other, a plain symbolical illustration. Let the reader be reminded, that this, as the other chapters, refers to Israel: " Then he said unto me, Son of man, the bones are the whole house of Israeli (v. 11, See also v. 21.') The vision is so plain as to require no comment. We may safely leave it to the perusal of the reader, (vs. 1-10,) only re- questing him to open his Bible, and read it attentively. The symbolical action is also plain. The prophet was commanded to take two sticks ; one marked " For Judah, and for the chil- dren of Israel his companions;" the other, " For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions."— The two sticks were to be so adjusted in the prophet's hand, as to appear to be but one stick, (vs. 16-17.) TESTIMONY OF EZEKIEL. 213 To the people inquiring the meaning of his action, in using the two sticks, he was di- rected to say, That God would "gather the children of Israel, from among the heathen on every side, and bring them into their own land ;" that he would " make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel ;" and that " one king&\i?i\\ be king to them ALL : and they shall be no more two nations^ neither shall they be divided into tioo kingdoms any more at alV (vs. 21, 22.) The promise goes on to say, " And David (that is Christ,) my servant shall be king over them: and they all shall have one shepherd : (Christ the great shepherd :) they shall also walk in my judgments, 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, and their chil- dren's children forever: and my servant David shall be their lyrince forever.'''' (vs. 24, 25.) 214 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. It is added, " Moreover I will make a cov- enant of peace with tliem : it shall be an everlasting covenant Avitli them : and I will place them, and mnltiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forever moreJ'' (v. 26.) Other testimony might be produced from the Old Testament prophets. Particularly strong evidence might be derived from the two next succeeding chapters of Ezekiel. But we deem the testimony already offered abund- antly sufficient to sustain the position we have taken. Leaving, therefore, the in- spired writers of the Old Testament, we invite the attention of the reader to what our Master has said on the subject. CHAPTER XIY. The testimony of Christ — Luke xxi. 24 — " Jerusalem trodden down of the Gentiles" — When will they cease to tread it down ? — Answer. The Master sjDeaks in Luke xxi. 24. ' ' 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." That the first part of this prediction has been dreadfully fulfilled, is not to be denied by any one acquainted with history. With like certainty has the second jD^rt been fulfilled. " Jerusalem shall be trodden doivn of the Gentiles.'''' " Accordingly it has never since been in the possession of the Jews. It was first in 216 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. subjection to the Romans^ afterwards to tlie Saracens^ then to the Franks^ after to the Mamelukes^ and now to the Turhs. Thus has the prophecy of Christ been most liter- ally and terribly fulfilled, on a people who are still preserved as continued monuments of the truth of our Lord's prediction, and of the truth of the Christian religion." (Dr. Clarke on Mat. xxiv. 31 viewed in connex- ion with Luke xxi. 24.) Thus it appears beyond controversy, that Jerusalem has been trodden down of the Gentiles, for ages, more than eighteen centu- ries. From the certain fulfillment of our Lord's prediction, his meaning seems to be very plain ; that Jerusalem will be still trodden down of the Gentiles, until the time fixed in the Divine purpose, shall have arrived : when the holy city is to be delivered from their power, and restored again together with the land of Israel, to the descendants of Abra- ham ; to whom it w^as given by covenant for an " everlasting possession." And when TESTIMONY OF GHKIST. 217 put in peaceful possession of it, they shall hold it in undisturbed security to the end of the world. But when shall that time arrive? In reply, the writer is prepared to say, that it will come when the " Beasf and the false prophef shall be " cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone ;" (Eev. xix. 20 ;) and this terrible vengeance will be ex- ecuted OIL Ant i- Christ, by a righteous God, sooner than many able writers on prophecy think, but not so soon as others believe. This is not the place for the writer to as- sign the reasons for his belief; but if it please Providence to prolong his life, and pre- serve his faculties a year or two, he may undertake to point out the time, with some degree of precision, in connexion mth the subsequent events that will introduce the glorious reign of our blessed Lord, in its full expansion of light and gTace, truth and right- eousness, peace and love, in fulfillment of those joyous predictions, recorded in Ps. ii. 6-12, and Isaiah xi. &c. 7" CHAPTER XV. Questions to the reader — Difficulties nothing to the Al- mighty — Past miracles in favor of the Jews — No greater needed A more abundant effusion of the Spirit will ac- complish God's promises. If the reader have carefully read the pre- ceding chapters, and carefully examined the arguments founded on the inspired writings, he is prepared to answer a question. It is this : Has the writer succeeded in es- tablishing the important points he wished to estabhsh ? Has he proved, — First^ That the Jews will, as a people, be, in future time, converted to the Christian faith, and introduced into the Christian Church ? Secondly^ That they will return to^ the land of Palestine, and will there, in the land of tlieir forefiithers, be reorganized into a notiov. QUESTIONS TO THE READER. 219 with as many of tlie Israelites as God may be pleased to collect with them ? And, Thirdly^ That they will be settled in the peaceful and undisturbed possession of that goodly land, through all their generations, to the end of the world ; when the last and unsuccessful attack will be made on the Church of God, by His enemies deluded by Satan ? Does the reader assent to these in- teresting truths ? Or startled at the difficulties in the way, does your faith falter ? Startled at difficulties, when the Almighty undertakes a work! What are difficul- ties in the way of Omxipotexce ? Before Him mountains sink and vallies rise. All hearts are in His hands, and as the river of water. He turns them as He wills. "All the inhabitants of the earth are as grass- hoppers." "Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance ; behold he taketh up the isles as a very little thing." " All nations before him are as nothing ; and 220 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. thej are counted to him less than nothing and vanity.'' (Isaiah xl. 15, 17, 22.) To accomplish these glorious designs, in behalf of his ancient people, no greater miracles mil be needed, than those that were wrought for them many ages ago. Behold the descendants of Abraham re- duced in Egypt to the most abject state of slavery. Becollect the wonders wrought by Moses, at God's command, to humble and subdue the proud and obstinate heart of Pharaoh, the king. See the degraded children of Jacob at last marching triumphantly out of Egypt, at the urgent request of Pharaoh and his people. Behold them, guided by Divine wisdom, brought into new difficulties for the purpose of being delivered by new marvels. They are hemmed in by mountains on either side ; the red sea is before them ; and the infatuated king and his hosts are behind them. They tremble. God commands them to go forward. They march ; and the waters of the^ sea being piled up as walls on QUESTIONS TO THE HEADER. 221 both sides, tliey walk througli " the sea on dry ground." The Egyptians pursue. The pillar of cloud is so arranged, between the Israelites and the Egyptians, as to give light to the former, and to throw darkness upon the latter. Thus Avere they kept apart all the night. The Israelites having reached the opposite shore, " the sea returned to his strength, when the morning appeared ; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea." (Ex. U : 19-31.) Behold .this people at the foot of Mount Sinai. Jehovah appears to them in awful grandeur, and terrific majesty. From the top of that Mount, amidst fire and darkness, thunder and ligTitning, He speaks to them ; and, with an audible voice, utters the ten commandments. They tremble, and entreat that they may no more hear that terrible voice, lest they should die ; and beseech Moses to receive the commandments of God ; promising to obey all his commandments 222 EESTOEATION OF THE JEWS. and statutes. Even Moses trembles at the awful sight. (Heb. xii. 21.) Thej thirst ; and streams of water are brought from the flinty rock to allay their thirst. They hunger ; and manna descends from heaven to feed them, in the wilderness forty years. At the appointed time they cross Jordan ; and, under Joshua, by marvellous interposi- tions of God, take possession of the promised land. Time would fail to sketch the many and great wonders which God afterwards wrought for his people, while inhabiting that land. Let the reader recollect them. We repeat what has been said above, that to accomplish what God designs for the Jews, no greater miracles need be Avrought than those wrought for the Israelites many ages ago. Nothing will be required but a larger measure of the influence of the Holy Spirit. QUESTIONS TO THE READER. 223 And will not this be granted ? Is it not secured by the New Covenant which God promised, by the mouth of JeremiaJi, to make with the house of Judah and the house of Israel ? We have seen that this Covenant has already been made with a small part of the Jews, and received an incipient fulfillment ; and that, when the appointed time arrives, it will, according to plain predictions, receive a more glorious fulfillment. To sustain your faith, recollect, reader, the wonders wrought, by the effusion of the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost ; when 3,000, and among them the crucifiers of our Lord, were converted, and baptized, and added to the Church, in one day. Eecollect how soon Saul of Tarsus, while " breathino; out threatenino;s and slaughter O CO against the disciples of the Lord," and while on the road to Damascus to persecute them in that city, was arrested in his mad career, humbled, and converted into the great and honored apostle of the Gentiles. 224 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. Think of the case of the Jailor at Philip- pi, who was convicted, converted, and bap- tized, in the same night. And when God shall again " pour out his Spirit upon all flesh," how easily can He multiply indefinitely cases of this kind ? How rapidly the Jews will be converted when the marvellous work shall begin, we cannot determine. We only say, it is our belief that God has so perfect a control over the spirits of all men, that, if He please. He could accomplish the work in one year, and indeed in one day. The work of transfor- mation from unbelief to faith, and from enmity to love, though it will be rapid, yet may be gradual. The time to be employed in the work, is a secret not revealed. One question more. Is it not an imjDcra- tive duty on Christians to pray for the Jews ; and that God would be j^leased to hasten the fulfilment of the gracious purposes He has revealed in regard to this once highly honored people ? QUESTIONS TO THE READER. 225 How miicli we owe to tliem I "Who are Israelites ; to wliom pertaineth. the adop- tion, and the glory, ^and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises ; whose are the fathers; and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen." (Rom. ix. 4, 5.) After the record of the blessed and glori- ous promises both of spiritual and temporal blessings made to the house of Israel, in the 86th chapter of Ezekiel, it is added, inverse 37th, "Thus saith the Lord God; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them." Christians, true believers, are now, by adoption, Israehtes ; and doubtless, it is binding on them, as well as on Abraham's natural descendants, to offer continual and earnest, and importunate prayer to God, to hasten the accomplishment of His gracious purposes in favor of Israel, and to turn their hearts to Himself, that they may all become the spiritual seed of Abraham, and IsraelitRa indeed. 226 RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. "We add tlie following notes : Note 1. The Jews have for centuries believed the thirtieth Chapter of Deuteronomy to contain a prediction and a promise of their return to the land of their fore- fathers, and exulted in the prospect. (See Pool's Synop- sis.) Note 2. It is worthy of serious remark, that a society has recently been formed, in London, under the influence of this belief. The Presbyterian of May 7, publishes, " Return of the Jews to Palestine." The London Christian Times understands that a society of Jews has been formed in London, with the view of stirring up their countrymen, in all lands, to seek a re-possession of Pales- tine. The society is reported to have been inaugurated under auspices which are likely to command sympathy to to a wide and influential extent." On the above article, we remark, that a large number of unconverted Jews may find their way to their ancient land, as well as some converted to the faith of Christ. But they will not obtain the quiet and peaceful possession of it, till, as a people, ih^Y shall, with deep and abasing peni- tence on account ol their long and obstinate unbelief, and ^he great sin of their forefathers, in crucifying Jesus of Nazareth, acknowledged Him to be indeed their long promised Messiah, embrace him as their all-sufficient Saviour, and worship him as the true and living God, to whom is due all possible honor and glory. Should this volume fall into the hands of a Jew, the writer would earnestly exhort him to read and study, with fervent prayer to God, the twelfth, thirteenth, and four- teenth chapters of their own prophet Zechariah. QUESTION TO THE READER. 227 Note 3. The latter bain. The following fact is worthy of being recorded in a note, as indicating that the time for the return of the Jews is approaching. It is taken from A London Correspondent of the Presbyte- rian of July 9, 1853. *' In connection with this subject, I may state that Dr. Duff, the Calcutta missionary of the Free Church of Scot- land, assured the General Assembly at Edingburg, the other day, that for the first time, since the destruction of Jerusalem, has ' the latter rain' returned, last autumn, to the Holy Land ; and as this is predicted by the prophet Joel, in connection with the return of Israel, and is, indeed, to be one of the great desideratum for the restoration of the fertility of the soil of Palestine, it is regarded with in- tense interest by the students of prophecy." APPENDIX A. I. The visible chuech. Concerning the Visible Cliurcli the Con- fession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church, (Chap. XXV. ii,) teaches, First^ That it is " Catholic or universal under the gospel not confined to one nation, as before under the law ;" Secondly^ That it " consists of all those throughout the world, that profess the true religion, together with their children ;" and Thirdly, That it "is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary pos- sibility of salvation." Of coarse, it is the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God ; and consequently, what is predicated of the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of God, can be, with equal propriety, predicated of the Visible Church. APPENDIX. 229 See 1 Cor. iii. 9-17. Jolin xv. 2. Luke xii. 81, 32. Acts ii. 36, 47. Rom. xiv. 17. II. Extracts from "the Home and Foreign Record of tlie Presbyterian Churcli." June 1853, pp. 85, 86. Theological Students and pious parents. Providence is an unerring teacher. God expresses truth in the execution of his de- crees. Are there any facts to show the con- nection between the piety of parents and the supply of the ministry? Let the reader ponder upon this extract, taken from a late number of the Preshjiarian : " Whatever may be the occasional demon- strations of God's providence and grace, a careful examination of facts would abund- antly show that the divine blessing, as a general rule, is upon the seed of believers. A very large majority of ministers of the 230 APPENDIX. gospel are the children of pious parents, whose faithful instructions and earnest prayers have resulted in their conversion and entrance on the ministry. Almost all the most eminent of God's servants, whose biographies have been written, have been nurtured by godly mothers. The piety of the family circle is the harvest-ground for the Church and the ministry. The follow- ing statistics, furnished us by a student of the Theological Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey, will be found interesting, and will verify the principle that God puts special honour on the faithful training of children by his professing people. " It has been ascertained, upon careful inquiry," says our correspondent, -'that of the one hundred and twenty students in this Seminary this session, ninety-five had both parents pious, eighteen had pious mothers only, one a pious father only, and five had neither of their parents pious. Of the whole javuD'beT. twenty -two. or ^tpvit otie- fifth, wei^ APPENDi:C. 231 sons of ministers, and a large proportion of tlie remainder sons of ruling elders. The different classes stand as follows : •5 ~ It II o ^1 = 2 S 1st Class * 87 5 3 7 2d Class, 26 8 1 2 5 8d Class, 32 5 10 95 18 1 6 22 ♦Including one resident graduate. THE BAPTISMAL COVENANT. In the covenant that God made with Abra- ham, on occasion of the institution of the rite of circumcision, he expressly stipulated that his favour should be extended to the children, also, of those who loved him, and kept his ordinances. "I will establish my covenent between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and tliy seed after thc€." In o\e.ry age, 282 APPENDIX. under the Christian, as well as under the Mosaic dispensation, God has proved true to this covenant. Innumerable parents, who have pledged their children to God at his altar, and have thus honoured his ordinance of baptism, have found him a Father to their children. God has loved the children for their parents' sake. Some years since, a hundred and twenty students, connected with the Theological Seminary at Andover, Massachusetts, ascer- tained, by mutual inquiries, that more than one hundred of theii' number were the sons of pious mothers. Of one hundred and fourteen students, who, about the same time, were pursuing a course of study for the min- istry, in connection with the Theological Seminary at Princeton, New Jersey, all but ten were the sods of pious mothers, and all but thirty-two of pious fathers also. In every case where the father was a member of the church, it was also true of the mother. For a period often years, the Third Pres- bytery of New York have been pursuing APPE2sDIX. 238 a course of inquiry of the same nature. Every candidate ibr the ministry whom they have received under their care during this time, has been asked to state whether he was the son of pious parents or not. The whole number of candidates received, since the rule was adopted, has been one hundred and twenty ; all but twelve of whom have been licensed to preach the gospel. Of the whole number, one hundred and three have been the sons of pious parents. In eighty -five cases both parents were pious ; in sixteen, the mother only ; and in tAVO, the father only. One hundred and one had pious mothers. Several of those who had not the privilege of a pious parent's supplications, were foreigners, whose parents had complied with the customs of their particular churches, and had presented their children at the sacred font. It will be observed, that in these three cases, the proportion of pious parents is very nearlv the same. In the latter case the stu- dents were nearly all from the Theological 'SS^: APPENDIX. Seminary at New York. A remarkable ac- >cordance is thus found to have existed, as regards this particular, in our three princi- pal Theological Institutions. Whatever this accordance may indicate in other respects, it certainly does indicate, that God is mind- ful of his covenant ; that he does not forget the children of those who believe in him ; and that he chooses his ministers, at the pres- ent day, for the most part, from pious house- holds. Thus he coniinns the word of his servant Paul : " And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.'' — New York Evangelist. III. Eelative or external holiness. The Bible speaks of two kinds of holiness ; Internal, produced by the Spirit of God, changiijg the heart, and rendering the sub- ject of the gracious change, Jwly, as God is holy ; and External or relative, produced by a peculiar covenant relation existing between God and his rational creatures. This kind of holiness, it has been proved, originated, not in the establishment of the APPENDIX. 285 national covenant at Sinai, but in the Abra- hamic covenant ; that had been estabhshed four hundred and thirty years before the giving of the law of Moses. The national covenant, beins; established in subserviency to that of Abraham, the re- moval of its typical part, could of course produce no change in the covenant it was designed to subserve, but left it unrepealed and unchanged. This covenant still embraces children, and even unsanctified adults, who make a credi- ble profession of religion. Eelative or external holiness, then, exists under the gospel dispensation. The inspired writers teach this doctrine. Paul says, " For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband ; else were your children unclean ; but now are they hoJyy (1 Cor. vii. 14.) See Zechariah xiv. 20. In fact, whatever is now devoted to God, whether it be money, or a house, or a field, 236 APPENDIX. becomes relatively holy\ just as the same tilings did become so, under the former dis- pensation. Jehovah called even the rulers of the Medes and Persians, His " sanctified ones :''"' " those whom I have appointed and set apart for that service." {Loivth.) See Scott^ Isaiah^ xiii. 8. The Author. APPENDIX B. Extracts from Bp. Newton's Dissertations on the Prophecies. Yol. I pp. 120-125. " Section 9. But thej were not only plucked off from thine own land, but also to be dispersed into all nations, ver. 25. ' And thou shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth ;' and again, ver. 64. ' And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, even from one end of the earth even unto the other.' Nehemiah, i. 8, 9, confesseth that these words were fulfilled in the Bab}^- lonish captivity ; but they have more amply been fulfilled since the great dispersion of the Jews by the Eomans. What people indeed have been scattered so far and wide APPENDIX. 287 as they ? And where is the nation which is a stranger to them, or to Avhich they are strangers ? They swarm in many parts of the east^ and spread through most of the countries of Europe and Africa, and there are several famihes of them in the West- Indies. They circulate through all parts where trade and money circulate, and are, I may say, the brokers of the whole world. 10. But tliough they should be so dis- persed, yet they should not be totally de- stroyed, but still subsist as a distinct people, as Moses had before foretold. Lev. xxvi. 44. ^' 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 covenant with them.-' The Jewish nation like the bush of Moses, has always been burning, but is never consumed. And what a marvellous thing is it, that after so many wars, battles and sieges; after so many fires, famines, and pestilences ; after so many rebellions, massa- cres, and persecutions ; after so many years 238 APPENDIX. of captivity, slavery, and misery, they are not d.strojjed iitterhj^ and tliougli scattered among all peo]3le, yet subsist as a distinct people by themselves ? Where is any thing comparable to this to be found in all the histories, and in all the nations under the sun? 11. Ho^vever, they should suffer much in their dispersion, and should not rest long in any place, ver. Qb. '' And among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest." They have been so far from finding rest, that they have been baaished from city to city, from coun- try to countr}'. In many places they have been banished, and recalled, and banished again. We will only just mention their great banishments in modern times, and from countries very well known. In the latter end of the thirteenth century they were banishsd from England by Edward I. and were not permitted to settle again till Cromwell's time. In the latter end of the fourteenth century they were banished from APPENDIX. 239 France (for the seventh time, says Mezeray) by Charles VI. and ever since they have been only tolerated, they have not enjoyed entire liberty, except at Metz, where they have a synagogue. In the latter end of the fifteenth century they were banished from Spain by Ferdinand and Isabella ; and ac- cording to Mariana, there were a hundred and seventy thousand families, or as some say, eight hundred thousand persons who left the kingdom : Most of them paid dearly to John II. for a refuge in Portugal, but within a few years were expelled from thence also by his successor Emanuel. And in our own time, within these few years, they were banished from Prague by the Queen of Bo- hemia. 12. " They should be oppressed and spoiled everraore ; and their houses and vineyards, their oxen and asses should be taken from them, and they should ' be only oppressed and crushed alway,' ver. 29, &c. And what frequent seizures have been made of their *>ffeci« iD almost all countries ? How often 240 APPENDIX. have they been fined and fleeced by almost all governments? How often have they been forced to redeem their lives with what is almost as dear as their lives, their treas- ure ? Instances are innumerable. We will only cite an historian of our own, who says that Henry IH. ' always j^olled the Jews at every low ebb of his fortunes. One Abra- ham, who was found delinquent, was forced to pay seven hundred marks for his redemp- tion. Aaron, another Jew, protested that the king had taken from him at times thirty thousand marks of silver, besides two hun- marks of gold, which he had presented to the queen. And in like manner he used many other of the Jews.' And when they were banished in the reign of Edward I. their estates were confiscated, and immense smiis thereby accrued to the crown. 18. "Their sons and their daughters should be given unto another people," ver. 32. And in several countries, in Spain and Portugal particularly, their children have been taken from them by order of the gov- ernment, to b(; educated in the popish relig- APPENDIX. 241 ion. The fourtli council of Toledo, ordered that all their children should be taken from them for fear they should partake of their er- rors, and that they should be shut up in monas- teries, to be instructed in the Christian truths. And when they were banished from Portu- gal, ' the king,' says Mariana, ' ordered all their children under fourteen years of age, to be taken from them, and baptised ; a practice not at all justifiable,' adds the histo- rian, ' because none ought to be forced to become Christians, nor children to be taken from their parents.' " 14. " ' They should be mad for the sight of their eyes which they should sec," ver. 34. And into what madness, fury and desperation have they been pushed by the cruel usage, extortions, and oppressions which they have undergone ? We will alledge only two in- stances, one from ancient, and one from modern history. After the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, some of the worst of the Jews took refage in the castle of Masada, where being closely besieged by the Romans^ 242 APPENDIX. the}^, at the persuasion of Eleazer their leader, first murdered their wives and chil- dren, then ten men was chosen by lot to slay the rest ; this being done, one of the ten was chosen in like manner, to kill the other nine, which having executed, he set fire to the place, and then stabbed himself There were nine hundred and fifty who perished in this miserable manner ; and only two women and five boys escaped by hiding themselves in the aqueducts under ground. Such another instance we have in our English history. For in the reign of Eichard the first, when the people were in arms to make a general massacre of them, fifteen hundred of them seized on the city of York to defend themselves ; but being besieged, they offered to capitulate, and to ransom their lives with money. The offer being refused, one of them cried in despair, that it was better to die couragiously for the law, than to fall into the hands of the Chris- tians. Every one took his knife, and stabbed his wife and children. The men afterwards APPENDIX. 243 retired into the kiiig's palace, which they set ou lire, in which they consumed them- selves, with the palace and furniture." 15. " ' They should serve other gods, wood and stone," ver. 36 ; and again ver. 64. ' they should serve other gods, which neither they nor their fathers had known, even wood and stone." And is it not too common for the Jews in Popish countries to comj)ly with the idolatrous worship of the church of Kome, and bow dowm to stocks and stones rather than their effects should be seized and confiscated? Here again we must cite the author, who hath most studied, and hath best written their modern history, and whom we have had occasion to quote several times in this discourse." " ' The Spanish and Portugal Inquisitions, saith he, reduce them to the dilemma of being hypocrites or burnt. The number of these dissemblers is very considerable ; and it ought not to be concluded, that there are no Jews in Spain or Portugal, because they are not known : They are so raucli the 244 APPENDIX. more dangerous, for not only being very numerous, but confounded with the ecclesias- ties, and entering into all ecclesiastical digni- ties.' In another place he saith, ' The most surprising thing is, that this religion spreads from generation to generation, and still subsists in the persons of dissemblers in a remote posterit}^ In vain the great Lords of Spain make alliances^ change their names^ and take ancient scutcheons; they are still known to he of Jewish race, and Jews themselves^ The convents of monks and nuns are fidl of them. Most of the canons^ inquisitors, and bishoj^s proceed from this nation. This is enough to make the people and clergy of this country tremble, since such sort of churchmen can only profane the sacraments, and want intention ot concecrating the host they adore. In the mean time Orobio, who relates the fact, knew these dissemblers. He was one of them himself, and bent the knee before the sacrament. Moreover he brings proof of his assertion, in maintaining, that there are in the synagogue of Amster- dam, brothers and sisters and near relation APPENDIX. 246 to good families of Spain and Portugal : and even Franciscan monks, Dominicans, and Jesnits, who come to do penance, and make amends for the crime they have committed in dissembling.' " 16. "'They should become an astonish- ment, a proverb, and a by-word among all nations,' ver. 87. And do we not hear and see this prophecy falfilled almost every day ? Is not the avarice, usury, and hard-hearted- ness of a Jew grown proverbial ? And are not their persons generally odious among all sorts of people .^ Mohammedans, Heathens, and Christians, however they may disagree in other points, yet generally agree in vilify- ing, abusing and persecuting the Jews, In most places where they are tolerated, they are obliged to live in a separate quarter by themselves, (as they did here in the Old Jury) and to wear some badge of distinction. Their very countenances distinguish them from the rest -of mandkind. They are in all respects, treated as if they were of another species. And when a great master of na- ture would draw the portrait of a Jew, how 246 APPENDIX. detestable a character hath he represented in the person of his Jew of Venice.'''' 17. Finally, " ' their plagnes should he wonderful, even great plagues, and of long continuance,' ver. 49. And have not their plagues continued now these 1700 years? Their former captivities Avere ver}^ short in comparison : and Ezekiel and Daniel prophe- sied in the land of the Chald^eans ; but now they have no true prophet to foretell an end of their calamities, they have not only false Messiahs to delude them and aggravate their misfortunes. In their former captivities they had the comfort of being conveyed to the same place ; they dwelt together in the land of Goshen, they were carried to- gether to Babylon ; but now they are dis- persed all over the face of the earth. What nation hath suffered so much, and yet en- dured so long ? What nation hath subsisted as a distinct people in their own country so long as these have done in their disj)ersion into all countries? And what a standing miracle is this exhibited in the view and observation of the whole world ?" 1 DATE DUE ««r ^^ HIQHSMITH # 45220