captivity, and to put them into possession of their ancient inheritance. The many disappointments which that people have met with, in attempting to obtain a settlement, or the privileges of citizens, in different countries, may indeed be looked upon as a punishment, and part of the curse that lies upon them for their sin in crucifying the Savior and continuing so long to reject his Gospel; and no doubt so it is: but when we consider the kindness of Providence to them in other respects, his preserving, supporting, and even multiplying them, notwithstanding the numberless massacres and persecutions they have sustained, I say, when we consider these things, we cannot help thinking that Providence, in disappointing them of a settlement, has some other end in view besides punishing them for their infidelity. If we deny the restoration of the Jews, we will find it hard to account for their prosperity. But if we admit of their future restoration, then the reason not only of their worldly prosperity, but of all the other dispensations of Providence towards them, is most apparent. He denies them a settlement in the countries where they are, to prevent their having any attachment to them, and that they may be under no temptation to stay still, or look back, whensoever they are called in the course of Providence to remove; and for this reason, also, he suffers them to be hated and persecuted, namely, that they may be the more willing to quit the places where they are so used; and lastly, he endows them with riches, that they may have wherewith to support themselves on their journey to their native country, and to establish themselves therein for as many of them live at a great distance from Palestine, to travel so far, and to erect a settlement for themselves in a country almost desolate, is a thing not to be done without considerable wealth; and their being endowed with such wealth, as it renders their return possible, so it adds to the probability of it. Thus both the kindness and the severity

of Providence towards this people serve to confirm the doctrine I have been endeavoring to prove, viz. their future conversion and restoration."

§ 10. Permit me, my dear Benjamin, to mention one more argument in favor of the speedy return of our dear people to the land which, though it once flowed with milk and honey, has for many ages been desolate, but will soon become like "the garden of Eden," viz. the removal of the obstacles out of their way. Not only are they prepared by the remarkable hand of Providence to return at a moment's warning, but the way is also preparing for them. The great river Euphrates is drying up; the once terrible Turkish empire is crumbling into pieces; and the determined time for the land to be trodden under foot by the Gentiles" is near its close, and kings talk of becoming their nursing fathers, and queens their nursing mothers. On each of these particulars, my dear Benjamin, I should gladly expatiate at considerable length, had not I detained you already too long, and greatly exceeded my prescribed limits.

Before I proceed to answer the objections generally brought against the preceding proposition, I will endeavor to answer a question very frequently proposed, viz.

§ 11. If the Jews return to their own land, will they rebuild the city of Jerusalem? Will they have a temple, altar, sacrifice, and priest?

First, as it respects Jerusalem, there can be no reasonable doubt in the mind of those who will be guided by the plain word of God. Almost in every passage, where the restoration of our people to their own land is mentioned, the building of the city of Jerusalem, in its own place, is also mentioned. Read only the following predictions: Jer. 30 8-11, 18. 31: 38-40. Zech. 12: 1-8. ought we to lose sight of the prediction of the blessed Jesus himself, who said, " And Jerusalem shall be trodden down

Nor

of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," Luke, 21: 24; which evidently implies that when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, Jerusalem shall no longer be trodden down, but be rebuilt and inhabited again by her own people. Dr. Guise, on this passage, says, Jerusalem itself shall be sacked and trampled upon with indignation and contempt; and shall be kept under the jurisdiction of the Gentiles, and never be rebuilt again, with any grandeur, suitable to its present state, till the glorious days shall come, which are appointed for the general conversion of the Jews, and bringing in of the fullness of the Gentiles. Our Lord hereby seems to intimate, that then Jerusalem should be rebuilt, and the Jews gathered to their own country and city again; and that the Gentiles shall then no longer lord it over them, but all nations shall flow in unto them, and shall walk in their light, rejoicing in God's mercy to them, and sharing in all spiritual blessings with them." Dr. Doddridge says, It seems reasonable to suppose that here, as in most other places, the Gentiles are opposed to the Jews; and consequently all the period between the destruction of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Jews to their own land, so expressly foretold in Scripture, is here intended." (See Isaiah, 27: 12, 13. Ezek. 11: 17. 20: 40, 42. 34: 13. 36: 24, 28. 37:21-28. 39 28, 29. Hosea, 3: 5. Amos, 9: 14, 15. and Zech. 14: 10, 11.)

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Dr. Gill says, "Then the Jews will be converted, and return to their own land, and rebuild and inhabit Jerusalem but till that time it will be, as it has been, and still is, possessed by the Gentiles." My dear Benjamin, I might greatly multiply quotations of this nature, but these may suffice.

12. And as it respects the other part of the question, about building a temple, and having an altar and sacrifice, &c. &c. my answer to the whole is in the affirmative. For,

how could I doubt it for a moment, even if the word of God were perfectly silent on the subject? Suppose a company of five thousand pious and conscientious Christians had gone to Africa to colonize, and had drawn up various articles how to proceed when arrived there; viz. to build a city of such and such dimensions, to erect so many houses, to plant vineyards, to establish certain factories, &c. &c.; but not a word is said in this compact about keeping the Sabbath and building a place of worship, forming a church and administering the ordinances; and suppose also that intelligence has been received, giving an account of their safe arrival and establishment according to the original agreement, but again not a word is mentioned. about their religious deportment; would any one who had known these five thousand pious Christians suppose for a moment that they kept no Sabbath, that they had no place of worship, that they had constituted no church, and conse quently administered no ordinances, merely because they had not expressly covenanted to do so, and because the intelligence that has reached us of their perfect establishment made no mention of these things? Would such a supposition not be a stigma on their character? Would it not loudly proclaim their former religious professions to have been a hypocrisy of the most heinous kind? Or, must it not rather be taken for granted, by all who believe them to be sincere Christians, that after their arrival, in imitation of the pious patriarchs, who, wherever they pitched their tents, erected immediately an altar unto the Lord, the very first thing they attended to after their safe arrival, was to build a house of worship, and to walk in all God's ap pointed ways? And now, my dear Benjamin, why should it be thought strange to believe that our dear people, who have, for nearly eighteen hundred years, most conscien tiously observed all the religious rites which God gave to our fathers, in all countries, amongst all people, and under

all circumstances, as far as the law of God allows them to observe them in a strange land, although these observances exposed them to reproach, hatred, persecution, and death itself, would, when they are brought back by the wonderful goodness of God, to the land which God gave to our fathers, build again a temple for the worship of God, erect an altar unto the Lord, and offer up their sacrifices, and observe all other ceremonies which they observed before their dispersion by the Romans? Did they not do so after their return from the Babylonish captivity? How strange and unaccountable would it appear if our people, who, whilst the chastening hand of God was upon them for ages, were, notwithstanding, steadfast and immovable in worshiping that God, should cast off all their religious profession, love and attachment to him, when he has performed his promises in delivering them out of their captivity, and brought them back to the goodly land? Would not such a supposition charge them with “having denied the faith, and become worse than infidels?" God forbid that they should ever act so basely.

13. I am aware, my dear Benjamin, that this sentiment is not only open to an objection which I hope to meet by and by; but some will even charge me with heresy. For a learned and pious author has already thus expressed himself: "It will not be denied that the possession of the land of Canaan by the natural posterity of Abraham formed an integral part of that covenant. Accordingly as long as that covenant remained in force, Israel retained possession of the land; but when Paul wrote his epistle to the Hebrews, that economy had waxed old, and was ready to vanish away. Now, to me," he says, "it appears, that to contend for the return of the Jews, as a nation, to their own land, is in effect to build again the things that are destroyed;'-it is virtually denying that the Sinai covenant has vanished away-it is pleading for its restoration—it is,