food. Ezekiel xlviii. 18. Now all the • land that lies east of the whole oblation, quite to the river Jordan, and all that lies weft of it, to the Great Sea,' the Mediterranean, is to be given to their prince or head, whom the Ifraelites fhall choose at the time of their future reftoration. Ezek. • xlv. 7, 8. and xlvi. 16, 17, 18. and xlviii. 21, 22. Hofea i. 11.

This prince or head feems to be one of the • descendents of David, and this large portion of land allotted him, confifting of between

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and 400000, acres, will be a sufficient eftate, without laying any taxes on the people, to fupport his rank and station,

and to fupply him with plenty of cattle ⚫ for the many offerings he is commanded to 'provide at the feafts, &c. Out of this eftate he is also to give an inheritance to all his pofterity, who are to have no other poffeffions any where else. When the

• Meffiah comes as the king or prince of the Ifraelites, this prince of the feed of David will ftill probably continue their • chief head under the Meffiah.

•We

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We are farther affured, that the city will be fo highly favored by God, as to be called,' as I have repeatedly remarked, by a new name, now or the Lord is there, to fhew his continual prefence, • and his glory refiding there; that a spring • shall rise in the house, or temple of God, ⚫ which continually increafing in its depth, as it runs along, fhall foon become a river, ⚫ not to be forded, running eastward into the dead or eaft-fea, whofe falt and nau'feous waters fhall be rendered sweet and wholesome by it, and abound with great • multitudes of fifh of various forts; and

that on the banks of this river there fhall

grow trees, which fhall produce new

fruit every month for food, while their leaves fhall be used as medicine, to cure the diforders of the body. Ezekiel xlvii. I to 13.

These particulars are fo very different from the past or present state of this land, that they muft plainly relate to a future period, when the twelve tribes of Ifrael

will be restored to this country again. For, fince Ezekiel's time, the glory of • God has never refided in their temple; • neither have the twelve tribes ever inhabited the land, according to the aforefaid • divifion of it, nor has the city of Jerufalem ever been built in the form aforefaid, neither has the holy oblation yet been laid • out as directed in Ezekiel's prophecy, nor has this river ever yet rifen in the temple, or healed the dead, or eaft fea, whofe waters are ftill falt to the highest degree, ⚫ and extremely bitter and nauseous, so that few or no fish can live in it. See Maun• drell's Journey from Aleppo to Jerufalem, 3d edition, p. 84.

If it be afked, what is become of the < ten tribes, fince we have fo full a prediction of their future restoration, as well as of the Jews, and yet there are very few if any in these parts,' the countries of Europe, but the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, with fome Levites? I answer,

that when the king of Affyria rooted the

• ten

!

* ten tribes out of the land, he placed them beyond the river Euphrates, and in the ⚫ cities of the Medes, 2 Kings xvii, 6. And as we ftill find, there are many, who, at this time, observe the laws of Mofes, in ' or near the northern part of the ancient Media, not far from Derbent, near the Cafpian Sea, who at this time live in the ' mountains there, it feems probable that the defcendents of the ten tribes continue there to this day.

'Having fhewn, that the twelve tribes of • Ifrael will be certainly once more restored to their own land, we are, in the next place, to confider the manner of it. Now, upon comparing the prophecies together, ⚫ which relate to this subject, the best judge'ment we can make is, that fome command'ment will go forth, but of whom it is not faid, to cause them to return from their prefent difperfion, and to build Je'rufalem; that only part of the Jews, and perhaps alfo fome of the ten tribes will go up at first; but it is probable, that

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the peace and fafety, in which these shall dwell there, with the accounts of their

progrefs in building their city, &c. will invite others to follow continually; that • fome years after their return, the Turks will invade them with a vast army, and destroy great numbers of them, but that 'God will then interpofe and preserve the ' remainder of them, and destroy their

enemies, and that then the Meffiah fhall 'come as their prince or king. The news • of this terrible deftruction of fo numerous an army of their enemies, and of the • Meffiah's refiding at Jerufalem, will caufe the kings of the earth to feek out all the < remainder of the Jews and Ifraelites, which 'fhall continue among the nations, and to

fend them up to their own land with

great glory and honor, when many of the • Gentiles will go along with them to pay their homage in perfon to the Meffiah. Thus the intire reftoration of the Jews and Ifraelites will be fome time in perfecting. How far the predictions relating to the troubles and afflictions they are to go