that the love that hath arisen towards the Jewith nation in these islands, is a very strong indication that our hopes are not unfounded; for whether the British ifles are the ifles referred to in Scripture or not, yet this is indifputable, that the time will come in which A DIVINE MESSAGE will be delivered to all nations concerning ISRAEL. Ifrael is as it were the TEXT from which thofe will preach who will be employed in delivering this divine meffage unto the nations: "Hear the word of JEHOVAH, О уe "nations, and declare it in the ISLES afar off, and "fay, He that SCATTERED ISRAEL will GATHER

him, and keep him, as a fhepherd doth his flock." Jere. xxxi. 10. It is certainly the fact that the British isles may be with truth faid LOCALLY to

ifles afar off

anfwer the defcription; for they are from the holy land, in which these words were recorded by Jeremiah the prophet. It is certainly the fact, that in the British ifles there hath arifen a strong defire to search into the prophecies recorded in the Books of Mofes and the prophets, and that this defire has been greatly, very greatly increased, even within the last twenty years. It is certainly the fact, that the awful events that have occurred within the laft twenty years, have greatly contributed to promote this difpofition to fearch into the prophecies recorded in the Books of Mofes and the prophets, as well as in those recorded in the Books of the New Teftament; for when afflictions furround us, we naturally, as it were, feek for comfort, and those who feek for comfort in God's most holy word, do not feek in

vain. It is certainly the fact, that we are difpofed to admit and to affert that it is JEHOVAH of hofts, the God of Ifrael, the Great Creator of heaven and earth, and he alone who hath SCATTERED Ifrael into all nations; and that the Romans and others, who fought and prevailed against them, were no more than the inftruments in the hand of JEHOVAH, whereby he punished them and fcattered them into all nations. It is certainly the fact, that by thus fearching for comfort in the prophecies recorded in the Books of Mofes and the prophets, we have loft many of our ancient prejudices against the Jewish nation, and are convinced that "He that scattered Ifrael will GATHER

him, and keep him, as a fhepherd doth his flock;" but it is alfo certain that Chriftians are not AS YET generally disposed to make their confeffion, as to the cause wherefore JEHOVAH hath thus fcattered them, in the words recorded by Mofes, the fervant of God, as hath been already obferved. In this respect school divinity seems not as yet to have given way to bible divinity; but when we confider the great fuccefs that it has pleafed God to bestow upon that goodly fellowship of affertors of bible divinity, the British and Foreign Bible Society, we may, I think, reasonably encourage the hope that bible divinity is rapidly gaining ground among us.

There is another point in which Chriftians do not feem to be aware of the extent of the harvest which remains to be GATHERED; we are fo much accustomed to fee the Jews among us, that we are apt to forget that the Jews whom we fee and acknowledge

jedge to be the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have BRETHREN whom we know not, and whom they know not. This is a fubject very interefting to all thofe engaged in, or who wifh well to Miffions, and therefore I truft I fhall be excused if I enlarge upon it; and I truft that the refult will be, that when we see how very great the harvest is, and confider how very few. are the labourers in comparison of the extent of the harvest, that we fhall pray unto the Lord of the harveft, that he would ❝fend forth labourers into his harveft." Luke x. 2.

The promise given unto Abraham of a NUMEROUS POSTERITY was in these words, "I will "make thy feed as the duft of the earth; fo that "if a man can number the duft of the earth, then ❝fhall thy feed also be numbered," Gen. xiii. 16. and again, when Abraham complained that he had no child, and faid, "Behold, to me thou haft given no "feed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine ❝heir. Behold, the word of JEHOVAH came unto ❝ him, faying, "This fhall not be thine heir; but "he that fhall come forth out of thine own bowels "fhall be thine heir. And he brought him forth ❝ abroad, and faid, Look now toward heaven, and "tell the ftars, if thou be able to number them; "and he faid unto him, So fhall thy feed be. And "he believed in JEHOVAH; and he counted it to "him for righteoufnefs." Gen. xv. 3-6. When Jacob was about to die in Egypt, his fon Joseph vifited him with Ephraim and Manaffeh, who were born unto him in Egypt: "And Ifrael beheld

"Joseph's

"Jofeph's fons, and faid, Who are thefe? And "Jofeph faid unto his father, They are my fons, "whom God hath given me in this place. And he "faid, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will "bless them. Now the eyes of Ifrael were dim for age, fo that he could not fee. And he brought "them near unto him; and he kiffed them, and "embraced them. And Ifrael faid unto Jofeph, I "had not thought to fee thy face: and, lo, God hath "fhewed me alfo thy feed. And Joseph brought "them out from between his knees, and he bowed

" himself with his face to the earth. And Jofeph "took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward “Ifrael's left hand, and Manaffeh in his left hand to"ward Ifrael's right hand, and brought them near "unto him. And Ifrael ftretched out his right ❝hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the 66 younger, and his left hand upon Manaffeh's head, "guiding his hands wittingly; for Manaffeh was the "firstborn. And he bleffed Jofeph, and faid, God "before whom my fathers Abraham and Ifaac did "walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto "this day, the angel which redeemed me from all "evil, blefs the lads; and let my name be named

on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and "Ifaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the "midft of the earth. And when Jofeph faw that his "father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, "it difpleafed him and he held up his father's hand, "to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manaffeh's

"head. And Jofeph faid unto his father, Not fo,

"my

t

my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand 66 upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I "know it, my fon, I know it: he alfo fhall become "a people, and he also fhall be great but truly his 66 younger brother fhall be greater than he, and HIS

SEED SHALL BECOME A MULTITUDE "OF NATIONS. And he blessed them that day, "faying, In thee shall Israel bless, faying, God make "thee as Ephraim and as Manaffeh: and he fet "Ephraim before Manaffeh." Gen xlviii. 8-20. And again, when the fons of Ifrael were affembled together, that he might inform them that which fhould befall them in the laft days, thefe are fome of the words which he spake concerning Jofeph: "Jofeph " is a FRUITFUL bough, even a FRUITFUL bough "by a well; whofe branches run over the wall." And the bleffings which were predicted concerning him, were "Bleffings of heaven above, bleffings of the "deep that lieth under, bleffings of the breafts, and "of the womb. The bleffings of thy father hath pre"vailed above the bleffings of thy progenitors UNTO

THE UTMOST BOUND OF THE EVERLASTING

HILLS: they fhall be on the head of Jofeph, and "on the crown of the head of him that was separate "from his brethren." Gen. xlix. 1, 22, 25, 26.

From hence it is clear that the bleffing of a numerous pofterity, which was promifed unto Abraham, will be found to be accomplished in its greatest extent in the house of JOSEPH. MANASSEH was to become a people, and to become great, but his younger brother, EPHRAIM, to become greater than he;

and