Look at every book in the New Teftament with this question before you: What was St. Matthew? a Jew! St. Mark? a Jew! St. Luke? a St. Luke? a Jew! St. John? a Jew! St. Paul? a Jew! St. James? a Jew! St. Peter? a Jew! St. Jude? a Jew! What was the great "author and finifher of our faith; who for "the joy that was fet before him endured the cross, "defpifing the fhame, and is fet down at the right "hand of the throne of God," Heb. xii. 2. in accomplishment of that prophecy, recorded by the fweet Pfalmift of Ifrael," JEHOVAH faid unto my Lord, "Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine ene"mies thy footftool," Pf. cx. 1. I repeat, what was this the great author and finifher of our faith? He was "of the feed of David according to the flesh; and "declared to be the Son of God with power, ac"cording to the spirit of holiness, by the refurrection "from the dead." Rom. i. 3, 4. He was "the Son "of David, the Son of Abraham." Matt. i. 1.

To a noble mind there is not a more ftinging reflection than that which arifes from the conviction that those who ought to have been kindly used by us, have been treated with difrefpect, neglected, or defpifed; and the greater is the good that we enjoy by MEANS of those towards whom we have thus mifconducted ourselves, the deeper is the wound. Do we confider the religious comforts we poffefs as of ineftimable value? I think I hear a member of the Miffionary Society replying yea, ineftimable; and do we poffefs this inestimable treafure by MEANS of the Jewish nation? Can it be denied?

What

What should we fay to the man, who having received as a prefent, from a benefactor in a far diftant land, a box of pearls, of the value of a few thousand pounds; many weary miles has the meffenger paffed; many are the troubles he has paffed through in his way; but at length arrived, the object of his journey is accomplished, and the pearls are delivered as directed. What fhould we say to the man who would fo far forget his duty, as not even to fhew this meffen. ger the civility of a kind reception; but how great would be our aftonifhment, at his unkindnefs and ingratitude, if this meffenger was to be found to be the FIRSTBORN SON of his benefactor. Exod. iv. 22. 1. Where there is true fincerity of foul, conviction of error will be followed by confeffion of it. Where that noble spirit exifts, the fting, which is fo fharp on the recollection of unrequited kindnefs, will not long be fuffered to wound, but eafe will be fought and found in letting it no longer remain UNREQUITED. Where this fincerity of foul exifts, pleasure is extracted from that very thing which, of all others, to the proud and unhumbled mind is the most dreadful; I mean the confeffion of an error or MISTAKE, and the relinquishment of unadvifed measures purfued in confequence thereof. I have frequently found pleafure in obferving, in the works of the Rev. George Whitfield, (a name much refpected by many who are not entirely of his fentiments, and by myfelf among the number) repeated inftances of this fincerity of foul; he was a man of that noble spirit, that when

convinced

convinced of an error, he immediately confeffed it; witness his obfervations on his own journals; witnefs his letter to Colonel Gardner, who nobly died in the defence of his king and country. Where prayer is made as to any particular thing, and I cannot for a moment doubt the correctnefs of the information I have received, that for a long while there has been in those congregations of Chriftians, whofe members are more peculiarly attached to the Miffionary Society, many. fervent prayers made for the converfion and profperity of the Jewish nation; but where prayer is made for any particular object, it is too frequently the cafe that they are not expreffed in language fufficiently HUMILIATING to those who prefent the prayers: thus in prayers for deliverance from our enemies, whom we believe to be wrathfully displeased with us, because we, among the nations, have been zealous in oppofing their unjust and unreasonable ambition; it might poffibly be better if we were to acknowledge that no fufferings can refult to us, or any of the nations of the earth, that are not under the control of him to whom we pray. The enemy can have no power to affli& any further than they are permitted of God, John xix. 11. However unjuft and infatiable their ambition may be, it is no more than the rod, Ifa. x. 5. and the only deliverance that can be reasonably expected therefrom, is by acknowledging the juftice and righteousness of the divine judgments, and the fword is one of them; Ezek. xiv. 21. and by HUMBLING ourselves in fincerity of heart before him who is mer

ciful and gracious, and abundant in goodnefs and in truth, whose mercy endureth for ever. Exod. xxxiv. 6. Pf. cxxxvi. 1-26.

Long, very long, even for ever and ever, may we as a nation continue awfully to fear that "glorious and "fearful name, JEHOVAH, GOD OF ISRAEL," Deut. xxviii. 58. before whom the cherubims and feraphims veil their faces, and unceafingly cry, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS JEHOVAH OF "HOSTS: THE WHOLE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS "GLORY". Ifa. vi. 3. Long, very long, yea for ever and ever, may we continue to acknowledge the God of Ifrael for our God, and put our truft under the fhadow of his wings, Ruth ii. 12. Long may we continue to imitate the heavenly hoft, by finging the fong of our established church, "We praise thee, O "God: we acknowledge thee to be the Lord: all' "the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlafting: "to thee all angels cry aloud, the heavens and all "the powers therein: to thee cherubim and feraphim "continually do cry, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, "LORD GOD OF SABAOTH."

It is he alone who can preferve us as a nation, from being involved in that awful deftruction which will come upon those nations who may be induced, from policy or any other motive, to disturb the Jewish nation, or even to attempt to restore them unto the land of their fathers, before they are PREPARED to return in that way which it is ordained of JEHOVAH OF HOSTS, the God of Ifrael, that they fhall return.

What

What is this PREPARATION that the Jewish nation must pass through before they can return to their long loft inheritance?

It is clearly defined in the Books of Mofes and the Prophets, immediately after that long denunciation of NATIONAL AFFLICTIONS, as the punishment of NATIONAL TRANSGRESSIONS, which is on record in Deut. xxviii. 15-68. xxix. 18-29.

"And it fhall come to pafs, when all these things "are come upon thee, the bleffing and the curfe, which I have fet before thee, and thou fhalt call "them TO MIND among all the nations, whither JEHOVAH THY GOD hath DRIVEN thee, and ❝fhalt return unto JEHOVAH THY GOD, and fhalt

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obey his voice according to all THAT I COM"MAND THEE THIS DAY, thou and thy "children, with ALL thine heart, and with ALL "thy foul; that then JEHOVAH THY GOD, will turn "thy captivity, and have compaffion upon thee, and

will return and GATHER thee from all the na

tions, whither JEHOVAH THY GOD hath SCAT"TERED thee. If any of thine be driven out unto "the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will "JEHOVAH THY GOD GATHER thee, and from "thence will he FETCH thee: and JEHOVAH. "THY GOD will bring thee into the land which "thy fathers poffeffed, and thou fhalt poffefs it; and "he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy. "fathers. And JEHOVAH THY GOD will circum"cife thine heart, and the heart of thy feed, To "LOVE JEHOVAH THY GOD with all thine heart,

and