nation, that it is an act of God, and not man, that muft turn them: "Thou, O JEHOVAH, remaineft "for ever; thy throne from generation to generation. "Wherefore doft thou forget us for ever, and for"fake us fo long time? TURN THOU US UNTO "THEE, O JEHOVAH, and we fhall be turned; renew our days as of old," Lam. v. 19-21,

It is obfervable that it was by meditation upon a prophecy of Jeremiah that Daniel was as it were ftirred up at that time to proceed as recorded in the 9th chapter of his book; and it is also obfervable that he seems to refer to the paffage above quoted from the Lamentations, in the 13th verfe of the 9th chapter: "As it is written in the law of Mofes, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before JEHOVAH our God, that we might ❝ turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth." But ample as are thefe MEANS which have been prepared by the Lord God of Ifrael, there is a fong recorded by Mofes, the fervant of JEHOVAH, Written for the express purpose of witneffing in behalf of their God: "The redeemed of JEHOVAH fhall return

and come with SINGING unto Zion; and everlasting joy fhall be upon their head: they fhall obtain "gladness and joy; and forrow and mourning fhall

flee away." Ifa. li. 11. The occafion of the fong of Mofes, the fervant of God, being written, deferves particular notice; and we, of the Gentile nations, are deeply interested in it. When Moses arrived at the close of his auguft miniftry, he was informed as to what would actually take place, with respect to that

people

people whom he loved; the promises and threatenings before pronounced by him, at the command of JEHOVAH, were conditional; but now he is inftructed by him who alone can fee into futurity, as to the event: "And JEHOVAH faid unto Mofes, Behold, "thou fhalt fleep with thy fathers; and this people "will rife up, and go a whoring after the gods of "the ftrangers of the land, whither they go to be 66 among them, and will forfake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. Then my anger fhall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forfake them, and I will hide my face "from them, and they fhall be devoured, and many ❝evils and troubles fhall befall them; fo that they "will fay in that day, Are not thefe evils come upon 66 us, because our God is not among us? And I will "furely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they fhall have wrought, in that they are "turned unto other gods. Now therefore write ye this "fong for you, and teach it the children of Ifrael: 66 put it in their mouths, that this fong may be a wit"nefs for me against the children of Ifrael. For "when I fhall have brought them into the land which "I fware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk "and honey; and they fhall have eaten and filled "themselves, and waxen fat; then will they turn ❝unto other gods, and ferve them, and provoke me, ❝ and break my covenant. And it fhall come to pass, when many evils. and troubles are befallen them, that this fong fhall teftify against them as a witnefs; for it fhall not be forgotten out of the

66

"mouths

"mouths of their feed: for I know the imagination " which they go about, even now, before I have "brought them into the land which I fware. Mofes "therefore wrote this fong the fame day, and taught it "the children of Ifrael." Deut. xxxi. 16-22.

The first great doctrine taught in this fong is the uncontrollable fovereignty of JEHOVAH, GOD OF ISRAEL,Give hear, O ye heavens, and I will "fpeak and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. "My doctrine fhall drop as the rain, my speech fhall ❝ distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender ❝herb, and as the showers upon the grafs: because I "will proclaim the name of JEHOVAH: afcribe ye "greatness unto our God. He is the rock, his work ❝is perfect for all his ways are judgment: a God ❝ of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” Deut. xxxii. 1—4. The fong then proceeds with a prophetic declaration of the faithfulness of JEHOVAH in performing his promifes to Ifrael: in a reprefentation of the impotence of the power of man to hurt them; and of the judgments of JEHOVAH which WOULD come upon their nation for their national fins; but are there no other judgments recorded in this fong but judgments upon the Jewish nation? Surely there are; all nations are under the control, and fubject to the punishments of the God of Ifrael, and thus is it written: "JEHOVAH fhall judge his people, ❝ and repent himself for his fervants."-"See now "that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of

"my

my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven, and fay, I live for ever, If I whet my glittering "fword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I

will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will "reward them that hate me. I will make mine "arrows drunk with blood, and my fword fhall de"vour flesh; and that with the blood of the flain and ❝of the captives, from the beginning of revenges 66 upon the enemy," Deut, xxxii. 36, 39-42.

Judgment does not always imply condemnation ; he that woundeth HEALETH alfo; and when it is said "JEHOVAH fhall judge his people, and repent him

felf for his fervants," it is manifeft that at the time to which this expreffion refers, the sufferings are taken from his people, his fervants of the Jewish nation, and inflicted upon their enemies: "To me belongeth ❝ vengeance, and recompence; THEIR foot fhall

flide in due time: for the day of THEIR calamity is at hand, and the things that fhall come upon ❝ them make haste. For JEHOVAH fhall judge his people, and repent himself for his feryants." Deut. xxxii. 35, ვ6.

In the 30th chapter of Deuteronomy, alfo the fame fact is clearly declared. When Ifrael hath become PREPARED, as we have already noticed, JEHOVAH their God will bring them into the land which their fathers poffeffed, and they fhall poffefs it, and he will do them good, and multiply them above their fathers. The fufferings inflicted upon their nation, for their national fins, then ceafe; but are the Jewish nation the only nation upon whom national

calamities

calamities are inflicted for national tranfgreffions? Far otherwife; on their refloration it is immediately added, " And JEHOVAH THY GOD will put all these "curfes upon thine ENEMIES, and on them that

HATE THEE, which PERSECUTED THEE." Deut. xxx. 7. In the 25th chapter of the Book of Jeremiah the prophet, you will find that it is the decree of JEHOVAH, God of Ifrael, that all nations fhall drink out of the cup of war, defolation, and fury; Jerufalem and Judah FIRST, but all nations fhall afterwards have to drink out of the fame cup. "Thus faith JEHOVAH OF HOSTS; Ye fhall certainly "drink: for, lo, I begin to bring evil on the city that " is called by my name, and should ye be utterly "unpunished? Ye fhall not be unpunished: for I will call for a fword upon all the inhabitants of the "earth, faith JEHOVAH OF HOSTS."

Jerě. xxv. 15-33.

Pray read

The great object, therefore, to which we of the Gentile nations fhould direct our attention, is how to efcape this great, this awful deftruction, that is decreed to come upon the enemies of God's dear ancient people Ifrael, how we may be enabled to FLEE FROM THE WRATH TO COME.

It ill becomes the Gentile nations to REPROACH the Jewish nation, especially at a time when there are fo many awful figns that the day of calamity, of the Gentile nations, is at hand; when there are fo many fure and certain figns that the things which fhall come upon the Gentile nations make hafte, Deut. xxxii. 35. I cannot but confider the argument referred to in page