give the title of his married wife to a people, who, if Levi and the Jews be right, worship an impostor, or an enthusiast; and are guilty of corrupting the fundamental doctrine of the divine unity? If Judaism cannot be defended but by such a dereliction of all the principles of fair reasoning, it were surely better for the children of Israel at once to throw down the

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weapons of their warfare, and look upon Him ' whom they have pierced; mourning for Him as ' for an only son!' Oh that there were in them such a heart!

From the preceding passage of Isaiah, it therefore undeniably follows, that, during the widowhood of the Jewish church, when Israel

is smitten with blindness, and gropeth at noon

day, as the blind gropeth in darkness,' God has a people among the Gentiles, to whom He condescends to give the title of his married wife. But the appointed and the glorious time will come, when Israel shall return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the

'latter days.' (Hos. iii. 5.) To this time the above prophecy of Isaiah has reference; and the newly-converted Jewish nation is therein called upon to sing, and to rejoice, because more are her children, than the children of the barren wife, the Gentile church. So great and glorious will be the effect of the conversion and restoration of Judah and Israel, and of the awful judgments of God which shall introduce and accompany these glorious events, that they shall be the means of exciting the universal attention of an unbelieving world; and, these events being accompanied by an abundant effusion of the Spirit of God, then shall be fulfilled the glorious predictions both of the Old and New Testaments, for all the ends of the earth shall remember, and turn to the Lord; and truly, more shall be the children of the barren woman, than of the married wife.

The calling of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews upon account of their unbelief, are also predicted in Isaiah lxv. 1, 2, to which I would refer the reader.

It is thus quite evident, from the Old Testament Scriptures, that at the period when Israel is cast off from being the people of God, the Lord takes to himself a people from among the Gentiles. Now, where will the Jews look for this people of God, unless it be among the Christians? It is apparent that the Mahommedans, and those who continue in Pagan idolatry, are not the people of God; and as I suppose the Jews will agree with us in this point, it seems unnecessary to enter upon the proof of it. It only remains, therefore, that the people of God are among those nations which profess the Christian faith; * and, if so, it follows, undeniably, that Jesus is the Messiah.

CHAP. VII.

HARMONY OF THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES BRIEFLY CONSIDERED, AND ARGUMENT THENCE DEDUCED, THAT JESUS IS THE MESSIAH.

I SHALL consider this harmony, first, as it relates to the view taken both in the Hebrew Scriptures, and those of the New Testament, of the present and future condition of the Jewish nation.

The ancient prophets are unanimous in declaring, that the great national redemption and restoration of Israel are to happen when the Roman kingdom (the fourth beast of Daniel, and the Edom of Isaiah,) is destroyed: and, from the prophecies of Daniel we learn, (vii. 26.) that the destruction of the fourth beast, i. e. the Roman empire, is to commence at the conclusion of a certain period which is called a time, times, and the dividing of time; i. e. one year, two years, and half a year, or three years and a half. Christian writers have shown, with abundant clearness, that this period, being reduced to days, is equal to twelve hundred and sixty days; and they are pretty generally agreed in sentiment, that each of these prophetical days signifies a year; and that, consequently, the true period announced by Daniel, when the destruction of the Roman empire is to commence, is twelve hundred and sixty years; but from what particular era this period is to be dated, remains, as yet, a disputed point. It is also probable, from the concluding chapter of Daniel's prophecies, that the destruction of the Roman empire will occupy a space of about thirty years, being the difference between the above-mentioned period of twelve hundred and sixty days, and another period of twelve hundred and ninety days, announced to Daniel by the angel, in chap. xii. 11.