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I will confefs that I feel a pleasure in making a quotation from a book given to me by the learned bifhop, as a token of his esteem. He is referring to a learned work of the Rev. George Bennet, minifter of the gospel at Carlisle, concerning which he thus expreffes himself: "It is a work of various erudition and deep ❝research, and a reader must be very learned who "finds not much in it to inftru&t him; very dull if "he is not delighted with the ingenuity that is difplayed, even in thofe parts in which he may fee

reafon to doubt the folidity of the author's argu❝ment, and the truth of his interpretations; and very "captious, if in a variety of novel expofitions, many "of which he may think inadmiffible, he finds any "thing to give him offence. I take a particular plea"fure in bearing this teftimony to the merits of an "author, whom I fufpect to be of a different branch "of the Chriftian family from my own, and who. "feems to have a different notion from mine of the "prophecies, relating, as I conceive, to the final "restoration of the Jewish nation."

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Might not evidence be produced to prove tention in matters of religion not being now reforted to, the different denominations of diffenters from the establishment regard each other with far more complacency and love, and behave to each other with more forbearance, kindnefs, and refpect, than in former times, and regard the church of England with an increasing respect?

If COMPULSION and contention have not in former times answered the end of thofe who have reforted to them; if the ceffation of COMPULSION has been at

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tended by fuch great bleffings, how then must we feel when symptoms are fhewn of a defire to refort to it in the cafe of the Jews! If you had read my book, you would, I think, have seen that the Jewish nation, of all the nations of the earth, have fhewn themselves the nobleft in this very thing; they abhor COMPULSION in matters of religion.

There is in the human mind something which bears a very strong analogy to that which we obferve in natural things, I refer to electricity and magnetifm, You may have obferved that one end of the magnet ftrongly ATTRACTS, turn the other end of it to the object and it as ftrongly REPELS. You may have obferved that a light fubftance, filled with the electrical fluid, will rufh towards the POINT of a conductor, being ATTRACTED by it, but apply a metal ball to it, and it as it were ABHORS it; it flies away from it, it is REPELLED. COMPULSION in matters of religion, is this univerfal REPELLENT, and whoever reforts to it, injures the caufe he means most SINCERELY to ferve. And I confefs that it appears to me manifest that a spirit of love to each other having arisen in the different branches of the Christian vine, affords more folid ground of hope that the kingdoms of this world are about to become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Chrift, Rev. xi. 15. than any other circumftance, and many circumstances might be mentioned.

Sincerity and consistency are precious jewels, and I am glad to admit, not only the fincerity of yourfelf and those with whom you act, and also of the Mif

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fionary Society, from whom you have taken up this matter, but even to allow you cONSISTENCY alfo; you act according to what AT PRESENT appears to you to be right, and therefore I have good hope that if by God's bleffing I fhall be enabled to convince you and the Miffionary and London Societies that they have been MISTAKEN (and who is there that should feel any degree of pain at acknowledging a MISTAKE) you will even have pleasure in acting otherwife than you have; and leave the Jews in the undisturbed poffeffion of their civil rights and religious privileges. I have great pleasure in making this acknowledgment, and even in going further, and expreffing my firm conviction that there are very many, I will even fay a multitude, of members of the Miffionary Society, as well as the London Society, who so fincerely wish well to the Jewish nation, that the real feelings of their hearts towards them are in ftri&t unifon with that of the amiable Deborah, and that they would speak no more than the words of fincerity if they were to declare their readiness to part even with life itself, could they thereby render any fervice to God's dear ancient people Ifrael.

If fuch men have therefore mistaken their way, if they have MISTAKENLY adopted a line of conduct tending most materially to the injury of the Jewish nation, to the injury of the Chriftian religion alfo, and to the production of mutual uneafy fenfations, is it not an act of kindness to endeavour to convince them of their mistake; and fhould they not in the fpirit of love receive it as fuch? Do we not all be

lieve that the Almighty over-rules ALL EVENTS? Did he not fuffer Saul, of Tarfus, to proceed great lengths before he ftopped him in his career, by those memorable words, "SAUL, SAUL, WHY PERSECU 66 TEST THOU ME?" Acts ix. 4. Aas done under the influence of mifapprehenfion or mistake fhould produce no degree of refentment; does not St. Peter acknowledge that the Jews who required the crucifixion of our bleffed Saviour, acted under mifapprehenfion and mistake? His words are thefe: "And "now, brethren, I wot that through IGNORANCE 66 ye did it, as did alfo YOUR RULERS. But thofe "things, which God before had fhewed by the mouth "of all his prophets, that Chrift fhould fuffer, he

hath fo fulfilled." A&ts iii. 17, 18. Did not our only true pattern of perfection, when enduring the agony of crucifixion, use words which indifputably confirmed the fact, even thefe most memorable words, "Father, forgive them; for they KNOW NOT «6 WHAT THEY DO." Luke xxiii. 34.

Who is there that will prefume to affert that any one who, under the Jewish difpenfation, should have prefumed to affume the character of Meffiah, the anointed, the Son of JEHOVAH, Pf. ii. 2. 7. Ifa. lxi. 1. Luke iv. 18. would not, if he were not fuch, have been justly worthy of death? Now man being subject to err, we know that notwithstanding government is a divine ordinance, Rom. xiii. 1. even judges and juries too are not infallible, they are fubject to err; and this natural infirmity is in general moft likely to be felt in any cause that hath greatly agitated the

public mind. Our courts are fo fenfible of this, that they do all they can to avoid this bias to error; if a matter hath greatly agitated one part of the kingdom they will not permit it to be tried in that part of the kingdom. The Jewish nation, at the time to which we are referring, had adopted a mistaken opinion; they had gathered from their facred books that Meffiah would be a king, Pf. ii. 6. They expected this king to appear among them at that time, Dan. ix. 26. Were they mistaken thus far? They were not; Meffiah is a king who will have the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for his poffeffion, Pf. ii. 8. Wherein then were they miftaken? They were mistaken as to the TIME WHEN he would overcome the rage of the heathen, and the vain imaginations of the people, Pf. ii. 1. They were mistaken in the TIME when it was ordained by the fovereign and irreverfible decree of JEHOVAH of hofts, the Great Creator of heaven and earth, the God of Ifrael, that" the kingdom and dominion, and the "greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven," fhould be given "to the PEOPLE of the faints of the "MOST HIGH," Dan. vii. 27. Without fufficiently confidering the Books of Mofes and the Prophets, which would have corrected their expectations, they mistakenly imagined that immediately on the appearance of Meffiah among them, ALL WOULD BE WELL, and that their nation would immediately obtain that pre-eminence which is fo clearly ordained for them by the abfolute and irreversible decree of

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