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cerned in the interpretation, well or ill-grounded, of the texts adduced; and therefore I shall not further notice them.

P. 28. 1. 18. Now when,' &c. The prophecy of Zechariah, here in part quoted, has been shewn, by the author of these remarks, to have had a partial, yet illustrious, fulfilment in the days of the apostles, and in the succeeding ages: but, that it will have a still more enlarged and glorious accomplishment, when God shall restore Israel, and make the Israelites his willing instruments in converting the gentile world. An extract from the sermon referred to may here be properly introduced. The conquerors and destroyers of 'the Jews have become the worshippers of the 'God of the Jews. JEHOVAH has superseded 'Jupiter, and all the other pagan deities, through 'the vast dominions of the Greeks and Romans; 'not to dwell on the utter extinction of the ancient 'idolatry of Chaldea, Persia, and Egypt. The 'Lord has " famished all the gods of the earth; ' and men worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen. "2 The God of 'the Jews, long unknown, except to that obscure ' and oppressed people, is now the professed object ' of worship, throughout the mightiest and most 'distinguished nations on earth. This is a fact 'that cannot be denied or doubted. But in what 'way and by what means was it effected? "Not 'by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith 'the Lord of hosts." "Ten men shall take hold,

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1 Sermon preached before the London Society, entitled, The Jews a blessing to the nations.' See vol. vi. p. 87. of this edition. * Zeph. ii. 11.

'out of all the languages of the nations, even

'shall take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew,

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saying, We will go with you, for we have heard 'that God is with you."" Compulsion was not one of the means employed: the conduct of the persons here stated was the effect of conviction.'The Redeemer was a Jew; all his apostles were 'Jews, all the seventy disciples, and all the first 'evangelists, or missionaries to the gentiles; yea, and all the first converts to Christianity, who, ' dispersed into various parts of the world, carried among the gentiles the word of salvation, were 'Jews!-At the lowest computation, each Jew, ' converted to Christianity, won over ten idolaters ' to "lay hold on his skirt, and to say, We will 'go with you; for we have heard that God is with 'you.""

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P. 28. 1. 23. Where is the boasting,' &c. I believe no real Christian boasts or glories over the Jews: by the gospel, "boasting is excluded;" compassion and good-will, yea, a kind of respect and gratitude to the Jews, as a nation, must spring from genuine Christianity: nor is the sentiment, of glorying over the Jews, common even among nominal Christians.

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P. 28. 1. 25. 'By the witness,' &c.-L. 32. Here he appointed,' &c. The question of the apostles to our Lord, which was grounded on some degree of misapprehension, involved three inquiries, 1. " When shall these things be?" 2. " What shall be the sign of thy coming? 3. "And of the end of the world?" And his reply, without noticing their misapprehension, gave distinct answers to each. The words, " This

"generation shall not pass till all these things " be fulfilled," especially answers the question, "When shall these things be?" that is, When shall these buildings of the temple be so entirely destroyed, that " not one stone shall be left upon "another?"ו

The answer, however, includes also the total subversion of the Jewish constitution, ecclesiastical and civil. It is also evident that, by " the coming of Christ," the apostles, at this time, understood his coming to judgment, which they supposed would be at " the end of the "world." Nothing could be further from their minds than the coming of the Messiah, in the sense of Mr. C. and of modern Jews: they believed that Jesus was "the Messiah, the Son of "the living God;" and consequently that, in this sense, the Messiah was come. But, though Jesus did not see good, fully to rectify their mistakes on this head; leaving that to the times when the Holy Spirit should be poured out upon them; he evidently distinguished between his coming, in the power of his providence, to execute vengeance on Jerusalem and the Jews, and his final coming to judgment. The one was so connected with the destruction of the temple, that it may be allowed to be comprised in the words, "This generation shall not pass away, till all "these things be fulfilled." But of the other he says, " Of that day knoweth no man, no, not the "angels in heaven, but my Father only."2 If, indeed, we are called on to argue with Jews from the New Testament, we must explain one part of the New Testament by another: and no impartial man, reading the account of the three evangelists carefully, can doubt that the coming of Christ, in most parts of these chapters, is not spoken of as personal and visible; but he came by the Roman armies, the instruments of his avenging justice. "As the lightning cometh out " of the east, and shineth even to the west; so " shall also the coming of the Son of man be: for " wheresoever the carcase is, there shall the eagles "be gathered together." 1 A Jew may consistently treat the whole of the prophecy as uninspired, and so as inconclusive: but he can with no consistency deny this to be intended by Jesus, in what he spake to the disciples. In the sense intended, he came about A. D. 71.; within considerably less than forty years after he delivered this prediction; and so before "that generation "was passed away." This, therefore, can prove nothing in the argument before us: for an entirely different subject was treated of.-Let it be noticed, that Mr. C., in order to render his arguments more plausible, selects two verses, one at the beginning, the other near the end of the chapter, omitting all that intervene; but the whole read together leaves a far different impression on the mind.

Matt. xxiv. 1-3. Mark xiii. 1-4. Luke xxi. 6, 7.

* Matt. xxiv. 34-37. Mark xiii. 30-37.

P. 29. 1. 6. When the Messiah,' &c. Answer: Where does the writer learn that, when 'Messiah shall come, all the sons of Adam will

'Matt. xvi. 28. xxiv. 27, 28, 30, 37, 39. Mark xiii. 26. Luke xxi. 30-36.

'be of one language?' Nothing is predicted concerning this in the Old Testament. The passage most like it runs thus, "Then will I turn to "the people a pure language; that they may all "call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him "with one consent."1 But not a word either precedes, or follows, concerning 'the coming of 'the Messiah:' and Christians expect that, during the days of the Messiah, (but long after his coming,) the prediction will have a most glorious accomplishment; and men "shall worship God,

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every one from his place, even all the isles of "the gentiles." 2 Thus all, both Jews and gentiles, shall serve the God of Israel, not as of different religions, but "with one consent;" not in one place, but “ every one from his place." 3

Mr. C. seems here, however, to allow that "the "times of the gentiles" may mean the times, 'when all of them shall worship the true God.' (1.8.) But this he afterwards disallows: 'the gentiles will not worship the true God even ' to the last day.' (P. 89. 1. 21.)

All

P. 89. 1. 12. His coming was of no use,' &c. This assertion gives occasion to a very important inquiry; namely,

WHAT HAVE BEEN THE EFFECTS OF THE COMING OF JESUS CHRIST ON THE STATE OF THE WORLD, INCLUDING BOTH ISRAEL AND THE GENTILES?

Mr. C. repeatedly asks the question, ' Of what ' use was the coming of Christ? He here says,

Zeph. iii. 9.

* Zeph. ii. 11.

* Mal. i. 11.

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