of their conversion to the faith of Christ, the Jews are put precisely upon the same footing with the gentiles. As if on purpose to meet the prevaling error against which we contend-one of the most successful devices of satan for lulling the conscience of the Christian Church to sleep over the destinies of perishing Israel the apostle Paul solemnly declares "there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him; for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord,' no matter who-whether Jew or gentile-" shall be saved." "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall. they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent?" Nothing can more clearly teach, that in the matter of conversion, the Jew and gentile stand upon the same ground, and as no one now contends that it is only by miracle that the gentile can be brought to the knowledge and obedience of the faith, no more is any one entitled now to hold that it is only through this channel that the Jewish nation can be saved. Innumerable are the prophecies which declare the future and universal conversion of Israel, but we meet with no declaration that miracles are to be the means. Moses, when speaking, in the xxx. of Deuteronomy, of Israel's return to Jehovah their Aleim, and of his gathering them from all the nations, whither he had scattered them, speaks of no miracle but the circumcision of the heart, which is common to all believers, Jewish and gentile. Jeremiah, in his 30th and 31st chapters, treating of the same subject, makes no allusion. to any miracle. Ezekiel and Zechariah and Hosea, in their predictions, give no hint or intimation of any miraculous agency. This surely is a strong negative testimony. Then if we turn to the actual experience of the Jews in former times—if we examine their partial conversion in the past as furnishing evidence of the manner of their universal conversion in the future, we shall find nothing to countenance the doc

1

trine of miraculous instrumentality, at least of exclusive miraculous instrumentality. Of all Jewish conversions, perhaps that on the day of Pentecost was the most illustrious; and how was it brought about? Certainly there were miracles, cloven tongues of flame, ability to speak tongues which were never acquired. But what was the direct instrument of three thousand conversions under a single discourse? It was the faithful preaching of Peter. It was the declaration of that gospel, which is as open and accessible to us as it was to any of the apostles. It was not the rushing wind nor the fiery tongues. It was the Gospel in the hand of the Spirit which converted and saved the Jews at Jerusalem; and what hinders the same agent accomplishing the same work now for the conversion of their countrymen scattered over the world? Even supposing that, miracles were necessary, both for Jew and gentile, in primitive times, that does not prove they are equally necessary now, after a cessation of fifteen hundred years, and after the accumulated evidence of fifteen hundred years. The very variety and abundance of the miraculous proof, then, render it, humanly speaking, less called for in the present or future.

These are decided and strong presumptions against the idea that the Jewish nation is to be converted by miracles, and of course that we are to wait for these miracles; but if we turn to specific passages of Scripture, we shall find many distinct statements that their conversion is to be brought about, like all other conversions, by the blessing of God in the use of ordinary means. And that, therefore, those act a daring part, who sit still, allowing one generation of Jews to go down to destruction after another, in the vain expectation that some great and sudden outbursting of miraculous power is coming, which shall regenerate the whole nation in a day. The passages are very numerous; we must limit ourselves to a few; they shall, however, be of leading importance. In the lxii. of Isaiah there is a prophecy and promise of the restoration of the Jewish Church. The Forsaken and Desolate is to be called Hephzi-bah and Beulah

Delights and Married; God is to rejoice over her as a bridegroom rejoiceth over his bride. And what are to be the means employed in bringing about so glorious a consummation? Are miracles to be restored in surpassing glory? Are the waters of the Red sea to be divided again, and the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire to be anew set up in the heavens, and the shechinah to shine forth as of old from between the cherubim? No: the means are declared in these words, which immediately follow the glorious vision, (verse 10, &c.) "Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people: cast up, cast up the high way; gather out the stones, lift up a standard for the people." What can better describe the use of all ordinary and legitimate means of usefulness in the removing of obstacles, and preparation of the people for the spread of the Gospel? And what follows? "Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the ends of the world, Say ye unto the daughter of Sion, Behold thy salvation cometh, behold his reward is with him, and his work before him." What does God here do but call upon his servants to publish salvation to the Jews, wherever they are scattered, and to assure them that the richest reward awaits those who receive this salvation? And what again is the fruit of preaching the gospel in this way? Is it idle and vain because there are no miracles? Far from it. There is the most abundant success. It is immediately subjoined, " And they shall call them the holy people, the Redeemed of the Lord, and thou shalt be called Sought out, a city not forsaken." Here we are plainly taught not only that means not miraculous are to be employed in realizing the most glorious prospects of the Jewish Church, but we are informed what one at least of these means is, and that is the free and wide-spread preaching of the Gospel.

It is in the same chapter that another of the appropriate means is referred to, namely, prayer. The prophet exclaims, "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the

Lord, keep not silence, and give him no rest till he, establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise on the earth." To the same purpose is Jeremiah iii. 12. Here the ten lost tribes are addressed. They are to be reclaimed as well as their brethren; and what are the means? Surely they must be supernatural indeed! At the present moment, no one can certainly tell where these ten tribes are. Is it only by some stupendous miracle that they are to be found and delivered? No: ministers are commanded to go forth and preach the Gospel to them, and this is to be attended with the most happy results. "Go and proclaim these words towards the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever. Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O ́ backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord; neither shall it come to mind; neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem; neither shall, they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers."

Take again the xxxi. chapter of the same book of prophecy-what does it testify as to the way in which

the people of Israel are to be converted? Does it speak of miracles? No. "Hear the word of the Lord our Jehovah, oh, ye nations;" the address is to us to the gentiles: and what is the exhortation? "and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock." Thus we are plainly taught that the gentiles are to go to the scattered house of Israel, to the most distant isles, and tell them of the mercy which God has in store-in other words, preach the Gospel to them. It is only through the medium of the Gospel that God has promised to gather his people as a shepherd, or to show them mercy. Nor is preaching the only instrument referred to in this chapter. Prayer also is distinctly recognized: "Thus saith the Lord, Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of the nations, (or gentiles;) publish ye, praise ye, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the remnant of Israel, (verse 7.) Here the gentiles are called upon to pray for the salvation of the Jews-the very words of a suitable supplication are put into their mouths, and this prayer is almost immediately followed by the promise, that Jehovah will gather and redeem his people.

ཤ

If we now turn to the xxxvii. chapter of Ezekiel, containing a celebrated picture and prediction of the conversion of the Jews, we shall find these views amply borne out. By what means are the dry bones of the valley to be made alive, and to rise up a numerous army? Is it by miraculous power? Does God by an act of might transform the dry bones into compact and living bodies? No: the change is wrought gradually, and through the instrumentality of the prophet. He is commanded to prophesy upon the dry bones, and say unto them, "Oh, ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord, and behold I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live." It is through the preaching of the prophet-it is in hearing the word of the Lord, that spiritual life is to be communicated to the dead soul. Nor is this the only