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the dispensation of divine mercy, the despised, wandering, outcast Jews shall again be taken into favour. "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee; the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee; and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee; and shalt return unto the Lord thy God; and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart and with all thy soul; that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee." Deut. xxx. 1.

Correspondent with this prophecy by Moses, is the declaration relative to the same subject by the Apostle; that the branches which have been broken off, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be again grafted in. Rom. xi. 23.

Happy will it be for those Christians, who, by holding fast the faith, as delivered by the saints, shall be qualified to be in

struments

struments in God's hand, for the couversion of his chosen people.

Might we presume to anticipate the glorious scene, when this conversion shall take place; we might picture to ourselves the heretofore incredulous, but still zealous Jew, with the Books of Moses in his hand, anxiously tracing out the particular outlines of that sacred character, to which his attention is now for the first time directed. Mark his countenance, speaking the language of increasing astonishment; as the rays of evangelic light, reflected from the different parts of his favourite law, break through the thick cloud, that has hitherto obscured his understanding. Behold him placed at the foot of the Cross; one while bowed down with shame and compunction for the crying sins of his nation; one while lifting up his eyes, and fixing them in pious adoration on Him whom his Fathers pierced. In the language of heartfelt rapture hear him crying out; "Blessed be God, I have at length found Him, of whom Moses and the prophets did write; the Lamb of God, slain for the recovery of a lost world. For this is He, of

whom

whom it is written; "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken of God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. The Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before his shearer is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief, He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many, for he shall bear their iniquities. And he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah liii.

"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace; for mine eyes have scen thy salvation;" which, in thy manifold wisdom, hath been conducted from the first dawn of evangelic light in Paradise, through its faint shining under the shadow of the law, to its fulness of meridian splendour,

dour, at the coming of the Sun of Righteousness into the world.-Blessed be God, the scales of judicial blindness are fallen from me; and with the eye of Faith, I at length behold my Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.-I now depart in peace; for, through that faith, "which is the evidence of things not seen," I now look forward, with confidence, to a Resurrection in

Glory."

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