and excite their abundant thanksgivings to the benificent author of all our bleffings? As real piety unites their hearts in fupreme love to one common father, it interefts them in all his interefts, in the welfare of his great family, and caufes them to prefer Jerufalem to their chief joy. They rejoice in the divine glories, in the enlargement and profperity of the church, in all her revivals and happy days, and in the falva tion of their fellow men in every place, of every country, colour and nation. Their piety, at the fame time, forms a common fellow-fhip, communion and endearment among themselves. So far as they are known to one another, they unite in brotherly love, fympathize and rejoice with each other. Their eminence and advancement in knowledge, grace and usefulness afford them a divine pleasure. When their fellow faints triumph in death, when the power and excellency of religion are manifefted, and God is glorified, it ftrengthens their faith, increases their joy, and excites their praife. The more fully they are made known to each other, the more clearly their piety, zeal and usefulness are exhibited, the more thefe happy effects are produced; the more they admire the riches of divine grace, and are provoked to love and good works. the gofpel, and enable them to commence a pleafing and useful communion with fellow-faints, on this fide heaven, of whom otherwife, probably, they would have had no knowledge, in the prefent ftate. How will this increasetheir zeal and liberality, awaken and unite their exertions, in the caufe of their Redeemer ? How will it prefent new objects and occafions of prayer, and open new fources of joy, thanksgiving and praife? Effayson Chriftian doctrines and duties, on experimental and moral fubjects, on the diftinguifhingmarks of true and falfe religion, muft convey the most neceffary and important inftruction, and be univerfally interefting and beneficial. Hiftorical sketches of various denominations of Chriftians, will enlarge the fund of ecclefiaftical knowledge, bring good people into a nearer acquaintance with each other, exhibit fuch things as are amiable and worthy of imitation in their respective characters, excite candor and charity, awaken each other to fearch the scriptures, and to be fure that they believe, worship and practice according to the gofpel, and happily tend to a more general union and reforma tion. Judicious narratives of the revival of God's work in various parts, of the effects of them on atheifts, infidels, univerfalifts, the mott vicious and hardened; humbling and reforming finners of all characters; bringing them cheerfully to renounce their errors and finful courfes, and with purpofe of As your Magazine is defigned to give information with refpeét to all thefe objects, events and things, how will it fubferve thefe noble purpofes? It will greatly extend the knowledge, views and acquaint-heart to cleave unto the Lord, give ance of good people, bring to their strong evidence of the truth, pow knowledge numerous characters er and excellency of the Chrif diftinguished for piety and ufeful- tian religion, difplay the fovereignnefs, both in Europe and Ameri- ty, power and grace of the great ca, with their zeal, liberality and Redeemer, and demonftrate that exertions for the furtherance of he has not for faken, but yet walk on the verge of eternity, at the moment when fummoned to the judgment feat of Chrift, with the enmity and oppofition of devils, proclaiming their hatred of the parents who have destroyed them, and their wishes never to meet such unfaithful and cruel fathers in the world of fpirits? How dreadful is it to awake out of fatal deception in the last moments, and to go unrelieved and without hope to an eternal doom! eth in the midft of the golden can, tonishing is it for perfons to appear dlesticks. They ftrengthen the faith and hope of believers. They increase the affurance and joy of those who have experienced the fame things which are generally the effects of fuch precious feafons of grace and falvation. They encourage minifters and good people, in those thirsty and dead places where the heavenly dews and how ers have not so remarkably fallen, to trust in and pray to God for the fame gracious vifitations. They have alfo a natural and powerful tendency, to convince hypocrites and formalifts in religion of the fandy foundation on which they are building, and of the fearful end to which they are haftening. They are exceedingly calculated to arrest the attention of all diffolute people, and of those who are at ease in Zion, and destitute of all Chriftian experience, and to warn them to flee from the wrath to come. Explanations of difficult paffages of fcripture, narrations of remarkable providences, and efpecially differtations on fuch prophecies, as relate to this eventful period, and exhibit the figns of the present time, will be received as new, feasonable, and of incalculable importance. They will be read with the avidity and pleasure, with which the miser grafps his gold, or the husbandman gathers the delicious and enriching fruits of the field. The pious lives, the death-bed joys and triumphs of eminent Chrif tians, will have the fame good ef- As variety is one of the princifects. They are calculated to pal beauties of nature, one of the make the most deep and lafting im- moft pleasing features in the face preffions on the mind. Who can of creation, fo that variety of matread the sketch of the life and death ter, reprefentation and instruction of Clariffa, and not wish to live which the magazine is defigned to and die like that happy youth? comprife, is a peculiar excellence, Who can read the pious and inimi- and will add not a little to its worth tably tender lines of Sthenia, in and entertainment. Indeed as the the parting hour, and not be mel united tendency of the whole is to ted into tenderness? Not be in-promote the most useful knowledge, ftructed, warmed and made better? to advance piety, righteousness, the Nay who can read them, and her kingdom and glory of the Redeemown reflections on the mournful er, fo nothing can be more highly occafion, and not remember them? and univerfally important and useThe lives, the death-bed fears, ful. The plan is judiciously adaptremblings, and horrors of the ted to the era and ftate of the Rewicked, painted in their true co- deemer's kingdom, and to the relours, are exceedingly impreffive ligious feelings, views and defires and useful. What can be more of his fubjects, and if the work is awful and alarming than the lives well executed it cannot fail of a and deaths of Diphormia and Ru- welcome and general reception, abricus: How tremendous and af- mong all pious and ingenious people. fucceeding generations, and furnifh authentic, rare and valuable hiftory, which will inftruct, entertain and edify them, and preach to the people who fhall hereafter be born. In these views, the writer re The Magazine will most probably have an extenfive circulation, & inftruct & benefit many of our citi zens. It has been already read & will continue to be read in religious meetings and conferences. Those who read it will converfe of it to others; one pious friend will handjoices in fuch a publication; and he it to another, and thus its ufeful- returns you, Reverend gentlemen, nefs will become more and more his warmeft thanks for your underextenfive. The intelligence it con- taking and labors. You may detains will not be confined to Connect-pend on his exertions, influence and icut, to the U. States, nor to Ameri- prayers for its fuccefs. From his ca; but will be tranfported to Eu own views and feelings he judges of rope and there probably be repub- what are thofe of others, and perlifhed. This intelligence will in- fuades himself, that it is an acceptfruct, comfort and animate our able work, and that you have the chriftian brethren in the various thanks, and will be fupported by and diftant countries of Chriften- the prayers of the numerous good dom, acquaint them with our re- people of the country. ligion, the state of our churches, with the gracious vifitations and revivals which they have experien-manding great care and attention; ced, interest them in our fpiritual welfare, and cause them to give us a remembrance in their prayers. The publication of the maga zine will indeed be laborious, de but its favorable reception, the confideration of its important tendency; that you are preaching, and will continue to preach to thoufands; that your labours are a feries of charitable exertions, increafing funds defigned for truly benevolent and apoftolical purpofes; the prayers and thanks of your pious brethren; and efpecially, the teftimony of your confciences and the profpects of the divine approbation will amply fupport you. It will not only extenfively anfwer the noble purposes which have been mentioned, but its influence and utility will be lafting. It will furnish volumes of various, interefting inftruction and entertainment in future times, exhibiting the religion, tafte, and zeal of the churches and chriftians of the prefent age, and their exertions in the caufe of their common Lord. It will equally atteft his love and faithfulness towards them, his gracious vifitations of them, and care over them, at this demoralizing, tumultuous and wonderful period. It may ferve to give the holy ones, in the millennium, communion with their preceding brethren, and joy in the various fteps and labors, which, in the wifdom of providence, prepared and led the way to that glorious period. It will tranfmit the pious labors and char-will perfume the whole, and afitable example of the writers to ford an additional fatisfaction to The pleafure & profit which it is prefumed your readers will experience in perufing the Magazine, its usefulness in their families, and general tendency to serve the best purpofes, will induce them, as they do me, cheerfully to pay the fmall fum neceffary for its fupport. This particular circumftance, that it is a kind of charity, defigned for the good of their neighbours, whom it behoves them to love as themfelves, like a divine fragrance, That the land of Canaan will be restored to the Jews has been argued by fome, from the proife which the Lord made to Abraham, in Genefis xvii. 8. " I will give unto thee, and to thy feed af the pious and liberal reader. How will he rejoice in the profpect that what he gives may be the means of the inftruction, joy and falvation of his brethren in the new fettle ments, and of the illumination and eternal life of his wild and perifhter thee, the land wherein thou ing brothers of the foreft! Efpe-art a stranger, all the land of Cacially that it may honor Him, who by all creatures, and in all things, is worthy to be glorified. A. Z. naan, for an everlasting poffeffion." But not to dwell on this, the reader is requested to attend to feveral paffages recorded in the writings of the prophets. Ezekiel, Thoughts on the future glory of the who began to prophecy in the fifth HA year of king Jehoiachin's captiviJewish Nation. [Continued from p. 94.] ty, in the land of the Chaldeans, wrote much on the restoration of AVING briefly confidered the Ifraelites. Whether the reftothe fcriptural evidence of ration which is held up in any part the converfion of the Jews to the of his writings, includes the return faith of the gofpel, I proceed to of that people to the land of Cainquire whether it appears from the naan, after their overthrow by prophecies that they will return to the Romans, is now to be enquir the land of Canaan, or Paletline. ed. In the xxxiv. chapter of E-Chriftian divines have been of zekiel it is declared, in verses 11, oppofite opinions on this subject. 12, 13, 14. "For thus faith the It is proposed to bring into view Lord God, Behold I, even I, feveral paffages from the infpired will both fearch my fheep, and writings, which it is conceived, feek them out. As a fhepherd furnish proof that the Jewish na- feeketh out his flock in the day tion will, not only receive Jefus that he is among his fheep that are of Nazareth as the true Mefhah, fcattered; fo will I feek out but will again inhabit the land from my fheep, and will deliver them which they were driven, after their out of all places where they have city and temple were destroyed by been fcattered in the cloudy and the Romans. dark day: And I will bring them Long have the Jews been "fcat-out from the people, and gather tered among all people, from the, them from the countries, and will one end of the earth even unto bring them to their own land, and the other." Amidft their difper- feed them upon the mountains of fion they remain a diftinct people Ifrael by the rivers, and in all the to this day. Their cafe is with inhabited places of the country. out a parallel in the history of I will feed them in a good pasture, mankind. It furnishes ftriking and upon the high mountains of Ifproof of the truth and infpiration rael fhall their fold be; there shall of the Bible. Should they return they lie in a good fold, and in a to the land which was given to fat pasture fhall they feed upon the their fathers, and continue to pof-mountains of Ifrael." Jewish and fefs it, the arm of Jehovah will be Chriftian writers agree that this made bare in a wonderful manner, prophecy points to fome return of in the eyes of all the nations. the Ifraelites to the land of Ca 1 naan; and that it was accomplish- | ple, and to fay unto them, as from verfe 21ft to the end of the chapter. "Thus faith the Lord God, Behold, I will take the children of Ifrael from among the Heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every fide, and will bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Ifrael, and one king shall be king to them all : and they fhall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all; neither fhall they defile themselves any more with their idols, nor with their deteftable things, nor with any of their tranfgreffions: but I will fave them out of all their dwelling-places, wherein they have ed, in full, or in part, by the reftoration which was begun under Zerubbabel. The inquiry is, was this prophecy fully accomplished in the return from Babylon? That it was not, may be proved from what follows in the fame chapter, particularly in verfes 28, 29And they shall no more be a prey to the Heathen, neither fhall the beafts of the land devour them: but they fhall dwell fafely, and none fhall make them afraid. And I will raise up for them a Plant of renown, and they fhall be no more confumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the fhame of the Heathen any more." After the return of the Jews, spoken of in this place, they are no more to be a prey to the Heathen, or the Gen-finned, and will cleanse them: fo tile nations they are not to bear the fhame of the Heathen any This prophecy remains to be accomplished in its fulleft extent. Since the return of the Jews in the days of Ezra, they have been difperfed among the Heathen, or the Gentiles, far beyond what they had been in any former period; the time is there-in your fathers have dwelt, and fore ftill future, in which an end is to be put to their difperfion, or to their bearing the fhame of the Hea more. then. That the Jews are to be ingathered in the fenfe now contended for, is further apparent from Ezekiel xxxvii. The prophet is commanded to take one stick, and to write upon it," For Judah, and for the children of Ifrael his companions ;" and another flick, and to write upon it, "For Jofeph, the ftick of Ephraim, and for all the houfe of Ifrael his companions." He is then commanded to join them one to another into one flick, to place the sticks thus united, before the eyes of the peo fhall they be my people, and I will be their God. And David my fervant fhall be king over them; and they all shall have one Thepherd: they fhall alfo walk in my judgments, and observe my ftatutes, and do them. And they fhall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, where : they fhall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children forever; and my fervant David shall be their prince forever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them; it fhall be an everlafting covenant with them and I will place them, and multiply them, and will fet my fanctuary in the midst of them forevermore. My tabernacle alfo fhall be with them; yea, I will be their God, and they fhall be my people. And the Heathen fhail know that I the Lord do fanctify Ifrael, when my fanctuary fhall be in the midst of them for evermore." Some fuppofe that the ten tribes of Ifrael ftill exift as a distinct poo |