gathering, it follows, from the date of the invafion, that they are again to return to their own land. Syrians by the Maccabees a few years after. The fufferings of the Jews were indeed very great at that time, and their deliverance It alfo appears that the invasion highly proclaimed the power and of the Jews by the army of Gog, grace of Jehovah. But though is the laft invafion which they are this prophecy may include the in- to endure, and that after the overvafion under Antiochus, and the throw of this enemy, they are to defeat of the Syrians; it is to re- remain in a state of uninterrupted ceive a full accomplishment. The profperity-chap. xxxix. ver. 21, Syrian army was not fo numerous 22. "And I will fet my glory aas the army of Gog; nor was the mong the Heathen, and all the overthrow of the former fo com- Heathen fhall fee my judgment pleat as to answer to the defcrip. that I have executed, and my hand tion of the overthrow of the lat- that I have laid upon them. So ter. Belides, the army of Gog the houfe of Ifrael fhall know that is reprefented as coming against I am the Lord their God, from the mountains of Ifrael, which that day and forward." By the have been always wale. Thefe deftruction of the army of Gog, words imply an invafion of the the houfe of Ifrael are to know Jews in their own land, fubfequent that Jehovah is their God. They to a period in which it had long are to know this from that day been defolate. The period be- and forward; implying that the tween the deftruction of Jerufalem Jews are no more to be given up and the Temple, in the reign of into the hands of their enemies. Zedekiah, and the return of the After the promife of their full inJews under Cyrus, was but about gathering, mentioned in verse 28, fifty years. Since the Roman con- already cited, the chapter clofes queft, more than 1700 years have with the gracious words, "Neielapfed. It is much more natural ther will I hide my face any more to apply the words always wafle to from them: for I have poured out the defolation which has followed my fpirit upon the house of Ifrael, this, thao to the one which follow-faith the Lord God." The time ed the deftruction of the Jewish city and temple by the Babylonians. It is further to be obferved, that Gog is to come up against the land of Ifrael in the latter days.* phrafe the latter days, or the laft days, in the fcriptures, is, in almost every inftance, as has been before observed, to be applied to the time of the New Teftament difpenfation in general, or to fome period of it. Since Gog is to come up against the Jews at a time which is fubfequent to their in-mong the events of the highest im * Chapt. xxxviii. 16. The + Maiah ii. 2. Micah iv. 1. Acts ii. 17. 1 Tim. iv, I. 2 Tim. iii. 1. Heb. i. 2. 2 Pet. iii. 3. in which the Lord will not hide his face from the house of Ifrael any more, is not yet come. They now feel the tokens of his wrath. The army of Gog feems to be a part of the army, which is to be gathered to the battle of the great day of God Almighty,* which precedes the pouring out of the feventh vial; when the anti-chrif tian powers are to be deftroyed, and the latter day glory of the church is to commence.t * Rev. xvi. 14. A. + Compare Ezek. xxxix. 17, 18, with Rev. xix. 17, 18. portance which are to ufher in this, no more to be removed from it. day, are the return of the Jews to their own land, and the deftruction of the army which shall come up against them. In effecting thefe, the Lord "will magnify himself, and fanctify himself; and will be known in the eyes of many nations." That the Jews are again to inhabit the land of Palestine, may be argued from feveral other paffages in the Old Teftament. I will mention but two more. The first of thefe is recorded in Amos ix. 14, 15." And I will bring again the captivity of my people Ifrael, and they fhall build the wafte cities, and inhabit them; and they fhall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they fhall alfo make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they fhall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them faith the Lord thy God." The other paffage is found in Zechariah xiv. 9, 10, 11. "And the Lord fhall be King over all the earth: in that day there fhall be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon fouth of Jerufalem and it fhall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the firft gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's wine-preffes. And men fhall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter deftruction; but Jerufalem fhall be fafely inhabited." It is supposed that it will be unneceffary to go into particular obfervations on the texts laft quoted, after what has been remarked on thofe taken from the prophecy of Ezekiel. It is plain from the words of Amos, that there is to be a return of the Jews to their land, when they are : It is likewife obvious from the prediction of Zechariah, that in a period yet future, when Jehovah fhall be acknowledged as King by all the inhabitants of the earth, Jerufalem is to be inhabited by the Jews without being any more deftroyed, and that they are to dwell in it in fafety. The reader is now requested to attend to the words of Jefus Chrift, in Luke xxi. 24. "And they fhall fall by the edge of the fword, and fhall be led away captive into all nations and Jerufalem fhall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." In this text there are four things predicted concerning the Jews; 1. That they fhall fall by the edge of the fword.-2. That they fhall be led away captive into all nations.-3. That Jerufalem fhall be trodden down of the Gentiles.-4. That the Jews and the land fhall continue in this state, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. The three first of these prophecies have been fulfilled, in the flaughter and captivity of the Jews by the Romans, and in the low and depreffed state of the land of Palestine; which, after paffing from one conqueror to another, is now under the dominion of the Turks. These three prophecies have been fulfilled literally. It is therefore natural to expect that the fourth, or laft prophecy, will have a literal accomplishment. The enquiry now is, how we are to interpret the laft claufe of the text under confideration, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. On this we may remark, 1. That when the times of the Gentiles fhall be fulfilled, the state of the Jews will be reverfed, or be oppofite to what it was whilft the times of the Gentiles continued. Hence it fol lows, 2. That by the times of the Gentiles being fulfilled, muft be meant, the closing of the period in which the Gentiles have dominion over the land which contains the literal Jerufalem; and that then the Jews will be delivered from flaughter, will be ingathered from among the nations, will return to the land of Palestine, and will continue to inhabit and poffefs it as their inheritance, from the day of their return to the end of time. This fenfe agrees with the literal interpretation which providence hath given to the three foregoing prophecies; and is the only one which carries in it a compleat reverfal of the prefent ftate of the Jews and their land. If this reverfal be not admitted, I do not fee any way in which this prophecy can be interpreted, in a literal fenfe. The Jewish nation, in general, have an ardent defire to return to the land of Palestine, and will, therefore, be difpofed readily to embrace any favorable opportunity to return, which may prefent. As the Jews are a rich commercial people, and as their property is almost wholly of the perfonal kind, they are at all times prepared to go back to the land which was given to their fathers. It is not difficult to conceive, that among the ambitious schemes of the Gentile nations, it may be for the selfish interest of fome one, or more, to deliver Paleftine into their hands; and that on their entrance, a numerous army may be affembled to pillage and fubjugate them. Means may be ufed in the restoration of the Jews of which we have now no conception. It is not the defign of the author of the prophecies, to give to men beforehand, a very clear knowledge of the means by which the events predicted are to take place. The return of the Jews to the ancient Canaan does not imply the restoration of the Mofaic economy. If it implied this, it would follow, either that the Meffiah hath not appeared, or that a wrong interpretation has been given to the prophecies which hold up the future reftoration of Ifrael. The Jews may expect the renewal, and continuance, of their ancient Temple worfhip in all its parts, when returning to their land, but after the violent affault from the army of Gog is over, they with the fulnefs of the Gentiles, will be brought into the fame fold, and be united in Jefus of Nazareth as their common Shepherd. Then the believing Jews and the believing Gentiles will clearly fee the harmony of the Jewish and Christian difpenfations; and that the church into which all the nations are to come, is "built upon the foundation of the apoftles and prophets, Jefus Chrift himfelf being the chief corner-ftone." What holy joy will fill the hearts of God's people, whether Jews or Gentiles, when they unite in the covenant made with Abraham,” and jointly "partake of the root and fatnefs of the olive-tree !" We, Gentiles, who profefs to receive the Meffiah, have much guilt lying upon us, for our conduct towards God's ancient covenant people. We have thrown many ftumbling blocks in the way of their converfion to christianity, I can never forget the converfation which I had with an intelligent Jew, fome years fince. After he had gone into a confiderable detail of the fufferings of his nation, in the courfe of the prefent captivity, he faid, "If you who call yourfelves Chriftians have the benevo lence which your Meffiah profcffed, do not torture us with courts of Inquifition, nor wound us by contemptuous behaviour. Treat us as fellow men, and fellow-citizens. You Americans have opened a door for fuch friendly intercourfe between Jews and Gentiles, as had not been known fince our captivity. We hope that your example may influence other nations to alter their conduct towards us. We ask you to hear our objections against christianity with patience and candor. You acknowledge, with us, the divine authority of the law and the prophets. You interpret many parts of both in a very different manner from our Rabbies. You cannot think it strange that we are more difpofed to liften to them than to the teachers of chriftianity. We have met with many things tending to prejudice us against this religion. By kind treatment from its profeffors, we may be led to examine it more impartially than we have done. Who knows, but that by free conference, the God of Abraham may open our eyes, if we are in an error, and incline us to embrace Jesus of Nazareth, as the Meffiah?" Let the difciples of Chrift remember, that " to the Ifraelites pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whofe are the fathers, and of whom, as concerning the flesh, Chrift came, who is over all, God bleffed forever." Tho' the wrath is come upon the Jews to the uttermoft, for killing the Lord Jefus, and their own prophets, and for perfecuting the Chriftians in the early ages, "they are, as touching the election, beloved for the fathers' fakes." We must be ftrangers to the exercises of holy love, if we do not look upon the Ifraelites with tender compaffion, and if it be not our heart's defire and prayer to God, that they may be faved. The predictions and promises which refpect the future glory of the Jewish nation, muft animate the hearts of the followers of the Son of God. As they attend to the gracious defigns ofthe Redeemer towards that people, they must look forward with a pious ardor to the day when the Lord will "make Jerufalem a praife in the earth. Then the Lord will be her everlafting light, and the days of her mourning fhall be ended. Her people alfo fhall be all righteous; and they fhall inherit the land forever. The Lord will haften it in his time." BENEVOLUS. FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE. MES'RS EDITORS. I FIND many agreeable things in your Magazine; the I must confefs I have not been able to read it with all the complacency I anticipated. I expected to fee in it, ftated and ably defended, the ef fential doctrines of fcripture, fuch as the doctrine of the Trinity, the divinity of Chrift, original fin, the depravity of human nature, the neceffity of regeneration, &c. which doctrines are objected against and denied by too many at the prefent day. You will greatly mistake me, if you hence conclude, that what I now fend you, concerning the divinity of Chrift, be by me reckoned an able defence of that truth; but it is the best I was able to exhibit, and if you should fee fit to infert it or any part of it in the Magazine, I am content, and if not I am content, if the public may be favored with a bet ter one. On the Divinity of CHRIST. of the only true and living God. Who can read; with any due at muft fee that it was the great defign of the commandments, warnings, reprehenfions and counfels therein given to God's people that for faking all idolatry, they fhould acknowledge and worship Jehovah only as their God? Who can, with any due attention, read the new teftament, but muft fee that a great and main defign of it was to recover perfons from the acknowl idols, and to bring them to acknowledge, worship and love the only living and true God? at this day, do in effect renew the attack which EBION and CERINTHUS of old made against the truth of the real and proper divinity of Chrift. This doârine appears to me fo fundamental a truth in Chriftianity, that if it be fet afide and given up, I can fee no good foundation for the Chriftian Church, or indeed for the Chriftian hope of falvation; for if he be but a mere man, a mere crea-edgment and worthip of dumb ture, though of the most exalted and excellent order and capacities conceivable, yet all his obedience must be due to him who is the author of it all; and fo nothing which Chrift did or fuffered can, as I fee, be of any avail to the falvation of fianers. There are fome who interpret fome fcripture expreffions, afcribing to Chrift his knowledge, power, &c. to mean that God communicated them to him as a creature of a moft dignified and exalted order and capacity. But (with humility be it fpoken) God could not lend or impart to him, if a creature, his eternity, omnipotence, omnifcience, &c. There are many feripture expreffions of and concerning Chrift, in his mediatorial character, which are to be understood in that re-vine revelation, it will be incumftricted fenfe and view, and are not bent on me to mention proof of to be confidered as fpoken of him it from fcripture. in his highest character or divine nature; confounding of which is one great caufe of that fundamental mittake. In confidering of the divinity of Christ, there are two things, I taiak, ought to prevail in our minds. One is, that it is a great design of feripture revelation, both in the old and new teftament, to bring perfons off from idolatry to the acknowledgment and worship The other thing which I think ought to have a prevailing influence upon our minds, while attending to this fubject, is that we and mankind, to whom the fcriptures are granted, will unavoidably be led into the groffeft idolatry, if Chrift be not truly, really and properly God; forafmuch as therein fuch titles, attributes, works and worship are afçribed to him as can be due only to God. That God is the only adequate and fuitable object of religious worship, must be acknowledged by all, who profefs to believe natural or revealed religion. But as the divinity of Chrift is a truth fpecially of di In John v. 23. we are exprefsly affured by our Saviour, that all men fhould honor the Son even as they honor the Father. And what lefs than divine honor, religious. worship and obedience can be tho't due to the Father? and according to this text, what lefs can be due to Chrift? Baptizing in his name as well as that of the Father and the Holy Ghoft, Matthew xxviii. 19, muit be an act of religious |