without a prince, and without a facrifice," fifted and dispersed among all nations®.

On the other hand, though the gospel was, at its first outgoing from Sion, rapidly spread throughout the world, and believers in all lands were added to the Lord; we do not find that, either in the firft or any fucceeding age, the fulness of the Gentile forces has come in, and fought under the banner of the crofs. The state of the world therefore is not fuch as to preclude the accomplishment of the foregoing prophecy in either of its parts; if that which feems the most obvious, shall, from other more explicit paffages of scripture, appear to be its genuine and true interpretation.

In search of these paffages it is less neceffary to recur to the books of the Old Teftament, because if we grant for a moment, what may perhaps hereafter be proved, that the Jews fhall one day be converted to the faith of Chrift; between us and them, on the prefent queftion, there is no difpute. The great controverfy is concerning the person and character of the Meffiah; who he is and when to appear, whether he has already been

• Hof. iii. 4.

• Am. ix. 9.

in

in the world, or whether his coming is ftill to be expected. Here the veil is unremoved; this is now, as it was of old, the stone of ftumbling. But that the Meffiah's kingdom fhall comprehend the house of Ifrael, the fons of Ifrael do not question; all who believe revelation believe it. This ray, this fingle ray, cheers their hearts and guides their fteps in their prefent ftate of wandering and wretchedness.

But though this article is embraced by the Jews as a certain truth, it is not univerfally received among Christians. As long, it is argued, as the church can raise up faithful fervants to GOD, so long it shall be permitted to continue. But the best and pureft difpenfation of heaven lofes its effect upon the ftubborn and ungrateful heart of man. The kingdom of grace declines more and more, and the empire of Satan is erected on its ruins ; and when the Son of man thall be revealed in fire to judge the world, as when he fent a flood of waters to destroy it, he shall scarcely find faith on earth.

Such is the gloomy picture held up to our view; but poffibly the fimilitude is not exact. Sinful as the world may be at present, and as

we

we must with shame and trembling confess it to be; it does not follow that it fhall always be fo. Small and defpifed as may be the temple of the Lord, it does not follow that her walls fhall never be built with larger extent and brighter fplendor. The holy mountain may still be established in the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills, and all nations, in the fulleft fenfe, may flow unto it and worship GoD. Lastly if this glorious scene shall hereafter be realifed, it does not follow that it fhall remain for ever. While men are fallible, that is, while they are men, they must be liable to spiritual as well as bodily infirmities; they may apoftatife from faith and virtue, and infidelity and vice may once more overspread the earth.

Admit the truth, whatever it shall appear to be, neither difmayed by the present state of things on the one hand, nor fearful of remoter confequences on the other. What it is not unworthy of God's mercy to reveal, nor of his goodness to bestow, his wifdom can contrive, and his power can execute. If when we look around, affairs in our fight seem not propitious; if the earth is obfcured with clouds of ignorance or mifts of error; He" who commanded the light to shine out

of

of darkness'," can difpel the gloom of the moral world; can bid the glorious sun of the gofpel cheer and invigorate those regions of forrow, where a glimpse of his beams is now scarcely feen; can make every future age, as he has made every past, confirm the testimony of his fervants the prophets, and display his majefty, benignity, and truth. There is perhaps a day coming (and oh! that it may be nigh at hand) when together with our faith and love, our knowledge also shall be enlarged, and our views extended; when we fhall fee order and confiftency fpring out of apparent irregularity; when the light, which has hitherto lightened the Gentiles, fhall likewise be the glory of the people of Ifrael; when the will of GOD fhall be done on earth as it is in heaven, zealously and faithfully by all men, as it is univerfally and inceffantly by all holy angels.

But let not our hope go beyond our faith, nor our faith beyond the written word of GOD. Let us fee whether from the infallible oracles of truth, thefe events, which are fo ftupendous and fo defirable, may with confidence be expected.

f Cor. iv. 6.

: Luke ii. 32.

Now

Now although, as we said before, it is not neceffary to quote for this purpose particular paffages from the prophets; yet thus much may be observed of them in general; that they speak of the church of GOD, which in the latter age fhould be established upon earth, in fuch terms as no event, which the world has yet beheld, either equals or justifies. They extol not merely the inherent excellence, but wide extent, of the heavenly kingdom. Whenever the profpect rises before them, and it was often presented to their view, their heart glows with inftant rapture at the splendid scene; the powers of language are exhausted to convey their lofty conceptions of those days of gladness, when all nations whom the Lord hath made shall turn unto him, and walk in the light of his holy word. We do not affert, that in order to warrant the expreffions used on this occafion, it is neceffary that every individual of the human fpecies fhould ferve GOD with a pure heart and faith unfeigned; but if the whole race shall not hereafter be, what they have not yet been, visible members of the church of Chrift, language is ufelefs, and words have no meaning.