brought to acknowledge that the Lord hath visited the earth, and is the redeemer of Israel. And O that the whole of this people could be convinced that the glory of the Lord is indeed risen upon them in the face of Jesus Christ, the true Messiah, who, it was predicted by their own prophets, should come into the world at the exact time that he did appear. We read that it was said of Simeon, "that he was waiting for the Consolation of Israel." The Jews at this time used to style the expected Messiah "the Consolation ;" and, "May I never see the Consolation," was a common mode of swearing among them. Again, at the 38th verse of this chapter it is said, that Anna, a prophetess, coming in at the instant Simeon was speaking, also gave thanks unto the Lord, and spake of him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. And it is related by St. Mark (xv. 43.) that Joseph of Arimathea, who waited for the kingdom of God, went boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.

It is certain then that blindness has obscured the minds of this people, that they resist such a weight of evidence, such a combination of concurring circumstances and events. But to those who will seek the light of the Holy Spirit, that Day-star from

on high, which hath arisen on a sinful and benighted world, shall shine into their hearts to be their salvation and their glory.

We must now proceed to show, first, How this child was set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and, secondly, How for a sign which should be spoken against! And, thirdly, that we are warranted in concluding, that the words which I have chosen relate to the final restoration of Israel. And, O Almighty God, who alone canst enlighten the minds of those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, send out thy light and thy truth, and lead us all to thy holy hill and to thy dwelling!

We are then, first, to show how this child was set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel. It is as if he had said, Behold, this child of thine is appointed for an occasion of the fall and rising again of many in Israel, as he in fact shall be the means of bringing aggravated ruin upon some, as may be said of Judas, and those who crucified him, as well as those who now disbelieve and resist the evidences of Christianity; but to others he will be salvation and recovery; though his appearance in the world will be such as if he were intended and set up for a mark of contradiction and reproach. That Christ was lifted up on the cross, derided, and

set as a mark and reproach, is an acknowledged fact. And that when the Jews went to Pilate, and were clamorous to have Jesus delivered up to them to be crucified, all the people said, in answer to Pilate's assertion,

that he was innocent of the blood of that just person," His blood be on us, and on our children;" and which was literally fulfilled in the ruin of this nation, which so soon followed:-as it is related by Josephus, who was an eye-witness of the fact, "that numbers of the Jews, having been scourged and tortured in a most horrible manner, were crucified in the view and near the walls of their city ;" and it is more than probable, that some of those who joined in the above imprecation were among the number, as there can be no doubt there were many of their children: and the same historian declares, "that the number thus crucified was so great, that there was not room for the crosses to stand by each other; and that, at last, they had not wood enough to make any more."

Thus, then, the ignominy with which they treated the Lord of life and glory, and the reproach with which they reproached him, fell upon themselves; and that stone which the builders rejected, is become the head of

the corner. Thus they fulfilled their own scripture in condemning him, and the words of Jesus have had their completion-"That the kingdom of God should be taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof."

There is, in short, such a complete fulfilment of every thing relating to this peculiar people, that even for themselves to resist it any longer, appears like endeavouring to obscure the light of the sun at mid-day. They have been, and are still, scattered, dispersed and persecuted throughout the world, and have been an abhorrence to all people : but though they have wandered far from their Father's house, they shall return to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. The sons also of them that afflicted thee, shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel: then will be the rising again of many in Israel. But this rising again is already commenced, and, we trust, advancing :-their sons are coming in from far, and their daughters are nursed at our side! The Lord is now showing mercy unto Zion; yea, the time is come, and hastening, when the forces of the gentiles

shall flow unto her. Let us pray-"Lift up thou their head, for their redemption draweth nigh."

If we read the various prophecies relating to the restoration of Israel, and contemplate them in all their bearings with those which have been fulfilled, the subject is really overwhelming. But should the Jew or the sceptic doubt any of these, and say, that this or that relates to the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, we can assure them, that the prophecy of the pious Simeon was spoken long after that event, and whilst the blessed Jesus was yet an infant. And here I must remark, that those prophecies which relate to the return of the Jews from Babylon, and those which relate to their final restoration, are so distinct and clear, that whoever reads them with attention may discover the difference, and a common capacity is quite sufficient to their elucidation. To enter fully into these, however, cannot be done in the compass of one discourse: but we can all pray, that the whole house of Israel may soon, very soon, be as an ensign to the heathen, to the sceptic, and to the unbelieving gentile, to rouse them out of their spiritual slumber to acknowledge the Lord our righteous