raphrase and Talmud, as of ancient tradition, and seems to be the opinion of the Jews at this day, who, as they look not for the kingdom of their Messiah until dies judicii magni, or the great day of judgment, so they expect that their fore-fathers will then rise again and inherit the land of Canaan and their city Jerusalem, according to the promise made by God to Abraham, and that under Messiah their king.

Carpentarius says, "that the seventh millenary is called by the whole school of the Cabalists, the great day of judgment, because they then suppose that God will judge the souls of all men."

If we examine their Gemara, or gloss of their Talmud, in Cod. Sanhed. Cap. Kol Israel, commenting on the words of Isaiah, "the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be brought down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." Rabbi Ketina says "the world doth continue six thousand years, and in one it shall be destroyed, of which it is said, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day."

Tradition agreeth with Rabi Ketina, even as every seventh year of sevens of years, is a year of release, so of the seven thousand years of the world, the seventh thousand years, shall be the thousand years of release, as it is said, "and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.”

Likewise in the 92d Psalm (the title) it is said to be a psalm for the sabbath day, that is, the day that is nothing else but rest. Again, in the 90th Psalm, it is said, for

*Com. in Alcinoum Plat. p. 322.

† 2d ch. Isaiah, 11th and 17th v.

They mean a destruction or wasting by fire, whereby the earth shall be renewed, and become a new Heaven and a new earth, &c.

a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday. The Jews understand these psalms as referring to the great day of judgment, and that the sabbath mentioned in the title of the 92d means the great sabbath of a thousand years.

The Jews have also another tradition, called the tradition of the house of Elias, found in Gemara abodah Zarah, ch. 1st. He was a Jewish doctor and lived under the second temple, about the first times of the Grecian monarchy, long before the Christian era. He says, the just whom God shall raise up (it must be at the first resurrection) shall not be turned again to dust. Now if you ask, how it shall be with the just in those thousand years, wherein the holy blessed God shall renew his world, whereof it is said (Isaiah, 2d ch. 11th v.) and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day, you must know that the holy blessed God, will give them the wings, as it were, of eagles, to fly upon the face of the waters, whence it is said, (Psalm, 46th 2d v.) therefore we shall not fear when the earth shall be changed.-Again this same Elias saith, "the world doth continue six thousand years, two thousand before the law-two thousand under the law-and two thousand years the days of the Messiah."

Rabbi Schelomi says, "that they understand by the above passage in Isaiah, the day of judgment and the kingdom of the Messiah. And by those other words (Isaiah, 2d. ch. 19th v.) when he shall arise to shake the earth terribly, he understands the same time or period."

Rabbi D. Kimchi makes the same comment-" In that day, that is the days of Messiah, when the Lord shall execute his judgments on the wicked." And that by the words, "and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day," "means that the Lord shall be king over all the earth."

Rabbi Abr. Sebah, commenting on Genesis, 1st ch. says, "at the end of six thousand years of the world, Rome shall be destroyed and the Jews restored."

These traditions and comments are confirmed by observations made in midrasch tchillim, upon the words of the 90th Psalm, 15th v. "make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afflicted us." That is, saith he, by the Babylonians, the Grecians, and the Romans, and that in the days of the Messiah. And how many are the days of the Messiah? Rabbi Jehosuas saith, they are two thousand years, as it is said, according to the days wherein thou hast humbled us, that is, according to two days-for one day of the holy and blessed God is a thousand years, according to that, because one thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday.

The Rabbins also hold, "that according to the world to come, the day of the Messiah shall be one; for God, who is holy and blessed in the future (age,) shall make one day to himself, of which day we read in Zach. 14th ch. 7th v. "and there shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord; not day nor night; and it shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light. This day is the world to come and the resurrection of the dead.— Such was the opinion of R. Asche, the brother of R. Abba. God, who is holy and blessed, shall not renew his world, but at the seventh millenary.

Rabbi Eliezer, the great, who lived immediately after the second temple, ch. 34th. saith, "As I live, saith the Lord, I will raise you up in the time (or age or period) to come, in the resurrection of the dead, and I will gather you with all Israel."

So the paraphrast Jonathan, who lived before Christ, upon the 14th ch. Hosea, 8th v. "They shall be gather

ed together out of the midst of their captivity; they shall dwell under the protection of their Christ, and the dead shall live, and good shall grow in the land; and there shall be a memorial of their goodness fructifying and never failing, as the remembrance of the sound of the trumpets over the old wine, which was wont to be offered in the sanctuary."

The certain expectation of the glorious kingdom of Christ among the Jews, is no where more manifest than in the questions asked by the followers of Jesus, on certain occasions, while he was in the flesh on earth. The wife of Zebedee, who had faithfully attended on the despised Jesus, during the greatest part of his ministry, engaged for the future glory and happiness of her children, earnestly supplicates the Saviour, that her two sons, James and John, might sit, one on his right hand and the other on his left, in his coming kingdom. The disciples, also, valuing their services and conduct, in forsaking all and following him, are anxious to know what reward they are to expect, in the victorious kingdom which they expected was immediately to be set up by their LordThe Saviour, while he represses their vanity and impatience, confirms their expectation of such a kingdom, and leads them to the contemplation of their future blessedness. And Jesus said, "verily ye who have followed me, in the regeneration, (or restitution of all things by my kingdom being set up on earth, at my second coming) when the Son of Man shall sit upon the throne of his glory, then ye shall sit upon twelve thrones, judg ing the twelve tribes of Israel." And the disciples, when going to Emmaus, were, unknowingly, conversing with the Saviour, said, "But we trusted that it had been Him who should have redeemed Israel."

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It was in this expectation that on the last journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, that the multitude were so ready "to spread their garments in the way-and to cry, Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And who, on finding their hopes disappointed, by his capture and condemnation, were as ready to cry crucify him! crucify him!

In one of Peter's sermons, at his first setting out, we find him declaring this glorious kingdom "as the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and the times of restitution of all things, which God had foretold by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began"-so that this kingdom was not a novel thing, but appears to have been the subject of the prophecies of the Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, as we have already partially shewn."

All these opinions of the ancient Jews, are justified by the language of the Apocriphical Esdras, in his 2d book 2d. ch 16th and 31st v. "And those who are dead will I raise up again from their places, and bring them out of their graves, for I have known thy name, O IsraelRemember thy children who sleep, for I shall bring them out of the sides of the earth, and shew mercy unto them, for I am merciful, saith the Lord Almighty." And again, in 1st ch. 38-40 v. "And now brother, behold what glory; and see the people who come from the east: unto whom I will give for leaders, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Hosea, Amos, and Micah, Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah, Nahum, and Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zachariah and Malachi, who is called also the angel of the Lord." So in 3d ch. Widom, 7th and 8th v. "And in the time of their visitation they shall shine.-They