of duty.* As a scholar, his acquirements are very considerable. He was educated under the care of the most learned man in Bagdad; and having continued to exercise himself in composition, he has acquired in consequence a critical acumen, and great command of words. His ill state of health renders it impossible to say exactly when the Work he has undertaken will be finished; but if nothing untoward should happen to interrupt us, you may expect the New Testament in the three languages, in the course of two years."

THE JEWS.

THERE are three remarkable prophecies concerning the Jews.

1. "The children of Israel shall abide many days without a King, and without a Prince, and without a Sacrifice, and without an Image, and without an Ephod, and without Teraphim," Hos. iii. 4.

2. "The Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other," Deut. xxix. 64; and yet, "the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned amongst the nations," Num. xxiii. 9.

3. "Thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a bye-word among all the nations whither the Lord shall lead thee. Among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest," Deut. xxviii. 37, 65.

The first of these prophecies is very remarkable; for whoever heard of a nation "abiding many days" without its civil and religious polity, and surviving its political existence? The very assertion seems to involve an absurdity. Did the Egyptians, Chaldeans,

The solicitude of these translators to infuse the true meaning of the original into their versions, and not to trust entirely to the English Translation, will appear from the following observations of Mr. Martyn in his last letter. "The Psalms we must leave till the end of the New Testament, for this solid reason, that I do not understand a considerable portion of that book. Much of the present Translation is certainly unintelligible. It appears to me, that the two Royal Authors have suffered more from the plebian touch of their interpreters, than even the Prophets, or any others but Job. Hebrew has been of late my constant meditation."

Greeks, or Romans survive their civil and religious polity?

The second prediction is not less singular than the former; for if the Jews were to be received among the nations of the earth, why should they not "be reckoned with the nations?" Would any man, in a remote age, venture to foretel that there was a certain nation, which, in the ages to come, would be received and tolerated by all other nations, merely to be persecuted?*

But the third prophecy is such as must afford a contemplation to Infidelity, to the end of time. The Jews were to become "an astonishment, and a proverb, and a bye-word among all nations," because they shed the blood of the Saviour of the world. Now it is not surprising that Christians should reproach them for such a crime. But how should we expect that they would be "trodden down of the heathen world," who never heard of such a Saviour? Behold the Hindoo, at this day, punishing the Jew without knowing the crime of which he has been guilty!

These three prophecies have been manifestly fulfilled; and if we had no other evidence, this is sufficient to prove "that there is a God, and that he hath made a revelation to man."

There is a fourth prophecy concerning this people, which will shortly be accomplished. The Prophet Hosea, after foretelling that the children of Israel should abide many days without a King, adds these words: "Afterward shall they return, and seek the

* To this day the Jews" are not reckoned" with the English nation. The prophetical record influenced the last parliamentary proceeding respecting them. In 1753, a Bill was passed to naturalize the Jews; but after a few months it was repealed, the Voice of the people demanded that the devoted nation should "not be reckoned with them." So true it is that our last national deliberation concerning this people was influenced by the ancient prophecy. The time has now come when Parliament may restore to the Jews the franchise of a fellow creature, without contravening the Divine decrees. It is prophesied again, th 's.ael shall return to the Lord their God," and that the period of this event is not far remote. In obedience then to the dictate of this prophecy, let our Christian nation proceed, without delay, to take away the reproach of the Jewish people; and announce the act in the most public and solemn manner, as an example to the rest of the world.

M

Lord their God, and David their King; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days," Hosea iii. 5.

The question, which is now in the mouth of every Christian, is that which was asked in the vision of the prophet Daniel on the same subject; "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" Dan. xii. 6. When shall the "indignation against the holy people be accomplished?" Dan. xi. S1; that they may return and

seek the Lord their God, and David their king."

To Daniel the Prophet, and to John the Evangelist, was given a revelation of the great events of the general Church to the end of time. Daniel foretels that the Christian Church shall be oppressed by the persecuting powers for "a time, times, and the dividing of a time," Dan. vii. 25. The same period he assigns for the accomplishment of the indignation against the holy people Israel. "One said, how long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, that it shall be for 2 TIME, TIMES and a HALF; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be fulfilled," Dan. xii. 7. Now the same form of words is used in the Revelation of St. John, to express the duration of the Papal and Mahomedan powers. Oppressed by them, the Church of Christ was to remain desolate in the wilderness, “for a TIME, TIMES, and HALF of a TIME," Rev. xii. 14. Every one, who is erudite in sacred prophecy, will understand that this great period of Daniel and St. John commences at the same era, namely, the rise of the persecuting powers; and that its duration is 1260 years.*

Here then are three great events hastening to their period; the extinction of the Papal dominion; the subversion of the Mahomedan power; and " the accomplishment of the Divine indignation against the holy

* See this period explained in Smith's Dissertation on the Prophecies, relative to Antichrist, and the Last Times, p. 101; just published by Samuel T. Armstrong, Cornhill, Boston.

people," or the return of the people of Israel" to seek the Lord their God, and David their King."

Our blessed Saviour has not left an event of this importance without notice. "The Jews," saith he, "shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," Luke xxi. 24. What these times of the Gentiles" are, our Lord has explained in his subsequent Revelation to St. John. "The court which is without the temple is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot FORTY and TWO MONTHS;" or, in prophetical language, at a day for a year, 1260 years. Rev. xi. 2.

The apostle Paul hath also recorded this event. "I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, that blindness, in part, is happened to ISRAEL, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved," Rom. xi. 25. The fulness of time for the conversion of the Gentiles will be come in, when the Mahomedan and Papal obstructions are removed. Such events as the fall of the Pope in the West, and of Mahomed in the East, both of whom persecuted the Jews to death, will probably be the means of awakening the Jews to consider the evidences. of that religion which predicted the rise and fall of both.

But the grand prophecy of the apostle Paul on this subject, is that which respects the consequence of the conversion of the Jews. The receiving of the Jews," saith he, "What shall it be to the world, but LIFE FROM THE DEAD?" Rom. xi. 15. Dispersed as they are in all countries, and speaking the languages of all countries, they will form a body of preachers ready prepared; and they need only say, "Behold the Scriptures of God, in our possession; read our history there as foretold three thousand years ago, and read the events in the annals of nations. We are witnesses to the world and the world to us. Let the whole race of mankind unite and examine the fact." " All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when the Lord lifteth up an ENSIGN on the mountains, and when he bloweth a TRUMPET, hear ye," Isaiah xviii. 3. Thus

will their preaching be to the world "LIFE from the DEAD."

But if the conversion of Israel is to take place when the Papal and Mahomedan powers have fallen, and who does not see that these events are near at hand? it might be expected that some signs of conciliation between Jews and Christians would now begin to be visible. And is not this the fact? Christians in all countries begin to consider, that "the indignation against the holy people" is nearly accomplished. Many events declare it. The indignation of man is relaxing. The prophecies have been fulfilled regarding it. The GREAT CRIME at CALVARY has been punished by all nations; and we now hear the words of the Prophet addressing us, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and CRY unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned," Isaiah xl. 1. This is the Divine command. And behold christians begin now, for the first time, "to speak comfortably to Jerusalem."

While the author was in the East, the state of the Jews who are dispersed in different countries, frequently occupied his thoughts. He had heard that they existed in distinct colonies in certain parts of India; that some of them had arrived long before the Christian Era, and had remained in the midst of the Hindoos, to this time a distinct and separate people, persecuted by the native princes, from age to age, and yet not de stroyed; "burning, like the bush of Moses, and not consumed;" and he had a strong desire" to turn aside and see this great sight." His mind was impressed with the conviction that their preservation, in such a variety of regions, and under such a diversity of cir cumstances, could be only effected by the interposition of the Divine PROVIDENCE, which reserved them, thus distinct, for some special and important purpose. And since the period of time for the accomplishment of this purpose was considered by many to be fast approaching, he wished to hear the sentiments of the Jews from their own lips, and to learn their actual impressions, as to their present circumstances and future hopes.