SERMON I.

THE MOSIAC JUBILEE,

PREACHED ON THE

SUNDAY BEFORE THE THANKSGIVING DAY.

LEV. XXV. 9. "THEN shalt thou cause the trum

pet of the Jubilee to sound;-in the day of ATONEMENT shall ye make the trumpet sound "throughout all your land; and ye shall hal"low the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty "throughout all the land, unto all the inhabi "tants thereof. It shall be a Jubilee unto "you."

THE word Jubilee, in the Hebrew language, signifies" the sounding of a trumpet." But it is restricted to a joyful sound. It is not used to denote the alarm of war, but to distinguish some occasion of joy and festivity; as when

Zadok, the priest, and Nathan, the prophet,

"anointed Solomon king over Israel; and "they said, blow ye with the trumpet, and say, "God save king Solomon."

But the Jubilee of Israel had respect to a higher occasion than that of the accession or coronation of a king. The year of Jubilee was ordained to be a memorial of the redemption of Israel from the bondage of Egypt; and to be a type of the spiritual redemption of the human race by Jesus Christ. And the trumpet of the Jubilee was a significant emblem of the last GREAT TRUMPET, (" for the trumpet "shall sound" *) at the general release of the servants of the true God at the last day..

At the present time, when the minds of men are awake to the circumstances of the grand national festival which is approaching, I design to preach three Discourses on the subject of the Jubilee ;-first, on this day, on the Mosaic Jubilee, with its spiritual application to redemption by Christ ;-secondly, on the thanks. giving day, on the British Jubilee ;-and,

1 Cor. xv. 52.

+ This analogy is noticed by one of the Jewish Rabbins. "It is appointed to blow the trumpet at the Jubilee. Now, as at the blowing of the trumpet at the Jubilee, all ser"vants went free; so, at the last redemption, at the blow"ing of the trumpet, all Israel shall be gathered from the "four sides of the world."-Zohar in Lev. P. 53.

thirdly, on the Sunday following, on the Heavenly Jubilee. *

And, while these solemn subjects occupy our minds, let us pray, that the word which shall be preached, may be blessed to them who hear it; and that those who have lived hitherto without concern about their existence in a future state, may now be awakened to contemplate its certainty and importance. May they be able, from the period of this earthly Jubilee, to date their well-grounded hope of a heavenly and eternal Jubilee!

In discoursing on the MOSAIC Jubilee, we shall treat,

1. Of the sabbatical year, or hallowed seventh year of the Jews, on which the Jubilee was founded; which was one of the most remarkable ordinations of God to his chosen people. We shall endeavour to shew, that it involves in it a conclusive argument for the divine authority and legation of Moses; and shall then point out a practical lesson which Christian nations, at this day, may derive from the conduct of the Israelites concerning it.

2. Of the seventh sabbatical year, called the year of Jubilee. We shall consider its two

*It is proper here to observe, that these discourses, prepared for the Jubilee, were not delivered wholly from the pulpit, owing to their great length.

Though the Jubilee be here called,

"the seventh sab

chief characters of mercy, and then point out its analogy to the mercy of the gospel and redemption by Christ.

I. It will be proper to premise the general character and purpose of the Mosaic Jubilee.

The ordinance of the Jubilee was first given from Mount Sinai, by God himself; and was intended as a religious, a moral, and a political institution.

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1. As a religious institution; to be a memorial of the redemption from Egypt, and a type of the greater redemption by Christ. It was a year of respite from worldly care, and a season for religious reflection and improvement; and so far, was an emblem of the rest and of the employment of the heavenly Canaan.

2. As a moral institution; to inculcate the virtues of humanity and charity between man and man, by the frequent exercise of releasing the debtor and redeeming the captive.

3. As a political institution; First, to preserve the possessions of the tribes of Israel to their respective families; in order that the house and lineage of the Messiah might be dis tinctly traced, and the fulfilment of the prophecies concerning him, might be fully established at a future day. For every inheritance

"batical year, it is not meant that it took place on the 49th, "but on the 50th year."

in Israel reverted to its original possessor, every fiftieth year. year. Secondly, to prevent the accumulation of wealth by individuals, and to preserve a well-regulated equality of property in society. Nor could any injustice or oppression result from it, for every man who bought or sold, knew that the year of Jubilee was to come; and every thing was transacted with a view to the great year of redemption.

" But a grand consequence of the institution of the Jubilee, and which it is of primary importance to bring to notice in the present age, was this, that it established the divine authority of Moses. The year of Jubilee, like that sabbatical year on which it was founded, was a standing miracle. Moses foretold, in the presence of all Israel, that the polity which he was establishing, would be confirmed from heaven after his death, every seventh year, and every fiftieth year! Many learned men have overlooked this evidence of the Jewish theocracy; but no Christian ought to be ignorant of the sabbatical year, or hallowed seventh year, of the Mosaic dispensation. For the institution of it is a proof of the divinity of our religion; and the conduct of the Israelites, in regard to it, will convey solemn admonition to Britain at this day.

The original institution of the sabbatical year was given from Sinai in the following