t nor the reading of the,מזוזות f nor, ציצים nor *,תפלין you, nor purifications, nor daily prayers, nor festivals, Yet, with the Spirit of the Lord resting on you, and the book of God in your hands, you shall not be cast down utterly. The name of Adonai, merciful and gracious, presents a ground of hope which his good Spirit will guide you to. Feeling yourself every way a sinner-the only hope you will find, will be in his name, his free grace, and bounteous love. To this you will trace all the precious promises which are scattered as so many precious jewels through all the * Phylacteries. † Fringes in the borders of the garments, Numb. xv. 38, &c. Certain passages of the law written on vellum, and attached to the door-posts. § The recitation of the section of the law. "Hear, O Israel," &c., Deut. vi. 4. The day of atonements. What dependence is placed on externals will appear from the following passage, "Whoever hath tephillin (phylacteries,) on his head or on his arm, and tsitsith, (fringes,) on his garment, and mezuzoth at his door, is fortified that he shall not sin: for behold he hath many remembrances, and these are the angels which protect him from sinning, as it is said "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about his fearers, and delivereth them." Shabbath, ch. 2. book, and adorn its every page. These, as you continue your studies under the Spirit's guidance, you will gradually find arranging themselves into one consistent and magnificent plan-an everlasting covenant well ordered in all things, and sure. The fundamental promise of all, you will find to be the remission of sins. All other blessings God promises to bestow on the house of Israel; for, saith he, I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins will I remember no more. Your hearts thirsting for forgiveness, yet jealous of the honour of the law, will be further established by your being led to see the importance of the bloody sacrifice which God connected with the bestowment of forgiveness; and the whole of the ceremonial law will appear in a new light most interesting, not only to your understanding, but also to your heart and conscience. But, being soon made aware, as a heart in which is God's law, and which therefore feels the demerit and malignity of sin easily, I had almost said instinctively, perceives that the blood of bulls and of goats cannot take away sin, nor make the worshippers perfect as concerns the conscience; you will be led to inquire more deeply into the meaning of sacrifice, and to connect this instructive and most important rite with the promise of the Messiah; first announced in Gan-Eden, on the day when Adam ha-rishon fell, as the Seed of the woman who should bruise the Serpent's head, while his own heel should be bruised in achieving the conquest. Your sin-slain soul will revive at the announcement of a suffering and triumphing Saviour from sin and the old Serpent. And when you come to read, in the book of the prophet Isaiah, the place where it is written, chap. liii.: "He was wounded for our transgressions-he was bruised for our iniquities-the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his stripes we are healed. We all had gone astray as lost sheep, we had wandered, every one after his own way; and the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all. When his soul shall make an offering for sin, he shall see his seed; he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hands;" you shall exclaim, this is just what my case demands-this is just the Messiah, the deliverer for me. And thus prepared, you would speedily find him of whom Moses in the law and prophets did write-Jesus of Nazareth. We have his own authority and that of his prophets, for submitting the proof of the Gospel (a), to the evidence of the , and for affirming that the genuine faith of the latter would inevitably issue in the reception of the former. "Do not think," saith Jesus, "that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For, had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" John v. 45. "For, (saith an apostle,) they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him;" Acts xiii. 27. And in the case of that apostle, it was when by the law he had attained to the knowledge of sin, that he found redemption in the blood of the Messiah, and knew undoubtedly that Jesus is that Messiah. But you say, I know not that these would be the results. I know you do not-you cannot till you try. But this I ask, let the results be what they may, can you deny that we have proved, ay, to the approbation of your own consciences, that the plan suggested, the exhortation tendered, is founded on the infallible word of the Lord, and that you are bound-that you are necessitated to follow it, unless you would sin rebelliously, with a high hand cast off the fear of the Lord, and refuse to tremble at him, and at the words of his holiness? And how, instructive, how consolatory and encouraging, if there be any sincere Israelite here, who, tossed about by the conflict of opposing systems, is alarmed, lest he should dishonour the God of Israel, by either on the one hand. rejecting the Messiah, or on the other receiving an impostor, to be assured, that if any man do the will of Adonai, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether Jesus speaks of himself. Having thus studied the Old Testament, and penetrated to the core with its truths in the living spirit of them; read then, in the same prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit, the Talmud, much or little of it, as you may find it good and profitable-and believe it to be the word of the living God, if you possibly can. Read, still with the same dependence on the Holy Spirit, the New Testament of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and disbelieve it to be the word of the living God if you possibly can. The question then between us, my much-longedfor friends, is brought to the fair issue of a practicable experiment, warranted and demanded by the word of God, fully admitted, and received by us both as such. Standing in the presence of the great Judge of all, in the view of what I owe to the truth of my Lord and God, who bought me with his own blood, and through whose mediation alone I know, and am assured, that the Holy Spirit is bestowed; and whose name alone, through faith in his name, can give soundness to the sin destroyed soul-and in the view of what I owe to your souls, knowing that it is at the peril of my everlasting condemnation, if I attempt to deceive any, especially to seduce the chosen people of the Lord from their allegiance to their covenant God, I tremble not at the consequences of having addressed to you this word of exhortation. I tremble only, lest through the contemptuous rejection, or callous neglect of it by any hearer, I should become the savour of death unto him. And now you know your immediate duty. You must perforce approve of it. Will you dare, under Adonai's eye, ever but now especially upon youwill you dare to neglect or defer it for a single instant? Delays are dangerous, flee for thy life, tarry not in the plain, look not back, lest thou be made an eternal monument of Adonai's tremendous displea sure. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. He is waiting to be. gracious unto thee, he is exalted, that he may show thee mercy. Wilt thou be obstinately dumb, and restrain prayer before God. Wilt thou not, from this time, cry, "Pour out thy Spirit upon me, make known. thy words unto me?" Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they may be saved; and that for their salvation, he would pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem-even now, on such as may be present, and speedily on the whole nation-the Spirit of grace and of supplication, that they may look on Adonai, whom they have pierced, and may mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born. In which day of doleful mourning, there shall be a fountain opened for sin, and for uncleanness for the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Zech. xii. 10; xiii. 1. The Lord hasten it speedily in our days. And as for you, my Christian friends, not in name only, but in reality, who have been made partakers of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and who live in the blessed fellowship of Him who glorifies Christ, by taking of his, and showing it unto you, let me address myself unto you in behalf of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. By means of the additional light of New Testament Scripture, and by your own heartfelt experience, you know better than they do, where the salvation of Israel is to be found. Before the departure of our Lord and Saviour to his Father's glory, he promised to send the Holy Spirit, who, when he was come, should convince the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment-of sin, because they believe not in him-of righteousness, because he has gone to the Father, and we see him not-of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. Ye know, that in fulfilment of this promise, the Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, immediately succeeding our Lord's ascension into heaven. You |