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from among the Heathen, where the Jews reside.

The opinion, then, I consider untenable; and, before we dismiss the FIRST HYPOTHESIS, let it be observed particularly, that any one of the statements involved in it is as liable to objection, on some, or all of the grounds alleged, as any other of them.

The doctrine of Christ's personal reign, and, indeed, the whole system of the modern Millennarians, has been so ably refuted by a writer in the Congregational Magazine, that it seems unnecessary to do more here than refer the reader to that work, Vol. X. 1827; three papers, beginning page 465, which I take the liberty of earnestly recommending to particular notice, although I do not coincide with the writer in all his admissions. I shall only observe here, that, according to the New Testament, the second coming of Christ will be to judgment, at the last day, immediately after which he shall deliver up the kingdom to his Father; that is, the Mediator's work will be accomplished, the vindication of the Divine authority completed, and God will be all in all. (Acts i.

11; Heb. ix. 28; 1 Thess. iv. 15, &c.; 2 Thess. i. 7; Jude 14.) The New Testament writers speak of no other coming than this. Therefore no passages promising to those who "overcome," that they shall sit with Christ on his throne, reign with him a thousand years, &c., can be interpreted as literally descriptive of circumstances to occur before the judgment, because Christ will not come before; nor of any after, because immediately after it he will deliver up the kingdom to his Father, that God may be all in all.*

* Since writing the above, I find, in the "Remains of the late Rev. John Cooke, of Maidenhead," just published, the following remarks on the Millennium:-" Dr. Gill and others thus describe it. The former says, 'After the world is burned, the living saints changed, and the dead ones raised, Christ will personally appear, and visibly reign a thousand years; after which the wicked will be raised, and the general judgment immediately succeed the resurrection.' The passage on which these sentiments are built, is Rev. xx. 1, 6, which is capable of another meaning, and which, I think, is more consistent with the passage itself, and the general tenor of the Sacred Scriptures.

"A valuable design may be answered, and numerous and weighty objections to the Millennium obviated, by understanding it as referring, not to a personal and visible, but to a spiritual reign, or a dispensation of the Holy Spirit, in his gifts and graces answerable to the prophetic descriptions;

The conclusion, therefore, to be drawn, if the subject have been fairly discussed in the preceding observations, is the following, viz.

The Scriptures teach us that the Jews will be converted, but do not teach us that they will be collected and restored, as a nation, to their own land; or that, as a nation they will be, in any way, more dignified and honourable than any other people; or that the Messiah will personally and visibly reign among them; or that, by their instrumentality, the fulness of the Gentiles will be brought in.

Yours, &c.

'I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh.' Joel ii. 28, 29. Pentecost was but the first-fruits of this harvest.

“This will restore the Jews, and express the permanent favour of God to them, in a manner never yet experienced; as Ezekiel declares, ‘Neither will I hide my face any more from them; for I have poured out my spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord.' Ezek. xxxix. 29.”

LETTER XI.

The second hypothesis examined, that the Jews will be restored with some peculiar tokens of the divine favour, without assuming what.-Remarks on Romans xi.-The posteriority of their conversion to that of the Gentiles just what might be expected.— Their sudden conversion unlikely.-Their national existence, supposing them to be converted after all other people, as improbable as it would be if converted sooner.-The third hypothesis affirmed as conclusive of the whole matter, that the Jews will not be distinguished after their conversion from or above other people of the Christian community.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

THE SECOND HYPOTHESIS to be examined is the following :

"The Scriptures teach us that the Jews shall be converted, and be restored to the Divine favour with some peculiar tokens of national distinction."

From what has been advanced before in considering the FIRST HYPOTHESIS, it might seem superfluous to enter into any further argument on this, because it would seem

that any distinctions whatever would be as objectionable as those defined distinctions before considered, and as much opposed to the spirit of the preceding observations. But, that nothing may be slighted which appears to favour the position, we will notice those passages in the eleventh of Romans, which are supposed to do so. Rom. xi. 12, "Now if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?"-ver. 15, 16, "For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the first-fruit be holy, the lump is also holy and if the root be holy, so are the branches."-ver. 23 to 32, " And they also, if they abide not in unbelief, shall be graffed in for God is able to graff them in again. For if thou wert cut out of the olive-tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olivetree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive-tree? For I would not,

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