truth; let God be true and every man a liar; He has not left His people without a Mediator, through whom every faithful believer has access to Him, and can pour forth his soul in the importunity of prayer, and cry, Abba, Father.

My dear Jewish brethren, the love of Christ constraineth me to disclose Him to your view as the Prophet like unto Moses, and as the Mediator between an offended God, and a fallen ruined world. The learned Bishop Butler observes, "There is not, I think, any thing relating to Christianity which has been more objected against, than the mediation of Christ, in some or other of its parts. Yet, upon thorough consideration, there seems nothing less justly liable to it." Had Moses and the Prophets left no books behind them, there might, perhaps, have been some prejudices against it, but not now. Some of our most eminent Rabbies taught this doctrine with remarkable perspicuity. Rabbi Joseph Albo, in his book Ekarim, 2nd part, chap. 28, fol. 54, col. 2, has the following orthodox

ויקרא הכתוב שם המשיח יהוה צדקנו להיותו אמצעי אל שנשיג הצדק מהשם על ידו : passage

"The scripture calls Messiah's name Jehovah our Righteousness, because He is to be our Mediator, that we may obtain God's righteousness through Him." So that it is rather surprising that modern Jews, who claim to be the "best expounders" of the holy scriptures, (see page 35,) should object to this scriptural doctrine. Yea, 1 am persuaded, my dear Jewish brethren, that all objections against this blessed and gracious word of life are erroneous in themselves, and owe their existence entirely to a want of due consideration and study of the word of God. Nor can I conceal my conviction, that all such prejudices are chargeable with no small measure of guilt. For if God has indeed spoken, who shall lightly presume to disregard or disbelieve? nay, rather, who should not esteem it his highest privilege to listen and to obey?

I purpose, therefore, briefly to show, with the help of God, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the Prophet

like unto Moses, and that God's mercy endureth for ever. I am not ignorant that this prophecy has been misconstrued by our Rabbies as referring to Elijah, Jeremiah, and other prophets; but I am also aware, that it was only done in order to evade the irresistible Christian arguments on that point; and I cannot help saying, that they have wilfully shut their eyes against the Truth, for every one who at all reads the pages of Eternal Truth, must see a great difference between Moses and the above-mentioned prophets. Nor, indeed, did our nation ever suppose that this prophecy referred to the above mentioned prophets, till of late.

Moses was a lawgiver, as we read, "And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel." (Deut. 4. 44.) Again, "Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." (Deut. 33. 4.) Joshua never gave any law; he was obliged to conform to the law of Moses. Moses was appointed leader of the children of Israel, by the mouth of the God of Israel Himself, whilst Joshua was appointed by Moses, according as the Lord commanded him. Moses delivered his brethren from the Egyptian bondage; Joshua never did any such thing. Moses received the law on Mount Sinai from the very hands of God; Joshua received it from the hands of Moses, a fellow mortal like himself. Moses was persecuted by his brethren; Joshua was honoured and revered. Moses attested his mission by miracles; we do not read of any one miracle performed by Joshua. I could multiply contrasts of this kind, but the above will suffice to show the great difference between them.

But besides all these, the voice of God testifies that Joshua was not the Prophet like unto Moses; for that Prophet was to rise at some future period, for it is on record, "I will raise them up a Prophet;" but Joshua was already risen. It appears the Holy Ghost made provision against such an erroneous interpretation, for we

read, Deut. 34. 10, " And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face," though in the preceding verse we are told, "And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the Spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him, and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses." There can be no greater evidence that Joshua was not the Prophet like unto Moses.

Nor can it be said of Jeremiah, as some would have it. For if we for a moment consider the great contrast between Moses and Joshua, we shall find a far greater contrast between Moses and Jeremiah; but we read of nothing peculiar in the case of Jeremiah, except that he saw the children of Israel go into captivity, whilst Moses brought them out of captivity.

It is altogether out of the question to suppose that Elijah was the Prophet like unto Moses (for which even some Christian writers contend); for Elijah, instead of making intercession for Israel, (which is the office of a mediator, and as Moses continually did,) made intercession against Israel, saying, "I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." (1 Kings 19. 10.)

Had Jeremiah and Elijah even all the above characteristics which Moses possessed, we could not properly say that either of them was the Prophet like unto Moses; for he acted in the capacity of king, priest, and prophet to all Israel; but each of the above-mentioned prophets belonged only to a part of Israel; viz. Jeremiah to Judah, and Elijah to Ephraim. Some of our Rabbies, seeing the difficulties they had to grapple with, try to make us believe that all the prophets are meant. This shows that they are reduced to the last extremity; for it is written, "a prophet," and not prophets; and besides our nation at

large, to this very day, magnify Moses above all prophets, and style him "Prince of all the Prophets." Every morning does our nation repeat in

רבן של כל הנביאים

שפע נבואתו נתנו אל אנשי סגלתו : the service the following ותפארתו לא קם בישראל כמשה עוד נביא ומביט את

which Isaac Levi translates, "The inspiration of His prophecy He gave unto His peculiar and glorified people. Yet never hath there arisen in Israel a prophet like unto Moses, who beheld the similitude of His glory." So that if we look to any of the prophets mentioned in the Old Testament, we must come to the conclusion, "And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses."

As soon as our attention is directed to the New Testament, and our views are reflected from the mirror of revelation only, we must join the men of Israel of old, who exclaimed, when they had seen the miracles Jesus did, "This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world." (John 6. 14.) For in the New Testament we find the prediction of Moses explained by the Holy Ghost by the mouth of Peter, when he preached to our nation in the temple at Jerusalem, and addressed them thus; "Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heaven must receive until the restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you, of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall ye hear in all things, whatever He shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul which will not hear that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people." (Acts 3. 19-23.)

Though the above sermon was preached in the temple,

where many learned expounders of the law must have been present, we read of no contradiction. So irresistible were Peter's arguments that the priest, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees laid hands upon them [i.e. Peter and John] and put them in hold unto the next day. A strange way of opposing the Truth. Yet it is a system common to all, who love darkness rather than light; but thank God, truth will prevail; for we read, "Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of men was about five thousand." (Acts 4. 4.)

But, dear Jewish brethren, were there even no such plain and unequivocal explanation, as that given by St. Peter, to guide us, if we only contemplate the affecting state (past and present) of our nation, since the appearance of Jesus of Nazareth, we might well be induced to conclude, that He was the Prophet like unto Moses; for no sooner did they reject the Lord of Glory, even Jesus of Nazareth, than the mandate issued in case of disobedience, “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which He shall speak in my name, I will require it of him," had its fulfilment in the amplest magnitude of signification. Wrath came upon our nation to the uttermost; heaven from above, earth from around, and hell from beneath, were moved against them; armies enclosed them, prodigies affrighted them, pestilence devoured them, famine consumed them, and seditions rent them in pieces; our magnificent city was transformed first into the slaughter-house and then into the sepulchre of our forefathers; indescribable were the sufferings, unprecedented the carnage, and unimaginable the horrors of the scene; eleven hundred thousand victims fell by the sword, the plague, or the famine; Jerusalem was turned into heaps, and our glorious temple had not one stone left upon another, and Judea itself became a frightful wilderness. How sincerely ought our nation to make the following alphabetical con