that these kingdoms were to be subjected to the Jews, at the coming of their Messiah, their writers refer to Obadiah, verse 17th, and the house of Jacob shall possess possessions. But their Rabbies have altogether mistaken the application of these words of the prophet; for, from the first to the end of the 16th verse, is contained a prophecy against Edom, and the 15th and 16th verses positively say, that the heathen, and not Jacob, were to take possession of Edom. For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen, as thou hast done, so shall it be done unto thee, thy reward shall be upon thine own head. For as ye ́ ́ have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually. The prophet, after he has declared that the heathen should take possession of Edom, says, but upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness. If this is not a prophecy concerning Christ, it can neither have meaning, nor application, for it certainly cannot have respect either to the Jews or to their Messiah. Surely the Jews will not be hardy enough to declare, that, holiness, which is only applicable to God, who alone is holy, can in any sense be applied to them, or to any people: but it is literally applicable to Christ, who was tempted in all points like unto us, and yet without sin. So that, instead of the prophet prophesying that the Jews should

take possession of the land of Edom, at the coming of their Messiah, it is a prophecy concerning the coming of Christ, in whom holiness was only to be perfected. For the government of Edom is evidently said by the prophet to be in existence at the fulfilment of this prophecy, verse 16th, as thou hast done, so shall it be done unto thee,' which words would have been unnecessary, without meaning and application, if the government and people of Edom were extinct, when the Messiah came. The ancient government and people of Edom must therefore have been in existence at the fulfilment of the prophecy but where is the government of Edom now? where are the people of Edom now? This incontestably proves that it does not refer to the Messiah who, the Jews say, is to come, because the ancient government and people of Edom are no more, Edom is, as it has been for 1800 years, in the possession of the heathen, bands of strangers, while the Edomites are sunk in eternal oblivion. But all this was accomplished at the coming of Christ the true Messiah, when the heathen, agreeably to the words of the prophet, took possession of Idumea; when, every one of the mount of Esau were cut off by slaughter ver. 9. and, all the heathen have drunk continually upon the holy mountain, to the present day.

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The next in order are the prophecies of Moses. The Jews have selected two, which treat on "the restoration of the nation, and the destruction of their enemies." But they have introduced one of the most extravagant notions that ever entered into the mind of man.

We are told of two descriptions of people among the Jews; one, known to be such; the other, who are secretly mixed with the people of other nations called, "the compelled ones." These, "as soon as they can escape from the popish countries, return to Judaism ;" and to these they say, "Moses addresses himself in the 30th ch. of Deuteronomy, verse 1st. And it shall come to pass when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee.'" But I ask any one who may be weak enough to entertain such an opinion, why cannot these "compelled ones," as they are pleased to call them, in any popish country, return to Judaism? they have had the privilege of doing so, and of being protected in that worship in all popish countries. Therefore as there is no ground for such an opinion, to apply the words of the inspired penman to confirm such a fallacy, is no better than profanation.

"Nothing," (they say,) "of this nature took place at the coming of Jesus;"-true, but Moses does not say that they shall return to Judaism. That the Jews will be called, we believe, and that they will finally hear the prophet, whom God was to raise up from among them, we believe also; but Moses has no-where said that this prophet should be raised up to conduct them to Jerusalem, and to instruct them in the rites and ceremonies of the dispensation, which was given by him, and which has been understood by Jews in all ages since the dispersion. Had this been the meaning of the sacred writer, that they were to be called to Jerusalem, and that all the ceremonies and sacrifices of the Mosaic dispensation were to be celebrated as described in the books of Moses, there would not have been any necessity for those words of the Lord to him, ch. 18. 18, 19. 'I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him; because those words clearly and incontrovertibly apply to a new dispensation, viz. and I will put my words in his mouth, not the OLD WORDS, or LAW-and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him, not the old law and ceremonies given to Moses. Neither would there be any necessity for them to hear

ken to the word of a new prophet according to the 19th verse, if this prophet had only to communicate to them what they were already well acquainted with, viz. the rites, ceremonies, and sacrifices, even the whole body of old Judaism. On the other hand, we have an account of thousands of Jews being converted to Christianity at this important period; which is a sufficient proof that those ancient Jews were sensible how ineffectual the Jewish sacrifices were as to the renewing of the heart. The modern Jews are also sensible of this, as they say, that " they are to be converted, the heart circumcised, and brought to the same state of innocency as Adam was in before the fall," and all this is to be done by "miracles, signs, and wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood, fire, and pillars of smoke." What perversion of the Scripture is this! If external signs, and wonderful operations were calculated to carry rational conviction to the mind, in order to bring about the circumcision of the heart, it might have been expected with the greatest confidence when the law was given at Sinai,-when the whole nation saw the AWFUL DESCENT OF THE DIVINE MA

JESTY WHEN THE MOUNTAIN SHOOK AT THE APPROACH OF THE HALLOWED INFLU

ENCE when the people solicited Moses that he would speak to them instead of God, lest they