The Converfion of the Jews gives joy to the Church of Chrift, but ftirs up the Papal Power to colect Forces against them.

LET US now leave the Jews training under the eye of God in the wilderness, and take a view of the effect which their converfion has on the reft of the world.

An event fo remarkable and important fhall be speedily conveyed on the wings of fame, through the world, and perfons fhall be varioufly affected, according to their attachment to the religion of Jefus Christ. On the contrary, the true church in every corner of the world, fhall receive in the tidings, that meffage, "A voice came out of "the throne, faying, Praise our God, all ye his "fervants, and ye that fear him, both small and "great;" Rev. xix. 5. And their hearts, tuned in unifon with their voices, fhall answer the meffage, by finging the hymn of praite, which is thus defcribed:" And I heard as it were the voice of * a great multitude, and as the voice of many "waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, faying, Alleluia: for the Lord God " omnipotent

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omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath "made herself ready. And to her was granted "that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean "and white: for the fine linen is the righteouf"nefs of faints;" Rev. xix. 6.-8.

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This event shall likewise prove the occafion of enlargement to the church, by spreading the gofpel with additional fuccefs among the nations ftill adhering to a falfe religion. In the propheof Ifaiah, we have several animated addreffes to falfe gods, and their worshippers, founded the converfion of the Jewish nation, repreupon senting, no doubt, the arguments that shall be fuccefsfully ufed by the preachers of these times, for spreading the gospel. Thus: " Pro"duce your cause, faith the Lord; bring forth your ftrong reasons, faith the King of Jacob. "Let them bring them forth, and fhew us what "shall happen: let them fhew the former things what they be, that we may confider “them, and know the latter end of them; or Shew the "declare us things for to come. things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods;" Ifa. xli. 21, 22, 23. As if he had faid, "Produce, O idols, the reasons on which ye build your claim to divinity. Prove your claim in the manner

"I have now done, by the completion of pro"phecy. Shew that ye have uttered prophecies "which have been already accomplished, or fhall "hereafter be accomplished; or utter prophe "cies now, with affurance of their completion: "that we may know your claim to be juft."

To the fame purpose, Ifa. xliii. having briefly mentioned the converfion of the Jews, ver. 8. he adds, "Let all the nations be gathered to"gether, and let the people be affembled: who 66 among them can declare this, and fhew us "former things! let them bring forth their "witneffes, that they may be justified: or let "them hear, and fay, It is truth. Ye are my "witneffes faith the Lord, and my fervant "whom I have chofen; that ye may know and "believe me, and understand that I am he: "before me there was no god formed, neither "fhall there be after me. I, even I am the "Lord, and befides me there is no Saviour;" Ifa. xliii. 9, 10, II.

So Ifa. xliv. The converfion of the Jews is represented from the beginning to ver. 6.; then follows an addrefs to the Jews: "Thus faith the "Lord the King of Ifrael, and his Redeemer "the Lord of hofts; I am the firft, and I am "the laft; and befides me there is no god. "And who is like me that he fhould call forth "this event, and make it known before hand,

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" and difpofe it for me, from the time that I "appointed the people of the destined age. "The things that are now coming and are to "come hereafter, let them declare unto us. "Fear ye not, neither be ye afraid: have I not "declared it unto you from the first ? ye have "foreshewn it, and ye are my witneffes. Is "there a God befides me? Yea, there is no fure

protector. I know not any';" ver. 8. After which there is an address to idolaters, containing the most acute and forcible arguments against image worship which are to be found in the whole fcripture'.

But while the church rejoices, and the gospel fpreads, the fame tidings fill the blafphemous king and his adherents, with a horrible confternation and dread, reprefented in the fixth vial, Rev. xvi. 12.-16. The reafons of that confternation, we may easily conceive from the circumftances already detailed. He was Jealous of the Jews, that they would lay claim to the land of his poffeffion, and therefore endeavoured to exterminate them by a virulent perfecution. He now finds that the effect of the perfecution has been to collect them together, fo that they

(1) I have followed Lowth's tranflation, as it renders the fenfe of the paffage more clear.

(2) See likewife chap. xlv, 20.-25. to the clofe,chap. xlvi. 5.-11, 12.

they form a great army; that they are preserved in the wilderness; where he expected they would have perished by famine, (though I presume he will not allow their prefervation to be the confequence of a Divine interpofition); that they are infected with the Proteftant herefy, as he will term it, fo fatal to his empire in Europe. He must confider these concurring circumstances, as menacing the existence of his government and religion. He therefore dispatches his emiffaries to every prince and potentate on earth, from whom he can expect any fupport, in order to make their united and last effort in a religious war. "I faw three unclean fpirits like

frogs, come out of the mouth of the dragon, "and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of "the mouth of the false prophet. For they are "the fpirits of devils, working miracles, which

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go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of "the whole world, to gather them to the battle "of that great day of God Almighty;" Rev. xvi. 13, 14. Here is a triumvirate, united to refift the converted Jews. The dragon, Satan in his proper colours. The beaft, the head of fpiritual Babylon, now refident in Judea. The false prophet, the Popish clergy'. As the dragon

gave

(1) So exacly do the prophecies agree, that we find the fame triumvirate mentioned, by Ifaiah chap. xxvii. 1.