time when there shall be one religion among men, and but one. That There will, at time is destined to arrive. The voice of prophecy has last, be but one declared it. "In the last days the mountain of the Lord's religion. house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it." And he who founded this religion said, in the days of his humanity, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." After all the conflicting views of mankind on the subject of religion; after all the diversified forms of error, there shall come a period of blessed unanimity, and of the universal prevalence of the truth. There will be but one religion, and that one the glorious gospel of our salvation.

It is not, however, to be inferred that there may not be different evangelical denominations of Christians; since we are by no means permitted to believe that there will ever be sinless perfection on earth. The existence of these denominations, all "holding the head"-the same great distinguishing principles, and exercising a mutual liberality of feeling in respect to the less important parts of the system, is not inconsistent with unanimity in the sense here understood. In this case, one religion may be said to prevail, and only one, throughout the earth, and among all nations. It will be one in its essential peculiar features, and one in the spirit and in the practices which will characterize the human family. In different sections, in different divisions, supposing that all are not to coalesce in one particular denomination, will the church universal move on in her bright career, each harmonizing essentially with the other, and all conspiring to advance the common object of the believer's high calling in Christ Jesus.

PART I.

HISTORY AND RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES OF THE JEWS.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORY OF THE JEWS.

AN account of the religion of the Jews may, with great propriety, be preceded by a succinct history of that people. A recent interesting historian* has pronounced them, without reference to their religious belief, as "among the most remarkable people in the annals of mankind." Contemplated in connection with their religion, and as a means of underThe history of standing it more fully, their history claims our attention the Jews peculi- more than that of any other nation. It instructs us in a arly instructive. different manner from that of any other, because it brings directly into view the divine dealings with them.

The Jews, in the early periods of their history, are known under the more general name of Hebrews or Israelites, who constituted a community of which the Jews, as they were afterwards denominated, Their name. were only a part. The origin of their name, and the circumstances of their separation from the associated tribes, will appear in the course of our narrative. This distinguished race, commonly called the people of God, was derived from Abraham, lineally descended in the tenth generation from Shem, the eldest son of Noah. His calling of God, which took place 1921 years B. C., is a remarkable event in history, and deserves a brief notice.

Descended from Abraham.

out of Chaldea.

In obedience to the command of God, Abraham, who was a son of Terah, the head of a pastoral family, left Ur in Chaldea, his native country, and dwelt with his father in Haran. Ur was a Abraham called district to the north-east of that region which lies above the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates, and became afterwards the seat of the great Babylonian monarchy. Haran was a city situated in the north-west part of Mesopotamia. The former place, from the signification of the name, was supposed to be particularly infected with idolatry, and hence the reason of the command, connected with the purpose of God to make Abraham the father of a great and peculiar nation. By the same command, after Terah's death, he went into Into Canaan. the land of Canaan, which God promised to his posterity. They were to be included within the boundaries of that country.

* Rev. H. H. Milman.