Another reason for expecting the conversion of the Jews, is founded on the connection it feems to have with their worldly intereft. It is intereft that rules the world, and there is no greater probability that a man will act fuch a part, than if it appears clearly to be for his worldly advantage. What effect the converfion of the Jews would have on their worldly state and circumstances, without the aid of divine revelalation, we could not pofitively fay; but fo far as we can judge, it would be much every way for their advantage. It would not only free them from the fcorn and perfecution they have fo long fuftained on account of their religion, and procure them the esteem of all good men, but also intitle them to the rights and privileges of citizens in all parts of the Christian world. This is an advantage which they have on many occafions shown great anxiety to obtain, and which it is to be hoped may one day be a means of perfuading them to embrace Chriftianity: not that I imagine the Jews will ever change their religion for the fake of worldly gain, much lefs do I mean that they ought to do it from fuch a motive; yet certainly the confideration, that it is for their worldly intereft to embrace the Gospel, added to the other grounds we have to expect their converfion, increases the probability thereof. But it will be objected, that the prefent ftate of the Jews is not without its advantages. They are generally rich, and feemingly as happy as other people; and therefore the confideration of the temporal advantages that are likely to attend a change in their reli. gion, must have but little weight with them. But it is enough to my purpose, to fhow that the Jews do

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not like their fituation; for he that thinks himself unhappy in his present fituation, is every whit as defirous of a change as he that really is fo. And that the Jews have always looked upon themselves as unhappy in their present state, is evident from the many attempts they have made to change it; I mean not only their attempts to recover their old inheritance, but likewife their endeavours to obtain the privileges of citizens in other countries. And the numberlefs disappointments they have met with, fhew that it is in vain for them to expect a redrefs of their grievances, till, by their repentance and acknowledgment of the truth, they have made their peace with Christ. Behold your "houfe is left unto you defolate; for verily I fay "unto you, ye fhall not fee me henceforth till ye "fhall fay, Bleffed is he that cometh in the name of "the Lord:" That is, ye fhall not enjoy my counte. nance and favour till you acknowledge your errors, and join with the Christian church in saying, "Blefs"ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord :" That is, looking and longing for my second appearance; or, taking the words literally, "Ye fhall not fee me," &c. may fignify, from this time ye fhall fee me no more, till after your converfion and acknowledgment of the truth, when ye fhall long to fee me, and join with my people in praying for my fecond coming. Thefe words of our Saviour, taking them in the li teral fenfe, do not imply that his fecond coming was to be either immediately or foon after the converfion of the Jews, but only that it was not to be till then, They seem to me rather to imply the contrary, viz.

that

that there would be fome confiderable time betwixt these two events; that feeing they had defpifed and rejected him, they fhould not fee him again till they were made to long and pray for his appearance. But whatever is of this, they certainly imply, that the. Jews are to be converted fome time or other before the coming of our Saviour; for he fays exprefsly, that he will not come, or, which is the fame thing, that they fhall not fee him again till they acknowledge him as their Saviour, and join with the church in praying for his coming. And therefore, as certainly as it is decreed of God that he fhall once more appear in our world; fo certain is it that the Jews fhall one day make the profeffion of the Chriftian religion: or, taking the words literally, "Ye fhall not fee me "henceforth;" that is, from this time forth ye fhall fee me no more till my coming to judgment, when, having been previously converted, ye fhall join with my people in faying, "Bleffed is he that cometh in "the name of the Lord."

I fhall conclude this head with the words of our Apostle, verfe 24th of this chapter: For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree, which is wild by nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree, how much more fhall these which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? That is, in plain language, the converfion of the Jews is apparently a thing much eafier to be effected, and more likely to happen, than that of the Gentiles feemed to be before the publication of the Gofpel; and that for the following reafons: The religion of the Gentiles was totally different from the Chriftian, both as

to

to the object and manner of their worship; whereas the religion of the Jews has a very near affinity with it. Both Jews and Christians agree in having an abhorance of idolatry and image-worfhip; both believe in one God, the creator of all things, in his providence, in a judgment to come, the refurrection of the dead, and many other articles of religion; and therefore one would think it were easier to reconcile the Jews to those other points wherein they and Christians differ, than it was to perfuade the Gentiles to embrace a religion that was totally different from their own. The Gentiles were aliens to the commonwealth of Ifrael, and strangers to the covenant of promise. They knew little or nothing of the Meffiah or his kingdom, of the promises made to the fathers, or of the predictions of the prophets; in a word, every thing relating to the Meffiah was a mystery to them, contrary to their former notions, and the religious tenets handed down to them by their ancestors. This is not the cafe with the modern Jews. They are many of them well verfed in the Scriptures, and nothing but a fair impartial examination of them feems neceffary to their converfion. We may add to this, that as the apoftles and firft preachers of the Gofpel were of the Jewish nation, nay, Christ himself, the bleffed author of our religion, was according to the flesh of the feed of Judah, one would imagine that the ties of blood, added to other motives, must one day help to draw them to the acknowledgment of the truth as it is in Chrift Jefus,

I now proceed to the practical improvement of what has been faid,

I

I doubt not but fome of you have been faying in your hearts, to what purpose is this long difcourfe con cerning the Jews, we doubt not of their converfion, or of the truth of any thing that has been faid; but what is that to us. In answer to this, it were perhaps fufficient to say, that the Scriptures are full of this doctrine, and therefore it is certainly worth our while to bestow a little serious confideration upon it. To deny this, were to arraign the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who has been pleased to reveal fo much to us concerning it, and indeed the use of it is obvious.

In the first place, this doctrine may ferve to ftrengthen and confirm our faith, Faith in the best is often weak, and needs to be ftrengthened; and I know not any means more likely to do it than a serious confideration of the argument I am now upon.

The preservation of the Jews, through a series of fo many ages, notwithstanding the many calamities and perfecutions they have fuftained, is a ftanding miracle and teftimony to the truth of our religion.

To this very day we behold the people of whom fo many wonderful things are recorded in Scripture, though it is now above feventeen hundred years fince their dispersion, and they have undergone more and greater changes than any other people in the world ever did. Had it not been for this, fome of our mo dern infidels would have denied that ever there was fuch a people. Is it not something extraordinary, and like a miracle, that, amidst all the changes and revo lutions that have happened in the world, the irruption of the barbarous nations, the rife and fall of empires, the many perfecutions they themselves have fuftain

ed,