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that they were alfo mistaken in imagining that Messiah was not to be a TRIED STONE; but thus it was written, "The ftone which the builders refufed is "become the head-ftone of the corner. This is the

"Lord's doing, (even JEHOVAH's) and it

is marvelHe was

lous in our eyes." Pf. cxviii. 22, 23. refused by the builders, because he was a "man of forrows, and acquainted with grief;" therefore it was that the builders refused him, and "as it were

hid their faces from him;"-" he was defpifed," and therefore it was that they "efteemed him not." But all this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes; the foundation ftone was then in the process of TRIAL; he was wounded for Ifrael's tranfgreffions; he was bruifed for the iniquities of Ifrael; the chaftifement of Ifrael's peace was upon him, and by his ftripes Ifrael is healed, Ifa. liii. 3, 5. Meffiah is A TRIED STONE, he was CUT OFF, BUT NOT FOR HIMSELF, Dan. ix. 26. His foul was made an offering for fin; he was brought as a lamb to the flaughter; and as a fheep before her fhearers is dumb, fo he opened not his mouth, becaufe it pleafed JEHOVAH to bruife him, and to put him to grief, and to lay upon him the iniquity of us all; for the tranfgreffion of MY PEOPLE, faith JEHOVAH, was he ftricken. Ifa. liii. 6-12. It was all the Lord's doing, how very inconfiftent then is it in Chriftians, who found all their hopes of falvation on this great atonement, to look unfavourably upon the Jewifhnation on this account?

Let

Let me afk my fellow Chriftians a few questions upon this matter; if the ftone had not been rejected of the builders, how could the Scriptures have been fulfilled? If the foundation-ftone had not been thus TRIED, how could he have become a TRIED STONE? Ifa. xxviii. 16. If Meffiah had not thus laid down his life, that he might take it again, John x. 17. how could that Scripture have been fulfilled that faith," JEHOVAH faid unto my Lord, Sit thou

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on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footftool," Pf. cx. 1. The Jewish nation, and the Roman foldiers, may really be confidered as no more than the paffive inftruments in the hand of God; meditate upon these words of our Lord, "Therefore

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doth my Father love me, because I LAY DOWN 66 my life that I might take it again. No MAN TAKETH IT FROM ME, BUT I LAY IT DOWN OF "MYSELF. I have power to lay it down, and I "have power to take it again. This commandment

have I received of my Father." John x. 17, 18. After meditating upon these words, is it POSSIBLE to look unfavourably on the Jewifh nation on this

account?

If this foundation-ftone had not (by being rejected of the builders) become a tried ftone, how could that Scripture have been fulfilled, that faith," They

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pierced my hands and my feet," Pf. xxii. 16. or that prophecy which is recorded in the 12th chapter of Zechariah, in which it is declared that they fhall look upon him whom they have pierced: "It fhall "come to pass in that day, that I will feek to deftroy

❝ all

"all the nations that come against Jerufalem. And "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon "the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the fpirit of grace "and of fupplications: and they fhall look upon me

whom they have pierced, and they fhall mourn "for him, as one mourneth for his only fon, and "fhall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bit"ternefs for his firstborn. In that day fhall there be ❝ a great mourning in Jerufalem, as the mourning ❝of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. And "the land fhall mourn, every family apart; the "family of the house of David apart, and their "wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan "apart, and their wives apart; the family of the " house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the "family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; all the families that remain, every family apart, and "their wives apart," Zech. xii. 9-14.

The above paffage, extracted from the 12th chapter of the Book of Zechariah, the prophet, one would think were of itself fufficient to convince the Miffionary and London Societies of the inutility and impropriety of their proceedings towards the Jews. It is well known that the Miffionary and London Societies are chiefly compofed of those who are in general denominated Calvinifts or Predeftinarians. Predeftination or election, according to the foreknowledge of God, 1 Pet. i. 2. Róm. viii. 29. is undoubtedly a Scripture doctrine, and is acknowledged to be fuch by the church of England; but we leave them to confider whether it be right to repre

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fent the Heathen doctrine of fate as a Scripture doctrine, or to teach, as one of their admired authors doth, that when we behold the clouds of duft raised in a fultry day, that every atom is predeftinated as to its rife, and as to where it is to fall. Surely one should expect that those who are firm believers in the doctrine of Predeftination, according to the foreknowledge of God, would be the last to act in oppofition to the fure word of prophecy; for this is the revelation of that very thing that the Almighty hath DECREED AND PREDESTINATED: I would therefore fubmit to their confideration a few things that appear to me to be indifputably established in the words I have transcribed; and,

1ft. I conceive it to be indifputable that thofe who are represented as looking upon him whom they had pierced, and mourning on account thereof, are not ALL the defcendants of Abraham, İfaac, and Jacob, then living upon earth, but only a PART of the Jewish nation.

2dly. From hence we are enabled to ascertain the time in which this act was done, which becomes the fubject of their forrow: for Ephraim, and the tribes of Ifrael his fellows, are not defcribed or in any manner referred to as joining in this lamentation.

3dly. It follows then, that this act, which is the fubject of their forrow, was done AFTER the separation of the ten tribes, which happened in the days of Rehoboam.

4thly. Surely, if the circumftance had occurred, if the act which is thus mourned over had been done

before

before the captivity in Babylon, we should have had. fome account thereof in the 2d Book of Kings, or the 2d Book of Chronicles; or if it had been done during the captivity in Babylon, we fhould find it noticed in the Books of Ezra or Nehemiah.

5thly. The whole chapter evidently refers to Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerufalem his companions; and as it is declared that it is at Jerufalem that this mourning will take place, it is evidence that those branches of the family of Abraham, who dwelt at Jerufalem at the time this act was done, will AGAIN become the inhabitants of Jerufalem, in order that this prophecy may be fulfilled, Zech. xii.* 6, 8...

6thly. The mourning defcribed, is not a mourning under the apprehenfion of approaching perfonal affliction, it is a mourning as for an only fon, exactly fuch a mourning as might be expected to take place on conviction, that he who loved their nation unto death, had, under mistake, been rejected and pierced by them. 7thly. It appears from this paffage, that the houfe of Judah and his companions, whom we fee daily among us, and acknowledge to be the defcendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, will not only be reftored to Jerufalem, but that their families will again BECOME DISTINCT, as they were when in prosperity in their own land. They now have loft this diftinction; they know that fome of the tribe of Benjamin are among them, . 1 Kings xii. 21. but they know not who is of the tribe of Judah, or who of the

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