And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will caufe the evil beafts to ceafe out of the land; and they fhall dwell fafely in the wilderness, and fleep in the woods." There has never yet been fuch a time in Canaan, therefore it is yet to come.

This prophet fays, that when the feed of Abraham return to their land, instead of being two nations as they have been for many hundreds of years by the name of Judah, and Ifrael, they fhall no more be two, but one nation, and instead of having two kings, as it was when the tribes revolted, in the days of Jeroboim, or none as they are now, they fshall have one king over them when they are fettled upon the fruitful mountains of Ifrael.

See Ezekiel xxxvii. 2-1, 22, 23, "And fay unto them thus faith the LORD GOD, behold, I will take the children of Ifrael from among the heathen, whether they be gone, and will gather them on every fide, and bring them into their own land; and will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Ifrael, and one king fhall be king over them all; and they fhall be no more two nations, neither fhall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all; neither fhall they defile themfelves any more with their idols, nor with their deteftable things, nor with any of their tranfgreffions; but I will fave them out of all their dwelling places, wherein they have finned, and will cleanse them, fo fhall they be my people, and I will be their God."

There is one thing very remarkable in almost every prophecy concerning the return of the Jews; and that is, that God fays, "they fhall be my people, and I will be their God." This is the contents of the new covenant. In Ezekiel xxxix. 27, 28, it is faid that when the LORD begins to bring them into their land he will do it completely fo that there fhall not one be left behind; when they came out of Babylon in the days of Nehemiah, only a part returned, but when they return again all will return without exception."Then fhall they know thatI am the LORD their God, which caused them to be lead into captivity among the heathen; but I have gathered them

into their own land, and have left none of them any more there."

I here give one quotation from Hofea upon this fubject. Hofea iii.4, 5, "For the children of Ifrael fhall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a facrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without a teraphim: afterward fhall the children of Ifrael return, and feek the LORD their GCD, and David their king; and fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days." When this prophecy was delivered, the children of Ifrael had a king, a facrifice, an ephod and a teraphim, but from the time they faid we have no king but Cezar, they have remained without either of thefe to this day, and the daily facrifice has ceafed. This fame prophet who faid they fhould be without thefe things [and we fee the truth of this part] has faid that afterwards they fhall have a king in the latter days, and without doubt the time is near when this laft part will be as exactly fulfilled as the former part is now in the fight of all the world.

The prophet Amos has delivered a prophecy concerning the return of the Jews, which has never been fulfilled, fee Amos ix. 14, 15, "And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Ifrael, and they fhall build the wafte cities, and inhabit them, and they fhall plant vine. yards, and drink the wine thereof; they fhall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they fhall no more be pulled up out of their land, which I have given them, faith the LORDthy GOD." This prophecy agrees with the others concerning the fruitful land; he fays that when this takes place they fhall be no more pulled up out of their land; but they are now out of their land and cannot enter in; but it will not be fo always.

Obadiah has left his teftimony concerning the return of the Jews, Obadiah. verfe 17, 19, 20, 21, "But upon mount Zion fhall be deliverance, and there fhall be holinefs; and the houfe of Jacob fhall poffefs their poffeffions, and they of the fouth fhall poffefs the mount of Efau; and they of the plain the Philistines; and they fhall pof

fefs the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria, and Benjamin fhall poffefs Gilead. And the captivity of this hoft of the children of Ifrael fhall poffefs that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath; and the captivity of Jerufalem, which is in Sepharad, fhall poffefs the cities of the fouth. And faviours shall come up on mount Zion to Judge the mount of Efau; and the kingdom fhall be the LORD'S."

This prophet is fo particular as to name the places where the feed of Ifrael fhall poffefs, when they return to their own land. They fhall, (he fays) poffefs the mount of Efau, the land of the Philistines, the fields of Ephraim, the fields of Samaria, Gilead, the Canaanites unto Zarephath, and the cities of the South. This has never been; but will be when they return to their own land.

What Zephaniah has faid upon this fubject, agrees with the teftimony of the other prophets; Zephaniah, iii. 19, 20, "Behold, at that time, I will undo all that afflict thee; and I will fave her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to fhame. At that time will bring you again, even in the time that I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, faith the LORD."

I fhall add but one teftimony more to the many; this is Zachariah, who fpeaks of the refettling of the land of Canaan in a moft wonderful manner.

Zachariah xiv. 9, 10, 11, "And the LORD fhall be king over all the earth; in that day fhall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land fhall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon fouth of Jerufalem; and it fhall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamins's gate unto the place of the firft gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of HANANEEL unto the king's wine preffes; and men fhall dwell in it, and there thall be no more utter deftruction; but Jerufalem hall be fafely inhabited."

There is one thing worthy of notice in all thefe prophecies which differs from what was faid in the other covenant made with the Ifraelites at Sinai, that is, the first covenant always faid, if ye keep my laws it shall be with you in the land ye go to poffefs; if not the enemies fhall come in upon you, ye fhall be carried away cap. tive, &c. but in all thefe prophecies concerning the return of the Jews, there is no fuch thing mentioned. "They fhall return, they shall be my people, I will be their God, they Shall know me, I will give them a new beart. They fhall dwell in the land forever, there shall be no more utter deftruction, they shall no more be driven out among the heathen; but Shall poffefs this land forever. These things fhew the glory of that covenant, which promifeth a return of the Jews to their land to poffefs it forever.

These are but a few of the many places in the writings of the prophets which speak of the return of the Jews to their land. Whoever reads them, and compares what is written with the promises of God to Abraham, and his feed, and views the present ftate of the Jews, must be convinced that these prophecies are not to be explained away, by applying them to believing Gentiles; but that they will have a literal accomplishment in the return of that difperfed people to the land of Canaan, which is now in poffeffion of the Turks, who are Gentiles, who poffefs it according to Chrift's prophecy; in Luke xxi. 23, 24, "For there fhall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people; and they fhall fall by the edge of the fword, and fhall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerufalem fhall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." All this is true in our day. The Jews are among all nations, and Jerufalem to this day is trodden down of the Gentiles.

It may be proper to give a fhort account of the prefent fituation of the land of Canaan, of Jerufalem, and the Jews, with the manner in which they will return, this I fhall notice in the next Sermon.

While I look over these prophecies, fee their agreement, and know from the prefent ftate of the Jews, that

they will ere long return to their own land, and there be a great bleffing to the world, my foul leaps for joy, I am filled with wonder, joy and love, and fay, "Rejoice O ye nations, with his people; for he will avenge the blood of his fervants, and will render vengeance to his adverfaries, and will be merciful to his land and to his people!" There is none like the God of Jefhuran, who rideth upon the heavens in thy help, and in his excellency on the fkies." "Let the whole earth be filled with his praife." Amen and Amen.

!