) ticular providence of God; for not one of the sheep of his pasture shall be entirely fevered from the flock; so as to be incorporated with any other people; but shall furely return again to the nation; either he himfelf, or his pofterity. And of these Mofes * faid, "And the LORD shall scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the nations, whither the LORD shall lead you. And there ye shall serve gods, the work of mens hands, wood and stone, which neither fee, nor hear, nor eat, nor fmell. And thou shalt seek the LORD thy God from thence, and thou shalt find (him,) if thou seek him with all thy heart, and with all thy foul." The Prophet here shews that, they will be greatly diminished in this long and dreadful captivity, on account of the wickedness of the nations, who will fo cruelly perfecute and destroy them. They will also be greatly diminished, by reafon of the great number, that will apostatize on account of these dreadful perfecutions, so as to serve gods made of wood and ftone; not through any faith that they have in them, * Deut. iv. 27. &c. 1 be because they well know that they are nothing but wood and stone; but only through the fear of death and perfecution. This, it is well known, hath been exactly fulfilled during this woful captivity, when the Jews in Spain, Portugal, and other countries, were obliged to comply with the idolatrous worship of the Church of Rome, &c. and to bow down to stocks and stones, rather than have their effects seized and confiscated, or their persons murdered by the inquifition. To these therefore, Moses says, And thou shalt seek him from thence; from the midst of that false worship; and when thou shalt not keep his precepts out of fear, but shalt seek him in truth and fincerity, " with all thy heart, and with all thy foul." And thus also said the Prophet Ifaiah *, "I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I (am) with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm thee: when thou walkest through the fire," &c. By which figurative language, the Prophet pointed to what hath befallen the nation in Spain, Portugal, and other VOL. II. * Ifai. xliii. 1. &c. Ii د parts, parts, during this long and dreadful captivity: viz, that on account of the numerous fearful perfecutions and massacres which they underwent, numbers who were not poffefsed of fufficient courage and fortitude to hold out against these afflictions, apoftatized; (as I have shewn Vol. Ift. page 30.-32.-263.) yet should they not been entirely seperated from Ifrael; but shall most assuredly be united again to the nation; as God says, " I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine." That is, I originally called thee by thy name, and made choice of thee, to be my peculiar chofen people, it therefore, is not in thy power, by any means whatsoever, to incorporate thyself with any other nation, or religion, without my confent; for thou art mine, and mine thou must, and shalt remain. (See Vol. Ift. p. 264.) Whence it is manifest, that although they should apostatize, &c. yet should they still be confidered as belonging to the nation; and confequently, shall all be gathered with the nation, at the time of the future restoration: and which agrees with the ninth principle contained in the prophecies of Ifaiah. Second, that our redeemer, is the LORD of hofts hosts; and he himself will gather the difpersed of Ifrael: as is said, "And I will bring you forth from the people*, and will gather you from the countries:" and which agrees with the third principle of Ifaiah. Third, that at the future redemption, in their return to Palestine, during their journey thither, all the rebels and tranfgreffors, that continue in their wickedness, and do not return to God, will all be cut off: and which agrees with the fixth principle of Ifaiah. Fourth, that the future redemption, will resemble that of Egypt: as is faid, "Like as I pleaded with your fathers in the defert of the land of Egypt; so will I plead with you:" and which agrees with the fifth principle of Ifaiah. Now, it is manifest, that none of these principles, have ever been accomplished: not at their return from Babylon: nor yet during the life and ministry of Jesus. And it is demonftrable, that they cannot in any sense whatsoever be applied to the spiritualizing scheme of the Christians. Whence it • Heb. Peoples. is manifest, that they remain to be fulfilled at the future restoration of the nation, in the latter days, at the coming of the true Meffiah. The third prophecy commences verse 11th. of chapter xxxivth, and is continued to the end of verse 15th. of chapter xxxvith. The purport of this prophecy, is as follows. The Prophet having mentioned above, chap. xxxiii. 21. "And it came to pass in the twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth (month,) on the fifth (day) of the month, (that) one who had escaped out of Jerufalem came unto me, saying, the city is smitten." He then received a vision*, con cerning the tranfgreffors of Ifrael, who had been the cause of the destruction of Jerusalem: and also, concerning the kings of Judah, who had caused the captivity of Ifrael; as in Chap. xxxiv. ver. 1. "The word of the LORD came also unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Ifrael, prophesy, and say unto them, (even) to the shepherds, Thus faith the LORD God: Woe • Chap. xxxiii. 23. (un |