ly the converfion of the Jews in the latter days

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is fo denominated. ઃઃ Thy Maker is thine huf"band. The Lord hath called thee, as a wo"man forfaken and grieved in spirit, and a "wife of youth, when thou waft refused, faith thy God," Ifa, liv. 5, 6. "As the bride૬૬ groom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy "God rejoice over thee," Ifa. lxii. 5. As these expreffions refer to the future restoration of the Jews to the Divine favour, it is reasonable to suppose, that when the apoftle uses the fame expreffions, he has the fame times and perfons in view. Indeed they are not applicable, with any propriety, to the Gentiles, on account of the time of this marriage. The Gentile church was married to Chrift for two thoufand years before. It cannot therefore be faid of her, that her marriage is come at the fixth vial; that it is" then fhe made herself ready; but it is perfectly applicable to the Jews; for "blindness is "happened to Ifrael, until the fulness of the "Gentiles is brought in, and then all Ifrael "fhall be faved," Rom. xi. 25, 26.

What is faid, Rev. xix. 8. "And to her it "was granted that she should be arrayed in fine

linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is "the righteousness of faints," manifeftly alludes to the words of the parable, Matth. xxii. 11.13. The primary defign of the parable is to represent

present the rejection of the Jewish nation, and the cause of it. They are caft out from the marriage-feast, because they had not the wedding-garment. The Apoftle John gives the counter part of the parable. He intimates that they are received again, by introducing them as parties in the marriage, arrayed with the wedding-garment. By the wedding-garment, we are to understand the righteousness of Christ. Their wanting the wedding-garment, fignifies their infidelity, refufing to fubmit to his righteoufnefs; for when the Apostle Paul fhews the reason for which Ifrael was rejected, in plain terms, without a parable, he ftates it thus: "But Ifrael hath not attained to the law of

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righteousness. Wherefore? Because they "fought it, not by faith, but as it were by the "works of the law.-For they, being ignorant "of God's righteoufnefs, and going about to "establish their own righteousness, have not "fubmitted themselves unto the righteousness " of God. For Chrift is the end of the law for " righteousness to every one that believeth." Rom. ix. 31, 32. and chap. x. 3, 4. In like manner, the Apoftle John explains what we are to understand by their having the weddinggarment," the fine linen is the righteoufnefs of "faints," that is, a fubmiflion by faith to him whofe name is "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS

"NESS,"

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NESS," Jer. xxiii. 6. I cannot doubt, therefore, that the Apoftle John understands by the wife married to the Lamb, the converfion of the Jewish nation.

Now,

Thirdly, The kings of the caft are they who execute the wrath of God on the beaft and his adherents, at the feventh vial. This is obvious from the whole ftrain of the narration. by the uniform teftimony of the prophets, the Jews returning to their own land, under the aufpices of the Meffiah, are the inftruments of divine vengeance on fpiritual Babylon; at least they who give it the laft and decifive blow. Hence it follows, that by the kings of the east the Jews must be intended; and in regard they cannot be partakers of the divine favour, nor inftruments of divine vengeance, while their infidelity remains, we may infer, that the fixth vial, which prepares their way, intimates their converfion.

The time of their converfion I fuppofe to be intended by Daniel, chap. xii. 11. "And from "the time that the daily facrifice shall be taken ઃઃ away, and the abomination that maketh defo"late fet up, there fhall be a thousand two "hundred and ninety days.' He calculates from the beginning of the reign of Antichrift,

of

of whom he speaks in the language of the Old Teftament. Now, as the reign of Antichrift ends in 1260 years, and the Millennium commences in 1335 years, this intermediate number of 1290 years refers to the converfion of the Jews. For, without all controverfy, they are members of the Millennial church, in common with the Gentiles, and therefore must be converted before the 1335. Again, there is no event which we can fuppofe more interesting to a perfon of Daniel's difpofition, than the reftoration of his brethren to the favour of God. Besides, no event takes place betwixt the clofe of Antichrift's reign and the commencement of the Millennium, fo important as the converfion of the Jews. It is therefore moft probably the event intended. If fo, it takes place thirty prophetic years after the fall of the Pope's temporal fovereignty; and as the temporal fovereignty falls in the year 1998, their converfion fhall happen in the year 20281.

I am the more inclined to this calculation, from the parallel ftated by the Apostle, betwixt the conduct of God to the Jews, and his treatment of the Gentiles. "For as ye (the Gen

(1) The difference betwixt the civil and the prophetic year, is fo fmall in the course of thirty years, that it is * not material to reckon it, for it does not amount to one

whole year.

"tiles) in times paft have not believed God,

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yet have now obtained mercy through their "unbelief. Even fo have these (the Jews) "now not believed, that through your mercy, "they also might obtain mercy. For God hath "concluded all (that is Jews and Gentiles) in "unbelief, that he might have mercy upon "all," Rom. xi. 30.-32. To make the parallel exact, it is meet that the Jews fhould remain in unbelief, as long as the Gentiles did. The Gentiles remained excluded from the ordinances of the true religion for 2000 years, from the call of Abraham to the coming of Chrift The Jews muft remain in unbelief for the fame period.

The prophet Hofea appears to me to have the converfion of Judah and Ifrael in view. · Af"ter two days will he revive us; the third day " he will raise us up, and we shall live in his fight," (chap. vi. 2.). Conversion is frequently represented in fcripture by a refurrection. The converfion of Ifrael, in particular, is defcribed by this figure, Ezek. xxxvii. A day in prophetic language has various acceptations. It is put fometimes for a natural day, fometimes for a year; and at other times it fignifies a thoufand years, according to that of the Apostle Pe"One day is with the Lord as a thou"fand years, and a thousand years as one day,"

ter.

(2 Pet.