exchange that God has assured us will repay with full interest. Prov. xix. 17. Matt. xxv. 27.

By the last command of your final Judge, who has told us to begin with preaching his gospel to the Jews; by all the benefits which we have received already, and which God has promised that we shall receive through this nation; by all the injuries which our forefathers have done to them; by all the wrath which God has declared shall descend on those who have afflicted them; by all the blessings which he has promised to those who bless them; by every humane, benevolent, and Christian feeling towards them, and through them towards the whole human race, and by the most animating motive of all, love to your divine Saviour, who gave himself for you, I entreat you, I exhort you, take a lively interest in the conversion of Israel, and largely and joyfully support the Society now brought before you.

And may He who is the King of the Jews (Matt. ii. 2), as well as the Head (Eph. v. 23) of the church universal; the glory of his people Israel (Luke ii. 32), as well as the God of the whole earth (Isaiah liv. 5), be present with you. May that divine Saviour manifest his presence by filling your hearts with deep feelings of the riches of his grace, and the freeness and fulness of his salvation! May He himself who died for us, inspire our souls with holy zeal, to give up ourselves unreservedly to HIM in all that work to which he in this day calls his people!

DISCOURSE VI.

THE KINGDOM TO BE RESTORED TO ISRAEL.

[PREACHED IN THE EPISCOPAL BETHEL CHURCH, KINGSTOWN, ON FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 12, 1840.]

ACTS I. 6.

When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel.

THE situation of the Jews is not a matter of slight or temporary interest to Christians. It is one of growing and vital importance to the church of Christ. Even in the eyes of all the world, their state is very peculiar.

Century after century, for 1800 years, amidst all the shock of ages and the revolutions of empires, scattered and dispersed through the regions of the earth, reproached, insulted, trodden upon, and spoiled in every land, we see them still preserved in their distinctness-a peculiar race among all nations, of untold riches, number and extent. It cannot be for nothing that they are thus preserved. Their poli

tical importance is manifestly growing; their future state might thus even interest men of the world.

But all this is of little importance to the Christian compared with its being the most striking fulfilment of the past word of prophecy, and its furnishing well grounded expectation of events affecting the whole human race, on their restoration. This it is that makes their lengthened, extended, and visible dispersion over the earth a lesson to the world, every where teaching mankind the veracity of God's word by what is past, and leading his people to the most cheering and glorious hope of what is to come-a lesson which, independent of the welfare of any religious society, it is most profitable for us all to attend to and fully learn. It is true, that in so large a subject, consisting of so many particulars of yet unfulfilled prophecy, Christians who study the scriptures for themselves, will come in some points to different conclusions. It is so in every science-it is so in every other part of knowledge, human or divine; nor will this be without great advantage, if it lead us all to more diligent study of the word, more humbling views of our own remaining ignorance, more diffidence of ourselves, and, may I not add, increased love to those who differ from us, where they really love Christ. Were it only for calling our attention to these things, we are greatly indebted to God for the formation of the Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews. But it has an important bearing on that work on which hangs the happiness of the human race-if the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more their fulness,—then, how blessed a work, to promote that fulness.

The passage which I have taken will lead us, I trust, to a realizing view of these things.

I. The circumstances in which the question was put. II. The intermediate kingdom at present established. III. The nature of the kingdom to be restored to Israel.

I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THE QUESTION WAS PUT TO OUR LORD.

I need not tell you that the Jews were now subject to the Romans; that a Roman garrison was stationed in Jerusalem; that a Roman governor presided over Judea and the kingdom which, in the language of Artaxerxes, once had mighty kings, which ruled over all countries beyond the river, was now tributary to Cæsar, the Roman emperor, and the Jews had no longer the power of life and death among themselves. They had manifestly, therefore, lost that kingdom which they once possessed.

But many prophecies of the Old Testament led the Jews confidently to expect that under the Messiah a glorious kingdom should be restored: of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom. This was also distinctly announced to his mother before his conception, Thou shalt bring forth a Son, and shalt call his name Jesus, he shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest ; this has been literally fulfilled, and we may justly, therefore, interpret that which follows literally and expect it to be literally fulfilled, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his Father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Again and again he had preached the kingdom of God; he had taught them most expressly to pray,

Thy kingdom come; but when they thought that this kingdom, in its power, should immediately and visibly appear, he told them the parable of the nobleman going into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return, and then led them to see, that he must be removed from them, and return again ere it was established in its glory. Indeed the whole of his ministry was full of this kingdom, and after his resurrection also, this striking statement occurs in the verses preceding my text, v. 8th, To the apostles whom he had chosen, he showed himself alive, after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

What were the particulars of which he then spoke? We have no record of it, we know that he had spoken much of this kingdom previously; but of what passed after his resurrection we have no account beyond a general statement of his expounding in all the scriptures the things concerning himself, and promising the Holy Ghost, and commissioning them to preach the gospel.

The silence of the sacred historian is instructive, it seems to say that much of what passed was not needful for the present dispensation; it did not immediately concern the church; it was cheering and encouraging for the apostles, in their peculiarly arduous work, but it affected not the age of the church then commencing.

But doubtless, it was these conversations pertaining to the things of the kingdom of God, which took place during these forty days, that led to the question of my text, Wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel. He must have instructed them for forty