counted foolish by the vain world, to be thus wise for eternity.

And in now going to the table of the Lord, let us remember how his word joins his second coming with the memorial of his death, As oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do shew forth the Lord's death till he come.

DISCOURSE VIII.

THE LAST GREAT TRIBULATION OF THE JEWS, ON THEIR RESTORATION TO THEIR OWN LAND.

[PREACHED At Watton, HERTS, Nov. 8, 1840.]

ZECHARIAH XIII. 8, 9.

And it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die, but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried, and they shall call on my name and I will hear them. I will say, it is my people, and they shall say, the Lord is my God.

THE peculiar situation of Syria and the Holy Land, and the circumstances of the Jewish nation are at the present moment remarkably attracting the attention of the chief kingdoms of Europe. Apart from the word of God, his providence is making their return so probable, even to the politicians of this world only, that I have thought it desirable to direct your attention to the scripture testimony, as to the nature

and character and various events connected with

their return.

It is the view of God's dealings with this nation, in its connection with mercy to the Gentiles, that leads the apostle to exclaim-O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out. It is a subject therefore full of deep instruction and divine knowledge.

The miserable state of the Jews in the long interval between the first and second coming of Christ had been shortly predicted in the 11th chapter. It is there foretold that they should sell their true Shepherd for thirty pieces of silver. And it is farther predicted that they should be delivered over to a foolish shepherd. Thus Scribes and Pharisees, and learned Talmudists and Rabbis have, for 1800 years deceived, robbed and spoiled them. Zech. xi. 10-17.

A fresh prophecy seems to commence in the words before my text, the prophet dwells chiefly on their closing troubles, before their repentance and glory.

The words of my text relate to the final deliverance of the Jews. The previous verse our Saviour himself applies to his own sufferings. Matt. xxvi. 31.-Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered. The sheep, through the Old Testament, are the figure of the people of Israel; (Numb. xxvii. 17. Psalm xcv.7; c. 3. Jer. xxxi. 10. Ezek. xxxiv. 7.) the scattering refers to their dispersion, and the scattering since the time of Zechariah is that dispersion which we now see of the Jewish nation in all lands. There is then a brief allusion to the gathering of the Gentiles in these

words: And I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. The Gentiles are the supplement filling up the void left by the Jewish falling away; what St. John calls the little children, (1 John ii. 12.) and our Lord the little ones, (Matt. xviii. 14.) or the little flock to whom it is the Father's good pleasure to give the kingdom. Luke xii. 22. Thus Zechariah glances at the chief events preceding their troubles on their restoration, as described in the text.

The words which follow the text, in the next chapter, clearly refer to a future war upon Jerusalem, for it describes events that have never yet taken place; and also they refer to the glorious return of our Lord; for it is said, Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle, and his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. As an earthquake marked his resurrection, so it marks his return; and then it is plainly predicted, the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee.

It is exceedingly desirable that you should have a distinct view of this, that you may not mistake their political return, which is probably very near at hand, for that glorious state which follows their conversion, and that you may be quickened the more to snatch the remnant, according to the election of grace, as brands from the burning.

A subject like this may not at first appear so practical or so spiritual as the ordinary subjects of my ministry; but it is my duty to keep back nothing that is profitable for you, and to declare to you all the counsel of God. And indeed this subject most nearly and personally affects us all; for the holy scriptures connect with the return of the Jews to their own

land, all those great truths-the return of our Lord himself, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment to come, and the everlasting kingdom of Christ. I ask then for your patient attention, and call you to search the scriptures, like the Bereans, to see whether these things are so, and if you do so I doubt not God will give you a larger understanding of the Old Testament scriptures than you have yet attained, and a greater spirituality of mind in the use of earthly things, so as to use them without abusing them.

The words of the text imply the following important truths:

I. The preparatory restoration of the Jews.
II. Their heavy affliction when restored.
III. The grace shewn to the chosen remnant.
IV. Their renewed adoption as the people of God.

I. THE PREPARATORY RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. 1. THEIR RESTORATION IS HERE IMPLIED. However partially fulfilled in past sufferings, its main fulfilment seems yet to come. We see here, after the scattering, the Jews are again in their own land, and in all the land. Yet still they are under severe trial: two-thirds are destroyed, and all the preserved, or the third part, is truly converted to God. This has never hitherto taken place. The same things are set forth in the previous chapter, as well as in the following chapter. In both which we have a future siege of Jerusalem described and a punishment and destruction to the besiegers, and a glorious deliverance and conversion of the Jews, by the personal appearance of the Messiah. These are also events that have never yet taken place, and as the scripture cannot be broken, must yet be fulfilled. See Zech.