Jews in his dominions (many of whom have escaped to the promised land), upon the charge of smuggling; although it has been admitted that ten times the number of Gentiles, even in proportion to their numbers, have been guilty of the same act. 5th. All the different nations have appointed consuls at Jerusalem, as in anticipation of some very important and general movement; which is regarded with a jealous eye by the Turks, as well the other European powers. "Britain has had a consul in Jerusalem three years before any other nation, except Prussia; but no sooner did she send a bishop, than France, Russia, and Austria sent consuls forthwith; and thus in Jerusalem-which is, in a commercial point of view, but a paltry inland eastern town, without trade or importance of any kind-sit the five consuls of the great European powers (as well as one appointed by the United States of America), looking at one another, and it is difficult to say why or wherefore. To use the words of Dr. Keith, in his interesting work lately published, on "The Land of Israel,' p. 476: 'A country which, for previous centuries, no man inquired after, excites anew the liveliest interest among the greatest of earthly potentates.""

6th. The signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars falling-" the powers of heaven being shaken." These signs have been very common both in Europe and America, and have

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been continually noticed by the public prints; so frequent have been their occurrence, even to the falling of the stars, that it has been quite proverbial.

7th. The universal conviction of all those who have turned their attention to the chronological numbers of Daniel and St. John, namely, the 70 prophetic weeks* of Daniel, and his 2300 days; when the sanctuary is to be cleansed, and the period assigned the Ottoman power is about to expire.

8th. Another very important sign is, that a great part of the Jews having rejected the authority of the Talmud, and expressed their determination to be guided solely by the word of God and his Prophets. This is a striking sign, if we view it in the light of God's own promise to his people, recorded in Deut. xxx. 1—7.

9th. That those very events and facts are now taking place before our eyes, which God's prophets thousands of years ago declared should take place in the Day of his Preparation. And if we look

See Cruden's Concordance, under the head of Week. He says, "The greatest difference among chronologers in the calculation of these years (in weeks) does not exceed nine or ten years.'

A remarkable confirmation of this being the Great Day of God's Preparation, is illustrated by the following:-The author of this work meeting with a learned Jew, asked him if they as a people did not consider the signs of the times remarkably ominous, and that the time for their return was near. He replied he did not; although the 18th chapter of Isaiah seemed to imply as much. I asked him what he saw remarkable in that chapter. He answered, that Isaiah evidently alluded to North and South America, when he cried, "Ho! to the land overshadowing with wings;" these countries being exactly in the shape of wings; and lying directly beyond the river of Ethiopia, i. e. west from Jerusalem, the place where the Prophet then was;-that in looking toward North and South America, from thence the first thing was the

at their connection with these prophecies, we must admit it is the very day of his preparation for the restoration of Israel. Just before the great day and battle of Armageddon, Nahum (ii. 3, 4,) says, "The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming (margin says fiery) torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken. The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broadways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings." How wonderfully remarkable! And what a complete description, when the time it was given is considered, or supposing it to be described even now from actual observation-and this is to be done at a time, as we see from the 2nd verse of the same chapter, when "the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine-branches."

Isaiah says, in connection with the restoration of Israel, "Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people,

Mediterranean Sea, then the Barbary States, then the Atlantic Ocean, then North and South America ;—and that he considered the next sentence still more remarkable; as in the original it did not read, "that sendeth ambassadors by sea, even in vessels of bulrushes," (the Hebrew word, rendered "bulrush," signifies to swallow up; as the race-horse or the wheel of the steam-vessel swallows up the space it passes over,) but "that sendeth ambassadors by sea in rushing vessels." And we have the thing fulfilled in this very kind of vessels, (we were then on board a steam-boat at New York, United States). America, it will be borne in mind, was the nation which first applied steam to the navigation of ships.

saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished," (margin says, 'or appointed time'): "for she hat received double for all her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord," (now for Railroads, for they must come next to the locomotives or flaming chariots,) "make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low : and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain (a plain place): and the Glory* of the Lord shall be revealed"—here again is the Shechinah, or visible Glory, declared, which synchronizes with the other events in this great day of preparation.

We will now look at the remarkable prophecy of Baruch, v. 1-9;† and although he is ranked among the Apocryphal writers, we must judge him according to the 18th chapter of Deuteronomy, and by the direction given therein, namely, by the fulfilment or non-fulfilment of his prophecy. His prediction, however, having been, in part at least, accomplished, he is certainly worthy of some respect and dependence. He says:

*For the particular explanation of this term, Glory or Shechinah, see page 89, where it is fully explained.

The Jews say the Book of Baruch is canonical, and they certainly have the best right to know whether their own books are genuine ; but if we reject their testimony, we can see from Jeremiah xxxvi. 4, 5, 6, that he establishes this point clearly.

"Put off, O Jerusalem! the garment of thy mourning and affliction, and put on the comeliness of the Glory that cometh from God for ever. Cast about thee a double garment of the righteousness which cometh from God, and set a diadem on thy head of the Glory of the Everlasting. For God will show thy brightness unto every country under heaven. For thy name shall be called of God for ever, The peace of righteousness, and the Glory of God's worship. Arise, O Jerusalem, and stand on high and look about towards the east; and behold thy children gathered from the west unto the east by the word of the Holy One, rejoicing in the remembrance of God. For they departed from thee on foot, and were led away of their enemies; but God bringeth them unto thee exalted with Glory (the Shechinah,) as children of the kingdom. For God hath appointed that every high hill and banks of long continuance shall be cast down, and valleys filled up, to make even the ground, that Israel may go safely in the glory of God."

This prophecy was certainly predicted long before any of these events ever took place; and as the first part has taken place, I have no doubt, that in reference to the Shechinah Glory, that it will overshadow them, as it is confirmed by many of the other prophets.

"Moreover, even the woods and every sweetsmelling tree shall overshadow Israel, by the commandment of God. For God shall lead Israel