ferences of climate, habit, civilization, and language, they remain every where the same peculiar people, bearing about with them a mark as indelible as that which distinguished Cain: "They [the curses] shall be upon thee for a sign, and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever." Deut. xxviii, 46. The nations that scattered and destroyed them-their last conquerors, the Romans even-are known only in history, while they, torn and peeled by the Assyrian, the Babylonian, Persian, Egyptian, Grecian, and Roman, still exist, not in one distinct and compact body, to be sure, but as truly separate from all nations as in the golden days of David and Solomon.

9. Where shall we find the secret of this preservation-a key to unlock this deep mystery? Where, but in the word of God? Here this difficult problem is solved. Had the sacred penman been writing the present history, instead of portraying events not to transpire for centuries, he could not have more vividly pictured the actual state of this disobedient nation. "I will make," is the language of the Almighty to them in the wilderness, "your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries into desolation, and I will not smell the savor of your sweet odors : and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it. And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you." Lev. xxvi, 31-33. "And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I

will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them to destroy them utterly."

10. There is a cheering prospect in the future for this long-afflicted and forsaken people, brought to view in the prophecies of both the Old and the New Testament. Their present judicial blindness has a limit, and the veil will eventually be lifted from the hearts of Israel. When that event, so much to be desired by every Christian, will transpire, is not yet revealed, but the event itself is certain as the word of God.

11. "And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee-the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee-and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee; and shalt return unto the Lord thy God, and shalt obey his voice, according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; that then the Lord will turn thy captivity and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee; and the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it." Deut. xxx.

12. With God all things are possible. The

present ignorance, blindness, and perverseness of the Jews; their inveterate hatred to Christianity, their long banishment from Jerusalem, and wide separation, may seem to oppose insurmountable barriers; but nothing can intercept the wise and merciful purposes of Heaven. 13. Not for their own sakes, solely, have they been thus chastened, nor for their own sakes, alone, will they be gathered together again, but for the glory of God. "I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, saith the Lord God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land."

14. At that time will the Lord give them a new heart, and they shall repent and keep his statutes. Then shall they dwell again in their cities, and build anew their waste places. "And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate, in the sight of all that passed by. And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.”

15. Already the notes of preparation are beginning to be heard in different parts of the world; the eyes and hearts of Israel are turned toward Jerusalem; the church is waking

up to a sense of its criminal neglect of God's chosen people; many Jews have already been converted; a spirit of inquiry is manifest among them; Mount Zion is again becoming vocal with the praises of Jehovah, and a Christian bishop discharges his sacred duties in the holy city.

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16. We are under great obligations to the Jew for the careful preservation of God's word. Christ was a Jew, after the flesh; the faithful martyr-apostles were Jews; and St. Paul, the angel to the Gentiles, was a Jew also: and these obligations have not yet been discharged. Through their unbelief, we that believed not have obtained mercy; even so have they also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy." "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." Well does the apostle inquire, "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 fullness?"

17. We are deeply interested, then, in their recovery; for, in their repentance and reinstatement in their country, God has a greater blessing in store for the world. "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!"

PART IV.

BOOKS AND WRITERS OF THE NEW

TESTAMENT.

CHAPTER I.

THE EVANGELISTS-MATTHEW-MARK.

Luke i, 1-4;
Mark i, 1.

1. THE most important and interesting history ever written is that of Christ and the Christian religion. This history is contained in that portion of the Bible called the New Testament, and it differs from all others, in that it is inspired.

2. As the very best and most learned men are liable to mistakes, and errors of judgment; and also in the history of many events, as it would require more than human wisdom to choose the most important, and neglect unnecessary transactions; and, moreover, as the memory might prove treacherous, and entirely lose the recollection of some prominent circumstances, or give a wrong shade and coloring to the events related to avoid all these evils, God bestowed upon the writers of this history the assistance of the Holy Ghost.

3. Thus the Saviour promised his disciples, who became afterward the historians of his life