ther; the spirit of Swartz and Martyn, and our own Elliot and Brainerd and Mills. The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ought to send forth to the heathen as many, at least, as fifty new Missionaries, the present year, and as many more every succeeding year, that a mighty impression may be made upon the Pagan world. Shall we think of any thing less than sending within one generation three hundred and sixty heralds of the cross to the three hundred and sixty millions of China-one third of the globe -a world of men? Had all the Christians of this land the spirit of Worcester and Evarts and Cornelius, this work would be accomplished. Dr. Worcester in one of his last letters, just before his death, observed, "One thing is consummated and settled in my mind, and that is, a full and delightful conviction, that the cause of missions has never held too high a place in my estimation, or engaged too large a share of my attention. This is saying nothing, —it transcends, immeasurably transcends the highest estimation of every created mind. And what is the sacrifice. of health, what the sacrifice of life to such a cause! Be the event what it may, recovered health or an early death, I never can regret what I have done in the work, but only that I have done so little, and with a heart so torpid. The world yet lieth in wickedness-in darkness and corruption. The gospel is the only remedy-the means prescribed by sovereign Wisdom for its recovery. To communicate the gospel to all the families of the earth, is a work to be done by those who have felt its power, and know its value. They have no time to lose, no advantages to be neglected, no talents to be held unoccupied. Christians have yet to feel very differently from what they have been accustomed to feel on this subject. The standard of piety must be raised. Devotedness to Christ and his cause must not be a matter of mere theory. It must be carried into living

and demonstrative practice." "O that we might think, and act," said the lamented Evarts, "under the influence of feelings like these, till the ear shall be saluted from every continent and island with the gladdening shout-the plague is stayed-the wrath of God is averted-the world is transformed-Christ is exalted, and his kingdom is universally established in the hearts of the children of men." * Appendix D.

DISSERTATION V.

CONVERSION OF THE JEWS.

"I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people and I will be your God." This passage of Scripture is a part of a prophecy respecting the seed of Abraham. No people whatever are so interesting as the Jewish nation. From them have descended Patriarchs, P.ophets, Judges, Kings, Priests, and Apostles; and of them, as concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. This wonderful people have been in every condition of life; in strength and in weakness; in affluence and in penury; in splendor and in disgrace; in happiness and in misery. They are spoken of in the Scriptures under various appellations. They were at first denominated Hebrews, most probably from the circumstance, that Abraham came from the other side of the river Euphrates into Canaan, the word Heber, from which Hebrew is derived, signifying beyond. They were afterwards called Israelites, from their being the descendants of Israel, the father of the twelve Patriarchs ; and lastly, they were called Jews from Judah, especially after their deliverance from the Babylonian captivity, because the tribe of Judah was the most numerous, powerful, and distinguished of the twelve tribes. They believe

in the Old Testament as inspired truth, and in a Messiah yet to come, who shall be to them a temporal Prince and Deliverer, and ultimately, rule King of all nations. They entirely reject the New Testament, and the Saviour it reveals, and depend for salvation upon their own works of righteousness. Most of the modern Jews are Pharisees.* A few only among them are Sadduceest and Essenes.‡ In addition to the Old Testamen', which they revere as most sacred, they have the Talmud, which contains their written Rabbinical constitutions, and explications of the law, and a Targum, or Paraphrase upon the Old Testament in. the Chaldee language. These are their principal religious books. They have also an oral tradition, or a mysterious kind of science, which they use in the interpretation of the books, both of nature, and revelation. This is called Cabala. For the most part, they embrace the literal meaning of the Scriptures, and, consequently, discard their spiritual construction. Hence their religion is chiefly external, and is really no better than the religion of the Koran of the Mohammedans, or of the Vedas of the Hindoos.

In this dissertation, it is proposed to notice, First, the number, dispersion, degradation, and oppression of the Jews; and, Secondly, their final restoration to the land of their fathers, the time when this will take place, and their subsequent happy condition.

First, then, we are to notice the number, dispersion, degradation, and oppression of the Jews. The number of the Jews, at the present time, has been differently computed. A writer of considerable distinction, after much exertion to ascertain their true number, estimates them as follows:

Appendix E a.

+ Appendix E b.

† Appendix E c.

In Persia, China, Hindoostan, &c. according to the latest

estimates,

2,500,000

Making in the whole,

7,688,000

Perhaps this estimate may not be exactly correct, in all respects, yet probably it is in the general. The number of Jews in Spain, Portugal, Cochin China, and the remote parts of Persia and India, cannot be ascertained. These Jews embrace all the existing descendants of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and the remnant of the long lost ten tribes of Israel. This extraordinary people, once the favorites of Jehovah, are now scattered to the four winds of heaven, justly suffering for their rebellion and unbelief, the vials of divine wrath, which their fathers imprecated, when they crucified the Lord of life and glory, and exclaimed, "His blood be on us and on our children." Looking down the long descent of ages; the omniscient God foretold, by the mouth of his prophets, the future wretched condition of this infatuated nation. "The children of Israel shall abide many days without a King, and without a Prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an ephod, and without a teraphim." "And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other; and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone. And among these nations shalt