to grafF the Jews on their own stock again, as he was to graff in us ? " If we who were cut out of the olive-tree, which is wild hy nature, were grafFed contrary to nature into a good olive- tree, how much more shall they who are the natural branches be grafFed into their own olive-tree"?" It is impious to de- spair ; because God himself has engaged to take the veil from them, the very moment they turn unto him. Let us then ex- hort them to turn to him, and to look to him for that direc- tion which alone can prove effectual. Surely this is not such a hopeless task ! We may not perhaps succeed so rapidly as we could wish in the first instance : but did the prophets sus- pend their labours because Isaiah and Hosea had laboured so long almost in vain ? Or did the Apostles decline speaking to the Jews, because their Divine Master had succeeded with so few? Let us do our duty, and leave to God to bless our endeavours as he shall see fit. If we should run in vain, as it respects the Jews, our labours shall at least " be recompensed into our own bosom," nor shall so much as a cup of cold water given them for the Lord's sake be forgotten. As for the idea that the time is not yet come ; who is authorized to de- clare that ? To whom has the Lord revealed that ? A similar objection was made by those who had no mind to incur the expense and trouble of building the second temple : they could build ceiled houses for themselves, but lay out nothing for the Lord'': and this is the true secret of all such objec- tions at this day : they are only so many excuses to veil our own want of faith and love. Let us arise and build without delay ; and God will be with us. We have never yet tried to take the veil from their hearts : or the exertions that have been made, have been made too much in our own strength. Now there is a way adopted, which, we hope and trust, God will make efFectual for the conversion of many ; I mean, the giving to them their own Scriptures, together with the New Testa- ment also in their own language, and both of them in other languages which they better understand. This, in concurrence with the other means that are using, will, we hope, be the means of removing the veil from the hearts of many, and of hastening forward the happy day, when the *' children of Israel shall return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king^;" and so " all Israel shall be saved''."
And here let me observe, that to impart to them the light which we ourselves have received, is a duty of the first im- portance, because it has been committed to us for the express purpose of communicating it to them ; God having especially ordained, that " through our mercy (or the mercy vouchsafed
1 Rom. xi. 23, 24. " Hagg. i. 2—4.
y Hos. iii. .5. ^ Rom. xi. 26.