The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-10-30 00:00:00

occupying the position of chairman. In speaking, writing, or
thinking about the Jews, we should never omit the peculiar
place occupied by the Jews in the book of prophecy, and that
they will, ere long, occupy an equally prominent place in the
book of history. This peculiarity will be found equally
true in both, and its importance and truth may be ex-
pressed in the three words, separation, restoration, and
pre-eminence. Separation nationally—among' all nations
a peculiar people. This has been a matter of fact from the
beginning, and it has been the subject of prophecy. Restora-
tion, nationally—it is promised by the Lord himself, who says,
" I will gather them together from all lands, whither they
have been scattered, and they shall build up Jerusalem."
Pre-eminence, nationally—in their own land, under a glorious
king, exercising authority over all the nations of the earth.
Everything written of them may be found under one of these
three heads. Is it not written that they are to be trodden
down and oppressed, a hissing and a scorn to all nations ?
This can only be true of them, if they are to be separated and
outcasts from other nations. It is written that their king shall
reign in Jerusalem, and shall sit on the throne of David. That
there shall be but one king over all the earth, the Lord Jesus.
This is the prediction of their pre-eminence. For other
matters connected with them we must look to other
authorities ; and in relation to the way by which it is pro-
posed to bring them into fellowship with Christians, other agen-
cies must be employed. This society proposes to carry out
towards them the principles inculcated by an obedience to
Christian duty. The Jews,in common with all men,are ruined in
the eyes of God, and they require to be brought back and recon-
ciled to God by a Saviour; they have rejected the Saviour; and it
is our duty to bring them to a knowledge of the efficacy of
the cross, and to show to them Christ crucified for the salva-
tion of fallen man. In a word, it is the object, as the name of
the society imports, to promote Christianity among them. In
doing this we labour under a peculiar difficulty, and
that difficulty arises from the peculiarity as regards
Christianity. In making this remark, it is intended
to apply it to those who believe in the law, and who
reverence the prophets. It is not intended to apply
to those of the Jewish nation who are infidels. Those,
then, to whom reference is made have a complete knowledge
of Moses and the Prophets, and reverence their teachings, and
this imposes upon us a difficulty. In speaking to them, we
are bound to take the statements of the prophets, and
to interpret them in their natural way. To understand
their language in its ordinary sense, and to take it altogether.
If we do not do this, we do not take the way to teach them
Christianity. We must do with them as with the ignorant
and unlettered heathen, refer only to such portions of scripture
as we choose, or as we should be justified in doing with
the heathen and ignorant tribes. They already know the
scripture in their relation to Christianity. They look to the
predictions of prophecy, and relying on these they expect
that the Messiah will make them his people, and their king-
dom the most brilliant upon earth. We cannot, if we would,
ignore this part of the subject, in conversing with Jews. To
meet this we must be prepared by careful study, and an
earnest comparison of the prophets. Some say, why not urge
on them, as on others, the efficacy of Christ's death, and his
atonement on the cross ? We do all this, but from the pe-
culiarity of their knowledge we must do more, we must meet
their prejudices, and meeting them show that they are pre-
judices. We must let them see that their expectations are
not unknown to us, and are not disregarded. Isaiah says the
Messiah shall be born of a virgin, and that he shall reign at
Jerusalem gloriously. The Jew says, I take the prophets at
their word, and doing so I say that Jesus is not the Messiah.