that are the Israels by faith, as Abraham was; and then shall all the wild olive branches be cut off, through unbelief. For he that is planted in as a true branch, must be planted into the vine; that is, in Christ, for redemption: For that is the Israel that shall be saved, when I come to bring in my Kingdom; and then, I tell you, the children of Israel, which are the children of faith, will be as the sands on the sea shore, which cannot be measured. Who can measure the depth of faith? Who could measure Abraham's faith, when he offered up his son Isaac ? Who could measure the faith of the Jews, when they were cast into the fiery furnace? Or who could measure Daniel's faith? Who could measure the faith of the apostles? And who can now measure the faith of believers? And who can number all the proofs they have for their faith? Yet, all these things are but shadows, to what the substance is hastening on. And now mark deep, all ye professors, how few amongst these believers are judged by you to be the true Israel of God! I tell you none. Are they not looked upon as madmen and fools? therefore I tell you all, you will see the time hastening on, that it will be allowed by all men, in the place where you have said unto them-they are not my people, there shall it be said unto them, ye are the sons of the LIVING GOD! Now I shall call you back to the apostles: they were judged as madmen and fools, as ye are now; and yet know, their names on record stand, as the sons of the LIVING GOD, by their faith in the Gospel. So the shadow began by them; but now it is time the substance must come; that the children of Judah, and the children of Israel, must be gathered together in one HEAD. For I now tell thee, of all nations, kindreds, and people, those that are not gathered together, as branches to be planted into the vine, will be cut off; but those that are of the true Israel of God, relying on his promises by faith, are the people that will now be preserved :

MEANING OF THE RESTORATION OF THE JEWS. 409 for I now tell thee, the restoration of the Jews doth not so much allude to the Jews, that they all will be converted and brought in, as it alludes to the restoration of faith. Know that faith is a gift of God; and by faith are ye saved, and that not of yourselves; and it was by faith Abraham obtained the promise. Now tell me, since my Gospel was established by faith, and my apostles were destroyed, when hast here been that strong faith in man, that was recorded in the Scriptures, of the faith of these Jews whose names I have mentioned, besides Moses and Aaron, Joshua and Caleb, and all the righteous kings that reigned of the Jews, where is their faith seen now amongst mankind at this day? And where is the faith amongst professors that my Bible will ever be fulfilled; that I shall destroy all the works of the devil, and bring in my kingdom of peace? This faith is dead in man: yet this faith I must restore to man, to have the faith of the faithful, that what I have said I will accomplish; then I must restore to the Gentiles the faith that was once in the Jews, that I shall do marvellous things amongst them. Now this shadow of faith is already begun, and I tell thee, it shall hasten on, till I have finished my work in righteousness. And now I shall come to the adulterous nation, whom I told thee I took in as my people, when the Jews were cast out; but let them know, though I have taken them in, as a man takes an adulterous woman for his wife; yet, if they will now depart from ME, and will not rest on my Promises, nor rely upon my Words, but follow after other lovers, and put their trust in men; let them see if men will deliver them; for then I will say, I am not their husband; for if the natural branches were cut off, let the wild olive fear and now I tell thee, as a wild olive must all those be, that rely on my Gospel, believing I died for the transgression of the Fall, and yet are denying the justice of my Decrees, the truth of my Words, the Promises that are left on record, and that I died to destroy the works of the devil, by which he his

working daily in man Now mark, from this chapter, Hos.ii.18. I will hedge up her way with thorns; then she returneth unto her husband; and then is the time that I make the covenant with her, with the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground: I will break the bow, the sword, and the battle, out of the earth, and will make them to lie down safely.

Now mark from this chapter, what promises are made to man; but when were these ever fulfilled? In thy heart thou sayest never; and all mankind must own the same. There never was a time when every lover of pleasure in this world, that men delighted in, who were wanderers from me, that their pleasures were so hedged up, that they could not come near them; but now I tell thee, I shall go on to hedge up the way so with thorns, that they who will not turn unto ME shall be compassed round on every side with seas of sorrow, and seas of grief; but they that turn unto ME, I will speak comfortably unto them; for now is the time, that I will go on till I have broken the bow and the sword out of the earth, and all my people shall lie down in safety: For now I will hear the heavens-a meaning thou dost not understand; neither is it understood by any man, that I shall hear the saints, and the martyrs, and all the just that have suffered persecution for my sake: now I will hear them that are in the heavens; and they shall hear the earth; that meaneth, they shall hear the desires and the petitions of those that are on the earth; and they that are united in one spirit; and I the LORD will hear and answer; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people, that are now looking to ME for salvation, and for redemption, to be redeemed from all the power of death, hell, and sin. Now weigh these two chapters with the prophecy of Daniel, and the chapters I told thee to mention of the apostles; then see the explanation, and judge for yourselves, ye men of learning. Now

JEWS WITHOUT A KING LOOKING FOR DAVID. 411

Now come to the third chapter. Hos. After the decrees were past upon the children of Israel, that they should abide without a king, and without a prince, then they should return to seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and should fear the Lord and his goodness, in the latter days. Now mark, they have been without a king, and without a prince; but what David have they to seek after as a king for them, unless they look unto ME, who said, I was the ROOT and OFFSPRING of DAVID, whose government should be on my shoulders? Then now look unto ME to be your king; for the latter days are come : and I have a controversy with the inhabitants of the land; for I ask them what truth, or what mercy there is in man? And now the knowledge of God is despised in your land: I have called, and no man answered; yea, I have held a controversy with man, by my SPIRIT; I have warned, I have invited, I have threatened; then now judge for yourselves, from the chapter, what must befal you. If ye reject knowledge, I will reject you for my people perish for want of knowledge; and knowledge is despised amongst you. Ye ask counsel of stocks and stuff; but what counsel can they give you? O ye blind leaders of the blind, will ye say these threatenings were to the Jews, because they rejected the knowledge that I gave to my prophets? Then judge for yourselves, if ye have not rejected the same? Then now judge from your own laws-Do not your ówn laws stand from one century to another? Will ye say that a man shall be hanged for murder in the year that is past, and not in the present? You will answer, No; the law is established for a continuance to them that break it; and so stands my Bible for Jews and Gentiles. And now mark through my Bible when did I bring any judgment on the Jews without warning them before? And doth not Nineveh stand in judgment against them? and the same against this generation? Mark Hos. xii. 3-He

took his brother by the heel in the womb; and by his strength he had power with God; yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed. I shall first answer the words, that thou hast pondered in thy heart: the Lord hath a controversy with Judah, and will punish Jacob according to his ways. Here are words that seem puzzling to thee-why I should punish Jacob according to his doings, and in the following verse, say-He had power with God; yea, he had power over the angel. These words are not understood; no more by the learned, than they are by thee. Now I shall answer thee: He took his brother by the heel in the womb, and by his strength he had power with God. In this Jacob sinned not; yet the mystery of Jacob there lies deep; for as he took his brother by the heel in the womb, and after that gained the blessing of his father, and prevailed with the angel to defend him, and to know who he was, when he was going to meet his brother Esau; so, I tell thee, in the womb of providence, men must take hold of the promise that was made to them; then like Jacob they will have power with God to prevail; for the honour of God is to fulfil his word. Here Jacob prevailed as the shadow, when he took hold of his brother's heel; but know what followed after, when he robbed him of his birthright. Here thou sayest the mystery is great ; though I have already told thee, Esau stands but a type of the devil; therefore have I said-Jacob have I loved, and Esau have I hated, before they were born; and know, I told thee, Esau was before Jacob, so Satan fell before man was created: and here cometh the depth of the womb of providence! But now I know thy heart is pondering-which way did man take hold on Satan's heel, as Jacob did of Esau's. Thou sayest, if it alludes to the beginning, man seemed rather to take hold of the heel of Christ, than of Satan; as he cast no blame on Satan in the Fall, but on the Lord, and on the woman; and