people be accomplised?" Dan. xi, 31; that they "may return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king?"

To Daniel the prophet, and to John the Evangelist, was given a revelation of the great events of the general church to the end of time. Daniel foretels that the Christian church shall be oppressed by the persecuting powers for "a time, times, and the dividing of a time," Dan. vii, 25. The same period he assigns for the accomplishment of the indignation against the holy people Israel. "One said, how long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever, that it shall be for a time, times and a half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be fulfilled," Dan. xii, 7. Now the same form of words is used in the Revelation of St. John, to express the duration of the Papal and Mahomedan powers. Oppressed by them, the church of Christ was to remain desolate in the wilderness, "for a time times, and half of a time," Rev. xii, 14. Every one, who is erudite in sacred prophecy, will understand that this great period of Daniel and St. John commences at the same era, namely, the rise of the persecuting powers; and that its duration is one thousand two hundred and sixty years.*

Here then are three great events hastening to their period; the extinction of the Papal dominion; the subversion of the Mahomedan power; and "the accomplishment of the divine indignation against the holy people," or the return of the people of Israel "to seek the Lord their God, and David their king."

Our blessed Savior has not left an event of this importance without notice. "The Jews," saith he, "shall

See this period explained in p. 122.

be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," Luke xxi, 24. What

these "times of the Gentiles" are, our Lord has explained in his subsequent Revelation to St John, "The court which is without the temple is given unto the Gentiles; and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months;" or, in prophetical language, at a day for a year, one thousand two hundred and sixty years. Rev. xi, 2.

The apostle Paul hath also recorded this event. "I would not, brethern, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, that blindness, in part, is happended to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; and so all Israel shall be saved," Rom. xi, 25. The fulness of time for the conversion of the Gentiles will be come in, when the Mahomedan and Papal obstructions are removed. Such events as the fall of the Pope in the west, and of Mahomed in the east, both of whom persecuted the Jews to death, will probably be the means of awakening the Jews to consider the evidences of that religion which predicted the rise and fall of both.

But the grand prophecy of the apostle Paul on this subject, is that which respects the consequence of the conversion of the Jews. "The receiving of the Jews," saith he, "What shall it be to the world, but life from the dead?" Rom. xi, 15. Dispersed as they are in all countries, and speaking the language of all countries, they will form a body of preachers ready prepared; and they need only say, "Behold the scriptures of God, in our possession; read our history there, as foretold three thousand years ago, and read the events in the annals of nations.

We

are witnesses to the world, and the world to us. Let the whole race of mankind unite and examine the fact." "All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when the lord lifteth up an ensign on the mountains: and when he bloweth

a trumpet, hear ye," Isaiah xviii, 3.-Thus will. their preaching be to the world "life from the dead.'

But if the conversion of Israel is to take place when the Papal and Mahomedan powers have fallen, and who does not see that these events are near at at hand? it might be expected that some signs of conciliation between Jews and Christians would now begin to be visible. And is not this the fact? Christians in all countries begin to consider, that "the indignation against the holy people" is nearly accomplished. Many events declare it. The indignation of men is relaxing. The prophecies have been fulfilled regarding it. The great crime at Calvary has been punished by all nations; and now we hear the words of the prophet addressing us, "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished; that her iniquity is pardoned," Isaiah xl, 1. This is the Divine command. And behold, Christians begin now, for the first time, "to speak comfortably to Jerusalem."

While the author was in the east, the state of the Jews, who are dispersed in different countries, frequently occupied his thoughts. He had heard that they existed in distinct colonies in certain parts of India; that some of them had arrived long before the Christian era, and had remained in the midst of the Hindoos, to this time, a distinct and separate people, persecuted by the native princes, fromage to age, and yet not destroyed: "burning, like the bush of Moses, and not consumed:" and he had a strong desire "to turn aside and see this great sight." His mind was impressed with the conviction that their preservation, in such a variety of regions, and under such a diversity of circumstances, could be only effected by the interposition of the Divine Providence, which reserved them, thus distinct, for some special and important purpose. And since the period of time for the accomplishment of this purpose was considered by

many to be fast approaching, he wished to hear the sentiments of the Jews from their own lips, and to learn their actual impressions, as to their present circumstances and future hopes.

In his memorial respecting the Syrian Christians, presented to Marquis Wellesley, the author also noticed the existence of an ancient colony of Jews on the coast of Malabar, particularly at Cochin; and as this place had recently became a part of the British empire, by conquest from the Dutch, lord William Bentinck, then governor of Madras, who had received letters from the supreme government, was pleased to direct the civil officer, who had charge of the department of Cochin,* to afford him every aid in the prosecution of his researches. His first tour to Cochin was in November, 1806; and he remained in the country till February, 1807. He again visited it in January, 1808. He has only room, in this present work, to introduce a few notes from his journal.

"Cochin, Feb. 4, 1807. "I have been now in Cochin, or its vicinity, for upwards of two months, and have got well acquainted with the Jews. They do not live in the city of Cochin, but in a town about a mile distant from it, called Jews'-Town. It is almost wholly inhabited by the Jews, who have two respectable Synagogues. Among them are some very intelligent men, who are not ignorant of the present history of nations.There are also Jews here from remote parts of Asia, so that this is the fountain of intelligence concerning that people in the east; there being constant communication by ships with the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the mouths of the Indus. The resident Jews are divided into two classes, called the Jerusalem or white Jews; and the ancient or black

Thomas Fowler, esq.

Jews. The white Jews reside at this place. The black Jews have also a synagogue here; but the great body of that tribe inhabit towns in the interior of the province. I have now seen most of both classes. My inquiries referred chiefly to their antiquity, their manuscripts, and their sentiment concerning the present state of their nation."

THE JERUSALEM OR WHITE JEWS.

"On my inquiry into the antiquity of the white Jews, they first delivered to me a narrative, in the Hebrew language, of their arrival in India, which has been handed down to them from their fathers; and then exhibited their ancient brass plate, containing their charter and freedom of residence, given by a king of Malabar. The following is the narrative of the events relating to their first arrival.

"After the second temple was destroyed, (which may God speedily rebuild!) our fathers, dreading the conqueror's wrath, departed from Jerusalem, a numerous body of men, women, priests, and Levites, and came into this land. There were among them men of repute for learning and wisdom; and God gave the people favor in the sight of the king who at that time reigned here, and he granted them a place to dwell in, called Cranganor. He allowed them a patriarchal jurisdiction within the district, with certain privileges of nobility; and the royal grant was engraved, according to the custom of those days, on a plate of brass. This was done in the year from the creation of the world 4250 (A. D. 490;) and this plate of brass we still have in possession. Our forefathers continued at Cranganor for about a thousand years, and the number of heads who governed were seventy-two. Soon after our settlement, other Jews followed us from Judea; and among these came that man of great wisdom, Rabbi