life, and the same to the Gentiles also, who are no longer "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise," as some think, but are now "fellow-citizens. with the saints and of the household of God, built upon the foundation of apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-stone." Eph. ii. 12; xix. 20. Both Jews and Gentiles can rejoice together in this holy interpretation of the promise made of God unto our fathers," which promise is "the hope of Israel," to be realized by both alike in Jesus and the resurrection, and not chiefly by the Hebrews alone, as many appear to think.

The principal part of this brief argument appeared with the cognizance of the honored lecturer in the London "Christian World," April 21, 1871, and is introduced here for a lively presentation of two sides of this great question, on which every reader is competent to form an opinion, if he has not done it already. The two horizons perfectly reconcile the wide difference of these interpretations. The literal prophecies have been already in their temporal sense fulfilled accurately, which is the sensible horizon, and that which remains to be fulfilled is their eternal sense, which is the rational horizon in the firmament of holy prophecy. The two horizons harmonize perfectly in the visible firmament, yet the objects appearing in them are separated by inconceivable distances, whether we behold the heavens or the Word of God, "by whom the heavens were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water" (2 Peter iii. 5), "by whom, through faith, we understand that the worlds were formed." Heb. xi. 3. He is coming "clothed in a vesture dipped in blood, with the armies of heaven following" (Rev. xix. 13, 14), "to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." Jude 15.

CHAPTER IX.

THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.

The kingdom historic and prophetic. The historic and temporal kingdom. The prophetic and eternal kingdom. Views of Jews and followers. Views of the great denominations. The historic eyeglass of the prophetic kingdom. The true Israel. The earth their inheritance. Jerusalem and the church in apostasy not forsaken of the Lord. The visible churches in apostasy. A nation born in a day. The signs mistaken for things signified. Israel's Saviour and King.

THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL.

THE kingdom of Israel is in the Scriptures a subject of history and of prophecy. The books of Samuel, the Kings and the Chronicles contain its history; its great and endless future is recorded in the Psalms and the Prophets. The historic kingdom belongs to this world. The prophetic kingdom belongs to the world to come. The historic kingdom had its root in Jacob and the twelve patriarchs. It grew up into a great multitude in Egypt, and transplanted into Canaan, it, after many vicissitudes, took the form of hereditary monarchy under Saul, the son of Kish. After his removal the Lord placed David, the son of Jesse, upon the throne, and established the kingdom of Israel in his house for ever. The historic kingdom changed the dynasty of the first king for the dynasty of the second king so long as the nation maintained its sovereignty. The revolt of the ten tribes from the sceptre of the son of Solomon carried the name of the historic kingdom away from the house of David, to which it has never yet returned, separating the kingdom into two parts, Israel and Judah.

The historic kingdom began B. c. 1095 and continued in the name of Israel 374 years, to its captivity and dispersion by

Shalmanezer, B. c. 721. And it continued through the house of David from B. C. 1095 to B. c. 588, a period of 507 years, when Jerusalem was carried away captive to Babylon. Since that time the house of Israel and of Judah have had no king of their own flesh, now 2460 years, and for 1800 years past they have had no existence as a nation, but they have constantly been, as they are now, outcasts or citizens scattered among all nations.

THE HISTORIC AND TEMPORAL KINGDOM.

Such is the historic kingdom of Israel and of Judah according to the flesh-a kingdom of diminutive size and of small account among men, yet symbolic of a far other kingdom in the world to come. In its unity and in its great divisions, it is stamped with living features of the loftiest and of the basest, of the holiest and of the most impious, character known to the nations of this world. The history of Israel and Judah is full of instruction to men, constantly betraying a strong tendency to neglect the worship and service of the invisible God, and to follow after the manners and the idols of surrounding nations-to forget their Saviour and Redeemer, and to forsake his testimonies, while they offered sacrifices and incense unto Baal, and served images of wood and stone, until the Lord scattered them among the heathen and brought reproach upon them, as at this day. Since their dispersion without any home or resting-place among all nations, they have wholly ceased from the worship of idols and pictures. But they have never ceased to set up the idol of their future national sovereignty of this world before their mind, and to worship it in their heart. They have never forsaken their confident hope of universal empire, have not ceased to dote on the image and to justify themselves before the beautiful picture of their Jerusalem, adorned with the spoils of the Gentiles, sending forth the law to all nations, and receiving servile submission and tribute money in return. They are continually looking for their king in Syria of the grand Turk, to appear clad with the majesty of heaven,

and with the power and the glory of this world, there to gather together the lost tribes of Israel and the captives of Judah into one kingdom for to inherit the riches of the Gentiles and to govern the nations upon earth. Such is a historic sketch of the kingdom of Israel in the past, and of the cherished hope of its future dominion.

THE PROPHETIC AND ETERNAL KINGDOM.

The prophetic kingdom of Israel and of Jerusalem has its most striking features revealed both in the Old and New Testaments, presenting to our faith the King in visible majesty, as seen on the Mount of Transfiguration; the people of the realm, as the children of Abraham according to the promise made of God unto the fathers, and fulfilled unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again (Acts xiii. 32), and the realm itself as the habitable world to come on the earth, with the restitution of all things suitable for the throne of the first born from the dead, and prepared for the everlasting possession of his people. These three essential features of the kingdom, the King, the people and the realm, are, according to the analogy of faith, at unity one with the other in the regeneration, or the resurrection state. They are in all the Scriptures displayed under forms of transcendent beauty, of covenant promise, of typical possession, of boundless extent, of eternal life, of infinite power and of imperishable glory. The abounding riches of prophetic description afford for different minds many different views of the eternal kingdom, but in three principal features there is no room for disagreement-the King, the people and the realm. These are so described as to forbid mistake in the mind unprejudiced by education. THE KING is Jesus Christ, the Son of man, born of the blessed Virgin, the Son of God, born again of the resurrection; he is the eternal King. THE PEOPLE, like their King, are "the children of God, being the children of the resurrection," "and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ." And THE REALM is the

earth, the regenerate earth, covenanted by promise and oath to the patriarchs and to their "seed, which is Christ” (Gal. iii. 16), for a possession of everlasting inheritance. In these three things there is no room for mistake. A fitness is constantly noted in these three features by the Spirit. Both the King and the people are born in the realm, are clothed in its vesture, are subject to its infirmities even unto death, are buried in its bosom, and are raised from the dead in glory, honor and immortality. The King is raised up a spiritual body, and is exalted to the right hand of power a glorified body. The people of the resurrection at his coming wing their flight to meet the Lord in the air, as he said: "For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together." Matt. xxiv. 28. And when the realm is regenerated and glorified, both King and people together return and come to occupy and enjoy the possession of their promised land (earth) for ever. As it is written: "And ye shall know that I am the LORD when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves; and shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land." Ezek. xxxvii. 13. "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new Spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. 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." Ezek. xxxvi. 24. The Lord God is the King, Israel are the people gathered to him out of their graves from among all nations; he will cleanse them from their idols, and bring them into the land of their fathers, "your own land."