lation of the house of Judah has its termination at our Lord's return, Behold your house is left unto you desolate, for I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matt. xxiii. 38, 39.

The Lord himself maintained, at the cost of his life, his true title, as KING OF THE JEWS. All the evangelists bear witness to his making this confession. The Jews urged it as the reason for his being put to death, whosoever maketh himself a king, speaketh against Cæsar. He is, then, before his birth, announced as truly their king; he rides into Jerusalem as their king; (Matt. xxi. 4, 5,) he is crucified for adhering to this truth; and the Lord' of glory expires with the title inscribed over him on the cross, This is the King of the Jews.

On his resurrection, the restoration of the kingdom to Israel is shewn indeed to be suspended; but still to be kept in the power of the Father. Acts i. 6-8. See the Sermons on this passage in the following work.

The first Discourse of St. Peter still claims the title of Christ, as confirmed by the Divine oath, to sit on the throne of David. Acts ii. 30. The second Discourse exhorts them to repentance, that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and Jesus be sent from heaven, with the statement that the heaven must receive him, until the times of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began. Acts iii. 19-21. Three chapters of the Epistle to the Romans dwell on God's dealings with Jews and Gentiles, and distinctly shew that the prophecies of the Old Testament on this very point are yet unaccomplished; and so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, there shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.

The last book of prophecy, the Revelation, is not

silent on this hope, though it be given chiefly for the use of the Gentile churches. They that pierced him are at his return to look to him and wail. Rev. i. 7. Under the 6th vial, the way of the kings of the east is prepared, and the battle of Armageddon brings us back to Judea. Rev. xvi. 12-16. The hallelujahs of the Jewish church join in with the Praise our God, all ye his servants, in welcoming the returning Saviour in the 19th chapter. And amidst the apostacy of the nations after the millennium, the camp of the saints and the beloved city continue faithful, and are preserved.

The book of Revelation, however, throughout contains rather the unfolding of the heavenly Jerusalem than predictions of the restoration of the earthly. It is clear from Gal. iv. 25, 26, that these two may and do subsist together. There is the Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage, with her children, and which is to be delivered, and restored to more than its original glory, when the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, (Luke xxi. 24. Acts i. 6—8,) and there is the Jerusalem, which is above, and is free, which is the mother of us all, and in which there is the brightest vision of God, and the most entire and close communion with God. The distinguishing of these two is needful to enter into the fulness of that truth and glory which God has revealed both in the Old and in the New Testament for the hope and comfort of his people.* This distinction also furnishes a quickening and practical

* Though there are many analogies and points of agreement, the difference between the city of Ezekiel and the heavenly Jerusalem of St. John may be seen in these things. The measure of the city in Ezekiel does not correspond to that of St. John's, which reaches an extent of 1200 or 1500 miles, a cube equal in length, breadth, and height. (Rev. xxi. 16. Ezek. xlviii. 30-32. The city of Ezekiel had a temple, that of St. John had no temple. Rev. xxi. 22. Ezek. xli. 1. The city of St. John had no nig t, but the restored Jerusalem has night. Rev. xxi. 25. Isa. lx. 21. The city of Ezekiel is composed of earthly materials, the city of St. John of unearthly. Rev. xxi. 11-16, 18-23. These things may shew their distinctness, and that the one

motive for all, whether Jew or Gentile, not to be deceived by the expectation of a millennial kingdom of superior blessedness on earth hereafter, to neglect present conversion and salvation. Let us now be pressing into the kingdom of heaven, that we may partake of all its higher heavenly glories, as the general assembly and church of the first-born.

But while from the Jewish names in it, some would almost wholly confine the application of the Book of Revelation to the Jews, others, on the contrary, object, that as in this book we interpret the names of Jew, Mount Zion, Jerusalem, and the twelve tribes, spiritually, the Holy Spirit may have thus taught us to interpret now the Old Testament names of Zion, Judah, and Jerusalem wholly in a spiritual sense. In the New Testament, indeed, the names of Jerusalem, Sion, Jews, and Israel are in some places, and especially in this book applied in a higher sense than literally; but it is with a distinction ordinarily that makes mistake impossible, such as the Jerusalem which is above. It is the plan thus of the Divine Spirit by earthly things to lead our minds on to heavenly things, without at all sinking the reality of earthly things,*

describes the earthly and the other the heavenly, or the perfected church of Christ in its completed glory. See farther particulars in the Discourse on Isaiah lx. 1, 2.

*The expression Israel of God, (Gal. vi. 16,) has been supposed, from the literal sense of the term Israel, to refer only to the literal Israel; but we want no doubtful support on this subject; when we see through the Epistle that the apostle's main aim was to lead the church from resting in the literal to the glory of the spiritual Israel; to shew that they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham, that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, that Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all, I cannot but think that the Holy Spirit here purposely again leads the reader to the spiritual rather than the literal application of the term Israel. The whole character of the Book of Revelation, as addressed to the Gentile churches (Rev. i.-iii.) for their guidance during the mystery of the blindness of Israel, leads us to apply the terms of Jew, Jerusalem, and Mount Zion to the true church of Christ. The names of the tribes

But this view of the Revelation by no means exIcludes the literal Israel out of their inheritance of blessing, or makes the book unimportant in that view. Though we have little direct prophecy in it respecting the Jews, we have links of connection with the Old Testament prophecies, which shew us the time of the fulfilment of those prophecies, so full of the future glory of the Jewish nation, (compare Isa. Ixiii. and Rev. xix., Isa. xxvii. 1, and Rev. xx. 2,) and which connect the Jewish restoration with the issues of the Gentile dispensation, the overthrow of all the enemies of Christ, and the final and full blessedness of the whole earth.

Apparently also each closing part of the leading divisions of Revelation in the seals (chap. vii. where we have the twelve tribes) in the trumpets (where we have the temple measured, chap. xi.) and in the church (chap. xiv. where we have the vintage in Palestine) has a spiritual application to the Gentile churches, and then passes to a literal application to restored Israel. See the Divisions in the Practical Guide, p. 363.

And farther, this book furnishes us, I am persuaded, if rightly interpreted, with such a key to the whole past Providence of God in the history of his church, as to give calm and solid conviction to the diligent and humble, the prayerful and patient reader, that the time of the restoration of Israel is near. The clock of Providence has moved on to the signs that point out Israel's speedy return.

Such is a brief sketch of a part of the scriptural evidence on which the hope of a future restoration of in the 7th chapter, for instance, seem directly to apply to the history of the Christian church. They are enumerated, with additions, omissions, and in an order peculiar to that place, and we find in the description of the Saracen woe some had been among the number mentioned as sealed with the seal of God. Rev. ix. 4. The prophecies of the characters of the different tribes in Genesis and Deuteronomy in this view may serve to throw instructive light on the history of the Christian church.

the Jews is founded. The common objections of their having been fulfilled in the return from Babylon, of their having only a spiritual sense, of the blessings being forfeited by the national sins of Israel, are met in the simple exhibition of the plain scriptural statement. While the possibility of their future exact accomplishment has not passed away, true faith in the veracity of God's word should lead us to expect that they will yet be thus accomplished.

3. THE OBJECTIONS SOMETIMES MADE TO THIS DOCTRINE.

There are objections gathered from the scriptures against the interpretation which we have maintained, that it is important to clear away to give us firm faith in it.

It is freely admitted that the views which so many learned, holy, and excellent men, from age to age, have entertained of a merely spiritual accomplishment, have considerable appearance of foundation, from the unfolding in the New Testament of the spiritual glories of this dispensation, under Jewish titles. (See the Epistles to the Galatians and the Hebrews, and the Book of Revelation). This dispensation as the ministration of the Spirit, much exceeds in glory the former ministration. But not one of these spiritual glories need be lost sight of, nor shall one fail, nor need one be relinquished in the fullest hope of the future restoration of Israel in a yet higher glory and blessedness.

The restoration is connected, as might be shewn through the scriptures, with larger and fuller spiritual blessings both to the Jewish nation and all other nations, and with the perfected glory of the Christian church. If we were merely to be looking for a carnal reign of only earthly glory, as the Jews unhappily did in the time of our Lord, we should be slighting all