second advent will not occur till "after that tribulation of those days be ended."

Seventh. It is claimed that the Jews, restored to Palestine, will be the spiritual head of the world. W reply that such a notion is all moonshine, for Christians are to be the spiritual head of the world, and not carnal Israel. The Christians in America have all the revela tion the Jews can have; they have the Bible, which contains all that God will reveal till the second advent. and they can know as much about it as the Jews can: they can print as much as the Jews in Palestine would be able to do; they pray as much, preach as much, and worship God as devoutly, and also possess as much zeal as the Jews ever did, or ever will; so that there is not a single chance for the Jews to become their superiors, much less their head.

Eighth. The theory of the carnal restoration requires that the ten lost tribes, as well as Judah and Benjamin, shall be reunited in Palestine, at the restoration. Now this is utterly impossible, without a resurrection of the dead; for the existence of the ten tribes, at the present day, can not by any means be proved. It is said that traces of them exist in Asia, but traces are not tribes, and the Jews in Asia are, no doubt, the descendants of the dispersed of the two tribes, and not of the ten.

The truth is, the ten tribes were prone to amalgamation with the heathen, and for this reason they were ejected altogether from Canaan; and were in a few centuries almost entirely lost by amalgamation, and certainly have lost their identity as ten tribes, long ago. by mingled blood.

Ninth. Were the Jews to be Christianized, then the Hebrew ceremonial law would cease to be a wall of separation between them and Gentile Christians. Circumcision, and other rites, and especially the law or custom forbidding marriage with Gentiles, would cease, and all essential difference between them and Gentile converts would have an end. Amalgamation would follow, and the distinctive ethnological character of Hebrews would also cease.

To all these things it is replied, that the word of God. declares the restoration of Israel, and "every word of God standeth sure." We most cordially admit the proposition, but deny that prophecy ever proclaimed the occurrence of events that are repugnant to common sense. Indeed, any interpretation of God's word that brings from it a theory really at variance with the laws of nature and good sense, is, to say the best of it, a false interpretation.

The Hebrews were a typical people; typical of the Christians; and what purpose is to be subserved by the reconstruction of a typical people? The whole plan of the world's redemption to the judgment is revealed to us, and in that plan, the restoration of carnal Israel, as the head of the world, can be seen to answer no useful purpose. If it be said, as it is, by theorizers, that the Jews are to be the great instruments of the conversion of the world, we answer that such a position is the depth of absurdity. For St. Paul says: "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is my

covenant unto them."-Rom. xi. Here the conversion of the Gentile world is plainly seen to transpire before that of the Jews, and also that the church from among the Gentiles is to be the agent to convert the Jews; and the Jews are to be the last people converted to the gospel. How absurd, then, it must be, to say that the Jews, restored to Palestine, are to convert the Gentile world.

The covenant here stated, speaks only of the spiritual restoration of Israel, and not of a restoration to Palestine. The restoration to God is as different a thing from restoration to Palestine, as Palestine differs from heaven.

Again, as Christians have equal rights with the seed of Abraham, if the Jews are restored to Palestine by promise, then all the seed of Abraham must settle there also, and, by consequence, the whole Christian world must immigrate to it. But as such an immigration is too absurd for a moment's consideration, the theory is false, because of its absurdity.

It is objected to our views, that the Jews have been providentially preserved as a separate people, and that this argues their final restoration to Palestine. We reply, that we cheerfully concur with such an opinion, but deny that they are to be the head of the world. We sympathize with the Jews, in all their captivity and wanderings, but we sympathize more with the Christian Israel in all its red path of martyrdom. If carnal Israel has been a wanderer, and homeless, so has been Christian Israel; if carnal Israel has been providentially preserved, so has Christian Israel; carnal Israel is a captive for its iniquity, but Christian Israel for its innocence;

the former for its vice, the latter for its virtue; the one murdered the Prince of Life, the other worshiped him; the Jews have ever continued to hate Christ, and pull down his cause; the Christians have loved him, and have sealed their devotion with their blood. Now, should God place carnal Israel above spiritual Israel, should he give him superior honors, and wider dominion, and greater glory, then would God be seen to reward his inveterate foes, and degrade his fast friends; then would he encourage treason, and disgrace fidelity; then would he exalt vice, and condemn virtue; then iniquity would be at a premium, and righteousness at a fearful discount; then equal rights would cease from Christianity, and contentment would leave the world.

Carnal Israel can not become the capital of the world, without a violation of every law of nature, good sense, justice, and good government; and the theory which teaches such a doctrine is, therefore, false, fanatical, and full of evil.

SECTION II.

THE COMMON THEORY ANTI-SCRIPTURAL.

A theory repugnant to good sense, is repugnant to scripture; and we shall find every thing in the plain teachings of the New Testament to conflict with the restoration of carnal Israel. Were the restoration of Israel to Palestine taught by the prophets, it is absurd to suppose the great and important fact would not be mentioned, or at least alluded to, in the New Testament. The New Testament is the great expositor of the Old, but it never says that carnal Israel will be restored to

Palestine; never hints it, never implies it. Now, why this silence about Canaan? why this emphatic neglect of carnal Israel, and full attention to Christian Israel, if the carnal seed of Abraham were to be the heirs and inheritors of the world? The silence can be interpreted to mean nothing in favor of the carnal restoration, and must mean every thing against it. We shall now quote some few decisive passages on the subject, and leave them with the impartial for mature consideration.

That nationality was promised to Israel, in the latter day, can not be doubted. The prophets most unequivocally announce it, and it is fully and plainly inferable from the great promises of the world's redemption, and the promised blessedness to all nations through Christ. Did true Christianity universally prevail among men, Christian republicanism would also necessarily spring up universally. Now, in the progress of Christianity toward universality, it is obvious that some one part of the earth would first be Christianized, and by consequence a true Christian nationality would prevail in that Christianized portion, and that would be the restoration of nationality as far as it extended. In speaking of the restoration of Israel, no one imagines that the same identical Jews who formerly lived in Palestine are to be restored to it, and to nationality; the legitimate descendants of Abraham only can be those to whom the promise was made. The controversy will, therefore, be decided by determining who are the legitimate seed of Abraham. We affirm that the Christian seed of Israel are the only true heirs of all the promises, and that Christians of the Gentiles are as truly the heirs of the promises, as are Christians from among the Jews. We shall proceed