6. That the remnant of the nations are to become subject to the restored kingdom of Israel, and to repair periodically to Jerusalem to do homage to the King of all the earth, and to learn his ways.

This is a summary of the things constituting "the hope of Israel, for which Paul was bound with chains; and who can fail to perceive that they are also the bases of the believer's hope, as set forth in previous lectures? The hope of the believer is the coming of Christ, and the establishment of the kingdom of God, involving the restoration of Israel. The hope of the Jew is the coming of Christ, and the establishment of the kingdom of God. Hence their hopes are identical, though their relation to it is, at first, slightly different. The apostolic gospel is truly "the hope of Israel.' That gospel was, in reality, a proclamation of a coming re-establishment of the kingdom of Israel under the greater than Solomon," and an invitation to all to become partakers of Israel's glory, on certain specified conditions. No one, therefore, can Scripturally understand the kingdom of God, which is the gospel hope, who is ignorant of the prophetic teaching concerning the restoration of the Jews, for that restoration is a most essential element in its establishment. Were it omitted, no kingdom of God, such as is revealed, could be set up in the future age.

Yet a certain class of well-meaning persons oppose the doctrine zealously. Taking their stand upon certain statements in the New Testament, they maintain, with great tenacity, that the restoration of the Jews is impossible. Now, we may accept it as a first principle, that any New Testament deduction which is diametrically opposed to the plain statements of the prophets, is erroneous, for the writers of the New Testament said 66 none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come (Acts xxvi. 22),

"

as their

and appealed to them authorities. There can be no contradiction in writings dictated by one and the same eternal Spirit; and, in fact, there is none. The New Testament arguments against the restoration of Israel, are all based on misconceptions of the statements on which they are founded. One of these is Rom. ix. 6, 7—

"They are not all Israel which are of Israel; neither because they are the seed of Abraham are they all children; but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of promise are counted for the seed."

Now, this statement is in strict agreement with the prophets, without, in any way, diminishing the force of their teaching in reference to the speciality of the Jews as a nation, and their future natural restoration. It is absolutely true that all of Israel are not Israelthat thousands of the seed of Abraham are not CHILDREN-and that the divine principle is to count "the children of the promise " for the seed; and this is exemplified individually and nationally. In the case of the Jews, requirements, such as circumcision, sacrifice, reverence for the name of God, and numberless other things specified in the law, were laid down as conditions of citizenship in the nation, and transgression was visited with expulsion. The penalty attached to almost every statute was, "That soul shall be CUT OFF from his people." Transgressors, therefore, though of Israel, were not Israel, even under the law. A whole generation of such non-Israelites perished in the wilderness; but this did not nullify the national election of the seed of Abraham (through Isaac). It only showed that fleshly descent from Abraham did not of itself constitute accepted Israeliteship-that it required Abraham's faith as well as Abraham's blood.

Individually, as well, in reference to the heirship of the kingdom, "the children of the promise are counted for the seed." No fleshly

son of Abraham has a natural title to the honour, glory, and immortality of the kingdom, covenanted. These are reserved for a class developed on the principle of believing the promises. In this respect, "the flesh profiteth nothing;" and even in respect of mortal citizenship, it profiteth nothing, for, as we have seen, that privilege is not to be "I granted on mere fleshly title. will bring you under the bond of the covenant, and purge out from This is the among you the rebels." Thousands prophetic declaration. of Jews will be gathered from the countries who will never enter the land. Yet this will not destroy their national relationship. Being Jews, whom God has specially chosen as a nation, with a view to the development of His ultimate purpose, they will everyone be gathered in the preliminary restoration. This is the declaration of Moses, who says―

"Ifany of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee" (Deut. xxx. 4).

Isaiah gives similar testimony, he

says

"

"He shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble THE OUTCASTS of Israel, and gather together the 'dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth" (chap. xi. 12). And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall beat off from the channel of the river unto the stream of Egypt; and ye shall be gathered ONE BY ONE, O ye children of Israel" (chap. xxvii. 12).

Thus there will be an indiscriminate national restoration, without any reference to moral condition, just as in the case of the tribes when delivered from Egypt by the hand of Moses; because the nation, as a whole, is God's by sovereign election, and cannot alienate themselves from that relation, though they may be rebellious, and render themselves obnoxious to His destroying judgments. Yet, having been thus indiscriminately gathered, they are not at once settled in the land, but, like their forefathers, in the day that they came out of the land of Egypt

(see testimony already quoted from Ezekiel xx.), are subject to an expurgating process in the wilderness, from which none who are morally unfit for the privilege of citizenship under the Messiah, shall escape. "They shall come from the land where they sojourn, but shall not enter into the land of Israel." Thus, even in the future national restoration of the Jews, the mere children of the flesh are not counted for the seed, but those of faith who shall be developed by the probation in the wilderness. It must then be obvious that it is a very short-sighted construction of Paul's words, indeed, which would use them to destroy the doctrine of Jewish national restoration. It is a construction to which he himself would strenuously object, were he now alive; for he has left his mind on the subject on record. Speaking of his "kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites (Rom. ix. 3), he says

"Blindness in part is happened to Israel, UNTIL the fulness of the Gentiles be come in; 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. As touching the election, FOR THE FATHER'S

THEY ARE

BELOVED

SAKE; for the gifts and calling of God are If the fall of them without repentance. be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more THEIR FULNESS? If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, WHAT SHALL THE RECEIVING OF THEM BE but life from the dead?" (Rom. xi. 25, 26, 28, 12, 15).

an

Here Paul contemplates 99 66 a approaching Jewish "fulness,' receiving again," a national change, "when the fulness of the Gentiles is come in," and warns the Gentiles in view of this not to boast against the Jews in the wisdom of their own conceit (verse 25). This lets us into Paul's views on the subject_of the restoration of the Jews. The prophets and Moses, as we have seen, foretell the glorious restoration and national restitution of the veritable nation that has suffered the vengeance of the Almighty for nearly twenty centuries. How then

could Paul, who spake none other things than they (Acts xxvi. 22), inculcate principles entirely subversive of their teaching? It is only partial knowledge or positive ignorance that leads men to erect a system of doctrine on the New Testament that contradicts the plainest testimonies of the "holy men of old, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

There are other objections frequently urged of an equally baseless nature, but the limited space at disposal prevents the notice of them. Enough has been said to show that the restoration of Israel is one of the main features of the divine

purpose to be developed in the future that the kingdom of God cannot be established without its accomplishment, and that, in fact, it is an element in the grand event on which the world's salvation depends. "Salvation is of the Jews," nationally and individually. It is important then to understand this element of the truth of God, that by our enlightenment, we may be enabled to put off our Gentilism, and become related to a higher polity-even the commonwealth of Israel-in which, being "Abraham's seed," we shall be "HEIRS ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE."

THE

HE subject of this lecture is one that has no charm for the generality of mankind. Men do not like to think of coming judgment. It is not congenial to their tastes. The expectation of them, still more the enunication of them, is regarded as indicative of a lowborn and vulgar fanaticism. Refinement is supposed to be shown by the more popular idea that the world will gradually hush into millennial tranquility without disturbance to the present order. It is possible to give a perfectly reasonable hypothesis of this state of public sentiment. But it is not particularly worth the time necessary. be a better plan to show that a belief in coming troubles, as the precursors of Christ's approaching manifestation on earth in power and great glory, is the inevitable consequence of practical faith in the Bible as the revealed will of God. Any imputation therefore, arising from such a belief, is against the Bible, and not against the subject of the belief; for there is a marked difference between gratuitous fancy, and intelligent conviction arising from credence accorded to authority.

It will

In former lectures, we have seen that it is the purpose of God to send Jesus Christ to the earth again for the purpose of destroying all kingdoms that exist, and setting up a kingdom of His own that will be universal and never-ending. Our attention is now directed to the circumstances attendant upon this prodigious change in the world's

history. Will the change from the kingdom of men to the kingdom of God be instantaneous, or the slow result of a universal process? Will Christ steal upon the earth in a time of peace, and quietly decimate the powers of the earth, with their armies, in a single night, as in the case of the Assyrians in the days of old? or, will he be manifested when wars are rife, and troubles abroad? The testimony is very explicit on this point

At that time, "there shall be a time of trouble, SUCH AS NEVER WAS SINCE THERE WAS A NATION EVEN TO THAT SAME TIME" (Dan. xii. 1).

Upon the earth shall be distress of nations. with perplexity; the sea and the waves roar ing; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth” (Luke xxi. 25, 26):

"Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day, from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth" (Jer. xxv. 32, 33).

These testimonies

answer the

question. They show that the change which will introduce the kingdom of God on earth will be accompanied by troubles on a scale without a parallel in history; that the whole world will be involved in. political difficulties, and suffer from the many evils incident to such a condition. But we shall find that another element of trouble will characterise the times of the second advent,-that God Himself will operate in visible judgment upon the nations of the earth,

that

natural perplexities will be supplemented by miraculous retributions. The testimonies to this effect are numerous and emphatic; and as the entire argument hinges upon them, they deserve the most thoughtful consideration. We read in Jeremiah xxv. 30, 31

"Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, the Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation. He shall give a shout as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth: for the Lord hath A CONTROVERSY with the nations; he will plead wiTH all flesh, he will give them that are wicked to the sword."

His

Here is a direct pleading with "all flesh," on the part of the Almighty, and the extirpation of the wicked from among men. tory supplies no record of such an awful transaction. The time of its accomplishment will appear from the next testimony.

"Behold the name of the Lord COMETH FROM FAR, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy; his lips are full of INDIGNATION, and his tongue as a devouring fire; and his breath as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity" (Isaiah xxx. 27, 28).

Who is "the name of the Lord" personified in this quotation from Isaiah? We hear the answer when we listen to him who said, "I am come in my Father's name (John V. 43), and of whom it is written, "There is NONE OTHER NAME given under heaven among men, whereby we must be saved;" viz., Jesus the Christ, the anointed of God, who is to us Emmanuel-God-with-us-the Word made flesh-a name of God provided for the investiture of the naked sons of men.

The prophecy represents him as "" coming FROM FAR. What is the meaning of this? We find it explained in Christ's parable to his disciples, which is recorded in Luke xix. 12-27.—“ A certain nobleman went into a FAR COUNTRY to receive for himself a kingdom, and to RETURN." Hence, Jesus (the nobleman), returning

from heaven (the far country), is "The name of the Lord coming from far."

"The

Now in what character is he revealed, according to the prophecy? "His lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire." Or take Paul's representation: Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, TAKING VENGEANCE on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ," which is in agreement with the statement in Isaiah xi. 4; "He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth: with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." Finally we contemplate the picture symbolically elaborated in Rev. xix. 11-16

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and he that sat on him was called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a NAME WRITTEN that no man knew but he himself; and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his NAME is called the WORD OF GOD. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean; and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of the Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture, and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords."

Having seen that "the name of the Lord coming from far, burning with his anger," answers to the approaching advent of Christ to take vengeance, it will be profitable to cite other testimonies to show that this doctrine of coming judgment is the uniform teaching of the Spirit in the word, and not a mere inference from some isolated expressions. We read in Isaiah lxvi. 15, 16—

"Behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots, like a whirlwind, to render HIS ANGER with jury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh; and THE SLAIN OF THE LORD SHALL BE MANY."

Again, Psalm 1. 3-6

"Our God shall come and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it