result of convulsive action, caused, or accompanied by earthquakes; but there are others in which the movement of the land both up and down is exceedingly slow, gradual, and insensible, but long-continued. Thus, some parts of the coast of Sweden and Norway are known to be constantly rising, and others subsiding; so also parts of Greenland. The rate at which the coast of Sweden is being raised is from three to four feet in the century. The area in the north of Europe over which the upheaving movement extends is not determined, but “it seems probable that it reaches from Gottenburg to Torneo, and from thence to the North Cape, the rate of elevation increasing always as we proceed farther northwards. The two extremities of this line are more than a thousand geographical miles distant from each other; and as both terminate in the ocean, we know not how much farther the motion may be prolonged under water."1 "To the south of Stockholm the upward movement ceases, and at length in Scania, or the southernmost part of Sweden, it appears to give place to a movement in an opposite direction.” 2 The west coast of Greenland likewise is said to be sinking, for

"Principles," p. 502.

2 Ibid, p. 506.

a space of more than 600 miles from north to south.1 That of Newfoundland is said to be rising. In 1850 there were given in The Newfoundland Times facts establishing "the probability that the whole island is rising out of the ocean with a rapidity which threatens, at no distant period, to materially affect, if not utterly destroy, many of the best harbours on the coast of Newfoundland."

Now let these facts be applied to the elucidation of those passages of Scripture which we have under consideration, and in which it is predicted, that, at a certain period, there shall be an elevation of some parts of the land of Palestine, viz., Isai. ii. 2, where it is said, "the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills;" and Zech. xiv. 10, where it is written, “All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up."2 Apply to these passages the facts.

2 Seeing that the phenomena foretold in the former part of Zechariah xiv., and those also in the tenth verse of the same chapter, must be taken literally, it follows that what is said respecting the "waters in the eighth verse must also be so understood. This last subject seems to connect itself obscurely with what is foretold in Ezek. xlvii. 1—12; Joel iii. 18; and Rev. xxii. 1.

Again, this eighth verse of Zechariah xiv. serves to show that it is

before us and we readily see, that there is not the slightest reason, from the nature of the case, why the things foretold in them should not be literally fulfilled. We see immediately that they are not of a nature to render their fulfilment either impossible or improbable; they are neither impossible nor improbable. They are only what have occurred again and again in other parts; nay, only what has already occurred in the very spot to which these very prophecies relate. The Mount of Olives, and indeed the whole of Palestine, have been already "exalted" and "lifted up." They consist for the most part of aqueous, or stratified rocks, which were deposited originally at the bottom of the sea, and have since been raised up to their present level; or, as is the case in some parts of the country, that which is now land was once in à molten state, and has been thrown up from below, and forced through the stratified rocks: but in both cases the phenomenon in question, that of elevation, namely, has taken place. Why, then, seeing that this has occurred before, should

the millennial, and not the eternal state, that is referred to, seeing that here the "sea" is in existence, whereas in the eternal state there will be " no sea."

1 In Lieut. Lynch's "Narrative" of his passage down the Jordan to the Red Sea, frequent mention is made of "trap," which is an igneous rock.

we think it strange if we are told that it shall occur again? Is it more improbable that it should take place in the Future, than in the Past? The process is going on in other parts, as we have already seen, at this very moment; though it may be after a somewhat different manner to that in which it will be realized when these predictions will be fulfilled. The process, for instance, now in action is a gradual one; and it would seem probable that when the things foretold are fulfilled, it will be a convulsive one. But this again, will be nothing new; this also, as we have seen, has occurred within our own time; why then should it not occur again? If the things foretold were of a nature that would render their literal fulfilment necessarily impossible, the case would be different. There are passages in which the things described are of this character, e. g. Rev. xii. 1:-" And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." Here there is no room

for question whether the expressions be literal or symbolical; we see that, from their very nature, they are necessarily the latter. But such is not the case with those passages from Isaiah and Zechariah which

we are now considering. They have all the character of literality about them, and though at first sight we are somewhat startled at what they predict, yet upon a re-examination of them, we find that they only foretel natural phenomena, things which have been, and which therefore may be again. We must therefore receive them as the Lord has set them before us. He will accomplish them in their time. “He hath said it, and shall He not bring it to pass?" Lord of Hosts shall do this."

"The zeal of the

Let us proceed to the examination of the other passage quoted, viz., Zech. xiv. 4, where we are told, "The Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south." Here, again, the things predicted, though at first sight so very wonderful as to seem utterly improbable, are yet of a perfectly natural character, and there is not the slightest reason why they should not be literally accomplished hereafter, seeing that they too may be compared with other precisely similar phenomena which have already occurred in times past, and that too again and again.