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thing corresponding to this has yet taken place. It is absurd to say that this illustrious prophecy in its two-fold bearing as relating to the Messiah's reign and to His people's restoration to their "own land," received its fulfilment in the Jews' return from Babylon. Whatever may be thought of that return, so far as they were concerned, in no sense did He then reign over them in justice and judgment as predicted. And as to "Judah being saved and Israel dwelling safely" from that time, His coming to them was quickly followed by their fearful overthrow by the Romans and their subsequent dispersion into all the countries of the earth.

This subject of Israel's restoration will introduce us to a large class of passages which will, like the one we have just noticed, serve to determine for us the question we are considering respecting the locality of the Messiah's reign, seeing that to show that He is to reign over them in their "own land," will amount to the same thing as proving that He will reign upon "earth." The following words, therefore, may be appropriately quoted as bearing upon the subject: "The word of

the LORD came again unto me, saying, Moreover, thou

Son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For

Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick ; and they shall become one in thine hand. And when the children of thy people shall speak unto thee, saying, Wilt thou not show us what thou meanest by these? Say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be one in mine hand. And the sticks whereon thou writest shall be in thine hand before their eyes. And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all: vant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments,

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and observe my statutes, and do them. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: And my servant David shall be their prince for ever. Moreover, I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore."-Ezek. xxxvii. 15-28. Comment upon this is scarcely necessary. It is, however, impossible to say with any measure of consistency that anything corresponding to a fulfilment of it has, as yet, taken place. The two branches of the Jewish family, Judah and Israel, namely, embracing the entire twelve tribes, are to form "one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all." This will be "in the land given unto Jacob, wherein their fathers dwelt;" which is

thus minutely described, in order, apparently, to prevent any possible mistake as to what is meant: over them while there, God's "servant David shall be a prince for ever;" and with them at the same time God will make " a covenant of peace which shall be an everlasting covenant," and will "set his sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore." Where are they now? What is their state? What the state of their city? What that of "the holy and beautiful house in which their fathers worshipped"? The answers which must necessarily be given to these questions prove how absurd it is, in connection with such a prophecy as this, to dream of the restoration from Babylon as a fulfilment of it, or to deny that its fulfilment must be yet future. It is, assuredly, as conclusive as words can make it in favour of the doctrine that the Messiah shall yet reign upon earth.1

ISAI. XI. is a portion of Scripture that should not be passed over without especial notice, though we can do no more than briefly remark on its general bearing upon the subject before us. It forms throughout a bright and glowing description of Messiah's glory, and

1 Compare with this, Ezek. xxxiv. 22-24; xxxvii. 1-14; Jer. xxx. 9; Hos. iii. 5; Jer. iii. 16-18.

of the character of his reign and kingdom. This is universally admitted. That nothing approaching to a fulfilment of it has yet taken place must also be admitted, if the obvious import of its terms be but duly considered; and if it be moreover remembered, that here also we have a prediction of Israel's restoration "from the four corners of the earth," proving, as in the cases before noticed, that the time must necessarily be yet future. And yet that the scene of this righteous and glorious reign will be, not heaven, but earth, is readily seen from this "THE EARTH shall (then) be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (ver. 9). Throughout the chapter, indeed, the language is only applicable to a terrestrial, and not a celestial, state of things, except so far as the heavenly and peaceful character of that state is concerned.

I have hitherto proceeded on the assumption that the "new earth" will be the present one in a renewed and renovated state; but I must not make this assumption any longer without endeavouring to support it by some amount of proof. This I now proceed to do. But it is right to apprize the reader that the evidence which will be laid before him on this point, will not be so full as that which has been produced on those which have

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