tify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word "." The " fountain opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness,” is furnished to mankind by Christ, who is himself "the fountain of living waters."

66

"I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me ;and they shall not enter into the land of Israel." The "rebels and they that transgress" are to be excluded from that land "by the rivers" where the chosen flock is to be fed, and where it is to be sprinkled with clean water; even upon them shall be no rainh," for " the rebellious dwell in a dry landi." "O my flock, thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the he goats." "I puΙ nished the goats." Christ, in the day of judgment, shall gather all people before Him, and "He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and He shall set His sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."

14.

The "land," then, into which " the children

d Eph. v. 25, 26.

e Zech. xiii. 1.

Psalm i. 3; lxxii. 6. Isaiah,

v. 6. Jere. iii. 3. Hosea, vi.

f Jere. ii. 13. John, iv. 10, 3; x. 12. Joel, ii. 23. Acts,

Ezek. xx. 38.

h Zech. xiv. 17.

iPsalm lxviii. 6. See

xiv. 17.

k Ezek. xxxiv. 17.

Zech. x. 3.

m Matt. xxv. 32, 33.

of Israel," are to be gathered under the Shepherd and King David; "the land of Israel;" "the mountains of Israel by the rivers;" is the spiritual kingdom of the new and heavenly Jerusalem, into which "the Israel of GOD" is to be gathered. This land is spoken of also as the land which GOD gave unto Jacob, in which the fathers dwelt*; so that, as this land was "the heavenly Jerusalem," it follows, that the land which was promised unto the fathers was a heavenly country; in which, while on earth, they already dwelt in faith. For, as the prophecies respecting the kingdom of Christ may be regarded as referring, both to His Church on earth, and to His Church in heaven (the former being a figure of the latter); as they which have faith in Christ are regarded as members of each of these churches ; and, as such persons are called "the children of Abraham";" so Abraham (who lived and died

n Ezek. xxviii. 25; xxxvi. 28; xxxvii. 25.

*The land, in which is the river of healing waters issuing forth from the temple of GOD', is the land into which they are to be gathered, and this land is spoken of as being that which. was given to the fathers 2; and, as this river flows through the new and heavenly Jerusalem, the prophecies which predict the return of the houses of Israel and Judah to the land which was promised to their fathers, relate to the assemblage of "the Israel of GOD" in "the Jerusalem which is above.”—Compare Ezek. xlvii. 1, 12, with Rev, xxii. 1, 2.

Ezek. xlvii. 1-9.

2 Ezek. xlvii. 14.

in the faith of Christ, and who understood "the promises" as relating to a heavenly country), being a member of Christ's earthly church, dwelt in Christ's kingdom on earth, "with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise'." The land which God gave to the fathers, was that "better country, that is, an heavenly," of which the Shepherd Jesus, the Anointed David, is the Ruler and King; and of this land, the temporal land of Canaan was, as has already been shown, a figure.

66

In this land, this spiritual kingdom," the children of Israel" (or " the Israel of God”) are to form "one nation," "and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all;" "one king shall be king to them all;" for " then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head";""Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim"." "For, as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also in Christ; for by one spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or

free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit x;' "there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all and in ally." "Ye are all one in Christ Jesus2." "The sons of the stranger that join themselves to the Lord to serve Him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain"." The kingdom of Christ is to consist of persons " of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation b." "The Israel of God" embraces all who accept Christ, all who testify their faith in His atonement, for "they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are accounted the seed;" "they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." The " Israel of GOD" shall consist of the spiritual children of Judah," and of the spiritual children of Israel; of the spiritual Jews, and of those who as yet are "afar off," "with

* 1 Cor. xii. 12, 13.

b Rev. v. 9; vii. 4-9.

y Coloss. iii. 11. Rom. iii. Isaiah, lxvi. 18.

22; iv. 11; x. 12.

Gal. iii. 28.

Isaiah, lvi. 6, 7.

c Rom. ix. 8.

d Gal. iii. 7.

e Rom. ii. 28, 29.

f Acts, ii. 39.

outs," and "in bondage"."

"The Lord shall

save the tents of Judah first," "the house of Judah" shall be plucked out "from among the wicked;" and the wicked shall be plucked out of their land, but the Lord will "return and have compassion on them, and bring them again every man to his heritage." Those who are, as yet, strangers from the covenants of promise," shall be brought "every man to his heritage," together with the spiritual "house of Judah," and they shall be united so as to form "one nation," for the spiritual "children of Israel" "shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all." When Christ "shall have put down all rule and all authority and power," "the kingdoms of this world" shall "become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever"." Thus the spiritual Israel shall be incorporated with spiritual Judah in the kingdom of the "new Jerusalem," and the second David (Christ) shall, like the father of Solomon, reign" in Jerusalem over all Israel and Judah "."

The prophecy of Ezekiel, which predicts the gathering together the "children of Israel" into

• Mark, iv. 11.

Gal. iv. 25.

i Zech. xii. 7.

* Jere. xii. 14, 15.

1

1 Cor. xv. 24.

m Rev. xi. 15.

2 Sam. v. 5.