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earth as holy children of the holy Abraham, shall possess the land settled by the covenant with Abraham,-mapped in the directions to Mosesentered by Joshua-conquered by the sword of David-and ruled over in peace by Solomon the son of David; who, in that momentary rule of peace, pictured the joyful dominion in righteousness of his great Antitype,-the true Davidthe very Son of David-the Prince of Peace,"of the increase of whose government and peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from thenceforth even for ever."

Brethren, I have trembled under the attempt to condense into a rapid sketch, and gather into one circle, the thoughts of these high and heavenly things that angels desire to look into. I dared not pause to direct you to the particular pages in the divine revelation from whence such thoughts are gathered. One such pause would have divided the effort of attention, which needs to be whole and entire in being raised up to such heavenly heights; and to adduce the reference of proofs would have involved a long delay, such as I am not authorized to require of you. But I entreat you to carry home the views thus presented to your minds, and diligently to search

the Word of God, in order to discover whether the various portions of the Scriptures do not fall into fitting places in filling up the detail. Pray earnestly for the teaching of the Holy Ghost to guide you aright in such a search.

If this view be substantially correct, I need not detain you to suggest the answers which it affords to all those objections which are based upon the notion, that the absence of the Church of God, as we now see it, from the earth in the millennial period, makes it impossible that premillennial doctrine should be correct. Such an -objection must vanish away from the mind that admits the view now placed before you.

And in confirmation of this view, we refer to the fact which has been established in the former part of this Lecture. God has made a covenant with Abraham, the essential parts of which have never yet been fulfilled. Jehovah pledged himself that Abraham should have a large posterity; that a certain specified land should be allotted as a possession to that posterity,- an everlasting possession; and that in his Seed-in one great eminent Seed-all nations, yea, all families of the earth, shall be blessed. Of these three points, the first has been, in a great degree, fulfilled. Abraham has a numerous posterity; but, by a miraculous interposition, by

which all natural causes are restrained and altered with reference to that family, they are held in existence contrary to the rules which regulate the destinies of other nations; and kept in abeyance, ready to be brought forth for the future justification of God's faithfulness in the fulfilment of his covenant to the very letter.

As regards the second point, the promised land has been possessed indeed, and possessed in glorious peace, by the children of Abraham, but for an insignificant period of forty years alone; and therefore in nowise according to the covenant which bids them claim an "everlasting possession." Moreover, this temporary possession has evidently a typical character, which, so far from fully satisfying the claim of the covenant, may be said to afford an additional assurance of the more perfect fulfilment.

The promised land has been stricken and smitten: the fertility of Eshcol has been turned into the barrenness of Etham; but there lies the land characterized as holy by all generations, bearing the eternal mark of God's grant to Abraham, and waiting for the mastery of his children, and the manifestation of the Son of David, the King of the Jews, whose claim registered over his crown of thorns shall be one day enforced with his sceptre of power. For this

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He must be manifested; and at his glorious appearing will commence the time when "the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.”* "And the

Lord shall reign in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever." And thus shall all nations, yea, all families of the earth, be blessed, from that promised land.

Brethren, after considering this great subject, I dare not leave you without one solemn warning concerning the personal interest which belongs * Micah iv. 1-4. † Ibid. ver. 7.

to us in the matter. Whether the great consummation be near or far off,-whether the Divine Son of David be even now about to set up his kingdom on Mount Zion, or will yet postpone it,—we are assuredly living in that preparatory dispensation in which the Lord is gathering his elect "out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation," that they may form his glorious court when he shall take his great power and reign. Satan is yet walking about, seeking whom he may devour. The gates of that place prepared for him and his angels are yet unclosed. The glories of the kingdom are yet proposed to our faith, and the Spirit of Christ is even now applying it to the hearts of his people. I am addressing a people professing to be Christian, and a people who have no kindred with the stock of Abraham. Each one, therefore, has this alternative before him, and only this,-When the children of Abraham shall enter upon the everlasting possession of the promised land, each one of us must be either admitted into the joy of the Lord, to share with him the glory of the kingdom, or be cast out as those whom he never knew as his people. Which will it be with you? I earnestly pray that the Holy Spirit may so take of the things of Christ, and show them to each of your hearts, that he may make you love

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