ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven.” Ps. lxxxix. 3—37.

In other predictions, this po is intimately connected with the Restoration of Israel: “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of Righteousness to grow up unto David, and He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days j Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness. For thus saith the Lord, David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; [from this time spoken of, when “in those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely;”] neither shall the priests, the Levites, want a man before me to offer burnt-offerings, and to kindle meatofferings, and to do sacrifice continually....Thus saith the Lord, If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also, my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne,” and with the

* The Examinator in the Christian Instructor, already referred to, admits that “the tabernacle of God is to dwell with men, and the son of David is to sit and rule on David's throne, in a sense that has not yet been accomplished.” (p. 476.) But we see no sense in which this can be fulfilled but literally. For, if he should say that nothing more is meant by this expression than that the influences of the Holy Spirit shall be plentifully shed upon the souls of men, we reply that this is no new sense; it is not a sitting upon the throne of David in any way. If we were at liberty to understand the promise, as referring to the Spirit's influences, then must we conclude, that the Son of David now sits and rules on David's throne, since every believer does enjoy these influences—to say nothing of the manifest impropriety of Galling the souls of believers the throne of David. We do not see how it can, in any sense, be said, that the Mediator, by a continued residence in heaven, either sits or rules on David's throne, which was upon the earth. This appears to be a misapplication of language not to be imputed to the blessed Spirit, and very different from that admirable precision which characterizes the Holy Scriptures. It is to take a latitude of spiritualizing by which the most obvious meaning of any passage in Holy writ may be explained away, or its meaning perverted to sanction the grossest heresies.

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Levites the priests my ministers." Jer. xxxiii. 14—21. This last part of the prediction belongs properly to a subsequent Section on the rebuilding of the temple, in which will be shown God's purpose of sacrifice being continued during the Millennium.

This King, the son of David and the Branch of Righteousness, is evidently no other than Christ himself; but this is still more obvious from the following: "For unto us a Child is born; unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the everlasting Father, ['• Father of the everlasting age," Louth,'] the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his 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 henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this." Is. ix. 6, 7. "Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In His days, Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." Jer. xxiii. 5, 6.

SECTION XII.

THE REDEEMER'S PRESENCE ON EARTH DURING
THE MILLENNIUM.

In some of the foregoing passages, the coming of the Son of Man is announced, and in others, His presence on earth is fully implied, although we have hitherto abstained from comment upon them. This, however, we shall now endeavour to prove, by the quotation of predictions in which it is expressly promised: "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, He hath cast out thine enemy. The King of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee; thou shalt not see evil any more.” Zeph. iii. 14, 15. This is the literal Israel who are to be brought “from beyond the rivers of Ethiopia.” ver. 10. It is also their future restoration, after which they shall “not see evil any more.” The king of Israel spoken of is “even the Lord,” who shall then be “in the midst” of them. Nor is this to be explained into their conversion which is also predicted: “the remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity.” ver, 13. Does not the rediction intimate that when the Lord's judgments on }. are past, their enemies cast out, their transgressions pardoned, and they shall see no more evil, when, in short, the Millennium arrives, that then the Lord Jesus will indeed dwell upon the earth, and be “the King of Israel ?” In the following prediction of the prophet Zechariah, the coming of the Saviour and his continuance on earth appear to be explicitly foretold ; “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for lo! I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee; and thou shall know that the Lord of Hosts hath sent Me unto thee. And the Lord shall inherit Judah his portion in the Holy Land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.” Zech. ii. 10 —12. Israel, “the daughter of Zion,” is called to rejoice for the coming of the Lord. Nor does this seem capable of being understood in any other sense than of a personal coming, for they shall “know that the Lord of Hosts hath sent me unto thee.” Having been sent, He will dwell with them “in the Holy Land.” Such circumstances seem fully to imply his personal presence. By way of contrast, it seems also to point to his former rejection, when they refused to recognize him as their Messiah; but they shall now “know” that he is the “sent” of the Lord. The conversion of “many nations” is here also foretold, not as either the coming of the Lord or his after dwelling with them, but as additional to and consequent of it: “And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people.”

Again, by the same prophet, " Thus saith the Lord, I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord of Hosts, The Holy Mountain." Zech. viii. 3. To " return" to a place implies not merely having been formerly in it, but also an intervening absence from it. This promise cannot therefore apply to the church, from which God's Spirit is never absent. Applied to the personal presence of the Lord Jesus, its language is characterized by propriety as well as condescension. In human nature he has already been in Zion, and his coming to it again will therefore be a " return." There will then be a great change too in the moral character of the city. The contrasted permanence of His future residence may also be pointed out in the expression He " will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem."

The coming of the Saviour, and His abode with His people, is the frequent theme of Inspired Psalmody: "Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her is come. For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion, He shall appear in his glory." Ps. cii. 13 —16. "Blessed be the Lord out of Zion,who dwellet/t at Jerusalem." Ps. cxxxv. 21. In the first of these it is promised that at the restoration of Israel, "when the Lord shall build up Zion," that He shall then " appear,' not as when formerly he tabernacled on earth, but "in His glory." His appearance in humility was shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, but when Zion shall be again built up. " He shall appear in his glory." He shall then dwell "At Jerusalem." This expression appears quite inconsistent •with the notion that "Jerusalem" is the church. To dwell at Jerusalem plainly implies that it is, in this instance, the place rather than the people that is spoken of.*

* So full of these doctrines are the Songs of Zion that their revival has poured a flood of light upon our Psalmody; and perhaps the uu