washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes; which taketh place at the treading of the wine press upon his second coming (Isai. lxiii. 1-7; xxxiv. 8; Rev. xix. 13-15). In like manner of Joseph's blessing, nothing of all that occurreth from ver. 24 to 27 hath ever been accomplished, especially that interjection ("hence is the Shepherd and Stone of Israel"); for Christ, as the Shepherd or the gatherer, as the Stone or the breaker of his enemies, hath not yet appeared out of Joseph. Neither doth Naphtali give goodly words, nor Dan judge his people; nor hath Gad overcome at the last; nor hath Benjamin ravened as a wolf, in the morning devouring the prey, and at night dividing the spoil; nor indeed, as I judge, hath any one of these fates in its spirit been fulfilled. It may be said that Levi hath been scattered in Israel, but Simeon hath not: and though Zebulun dwelt at the haven of the sea, we hear not of any great maritime distinction which he attained. That nothing hath happened to the tribes of Israel to fulfil these great characteristic distinctions, every one who interpreteth according to the words, will easily perceive. That they will be fulfilled, and be the characteristics of the twelve tribes in the last days, every one who believeth Scripture will believe. I conclude, therefore, that the last days which is to bring out the veracity of these distinctions are not yet arrived, but will begin to run from the time of God's appearing

for his ancient people, and gathering them together to the work of destroying all Anti-Christian nations, of evangelising the world, and of governing it during the Millennium; very manifest it is, that the last days of the Jewish dispensation did least of all accomplish any part of any of these predictions, except the coming of Shiloh,-which indeed they did see, but none of the mysteries for which he came. Now, the coming of Shiloh is introduced into the blessing of Judah, for the sake of the exaltation which Judah, through him, was to receive, which Judah hath not received, but, contrariwise, evil, and captivity, and disgrace; in which dishonour and weakness Benjamin did then partake, instead of that rampant might and joyful triumph which is foreshewn to him. And seven hundred years before these last days of the Jewish dispensation, all the other tribes had been lost, and have not been heard of since. What can be said then, but that if these last days refer to the last days of the Jewish dispensation, the prophecy hath utterly failed; if, to the last days of the Christian dispensation, the prophecy may be fulfilled; and it consisteth with the whole spirit of prophecy, that it should be fulfilled.

The next passage to which I will carry you for further light upon this subject, is in the book of Job (xix. 25): "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he will stand at the latter day" (in the latter days,' or 'at last,'

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or at the last day,' or at the end;' for in all

these ways consenting hath been translated).

together the passage "And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another, though my reins be consumed within me." The things which Job was to see in the last days are the following: First, his Redeemer standing upon the earth; second, that after being devoured with worms, he himself in flesh-that is, in flesh raised from corruption-should see God. This can apply to no time but the second coming of the Lord, and the resurrection of his saints to meet him in the flesh, and be with him for ever. The latter day, or the last days of Job, carries us through this present dispensation of trouble and sorrow, to the coming of Christ in vengeance, as the Redeemer of his suffering people from the hands of their enemies, their Avenger upon death, and their Liberator from the grave. Which being coincident with the consummation of the Gentile apostasy, and the restoration of the Jews, doth exactly coalesce with what we have already discovered.

The next is one of those few passages which occur twice in the Holy Scriptures (Isa. ii. 2 ; Micah iv. 1): "It shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all

nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord." Here, for determining what period in Scripture is understood by the term "the last days," we have these events prophesied as then about to take place. (1.) The establishment of Mount Zion where the Lord's house stood, upon the top of the mountains; that is, its pre-eminency above all other places of the earth, its conspicuousness in the eyes of all the world, and its distinction from the hand of God, as the seat of his worship and glory. (2.) The flowing of all nations into it, as the centre of their covenant, to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles; whither if any nation go not up, by solemn deputation or otherwise, it is said that upon that nation shall be no rain. (Zech. xiv. 16.) (3.) The continual influx thither of many peoples to his house, and to be instructed in his ways.

dging among, or ruling and his rebuking or cleansing copies. (5.) The ceasing and de...ca of all war for ever, and the very casion of the knowledge and study of it. Ine walking of the house of Jacob in the

of the Lord. Now, it is needless to say to you, that not one of these things has yet been fulfilled, but the very contrary of these things up to this day hath the earth beheld; Mount Zion hath been successively trodden under the foot of almost every nation under heaven, and God's name blasphemed there by every superstition and apostasy which hath been since the time of the first captivity. The Lord hath not yet taken upon him the rule and sovereignty of the nations, but conducts it by the government of kings and magistrates, whom the Scripture calleth gods. See particularly Ps. lxxxii. xcv. xcvi. xcvii. When he ascended up on high, the Christian church preached him, "the Lord," as well as "the Christ." And thus his right and title hath by preaching been announced in all lands, to see if they would acknowledge it. They have all, saving this kingdom, renounced his royal prerogative; (it was so when I wrote, but is not any more so, woe is me!) and been guilty of high treason against the King; and therefore the Father shall bring him in over their prostrate usurpations. To constitute a judgment of rulers, it was first necessary that they should offend