passages, that during this period of uninterrupted felicity, the kingdoms of this world will be under the Redeemer's sway. By his sufferings and death he has purchased redemption for his people, and in our nature obtained from the Father a promise of the uttermost parts of the earth for His possession. We see not yet, indeed, all things put under him; but Jehovah Kas declared his decree, and will in due time carry it into execution.

It is not the object of the present Section to prove Christ's stay on earth during the Millennium. This being the subject of the following Section, we confine ourselves at present to the selection of passages in proof merely of the Saviour's Millennial reign. This is explicitly declared in those which follow: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the Kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever." Dan. ii. 44. "I saw in the night visions; and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.... And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom UNDER the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him." Dan. vii. 13, 14, 27. In these verses we have declared the future setting up of a heavenly kingdom-a kingdom established by God himself, and which "shall not be left to other people." Though celestial in its origin, and having its government committed to the Son of Man, and administered by His saints, it is still on the earth, being "under" the heaven. It is, however, universal, being "under the whole heaven," and includes "all dominions." The time of its establishment and the manner of Christ's coming are here also introduced, but these

being subjects of future consideration, we do not now advert to either.

This is a theme very frequently touched, and not unfrequently dwelt upon by all the inspired bards. In the following Psalm, as in many others, it has blended with it the Restoration of Israel, whose song of triumph on that occasion it evidently is: "O clap your hands all ye people, shout unto God with the voice of triumph; for the Lord Most High is terrible: He is a great King over all the earth. He shall subdue the people under us, [Israel,] and the nations [by whom they have been oppressed] under our feet. He shall choose our inheritance for us, [alluding probably to the New Division of the Holy Land,] the excellency of Jacob whom he loved. Selah. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. [His triumphal approach.] Sing praises to God, sing praises. Sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing ye praises with understanding, [an exhortation to which more attention ought to be given;] God reigneth over the heathen; God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham; for the shields of the earth belong unto God; He is greatly exalted." Ps. xlvii. The restoration of Israel appears to be expressed in these "princes" being "gathered together." The term "Israel," which signifies "a Prince with God," was given to Jacob when, at Peniel, "as a prince he had power over the Angel and prevailed." This name was afterwards applied to his descendants, "the people of the God of Abraham," the " princes," apparently, in the above psalm, which clearly refers to Christ's Millennial Reign.

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God is pledged in covenant to David to give this kingdom to his Seed, Christ: I have made a covenant with my chosen ; I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy Seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations.... Also I will make Him, my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His Seed shall endure for ever, and His throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for

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

In other predictions, this promise 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 shall 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 calling 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, Ò 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 prediction intimate that when the Lord's judgments on İsrael 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 shalt 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."