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 dwelleth 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.*

*

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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 un

The practice of applying all such predictions to the presence of the Holy Spirit with the church, and as figurative expressions of the conversion of Israel, is unauthorized and quite unnecessary. The conversion of Israel is no doubt frequently foretold by the Hebrew prophets, and figurative expressions denoting their regeneration are indeed used in Prophecy, as may be seen in the Section on the Conversion of Israel; but the figures used are perfectly appropriate, and are obviously so. The taking out of them the stony heart, and giving to them an heart of flesh, is a figure-the washing them as with clean water is a figure the opening of a fountain for sin and for uncleanness is a figure the putting His law in their inward parts, and writing it in their hearts, are figures-the pouring upon them a spirit of warrantable substitution of uninspired hymns and paraphrases in worship, is to be attributed to the suppression of these truths. The disbelief of the doctrine of our Lord's Millennial Reign, and others connected with it, has occasioned much obscurity, although the difficulty of reconciling some of these sacred compositions with our notions of the gospel, ought long ago to have excited a suspicion of our departure from the primitive faith. There is evidently something wrong in the principle which has led some churches to the almost regular exclusion of these heavenly songs for the effusions of erring men. Had our collection of psalmody-originally inspired and designed for praise by the Holy Spirit, and afterwards collected and arranged under divine superintendance-been either inapplicable, or been found imperfect for Christian worship, another collection would doubtless have been made by Christ or his apostles. At least, it may be presumed, directions would have been given for completing the canon of praise when the greater spirituality, and wisdom, and refinement of the Church had rendered additions indispensable or expedi

ent.

But such a lack appears neither to have been felt nor anticipated in the primitive church with respect to the number or fitness of the Psalms for Christian worship. It was left to an age of higher attainments to discover and supply this great omission of the Author and Finisher of our faith.-But how careful ought Christian to be that they do not transgress by adding to that which the wisdom of the Spirit considered already complete, and by exchanging those holy songs, which they know to be in accordance with the will of God, for hymns and paraphrases which they may sometimes have reason to suspect of doubtful orthodoxy. The greater elegance of the poetry is an inadequate compensation for the loss sustained by the exchange; for, even in cases where the original Psalm may be obscured in our translation, and where the critic's eye may detect a want of taste, there are still left a glory and a dignity which bear down every lesser fault, and impart to the believer a higher relish than the mere charms of poetry could ever yield.

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grace and of supplications, is a figure. All of these are figures, and of such a nature as not to be misunderstood. They express unequivocally the idea of conversion, a blessing which our Second Section proves to be also the subject of abundant promises in which no figure is used. Why, then, must the promises of the coming of the Lord be also supposed to predict what is thus so fully and plainly declared? There is no need for the assumption. In most cases, it can only create a mere redundancy of expression, and it is altogether inconsistent with the language of many of the predictions in which that coming and presence are announced. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." Is. xii. 6. For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterwards shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God, and THE BELOVED their King; and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days." Hos. iii. 4, 5. It has been a literal" king" and "prince" that the children of Israel have so long been without, and this want is to be supplied by "The Beloved" himself becoming "their king." This prediction contains also a distinct promise of their conversion, for they shall then "fear the Lord;" and this shall be "in the latter days."

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"Behold the Lord God wilL COME with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him. Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him." Is. xl. 10. "And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that am the Lord your God, and none else, and my people shall never be ashamed." Joel ii. 27. "So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.... but Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed; for the Lord dwelleth in Zion." Joel iii. 17, 20, 21.

On this subject, instead of connecting and comparing

Scripture with Scripture, in order to obtain its combined evidence, it has been more usual to assume that Christ will not reign personally upon earth, and then to endeavour by any means to explain all these passages, as they individually occur, consistently with the views entertained. Even with this resolution it must occasionally prove difficult really to believe that some of the preceding promises mean nothing more than the universal prevalence of holiness, and the greater effusion of the Holy Spirit, while the Redeemer still remains in heaven. And if such an accommodation prove inadmissible, as an explanation of declarations so explicit as have been already quoted, there are others which still less admit of any spiritual interpretation. In a most important and interesting prediction clearly referring to future times, the prophet Isaiah says, "Behold, the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof; and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards. And the Egyptians will I give over into the hand of a cruel lord; and a fierce king shall rule over them, saith the Lord, the Lord of Hosts. ...In that day shall Egypt be like unto women; and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of Hosts which he shaketh over it. ...In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the Land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord. And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the Lord of Hosts, in the land of Egypt; for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a SAVIOUR, and a Great One, and He shall deliver them. And the Lord shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation;

yea, they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and perform it." Is. xix. 1-21.

The connection in which the coming of the Lord here stands to the conversion of Egypt leaves no doubt of its being yet unfulfilled; while the expressions used concerning the coming of the Lord and His being sent seem only applicable to a personal coming. It is while groaning under the yoke of earthly "oppressors," the prayer is addressed to the Lord for deliverance; when they have been given "into the hand of a cruel lord, and a fierce king shall rule over them." ver. 4. Their prayer is answered, for the Lord "shall SEND them a Saviour," even the Lord, who shall come riding upon "a swift cloud," and "shall deliver them," from that oppression. How is it possible to interpret this of any other than a personal coming of the Saviour? The manner of His coming-upon a "cloud"-corresponds exactly with the prediction given by Himself concerning his Return: "Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory:" (Luke xxi. 27.) and which was subsequently repeated by attendant angels at His ascension in the cloud: "shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." (Acts i 1.) In neither of these, nor in any other New Testament prediction, have we any intimation of the place to which he shall descend; and it is to be observed that the prediction under consideration is the ONLY ONE the Scriptures contain of the Saviour's coming in, or on, or with a cloud, or clouds, to any specific place. But if He ever come to earth again, (and there are few indeed who doubt or question this,) it must be to some place. Why then disbelieve the fact, that on this swift cloud, He shall come into Egypt?" This was the theatre of God's early wonders in behalf of his ancient people, and His coming thither at this time is probably connected with their future deliverance. In the prophecy," the land of Judah" is introduced, as terror unto Egypt:" (ver. 17.) and in what way the circumstances of Israel may yet be involved with those of Egypt, it is impossible to say. That they will be so in a great degree, is obvious from many predictions, which

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