contrary, he retired from their observation, under the charge and apparent ignominy of a defeat, and left them in the exercise of a mysterious and fearful liberty to continue, if they will, in their rebellion. Instead of seeing his faithful subjects in the enjoyment of peace and prosperity, he told them distinctly that his object, at that time, was not to send peace upon the earth, but a sword; that they would be persecuted; that their foes would be they of their own households; that they would be cast out of the synagogues; and that the time was at hand when whosoever killed them would think he was doing God service. It is true he left them a legacy of peace, as it is written John xiv.; but it was a peace of endurance in the midst of suffering: it was a peace whose foundation is patience, and its superstructure hope: it was the peace of a faithful martyr, rather than of a prosperous king. In this particular, therefore, the individual predicted by Jeremiah certainly does not correspond with the past history of Jesus of Nazareth upon the earth.

5. The person predicted in our text, was to execute judgment and justice in the earth. Now this, again, does not correspond with Jesus of Nazareth. He was in his own character, as we have said, just and righteous, but he did not establish an ascendancy of righteousness; he did not execute judgment in the earth: on the contrary, injustice, oppression, and violence have the practical or executive ascendancy unto this day. If it be said that his kingdom is spiritual, that he did establish an ascendancy of righteousness in the bosoms of his saints, and that this is the true meaning of the prophecy; I answer, that granting to the fullest extent the righteous character of the disciples of Jesus,-granting it to a degree that none of themselves will grant it, for they all feel and acknowledge themselves vile and carnal,-yet still this unearthly righteousness, existing in the hearts of a remnant of mankind, (scoffed and reviled by the world,) cannot with any show of fairness or impartiality in the interpretation of language, be appealed to, as the fulfilment of a prophecy which speaks in such words of majesty as these, "he shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."

6. Again, the king, predicted in our text, was to have this remarkable and important event to characterize his reign, “in his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely." To this particular, the past history of Jesus of Nazareth does in no wise correspond. On the contrary, Israel continued outcast, and Judah was trodden down and degraded in his days; the sceptre had departed from Judah; their tribute-money was due to Cæsar; they declared they had no king but Cæsar;

their iniquities were at the full; and a very few years afterwards they were utterly ruined in both church and state, and dispersed abroad in disgrace among the nations, as we have seen, unto this day. If it be alleged, that the Judah and Israel of the prophecy mean the Christian church, I answer, that this objection has been fairly met, and, as I think, satisfactorily refuted in our examination of the 36th and 37th chapters of Ezekiel; and I cannot now diverge from my main argument, to contend with those who persevere in asserting, that when the inspired prophets of Jehovah wrote Jews, they intended their readers to understand Gentiles. This characteristic, therefore, of the reign of the king, predicted by Jeremiah, does in no wise correspond with the history of the days of Jesus of Nazareth.

Our text contains yet one particular more. 7. The name by which the king, predicted by Jeremiah, would be called and known, is Jehovah our Righteousness. To this particular we find, by the New Testament, that Jesus of Nazareth corresponds in a certain sense. He is declared to be made of God unto his people righteousness, to be the end of the law for righteousness; and the desire and prayer of his true followers is, to be found in him, not having their own righteousness, but his. But as yet, this is stated only to the ear and heart of faith. The disciples of Jesus cannot manifest it in the earth -cannot prove it to the world-cannot shew, so as to convince gainsayers, what Master they serve, and in what righteousness they are clothed. This royal name is not fully proclaimed even in the Christian church; nor is the sublime doctrine contained in it, admitted or believed in its simplicity and fulness by one in a thousand of those who call Jesus master. Besides, let us attend to the prophecy. The speaker is a Jew: the subjects of the king, just mentioned in the preceding words, are Jews: and the plain construction of the passage requires that the pronoun our be referred to the Jews: so that the prophecy declares the name by which the king shall be called amongst his Jewish subjects in those days, to be Jehovah our Righteousness. Now, have the Jews acknowledged Jesus of Nazareth as Jehovah their Righteousness? Surely not.

Upon the whole, then, we see that Jesus of Nazareth did not completely fulfil this prophecy. Need I even suggest the inquiry, Has it been fulfilled since his time? No. Many monarchs have indeed reigned and prospered since; Constantine and Justinian of Rome, Charles of Germany, Henry of France, our own Henrys and Edwards of England; but none of these were of the stock of David; none of these were righteous: none of them gave peace and safety to Israel; and to apply

to any of these, the royal name of the king in the prophecy, would be blasphemy itself.

We have arrived, then, at a most important conclusion, important in itself, and important in its bearing upon other arguments; to wit, that this prophecy by Jeremiah has never yet, up to this moment, found a complete fulfilment.

Will it ever be completely fulfilled? Let the sacred text itself make answer,-Behold, thus saith the Lord! The Lord, who cannot lie, hath spoken it, and it must be fulfilled.

When? and in whom? These are questions of interest, both to Jew and Gentile.

Of the seven particulars mentioned in this prophecy, we have seen that three were perfectly and literally appropriated to himself by Jesus of Nazareth; that three others were not appropriated at all; and that the seventh was appropriated but in a partial manner. Now it is admitted by all who receive the Scriptures as the word of God, that Jesus Christ, who was dead and is alive again, will return to this earth. He sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; "from thence he shall come."* "He shall come again with glory." "At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies." It is the creed of every Christian church and of every Christian, that Jesus Christ will come again. It is the distinguishing hope of those who surround his table: they shew forth his death till he come. Now this revealed truth, that he will come again, in connexion with the subject before us, excites a presumption at least, if not a positive expectation, that as some parts of this prophecy are applicable to him and to no other, the remaining parts will be applicable to him when he returns; so that in what he did at his first advent to the earth, combined with what he will do at his second, the whole prophecy will find in him a complete fulfilment. HE HAS DONE WHAT

IDENTIFIES THE PERSON PREDICTED: HE WILL DO WHAT WILL ACCOMPLISH THE FULFILMENT OF THE HISTORY PREDICTED.

Supposing this expectation to be well grounded, when he returns he must throw off his disguise of a servant, and assert his royal authority; he must subdue his enemies, and give peace, and plenty, and happiness to his friends and willing subjects; he must unsheath the sword of justice in the earth, and so execute judgment as to give occasion to say, "Verily, there is a reward for the righteous; verily, there is a God that judgeth in the earth." In his days Judah must be saved, and Israel dwell safely; and he must be recognised and hailed by the Jewish nation as Jehovah their Righteousness. Now it is certainly remarkable, to say no more, that those things which, from this prophecy, we are naturally led to expect would come * Apostle's Creed.

† Nicene Creed.

+ Athanasian Creed.

to pass, are precisely the things which, in other prophecies, we are told shall come to pass at the second advent of the Lord.

Jesus Christ shall return, not in disguise as before, but with power and great glory. He shall be manifested as the King of kings, and Lord of lords, reigning and prospering, executing judgment and justice in the earth, subduing his enemies under him, and giving peace, and plenty, and happiness to his friends.

These are all exceedingly important points; but I merely enumerate them here, because (though important) they are, as I said, only collateral to our main subject, which keeps the Jews in prominence. This is the next particular of the prophecy. Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely. And the fulfilment of it is largely and explicitly connected with the second coming of the Lord. "Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, the Lord liveth, which brought up, and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land." And again, "Behold, I will bring it health and cure; and I will cure them, and will reveal unto them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them as at the first.* And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity, whereby they have sinned against me; and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed against me. And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise, and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them; and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness, and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it." See also Isaiah xiv. 1, 2; and xxvii. 12, 13; and li. 22, 23; and lx. passim; Ezekiel xxxiv. xxxvi. xxxvii.; Hosea iii. 4, 5; Micah iv.; Zechariah viii. 22, 23; xii. 6-10; xiv. passim.

As the complete fulfilment of the seventh particular of the prophecy, we read concerning the Lord the King, that in him shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith Jehovah.‡

* If Israel mean the ten tribes, as distinguished from the two, the prophecy is, as we allege, unfulfilled as yet:-if Israel mean Gentile converts, how were they builded at the first?

+ Jer. xxxiii. 6-9.

+ Isa. xlv. 24, 25, and liv. 17.

Where, now, is the harshness, where the enthusiasm, where the inconclusiveness of this line of argument? Where, also, I would ask, is there any other interpretation which deals so fairly with the language of the Prophet, not evading or explaining away a single word, but taking all as it stands; hailing the application of as much of it to Jesus of Nazareth, as the New Testament history literally warrants, and expecting the similarly literal application of the remainder, and the manifested fulfilment of it all, just as the Prophet has spoken.

The conclusion, then, which I draw from all this is, that Jesus Christ is the king spoken of in this place by Jeremiah; that at his first coming he laid hold of a part of this prophecy; and that at his second coming he will lay hold of the remaining parts of it; that is, he will reign prosperously on the earth, he will execute judgment and justice in the earth, he will restore Judah and Israel to peace and safety in their own land, and he will be acknowledged and proclaimed by them, with joy and gladness, Jehovah their Righteousness. Permit me here to suggest to any intelligent man who hears me, and does not agree with me, that it will be more suited to the importance and difficulty of the subject, and more becoming his professed zeal for the truth, to construct a grave and deliberate answer to the reasons which I have advanced, than briefly or dogmatically to deny the conclusion which I have drawn.

Making this conclusion the basis of a fresh argument, I proceed to say, that as the Lord Jesus, at his second coming, will reign prosperously on the earth, and execute judgment and justice in the earth, it follows that the earth cannot be destroyed immediately on his second coming. Changed it may be, in whole or in part. This, together with the nature of the change, is another question; but finally destroyed it cannot be. And further, as the Lord Jesus Christ, at his second coming, will restore the Jews to their own land, it follows, that whatever change may have taken place on the earth, the geographical distinctions of countries will remain discernible, so far, at least, as will be necessary to distinguish Palestine from all the other countries of the earth; and national distinctions will remain discernible, so far, at least, as will be necessary to distinguish the Jewish nation from all the other nations of the earth. Here, again, I suggest to the intelligent objector the propriety of gravely refuting the premises, rather than rashly denying the conclusion.

We may now advance to make some further inquiries concerning this great King in his kingdom, and this must be done with all practicable brevity.

First, then, let us inquire concerning the reality and identity