tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my fanctuary; and I will make the place of my feet glorious. For brafs I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring filver, and for wood brafs,and for ftones iron I will alfo make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteoufnefs."

This houfe is to be built after the Jews return, and are in profperity in their own land, as is plain from this whole chapter. The materials of this houfe are particularly mentioned, which are fir, pine, box, iron, brass filver and gold. I do not fee how any perfon can fpiritualize all thefe things, fo as to make good joints in the church of Chrift which is built of living ftones, a fpiritual house.

This house is mentioned by Micah, who speaks of it as fomething to be at the laft days. Micah iv. 1, "But in the last days it fhall come to pafs, that the mountain of the HOUSE of the Lord fhall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; ' and people fhall flow unto it." Every perfon by reading the two following verfes may fee that this prophecy refers to the time, when all kingdoms are given up to Chrift.

Another prophecy of this houfe is recorded in Haggai ii. 7, 8, 9, “And I will shake all nations, and the defire of all nations fhall come, and I will fill this house with glory, faith the Lord of hofts; the filver is mine, and the gold is mine, faith the Lord of hofts. The glory of this latter houfe fhall be greater than the former, faith_the Lord of hofts, and in this place will I give peace, faith the Lord of hosts."

The things which are to take place when the glory of this latter houfe fhall be greater than the former, prove that this house will be built in the laft days; at the time when the heavens and earth are fhaken; which will be when Chrift's feet fhall ftand upon the mount of Olives, and the time when he destroys the great army gathered against Jerufalem.

The fortieth, fofty firft, forty fecond, forty third, forty fourth, forty fifth, and forty fixth chapters are wholly taken up in defcribing the city and houfe, which we are

now fpeaking of; and there is not a doubt in my mind but that at the time when Chrift reigns on the earth, Jerufalemn will be fuch a city as is mentioned there; and in Jerufalem will be an house in the fquare of the city, according to the pattern given by the angel to Ezekiel; if not, why are all thefe particulars concerning a city and houfe if it is never to be? A particular defcription of this houfe is given in thefe chapters, which is not neceffary to

defcribe in this.

It is fairly proved that there will be fuch an house in the land of Canaan in the last days; and the fcripture quoed are fufficient to covince my readers of that glory which all the righteous may believe and hope for.

When the difciples faw Jerufalem and the temple garnished with all manner of precious ftones, they could not forbear faying, "Mafter fee what manner of buildings is this?" But what was all that glory to that of the latter houfe, when the king of glory fhall enter into his house through the gate at the eaft, and fill the houfe with his glory, while all nations fhall come to fee a greater than Solomon, and to hear his wifdom when he dwells there.

Let us for a moment confider a city large, encompaffed by a ftrong and beautiful wall, lying four fquare, and three gates on each fide; the city filled with riches in abundance, well watered, the citizens all healthy, rich, righteous, and in peace; with a temple and palace, where their king refides, and where they meet to pay their homage to him, and to receive his law, where fongs of praife are continually founding, and where people are continually gathered to acknowledge the king as their king, and to rejoice with the citizens; how glorious muft this appear! especially when it is known that this glory is to continue one thousand years, and beyond that a state far exceeding this, and this to continue, world without end. From what we read, we may form fome faint ideas of the glory of the king and the latter house; But,

"His beauty we can never trace,

'Till we behold him face to face."

There are three things which will be peculiar to this ftate of glory, as it refpects the pofterity of Abraham;

The firft is, that the whole of the twelve tribes will be restored.

The fecond is, that though the Jews will be fettled according to their old estates after they return; yet when Christ comes, there will be a new divifion of the land by lot, as it was given before.

The third is, the remarkable flourishing state of that land, when the city and house are built.

First, at that time the twelve tribes will be restored. It is thought by many, that this will never be; becaufe we do not know where the ten tribes are. That the twelve tribes will be gathered out of all lands and refettled in Canaan, is evident from substantial witnesses.

This is contained in the new covenant, which is to be made in the laft day; Hebrews viii. 8, "For finding fault with them, he faith, behold the days come, faith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Ifrael, and with the house of Judah." Here it is pofitively declared, that the new covenant will be made with the houfe of JUDAH, and the house of ISRAEL; and though we do not know where the ten tribes are, the Lord does, and will ere long bring them with Judah to their own land.

2. Another thing which proves that the twelve tribes will be brought back when Chrift reigns on the earth in Jerufalem; is, his promife to the apoftles. Matth. xix. 28, "And Jefus faid unto them, verily I fay unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of man fhall fet upon the throne of his glory, ye alfo fhall fet upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael. This place has reference to the time when Chrift will reign on the earth.

To fuppofe that in the heavenly ftate, the twelve tribes will be diftinct from all others, is too abfurd to be admitted; but to confider it as refering to the time when the apoftles fhall have a kingdom under him, we can fee the propriety of this promife.

This a

grees with what Chrift has faid in other places. Luke xxii. 28, 29, 30, "Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations; and I appoint unto you a

kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and fet on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael." Matxxvi. 29, "But I fay unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day, when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." Mark xiv. 25, "Verily I fay unto you, I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day that I drink it new in the kingdom of God." All these places have reference to Chrift's reign upon earth a thousand years; at which time,it was twice mentioned that the twelve tribes of Ifrael will be there.

3. Another thing, which proves that Judah and Ifrael will return to their land, is the numerous prophecies which speak particularly of this glorious event. I will here mention a few of the many. Ifaiah xi. II, 12, 13, "And it fhall come to pass in that day, that the Lord fhall fet his hand again the fecond time to recover the remnant of his people, which fhall be left, from Af fyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cufh, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the Iflands of the fea; and he shall fet up an Enfign for the nations, and fhall affemble the outcafts of Ifrael,and gather together the difperfed of Judah, from the four corners of the earth. The envy alfo of Ephraim fhall depart, and the adverfaries of Judah fhall be cut off; Ephraim fhall not envy Judah, and Judah fhall not vex Ephraim."

This prophecy refers to fuch a general gathering of the pofterity of Abraham as never has been; and at that time Judah and Ifrael are particularly mentioned, as coming from the four corners of the earth to dwell in their own land.

Jeremiah has spoken of the return of Judah and Ifrael, at the time when Jerufalem is called the throne of the Lord, and when all nations shall come there to worship. Jeremiah iii. 17, 18, "At that time, they fhall call Jerufalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations fhall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerufalem, neither fhall they walk any more after the

imagination of their evil heart. In thofe days the houfe of Judah fhall walk with the house of Ifrael, and they fhall come together out of the land of the north, to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers."

Here Judah and Ifrael are both mentioned, as coming together into the promised land. In chap. xxxi. 35, 36, 37, the fame fubject is mentioned-"Thus faith the Lord, which giveth the fun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and ftars for a light by night, which divideth the fea when the waves thereof roar; the Lord of hofts is his name; if thofe ordinances depart from before me, faith the LORD; then the feed of Ifrael alfo fhall ceafe from being a nation before me forever." This prophecy declares that the Ifraelites, or ten tribes, fhall never ceafe to be a nation forever.

There were fome in Jeremiah's day, that faid the two families, (Judah and Ifrael) were caft off from being a nation, and that they were defpifed on that account; but the Lord told them, by the prophet that they never fhould ceafe to ba nation. Jeremiah xxxiii. 23, 24, 25, 26," Moreover, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, faying; confidereft thou not what this people have spoken, faying, the two families which the Lord hath chofen, he hath even caft them off? Thus they have defpifed my people, that they shoud be no more a nation before them. Thus faith the Lord, if my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; then will I caft away the feed of Ifrael, and David my fervant, fo that I will not take any of his feed to be rulers over the feed of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob; for I will caufe their captivity to return, and have mercy on them." The certain return of the ten tribes of Ifrael, is mentioned in a familiar manner in Amos ix. 8, 9, "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the finful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth, faving that I will not utterly def troy the houfe of Jacob, faith the Lord. For, lo, I will command, and I will fift the houfe of Ifrael among all nations, like as corn is fifted in a feive, yet fhall not the