consume all things from off the land, saith the Lord," (1:2). He promises restoration, and subsequent blessing. "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all thy heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy. At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord," (3: 14, 15, 20). HAGGAI. Haggai prophesied after the captivity was ended, and the Jews had returned, many of them, to their land, (B. C. 520). His main office was, to encourage the Jews in rebuilding their temple, and reörganizing their state. He assured them that "the glory of the latter house," though the building was far inferior in size and beauty, should yet be greater than that of the former (2: 9); an impressive hint, by the way, which it would be well for all interpreters of the prophetic writings to regard. Why was the latter house to be more glorious than the former? Because the Messiah should appear in it; because it was to be instrumental, more immediately than the former, of introducing a spiritual religion into the world; showing that even then, the spiritual, in the prophet's esteem, was more glorious than the external; and that the whole of Judaism attains its chief glory, as it drops its cumbersome garb of externals, and unfolds and rises into a spiritual system, with a spiritual God, requiring a spiritual worship. Let Haggai teach this great truth; and let it be believed and embraced in its glory. ZECHARIAH. Zechariah prophesied about the same time with Haggai, but through a longer period, (B. C. 520-500). His office also was, in part, to encourage the people in rebuilding the temple. He promises better things. 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," (2: 10, 11). "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. — I will save my people from the east 1847.] Testimony of Zechariah and Malachi. 481 country, and from the west country; and I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.Yea, many people, and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord," (8: 3, 7, 8, 22). "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And he shall speak peace unto the heathen; and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth," (9: 9, 10). "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And living waters shall go out from Jerusalem. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. And "the nations, which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the king, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles," (14: 4, 8, 9, 16). The question here is: Which is most reasonable, to understand all this in a literal sense-as yet to take place literally, at Jerusalem, and through the earth? or to understand it as a high wrought picture, in Jewish dress, of the Messiah's advent among men, and of the results of his dispensation through earth's rolling ages? The latter is, to us, immeasurably the grander and more glorious view; and the view, we think, that accords with the laws of prophetic language, and with the genius of both the ancient and modern dispensations. Indeed, if the strictly literal is to be adopted, it not only restores Judaism to the Jews, but makes it also the religion of other nations, even all the nations of the earth, (comp 5: 2, 19). All these must go to Jerusalem yearly, to worship, and "to keep the feast of tabernacles." Who can believe it in its literal acceptation? Surely this glowing prophet must have intended to be understood as predicting the universal prevalence of a spiritual religion, the Jewish dress in which he clothed it notwithstanding. MALACHI. Malachi is the last of the prophets, and flourished about 100 years after Zechariah, (B. C. 420). He reproves the people for their hypocrisy, and assures them that a spiritual religion will soon prevail among the nations. "From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, my name shall be great among the nations; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts," (1: 11). Incensethe literal incense-would be offered only at Jerusalem. This, therefore, which is to be offered in every place, must be a spiritual incense-a spiritual worship. See, hence again, how the prophets themselves are losing the external in the spiritual and the true! This prophet merely points further to the Messiah, "The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple" (3: 1), and to the preparatory measures by which he shall be introduced; and the ancient prophecy, and canon of Old Testament Scripture is closed. Now what is the result? Must there be, in these last ages of the world, a literal restoration of the Jews to Palestine, and a reorganization of their state and worship there, and peculiar marks of divine favor towards them above all other nations, in order to meet these predictions of the prophets? To us, we confess, it does not appear so. The prophets, in the passages we have considered, and in others of similar character which might have been quoted, spoke mainly of two themes. One was, the literal restoration then shortly to take place. The captivity was existing around them, or in immediate prospect; and this, the restoration then to occur, was the more immediate and engrossing object which filled their minds. But the soul kindling at the subject, the transition was very natural to the higher and more glorious deliverance which Christ was in due time to effect for the whole world. This second theme, therefore, not unfrequently engaged their attention. And in treating of this theme, they presented the subject extensively in Jewish phrase, as this was the current phrase of their time. But it by no means follows that this phrase is to be understood always in its literal acceptation. On the contrary, the literal, in many cases, as we have seen, cannot possibly be carried through. It cannot possibly be, humanly speaking, that, every new moon, and every Sabbath, all flesh shall literally go to Jerusalem to worship (Is. 66: 23); or that all shall go even yearly to keep the feast of tabernacles, (Zech. 14: 16). These 1847.] Argument from the New Testament. 483 representations must designate merely the universal prevalence of the true religion. So of the incense to be offered in every place, (Mal. 1: 11). It cannot be the literal. The expression must mean the true spiritual worship. Moreover, the promises made to the people, that David should reign over them (Ezek. 34: 23, 24. 37: 24, 25), cannot refer to the literal David, who had then been long dead. They must have reference to David's seed, David's representative, mainly the Messiah; whose kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. And is not here the key to unlock the meaning of the other predictions relating to this general subject—the principle on which they are to be interpreted? And further still: The literal, even if it could be carried through, is not, in our apprehension, by any means so grand and glorious-does not contain in it anything like the amount of blessing to the world-as the spiritual. The spiritual makes the Gospel a system of hidden glories, which are to unfold through all time, and through eternity. "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal," (2 Cor. 4: 18). NEW TESTAMENT. But the argument from the New Testament, or the light which the New Testament throws on this subject, is yet to be considered. There are but few passages in the New Testament, which have been relied on as proof of a yet literal restoration, and reëstablishment of the Jewish polity and worship in Palestine. "The reason is plain," it has been replied; "the Jews were at that time [the time of writing the New Testament], still in their own land: the only question agitated was, whether all Israel was cut off, or only a part."-(Frey, Judah and Israel, p. 303.) Still a few passages have been adduced in support of a yet literal restoration. In our Saviour's prediction of the destruction of the Jewish state, he says: Ye "shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," (Luke 21: 24). "These words," says one,1 "imply that the time, however distant, would come at last, when Jerusalem shall no longer be trodden down of the Gentiles." Several different views have been taken of this passage. Grotius says that Chrysostom, in his discourse against the 1 Dr. Keith, p. 54. Jews, interprets it of the time of the universal judgment, and hence denies that the Jews will ever return to their land. He also quotes Origen, against Celsus, as saying, we may confidently pronounce, that they will never be restored.-Vid. Poli Syn. in loc. Rosenmüller says,-unto the end of human affairs, when nations shall not any more be. But allowing that the words of the Saviour do look forward to a time when Jerusalem shall be delivered from its present depression, still they do not inform us what shall be afterward. They do not give us any assurance, or intimation even, of the restoration of the former Jewish polity and worship. Jerusa lem and Judea may partake in the improved state of things which is generally to prevail. The whole world shall be delivered from the curse in the Messiah's reign. And even granting that the Jews will, in some numbers, return to Jerusalem, this does not render it necessary to make their return the subject of prophetic song for three thousand years; nor does it follow, that Judaism must be established again, in order that they may find, through that, an entrance into the true fold of Christ. The Gentiles shall come to a better mind; and all, Jews and Gentiles, shall conspire together in the service of God. ་ We are pointed to another passage. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord," (Matt. 23: 38, 39). This indicates that the Jews will come to a better mind; that they will, at length, repent, and be ready to hail and embrace the Messiah. But anything further than this, it does not seem to teach. Another passage is, the inquiry which the disciples made of Christ, after his resurrection, whether he would "at that time restore again the kingdom to Israel," with his reply, that "it was not for them to know the times or the seasons, which the Father had put in his own power," (Acts 1: 6, 7). This answer of Christ, it is said, implies, that he would restore the kingdom, according to the views the disciples cherished; only he would not inform them as to the time when. But it seems rather to imply, that the disciples knew not what they asked; that the Saviour saw their minds to be confused and dark, and unprepared to receive any explanation he might give of the subject; that while a blessing was in reserve for Israel, they would know better its character after they had become further enlightened by the Spirit of grace. Hence the promise which immediately follows: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you," |