4. That every tribe in this visionary distribution had its lot assigned it by divine appointment; for it was never the intention of the gospel to pluck up the hedge of property and lay all in common. 5. That the tribes lay contiguous; a figure of the communion of churches and saints under the gospel government.

6. That the sanctuary was in the midst of them ;-those of the same parish or congregation! [says this Rev. Dr.] meeting together should have their hearts knit together in love."

Thus the Rev. Matthew Henry first says we must understand it spiritually, and finally calls it a visionary land.

But to go on with the Jews after their re-settlement in Canaan-the following quotation (Jer. xxx. 17-24) affords a pleasing outline of their prosperous condition when all the tribes get home:

"For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after. Thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will bring again the captivity of Jacob's tents, and have mercy on his dwellingplaces; and the city shall be builded upon her own heap, and the palace shall remain after the manner thereof. And out of them shall proceed thanksgiving and the voice of them that make merry: and I will multiply them, and they shall not be few; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small. Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me, and I will punish all that oppress them. And their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; and I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord. And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God. Behold the whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked. The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it."

Again, Jeremiah iii. 10:—

"He that scattereth Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd doth his flock; for the Lord hath redeemed Israel, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he; therefore, they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd, and their souls shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, both young men and old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow; and I will satiate the soul of the priest with fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the Lord. Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that the city shall be built to the Lord, from the tower of Hananeel to the gate of the corner. And the measuring line shall go forth overagainst it, over the hill Gareb, and shall compass about to Goath. And the whole vallies of the dead bodies and of the ashes and of the fields unto the brook Kidron unto the corner of the horse gate towards the East shall be holy unto the Lord. It shall not be plucked up nor thrown down any more for ever."

We see from the above that on the restoration of their nationality

the Jews are to become independant and choose their own govern ors; the arts of peace are to be restored, and the city to be built, and extended greatly beyond its former limits. How do the hearts of all the righteous long for the accomplishment of these things-and these things must shortly come to pass-the note of preparation has been given. The nations, as now seen in the present state of Europe, are approaching a crisis from which they cannot retreat-there is a "bridle in their jaws causing them to err"-they must, therefore. continue to approach the precipice until they tumble over it to eternal ruin. Revolution must succeed revolution, with all the accompaniments of war, famine, and ruin, until he comes whose right it is to reign, and to him the government shall be given.

We are now waiting for that event which shall open the way for the children of Israel; perhaps, however, the late revolution in France is that event. Perhaps the government of France may in its wisdom deem it fit shortly to order the scattered remnants to hold themselves in preparation to march for the land of their fathers. The Lord will perform it in his own due time. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

There is an immense number of Jews in Poland. The late revolution there, together with the disturbances in other parts of Europe and of the world, will very possibly stir up this degraded people to some new measures. Perhaps the Grand Turk will invite them shortly to take possession of Judea, for Mahometanism will flourish to the time of the end, and at that time will conspire with other nations against the Jews. The Turk is fond of improvements, and more liberal than his predecessors. In the Apocalypse, France, because it runs through the Romish countries, from one sea to another, is styled the Street, that is, of Religious Babylon; and when the sixth vial is poured out, it is upon the river Euphrates. Perhaps this indicates the German empire, which flows through the whole extent of the Roman Catholic countries, from the Baltic to the Mediteranean. The vial is for the drying up of the waters to prepare the way for the conquering party. But who are the conquering party? "The kings of the East." Time alone can interpret this scripture. Some think the Christians are meant-some think the Jews. It is a fact, however, that can be proved from Scripture, that the Jewish nation turned to the faith of the Messiah, is appointed to conquer and inherit the world; for there is a promise to their Father Abraham, that his seed should inherit the world: perhaps, then, the sixth vial, which is to fall upon the German empire, will make way for the Jews; and as vast hoards of them are contained within its boundaries, the consideration renders the supposition not the less probable. But we will wait patiently for the salvation of the Lord, whose "eyes are upon all their ways." The fifth universal empire,

namely, that of Messiah, must inherit the world-he must inherit all nations; and the Jews who are to be converted to the faith may possibly be the conquering party, meant by the phrase, “Kings of the East." But of this there is at present no certainty: besides it is to be remembered that the allusion is to the taking of Babylon by Cyrus and his uncle, two eastern kings; and as the Romish countries are the antitype of ancient Babylon the conquering party may possibly be-nay, very probably, are those who are now trying to put down the government and religion of those countries of Europe.

DANIEL.

THE LOCALITY OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. MR. EDITOR.-Is it necessary that we make the kingdom of God, or our future inheritance, whether established in the "land of Canaan" or "beyond the skies," an article of faith? is it any where taught by Christ or his Apostles? that is to say, Must we believe on entering the church that the eternity to be enjoyed by the followers of Jesus Christ, is to be the possession of the land of Canaan promised to Abram and his seed, or a kingdom beyond the skies? Must we necessarily believe on any of these two to effect our salvation, or is it at all a matter of any moment where Jesus will lead his followers to? I canuot from the Scriptures draw conclusions that such a faith is necessary. Your answer, or any of your numerous correspondents, will oblige, Yours faithfully, J. MITCHELL.

REPLY.

MR. EDITOR.-Dear Sir,-The question of Mr. John Mitchell is substantially, "Is it necessary to have faith concerning the locality of the kingdom of God?" To this I will shortly reply.

What is faith? "Faith is the substance of things hoped for." Heb. xi. 1. What things are hoped for? That Jesus will lead his followers they know not where, to enjoy blessings they know not what? If such be the hope, such must be the promise; for hope rises from promise. For what things did the Gentiles in Paul's time hope? That the blessing of Abraham might come on them through Jesus Christ, that they might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Gal. iii. 14. What blessing did the Spirit bestow on Abraham? It promised that he should be the heir of the world, (Rom. iv. 13) as it is written at large in Genesis; that to him and his seed-Christ-should be given the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession, and in them all the nations of the earth should be blessed. This was the blessing of Abraham,—the promise of the God of glory to him; and that blessing comes according to the promise on those who are heirs by being in Christ, and therefore of the seed of Abraham. Thus, then, the land of Canaan

forming part of the promise, and an object of hope-for the Gentiles hoped for the blessing of Abraham,-it must be "an article of faith," for faith is the substance of things hoped for. If any one does not believe the locality of the promised inheritance, we may candidly say, he does not believe the promise of God; for the land is part of the promise.

But the question may more pointedly be put, "Is the locality of the kingdom of God embodied in the gospel?" No one who, like J. M., has no objections where Jesus leads his followers to, will (if this be promised) object to the Messiah dwelling with men, and reigning in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, in the glorious Holy Land before his ancients gloriously; and no one will dispute the right and power of God, and the propriety of his action, should he conjoin with the promised blessedness of the saints, the investiture of Abraham and his seed with Canaan, the promised possession.

What then does the gospel say as to the scene of the Messiah's glory? Isaiah exultingly exclaims, (chap. lii.) "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, (or gospel) that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good. (or gospel) that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! * * The Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem." The gospel preached by the Prophets was the declaration unto Zion and the cities of Judah of the reign of THEIR God. This gospel was preached by John the Baptist, by Jesus and his disciples during his life, and they were instructed to preach this gospel-the gospel-in all uations. Accordingly, we find Paul preaching the kingdom of God, (Acts xx. 25) and he is judged and bound for the hope of Israel's twelve tribes. The Apostles preached none other things than Moses and the Prophets did say should come. The prophet Isaiah said the God of the cities of Judah would come, and his reward with him; and terms this the gospel, (chap. xl.) which corresponds with the above. Now by what right can we strike the gospel from its conjunction with Zion, and the cities of Judah? How can the rewards which God brings with him be separated from those he has promised to Abraham, and which are to be bestowed on those who are joint heirs with him? Can we separate a king from his throne, his people, and his kingdom? No! Neither can we separate the Messiahship of Jesus, from the throne, or seat of government of his father David, his people-Israel, or the promised land.

And it is meet that that scene which witnessed his sorrows, his shame, his sufferings, should also witness his joy, his glory, his reign. Once arrayed in mock royalty, with a reedy sceptre and a thorny crown, within the precincts of Jerusalem; he shall come again in real royalty, bearing a sceptre of righteousness and a crown of glory,

judging in Zion, the throne of his father David, the city of the Great King, which shall soon be called, "A city sought out, a city not forsaken."

REMARKS BY THE EDITOR.

J. D.

In accordance with our principle of free inquiry, we have inserted this query and reply; and in accordance with it, we shall criticize them both.

We respectfully suggest, then, that brother Mitchell's query could be stated in another form which would more definitely express his meaning, and the real question at issue. It is this:

Is it necessary for a man to believe in the locality of the kingdom of glory, in order to obtain the remission of his sins? or, in other words, Is this a part of the faith which justifies?

This, in fact, is the query in debate: Because all doctrines requisite for us to believe that we may receive eternal salvation, are those to be believed in order to receive remission of sins; hence, they must have a home in our hearts and minds before we enter the church. All other doctrines, into which we are afterwards initiated, are for our spiritual strength and comfort. They constitute the "the deep things of God," "the hidden wisdom of God," the "strong meat" of Christianity. We may doubt their truth and still be Christians. But by this unbelief our eternal salvation will be hazarded. Because being revealed to inspire us with perseverance and energy in the perfecting of our characters, if we do not believe them we shall not inhale that vitality and power with which they are fraught, and so may wither and die in our religious life. And if we protract our spiritual existence to the close of our natural, it will have been a benumbed and feeble one, consequently, our characters will display but a "sickly light," they will not shine as stars of the first magnitude. Hence "we may be saved, yet so as by fire."

Brother D. in answering the query has not kept the real question in view; he speaks of the Gentiles believing in, and hoping for, a certain blessing-the Abrahamic inheritance-the locality of the kingdom of heaven, but does not say whether this was a portion of the faith by which they were justified. It might be requisite to possess it, either in order to remision of sins, or in order to full perfection of character: our brother however has not stated for which purpose it is to be obtained. But we humbly aver, that brother D. has mistaken the meaning of the blessing mentioned by Paul, Gal. iii. 14; and also that the Apostle does not represent the Gentiles, to whom he was writing, as hoping for it; because they had it in possession. Hence Paul's general definition of faith which brother D. quotes, when defining their particular one does not have that blessing for an object, or for one of the "things hoped for." What, then, is the blessing? In reply we request attention to a few verses in the third chapter of Galatians. Verse 9 thus reads, "So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Certain individuals are here said to be blessed with faithful Abraham. This signifies that they were partakers of the same blessing which he received. It is also affirmed, that they were thus blessed because "they were of faith;" or in other words, they secured the favour through this principle. They are said likewise, to be "blessed with faithful Abraham." He had obtained the same blessing, then, through being "full of faith." The adjective applied to the patriarch, describing that principle in his character which caused the event,-his being blessed. This use of the adjective to describe the characteristic of those to whom it is applied, which produces their condition, or an event to them, is one frequently made.

Now what blessing is affirmed, in the context, to have been obtained by Abraham through belief? To this question Gal. iii. 6 gives a definite answer: