determined will under the leadership of the Greek. In these great divisions subordinate people are comprised; but the great maritime power, being a power from the European sons of Japheth, must needs be a Christian power, and, as we have yet to show, is not only opposed to the Antichristian confederates, but also assists in completing and establishing the restoration of Israel—a restoration national before Gog's overthrow, but to be vastly increased in numbers by the aid of "Tarshish first" after that event.

[12.] And there are reflections of a very useful and practical character to be made upon the confederacy of Gog, with reference to events now passing in Europe. Assuming that this explanation of the names employed by Ezekiel be correct,—an explanation not founded upon its probability (which is great), nor upon any views of popularity, but the very contrary,-founded entirely upon the import of the several names employed, as far as that import can be determined from the learned investigations of writers-Heathen, Jews, and Christianscollated with Holy Scripture ;-assuming, I say, that this interpretation is, in the main, correct, and that Meshech stands for the Muscovite, and Gomer for the great German family, then we observe that, in times yet to come, the vast power of Russia, however disappointed and humiliated now, or however successful (it matters not), will, in the end, succeed in her known and avowed purpose, and become the power holding the ascendancy of political and religious influence in the East; and that, acting in subservience to her, under her leadership, and confederated with her for one and the same purpose, will be equally the power of all Germany and France; of Germany certainly, though it may be more difficult to identify France or England with sons of Gomer. Russian policy will prevail in the East, and that, as we showed in the last chapter, in her peculiar character of European representative of the Grecian apostasy, not for her honour, nor in obedience to the sanctifying will of the Almighty, but for her condign disgrace and overthrow, under especial blinding judgment of God. The designs of that State, doomed to be successful against the East, are not Christian, but peculiarly Antichristian, by the Word of God, and place her, the sword of one great apostasy, in close alliance and amity with the known and recognised swords of the other. Ezekiel's picture is that of the two great apostasies from the Church

of Christ united in opposition to God's last design for the salvation and unity of his Church, to be wrought out by their overthrow and Israel's conversion. By what means Israel shall be restored Holy Scripture does not inform us, though passing events are calculated to suggest a way; but Holy Scripture does assert, and re-assert, and assert again, the eventual fact that Israel shall; and having been so restored, by what method that people incurs the animosity of the Greek and Roman heresies is not said, but incur it she will; be warred against by them she will; be rescued from their armies she will; and, by that rescue, be converted.

Nor let it be objected that this reunion of Greece and Rome seems so contrary to probability; nor let it be a matter of surprise that both are thus referred to in similar terms of condemnation. It is much to be deplored that, in usual expositions of certain parts of Scripture, while everything has been written and thought of against Rome (God grant we may never think or write against her less!), nothing, comparatively, has been thought or said against the twin sister, Greece. Our attention in Western Europe has been so engrossed by the apostasy of one division of the empire, that we seem almost to have forgotten the other was the subject of an apostasy almost identical, but certainly as base. In what respects do the characters of the Greek and Roman Churches so differ that we should be tender of fixing upon one the spiritual leprosy we have so unanimously charged upon the other? Let the accepted authorities of the Grecian Church be examined (of which a clear and comprehensive account may be seen in the "Christian Observer," of January, 1854), and it will be easily perceived that the Grecian Church, like the Roman, has the real and infallible marks of apostasy, of Antichrist, in-1. Their rule of faith, composed of Scripture and tradition; 2. The procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father only-in which particular she is more heretical than Rome; 3. The unscriptural multiplication of sacraments to seven; 4. The doctrine of transubstantiation, and worshipping, as we worship God, the consecrated elements; 5. That the eucharist is a real atoning sacrifice both for the living and the dead; 6. Praying for the dead; 7. Worshipping the Virgin Mary as Christians worship God alone; 8. Subordinately worshipping saints and angels; 9. The adoration of pictures and the cross; 10. Denying the Scriptures to the people. What more do we need for discovering the plague-spot of apostasy? "From the head even to the foot there is

no soundness in it." And we need evince no surprise that some believe Holy Scripture declares that the Antichrist, which shall be overthrown in these last days, is not only of the Church of Rome, but also of the Church of Greece-of the two united under the headmanship of the Russian. We may safely say, with Mr. Palmer, the author of "Dissertations relating to the Orthodox, or Eastern Catholic Communion," that "the destinies of the old Greek Church may be said to be practically wrapped up with those of the Slavonic race, and so again with those of the Russian Empire. And we may affirm it to be probable that in the course of time it will, through the Russian power, regain the whole of those countries which formerly constituted the Græco-Eastern Empire; and not only so, but that it will cover the whole of Asia, to the uttermost shores of the Eastern and Southern Ocean." (Page 7.) The chief part of this I believe; but God forbid that either I or Mr. Palmer should pray for it as he advises. The result may be anticipated; but it is a result to all confederated, whether of the East or Western Churches, full of national rebuke and disgrace; the result is Antichrist's last rebellion, and his destruction in these latter days; it is a result from which every Christian and patriotic and loyal Englishman will pray his beloved country may be providentially preserved.

And she will be so preserved. For when Greece and Rome, united in apostasy, are stricken down in Palestine, then England, that modern Tarshish, will be found in the Lord, and her mighty armaments waiting to do his will. God be praised, the efforts of our faithful ministers of Christ, and the Protestant energies of her people, blessed of God, will be crowned with honour and success. In that day"die iræ, die illa"-the "merchants of Tarshish and all the young lions thereof" will be found attendant on the Lord of Hosts, separated both from Greece and Rome, waiting to herald blessing to Israel, by carrying back her expectant sons to the loved country of their fathers, there to receive their own political rights, and to embrace and bow down before that glorious Christ whom, up to that time, Greece and Rome will dishonour, and Israel contemn.

God be praised, the efforts of Rome, ever hated and felt to be more hateful by Englishmen day by day, against our Protestant Queen and country, will not be successful; and we have cause to bless Him that, already in our own day, that hostility to Greece has commenced, destined, we doubt not, to last until the consummation.

CHAPTER IX.

"AT THAT TIME SHALL A PRESENT BE BROUGHT TO THE LORD OF HOSTS."--ISA. XVIII. 7.

THIS seems to me the most convenient place for considering the arguments which have been advanced for believing in a conversion of the Jews prior to their restoration; for, surely, they must be strong arguments indeed to enable us to ride over that declaration of Ezekiel contained in his chap. xxxix. 22, which (to those, at least, who believe in any literal restoration of Israel at all) seems so plain and indisputable and it certainly is a remarkable fact, that Mr. Faber, who has written the most fully on this subject, should have so thoroughly misconceived Ezekiel (chaps. xxxviii., xxxix.), as I shall be able to show he has; for, but for that misconception, it seems impos-. sible to think he could ever have maintained that Israel's conversion, as specifically predicted in Holy Scripture, was to take place before the restoration. In other particulars, he merely followed Bishop Horsley.

[I.] Bishop Horsley's opinion, when writing upon Isa. xviii. 7— "In that time shall the present be brought unto the Lord of Hosts, of a people scattered and peeled, and from a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; a nation meted out, and trodden under foot, whose land the rivers have spoiled, to the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts, the mount Zion "-is thus recorded :

"The messenger people is certainly to be a Christian people. For I think it cannot be doubted that the messenger people, and the leaders of the present to Jehovah to Mount Zion, are the same people. And the act of leading a present to Jehovah to Mount Zion must be an act of worshippers of Jehovah; for it is an act of worship. They, therefore, who lead the present will be true worshippers performing that service from religious motives. And as such, they are most

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expressly described by the Prophet Zephaniah, if I construe his words aright-Thy worshippers, beyond the rivers of Cush, shall conduct as an offering to me the daughter of my dispersion.' (Zeph. iii. 10.)" Thus far, from Horsley's Letter on Isa. xviii. (p. 102), as regards those who bring the offering, all of which is granted, and is an explicit declaration of that which we inferred respecting Tarshish in the last chapter, viz., that the power so denominated will be a faithful Christian, and therefore Protestant power, of Europe, opposed to Antichrist in the day of the recovery of Israel; for we showed that the people so denominated was a warlike nation of merchants from the sons of Japheth possessing the characteristics of the ancient sons of Tarshish, as a great commercial, manufacturing, maritime people, specifically excepted from Gog's confederacy. But he adds,

"I have an unfashionable partiality for the opinions of antiquity. I think there is ground in the prophecies for the notion of the early fathers, that Palestine is the stage on which Antichrist, in the height of his impiety, will perish. I am much inclined, too, to assent to another opinion of the fathers, that a small band of the Jews will join Antichrist, and be active instruments of his persecutions. And I agree with you, that it is not unlikely that this small part of the Jews will be settled in Jerusalem, under the protection of Antichrist. But it is not to the settlement of this apostate band that the prophecy of this eighteenth of Isaiah relates. For I must observe, that when the present offered consists of persons, the offered, as well as the offerers, must be worshippers. For to be offered is to be made a worshipper, or, in some instances, to be devoted to some particular service, in which the general character of a worshipper is previously implied, both in the person who hath authority to so devote, and in the devoted; as in the instances of Jephtha's daughter and the child Samuel. The people, therefore, brought as a present to Jehovah to Mount Zion, will be brought thither in a converted state. The great body of the Jewish people will be converted previous to their restoration, and, being converted, will be assisted by Christian nations of the uncircumcision in settling themselves in their ancient seats. I agree with you that some passages, in Zechariah in particular, make strongly for this notion of a previous settlement of worse than unconverted Jews. But I am not without hope, from the same passages, that the great body of the converted Jews returning will find these first settlers broken off from the Antichristian faction in a state of deep contrition,