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saken idols. It is true, she hath not been with the Lord; neither, however, hath she been for another man. But at the time that our race came into Western Europe, they were in the very circumstances here described. They were worshippers of idols; and in the most holy place of their temples, as on the mercy-seat, where the Divine Presence in the temple of Jehovah more especially rested, had they placed the images of their gods, that had come newly up; such as Odin and Thor. They carried the ensigns of these before their armies; yet were they driven as sheep before their enemies. The Goths, precipitated upon their ancient and most determined foes, the Romans, seemed by these to be given help: yet were they left to perish in the place given them for refuge on the south of the Danube. Their case seemed to be indeed a lost one. Yet from thence were they lifted up to become the head of the heathen. Rome itself submitted to them; and the provinces were parted among their tribes. When their power was gone; when they seemed to be utterly broken down; when they received but mockery and deceit from those they trusted in; then was the Lord strong in their behalf. Then did he present to them the glad tidings of his everlasting salvation; and give them to rule over their oppressors. Still he had to say, that their sins were increased; Christianity itself they corrupted with idolatry, and all sorts of departure from the God unto whom it should lead. Therefore have children been their oppressors; therefore have all the evils, with which they have been visited, come upon them. But still, in all, the goodness of God hath prevailed; I, saith the Lord, have done these things unto thee. strength, therefore, is to lay hold upon his strength; to lay hold upon the skirt of his garment, and be made one with him. Our safety is not in standing apart from him, or in waiting, until, by other means, we can be made clean and worthy of his presence. No; they that come unto Him he will in no wise cast out—Vile as we may be,

Our

[SEAL IV.

worthless, helpless, or despised—He knows it all, and hath promised nevertheless to be with us, and to perfect our salvation. Let us then distrust all else, and take refuge only in Him who is mighty to save.

The case we have been considering, in this fourth security, is strikingly pourtrayed at the opening of the fourth seal, Rev. vi. ver. 7, 8, where there is seen going forth a pale, or livid green horse; and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, or war, the subject of the second seal; and hunger, or famine, the subject of the third seal; and with Death, or Pestilence, the subject of this fourth seal; and there are added, "the beasts of the earth." These four sore judgments are the four winds, or spirits of the Heavens, referred to in Zech. ch. vi. ver. 5; and so frequently mentioned in this order throughout the prophets: together, they express a state of the utmost ruin and helplessness. They are restrained from being let loose in their fury, until in the apostolic age, the angel should go forth to seal a certain number of all the tribes of Israel, as a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. These, the first-fruits, were to follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth, and are ultimately to be found standing with him upon Mount Zion, having their Father's name written in their foreheads. Compare Rev. vii. 1—8, with ch. xiv. 1—5.

The utterly destroyed condition of Israel is described in the next portion of Ezekiel, ch. xxxvii. Judah's going down into the valley of vision, which had been so long threatened, is described, Is. xxii. But here, in Ezekiel, we have more particularly set before us the case of that which, by Ezekiel, is so frequently called "All Israel." They had already suffered a political death. The hand of the Lord was upon the prophet, and carried him out into the midst of the valley, which was full of bones, very many, and very dry. Their case, like that of the out

SEAL IV.]

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cast house of Israel, seemed indeed to be incurable. And the question is put by the Lord himself, "Son of man, can these bones live?" The question was one which many have answered in the negative. But the prophet answers aright, "O Lord God, thou knowest." The Lord then directs us to the word of prophecy according to which all this had come to pass. It had all been exhibited in vision from the days of their coming out of Egypt; and in the same word of prophecy which had foretold the evil, has been provided the remedy. That which is impossible with man is possible with God; and as He has said the word, it shall most assuredly come to pass. Accordingly the word is given, "O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord." "Hear," as elsewhere it is said, "and your souls shall live." The word exhibiting God's redeeming love is that which gives life, and it is accompanied with the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus. There is a foretelling of what the Lord would do in connection with the being born of the incorruptible seed of the word. The great result is spoken of,—" Behold," saith the Lord God, "I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live." And then the process of the resurrection is described, clearly distinguishing it from the literal resurrection of the saints, which is to be instantaneous, whereas this is gradual; this is to be to spiritual existence, that to be to eternal glory. "I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live. And ye shall know that I am the Lord." They would know that He was the ever-living, life-giving Jehovah. They might not know what they had been, more than that they had been sinners "dead in trespasses and sins." They might not know that the Lord had spoken and fulfilled his word, as to Israel's death and resurrection being fulfilled in their own case. But they would, as babes, know the Father, from whom they had anew received existence. Unlike the wise

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men of the world, who would have been apt to reject the foolishness of preaching as means altogether unfitted to accomplish the end, the prophet did as he was commanded, and the word came with power, so far as that, " Behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone." And as he beheld, lo, greater strength was given, "the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above:"—" But no breath in them." This had been spoken of first and last, but still seemed to be withheld. A trial this of faith to the prophet. What now was to be done? Prophesy to the wind; prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God, Come from the four winds, O breath! and breathe upon these slain, that they may live." So, unlike many despisers of prophecy, Ezekiel prophesied as he was commanded; and the result answered: "Breath came into them, and they stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army." The interpretation is given,—"These bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold they say, Our bones are dried, our hope is lost, we are cut off for our parts." It is needless to say that this is not the language of those who shall rise in that which is spoken of as the first resurrection. Neither is it the language of the Jews; who have not said, "Our hope is lost; we are cut off for our parts." But this seems clearly to have been the language of Israel, when they gave themselves up to be Lo-ammi, and, for their part, not only gave up all portion in the son of Jesse, but also any expectation of a portion in the land. As for the Jews, they might have both, if they chose: but as for them, Ephraim and his companions, they expected good in neither; and so would go bury themselves among the heathen. But the Lord's purpose was different: "Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, O my people, I will open your graves; and cause you to come up out of your graves; and," as before, stating the result, "bring you into the land

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of Israel." The words imply that the resurrection would take place out of the land.

With regard to the Jews, who by Ezekiel are frequently called Israel, it seems to be predicted, ch. xxxvi. ver. 24, that their conversion would principally take place in the land: but here the case of that house which is by Ezekiel called All Israel, is very differently described. The Jews, who have always had a known existence, are to be converted to the Triune Jehovah in truth and righteousness; but the house of All Israel, who had suffered a political death, whose existence was not known, are promised to be brought out of their graves. They are to be given a resurrection, and the knowledge of the Lord, and his Spirit is to be put within them; all previous to their being placed in their own land. The beginning and end of this process are stated in v. 12, and then the particulars are given in the two following verses, v. 13, 14. The confounding the cases of these two houses, and applying predictions to the one, which in truth belong to the other, has, of course, led to a deep darkening of counsel by words without knowledge, and great contradiction among interpreters of prophecy. It is not by appending our own thoughts to the words of Scripture, but by discerning the mind of God therein, that we can arrive at the truth of what is revealed. The cases of Israel, and of All Israel, as spoken of in Ezekiel; of Judah and of Israel, as spoken of in Jeremiah, are indeed distinct, and in many respects, as here, quite opposite. Let it then be remembered, that unlike the case of Judah and his companions, the Spirit is to be put within Ephraim and the tribes of Israel his fellows, previous to their coming together into the promised land. And they shall know the Lord, when they are brought out of their graves: But when his Spirit hath been put within them, and they shall live, and shall be given their own land; then shall they, as having grown in spiritual strength, "know Him that is from the

[SEAL IV.

beginning." "Then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it," at the beginning; "and performed it" even unto the end.

First, they are known of God; then they know the Lord, and have experience of the life which is in Him; and at length they recognise Him as the mighty God of Israel, who hath wisely purposed, and in power accomplished, all that preparation through which they have passed as being the people whom he chose to be peculiarly his own.

Thus have we, under this fourth seal, seen from Jer. xxx. 12—15, that Israel cannot be more lost than the condition her Redeemer hath recognised in the very midst of his most assured promises to redeem. It cannot be said, that, notwithstanding all the foregoing promises of deliverance to Israel, they have become so lost in sin and consequent destruction, that God hath found it necessary to break his free promise; and take another people in their room, entirely to the exclusion of the natural branches. No, it was even the lost sheep of the house of Israel that Christ specially came to redeem.

Upon the opening of this fourth seal in Rev. vi. 7, 8, we have seen that the utterly ruined condition of the people is described, under the figure of Death, or Pestilence, going forth upon the pale horse, when the four sore judgments, so long threatened, are let loose for the utter dissolution of that body politic which could not be purged by the preceding warnings, first of mercy, and then, once and again, of judgment.

And in Ezekiel we have seen, that the utterly ruined condition of Israel, as viewed in themselves, is described by the valley of dry bones. And there we have seen also described their gradual resurrection as it has been; and the promised bestowment of the Spirit through the medium of prophecy, as it shall be. "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is thy help." "I have done these things unto thee."

This fifth of the paragraphs in Jer. xxx. 8—22, like its counterpart, v. 11, contains a contrast of Israel's case, with regard to preservation. In v. 11, it was intimated, that, as surely as other nations may have perished, Israel would be preserved; and here there is a contrast between the thought of God and the thought of man, as to their health and cure; and it is implied their enemies shall sink under the ills they have laid upon Israel.

In this passage, ver. 16, 17, the expressions again alternately belong to Israel and Judah. Thus, "therefore all they that devour thee shall be devoured," seems more particularly to be spoken of Israel, with regard to whom, even Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, it is said, Isaiah, ix. 12, "The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth;" which words imply that the face of Ephraim would be towards the north country, in which direction lay Syria; whilst Philistia lay behind them; and in this backsliding state, with their face turned away from the house of the Lord, they would

be devoured by all the surrounding people. In the meantime, the adversaries of Judah, which were, however, to be cut off, (see Isaiah, xi. 13,) were rather increased, both in numbers and virulence, through the devouring of Israel, in which, at first, the Jews seemed to have rejoiced. But as the adversaries of Judah have gone into captivity, so have those that devoured Israel been devoured; they are not now known to exist. Again, the words, "And they that spoil thee shall be a spoil," are spoken in behalf of Israel; with regard to whom it is said, Isaiah, viii. 4, " The spoil of Samaria shall be taken away before the king of Assyria;" whose empire was shortly after given to be a spoil to other nations. Jerusalem was still, after the utter spoiling of Samaria, left to be a prey to the Babylonians; and, last of all, to the Romans, who were afterwards themselves, even as to their capitals, Babylon and Rome, left to be a prey to others, even to their utter wasting, as at this day. Again, of Israel it is said, "For I will restore health unto thee;" even raising them as from the dead, which, as

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we have seen from Ezekiel, is by the word of God, and "the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy;" whilst of Judah, whose wound by the Babylonian was grievous, and who, by the Roman, was wounded with the wound of an enemy, it is said, "I will cure thee of thy wound." Such were the thoughts of God towards them. The words which men have spoken with regard to them are referred to as follows: "Because they called thee an Outcast," even Israel, that seemed to be utterly abandoned of their God, and for ever cast out of his inheritance. And this other house, more near to them as they supposed, even the house of Judah, they talked of with utter despite, saying, "This Zion, whom no man seeketh after." As it was before said to the same house, "They seek thee not." They court not thy alliance, but rather put thee away from them, as a people offering themselves to all nations. The Jews have been, and they are a people whom all nations have been eager to turn away from them.

Thus closely are the interests of Israel and of Judah bound up together in the purposes of God. And thus intimately connected are the destinies of the mightiest empires with the fortunes of a people who have had no recognised existence; or who have been known in part only to be despised and rejected. Like to them, in this, He became, who took their griefs, and bare their sorrows. They are, in the purpose of God, a holy people. And that this shall be so found of the lump, we are assured, in that the first-fruits have been made holy: a reference to which we seem to be given upon the opening of the fifth seal, Rev. vi. 9—11. There the souls under the altar, the same who are afterwards described as the sealed of Judah and his companions, Rev. vii. 4—8. "The first fruits unto God and the Lamb,"—ch. xiv. 4, are found, like the poor widow, crying to be avenged of their adversaries, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not

[SEAL V.

judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" And they are acknowledged in holiness; accepted in peace. "White robes were given to every one of them," although they had been in the sight of men clothed in sackcloth. And it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants, and their brethren, that is of Ephraim and his companions, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. Of this last company, the promised harvest was to come, as described, Rev. vii. 9—12, as in the possession of the blessings promised unto the fathers; and further described in twelve lines correspondent to the twelve tribes, ver. 14—17, and adverted to, ch. xiv. 14—16; and who were to be killed as the Jewish martyrs, for the word of God and the testimony which they held. The powerful operation of the Word, with regard to the lump, or whole house of Israel, has been described by Ezekiel under the former seal, whilst the union of the brethren of the firstfruits with those of the harvest, as here intimated, is particularly described in the next portion of that prophet:—Ezek. xxxvii. 15—28.

This son of man, typifying the great Minister of his church, and who writes his law in their hearts and in their lives, is given directions to take one stick and to write upon it, "For Judah and for the children of Israel his companions;" then another stick, and write upon it, "For Joseph the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of Israel his companions;" for so this prophet generally denominates this house of the ten tribes, as distinguishing them from the Jews: the lump or mass of Israel is with Ephraim, just as the first-fruits were of Judah. And as surely as the first writing took place consequent upon the apostolic preaching, so surely was the second writing afterwards to take place, with regard to Ephraim and his companions. And so surely shall both the portions of Israel, having this writing effected upon them, be formed into one