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LETTER VI.

Observations on particular Phrases continued-Zion-Jerusalem. -The opinion that Jerusalem will become a resort for all nations, inconsistent with Reason, incompatible with Scripture, and impossible in Fact.-Israel-Jew-Children of Abraham→ Zerubbabel-Joshua.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

March 22, 1828.

THE "objection," founded on particular “phrases," &c. admits of many more illustrations than it will be necessary to offer. In addition to those already given, take the following:

"ZION". 66 JERUSALEM."

Psalm ii. 6, "Yet have I set my King on my holy hill of Zion."-Micah iv. 2, "Many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways,

and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Must not the

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holy hill of Zion," "the mountain of the Lord," "the house of the God of Jacob," "Zion," and "Jerusalem," supposing the passages to refer to the latter-day glory, be here interpreted, as describing "the general assembly and Church of the firstborn," consituted of people from every nation under heaven? For, then, there will be no necessity for the resort of nations to literal Jerusalem, in order to learn the "ways" of God; for "the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth." But the latter prophecy of Micah was fulfilled, when the Gospel sounded forth from Jerusalem, in the first age of the Christian Church; and, therefore, no further fulfilment need be expected, and the passage proves nothing in favour of a literal restoration.

Zech. viii. 22, 23, "Many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold, out of all languages

of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you."

Whatever the events referred to here, the language is unquestionably figurative; yet its primary application was, no doubt, to the season of Jerusalem's prosperity, just recommencing when the prophet spake; and, if a secondary meaning, referring it to Christian times, be admitted, that meaning must be in harmony with the spirit and circumstances of Christianity. But to suppose a general resort of nations to Jerusalem, and her inhabitants for Christian instruction then, will be to suppose an event at variance with the tenor of the Gospel, to violate the ordinary rules of Sof reasoning, and to impugn the veracity of Holy Writ. In comparison with other nations earlier christianized, converted Israel will be only a babe in Christ, and the babe will be resorted to for instruction instead of the fathers. Instead of all nations being blessed alike beneath the favouring beams of " the Sun of Righteousness," one ray of brighter effulgence than

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the rest will shed superior glory on Jeru-
salem, will point, like the star of Bethlehem,
to the favoured city, and by its light dis-
cover the error of the Apostle, that "there
is no difference between the Jew and the
Greek." "Again, suppose the Jews were
converted and restored to their own land,
and exemplified, as Christians should do,
the power of the truth,-upon what prin-
ciple would other people apply to them
for instruction? Could the Jews, however
eminent in piety, tell them more than the
written Word? No! nor heaven itself-
"Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend
into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down
from above). But what saith it? The word
is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy
heart: that is, the word of faith which
we preach." See Rom. x. 6-13. If we
except the first age of Christianity, when
the Gentiles began to participate with the
Jewish Church in the blessings of the
Gospel, this passage in Zechariah cannot
refer to literal Jerusalem.
"Believe me,"
said the Saviour, "the hour cometh, when
ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet
at Jerusalem, worship the Father; but the

hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth." Besides, the resort of all nations, especially the annual resort, which some insist upon, to Jerusalem, is an absurdity;-it would be impossible.

Zech. xiv. 16-21, "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of 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. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up and come not, that have no rain, there shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD: and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar, yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts: and all they

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