man at the time-the building of the ark-the preservation of Noah and his family, and of the destruction produced by the deluge. The painting of this, I must also leave for the easel and pencil of the skillful reader, and pass on.

Permit me, in conclusion, my Hebrew friend, and most affectionately, to urge upon you the propriety of reviewing your prophecies which relate to the Messiah. And, when doing so, that you keep before your mind these questions: May it not so turn out that Jesus Christ comes fully up to your ideality, both as to Ben-Ephraim and Ben-David? And can not all the prophecies, on which the expectation of each is based, be fulfilled by the second advent of Jesus Christ as Ben-David?

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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."-Zech. 9: 9. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."-Isa. 9: 6.

Both of these prophecies (and many others similar to cach) apply to the promised Messiah, as all who believe the prophets admit; and yet it is not easy to conceive of forms of speech, which would have been better qualified to produce opposite expectations, in some respects, of that Messiah, when he should come. I must insist, however, that these prophecies apply to one and the same individual.

They must be reconciled on some reasonable hypothesis, or rejected. If either be false, we can trust neither, unless we can find wherein the error lies and it is now, most likely, too late to do that, if there were any.

Let us try, therefore, to harmonize these two classes of descriptions. Jesus of Nazareth filled, quite well, the idea of Messiah, as indicated in Zechariah. He was so poor that he had "not where to lay his head."-Matt. 8: 20. In Dan. 7: 13, 14, we read: "I saw in the night vis

ions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." Now, suppose Jesus Christ should return to earth in all the pomp, power, and glory which was revealed to Daniel, to sit in judgment and receive that everlasting kingdom, would he not fill the highest expectation which the quotation above from Isaiah, or any other such description, has or could have excited?

This view of their meaning removes all seeming discrepancy between those prophecies. And just in that way, I confidently believe, the class first referred to have, and the other will, in due time, be fulfilled, in letter and in · spirit.

As you are aware, some of your most learned Rabbins have held, that the Michael of Daniel was to be the Messiah. In that we agree. And from this point, it is by no means difficult for us to concur, also, in the opinion that he will return to earth as the final Judge and Restorer of the lost but repenting spirits; provided that you agree with me, that we are of the fallen angels who were cast out with Satan from heaven. And this, I feel very sure, all will do who give the subject that careful investigation which its magnitude demands.

Hoping you will pardon me for so doing, I will also suggest, as a matter worth the most anxious examination, that the notion which has prevailed so long, and with so many pagans, Jews, and Christians, that there is a "Purgatory," or place of purgation and preparation to which the departed spirits of men will be sent, and where they will or may be fitted for heaven and happiness, may be wholly unfounded in fact, and a most dangerous delusion.

How such an idea, which is so poorly sustained by the written Word of God, or natural reason, ever became so prevalent, is, to my mind, wonderful. It can, as I humbly

conceive, only be accounted for on the supposition that our arch deceiver has succeeded in causing so many to misapply the mental impressions which have been made by the Holy Spirit of God upon men of all ages, that we are in a fallen and sinful condition in this life, and that our spirits must be cleansed and purified before we can be restored to the divine favor. On the hypothesis that we are in a primitive state of existence, such deception could, by the ingenuity of Satan, readily be produced. But if we are of those lost spirits, we are now passing through that Purgatory," or place and condition where, and in which, the necessary purification must be made, if anywhere effected. This great truth is so apparent, in this view of our being, as to strike the mind of every one with a force which can not be resisted.

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The idea, and which is so natural, that eternal punishment, for the sins of this life, is utterly unreasonable, has, as it is most likely, contributed very much also, to the support of the doctrine of "Purgatory," and likewise to that of Universal Salvation.

The Apostle Paul was an unbelieving Pharisee, of distinguished learning and ability. He said he had a vision while engaged in the persecution of Christians, and which satisfied him that he was wrong and they were right. If he was honest in what he said on that subject, his opinions should have great weight, at least, with his own family relations, even down to the present, and, in fact, to all future generations.

What possible motive could he have had for adopting the Christian faith, if he was not honest in his professions? He thereby lost the pleasures, wealth, and honors of this life; and, if a false pretender, he could have, entertained no fond hopes of the future. Are not, therefore, his views of the interpretation of the Old Testament prophecies, as to the Israel of God, worth so much as your careful reading? I beg of you to give them your serious consideration. And especially would I commend to your examination, the third and fourth chapters of his letter to the Galatians. If he is right, you will never be restored to

Palestine, or see the New Jerusalem, unless you go by the way of faith in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Oh that the Holy Spirit of the great Creator, may guide the footsteps of the reader and writer of this unsought and imperfect address, in the way of truth, peace, and love which leads to that celestial city-the glorious home prepared for Israel restored.

CHAPTER XXI.

Conclusion-Divinity of Jesus Christ—The War Which was Begun in Heaven is Progressing on Earth-Infants Saved and WhyGod can not Fail of His Purposes-The Aggregate Quantum of Happiness not Diminished by the Fall of Satan-A Few Remarks on Religious Creeds-The Evangelical Alliance-Reunion in Heaven.

AND now, indulgent reader, we are nearing the point of our present parting. With a few more suggestions, on as many interesting topics, I must bring these labors to a close.

There is much error in the Christian world as to the human and divine nature of our Blessed Redeemer, and which affects the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. I understand the Scriptures to teach that Christ was, and is, God, and not man; that he was not a man in any sense. His body, although very much like those of men, was produced miraculously, and not as were ours.

To talk about the humanity of Christ, in a spiritual sense, is at once idle and irreverent. A moment's reflection ought to convince any one, who can couple two ideas together, that nothing is more unnatural, or unreasonable, than that he could have possessed a human soul. Pursuant to any psychological theory which was ever presented, he could have had none. He had, however, all the physical senses, and could see, feel, taste, smell, and hear, probably, better than we can. His body required food, drink, and rest as ours. It is most likely that his head was furnished with all the organs of sense, which exist in those of men; but his superior reasoning powers were, in proportion, so far above those of men, that they kept his purely sensual organs quite as dormant as they keep the reasoning faculties in the heads of some people.