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The city is to be four square, with three gates on each side, to be called after the names of the twelve tribes of Israel-It is to be round about 18000 measures; and the name of the city from that day, shall be, "The Lord is there.”

But previous to and just before this great event, the peculiar distress foretold in almost every other part of scripture, must take place. "For God calls on every bird of prey, and the wild beasts of the field, to gather together from all places to his sacrifice, which he has slain for them on the mountains of Israel, and they shall eat flesh, and drink blood-They shall eat the flesh of mighty men and drink the blood of the rulers of the earth; rams and calves and goats and all stalled calves-And they shall eat fat till they are satiated; and drink blood (till they are intoxicated) of my sacrifice which I have slain for them-And they shall be filled with, (and devour} at my table, horse and charioteer, mighty men and every man of war, saith Jehovah the Lord—And I will manifest my glory in them, and all nations shall see my judgment which I have executed upon them. And the house of Israel shall know that I am Jehovah their God, from that day and forward. And all nations shall know, that because of their sins, the house of Israel went into captivity; by means of which (sins) they acted deceitfully towards me, and I have turned away my face from them, and have delivered them into the hands of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword-According to their unclean

nesses, and according to their iniquities have I done unto them-For this reason, saith Jehovah, God, now will I turn again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the house of Israel, and I will be zealous because of my name, my holy name. And they shall receive their ignominy and (the reward of) all their iniquity, which they iniquitously committed when they dwelt in their land in peace-But there shall not be any one making them afraid, when I shall bring them again from among the Gentiles, and when I shall gather them together from the countries of the nations-and they shall know that I am the Lord their God, on my appearing to them among the Gentiles. And I will gather them into their land, and will not forsake them any more."*

* King's translation.

ZECHARIAH.

THE account of these prophetic wonders, are also continued by Zechariah, who lived 50 years after Ezekiel.

He says, "the man whose name is the Branch, shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord, and bear the glory, and sit and rule upon his throne.-And he shall not only be a king, but a priest also on his throne; and the council of peace shall be between them both."

The Lord is to return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and she is to be called a city of truth, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain.-Old men and women are yet to dwell in the city of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.-And the inhabitants of one city, shall go to another city saying, "let us go speedily and pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts: I will go also.-Yea many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.

The daughter of Zion is called on greatly to rejoice; and the daughter of Jerusalem to shout; for her king cometh unto her.-He is to speak peace to the heathen, and his dominion shall be from sea to sea; and from the river to the ends of the earth."

And in order to ascertain the period of time with certainty, and to distinguish clearly between the first and second coming of this glorious prince; the prophet declares" that in that day, whenever it shall be, the Lord will destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem; and will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness as one that is in bitterness for his first born. And then there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem-and the land shall mourn ; every family apart and their wives apart.-In this same day, (or about the same time) there shall be opened a fountain to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness. The feet of the Lord shall then stand on the mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the mount shall cleave in the midst thereof towards the east and towards the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove towards the north; and half of it towards the south; and the people shall flee to the valley of the mountains, which shall reach unto Azel; they shall flee, like as they fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah-And the Lord God shall then come, and all the saints with him; and in that day living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them towards the eastern sea, and

balf of them towards the hinder sea, in summer and winter shall it be; and the Lord shall be king over all the earth; and there shall be one Lord, and his name one."

All this is too descriptive, and too minute, to suppose them designed, as merely allegorical-the language being so frequently express and positive.

This would be unworthy the grandeur of the subject, and the dignity of the kingdom of God so expressly revealed in his word. The promises of God are yea and amen-not a tittle of them shall fail, but all things written in the prophets and the psalms concerning him, shall be fulfilled-even where the language in scripture is plainly and necessarily figu rative as to part of its principal object, often it carries a double reference, and the literal is fulfilled, as well. as the figurative.

The prophet proceeds to foretel the manner in which these great events are to be brought aboutThis was necessary, as it had been foretold, that previous to this glorious day, there should be a great falling away among the professors of the gospel, and that the enemies of Christ, and his faithful people, should greatly prevail, even so as to endanger the safety of the elect or church of God, had it been possible.

Zechariah therefore further informs us, that this "will be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that shall fight against Jerusalem

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