The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-02 00:00:00

of a wife is this ? When the husband is in a distant country
she likes to hear about him; and when certainly she hears he
will come, " Oh, this I don't bother about," she says,—what
do you think t What would you say of such a wife, or of such
a child? He has not seen the father for many years; then
be hears the father comes—" Oh, this ? I don't trouble about
this," he says. Aly dear friends, should we say of anything
that is revealed in Scripture, " I don't trouble about it ?"
Then it is said again—" but you cannot say that ever a coun-
cil of the church has determined this, that it should be taken
literally," Has a council, or any father, ever said it must be
taken spiritually ? St. Jerome, the first father who ever
said we may understand it spiritually, tells us that so many
holy men are against him that he does not dare to give a de•
cided opinion about it. And again, has ever one single coun-
cil said we must understand this spiritually ? Not one what-
ever. Oh my dear friends, it is clear in Scripture. Then
again, it is said, " Yes, yes, but then our eternal salvation
does not depend upon it, and therefore I content invelf

merely with the chiet ponits.— Now I will just red yoi
effect of such an observation. Now what I can give you,
you hear preached every day much more eloquently and
fully, but I must give you my experience on this point.
Lately in Persia. the second time, there was a Christian ; he
was asked by a Persian Mahomedan, "Oh, I wish you would
tell the something about Daniel and the prophets; there are
such mighty prophecies, and beautiful, about the regeneration
of the world ?" "Oh," said he, "these I don't trouble-about ;
the great points are about Jesus Christ having died fot our
sins." The Persian turned away from him and said, "You
Christians; you are .the most contemptible infidels I ever
met with. We, Mahometans, every one believe that the
Koran is come from God—that Mahomet received it from
the angel Gabriel from heaven; and fur this reason, every
word it contains we read and consider with the greatest de-
votion. And you, about the greater part of your scripture;
you say, you don't trouble about it." Is it not written, it is
of -the Holy Spirit; and, therefore, though I am far from
saying that those who have not believed, they are not-saved—
" who art thou that judgest?"—but at the saute time, I must
say, my dear friends, that we.are in danger, for this reason;
I ask you, is not all scripture given by divine inspiration ?
If all scripture is given by divine inspiration, do we not treat
slightly the spirit if we say "I take notice of one part, and
not of the other ingredients. One part with regard to
one portion of scripture, has happened to Israel, with
regard to his first coming. Ido not regard the other parts
which relate to his second coming." A few have regarded
them as to his first coming, and a few have regarded them
as to his second coming. The veil is around the Jews as to
his first coming, and the veil is around many Geotilesavben
they read Moses-with regard to his second coming: Now
let us see; so far we have only established the personality of
his reign; what shall be the nature of his reign ? In the
second book of Samuel, in the 23rd chapter and 4th verse,
here is given a description of the kingdom of the Messiah.
Then, my dear friends, we shall have a change of govern-
ment for die better; till that time, all your contrivances,
whatever they are, you will never have a goveinment for the
better; and therefore we have to submit obediently to the
powers that be. Now hear the 23rd chap. of second Samuel,
and the 4th verse. " And he shall he a ruler in the form of
man. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when
the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds"—nothing
shall interrupt the beauty, the felicity, the happiuess of that
kingdom—" as the tender grass springing out of the earth
by clear shining after rain." It is more explained still in
the—evidently here an allusion to—the 72nd Psalm, where
this beautiful coming is described—" He shall come down
like rain upon the mown grass; as showers that water the
earth. In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abun-
dance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall
have dominion also from sea to sea":--that is not in heaven—
"and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that
dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his ene-
mies shall lick the dust. The kings of 'Persists!), and of the
isles, shall bring presents;"—these are not in heaven; these
are of the earth;—" the kings of Sheba and Sant shall offer
gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him • all nations
shall serve him." Now, how shall it be with regard to
Israel? Oh, here I could speak to you the whole niuht on a
few of these passages. Ge only anti read the 51st of Isaiah.
The Redeemer, or their King, has come. `"l'he redeemed
of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion;
and everlasting joy shall be upon their head; they shall
obtain gladness and joy ; anti sorrow and mourning shall flee
away." It is more explained; in that city there shall be the
whole union of the twelve tribes under their king Jesus
Christ, the Son of David. Go to the 37th of Ezekiel: and
there I will give you an instance what I have seen in Arabia,
which will make completely clear the whole passage about
the " dry bones." It would last too long to read the whole,
therefore I will read it merely from the 15th verse. "The
word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, Moreover,
thou son of man, take thee one stick and write upon it, For
Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions; then
take another stick and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick
of Ephraitn, and for all the house of Israel his companions;
and join them one to another into one stick, and they shall
become one in thine hand. And I will make them one na-
tion in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king
.shall be king to them all; and they shall he no more two
nations, neither shall they be divided into two kumsdeins any
more at all." Now in Abyssinia anti in Arabia Felix, these
children of Hebei), they divide themselves still into tribes.
Every tribe has a stick, upon which the name of the tribe is
Written. The same ie in 'l'urkishtan. When they go in battle
against each other, they are known by the different sticks.
When they make again an altiauce together and establish
peace, they bind one stick upon anether, and the whole shout
among the Toorgotnaunsn I heard it. :Now here von have
this; so it must have been undoubtedly among the children of
Israel. Now thus they shall lie brought together in one stick
upon another, and " they shall be tine.." And here the King
is described, who he shall be. Here it is said in the 37th
chapter—" And David my servant shall be King over there,"
here literally according to the oriental idiom. Ask any Turk
who is the Governor of Constantinople? they don't tell you
Sultan Mahmoud; they tell you Mahmoud the Founder of
the Dynasty. Ask any person in Robed,' who is the
governs)! there ? they tell you. Tamoraund, for he is the
founder of the kingdom. And who is the son of David ? the
Lord Jesus Christ, without spiritualizing, for this is merely
the oriental mode of speaking Now my friends, this is one
of the events—the regathering of the Jewish nation, and his
reconciliation to them, which is spoken of. But with regard
to the world, how shall it be then, when they shall be esta-
blished ? Let us go to the 60th chapter of Isaiah ; after we
see the prophet have a whole ransomed nation before him, he
bursts forth—" Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the
glory of the Lord is risen upon thee," and then, "tire Gen-
tiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of
thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round ;thous:, and see; all they
gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy suns shall
come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side."
And then. "His kingdom at His first coining, was net of
this world." He, Himself, said so. It is literally true; he
had nothing to do with it. But at his second coming, the
kingdom of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord
and of His Christ. And how shall this be established?
Amidst unheard of judgements. I will only read to you one
portion of scripture more, and then conciude with the im-
provement. Here are these judgements—" Come near ye
nations to hear, and hearken ye people; let the earth bear
and all that is therein; the world and all things that come
forth from it, for the indignation of the Lord is upon all na-
tions. and his fury upon all their armies; he has utterly de-
stroyed them; he has delivered them to the halter," and so
he goes on. Why is ail this for? This is the time of the
fullness of the Gentiles. Jerusalem was to be trodden down
until the times of the Gentiles he fulfilled. Now it is fulfilled,
for it is the day of the Lord's veneeance, and the year of
recompense for the humiliation of Zinn. Now, a little, I
show to you, what is the practical effect of this doctrine.
I read and expounded this chapter when I was with Ephraim.
Pasha, the emperor, in Yemen, on my way to the Rechab-
ites at Sena. There were some Turkish officers come from
the army, who said "what a full and terrible speech of the
prophet Isaiah, the peace and comfort of God upon him,"—
they always use this expression—" What terrible and awful
speech was this; how awfully it will go with us that live in
much sin and iniquities." gow these were literally his ob-
servations. Actually I saw several of the Tia?lss tearing off
their garments and heating their breasts, and saying, 4' What
awful tidings will come over the world." Is not that a prac-
tical effect my friends, when I can touch the hearts orl'urks ;
and should you consider it matter of speculation, when leaialt
and the greater part of the prophets are alluding,* to the suf-
ferings of Christ, which are the minor pants of scripture,
though the most important, and for this very reason ; the
apostle Paul says :—" I reckon the sufferings of this world
nothing in com-parisou of the glory that is to folloon"
Now the prophets foreseeing such times, Isaiah bursts
forth suddenly at the end of his prophecies, when he
has described the judgments of the Lord, in these remarka-
ble words—" Who is he that cometh from Edom, with dyed
garments from Bozrah",--and after, he again hears shouting
for joy the whole Jewish nation. He is so impatient that he
exclaims, "Oh ! that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that
thou wouldest con'se down and touch the mountains that they
smoke;''—and when foreseeing the glory of Jerusalem,
when "the light shall shine around him," he exclaims—far
from- being a mere speculation to him—" For Zion's sake I
will not !told my peace; for Jerusalem's sake I will not hold
my tongue."—And should it be to you mere matter of specu-
lation? My friends, my friends; consider it only, consider
it! Oh, flow, listen only, what was it to David. 1-lear the
dear old David at his dying hour. And. when at the hour of
one's death one does not trifle. Even the wicked does not
trifle at that moment. Lately a must horrid infidel died at
Rome. "There," he said, " now—now I shall soon hasten
after an eternity; go all away from me in order that I may-
try to fight against the thought or eternity." You see, at
such a moment. the firmness of infidelity ceases. But even
it is an important hour to the believer; and hear David.
You see David at the hour of death. Let us wait a little; be
not tired; it is such a beautiful subject. And I confess, the
more I think, now I am speaking of it, it is to me as one that
is ie a dream—as a very sweet dream. One awakes out of
the dream; the dream is past,. but one has still an agreeable
feeling of that fine dream. So it is to a person who speaks of
such beautiful times, when our Lord shall reign upon earth.
Now David says, just hear what I reed to you in my text;
these were his last words, as Jacob's last words were, of the
Messiah, when his sons were round bins.. He says—"'This
is all my salvation." Far from being a mere speculation— •
" all my salvation, and all my desire." Why should it not
have been his desire? Is it nut called "the desire of all
Lions?"—" All my desire, and all my salvation;"—and let it
be all your salvation and all your desire. And no more.
I should have liked to have spoken to you about the first re-
surrection, but it would keep me too long; therefore, only
what Peter thought on the subject. " Wherefore," he says,
"for we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when
we make known unto you the power of God ;" and it is not a
mere speculation. This hurts me; this grieves me exceed-
ingly • I cannot help saying it• grieves me. Do you know
you have one who agrees with von that the subject of the
regeneration is a speculation. Shall I tell you who? An
infidel Jew; and that person, a very celebrated man, Mie
monidas; a very celebrated man. He says, "we should not -
speak about the coming of the Messiah, for it is mere spec*.
lation." You see, he is in this way. Oh! I will not grieve
you, speaking it out clearly; but you know; you under-
stand me what I mean—many of our days, who think
themselves to he very spiritually-minded Christians. A
person once wrote to me in India, " I am so engrossed in the
subject of salvation, that I have no time to think of my
Lord and Saviour. and his comiug." About his salva-
tion ! To be in a safe place; and are we not safe when
we are with our Lord? and when are we with our Lord?
When he comes, and when we shall see him as he is.
This is salvation; and this is therefore " all our salvation,"
and ought to be " all our desire." Now, hear there what
Peter sans—" Therefore we are not saying cunningly devised
fables, when we make known unto you the coming and power
of our Lord Jesus Christ." My dear friends, and then the
last prayer of the last of the Evangelists, after he was at
Patn►tto see these beautiful times which shall assuredly
come to pass. Then he saw Jerusalem. and those that were
beheaded for the sake of Jesus; and when he saw that time,
when we shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years,
And how he did pant after that time? "Come, Lord Jesus;
come; come, Lord Jesus; come; come quickly " irly
friends, will you not re-echo his words ? Should we not look
out ? 1 must go to one who will put you to shame—a Roman
Catholic: Bernard,
talking on this subject, once, in his zeal,
he exclaimed, full of it, far from considering it a speculation s
Salve me;—Save me, King of tremendous matchlessness.
Those that are to be saved—saved freely, are roll of holiness."
Oh ! friends, friends, friends; I beseech you ; I don't think
I have spoken too harshly. though certainly it is very deeply
to my heart • for I know how like infidels it is, my friends.
The spiritualizing system makes infidels: it does not deserve
the name spirituality; it deserves the name phuntornizing sys-
tem. Therefore I speak as speaking of the system. I saw
the shouts of triumph in the Jews' countenances when Chris-
tians came; when they came and spiritualized what was not,
-could I answer them ? My friends,, let this be " all our sal-
vation, all our desire;"—" Come, Lord Jesus; come quick-
ly." Amen.
which occupied an hour and a
r was listened to- with the most
haTlfhinroduegilitcoeurty,thteheseerpmeaokne,
devout attention.