Millennium, at least, would, on that hypothesis, be composed of, comparatively, only a very few converts to Christ, scattered, it may be supposed, here and there; the great body of the church, or saints, who had been "changed," having joined their glorified brethren, and their common Lord, in the air. He also asked his Millennarian Friend, what, in this case, would become of the prediction (upon which Millennarians, in general, lay so much stress), "and we shall reign on the earth," if, after all, the saints are to reign with our Lord in some region of the earth's atmosphere? He also asked, how our Lord can be said personally to reign with his saints in the air, and, at the same time, personally to sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem?

ALLEGED RE-BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE

OF JERUSALEM, AND RESTORATION OF
LEVITICAL ORDERS AND RITES.

FOURTH CONFERENCE.

“Howbeit the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and

earth is my footstool: what house will

ye

build me,

saith

the Lord; or what is the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?

"God, that hath made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands."

"The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor at Jerusalem, worship the Father."

66

Jerusalem, which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all."

IN adverting to this branch of the Millennary hypothesis, the ideas that first suggested themselves to the mind of our INQUIRER were those of locality and limitation; whereas it appeared to him, that Christianity suggests ideas of enlargement and universality. And as to the question of the

re-building of the temple, and the restoration of a ceremonial worship, at Jerusalem, it had been decided, by our Lord himself, almost 2,000 years ago, and, therefore, by the highest authority. For this reason (he said) he felt indescribable surprise, that the question had ever been mooted at all. He then recited the words of our Lord to which he had alluded :

:

"The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father."

Now it appeared to him perfectly evident, that our Lord, by this declaration, did not mean to say, that the time was approaching when men would cease to worship the Father, either in Samaria, or at Jerusalem; but that the period was at hand when the adulterated system of worship observed in Samaria would cease, and when the Mosaic ceremonial worship of the Jews would be totally abolished. His MILLENNARIAN FRIEND appeared to be exceedingly disconcerted by this declaration of our Lord; and hastily observed, that, perhaps, it might not absolutely warrant the conclusion that another "hour," or period of time, would not succeed that to which our Lord then immediately referred; under another dispensation, the temple

and its services might be restored; so that our Lord, might merely have predicted that the cessation of the corrupt Judaic worship on Mount Gerizim, and the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem, were events nigh at hand. In reply, our INQUIRER said, that he thought other parts of our Lord's conversation on this occasion tended to corroborate the opinion he had now expressed, viz. those in which he assigns the specific reasons on which his declaration was founded, for instance

"God is a Spirit; and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Hence, said our Inquirer, it appears, that Christianity rests on an unlimited foundation, corresponding with its comprehensive character as adapted to mankind universally. The time when the limited Judaic economy will have fully answered its end, being now near at hand, our Lord, with great propriety, announced that "the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship him." The inevitable inference from the whole of the passages taken together, he thought, was, that after the temple at Jerusalem should be destroyed, and the ritual observances connected with

it, should be discontinued, neither the Mosaic nor any other ceremonial and local worship would ever be again set up with the sanction of Christ and the approbation of his Father. Indeed, the restoration of the temple-worship, &c. seemed to him to be directly opposed to the genius and design of Christianity; but that such restoration should take place when the Gospel shall have achieved its most glorious and extensive triumphs, exhibited, if possible, that contrariety in a still more conspicuous point of view. He also thought that the universal extension of Christianity in the earth, (an issue which it may reasonably be supposed will then, if ever, have been accomplished,) considered in reference to our Lord's Millennary reign, and as appealing to our natural sense of fitness, would tend to repress the expectation of a personal and local reign on the earth, and to strengthen that of his continued residence and reign in heaven. He also reminded his Millennarian Friend, that it was under a limited and local reign, viz., (that of the theocracy,) that the Shechinah, or symbol of the Divine Presence, was vouchsafed; not after the light of Christianity had burst on the world; and, in regard to that economy, only during the earlier periods of the Levitical church; which circumstances seemed further to confirm the views he