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Well, if the paragraph be authentic, that is the principal matter; whether subse. quently added by Mark himself or by some other admittedly competent hand, is a question of minor importance. For my own part, I feel amply repaid for my in

THE THRONE OF DAVID AND THE In a former paper we gave an exposition of three prophecies frequently quoted by those who advocate a future return of the Jews to Palestine, and we proved that the things therein promised were realized years ago. In reply Friend A. appears sorry that we have wasted labor in thrashing only straw. Will he, then, shew that the expositions given are not in accordance with truth? If he will not, his silence will be accepted as evidence that he cannot, and we shall consider him not so "well versed in prophecy or grounded in the structure of ancient predictions and their fulfilment" as he assumes to be.

Let it not be supposed that we think all the prophecies delivered before the seventy years' captivity were fulfilled at its expiration. The greater part have reference to the occupancy of the land in a mortal state, and we know they have been fulfilled; but some, through non-compliance, have not nor ever will be. Others were fulfilled by the mission of John, Jesus, and his Apostles; and others will be when the Son of Man, David's Heir and Abraham's Seed, shall come in his glory to reign with his bride for ever-not with the carnal Jews, but the transformed righteous living and the incorruptible righteous dead, in the new heavens and new earth.

A. quotes Zechariah to prove "that the great restoration of the Hebrews is still in the future." Now here he would be materially benefited by making use of our "scientific apparatus," as it would at once have revealed to him the place, time, and circumstances under which Zechariah prophesied, and thus have prevented his misapplication of the Scripture in question The place was Jerusalem-the time, sixteen years after Zerubbabel left Babylon with 50,000 of the children of Israel (two tribes and ten tribes) under the decree of Cyrus I.the circumstances, they were prevented in the work of restoring the city and the Temple. The surrounding people opposed them to the uttermost-they made but little progress, and were charged with sedition and rebellion. The authorities were warned that if the city were rebuilt the revenues westward of the Euphrates would be lost to Persia. So successful was the opposition that during the remainder of the reign of Cyrus, and those of Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes, they were for.

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quiries, and shall not hesitate to use the conclusion of Mark's Gospel as authentic history, possibly added by Mark himself, but in any case preserving a reliable addition to what we should otherwise have known. OMICRON.

RESTORATION OF THE HEBREWS. cibly compelled to abandon building the Temple (Ezra iv. 23.) Now with these circumstances in view we can better imagine than describe their position and feelings. They had left a most fertile country where they enjoyed great civil liberty. Returned to the land of their fathers, which they found in the hands of aliens, they proceed to rebuild the city and temple. Suddenly compelled to abandon the work, their hopes of grandeur and greatness were apparently cut off. Remorse would sit upon every countenance and regret upon every tongue. The language of their fathers to Moses in the wilderness would be theirs to Zerubbabel. Now it was at this time the Lord sent Zechariah and Haggai to them. The latter up. braided both governor, high-priest, and people with building houses for themselves and allowing the Lord's house to remain unfinished. "Go to the mountain for wood and build the house, and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord." The people were consequently encouraged to resume the work. As soon as it became known to the governors of the surrounding provinces, they enquired by whose authority they had recommenced. They asked the names of the principal workmen and informed Darius that the work was progressing rapidly, and suggested that search be made as to whether Cyrus had given authority, and requested the King to send them his pleasure concerning the matter. Thus were new hindrances met with, and lest the people might lose all hope and abandon the work, Jehovah sent Zechariah to encourage them saying, Thus saith the Lord, "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy; therefore, thus saith the Lord, I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the Lord of Hosts. My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad, and the Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusalem" (i. 14.17.) He calls them to Jerusalem, exhorts them to forsake Babylon for Zion (ii. 6-7.) "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! for lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee;

and the Lord shall inherit Judah, his portion in the Holy Land, and shall choose Jerusalem again" (ver. 10-12.)

Moreover, the Prophet tells them that

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ceive the words of Jesus and his Apostles, and are obedient to them in "all things," they will be enabled to rejoice in "the knowledge of remission, and the joy of His salvation will be their strength." But in regard to the essay alluded to, my desire is to advance this chain of thought beyond that of its estimable writer.

Our brother seems to me to falter in one point, although so clear in all the rest On page 225 he writes, "But though I deny both these points, I yet wish to deny neither without qualification.

Is it asked, then, if the Spirit has not the power to exert the influence defined in conversion? I reply that this is not denied, neither is it a point involved. Yet when denying the point which is involved, we are frequently represented as denying this which is not involved, and which no one denies. We are thus made, against our will, not only to occupy a false position, but, as it is profanely phrased, to limit the Spirit's power. We protest against this injustice. Now I do not see the need of the "qualification." More than this, as it appears to me, our friend most seriously weakens all his positions by saying one denies" that the Spirit has the power by direct impact upon the heart to convert a sinner without the use of any instrumentality whatever.

no

I say this because if it be not denied, then clearly it is admitted, and if the possibility be admitted, then not only is the onus of proof thrown upon our friend that though possible, yet, it is not probable, but its improbability, in my judgment, be comes impossible of proof. Now I deny that the Spirit has the power to exert the influence defined in conversion, viz. secret, mystic, miraculous, yet direct and uncontrolable impact. If this position which I take is authorised and supported by the Scripture, then we are saved from the difficulty, not to say the impossibility of proving the probability in my own case; for if it were probable in one case, then who would say that it is not probable in every? Again, if my denial be Scriptural, then ground for uncertainty as to the means of conversion will be wholly done away. In order to compass this matter we must consider the relation in which a man stands to his Maker. God made him in his own likeness Having made and endowed him with powers and affections, He made for him a law-made him to know his accountability. In this way God made the man to know himself, the relation he sustained tó God, and also the powers which he possessed. God placed before the man what would be the consequence if he transgressed. He was invested, therefore, with power to stand and with freedom to

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fall. His preservation was placed absolutely within his own power.

If it were not so the law given would have had neither propriety nor force. This last remark introduces me to my standing point in this argument, secured and fortified by the declaration of the Holy Spirit himself, "God cannot deny himself," (2 Tim. ii. 13.) The Apostle here teaches the truths which Jesus the Christ had announced, (Matt. x. 33) In no respect can God deny himself. He cannot deny himself in any matter he has spoken in His wordin anything spoken by Jesus, whose name is "the Word of God"-nor in respect of any portion of His works. Now the noblest work of God is man: and He cannot deny himself in anything pertaining to man. The Holy Spirit has placed it on record that God created all things by Jesus Christ, and that God looked upon the works which He had made, and pronounced them all

very good." Has, then, the Divine stamp of perfection ever been effaced? Surely not. Does not judgment against sin proceed upon the fact, that by his sin the sinner has exhibited in his manhood? His sin is dishonors that very perfection which God bellion against his Maker is of necessity a rebellion against God: and that act of re"God rebellion against his own nature. made man upright, but he has sought out He received his natumany inventions."

ral powers from God in the same condition of perfection as when God created man at the first. Hence arises the distinction

between those who have sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, and Death has, indeed, those who have not. passed upon these last who have not so from Adam; but the former class of sinsinned, because they inherit their bodies ners receive condemnation, because while

they had the light of the knowledge of God's will, they preferred darkness to light, that they might follow their evil

works.

Is

As in the case of our first parent, so in that of every sinner] who has sinned in the same way, there is choice, preferencethe deliberate action of a will themselves have perverted to that which is evil. there a single case recorded in which, after God has graciously given His teachings and warning, He has ever interposed to prevent the responsible action of a man's own will? If so, let the case be brought forward. I know of no such instance; and the reason is, that "God cannot deny himself."

Were he so to interfere to effect the conversion of a sinner from the choice of sin and the love of sin which he had so chosen, the action of the sinner's mind would be not only neutralized: it would be nullified

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And his Apostles do the same. "Whosoever shall acknowledge [confess] me before men, him will I also acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall disown [deny] me before men, him will I also disown before my Father who is in heaven." So the Apostle Paul-"If we disown [deny] him, he also will disown us. If we be unfaithful, [believe not] yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself."

Man still possesses those natural powers which God gave at the first, and having in his hands the Holy Scriptures, his conversion to God or his continuance in sin is entirely placed in his own power. On God's part the work of our redemption

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and salvation is finished and complete: nothing can be added to that work; and He has placed in the hands and before the minds of sinners all the means neces sary to work out our own salvation, and to attain to the knowledge that we are saved. Were it otherwise, all the invitations to sinners would be vain and the Divine laws a work of supererogation. I think I have proved that the Holy Spirit, having regard to man as the perfect work of God, having regard to the Holy One himself and that order which he has established in reference to man, it may be safely maintained that the Holy Spirit has not the power to convert a sinner by such means as is contended for. I would only say farther, that while God has conferred upon man honor and dignity in the highest degree commensurate with human conceptions, by endow. ing him with such mental power and independent action of his will in response to the terms of mercy and salvation, they do greatly dishonour God and their own souls who maintain and teach such notions as our friend has supposed in his essay. W. H. BURFORD. Adelaide, Australia.

BIRMINGHAM AND WEDNESBURY.

The following was received from Birmingham during our stay at Lincoln"Dear Bro. King,-We had a happy sea. son last evening (Lord's day, Nov. 20), when, notwithstanding that it was a weary wet night, the chapel was full. After proclaiming the gospel, the bath was opened, and 5 immersed, four who had confessed their faith in Jesus. Two of them came from Rugby expressly to be baptized here. They have been reading the Harbinger for some time, and have been thus led to see the way of the Lord more perfectly. After these immersions, a young man came forward and confessed his faith. Yours, &c.-G. Dowling."

From Bro. Turner, who had spent a few days in Preston and returned to Wednes. bury, we received the following-" Dear Brother, You will be glad to hear that the Lord is still at work. We had a very interesting cottage meeting the night before I went to Preston, which I think decided two females who have heard us some time. They have now applied for baptism. There is also another who desires to be baptized with them She came to the preaching on Lord's day evening, and also to the Bible class. I have had some hours conversation with her and her husband, who is a hopeful enquirer. One baptized

C

On the 27th November, having returned from Lincoln, we addressed the brethren and others in Wednesbury, and proclaimed the gospel in Birmingham, closing the day by immersing three On the following Lord's day we baptized one, and on the next of the monumental days five others, four resident in Birmingham and one from Wolverhampton, where Bro. Turner had held several cottage meetings. After immersing the five, several earnest enquirers were conversed with. On the Wednesday following, we immersed two promising young men, after which, another made the good confession in order to be buried into the death of the Lord. Lord's day, December 18.-After preaching by F. Johnson, one young man was immersed, and on the 25th, having returned from Cambridge, we closed the day by baptizing three others. Thus, during the month, nineteen have gone down into the appointed grave of water, and several others, previously baptized, have been added. D. KING.

38.

BOLTON.

On Lord's day, December 18, David King, of Birmingham, delivered two discourses in the Temperance Hall, Cambridge, that in the morning upon the "Kingdom of Heaven at hand, and the Kingdom of Heaven come," and that in the evening upon "Certain great realities of the Christian dispensation exhibited in types under the Law." In the afternoon, seven immersed believers commemorated the death of the Lord in the way appointed by Himself. On Monday evening, in the same place, a discourse was delivered upon the "Union of Christians as indicated in the prayer of the Saviour, and the present inefficiency of the denominations as admitted by themselves." Meetings of earnest enquirers were held on Tuesday and Wednesday, which were closed by some twelve or fourteen undertaking to break the bread every first of the week with any baptized believer, of good standing, who might be pleased to join them. This arrangement, it was understood, would be carried out in a few weeks, after which, it is expected that, with the aid of the brethren above named, a church will be organized, and the membership duly enrolled.

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were without any fruit, but, for the last few weeks, we have been encouraged by seeing sinners turning from the error of their ways, and those who had wandered from the fold returning. Besides three discourses regularly advertised for each week, I have been holding meetings in the houses of the brethren, which appear to to have resulted in good. For the last four weeks we have been witnessing additions at the rate of four each week, making, in all, sixteen, and with the prospect of more. I am happy to say that the brethren are living in peace and harmony. They are encouraged and strengthened by seeing the work of the Lord prospering in their midst.

I have visited around, as much as cir cumstances would admit, to endeavour to advance the cause of our common Master. I endeavour to lay out my whole time and expend all my energies in this, the best of all causes in the world, and, while life and health are extended to me, I wish to spend and be spent therein.

After New Year's day I intend removing to Dysart, to labor with the brethren at Pathhead. How long I may remain there I cannot at present tell. My address will then be, to the care of Mr. Thomas Harrow, Dysart, Fife. Praying that the Lord may bless and prosper you in your work of faith and labor of love, and with love to all who love our Lord in sincerity, I remain, dear Bro. King, your fellowW. THOMSON. servant in the Lord,

HUDDERSFIELD.

We have been cheered by the labors of By his teaching the church has been our Bro. Exley during the last two months. strengthened and built up in the faith, and the meetings for proclaiming the gospel have steadily improved in numbers. On Tuesday evenings, he has held meetings at Liversedge, where several of our members reside The prospects of usefulness are cheering, and the numbers present very encouraging. During the visit, four have been added, three by immersion and one restored. To God be all the praise. W. H. McK.