I say new sect because the tolerated promulgation of such doctrines in the English Establishment is new, and no unimportant sign of the times, though the doctrines themselves are not new, but found more or less in the writings of pseudo-philanthropic religionists, from the time of William Penn to the present. The Governmental system that seeks that men should fraternize as men, without regard to their religious distinctions, is of course effectually aided by a theory that asserts that Christ is in all men that Christ by incarnation united Himself to all men; that the shedding of blood is not needful to appease wrath, because that in God there is no wrath. A theory like this allows no distinctive place to the family of faith: neither can it regard any as "children of wrath," for how can they be children of wrath in whom Christ is. The voice of the enemy has long proclaimed to deceived Christendom that all who are duly baptized by priestly hands are regenerate: but now we are to believe something further. We are to believe that Christ is in all men. They are born regenerate. All men are brethren in the flesh, and brethren in Christ also. What can latitudinarianism desire more than this? Secular latitudinarianism may well rejoice in such allies. Antichrist will scarcely be more indebted to the false prophet that prophesies in his presence, than secular latitudinarianism is to these teachers. Like their successor, they may be lamb-like in appearance, but faith recognizes their

voice to be the voice of the Dragon. They may scoff now at the puerilities and Jewish prejudices and mistakes of the Apostles of our God and Saviour, and may degrade the Scripture to the level of Shakespeare, and make what they call the inspirations of genius (frequently another name for the inspiration of Satan) the same as the inspiration of the Prophets and Apostles of God-they may mock thus for a season; but surely there is a time coming when God shall mock at them. "I also will laugh at their calamity; I will mock when their fear cometh."

103

UNFULFILLED PREDICTIONS FROM

JEREMIAH, &c.

ALTHOUGH many of the texts that follow have already been referred to, it may be desirable to present them together in a tabular form.

They show that, however much the past desolation of Babylon may be regarded as premonitory, and in many respects like that which is yet to be, yet that the specific characteristics of the final ruin are not at present found.

REMARKS.

Even the city has not yet been visited by such entire desolation, much less the LAND, which according to Sir Henry Rawlinson is no less than one hundred miles in length, and from forty to seventy in breadth.

A general return of Israel is predicted in this verse. In the restoration under Cyrus and his successors only a few returned. Israel and Judah have never been united since the days of Rehoboam; nor

They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

Ver. 28. "The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the Lord our God."

Ver. 40. "As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighbour cities thereof, saith the Lord; so shall no man abide there; neither shall any son of man dwell therein."

Ver. 41 and 42. Many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. They shall hold the bow and the lance: they are cruel, and will not show mercy." "*

have they joined themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant. On the contrary, they are peculiarly cast off for their iniquities.

Those of Israel who returned to Jerusalem under the auspices of Cyrus did not either "flee" or "escape"; but returned quietly by permission of the sovereign of Babylon, and that some time after it had been taken.

Babylon has never yet been desolated as Sodom and Gomorrah. Many thousand persons dwell in Hillah.

Clemency rather than cruelty marked the victory of the Medes and Persians. It does not appear that there were many kings, nor that they came from very distant regions.

• The exceeding cruelty of the victors at the final siege is also emphatically dwelt on in Isaiah xiii. : They shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb: their eye shall not spare children." For evidence as to the use of the bow in modern warfare, see note on page 136.