meaning of which is, the seed of God.) I pray you, my brethren, study this prophecy of Hosea with this view; understand Judah as being the representative of the Jewish kingdom, and Joseph and Ephraim as representatives of the gospel kingdom, and its state; and if you do not find harmony and light in it, and many other parts and prophecies in the Bible, I shall be not a little surprised.

I will bring one more proof that Ephraim represents the gospel kingdom among all nations. See Gen. xlviii. 16-20: "The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head. And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manassch." You see when Jacob blessed the two sons of Joseph, he blessed Ephraim, the younger, above Manasseh, the elder: "he (Manasseh) also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother (Ephraim) shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a fulness of nations." This is plain and positive proof that Ephraim would be called the head or representative of the gospel seed, which Paul calls the "fulness of the Gentiles," and which Jacob calls "fulness of nations." Paul says, "So all Israel shall be saved,” that is, when the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. Our text says, "For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all

the house of Israel his companions." Here is the same fulness, the same all, and the same Israel, in one case as in the other.

II. I SHALL SHOW HOW AND WHEN THESE STICKS WERE UNITED.

They are united by Christ, are made one in his hand. John xi. 52: “And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad,” evidently meaning Jews and Gentile believers. Again, John xvii. 22, 23: "And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me." Ezekiel says, verse 28, "And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel." Again, see 1 Cor. xii. 12: "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that oue body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, (one stick,) whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free." See Eph. ii. 14-16: "For he (Christ) is our peace, who hath made both (Jew and Gentile believers) one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us, (Jew and Gentile ;) having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain (Jew and Gentile) one_new man, (one stick,) so making peace;" that is, "Ephraim shall not envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim."

In what manner are they made one? I answer, by being all born of one Spirit, having one Father and one mother. See Eph. ii. 18: "For through him we both (Jew and Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father." The context says, verse 27, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people." John i. 13: "Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;" and, "except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Gal. iv. 26: “But Jeru

salem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all," (Jew and Gentile.) Without this birth, we canno possibly be called the people of God, and are not entitled to an heirship with Jesus Christ: and if we are born from above, then we, whether Jew or Gentile, are not looking for a Jerusalem which is in bondage with her children, but one from above which is free; for here we have no continuing city, but we look for a city whose builder and maker is God.

Again, they are to be made one nation, verse 22: "And I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel." Was this true in the gospel? you may inquire. Christ says, Matt. xxi. 43, 66 Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof." If it was to be taken from the Jew, and given to another nation, of course, it would take away the promise of the land, as well as the kingdom of God, and the Jew, as a Jew, would have no more inheritance either in land or mountain, which means kingdom; and then being given to a nation bringing forth fruits, they would be, as Peter says, "a holy nation, a peculiar people." 1 Pet. ii. 9.

Again, they are to have one king: “And one king shall be king to them all," says Ezekiel. What says Zech. xiv. 9? "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one." Christ taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come," &c. Again Christ, when Pilate inquired of him if he was king of the Jews, answered, "Thou sayest." And at another time, when the inultitude spread their garments in the way, and cried, saying, "Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord," Christ consented, and even gave encouragement thereto, denying not, but confessing he was king of the Jews: not of the literal Jews; for he has told us plainly that the kingdom of God is taken from them, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And Ezekiel further says, "And they shall be no more two nations,

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neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all." Yet your judaizing teachers tell you that the Jews, as Jews, must be brought back into their own land, have their own old Jewish kingdom restored, their city, temple, temple worship, and David their king restored unto them. Well may we say unto the Jew, you do well to reject Jesus of Nazareth; for it is evident he has given his kingdom to believers in him, and your prophets tell you there shall be no more two kingdoms. So says the Jew, "We will wait for our own kingdom, which will, according to your own showing, be restored unto us;" and, as there cannot be but one kingdom, your Nazarene must be an impostor; he has promised you Nazarenes a kingdom, which will be given unto us, and which will stand forever, as you yourselves confess and acknowledge. We think, then, we are safest, for we know our prophets to be true, and you own it. We know there can be but one kingdom, and that you give to us, and that kingdom will destroy all others and stand forever. Dan. ii. 44: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.""

C

Again, the subjects of this kingdom are to possess new hearts and be born of the Spirit. See Ezekiel Xxxvi. 24-28: "For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will

be your God." Here we have the same gathering, the same people, the same land, the same cleansing, the same obedience of the same statutes and judg ments, the same promise of his being their God and they being his people, together with the surety of a new heart and his Spirit within them, as we have in the chapter under consideration. Where is the difference between these promises and those given to the Gentile believers ?

1. Are not Gentile believers promised all these things as much as the Jews?—are they not taken from among the heathen? John says, Rev. v. 9, "And has redeemed us to God out of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people."

2. Are not Gentile believers promised their own land for an inheritance? The apostle says, "They shall inherit all things." And Christ promises, "The meek shall inherit the earth."

3. Are not Gentile believers promised to be cleansed from idols as well as Jews? 1 Cor. xii. 2: "For ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led." 1 Thes. i. 9: "And how ye turned to God, from idols, to serve the living and true God."

4. Hath not God promised to give a new heart to Gentiles as well as Jews, and put his Spirit in them, write his laws there, be their God, and hath declared that they shall be his people? See Paul's arguments in the eighth chapter of Hebrews, verse 10: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people."

5. Hath not God promised to raise up the tabernacle of David for the Gentile as well as the Jew? No, say you. If you will prove this, you will gain the point contended for. See Acts xv. 14-17: "Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name, (Israel.) And to this agree the prophets,"