in national glory, as described by Ezekiel in chap. xxxvii. And if this be the correct meaning of the second verse, it follows that this verse must be, in its chronological and prophetic sequence, a prediction of what will obtain in the age to come, when Israel will be settled in their own land: "THEN shall we know (Hosea being one of Israel) if we follow on to know the Lord; His going forth is prepared as the morning," &c. Now here, probably, there is a beautiful and delicate allusion to the progress of knowledge which will obtain in the age to come, relative to the order of Nature, as well as His spiritual instructions. And these words suggest that then, as now, the only way to advance in knowledge, whether natural and scientific, or sacred and spiritual, is to "follow on to know”—i.e., persevere in habits of observation and reflection, and deduce therefrom conclusions which shall add to the stock of our knowledge already acquired.

The allusion to the morning, while beautifully poetic, is nevertheless suggestive and instructive; and underlying the allusion probably is this teaching, that the Lord will move and act through all the operations of nature; and that it will be both the interest and duty, not to say the pleasure and felicity, of those who live in the age to come, to prosecute their observations and studies in relation to these phenomena of nature; and thus be true scientists, as well as true religionists, and see His hand in everything, as Amos says, "Seek Him who maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning." For then, as now, we must remember that "the heavens declare the

glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handiwork, and that day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge." But one thing must never be forgotten: the study of natural theology in the age to come will not be that cold and inoperative thing which it too often is in the present, but will lead the heart of each student into closer communion with the Most High.1

"Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
For Him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown His head;
His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.

People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His name.

Blessings abound where'er He reigns ;
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,

And all the sons of want are blest.

Where He displays His healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more;

In Him the tribes of Adam boast

More blessings than their father lost.

Let every creature rise, and bring
Peculiar honours to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,

And earth repeat the loud Amen.

1 "The Coming Dispensation," by Elpis, p. 379. See p. 397 Prof. Dawson's "History of the Earth and Man."

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CHAPTER IV.

THE FLORA AND HUSBANDRY OF THE AGE TO COME.

HETHER the recurrence of the seasons will be

WH

the same, or whether they will undergo some modification in their order and temperature, it is, perhaps, impossible to speak with dogmatic certainty, though from some parts of the prophetic Scriptures it might reasonably be inferred that there will be some considerable alteration in the temperature, if not in the order, of the seasons.1

So far as the physical geography of the coming age is concerned, we have no reason to expect that there will be much alteration in the configuration of land and water, EXCEPT IN PALESTINE, where we are informed that there will be a considerable elevation of land on which the new earthly Jerusalem, with its large and magnificent temple, as described by Ezekiel, will be built; and a corresponding depression of the earth, which will divide the Mount of Olives into two parts, and create a "very great valley," "for the valley of the mountain shall reach unto Azal." And, in addition to this, "living waters (i.e., flowing streams) shall go out from Jerusalem; 2 half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea;

1 See p. 399 of " Closing Days of Christendom," by Rev. B. B. Wale. 2 See "Occasional Papers," by B. W. Newton.

in Summer and in Winter shall it be "-i.e., perpetually; and, in addition to this, we are told that “all the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon, South of Jerusalem; and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place, from Benjamin's Gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepress " (Zech. xiv. 4, 5, 8, 10; see also further modification described in Isa. xi. 15, 16). This modification of the configuration of the land will be simply local and limited to Palestine, so far as Scripture prophecy informs us; and so will have little effect upon the temperature of the earth, except, perhaps, in some small degree in the Holy Land. But these " living waters" will doubtless increase its fertility locally.1 Yet there are some passages of Scripture which lead us to conclude that both the flora and the fauna of the age to come will be somewhat modified; and it will be well to refer to some of these texts in relation to the Millennial age.2

In regard to the fauna, we refer to that remarkable passage so often referred to with astonishment, if not perplexity, by the junior students in prophetic study, Isa. xi. This chapter, in its whole context, refers to the restoration of Israel and the consequent establishment of this people in the Millennial age, together with the advent and character of their Messiah in regal glory. And then, in verse 6, we have these remarkable words: "The wolf also shall dwell with

the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

Then in Isa. lxv. 25 we also read, "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and dust shall be the serpents' meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord." The whole chapter is Millennial. Then, too, in Ezek. xxxiv., where Israel, as restored, is again described, the prophet says, ver. 25, "And I will make with them (the beasts) a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land, and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods."

Again in Hosea ii., when the prophet describes Israel as restored to her land, and "sitting and singing as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt" (ver. 15). Then in ver. 18, again we read, "And in that day will I make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of the heaven, and with the creeping things of the ground, and will make them to lie down safely."