The Pulpit Commentary — Ezekiel — Volume 2 — Section 459

will not only Rdmit of all tbP.se thinge intended to serve as II shadow of good. being, but show tilem o.ctua.lly to be, rea.• things to come, and designed to be set aside lized. The pa.sse.ges of Scripture, however, for ever when the higher and more spiritual which are supposed to promise the future system of the gospel had been inaugurated externRl glorification of Canaan are, neither by the inCRrnation, death, resurrection, and in the Old Teste.ment (Isa. ii. 2-4; iv. ascension of the Messiah (see Heb. v.-x.; 2-6; ix. l-6; xi. 12; Jer. x.xxi. 31-44; and eomp. John iv. 21-24; Col. ii. 17; xxxiii. 15; Amos ix. 8-15; Zech. xiv. Gal. iii. 23-25)? The simple suggestion S; Joel iv. 18; Micah vii. 9-13) nor in the that in the glorious millennial era, when New (Rom. xi. 15; Acts iii. 19-21; Rev. Christie.nity as a system of religion will be vii. 1---8; xiv. 1-5; xxii. 1, 2), so clear near the culmination of its triumphal pr0- and decisive that their literal interpretation gress through the centuries, the Church of ce.nnot be disputed, as in reality it is, God, either in whole or in part, should return to the extent even of denie.l, by the ma- to the beggarly elements of Judaism, and jority of Bible students; and accordingly, set up the worship of God by means of to claim these a.s substantiating the pro- bloody offerings and all the paraphernalia. position that Canaan is ultimately to under- of altars and priests, is too ridiculous to be go such a transformation as to render the ent.ertained for a moment by any one who realization of Ezekiel's vision possible, is has attained to a proper conception of the simply to beg the question o.t issue. spiritual nature of that religion which man- (2) In addition to this, the view under- kind eighteen centuries ago received from going exe.mination is exposed to all those Jesus Christ. "The whole teaching of the difficulties which tell against the mille- New Testament," writes Plumptre (unpub- narian doctrine in genera.I, and this in par- lished manuscript notes)," and especially of ticular, that the Jews will yet as a nation the Epistle to the Hebrews, is opposed to the return t.o their own land. Were they t.o thought that the revival of a local sanctuary do so, it would not infallibly follow that at Jerusalem, sacred above all other they would re-erect a temple, worship Je• sanctuaries, the object of devout pilgrimages !!ovah, and divide np the soil as here from all quarters of the world, with the directed; but it is certain they would do perpetuation of annual sacrifices offered by neither of these things if they never did the priests of the house of .AB.ron, Ii ving return; and that they never will return under the old ceremonial conditions, forms (as a nation) t.o occapy Palestine may at part and parcel of what we are to expect in least be regarded as the more probable the future history of Christendom. We are alternative of the two. U nlees resort is compelled, if we would be true to that to be had t.o miracle, it is not easy to higher teaching, t.o say that the visions of discern how, after the Jews have re- Ezekiel, like those of the Apocalypse, which nounced their unbelief and become Chris- in part reproduce them, can receive only, as tian, they are to be prevented from inter• symbols of the truth, a spiritual and not a mingling with Christiane and so losing one literal fulfilment." To this the weighty of their national characteristics, or how the utterance of Delitzsch (Lu.thardt's Zeitschrift tribal divisiona which have for centuries fur kirkliche Wissenschaft, 1880-1881, p. been lost are again to be recovered, or how 289) may be added: "The New Testament the land is to be rendered capable of sus- Divine worship knows of a central sanctunry taining them. Nor can one detect e. euffi- neither in Jerusalem nor upon Gel'izim, cien t reason for restoring the national and the religion of Jehovah, after it has existence of L,rael in the closing years of become the religion of humanity, will never the Christian dispensation, if not for the again return back into its chrysalis con- purpose of reintroducing the special wor- dition, and the setting up again of o.nimal ship of Judaism; and this, it should now sacrifices as memorio.ls of Ohrist's dee.th be emphasized, occasions the greatest of all would be, in face of the offering which wus difficulties that impinge against the theory made upon the altar of the cross (Heh. x. under review. For- 11-14), a return out of the essence into the (3) If Israel as a nation is, in some golden shadow, out of the spirit into the letter, out era or millennial period towards the close of of the law of freedom into the law of the time, to return to her old land, re-erect her 'elements of the world,' of which Obrist old temple, and reinstitute her old worship, we.s the end. A Ohristian world-cathedral what shall then (or even now) be said of the belonging to Israel converted to Christ e.nd truthfulness of those passages of Scripture again assembled in Jerusalem-a monument which teach that the Levitical system of such as this of the history of salvo.tion tabernacle ( or temple) and altar, of priest having reached its final aim, a finger-post and sacrifice, of type and symbol, of external like this directed heavenward towards God commandment and visible ceremonial, was the All-merciful-will neces&arily be of from 1.he ilrst provisional ; in its nature, o.nother sort than the temple of Old Testa- Olt. :nvm. 1-Bt;.J THE BOOK or THE PROPHET tZEKIEL. 475