3. While these preparations were going on there was another in progress at the same time, the =preparation of a race=. We might point to the history of the Is'ra-el-ites from the migration of A'bra-ham as a training; but we refer now to their special preparation for their mission after the restoration, B. C. 536. There was a divine purpose in the division of Ju'da-ism into two streams: one a little fountain in Pal'es-tine, the other a river dispersed over all the lands. Each branch had its part in the divine plan. One was to concentrate its energies upon the divine religion, to study the sacred books, to maintain a chosen people, whose bigotry, narrowness, and intolerance kept them from destruction; the other branch was out in the world, where every Jew'ish synagogue in a heathen city kept alive the knowledge of God and disseminated that knowledge, drawing around it the thoughtful, spiritual minds who were looking for something better than heathenism. Pal'es-tine gave the gospel, but the Jews of the dispersion carried it to the Gen'tiles, and in many places synagogues in the foreign world became the nucleus of a Christian church, where for the first time Jew and Gen'tile met as equals. 4. Finally, there was the =preparation of a religion=. The gospel of Christ was not a new religion; it was the new development of an old religion. As we study the Old Testament we see that each epoch stands upon a higher religious plane. There is an enlargement of spiritual being between A'bra-ham and Mo'ses, between Mo'ses and Da'vid, between Da'vid and I-sa'iah, between I-sa'iah and John the Bap'tist. Phar'i-see and Sad'du-cee each held a share of the truth which embraced the best thoughts of both sects. The work of many scribes prepared the way for the coming of the Lord, and just when revelation was brought up to the highest level, when a race was trained to apprehend and proclaim it, when a language had been created and diffused to express it, when the world was united in one great brotherhood of states, ready to receive it--then, in the fullness of times, the Christ was manifested, who is over all, God blessed forever. Blackboard Outline I. =Four Per.= (Cont.) 3. Macc. per. 1.) Rev. Mat. 2.) Jud. Macc. 3.) Macc. dyn. 4.) Ri. sec. 4. Rom. per. 1.) Her. Gr. 2.) Her. tem. 3.) Tetr. II. =Prep. Gosp.= 1. Pol. prep. 2. Prep. lan. 3. Prep. rac. 4. Prep. rel. Review Questions