millenarians in nothing except that Christ's coming is to precede the world's conversion. Such is the issue of Mr. Steele's first movement. Instead of reaching those whom he designed to overthrow, he has struck in the opposite direction, and thrust his spear under the fifth rib of his own system,an awkward exploit for one who proceeds on his principles.

He betrays a similar ignorance, and has fallen into as gross misstatements in his representation of the views and dispositions of millenarians in respect to the gospel and the evangelization of the world. He exhibits them as not merely disinclined and even hostile to missions, and all other endeavors to communicate the gospel to the nations, and as disbelieving that any good is accomplished by them, but as absolutely denying that the gospel is the power of God for the world's salvation; as regarding it as having nearly accomplished all for which it was designed; and as holding, therefore, that if the world is to be saved, it is to be by a different method from that which the gospel presents; and he treats that imputed distaste, aversion, and false belief, as the natural effect of their millenarian faith. He says: "The millenarian" "feels dissatisfied with the tardy and far reaching plans of benevolence, and earnestly demands that the church give up her dreams of evangelizing the world, and hasten to gather in the last gleanings of the vintage. In all the aggressive movements of the day, and the success which has crowned them, he sees no cheering indications. In his view the world is only waxing worse; the gospel is only a proclamation, not the power of God for the world's salvation; the good for which it was designed is nearly accomplished; and nothing great, nothing important, touching Zion's prosperity, is to be anticipated until the Redeemer shall come in person." If these representations are true, millenarians are, doubtless, justly obnoxious to the reproaches and denunciations with which Mr. Steele assails them. If they are averse or indifferent to the communication of the gospel to men, they disregard a clear and specific command of Christ. If they see nothing cheering in the success which attends the distribution of the Scriptures, and the dissemination of religious knowledge in our own and other Christian countries, and the labors of missionaries abroad, and hold that "the world is

only waxing worse," they must believe that God has ceased to attend his word with a blessing; that the work of renovation and sanctification is absolutely suspended; that the number, consequently, of the pious is diminished by every death of a believer, and that the whole body, if the process continues, will soon be exterminated; and contradict, therefore, one of the clearest teachings of the prophecies and most essential elements of their own system, that the gospel must be preached to all nations before Christ's coming, and that there is, at his advent, to be an innumerable multitude of living believers, who are to be changed to immortal and dwell under his reign. If they hold that the gospel is ONLY A PROCLAMATION; and not the power of God for the world's salvation; they then not only controvert the apostle's declaration that it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; but as they hold that men are now actually saved, and are hereafter to be saved in countless multitudes, they must hold that they are to be saved by some other method than that through Christ which the gospel proposes; and, therefore, that there are two methods of redemption; and consequently that Christianity is essentially defective and false. Such is the monstrous system of folly, falsehood, and self-contradiction which he exhibits as their faith; such the open war which he represents them as making on God's word and kingdom!

What now are his proofs of these bold and sweeping charges? If they are just, they of course can be verified. If he alleges them in good faith, he must believe that he has in his possession adequate evidences of their truth. Otherwise he is a deliberate calumniator. What then does he offer in their support? Not a solitary consideration; not a shadow of anything bearing the name of proof. He treats that which he avers as so open and notorious a fact, that a demonstration of its truth is superfluous. This is certainly extraordinary. If he truly believes what he affirms; if he regards himself as able to prove that millenarians are opposed to the efforts which are making to communicate the gospel to the idolatrous nations; that they believe that no good is accomplished by them; that the work of regenerating and sanctifying men is suspended; and that the multitudes and generations

whom they hold are hereafter to be saved, are to be saved by some other method than that presented by the gospel, why is it that he neglected so efficient a method of confuting them, and intercepting them from the injurious influence he regards them as exerting? He might have accomplished by it a thousand fold more, than by the unsupported assertions, crude declamation, and false logic on which he has chosen to rely. Had he verified his charges-had he convicted the millenarians of the monstrous errors and self-contradictions which he imputes to them, we venture to assert that he would not only have wholly divested them of their power to mislead the church, but they would themselves universally be induced to abandon their system. There is not an individual among them that would not instantly relinquish a faith that was shown to involve such absurd and unscriptural elements. The reason, however, that he has offered no proofs of his allegations is, that he has none; that they are put forth either in utter ignorance, or under the grossest infatuation. They not only are not demonstrable truths; they are sheer fabrications. They are not only without the slightest ground or color of probability; they are in such open contradiction to notorious facts, that unless retracted, they must brand him and his coadjutors with the infamy of deliberate calumniators. Let him produce proofs, if in his possession, that millenarians hold the doctrines, or pursue the course which he ascribes to them. We call on him, if in his power, to verify any one of his allegations. Let him prove that they hold that "the gospel is only a proclamation, and not the power of God for the world's salvation." Let him prove that on their principles those whom they hold are to be saved during Christ's reign on the earth, are to be saved by some other method than that of the gospel. We challenge him to produce the slightest evidence of either of these charges. We challenge him to prove that they are not in contradiction to the most conspicuous and indubitable facts, and do not bear on their front the stamp of gratuitous and infamous misrepresentation. Let him show, if he can, that they hold that "the world is only waxing worse;" that they "see no cheering indications in the success" which attends the efforts that are made to communicate the gospel to the

nations; that they are "dissatisfied with far-reaching plans of benevolence," "and earnestly demand that the church should give up her dreams of evangelizing the world." If not able to verify these charges against them as a body, let him, if he has the means, prove that they are true of any considerable number of them. Let him name even one conspicuous individual among them either in this country, Europe, Asia, or Africa, of whom they are not wholly false. This is certainly liberal. His position and that of his coadjutors is truly pitiable, if he cannot produce at least one who may be considered as a fair representative of them to whom the imputation is applicable. But we go further. We give him leave to prove that his accusations are not totally and conspicuously false, not only of the millenarians as a body, and of every considerable portion of them, but of every individual of their number. We challenge him to prove that they are not generally friendly to missions and other benevolent undertakings; that it is not conspicuously their characteristic ; that they are not accustomed to appropriate to them as large a share of their means and time, and display as deep an interest in them as any other class of equal numbers, wealth, and opportunity. Can anything more generous than this be demanded? Can any easier terms be imagined for the extrication of himself and his co-operators from a discreditable position? Can a more unenviable predicament be conceived than that which they will occupy if unable to meet even this condition?

We, however, shall not wait either for his proof or retraction, but proceed to show that his imputations are in every relation false.

We have read a large share of the works that have been published by millenarians on their views during the last fifty years, to say nothing of those of an earlier date-enough, undoubtedly, to furnish a fair and ample view of their opinions and sentiments, and so far as we are aware, have never met in them the slightest indication of aversion, or indifference to missions, and other Scriptural methods of communicating religious knowledge to the ignorant and perishing. So far from it, they are universally and heartily favorable to them.

Since this charge was made against us several months ago, in the manner to which we have alluded, we have stated it to a very considerable number of men of education who are themselves millenarians, and who are extensively acquainted with others of that class, and inquired whether they themselves are hostile or adverse to missions and other measures for the communication of the gospel to the unevangelized, and whether they know, or have ever known, a millenarian who was opposed or indifferent to them. We have put the question to Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Congregationalists, Baptists, Methodists, Jews, and Gentiles, residing in the eastern, middle, western, and southern states, and the response has been uniformly in the negative. The charge has in every instance been treated as a gratuitous and shameless libel.

We have stated the accusation also to persons from abroad who are acquainted with the millenarians of Great Britain, and are familiar with their works, and inquired whether it is in any degree verifiable of them; and the answer, as we were aware it would be, has been in the most emphatic manner in the negative. There is no body of men in England, Scotland, and Ireland, against whom the charge would be more totally false and preposterous. They are distinguished for their activity and heartiness in all the great measures of the period for the promotion of religion at home, and the spread of the gospel abroad; and have been from the institution of Sunday schools, Bible societies, Tract societies, and domestic and foreign missions. These facts are so notorious as to make the denial or doubt of them altogether discreditable.

We have made inquiry also in respect to the views of the missionaries themselves, who have gone from Great Britain, and are now employed in endeavoring to make known the gospel to the heathen, and have learned from the most reliable witnesses that a large proportion both of the missionaries from that country, now laboring in Asia and Africa, and of the zealous and efficient friends and supporters of missions. residing in those countries, are themselves millenarians; and so far from being obstructed in their work by their views of the divine purposes, derive from them their most efficient encouragement and support.

Several of the missionaries also from this country to India