shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn." And St John prefaces the revelation of events which he was enjoined to shew to the Churches should befall till the Redeemer's return, with this benediction:-" Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand." *

There is a peculiar inconsistency in the usual or prevailing mode of interpreting past and future prophecy. I will give a general instance to exhibit the error involved in the system, and a special instance as a more marked example. The varied, wonderful, and minute particulars which the prophets record of the past history of Abraham's descendants, have been found to be true to the very letter; history has interpreted the prophecies which described the events, and has borne evidence to the literal meaning being the correct one. But while the accomplished facts are accepted, the testimony of the witness (history) is rejected, in disallowing that the mode of interpretation which it has shewn to be correct as regards the past, is valid for the interpretation of prophecy relating to the future. The inconsistency is special, when a prophecy consisting of two parts, fulfilled and unfulfilled, is admitted to belong to the same person, or to the same subject; for example, the Jew believes -always has been willing to believe the prophetic promises of Isaiah with respect to the future glory of the Messiah in their literal sense; but he will not accept in the same sense Isaiah's description of his incarnation and humiliation, but rejects it.

The Christian, on the other hand, prejudiced against the literal reign of Christ upon earth, spiritualises, and in fact rejects, the prophecy which the Jew delights in, but accepts the prophecy of the incarnation and humiliation in its literal sense; and thus each party, by first giving one kind of interpretation to one portion, and another kind to another portion

* Our Lord rebuked the two disciples who, while walking towards the village of Emmaus, were discoursing in wonder of the death and resurrection of him whom they trusted "had been he which should have redeemed Israel," and said unto them: "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” -Luke xxiv. 25.

And again, in Matthew xvi. and Luke xii., he reproved the Pharisees and Sadducees, who sought a sign or proof from him of his mission, saying that while they could foretell the changes of the weather from the face of the sky, they could not discern the signs of coming events in the times and circumstances they lived in. Also, when numbers were gathered together to hear him, he reproved them after the same manner, and in nearly the same words.

of one prophecy, indisputably relating to the same person, lays himself open to a rebuke which either, if more consistent, might charge upon the other, and say, "You take the Scriptures and break them asunder, maintaining the meaning of as much as serves your purpose to be literal, and escaping from the remainder by maintaining its meaning to be spiritual."

Similar examples might be quoted from other prophets of the Old Testament, to shew that a literal interpretation of the past, and a spiritual interpretation of the future are irreconcilable. If the prophets of Judah and Israel predicted literal defeat, captivity, or banishment from the land, as punishment for the sins of the tribes, they all stimulate hope by consolatory promises of return, restoration, and ultimate triumph. Isaiah, especially, dwells upon the ultimate glory and preeminence of his nation in most glowing and stirring strains; Jeremiah and Ezekiel, in still plainer terms of prophecy; and it is alike the theme and climax of all. At the same time, it should be borne in mind as an argument in favour of the relation of these prophecies to the literal Israel, rather than to the Christian Church indiscriminately, that the authors of them are descendants of Abraham, belonging to a nation jealous beyond any nation of its privileges and associations, and speaking or writing for the reproof, correction, or encouragement of a particular people.

The effect of these triumphant strains of the old prophets upon the subsequent history of Judah was very marked. Overlooking and overleaping the sacrifice upon the cross, and their long tribulation and exile under the Gentile dispensation, the Jews entertained an immediate expectation of a glorious and conquering Messiah-a King, who, after beating back their Roman masters, would be mighty in battle and extended dominion, and reign over the re-united tribes in Jerusalem. Through the Jews, the expectation became general throughout the East. The angel Gabriel had announced to the Virgin Mary, that to the child Jesus whom she would bear," should be given the throne of his father David, and reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and his kingdom be without end." Herod entertained a personal fear of the proximity of such an event, and has left on record a most cruel deed in the slaughter of the innocents, to prove how much he was moved by it. The disciples of our Lord could with difficulty, and only by degrees, be dissuaded from its accomplishment during their Master's life; and after his death and resurrection, on the eve of his ascension-still prepossessed with the same idea and wish, again asked,

"Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"

From the disciples, the expectation of a speedy return descended to the Churches. The same stimulating hope and consolation which the old prophets uttered under Jewish tribulation, were used by the writers of the epistles to encourage the hearts of their converts under persecution for the Christian faith, and it produced an ardent belief of seeing the event consummated in their day, aided as the expectation was by the destruction of Jerusalem, as well as subsequently revived and kept alive by signs of decadence in the pagan empire of Rome. A misapprehension regarding the return of Christ had unsettled the Thessalonians. St Paul, in his second epistle to them, alludes to this. Hence the necessity that this particular Church should receive from St Paul, and subsequently, through the Revelation imparted to the aged John, that all the Churches should likewise receive, a prophetic view of a long course of events which must first supervene.

As time with these events and generations of Christians passed away, the sanguine expectation of the early Christians yielded to a less literal interpretation of the predictions and promises respecting the second advent, and at last died out. Still this expectation of the early Christians is an historical fact. Their error as to time has been mistaken for error in the thing expected, and has thrown discredit upon it. The nature and ground of that belief are the interesting points of inquiry for Christians of the present day, as well as the true point to start from; the next point is to endeavour to ascertain to what period of the intermediate events we have now reached, that ours be not error of both time and belief. If we take up the commonly received opinion, and expect that events will progress towards universal blessedness over the whole earth, taking both Jews and Gentiles into the enlarging fold of Christ, and that after this he will return to judge the quick and the dead, we must be content with passages throughout the Bible difficult of explanation on this ground. A partial agreement there may seem to be, but not one that is complete and harmonious; the words of the prophets will be strained, and many expressions in the New Testament passed over. Two-thirds or threefourths of the computed population of the world, composed of Jews, Mohammedans, and idolaters of all sorts, must be converted to the religion of the remainder, before the knowledge of the Lord can fill the earth, as the waters cover the sea. It is a subject for enthusiastic hopes and misdirected eloquence, but if the evidence of Scripture is against, and not for it, such

anticipations before the return of Christ are unreal and unfounded.

From the rule of fulfilled prophecy (interpreted by history), a precedent for the interpretation of unfulfilled is sought to be established. While it is admitted that the language of prophecy is often highly figurative, it is maintained that the event, when it comes to pass, will be a plain event, happening upon earth, manifest to men's eyes and understandings, and such as history can record.

Experience of the forward march and retrograde movement of the truth;-churches formed, and the same churches passed away,―countries once blessed with the light of Christianity, now shrouded in the darkness of Mohammedanism-the gospel, where holding its ground, losing its essence and vitality; becoming corrupt, putting sense in the place of spirit; departing from the object of its Founder in the love of dominion, and after converting pagan Rome, holding its western provinces, through lust of power, in spiritual awe and ignorance; when most entire, corrupt; and when reformed, diverse and disunited, -with all this experience of the past, his surely is a sanguine mind who can hope to unite these long and numerous, muddy and tortuous streams into one, pure as at the first. Conversion has resembled the wanderings of a pilgrim, more than the march of a conqueror. It counts by units, tens, and hundreds, not nations, and beside the mass and increase of the world's population seems almost to halt. Mighty means, excepting miracles, it has beyond a former age, but drags a lengthening chain of evidence behind it. From this past of eighteen centuries of experience, the advocates of universal conversion have to found their hopes respecting the present aspect of the world.

If, from the past and present aspect of the Gentile churches, there is little hope of unity, or of the world's conversion, is there more ground for hope, human and scriptural (the fulness of the times of Gentile dispensation ended), in Jerusalem restored? -in the consummation of that one great revealed, divided, yet entire scheme of Providence, the object of which appears to be the restoration of man to the original grant of possession of this world, which man once held from God in innocence and purity-a design which had its beginning in the counsels of the everlasting Father, when the foundations of the earth were laid?

There had been rebellion in heaven. A world was ordained to be created, and to be made the scene on which a great principle was to be contested. Man, reasoning and intelligent, was to be the instrument. Principalities and powers, angels

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and all the hosts of heaven, were to be spectators of a coming contest between the Author of good and the author of evil. The result or victory was to be the vindication of the power and attributes of the conqueror to all eternity.

Step by step along the geological evidences of strata, denoting periods of progression, and fossil remains of vegetable, reptile, and animal life, denoting advance and gradual improvement, from that distant beginning when the gaseous vapours of chaos evolved themselves in material shape and structure, to the crowning work, the creation of man, the lord of all, this planet grew beneath the mighty design, and its Creator saw that it was good.

A change then came over the fair beauty of the scene; it affected man, if not earth also on man's account. Conflict with evil commenced. Free to choose, as always free to act, for happiness and life, man exchanged death and sorrow. But with man's fall came God's promise that the loss should be remedied and the happiness, the life, the purity once more brought upon the fair scene. Between good and evil providences, man thus far has run his course; by the one, the promise of redemption and victory-by the other, fallacious hopes, deeper guilt and despair. Meanwhile, the angels and intelligences of heaven look on. That incarnate One—the promised Seed of Eve-has lived as man on earth, and withstood Satan. He redeemed his own soul from death, and by their faith in his mediatorial sacrifice for sin, he has justified and redeemed many, but these live not yet. Satan is still on earth, therefore earth (the original grant from God for man's possession) is not yet redeemed, or victory over evil proclaimed and complete.

And here let us ask, if it is consistent with what has been revealed to us of the Father's design for vindication of his attributes as Governor of the universe, through the history of man, to heavenly powers, and which carries on the face of it a memorial for all eternity, that the interloping spirit, driven out of God's presence for rebellion, who introduced the leaven of evil into the work which the Creator pronounced good, should retain the planet at the last for his own? For such is the conclusion of the prevailing belief, that the just will be taken to heaven, and the wicked remain on earth in everlasting misery and fire. Whose would then be the triumph? to whom belong the victory? God laid the foundations of this earth with wonderful care-stocked it with teeming life, varied in form, some in exquisite beauty, and all in admirable arrangement and order. He made it his especial care, and when