must mean the same coming. And three things are plain and obvious:

1. The duty of brethren to comfort one another with talking and preaching this doctrine of Christ's coming, which Mr. Cobb opposes.

2. That the brethren have no need that he write of the times and seasons, for they very well knew, yes, they perfectly knew, that the day of the Lord would come as a thief in the night, to some, and they would be destroyed, and should not escape. I ask, how did they know this thing? I answer, by Christ's words. Matt. xxiv. 38-44: "For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them all away: so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Mark xiii. 32-37: "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye, therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh; at even, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning: lest, com

ing suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch." Luke xii. 35-40: "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait

for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that, when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the lord, when he cometh, shall find watching verily, I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. And this know, that if the good man of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. Be ye, therefore, ready also for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." By these texts they knew it perfectly. And this proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Christ in Matthew had reference to a yet future coming, according to Mr. Cobb's own admission.

3. That those who say "peace and safety" are the ones that will be destroyed. And "when they shall say it," we know that the time is at hand when they shall be destroyed, and that suddenly.

Here we have a strong evidence that the coming of the Lord, according to Mr. Cobb's own concession, is near at hand. See "Christian Freeman," vol. i. No. 43, p. 1. 2d col.: "And the accomplishment of the great and glorious purpose of God, in the resurrection of all men from the dead, is also in a few instances called the coming of Christ; as in 1 Thess. iv. 16: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead shall rise in Christ first." And in whom, I inquire, will they rise next? The Bible says, "And the dead in Christ shall rise first." But Mr. Cobb can transpose and say, "And the dead shall rise in Christ first." This wresting of scripture to suit our own creed would make even the notorious Whittemore blush. But this is proving 2 Peter iii. 16,-"As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and un

stable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction,"--to be fulfilled, and completes Paul's sign, "For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then (at that time) sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, (surely the Universalists are in great trouble,) and they shall not escape." This "great and glorious purpose of God" is what I am trying to prove. Mr. C., why in so much trouble, then? Do you not like to have the "glorious purpose " of God done? Why so much perplexity and distress? The glorious purpose of God" will be done in earth as in heaven. "Ah! yes, Oh! Oh!! that is what I am afraid off," said the guilty man. You are safe, and need have no fear; why are you all in such a bluster?

Again; in the introduction to his first lecture, Mr. Cobb has tried to make out that I am governed by some corrupt motive, such as vain-glory, marvellousness, design to deceive, &c. This shows the true character of the man. No man can have an honest motive in writing or giving his views of scripture. Why not? Because he judges out of his own heart, and from his own conduct. And as he does not pretend to know me personally, of course his judgment must proceed from his knowledge of his own motives, (James iv. 12;) and as such a course was not called for to put down an error, so easily disposed of, as he says, it cannot but satisfy every thinking mind that he had grappled with arguments too powerful for him to encounter, without the aid of misrepresentation and lying, to prejudice his hearers and blind their judgment. This mode of beginning a religious discourse is calculated to destroy all confidence in the man, as a Christian or an honest opponent.

Again; his main argument is that all judgment was fulfilled at Jerusalem. And this view of our Savior's predictions, hatched up between our D. D.s' standard authors on the one part, and Universalists, or modern Deists, or scoffers, on the other part, has produced a doctrine which will be the means of carrying thousands of the unthinking part of the

world to endless ruin. All that Mr. Cobb does is to bring one of these D. D.s to prove his point; no matter what the Bible may say, one of these will put down all the Bible in the world. They feed on all rotten carcasses, and will find themselves in the end where John has placed them, Rev. xxii. 18, 19, and 15: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book; and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." This hobby of the Universalists has been confuted a thousand times; yet they will harp on a broken string their discordant notes, to lull mortals to sleep, and to prevent the lost children of men from hearing the midnight cry and preparing for judgment.

I will confute them once more. Acts xvii. 30-32: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter." This judg ment day is at the resurrection, evidently; and this day is appointed, and I am showing the appointed time. Amos iii. 7: "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets;" and I have plainly shown that he has so done it, Phelps, Cambell, Skinner and Whittemore to the contrary notwithstanding.

יי

WILLIAM MILLER.

Low Hampton, Aug. 1, 1840.

REVIEW OF “A BIBLE READER" ON THE TWO WITNESSES, REV. XI. 8.

DEAR BRO. HIMES: The rules which are given in the 13th No. of the "Signs of the Times," by a "Bible Reader," to interpret scripture, I believe to be good, and worthy to be known and read of all men. Therefore, I wish to apply his rules to the text in question, Rev. xi. 8: "And their dead bodies shall lie in the streets of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified."

Now let me inquire of the Holy Spirit,

1. What dead bodies? Spirit answers: The two witnesses, or testimony of Jesus Christ. Rev. xi. 3 --7: “ And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them."

2. What are those witnesses? Rev. xi. 4: "These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth." Zech. iv.: The candlestick is there called the word of God