allusions to this most glorious of all events found in the apostolie writings, have kept this hope alive in every age; and from the figurative and literal descriptions of it in time, place, and circumstance, many misapprehensions and mistakes have been diffused through society, occasionally to the mortification of the more enlightened of the community of the faith, and sometimes to the general discredit of the profession.

There is still a prevailing idea that the inculcation and persuasion of his immediate return would greatly tend to the conversion of sinners and to the sanctification of the faithful. To me, I confess, there has never appeared much reason for this conclusion, nor much in the history of humanity to warrant such an expectation. All admit that the ultimate coming of the Lord in any given time cannot be made more certain than the death of any individual in a given time; nay, that no reasonings on prophecy can make it so certain to any man at the age of thirty that the Lord will appear in person within forty years, as that he will go to the Lord in that period of time. In one word, my death is always much more probable in any fixed period, than that the Lord will come during my life. Now whether I go to the Lord or the Lord comes to me within forty-three or forty-seven, is certainly equal, so far as my personal salvation is concerned; and the former event being more probable or certain than the latter, will, of course, be a better argument in favor of personal holiness or Christian perfoetion, than any motives which could be deduced from the second advent.

I confess, then, that I have never felt the force of reason in any argument drawn from the second advent as near at hand, come from what source it might. Indeed I am much more certain that our individual death is sometimes called the coming of the Lord, than I am of the truth or reasonableness of any of the Millennarian theories now being preached all over the land. I hear them all with candor, as I have impartially submitted them to my readers. Still my candor must not be construed into acquiescence with any of them. Men of ardent and volatile temper are generally dogmatical, and those who change most frequently, are, of all men, the most apt to speak in terms the most confident of their own inferences and speculations. And yet it is mysterious that those who have so often proved themselves in error, should not learn to be cautious in their affirmations and reasonings. They often act as though the detection of former errors gives them more assurance that their present views are so much the more infallible and trust-worthy, inasmuch as they are now satisfied that their former views were wrong. Their logic seems to move in the form of dilemmas, or inevitable alternatives. Either this or that must

be true. The former or the latter is inevitable. Well, then, as they imagine they have proved the former to be false, they are confident the latter must be true. But it sometimes appears to them that it is a trilemma, rather than a dilemma-that there are three sides to the question, rather than two. Having found themselves in error in two of the three, they are now more certain than ever they are now right. These men of dilemmas and trilemmas are a large and respectable class, and are generally gifted with the attributes of proselytism. Hence, like the winds and tempests of heaven, they often purify the air by the thunder and lightning of their eloquence while in their first love of a new theory. They soon exhaust their powers; and when their spirits flag they seek relief by some new idea.

"My Lord delays his coming," says an unfaithful servant in a parable, and straightway assaults his fellows for the promotion of his own interest or bonor. This text and parable are now held out in terrorem over the heads of those who dissent from the propagators of some of those now current theories of the immediate return. They write and talk as though that text was written for the special benefit of the year -1842—as though it had no practical utility in the age when it was first promulged. It is regarded as a sign of an unfaithful servant should any one just now say that the Messiah in his second advent need not be expected for some years,

True, indeed, there are some advantages to be derived from the settlement of the question concerning the Messiah's return-advan tages to all parties-to the Millennarians and to the Millennists.Were we assured, or were it more probable than the contrary opinion, that he would return immediately, we should neither build, nor plant, nor make any provisions beyond the time anticipated. We would do as Noah did when warned of God of things not seen as yet. If we would not build an ark, we would lay aside all business and every pursuit prospective of a time beyond the period of the contemplated : return. If we would not, Thessalonian like, forbear working altogether, we would extend our efforts only commensurate with the supposed interval. On the other hand, should we conclude that generations are yet to intervene, and nations yet enveloped in the gloom of Paganism to be converted to Christ, before he appear to raise the dead and wind up the drama of human doings on the old theatre, we should institute an inquiry into the ways and means by which to extend Truth's dominions and the Gospel's conquests over its innumerable rivals in the human heart. The practical tendencies of the true systems of prophetic interpretation are as dissimilar as the views of the respective parties now in the field. On this account, then, we suppose it impor

tant, if practicable, to come to some certainty as to the time when the pulse of Nature will make a full and perfect pause, obedient to the sovereign mandate of her Almighty Lord.

But there is another practical aspect which this subject bears to the work of conversion worthy of a remark or two. I never thought that the certainty of death, or the uncertainty of life, ranked either in the first or in the second class of arguments and motives inductive to repentance or conversion. My chief argument in evidence is, that our Lord and his Apostles did not give it prominence in their public ad dresses. It rarely occurs in the gospels, and still more rarely in the Acts of the Apostles. It is of more use to Christians than to sinners, and is therefore found most frequently in the Epistles.

Penitence superinduced by affliction, and repentance originating on a death-bed, have long since been of doubtful reputation. The goodness of God is the specific argument that leads to true repentance— Panic fears and impulses are not the eloquence of Christ's gospel. The terrors of the Lord are no doubt a necessary portion of the arguments that complete Heaven's grand appeal to the whole nature of man. Of all the arguments addressed to the fears and hopes of man, none is 90 soul-subduing and transforming as those deduced from his philanthropy as displayed in the gift of his dearly beloved and only begotten Son. This is the Alpha and the Omega of the eloquence of Prophets and Apostles.

I should fear that converts made to Christ from the preaching of his immediate return, in case of a disappointment would generally relapse again. They would rest more on probabilities and peradventures than on the sure word of divine testimony. If they hear not Moses and the Prophets, neither would they be persuaded though one rose from the dead. Noah preached without salutary effect the immediate coming of the Lord for one century, and yet made not one true convert. How many may have been variously convicted, alarmed, and half persuaded, we are not told. One thing is certain: none were found worthy of a passage in the Ark from the Old World to the New. I much doubt, then, the expediency of making use of any theory, interpretation, or calculation, the burthen of a discourse on the gospel as an incentive to acquiescence with the overtures of divine mercy. We gain nothing from the Millennarians in persuading men to obey the gospel. On the contrary, it appears we have more to fear than to hope from any effort to induce men to come to the Lord, deduced from prophetic calculations. The gospel is the same document of divine wisdom and power now that it was when Christ had just left the earth, and it will have no fresh power from the apprehension of his immediate return.

Carnal and worldly-minded Christians, who have partially given themselves to minding the things of the flesh rather than those of the Spirit, might be startled at the thought; and to them the probability of such an event near at hand might not be without some effect; though even to them the certainty of death within ten years is always greater than the certainty of the Lord's coming in that time.

The practical importance of the doctrine of the immediate return is much greater in another direction than in those attitudes in which it is so warmly represented. It affects more the action of the Christian world in reference to the Pagan, than it does the Christian community at home with a reference to itself. True, indeed, that portion of the civilized Pagan world found in Christian lands is as much within the circumference of its influence as that which lies wholly beyond its precincts. But so far as it affects our action at home or abroad in the great work of evangelizing-so far as it affects our prospective endeavors in laying a foundation for future usefulness in any scheme of benevolence reaching into the future, so far the discussion is not with. out important bearings on the whole subject of Christian energies.

The coming of the Lord is not the hope of Christians; but it is a hope so intimately connected with the hope of eternal life at his appearing and his kingdom, that the Apostle exhorts to a looking for "that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," as one of the best means of holding fast our begun confidence unshaken to the end. They always kept it before the minds of the brotherhood as near at hand. It is in truth very near to us all; so near that no interval of time will be perceived by those who have gone out of time from the moment of their departure from earth. No suns rise or set to the dead in Christ. There is no distance nor time beyond our planet to human spirits severed from their mortal tenements. Hence the many allusions to the almost immediate return of the Lord found in the apostolic writings. Our brother Editors of the Christian Publisher, in their May number, speaking of the Miller theory, very appositely say

"The Apostles who lived about eighteen hundred years ago, spoke of the coming of the Lord as they would have done if they had expected to see him appear to that generation: Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven.' For our conversation is in heaven, whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ; who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working, whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself." And yet thre Apostles knew that the day of the Lord was not at hand. Peter knew that he must put off his tabernacle before he should be clothed with immortality. But there was nevertheless great propriety in speaking

thus; for as death found them, so would Christ. The man who is prepared to die is prepared to meet the Bridegroom, and the coming of the Lord should fill every Christian with joy and delight instead of sorrow and alarm. Who would not desire to behold Him whom his soul loveth?—The fairest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely-his Saviour, Deliverer, and Redeemer-his life, his light, his glory-his elder brother-the glorious personage whose image he is to bear, and in whose blessed presence he is to dwell forever? The crown is only for those that love the appearing of the Lord. Professors of Christianity should try themselves here. Do they desire to see the Lord come? Can they say in all sincerity, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly? It is to be feared that many who call themselves Christians would be distressed and alarmed if they were convinced that the Lord would appear next year. Such persons should be alarmed, and should reform and consecrate themselves to the Lord.

"It seems to be the opinion of the learned and pious expositors of prophecy generally, that some important event, some revolutions among the nations of the earth, some awful judgments upon corrupt and wicked Christendom, may be expected in a very short time.— And to those who watch the signs of the times it appears very probable that God is about to shake terribly the earth.

"It becomes all the servants of God to be awake and alive to the interests of Zion, and call upon a wicked and rebellious world to repent and turn to God. Those who are zealously engaged in the service of God, should feel confidence in Him, who has ever been the refuge of his people in all ages. The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge; therefore will we not fear though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." "

Another extract from brethren Coleman and Goss expresses a view of Millennarian efforts on which I have frequently thought, during the last year, of writing an essay or two;

"We should have more confidence in brother Miller's expositions of prophecy if he preached the gospel in its ancient purity Why do we read, in the accounts of the meetings held by himself and his coadjutors, of persons coming to anxious benches to be prayed over? Why do we not hear of those, who believe, being baptized for the remission of their sins? The gospel which was preached by the Apostles, beginning at Jerusalem,' is the only gospel that should ever be preached to lost man. We invite the attention of our zealous friends to this matter."

The Samaritans had no Prophets. The Roman Catholics and the Greek Catholics cannot possibly understand the prophecies. The established churches of the Protestant faith are not likely to comprehend the subject well. I have therefore little confidence that any one will be found a true interpreter of prophecy who has not had percep tion enough to know where the gospel began, where the mother church was located, what were the grand items proclaimed by Peter on the