THINGS NEW. AND HE SAID SECOND ADVENT LIBRARY. NO. ZZ.I. FEBRUARY 15, 18 4 4. THE AGE TO COME! THE PRESENT ORGANIZATION OF MATTER, CALLED EARTH, TO EE DESTROYED BY FIRE AT THE END OF THIS AGE OR DISPENSATION. ALSO, BEFORE THE EVENT, CHRISTIANS MAY KNOW ABOUT THE TIME WHEN IT SHALL OCCUR. BY LEWIS C.;-GUKN0ff. BOSTON: P Γ B T. I S H E Π BY I OSH TU V HIMES. 3 WORLD-MEANING OP THE TERM. In the Greek there are four expressions which have been translated world, namely, ge, he oikoumene, k09~ mos, and axon. The appropriate meanings of these several words are earth, inhabited earth, mankind, and age. This world is to have an end in all of these senses. I. The name ge, or earth, is applied not only to the original matter itself which composes the earth,* but to the organization of that matter ; as w e learn from Gen. ii. 1, where it says, “thus [as described in the first chapter] the heavens and the earth were finished Now we read of two such organizations. “ I saw a new heaven and a neto earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were ,passed away.1't The word heaven here may mean the firmament, or atmosphere, which surrounds the earth, and which, of course, will pass away with it ;J or it may mean the planetary system of w'hich the earth forms a part, and which possibly may be destroyed and renewed along with the earth. II. We also read of two worlds of mankind ( kosmoi. ) Of these, one is bom of corruptible seed—the family of the first Adam, with blood for the life thereof—-the perishing world, into which sin and death entered by the offence of one man, and which “God so loved as to give his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life ”—in a word, the whole human race, from the time of Adam until there shall be no more marrying or giving in marriage,—whose place of abode is this present earth A It is true that Peter, in his second epistle, speaks of *Gen. i. 2. 11s. lxv. 17; 2 Pet. iii. 13; Rev. xx. 11 ; xxi. 1. *Gen. i. 8: Matt. xxiv. 35 ; Mark xiii. 31 ; Eph. iv. 10. §Gen. ix. 4,5; John i. 29; iii. 16; Rom. v. 12; Heb. n. 4—7 ; t Pet. i. 20, 23; 1 John iv. 14. 4 “ the old world,” and “ the world that then was,” which, “ being overflowed with water, perished,” (ch. ii. 5, iii. 6.) He evidently meant, however, not the whole world, but so much of it as then was—all the people living at that time—excepting Noah’s family, which both inherited and propagated the corruption of Adam, connecting the inhabitants of earth after the flood with those before it, as being all parts of the world into which sin and death were introduced by Adam, and which God so loved as to give his only begotten Son, that Abel, Enoch, Noah, and all other believers, should not perish. Christ said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Of course, there is to be another world, of which he can say, “ My kingdom is of this.” It will be a per-feet contrast to the one of which we have been speak-ing—the family of the second Adam—the nation that shall be born at once on the day of the resurrection,— “ a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues,”— all having bodies like unto Christ’s glorious body, quickened by the same Spirit, and free from pain and death. These shall dwell upon the new earth, and “ shall neither marry nor be given in marriage, but be as the angels of God in heaven.”* III. We also read of two ages (aiones)—the present, which Christ tells us will end,f and the age to come. If asked to describe these fully, I should say they were the age for sowing, and the age for reaping ;—the age of probation, and the age of reward ;—the age during which God manifests his long suffering, and the age to follow the declaration, “ there shall be no longer de-lay ”—when “ the wine of the wrath of God shall be poured out without mixture into the cup of his indig-nation ;”—the age during which the earth is corrupted, and the age when the meek alone shall inherit it ;— * Is. lxvi. 8 ; Matt. xxii. 30 ; Rom. viii. 11 ; 1 Cor. xv. 22, 45—57; Eph. iii. 15; Philip, iii. 21; 2 Pet. iii. 13; Rev. vii. 6—9; xxi.4. t Malt. xiii. 39, 40, 49 ; xxviii. 20. 5 the age during which tares are permitted to grow with the wheat, and the age'that shall commence after all things that offend have been gathered out of the king· dom ;—the age during which the earth under the curse groans to be delivered, and the age when Christ shall “ make all things new —the age for sealing subjects for the kingdom of glory, and the age for that kingdom itself. All these different forms of expression are descriptive, as I think, of the same two ages. I grant that we also read of ages past and ages to come (plural.) But whoever will examine those pas-sages,* will find ages past to be the Greek expression for from eternity, and ages to come for to eternity,—the context requiring them to be so rendered. Or they express time past, or future, indefinitely; ages past, meaning simply time past. But, whenever the exprès* sions, “the age to come,י’ “Mt'jage,” and the like, are used, they point definitely, as I think, to the two ages above described. In the age to come (singular) Christians have eternal life. Therefore, that age must be synonymous with the ages to come. THE EARTH MELTED BY FIRE. It would seem as though God himself regarded the revelation of this event as of especial importance ; for nearly all the inspired penmen were directed to write more or less concerning it. According to Isaiah, “ Fear, and the pit, and the snare are upon thee, 0 inhabitant of the earth. And it shall come to pass, that he who fieeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit ; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare ; for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage ; and the transgression * Col. i. 26 ; Eph. ii. 7 ; iii. 9. I* 6 shall be heavy upon it; And it shall fall, and not rise Again.״ (Ch. xxiv. 17 to 20.) Micah said! “ Behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.” (Ch. i. 3, 4.) Peter also testified in language as explicit as could be used : “ But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” “ The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night ; in the which the ·heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the earth also ; and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of per-sons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godli-ness ; looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat l ” 2 Pet. iii. 7, 10—12. It is unnecessary to quote other passages ; for such as are not convinced by these, would not be convinced were we to give a whole book of quotations.* * Those who wish to consult the Bible further on the sub-ject, can examine Deut. xxxii. 22, 24 ; Ps. xxxvii. 20 ; xlvi. 6; 1. 3; xcvii. 3—5; Is. i. 28—31; ii. 10—21; xxxiii. 12; xxxiv. 4,9, 10 ; lxiv. 1—3 ; lxvi. 15,16 ; Ez. xx. 47, 48 ; Dan. vii. 9, 10 ; Joel ii. 1—11 ; iii. 15,16 ; Amos i. 2 ; ix. 5 ; Obad. 18; Nahum i. 5, 10; Zeph. i. ; iii. 8; Mal. iv. 1 ; Matt. iii. 12 ; xiii. ; 1 Cor. iii. 13 ; 2 Thes. i. 7—9 ; Hcb. vi. 7,8 ; Rev. xiv. 18; xix. 12. The following passages also refer to the event, though the agency of fire is not mentioned. Job xxi. 30; Ps. xxiv. 16 ; 1. 22; lxxv. 8 ; cii. 25,26 ; Prov. ii. 22 ; Is. xiii. 9 : li. 6 ; Ixv. 17;■ Jer. x. 10 ; XXV. 30—33 ; Dan. viii. 17, 19 ; xi. 27 ; Hos. iv. 3 ; Hab. ii. 3 ; iii. 3—19 ; Hag. ii. 6,7, 21,22 ; Zech. xiv. 12 : Matt. xxiv. 35 ; Mark xiii. 31 ; Heb. i. 10—12; Rev. vi. 14; xiv. 15; xx. 11 ; xxi. 1. 7 OBJECTION I. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. Answer. Chemistry tells us that any thing can be melted, if we have only heat enough ; the ׳׳rocks and hills may all be melted like wax. And if it be asked whence shall come a fire sufficient to do this, I answer, 1. He who, by a w0Td, created the earth with all its internal fires, and latent heat, to say nothing of ten thousand suns, can certainly create with equal facility a fire sufficient for this purpose.* 2. But it is unnecessary to suppose any fire created for the purpose. I recollect that, years ago, Dr. John Torrey, Professor of Chemistry and Botany in the New York Medical College, took occasion, in one of his lectures, to show how very easily the earth might be burned up. I do not now׳ recollect his course of reasoning ; but it was based upon chemistry and geol-ogy. Science teaches us that if the atmosphere were slightly changed at various points in respect to its den-sity, the sun’s rays might be concentrated at those points, and produce heat sufficient to melt, almost in an instant, the hardest substances. 3. Or if the air were separated into its constituent gases, or the waters, which might be done in an instant, the oxygen gas would feed the fires both on and in the earth so plentifully that the work of destruction as foretold by the prophets, would be literally accom-plished. There are few probably wrho have not attended lectures on chemistry, and seen a piece of naked iron burn up completely in oxygen gas, just as if it were a piece of wood or paper. 4. Or the work might be accomplished by the inflam-mable gases, which might be separated in an instant from their present combinations, which have kept them inactive hitherto. 5. Or by condensation, or otherwise, the latent caloric, which is in everything, might be rendered wtive, and thus destroy the very substances that con-Uun it. We all know that two pieces of wood, being * Gen. xix. 24 ; Rev. xx. 9. θ rubbed together, can be made to develop their latent caloric, and at last they will be set on fire and burn up. And why may not the latent caloric in the atmosphere and earth be rendered active also, if God wills it? Thus our bodies, the trees, plants, water, and even ice, the earth and air, might each contribute a share of heat as well as fuel. 6. Beside the latent heat in the earth, there are also internal active fires, whether caused by condensation of matter, or how, we know not. Their existence is evidenced by the hot springs and volcanoes scattered all over the earth ; also by earthquakes and the gas emitted from the openings made during the violence of the shock. By removing the pressure of the atmos-phere, or in other ways, these internal fires might be brought to act upon the crust of the earth. 7. Or, according to the theory of latent and active electricity, this agent might be employed. 8. What has been, may be. “ During the last two or three centuries, thirteen fixed stars have disappeared. One of them situated in the northern hemisphere, pre-sented a peculiar brilliancy, and was so bright as to be seen by the naked eye at mid-day. It seemed to be on fire, appearing at first of a dazzling white, then of a reddish yellow, and lastly of an ashy pale color. La Place supposes it was burning up, as it has never been seen since. The conflagration was visible about sixteen months. And is it impossible that such may soon be the fate of this terraqueous globe ? Nay, it is not only possible, but we are assured by the word of the Immutable, that it is reserved unto fire, to be burned.” OBJECTION II. THE EARTH IS TOO BEAUTIFUL. God will never melt up this beautiful earth, his own handiwork. I answer, 1. One declaration from God’s word to the contrary is sufficient to sweep away forever this and all other vain statements of Philosophy, so called ; and we have given an abundance of such declarations. 9 2. But if the objection is valid, it is equally vahd against matters of fact. The vale of Siddim, once well watered as the garden of the Lord, could never have been converted into an arid waste ; and the plain where the doomed cities stood would be yielding gol-den fruit instead of the apples of Sodom.* The good man, bringing glad tidings, whose feet are “ beautiful upon the mountains,” could never die ; the garden of Eden has remained to this day ; the earth was never cursed ; the fountains of the great deep were never broken up ; islands have never been sunk by earth-quakes ; no stars have faded from the vault of heaven ; no beautiful thing has ever ceased to be. The objec-tion takes for granted that the existence of this earth, and the things therein, is necessary for illustrating the wisdom and goodness of God, or for rendering his hap-piness complete. Was he not the same before the creation of this speck as now ? And may he not change the vesture, and remain the same God still‘ 3. We are expressly told that the present material earth was cursed for man’s sake: “Cursed1 is the ground for thy sake ; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee ; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.”! The event has shown that this curse was not to cease at Adam’s death, but to last as long as those begotten in the like-ness of sinful Adam might inhabit the earth. Thorns, briars, thistles, tares, poisonous herbs, and the like, are emblems of a CURSE, and if they had been in the earth at its formation, we can hardly think it would have been recorded, that “ God said, Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed ; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the * Gen. xix. 25. t Gen. iii. 17—19. 10 earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat; and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was VERY GOOD.”* Who can believe that when the six days’ work came fresh from the hand of the Great Creator, pronounced by himself in all respects VERY good, and gazed upon with admiration by the morning stars, who celebrated the event with a united song of joy and praise—who can believe that then three-fourths of the entire surface of the globe were covered with the briny sea; that, of the land, even the better part yielded in abundance, thorns, briars, thistles, poisonous herbs, and tares, and exhaled the most deadly miasmata ; while the rest consisted of deserts of burning sand, and barren regions covered with perpetual snow and ice ; that two hundred volcanoes then began to burn and desolate the regions at their base ; that earth quaked and trembled, as if in convulsion ; the sirocco, the simoom, the whirlwind, and the tornado immediately received their commission ; the lion and the tiger, the leopard, the jaguar, the wolf, and hyena, roamed about with their present ravenous natures, seeking for living prey ; the tree of life existed only in imagination, while the tree of death—the bohon upas—was an emblem of the Destroyer, then as now ; the flower was told to bloom for a day only ; the trees, that spread out their arms to heaven in praise, began to decay as soon as they had reached a state of glory, and mortality was written upon the brow of man, and upon every linea-ment of the face of nature ? For one, I cannot. “ No chilling winds, nor poisonous breath,” nor storm, nor earthquake, nor volcano, nor raging beast, nor pesti-lence, nor sickness of any kind disturbed the tranquillity of earth, or excited alarm in the breasts of its innocent inhabitants, or gave them any pain. There was nothing to convey to their minds even the idea of eva-nescence, and give them any fear of themselves finally passing away, except as the penalty of disobedience, *Gen. i.29—31. 11 and that was known only by the threatening. But when the tempter gained admission, not only into the garden, but into the hearts of those placed there to enjoy its beauties and luxuries, then earth and heaven were cursed for their sakes, and forbidden any longer to minister unmingled pleasure : “ And obedient Nature, from her seat, Sighing through all her works, gave signs of wo, That all was lost.” But shall it thus continue forever? What, then, mean all those texts which have been quoted, repre־ senting the earth and elements as melting with fervent heat? And what becomes of the promise of “ a new heaven and a new7 earth, wherein dwelleth righteous-ness?And what is meant by “the times of resli-tution of all things,יי| when Jesus Christ will leave heaven, and come to earth a second time, glorious in his apparel, and all his holy angels w׳ith him? And w?hy is the earth described by the apostlej as groaning to be delivered from the manacles of sin, and brought into the same liberty with the children of God, at the redemption of their bodies? As the second Adam, Christ will make good all that was lost by the first. The whole curse of the fall will be removed. Now recollect that the ground was curm! for man's sake. “ Behold, 1 make all things new ! ’,fy To me it seems so plain, that I wonder how any can think otherwise, that this present organization of mat-ter (that is, the earth under the curse,) is to have an end, the particles of matter to be separated by fire into an unorganized mass, as at first ;|| and from this mas9 a new organization to take place, pure from the curse —a new7 earth in which there shall be nothing to hurl * * 2 Pet. iii. 13 ; Is. Ixv. 17 ; Rev. xxi. 1. t Acts iii. 21. t Rom. vii. §Rev. xxi. 5. |j That the earth was originally a fluid, unorganized mass, is proved from Gen. i. 2, and from its spheroidal shape, being flattened at the poles—a shape which a fluid ball would nat-urally assume from whirling round upon its axis. 12 or to destroy. “ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock ; and dust shall be the serpent’s meat.” God will make “a covenant of peace” with his people, “and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land ; and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.” “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain ; for the former things are passed away.” “ The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them ; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice, even w’ith joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it; the excellency of Carmel and Sharon.” “ In the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land, springs of water. In the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.” “ Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree, and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” . “ And there was no more sea.”* THE SPIRITUAL VIEW. The only answer I have ever heard to the view above given, regards all the passages quoted as having a spiritual import. The new’ earth, according to the spiritualizers, will consist in the triumph of truth over error, superstition, prejudice, oppression, infidelity, and eveiy thing upon which the truth can act. But first, if such explicit statements can be so completely spirit-ualized away, why may not all other parts of the Bible, none of w׳hich are more explicit? There was, then, only a spiritual creation, and a spiritual flood, and a spiritual destruction of Sodom, and a spiritual cruci- *Isa. lxv. 25; lv. 13; xxxv. 1, 2, 6, 7; Ez. xxxiv. 25 ; Rev. xxi. 1, 4. 13 fixion of the Lord Jesus.* No man can prove from the Bible that these events literally took place, if he adopts principles of interpretation that will allow him to spiritualize away the clear and oft-repeated testi-mony respecting· the destruction of the literal earth by literal fire, and the creation literally of a new heaven and a new earth. The Bible is thus made to mean anything or everything ; and becomes a fog instead of a “ light shining in a dark place.” But, secondly, why is that day called “ that great and terrible day,” and repeatedly spoken of as terrible, not to the empire of Satan, but to the men who shall be working iniquity when it overtakes jhem If If the truth is to gain a triumph over their errors, infidelity, and lusts, the day, instead of being terrible to them, will be one of mercy—of glorious deliverance from a most galling bondage. But thirdly, the doctrine that this present organiza-tion of matter called earth is to continue forever, and that man with his ,present physical nature is to continue to inhabit it, and that truth is to triumph over every species of error so completely, that our globe will be-come the theatre of scenes so different as to render appropriate the expressions new earth, and restitution of all things—I say this doctrine unavoidably leads either to blasphemy or absurdity. Truth is to triumph over error—morality over im- * A minister of the New Jerusalem church, told me, not long since, that these accounts, excepting that of the death of Christ, are allegorical. Such events never actually took place. They are only represented as having taken place, in order to convey spiritual instruction; or they describe in figurative language things which occurred in the spiritual world, and which could not be described except by illustrations. In other words, the Bible is a collection of fables, each conveying an excellent moral, and that is all ! I shall not attempt tó refute this ; the conversation having been mentioned simply to show how far the spiritualizing principles of interpretation legiti-mately lead. My friend might nave spiritualized the death of Christ on the same principles. + Mai. iv. 5 ; Joel ii. 11,31 ; Ps. ii. 9 ; Is. i. 23 ; ii. 19—21 ; Matt. xxiv. 43—51 ; 2 Pet. iii. 7; Rev. xi. 13. 14 morality ! Then errors in dress, in the mode of living generally, and in the physical education of children ; want of cleanliness in person ; licentiousness, polyga-my, concubinage, luxury, intemperance in eating and drinking, slavery, undue labor of body or mind, and indulgence of angry and other destructive passions— all these will have ceased, and men will learn war no more. Moreover, reckless administration of medicine and tampering with God's stringed instrument, will also have ceased ; and we may very properly suppose that in such a state of society there will be a great advance in the sciences, and that the healing art will not only be practised by none but the conscientious, but also more skilfully by these. The result of such an abridgment of destructive influences would neccs-sarily be a great decrease of mortality, and an increase in the vigor of the human constitution ; and man would again attain to a good old age,—at least double the length of his present age,—and fulfil as never before, the command to “ multiply and replenish the earth.’’* Now follow me through a short calculation. The increase by emigration in the population of the United States for the last fifty years has been a mere trifle, compared with the whole population, as the records show ; very much less than the admitted decrease by war and prevailing crimes. Therefore we may safely take this country for our guide. “ From official documents, it appears that the United States have increased regularly since the adoption of the constitution, or from 1790 till 1840, at the rate of about thirty-four per cent, every ten years, or so as to double every twenty-four years. This is a curious fact, that it should hold its increase so regularly under the various phases through which we have passed. ” Now, commencing with only eight hundred millions as the population of the earth, although it is commonly esti-mated at nine hundred millions, we should have in twenty-four years, 1,600,000,000 ; in forty-eight years, * Gen. i. 28; ix. 1. 15 3.300.000. 000 ; in seventy-two years, 6,400,000,000 ; in ninety-six years, 12,800,000,000 ; in one hundred and twenty years, 25,600,000,000 ; in one hundred and forty-four years, 51,200,000,000 ; in one hundred and sixty-eight years, 102,400,000,000 ; in one hundred and ninety-two years, 204,800,000,000; in two hun-dred and sixteen years, 409,600,000,000 ; in two hun-dred and forty years, 819,200,000,000 ; in two hundred and sixty-four years, 1,638,400,000,000; in two hun-dred and eighty-eight years, 3,276,800,000,000; in three hundred and twelve years, 6,553,600,000,000 ; in three hundred and thirty-six years, 13,107,200,000,־ 000; in three hundred and sixty years, 26,214,400,-000,000 ; in three hundred and eighty-four years, 52.428.800.000. 000 ; in four hundred and eight years, 104.857.600.000. 000. When this last generation arrives at the age of twenty years, let us add to their number that of the preceding generation who would still be living, which would make 104.857.600.000. 000 52,428,800,000,000 157.286.400.000. 000 Or, one hundred and fifty-seven trillions, two hundred and eighty-six billions, and four hundred millions for the total population of the earth at that time. But there are only fifty millions of square miles on the surface of the earth, not covered by the sea,—or one hundred and fifty-four trillions, and eight hundred and eighty billions of square yards. Therefore, supposing all of this to be good habitable, arable land, there would still be less than one square yard to each individual ! And this in four hundred and twenty-eight years ! ! “ What, then, would it be at the end of a thousand years 1 But the thing is impossible, and I have only followed out this train of thought, to show how utterly irreconcilable it is with the present organization of man,” to suppose that the earth, as it now is, was ever intended for his 16 abode during a state of millenial virtue and prosperity, or world without end.* The argument is not a little strengthened by the fact that, instead of the fifty millions of square miles being good habitable, arable land, about one fifth of the whole consists of deserts, swamps, ragged or snow-covered mountains, pine or oak barrens, rivers, lakes, and polar regions as desolate as if they were covered by the ocean. Such is the absurdity to which spiritualizing thé Bible leads. The only way to avoid this absurdity, is to run into blasphemy, and maintain that in proportion as man avoids the causes of death over which he has control, God will increase those causes over which he has no control, just so as to destroy him ; that when man ceases to bring disease upon himself and posterity by vice, God will increase the number of miasmatic diseases, earthquakes, tornadoes, &c., just so as to prevent any increase in the population ; or that, with “the restitution of all things,” “the earth shall not yield her increase” as promised,! and in the age of sobriety, industry, and morality—in the “ new earth” —men are to be more straitened for the means of sub-sistence than they have ever been in the ages of intemperance, debauchery, oppression and heathenism, —straitened to such a degree as to check the growth of population ! ! ! The idea is so perfectly revolting, that no one can entertain it for a moment. OPINIONS OF THE CHURCH. The purification of the earth by fire has been the doctrine of the church from the very days of the apos-ties down to these last times, when men have learned to spiritualize away “ancient landmarks,” and “ the laith once delivered to the saints.” Thomas Burnet, in his “Theory of the Earth,” printed in London, A. D. 1697, states that it was the * For this argument I am chiefly indebted to G. F. Cox. t Ps. lxvii. 6 ; Gen. iv. 12, compared with Acts iii. 21. 17 received opinion of the primitive church from the day8 of the apostles to the Council of Nice, A. D. 325. This Council consisted of three hundred and eighteen bishops from all parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and adopted, unanimously, I believe, the same sentiment. It was also the doctrine of Luther, and the other Reformers,—of Fuller, Thomas Burnet, Thomas Yin-cent, Wesley,—in a word, of the church so universally, that it is embodied in the poetry of the world as an admitted truth. ״ When, rapt in fire, the realms of ether glow, And heaven's last thunder shakes the world below, Hope, undismayed, shall o'er the ruins smile, And light her torch at Nature's funeral pile ! ” Dr. Clarke makes the following comment upon the passage in 2 Pet. iii. 11 : “ All these things shall be dissolved. They will all be separated, all decomposed ; but none of them destroyed. As they are the original matter out of which God formed the terraqueous globe, consequently they may enter again into the composition of the new system. We look for a new heaven and a new earth ; the other being decomposed, a new׳ system is to be formed out of their materials. “ It does appear from these promises, what the apostle says here, and what is said in Rev. xxi. 27 ; xxii. 14, 15, that the present earth, though destined to be burnt up, will not be destroyed, but be renew׳ed and refined ; purged from all natural and moral imperfec-tions, and made the endless abode of blessed spirits. That such an event may take place is very possible, and, from the terms used by Peter, is very probable. And, indeed, it is more reasonable and philosophical to conclude that the earth shall be refined and restored, than finally destroyed.” 2* 16 THE EARTH AND THE WORLD END AT THE SAME TIME. That the world will not be destroyed before the earth, 18 evident from Gen. viii. 21, 22; ix. 11—16. That it will be destroyed then, is evident from the organiza-tion of our present bodies, which could not endure the flames that shall melt the earth. See, also, 2 Pet. iii. 7. THEY END WITH THIS AGE. I premise a few things, as 1. Christ’s second advent will be as King, and at the end of this age. Matt. xiii. 38, 43 ; xxiv. 3," 30 ; Acts iii. 21 ; Titus ii. 12, 13. 2. All the righteous, dead and living, shall then “ be changed,” and receive their “ reward “ have eternal life ”—“ shine forth as the sun.” Matt. xiii. 43 ; Mark x. 30 ; Luke xviii. 30 ; 1 Cor. xv. 50—53 ; 1 Thess. iv. 14—17 ; Heb. vi. 5 ; Rev. xi. 18. 3. As respects the wicked, their age of 1probation ends with this age. First proof. 1 Cor. viii. 13 : “ If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the age standeth [or lasts,] lest I make my brother to offend.” From this, it is evident that the age, of which Paul's lifetime constituted a part, is the period of time during which a brother can be made to otfend,—is on proba-lion. Second proof . This age is the time for preaching the gospel,—for teaching and baptizing all nations,— implying that mercy will not be offered in the age to come. Matt. xxiv. 14 ; xxviii. 19, 20. The righteous, be it remembered, are all to be changed at Christ’s coming. Therefore, if the gospel is preached after-ward, the preachers will have spiritual bodies. But this idea is contradicted by Matt. xxv. 11 ; Luke xvi. 31 ; 1 Cor. i. 27 ; 2 Cor. iv. 7. Moreover, it is incon-sistent with the idea of Christ’s reigning himself, or of the righteous reigning with him, to suppose them travelling about as the “servants” of the wicked, exposed to their scoffs and contempt, trying to persuada 19 them to repent. Now we are told it is by preaching that men are saved. 1 Cor. i. 21. Moreover, if the salt is all withdrawn from the earth into a kingdom by itself, how can we expect the earth to be salted? Matt. v. 13, 16 ; Luke xv. 2, 4 ; xiv. 21, 23. That Christ’s kingdom will not be coercive, in the sense of forcing men into it, see Matt. xi. 12 ; John v. 40 ; Luke xiii. 3 ; Acts iii. 23. ffpCompare Rev. xi. 14, 15, with x. 7. Third proof. In 2 Pet. iii. 4, 9,13, we are informed that the reason why the promise of his coming has not been fulfilled already, is, that God is long suffering, “ not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Does not this clearly imply that at and after his coming, rnercy will not be offered, none will come to repentance—probation will be over. Fourth proof. At the end of this age the harvest takes place. Matt. xiii. 39. When harvest comes, the time for sowing either good or bad seed—by the Son of man or by the devil—is past. Of course, there can be no more conversions—probation is in reality over. Fifth proof. The age to come will be the time for review and punishment of actions dene by the wicked in this age, implying that probation will be over, and the judgment set. Matt. xii. 32. 4. At the second coming of Christ, this heaven and earth shall be destroyed, and the new be created. First proof. Acts iii. 21: “Jesus Christ—whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of res· titution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the age began.” What age ? Evidently the one from the loss to the restitution,—an age that began before the first prophecy respecting a restitution, uttered immediately after the fall. Gen. iii. 15; Luke i. 70; John ix. 32 ; Titus ii. 12, 13 ; Rev. xxi. 1, 4, 5. Second proof. In 2 Pet iii. 10, 12, we are told Christians should “haste unto,” or earnestly desire, the day of the Lord. And, in another place, the 20 believer exclaims, “ I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.” But he will awake in Christ’s likeness on the day of Christ’s second advent. Of course, he cannot earnestly desire another day. See, also, Titus ii. 13. From this it is evident that the day spoken of here is the day of the second advent, and then “ the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements melt with fervent heal—the earth also : and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” Now we are prepared to prove that this world (kos-mos) will end with this age (aion.) I. The god of this kosmos is the same as the god of this aion. “In whom the god of this age (aion) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,” &c. “For the prince of this world (kosmos) cometh, and hath nothing in me.”* Again : the prevailing disposition of each is the same. “ That lie might deliver us from this present evil age (aion.”) “ Know' ye not that the friendship of the world (kosmos) is enmity with God ! ”f Also, we are told that in this world (kosmos) Christians “shall have tribulation.” This clearly implies that, so long as the present world continues, there is to be no dispensation of righteousness—Christ will not reign here personally or spiritually—the prevailing spirit will be that which causes tribulation to the children of God. But they must be of good cheer ; lor Christ assures them the world is overcome in prospect, that shall ccr-tainly be realized. It shall be destroyed at his glorious appearing, and his disciples then will be left without a foe forever. See, also, Eph. ii. 2, w׳here walking “ according to the age of this world/’ is spoken of as synonymous with walking “ according to the prince of the power of the air,” &c. * For references containing aion, see 2 Cor. iv. 4 ; Mutt, xiii. 39 ; Eph. ii. 2 ; and for kosmos, see John xiv. 3U : xii. 31 ; xvi. 11 ; Matt. iv. S, 9. t For aion, see Gal. i. 4 : 1 Cor. ii. 6 ; and for kosmos. see James iv. 4 ; i. 27 ; John viii. 23 ; xv. 19; xvi. 33 ; 2 Cor. vii. 10; Gal. vi. 11 ; I John ii. 13—17. 21 II. The two words are used one for the other. Thus, (2 Cor. v. 19,) “ God was in Christ reconciling the age (aion) to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” “ For I came not to judge the world, but to save the world* (kosmos.)” Again, (1 Cor. i. 20 :) “ Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this age (aion?) Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world (kosmos?)” In chap. ii. 6: “wisdom of this age (aion.)” In chap. iii. 18, 19 : “If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this age (aion,) let him be-come a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world (kosmos) is foolishness with God.” Again, Tit. ii. 12: “Denying ungodliness and worldly (kosmikos) lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age (aion.)” If there is to be another age of this world, does the apos-tie mean to imply that then we need not live soberly, righteously, and godly, and deny worldly lusts? Or does he not rather mean that this age is the only one in which men shall have lusts of the world to deny— in other words, that probation ends with this age ? III. At the end of this age Christ will come as King. But his “kingdom is not of this world (kosmos.)” He will not reign in it personally or spiritually. If the whole world does not end with this age, then there will either be some living on the earth over whom Christ will not exercise jurisdiction, or else his kingdom will be in part of this world. Moreover, as this world is subject to death, instead of his being King of kings, and his kingdom independent, he would see it continu-ally and successively invaded by the King of Terrors. John xviii. 3(>, 37. IV. Eph. ii. 2 : “ Wherein in time past ye walked according to the age (aion) of this world (kosmos)— according to the prince of the power of the air,” &c. It does not say, “ according to this age of the world.” * For kosmos, see John xii. 47; i. 29; iii. 16, 17; vi. 33. 51 ; Rom. xi. 15 ; 1 Tim. i. 15. Therefore, the age which is “ according to the prince of the power of the air,”—in other words, “ this pres-ent evil age,”—is the age of this world, and there will be no other until the world ends. V. In Luke xx. 34, 35, the children of this age are contrasted with those of the age to come, and in that we are told they “neither marry nor are given in mar-riage.” But all admit that, so long as this world continues, marriage will be honorable. Therefore, with the next age there will be a new world. VI. At the end of this age all the wicked shall be destroyed ; because, in addition to what has already been said, First. Probation will be over; and we can hardly believe God will permit the continuance of the human family, much less an increase, after the age of proba-tion is past. Secondly. The harvest then takes place. When harvest comes, sowing time is over. Not only are the tares already sown to be gathered, but the devil is to sow no more. Thus, we see, there can be no further addition to the depraved family of Adam; in a word, no more births—no more marrying or given in mar-riage—that is, the end of the world will have come. Matt. xiii. 39. Thirdly. We are explicitly told that “ the field [to be harvested] is the world (kosmos,)” Matt. xiii. 38. Fourthly. It also says explicitly, “ all things that offend, and they which do iniquity ”—all the tares which the wicked one hath sown—all that destroy, or corrupt the earth—shall be gathered out of the king-dom, not by conversion, but to be cast into the fire. Matt. xiii. 41 ; xxiv. 30, 31 ; Rev. xi. 18. Fifthly. Then, also, the earth itself is to he destroyed, as we have already proved ; and, as the righteous alone shall be caught up to meet the Lord, all the wicked must perish. ID3 All the righteous changed and caught up, and all the wicked destroyed, the world, of course, would be at an end ; and all this is to be at the end of this 23 THE EXACT TIME FOR THE END IS APPOINTED. “ Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark xiii. 32.)* So it seems the Father had then appointed not only the period, but the day and the hour. Indeed, I cannot conceive how it could be otherwise, inasmuch as God is omniscient, and inhab-iteth eternity. Therefore, when a certain fixed hour in the age of the world arrives, the end will inevitably come, whether men are scoffing, or waiting in humility for the event. “ At the time appointed the end shall PROPHECIES OF THE TIME FOR THE END CAN BE UNDERSTOOD BEFORE THE END. I do not now say there is any such prophecy ; but merely that, if there is, it was intended to be under-stood before its fulfilment. A Presbyterian clergyman lately told me that “such prophecies may have been intended for the edification of the saints in glory, and not to be understood in this world.” This is certainly a new view of the Bible ; but it was the only refuge to Ayhich he could resort. There is nothing useless in the Bible. Therefore, every such prophecy was intend-ed to be of use either in this world or in the world to come. If of any use here, it must be understood, and understood beforehand; for “what is the value of a chart that would not tell a seaman where to find his port until after he has arrived? ” One man says he reads the prophecies for devotion, and not for instruc-tion. Now, a knowledge of the time for the end would undoubtedly be favorable to the devotion of Christians living just before the event ; but there is no food for devotion, so far as I can see, in a mere declaration, in unintelligible language, that the end shall be at a cer-tain time. But was a part of the Bible intended for the saints in glory ? I answer, * For other references, see Ps. cii. 13,16,18 ; Is. xl. 2 (mar-gin;) Dan. viii. 19; x. 1 ; xi. 33; Hab. ii. 3; Luke xxi. 24; Acts i. 7; xvii. 26, in connection with Gal. iv. 24 I. If one person may conclude that certain prophecies were intended for the saints, simply because he does not understand them, every person may, with equal propriety, conclude that every doctrine and every other portion of Scripture, not understood by himself, was designed for the saints. Now who shall tell us how much of the Bible is for this world, and how much lor the saints? Come, draw the line, and make the separation. T wish to know just how much I must believe ; for I tremble equally at the thought of reject-ing any of the revelation made to me, and of prying into any of the revelation made to the saints. We could almost wish their portion had been put in an appendix. II. Will the Bible be saved when the earth is destroyed, and be carried into the New Jerusalem, there to be read by the saints ? If you say nc—that Christ himself will be their Teacher ; then, I ask, why should anything be put in our Bible fur the especial use of the saints ? Will they call to mind in another world what they have read unintelligibly in this? I fear that many—yes, the vast majority—read these prophecies so seldom, and with such a want of relish, that in another world they would know nothing about them without another reading, which would be impos-sible if the Bible is not carried into that world. III. But of what especial use can the one class of prophecies, respecting the time for the end, be to the saints? The fulfilment will have taken place ; and, so far as I can see, such a prophecy will then be only a parallel with all other prophecies, the fulfilment of any one of w'hich will prove, to the saints, the wisdom, and power and goodness of God, just as much as the fulfil-ment of this one. I repeat it, of what especial use can a prophecy respecting the time for the end, more than any or all others, be to the saints ? IV. Christ and the apostles frequently speak of the prophecies as if they were intended to be of use in this world for instruction. Thus Peter says that the pro-phets who searched what manner of time the Spirit of 25 Christ which was in them did signify, were informed “ that not unto themselves but unto us, they did minis-ter.” If they were ministering to glorified saints, they were ministering in part to themselves, since they are to be glorified as well as we. ID3 It does not say, “ that not untb men, but unto glorified saints, they did minis-ter.” 1 Pet. iii. 11, 12. Again, he says, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy [more sure than the evidence in verses 16 and IT ;] whereunlo ye [not the saints] do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shinetli in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the daystar arise in your hearts.” [Q3 If of use to the saints, it is after the day dawns; and if not to be understood beforehand, pro-phecy is not a light shining in a dark place (the future.) History would be the only light, and it shines after the events. 2 Pet. i. 19. It is the “word of prophecy,” and not the events fulfilling it, which Peler calls a light. Again, he says, verse 20, “ that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.” ID3 He was writing about Christ's second coining, and he does not except those prophecies which refer to the time of the advent, if there are any such. See, also, Luke xvi. 29—31; xxiv. 25; Rom. xvi. 25, 26; Rev. i. 3—10; x. 5—7; Jude 1-1—18. V. In Dent. xxix. 29, we are told that “things which are revealed belong unto us, and to our children lore ver, that we may do all the words of the law.’י Will any one say there is any prophecy which is not a revelation ? But if a revelation, it belongs to us and to our children, and not to the saints. For if it belongs to the latter, then some of the words of the law are to be done by them, and not by us. John xvii. 17. VI. Paul says, (2 Tim. iii. 15—17,) “ ALL SCRIP-TURE [including prophecies respecting the time for the end, if there are any such] is given by inspiration of God, and is PROFITABLE for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, [he does not add, for the edification of glorified saints ;] that the 3 26 man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” See, also, Rom. xv. 4. Then such parts of the Bible, if any, as refer to the time for the end, as well as all others, are in some age of the church, profitable, and necessary towards thoroughly furnishing the man of God unto all good works. John xvii. 17. Objection I. We are told in Dan. xii. 4, that pro-phecies are sealed. 1 answer, things which are sealed in the sense of being hidden from the church during all the periods of its existence, are not written, as we learn from Rev. x. 4. The Bible was intended for the church to the end of time, and contains tilings appTO-priate to each period of the church. The prophets ministered not unto themselves, but unto the churcli at these different periods. (1 Pet. iii. 11, 1*2.) Now* the things written for one period may be sealed from all living before that time, as not belonging to them—in tw*o ways: 1. The Spirit may not direct the attention of Christians to the prophecy in its proper connexion with other passages which explain it—or does not otherwise open their minds to understand it. 2. The understanding of it may depend upon the occurrence of certain foretold events. Thus it might be foretold that after six different events, strongly marked and well defined, the end shall occur very soon. We are not informed how far distant from each other these events shall be ; only they are so clearly defined that, when they occur, we shall recognise them. At the utterance of the prophecy no one could con jecture even about the time for the end. It is “ sealed till the time of the end.” But in due time the Providence of God unseals it, and men behold the terrible day as just ready to dawn. Now, I am willing to grant that some prophecies have been, in a greater or less degree, thus sealed, until the several periods in the church have arrived, w'hen the understanding of each several pro-phecy was necessary towards thoroughly furnishing the man of God living at that time, who is thus enabled to find “things new and old” in the Bible.* The 1 Pet. i. 12 ; Eph. iii. 5, 6. 27 prophecy that Daniel was commanded to seal, was concerning the time for the end. It could be of no use to understand it until the end draws near. Then, how-ever, it is to be unsealed, as necessary towards Mor-oughly furnishing the men of God unto the good works of proclaiming that “the hour of his judgment is come,” and encouraging those whose redemption draw-etli nigh to lift up their heads and rejoice. Also, the knowledge of the event being at hand certainly con-duces to sanctification. John xvii. 17 ; 2 Pet. iii. 11. Objection II. God has promised to answer the prayer of the humble and believing. If, therefore, there is any prophecy showing the time for the end, it might have been understood by praying for the spirit of understanding, and Christ could not have said, “ Of that day and hour knoweth no man, neither the angels, nor the Son,” &c. I answer, that Daniel, who was greatly beloved, prayed for this very spirit of under-standing, and it was denied him; “to whom it was revealed that not unto himself, but unto us, he did minister.” Christ, also, and Paul besought three sue-cessive times for things which were not granted.* They desired these things, how׳ever, only if it was the will of the Father to grant them. So any sincere and humble believer w ill pray ; and he has no more right to expect an unsealing of the prophecy before God wills to unseal it, than Christ had to claim that the cup might pass away because of his desiring it. God always answers our prayers, although he does not always answer them literally. If we ask for improper things, he withholds them of course, and gives us something else in their stead. He has never promised to answer improper prayers literally. If he had, what wretched beings even sincere and humble Chris-tians would be ! ! for, owing to ignorance, how many improper prayers they make. See 1 John v. 14. Objection III. There are doctrines in the Bible not *Dan. xii. 8, 9; 1 Pet. i. 11, 12; Matt. xxvi. 39, 42, 44; 2 Cor. xii. 8, 9. 28 understood in this world, which will be plain to the saints;—“we now see through a glass darkly,” &c I answer, this may be true, and yet all the Bible was undoubtedly intended for the people in this world only ; —some parts of it for one class of minds, and some for another ; some to be understood at one time, and some at another; and some to be received without being fully comprehended. Some doctrines may be profitable without being comprehended ; but a prophecy respecting the time for the end could not. Even the mysterious doctrines—such as the eternity of God—are put in the Bible to affect us in this world,—to give hurfiility, reverence, and other becoming feelings. We believe, though we do not fully comprehend them. In another world we may know more about them ; because, how-ever, faith will be changed to sight, and the great Teacher will be with us ;—in a word, because we shall have new and more glorious revelations ; and not from reading the Bible over again there, or reflecting upon passages hitherto unintelligible, mysteriously written upon the mind then for the first time, as the result of one or two careless readings here many years before, without any effort to understand them. The revelation we have now is all of it intended for this world—to affect our hearts here, and prepare us to enter the gates of the New Jerusalem. It is the twilight, so to speak, preparing our vision for the dazzling light of the sun in glory. Objection IV. Our greatest theologians say that the prophecies cannot be understood. I answer, 1. It is no new thing to find the high priest in infidel com-pany. 2. “ The wisest of uninspired men have erred on other subjects. May it not be possible that they have been in error on this subject also? 3. Those very persons who contend that * we can know nothing about the time/ and that ‘prophecies are not to be understood until after their accomplishment,’ are per-petually, in their prayers, and sermons, and missionary publications, interpreting the prophecies ! They pre-diet, or say that the prophecies predict, a time of uni- 29 versal peace and prosperity in the church and in the world. How do they know this if the prophecies are not to be understood until after their fulfilment ! They say, moreover, that this universal peace and prosperity will continue for one thousand years, and that then there will be a declension by the influence of Satan, who will be ‘loosed out of his prison, and go out to deceive the nations,’ (see Rev. xx. 7, 8,) and then will the end come. They say, with perfect confidence, that ‘the end is not yet.’ Now, do not those who entertain these views not only interpret the prophecies, but also declare that the time will be known! If this is to be the order of events, it will not be difficult to know the time.” 4. But it is not true that the greatest theologians have entertained this opinion. We might mention the names of Martin Luther, Dr. Gill, John Wesley, Cot-ton Mather, in fact, of the stars in the church, almost without an exception. 5. God has furnished us with the reason why so many do not understand the visions of all. Is. xxix. 10—12. “For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes ;— the prophets and your rulers,—the seers hath he cov-cred. And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray ihee ; and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee ; and he saith, I cannot, for I am not learned.” BOOK OF REVELATION. As this book is a part of the Bible, all that has been said above is as applicable to it as to any other portion. In addition tonhis, 1. The meaning of the word revela-lion is an uncovering of what was hidden—it is some-thing laid open. A sealed revelation is a contradiction in terms. In chap. x. 4, the things sealed were not to be written. 3* 30 2. The first verse says, God gave it “to SHOW unto his servants [not saints] things which must shortly come to pass.” 3. The third verse says, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear, the words of this prophecy [it does not say, “ of some parts of this prophecy.”] How can a person be said to be blessed in reading who does not understand what he reads \ 4. In ch. i. 4, 11, we are told this revelation was “to the seven churches” which were types of the seven states of the church to the end of time,—and not to the glorified saints. 5. In the tenth verse of the last chapter, John is commanded, “Seal NOT the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” This may either mean that no parts of the prophecy were at any time, in any sense, or in any degree, sealed ; or it may mean that no parts were to be permanently sealed, each of the several parts being unsealed at the proper time ; or it may mean that this prophecy was not to be hidden with John himself,—he was to write it for the church, while things sealed were not to be written. I incline to the last opinion, and think that, although in this sense the prophecy was not sealed,—that is, so far as John was concerned,— yet, in another sense, it was sealed, until the Provi-denee of God at various times has unsealed one portion after another, according to the condition and wants of the church at those dillerent times. HISTORY AND CHRONOLOGY REFERRED TO IN PROPHECIES. If God has given any prophecies showing the tune for the end, (to be understood, as we have seen, before the event,) he has undoubtedly taken care that history should record all the intervening events foretold, and which must be known in order to understand when the time draws near. Indeed, the events fulfilling all the prophecies of the Bible up to this time have undoubt-edly been recorded, either in the Bible itself, or in profane history ; for only on such conditions could the 31 prophecy be of any use ; and to suppose the contrary is to suppose that God would suffer his purpose in gi7-ing the prophecy to fail,—and is an impeachment of either his wisdom, goodness, or power. For the same reason there is nothing really uncertain about chronology from that period where we must begin to have certain knowledge in order to understand the prophecies ; or, in fact, about any of the chronology referred to or contained in the Bible. Those who maintain the contrary, must either maintain that such portions of the Bible have become obsolete, and might be left out ; or that w׳e have an uncertain light, instead of a “sure word of prophecy. ” “We will say nothing of the reflection which such a view casts upon God, who has directed us to the prophecies to guide us ; for what is it but tantalizing us, to give such a direction, if the prophecies cannot answer their de-sign?” He, who dictated the Bible, has taken care that no errors should creep into it, which would make it impossible for those to interpret prophecies for whom the prophecies were especially intended. We can now* see the wisdom of having here a little and there a little, and sometimes repetition. One part acts a check upon any mistake in the other. The only point in dispute, respecting chronology, as bearing upon the time for the end, is settled by Paul, in Acts xiii. 20, 21. GOD HAS REVEALED THE TIME, SO THAT CHRIS- TIANS LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS MAY KNOW WHEN THE EVENT SHALL OCCUR. I do not say that, previous to the last days, the time could be known ; but simply that, when what are called emphatically “the last days” have come, the church living at that time, if it search diligently, shall be able to know with certainty that it is in the last days, and to discern about the time for the end. We infer this from the following considerations, in addi-tion to positive proofs which shall afterwards be given. CON!SIDERATION I. It has been generally sup* posed, in every age of the church, that the prophecÍM 32 of Daniel point out the time for the end ; “ and, although there may have been a difference of opinion upon the time for commencing the prophetic periods of his visions, every age, we believe, has spoken with the strongest confidence that they would be understood before the end should actually come. ’’ This uniformity of belief among all the most worthy sons of the church, in all its different states, and in every age, certainly affords presumptive proof of our being correct, in the absence of any positive proof to the contrary. CONSIDERATION JI. The npposers of the Sec-ond Advent doctrine, as well as its advocates, believe that a time is foretold, when “ the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord,M and Satan shall he bound “a thousand years.” They also agree in believing that the Bible gives a clue to about the time when this happy state of things shall commence. Mr. Dowling thinks it will commence in about one hundred and fifty-seven years. Dr. Brownlee fixes upon another year, A. D. 1866, I believe. Now, there are only two prevalent opinions respecting the end of the world as connected with that epoch. One is, that the end will occur at the binding of Satan ; and the other, that it will occur very soon after the thousand years shall have expired. Those who hold to each opinion, main-tain that the Bible has furnished us wit h the means of knowing which is correct, if we only study it aright. Therefore, let either be correct, we have the means of knowing about the time for the end. CONSIDERATION III.* We infer that God has revealed the time for this event from the analogy to be found in other great events under his government. First event. Previous to the flood, God at first revealed only the timef of destruction. Afterwards, * Nearly all that is said under Consideration III. is extracted from the able review of Daggett’s sermon, by S. Bliss. t It does not matter much, as respects the argument from analogy, what interpretation is given to Gen. vi. 3 ; although I think it is plainly a prediction of the time to the flood. There is no doubt about Gen: vii. 4. 33 the manner is given, with a more full revelation of the event. Minute directions are also given to Noah for building an ark, so as to save himself and family. As the time draws nigh, and there are but seven davs to the flood, the very day of the event is given. Every individual soul, that is saved, is looking for the event at the very time ; otherwise they would not have gone into the ark, and have been saved. Many who per-ished had an opportunity to know that God purposed to drowm the world. Noah was a preacher of right-eousness ; (2 Pet. ii. 5 ;) but even if he “ did not reveal the time, the ark itself must have warned them. It is in vain to suppose they were ignorant of Noah’s expec-tations. Therefore every plank that was added to the ark was an admonition that the time of its completion was drawing nigh ; and when it was ready for the reception of its inmates, they might then know that no longer delay was necessary for the accomplishment of God?s purpose.” “We should, therefore, expect in the second destruc-tion of the world, that God would reveal the time; that, however, he would not reveal at any one time the whole of his purpose, but a little here, and a little there—in one place the time, and in another the man-ner—in language so plain, that the wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err therein; and yet, not in language so direct and explicit, but that those disposed might have an abundance of plausible reasons on which to predicate their doubts. Even the time itself, we should expect from the analogy, would be given in such a manner that it might be contended with some show of reason that it does not denote the duration of time, but only the defil ment of the temple by Antio-chus ; as the prediction of the time to the flood is also applied to the reduced age of mankind. We should also expect that, as the time of the event drew nigh, all who would be saved would have a more clear con· ception of the great e ent ; and when the time had about expired, would all be in the attitude of expecta-tion. On the other hand, we should also expect that 34 those who perish, would, many of them, have an oppor-tunity to acquaint themselves with the time and manner of the end, but none of them would believe in its real* ity.” Second even¿. At the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, “ we find that all who were saved were apprized of the event a sufficient time previous to ena-ble them to escape, and also to warn some of those who perished, unto w'hoin Lot seemed as one that mocked. The analogy would therefore teach us that before Christ comes, all the truly righteous will be apprized of the fact, and know that it is so near, that they must be ‘ up,’ ‘ for the Lord will destroy this city,י and yet they may not know the very ‘ hour,’ until God takes them by the hand to save them. We also learn by this that some of the finally impenitent will be faithfully warned, but that they will look upon those who warn them as misguided fanatics, and men * that mock.’ ” Third. The seven years of famine, Gen. xli. 28 to 54. Fourth. “ It was predicted that the seed of Abraham should ‘ be a stranger in a land not theirs,’ four hun-dred years ; and afterward they should come out with great substance. This, with Abraham's own sojourn, made four hundred and thirty years.* The children of Israel, therefore, could, at any time during their captivity in Egypt, have calculated the time of its ter-mination, by adding four hundred years to the time when the seed of Abraham began to Le afflicted in a strange land. We also find that ‘at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the self-some, day, it came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.’ ” “ Notwithstanding it is so clear that the time was revealed before their captivity in Egypt commenced, it is also evident that the predicted period had nearly elapsed before the children of Israel were aware of its * See Gen. xv. 12—14, 16 ; Ex. xii. 40, 41 ; Acts vii. 6, 7 ; Gal. iii. 17. 35 near completion ; but before its end they did under-stand, and made all necessary arrangements for secur-ing the ‘ great substance ’ that it was predicted they should carry out.” “ There was also a fine opportunity for any one who felt disposed, to doubt respecting the time; as they might, with much show of reason, have contended that the four hundred years were to be dated from the time that Jacob and all his children removed to Egypt ; or it would have been plausible to have supposed it was to be dated from the time that ‘ another king arose that knew not Joseph,’ and who evil entreated them, —the same as many now contend, that the rise of Popery should not be dated from the commencement of its power, but only from the time it became quite formidable, or from the zenith of its power.” “The ‘ analogy ’ in this case would therefore lead us to expect that the period which is to elapse before the end of the world w׳ould be a definite prophetic period, but that it would not be fully understood until about the time of its termination ; that there might be a question from what particular epoch it was to be dated ; but that, as the period drew near its termination, the time of the end would be more clearly understood, and at its termination those w ho are delivered would be all expecting immediate deliverance ; nor would those not delivered be all ignorant that such w־as an expeoted event.” Fifth. The children of Israel had not been more than about two years in the wilderness, according to Mr. Daggett, when they were told that the whole time of their wanderings should be forty years. Numbers xiv. 34. Sixth. The final overthrow of Israel within sixty-five years. 2 Kings xvi. ; Is. vii. 1—9. Seventh. There were to be seventy years accom-plished in the desolations of Jerusalem, and Daniel knew by books when they would expire. Dan. ix. 2 ; Jer. xxv. 8—12. Eighth. The streets of Jerusalem were to be built 36 in troublous times, and finished in seven weeks of ty-nine years, which was exactly fulfilled. Ninth. For five hundred and eighteen years before the coming of Christ, the very year for the commence-ment of his ministry was a matter of prophecy. Dan. ix. 25. Our Saviour alluded to this when he said “ the time* is fulfilled.” Moreover, the people “ un-derstood from books” that it was about the time for the Messiah to come ; for there was a general expec-tation of his appearance then.f Not only this, a special messenger was sent to conjirm their expecta-tions, and “ prepare the way of the Lord.” In Matt. xvi. 3, our Saviour strongly rebukes the Pharisees and Sadducees, because they did not “ dis-cern the signs of the times ’ל—because they did not see by those signs, of wdiich there were about twenty, that he was the Messiah, without having ‘,a sign from heaven.” The analogy of this event would lead us to infer that not only the time for the second coming of Christ has been revealed, but that just before the event, men, perhaps as rude exteriorly as John the Baptist, will be raised up to preach with all the faithfulness of John, and cry, in the wilderness of sin, kk Behold, the Bride-groom cometh,” ‘k prepare ye the way of the Lord.” Tenth. Christ was to confirm the covenant with many for one week of years, or seven years, which period of time we find did actually constitute his min-istry. Dan. ix. 27 ; Horn. v. 6. Eleventh. Hezekiah was told to set his house in order, for he should die ; and afterwards, when he prayed, he was told that fifteen years were added to his life, and a sure sign given him whereby lie might know it was so. Is. xxxviii. Twelfth. A handwriting on the vcall foretold to Belshazzar, “ God hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it.” ‘, In that night was Belshazzar slain.” Dan. v. * Mark i. 15 ; Gal. ir. 4. t Matt. ii. I—10, and Luke ii. 26. 37 Thirteenth, “ And Jonah begáir X