VOLUME IV.  NEW-YORK THURSDAY, JULY 13, 1843.  Nos. 20 & 21.  
Wrile the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie ; though it tarry, wait for it: because  
it will surely come, it will not tarry.  
JOSHUA V. HUES, Publisher.  WEEKLY-NO. 9 SPRUCE-STREET.  N. SOUTHARD, Editor.  
THE MIDNIGHT CRY,  
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY,  
BY 3. V. HIMES,  
9 SPRUCE-ST., N E W-Y ORK.  
TERMS-ONE DOLLAR PER VOLUME OF 28 N CS.  
$5 for Si* Copies—$10 for Thirteen Copies.  
THE MI ON 10HT ORY,  
LECTURES  
Will be continued, three times on the Sabbath, at the  
Apollo Hall, 410 Broadway—and at Columbian Hall, 
263 Grand street, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 
and Friday evenings. Prayer meetings will be held on 
Thursday evening, at several private dwellings.  
Meetings at Brooklyn, in the " HOUSE OF PRAYER,"  
in Adams st„ (late Universalist Meeting House,) three  
times on the Sabbath, and Monday, Tuesday, Thurs-
day, and Friday evenings.  
CAMP-MEETING AT PATCHOGUE- 
The truth took effect among the fishermen and oth- 
ers of the " common people." Many acknowledged  
their belief in the doctrine, and testified to its blessed  
effects on their souls. When we left the ground, on  
Friday evening, (the second day of the meeting,) there  
was one middle-aged man, weeping and begging for  
mercy. It was manifest that he had suffered from 
strong drink. On returning to the ground, the next 
Wednesday, we found him rejoicing in hope. He  
signed the temperance pledge on the 4th of July. We 
trust he will continue steadfast in the Apostolic doc- 
trine and practice, as expressed by Paul, " I keep my 
body under." " The grace of God that bringeth salva- 
tion hath appeared unto all men; teaching us that, de- 
nying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live so- 
berly, righteously and godly in this present world, looking  
for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing ofthe  
great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ."  
Wednesday afternoon, we were much interested in  
the testimony of a fisherman, whom we had seen that  
morning in his boat, in his working dress. He said he  
had been a professor of religion for many years, and 
had once enjoyed the blessing of holiness ; but had lost  
it by neglect. When the doctrine of the advent near  
arrested his attention, he was slow to embrace it. His  
reputation was an idol, which he found it hard to give  
up. At length, he gave up all for Christ, and received  
the doctrine. He said he had now been blessed, a  
hundred fold, and he recommended every one to sell all 
for Christ, who will make his promise good. We could 
not help feeling, as he spoke, that Christ's first disci- 
ples were chosen from among fishermen like him.  
Said another : " I have been a professor of religion  
eight years, but it seems to me I never knew what reli-
gion was till yesterday. You may have all the world,  
only give me Jesus."  
Said another : " I have been a professor seventeen  
or eighteen years, but I never felt such peace and joy,  
as I have since I embraced this doctrine. I first heard  
it last fall, and prayed that I might understand it. I  
soon saw it clearly."  

After hearing a lecture on Daniel, a plain, sensible  
man,—a lawyer,—who is called one of the shrewdest  
men in that region, arose and said : " To me this sub- 
ject appears as plain as day." He said he was glad to  
see that the believers in this doctrine carry their side-
arms with them, [pocket Bibles,] and- they are so ex- 
pert in the use of them, that no one can get an advan-
tage over them.  
An Indian testified to the excellency of the gospel,  
and said he considered his brethren the rightful heirs 
of the soil, but it had been taken from them. He re- 
joiced in the hope that a kingdom is soon to be set up,  
in which all will be brethren, and none will try to drive  
others out. Near the close of the meeting, the same  
man said: " I feel for my neighbors right about my 
house. One of them has told me that he took no com-
fort since the meetings begun. Victuals don't taste  
good to him, and he can't sleep."  
Many females gave precious testimonies to the bles- 
sings they received. Said one, " I never knew what  
the fullness of Christ meant, till I embraced this doc- 
trine. I did not confess it till last Monday, and then I  
received another great blessing."  
They expressed great gratitude to-the speakers and  
brethren who, came from New York, and after tbe close 
of the last meeting, several stopped at Bro. Matthias'  
house, where they prayed fervently that we might have  
a quick and safe passage to- New York. When we  
went on board, at 5 o'clock the next morning, the Cap- 
tain said the wind was " dead ahead," and  he had very  
little hope of getting to New York for several days.  
We told him he must have faith, but he said : " Faith  
can't change this wind." We told him that we trusted 
that the Lord, who takes care of sparrows and lilies,  
would not forget us. We believed that he would an-
swer the prayers which had been offered for us. In  
the smooth bay, we could easily " beat against the  
wind," and, at 10 o'clock we reached Fire Island Inlet, 
20 miles from Patchogue. The tide and wind carried  
us out into the Atlantic. The wind had then veered so  
far south, that we could lay our course for New York, 
and we entered the Narrows soon after four, aad glided  
smoothly up to the wharf before six, praising the Lord  
for his abundant mercies.  
MEETINGS IN WILLIAMSBURG- 
On the 4th, a large and deeply interesting audience  
wras addressed by Brn. Whiting and Chandler. The 
truth took effect, and several came forward for prayers.  
A camp-meeting is now in progress on. the same  
ground. Brn. Whiting, Storrs and Chandler are lec- 
turing morning, afternoon and evening. Let us all go.  
THE CELESTIAL  RAILROAD.—We know not the mo- 
tive with which this graphic picture of the times was 
written. It first appeared in the Democratic Review.  
We found it in the Morning Star,—the organ ofthe ! small degree of astonishment too, as viewed in its  

For the Midnight Cry.  
JOHN WESLEY'S SERMON.  
Bear Brother Southard,—The letters of Dr. T.  
E. Bond, which appeared not long since in the  
Christian Advocate and Journal, I have read with in-
terest. They are written in fine epistolary style, and 
contain lively and instructive descriptions of such  
objects and incidents as engaged the attention of the 
writer as a traveller, and in his official capacity as  
a minister of Jesus Christ. I must, however, qualify  
the above expression of approbation by a painful ex-
ception. There is in one of the letters a passage  
so exceedingly unkind and indecorous, that I cannot  
but think that it would have been better for the Dr.  
himself, as well as others, had it never been written. 
The passage referred to is as follows : " During the  
session some cases of difficulty occurred in relation  
to Millerism, but none on the subject of radicalism.  
The Conference took a firm but lenient course with 
the erring brethren, and we hope the plague is stayed.  
I heard of only two of the members, who had been 
afflicted with this mental distemper, and these were  
thought to be convalescing. They had the admoni- 
tions of the president and the prayers of their brethren,  
so that a speedy recovery may be reasonably hoped for, 
and we hope, too, that Millerism, like radicalism,though  
it may leave its marks, is a disease which cannot be 
taken more than once, either by inoculaiion or in the  
natural way. The brethren dealt with, were univer- 
sally esteemed by the members of the Conference, 
and, as we learned by the brethren every where, to  
whom they were known, as very pious men, and as  
having ability for much usefulness, if they are faith= 
ful to their calling, and sittisfy themselves with sim-
ply preaching the gospel—repentance toward God, 
and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."  
The plain inference, then, from the closing para- 
graph in the connexion in which it stands, is, that the  
preaching of the resurrection—a coming judgment—  
i a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth  
righteousness—tbe restitution of all things—and that  
he which tesjtifieth these things saith, surely I come  
quickly—with the longing heartfelt response of his  
persecuted and suffering redeemed ones, Amen, even 
so, come, Lord Jesus ; and other kindred subjects, is  
not preaching the gospel. But I will not dwell here by  
way of criticism, on the above extract. Although it 
has occasioned me much pain, I had no other intention  
than to simply leave it, without note or comment, 
with my other trials, at the throne of my heavenly  
Master, when a volume of Rev. John Wesley's Ser- 
mons was put into my hands. I have just read his 
sermon on "The New Creation," with the deepest  
interest and satisfaction ; and, I may add, with no  
Freewill Baptist Denomination,—published at Dover,  
N. H., the editor of which remarks that it is worth  
the price of their paper for a year. No reader of the 
Cry will regretthe space it occupies. We trust the 
deep interest of the narrative will not prevent our  
readers from gathering the rich stores of instruction 
it contains. We have slightly abridged it.  

striking contrast with the extract and its kindred 
scurrilous strictures from other and similar sources.  
That the public may judge with what sort of a  
grace the trifling in which Dr. B. indulges relative 
to the Second Advent, comes from a Methodist min- 
ister ; and also on account of its own excellence  
and adaptation to the times in which we live, I here-


with transmit to you the sermon for insertion in the , verse : "Behold, I make all things new"—all which  
Midnight Cry. It is the Ser. 69, vol. 2. B. Waugh are included in that expression ofthe apostle ; "Anew  
rr_ __ _ 1 KnOTTOn orirl O n our oivf Ii A /« • AVin-i  and r. Mason, Conference Office, 1835.  
The name of Wesley is deservedly revered by the  
Methodist community, and indeed by the liberal- 
minded and pious of all denominations. His memory  
is blest. But were Wesley now living, let me ask,  
and should he rise up in some Methodist pulpit and 
deliver the discourse in question, would his brethren  
brand him a fanatical Millerite t would they shrink 
from him lest they might " take the mental distemper  
by inoculation or the natural way 1" or threaten him  
with the rods of discipline unless he should aban- 
don his Seeond Advent notions about the final resti-
tution, and about the new earth being the future, 
eternal abode of tbe saints ? An answer from Dr. B.  
would doubtless be edifying to such as may desire  
information in the premises.  
At all events, the Dr. and those may have chuckled  
over his witty allusions, are especially invited to  
read this excellent discourse of their " venerated  
Founder." If they have read it, let them read it 
again, inasmuch as it is but too evident from the cir- 
cumstances that now call it forth, that it has not  
heretofore exerted its legitimate benign influence  
upon them ; and may it be rendered instrumental in  
turning their ill-timed levity into a seriousness be- 
coming the stupendous scenes that are so soon to  
transpire; and in leading them to love more fervent-
ly and look with the greater earnestness for tbe glo- 
rious appearing of the great God and cur Saviour  
Jesus Christ. C.  
New York, July 7, 1843.  
THE NEW CREATION.  
BY JOHN WESLEY.  
" Behold!, I malse all things new." Rev. 21 : 5.  
1. What a strange scene is here opened to our  
view! Not a glimpse of what is here revealed was  
ever seen in the heathen world. Not only the modern,  
barbarous, uncivilized heatheps have not the least con- 
ception of it; but it was equally unknown to the refiped,  
polished heathens of ancient Greece and Rome. And  
it is almost as little thought of or understood by the  
generality of christians : 1 mean, not barely those that  
are nominally such ; that have the form ef godliness  
without the power; but even those that in a measure 
fear God, and study to work righteousness.  
2. It must be allowed, that after all the researches  
we can make, still our knowledge of the great truth, 
which is delivered to us in these words, is exceedingly  
short and imperfect. As this is a point of mere revela-
tion, beyond the reach of all our natural faculties, we  
cannot penetrate far into it, nor form any adequate  
conception of it. But it may be an encouragement to 
those who have, in any degree, tasted of the power of 
the world to come, to go as far as they can go ; inter- 
preting scripture by scripture, according to the analogy 
of faith.  
3. The apostle, caught up in the visions of God,  
tells us, in the first verse of the chapter, " I saw anew  
heaven and a new earth," and adds, verse 5, " He that  
sat upon the throne said," [I believe the only word  
which he is said to utter throughout the whole book,]  
"Behold, I make all things new."  
4. Yery many commentators entertain a strange  
opinion, that this relates only to the present state of  
things ; and gravely tell us, that the words are to be  
referred to the flourishing state of the church, which  
commenced after the heathen persecutions. Nay, some 
of them have discovered, that all which the apostle  
speaks concerning the " new heaven and the new earth" 
was fulfilled when Constantine the Great poured in 
riches and honors upon the Christians. What a  
miserable way is this of making void the whole counsel  
of God, with regard to all that grand chain of events,  
in reference to his church, yea, and to all mankind,  
from the time that John was in Patmos, unto the end  
ofthe world! Nay, the line of this prophecy reaches 
farther still; it  does not end with the present world,  
but shows us the things that will come to pass when  
this world is no more. For,  
5. Thus saith the Creator and Governor of the uni- 
154  

heaven and a new earth." A new heaven: the origi-
nal word in Genesis, chap. 1, is in the plural number :  
and indeed this is the constant language of Scripture ;  
not heaven, but  heavens. Accordingly, the ancient  
Jewish writers are accustomed to reckon thr-ee heavens; 
in conformity to which, the apostle Paul speaks of his 
being caught " up into the third heaven." It is this, 
the third heaven, which is usually supposed to be the 
more immediate residence of God ; so far as any resi- 
dence can be ascribed to his omnipresent Spirit, who  
pervades and fills the whole universe. It is here, (if  
we speak after the manner of men,) that the Lord sit- 
teth upon his throne, surrounded by angels and arch-
angels, and by all his flaming ministers.  
6. We cannot think that this heaven will undergo  
any change, any more than its great Inhabitant. Sure-
ly this palace of the Most High  was the same from  
eternity, and will be world without end. Only the  
inferior heavens are liable to change; the highest of 
which we usually call the starry heavens. This, St.  
Peter informs us, " is reserved unto fire, against the  
day of judgment, and destruction of ungodly men."  
In that day, " being on fire," it shall, first, " shrivel as 
a parchment scroll," then it " shall be dissolved, and  
shall pass away with a great noise;" lastly, it shall 
"fiee from the face of him-that sitteth en the throne, 
and there shall be found no place for it."  
7. At the same time, " the stars shall fall from  
heaven," the secret chain being broken which had  re- 
tained-them in their several orbits, from the foundation  
of the world. In the mean while the lower, or sublu-
nary heaven, with the elements, (or principles that  
compose it,) " shall melt with fervent heat," while  
"the earth, with the ,works that are therein, shall be  
burned up." This is the introduction to a far nobler  
state of things, such as it has not yet entered into the 
heart of man to conceive—-the universal restoration,  
which is to succeed the universal destruction. For  
" we look," says the apostle, " for new heavens and a 
new ei&rth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 2 Pet.  
3, &c.  
8. -One considerable difference there will undoubted- 
ly be in the starry heaven when it is created anew.— 
There will be no blazing stars—no comets there.— 
Whether those horrid, eccentric orbs are half-formed  
planets in a chaotie state, (I speak on the supposition  
of a plurality of worlds,) or such as have undergone  
their general confiagration, they will certainly have no  
place in the new heaven,  where all will be exact order  
and harmony. There may  be many other differences  
between the heaven that now is, and that which will be  
after the renovation ; but they are above our apprehen- 
sion. We must leave eternity to explain them.  
9. We may more easily eonceive the changes which  
will be wrought in the lower heaven, in the region of  
he ai r. It will be no more torn by hurricanes, or agi-
tated by furious storms or destructive tempests. Per- 
nicious or terrifying meteors will have no place therein  
We shall have no more occasion to say,  
" There like a trumpet loud and strong,  
Thy thunder shakes our coast;  
While the red lightnings wave along  
The banners of thv host."  
No; all will then be light, fair, serene—a lively pic- 
ture of the eternal day.  
iO. All the elements (taking that word in the com- 
mon sense, for the principles of which all natural be- 
ings are compounded,) wiil be new indeed—entirely 
changed as to their qualities, although not as to their  
nature. Fire is at present the general destroyer of all 
things under the sun, dissolving all things that come  
within the sphere of its action, and reducing them to 
their primitive atoms ; but no sooner will it have per-
formed its last great office of destroying the heavens  
and the earth, (whether you mean thereby one system 
only, or the whole fabric of the universe; the differ- 
ence between one and millions of worlds being nothing 
before the great Creator,) when, I say, it has done  
this, the destructions wrought by fire will eome to a 
perpetual end. It will destroy no more—it will consume 
no more—it will forget its power to burn, which it pos- 
sesses only during the present state of things—and be 
as harmless in the new heavens and earth as it is now  
in the bodies of men and other animals, and the sub-
stance of trees and flowers, in all which, as late ex- 
periments show, large quantities of ethereal fire are 
lodged, if it be not rather an essential, component part  
of every material being under the sun. But it will, 
probably, retain its vivifying power, though divested of  
its power to destroy.  

11. It has been already observed, that the calm,  
placid air will be no more disturbed by storms and tem-
pests. There will be no more meteors with their hor-
rid glare, affrighting the poor children of men. May  
we not add, (though, at first, it may sound like a para- 
dox) that there will be  no more rain. It is observable,  
that there was none in paradise ; a circumstance which  
Moses particularly mentions, Gen. 2:5, 6: " The 
Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth. 
But there went up a mist from the earth," which then  
covered up the abyss of waters, " and watered the  
whole face of the ground," with moisture sufficient for 
all the purposes ef vegetation. We have all reason to  
believe .that the case will be the same when paradise  
is restored. Consequently, there will be no clouds or 
fogs, but one bright, refulgent day. Much less will 
there be any poisonous damps, or pestilential blasts.  
There will be no sirocco in Italy; no parching or suf-
focating winds in Arabia; no keen northeast winds in  
our own country,  
" Shattering the graceful looks of yon fair trees;"  
but only pleasing, healthful breezes,  
" Fanning the earth with odoriferous wings."  
12. But what a change will the element of water  
undergo, when all things are made ,new! It will be, in  
every part of the world, clear and limpid ; pure from 
all unpleasing or unhealthy mixtures ; rising here and 
there in crystal fountains, to refresh and adorn the  
earth " with liquid lapse of murmuring stream." For,  
undoubtedly, as there were in paradise, there will be  
various rivers gently gliding  along, for the use and  
pleasure of both man and beast. But the inspired  
writer has expressly declared, " there will be no more  
sea." Rev. 21 : 1. We have reason to believe, that  
at the beginning of the world, when God said, " Let  
the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto  
one place, and let the dry land appear," Gen. 1: 9, the  
dry land spread -over the face of the water, and covered  
it on every side. And so it seems to have done, till, in  
order to the general deluge, which God had determined 
to bring upon the earth at once, -" the windows of hea- 
ven were optned, and the fountains of the great deep 
broken up." But the sea will then retire within its 
primitive bounds, and appear on the surface ofthe earth  
no more. Neither, indeed, will there be any more need 
of the sea. For, either, as the ancient poet supposes,  
" Omnis feret omnia tellus ;  
every part ofthe earth will naturally produce whatever 
its inhabitants want—or all mankind will procure what 
the whole earth affords, by a much easier and readier  
conveyance. For all the inhabitants of the earth, our  
Lord informs us, will then be (<rayyc\oi) equal to angels :  
on a level with .them in swiltness, as well as strength :  
so that they can,.quick as thought, transport themselves, 
or whatever they want, from one side of the globe to  
the other.  
13. But, it seems, a greater change will be wrought  
in the earth, than even in the air and water. Not that 
I can believe that wonderful discovery of Jacob Behme, 
which many so eagerly contend for; that the earth it- 
self, with all its furniture and inhabitants, will then be  
transparent as glass. There does not seem to be the  
least foundation for this, either in Scripture or reason.  
Surely not in Scripture : I know not one text in the 
Old or New Testament, which affirms any such thing. 
Certainly it cannot be inferred from that text in Reve- 
lation, chap. 4: 6 ; " And before the throne there was  
a sea of glass, like unto crystal." And yet, if I mistake 
not, this is the chief, if not the only scripture, which  
has been urged in favor of this opinion !  Neither can I  
conceive that it has any foundation in reason. It has  
been warmly alleged, that all things would be far more  
beautiful, if they were quite transparent. But I cannot  
apprehend this: yea, 1 apprehend quite the contrary.  
Suppose every part of a human body were made trans- 
parent as crystal, would it appear more beautiful than it  
does now 1 Nay, rather, it would shock us above  
measure. The surface of the body, in particular, " the  
human face divine," is undoubtedly one of the most  
beautiful objects that can be found under heaven ; but 
could you look through the rosy cheek, the smooth,  
fair forehead, or the rising bosom, and distinctly see all 
that lies within, you would turn away from it with 
loathing and horror !  
14. Let us next take a view of those changes which  
we may reasonably suppose will then take place in the  
earth. It will no more be bound up with intense cold,  
nor parched up with extreme heat; but will have such  
a temperature as will be most conducive to its fruitful- 
ness. If, in order to punish its inhabitants, God did  
of old


lamb," (the words may be literally as well as figura-
tively understood,) " and the leopard shall lie down 
with the kid; they shall not hurt or destroys" from  
the rising up of the sun, to the going down of the  
same.  
18. But the most glorious of all will be the change  
which then will take place on the poor, sinful, misera- 
ble children of men. These had fallen in many  
respects, as from a greater height, so into a lower 
depth, than any other part of creation. But they 
shall hear a great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold  
the tabernacle of God is with men ; and he will dwell 
with them ; and they shall be his people ; and God 
himself shall be their God," Rev. 21 : 3, 4. Hence  
will arise an unmixed state of holiness and happiness  
far superior to that which Adam enjoyed in paradise.  
In how beautiful a manner is this described by the  
apostle : " God shall wipe away all teais from their  
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sor-
row nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain ; 
for the former things are done away." As there will  
be no more death, and no more pain or sickness pre- 
paratory thereto ; as there will be no more grieving 
for, or parting with friends ; so there will be no more  
sorrow or crying. Nay, but there will be a greater 
deliverance than all this ; for there will be no more  
sin. And, to crown all, there will be a deep, an inti-
mate, an uninterrupted union, with God ; a  constant  
communion with the Father and his Son Jesus  
Christ, through the Sprit; a continual enjoyment  
of the Three-One-God, and of all the creatures in 
him!  
The following was written by the Rev. John Wes- 
ley, of London, in 1774 ; and a copy of it was sent to 
the King of England, which has ever since put a stop 
to the play called " The Day of Judgment," which  
was about that time performed in the London Thea- 
tres.  
BY COMMAND OF THE KING OF KINGS,a  
And at the desire of all those who love his appearing, b  
At the Theatre of the Universe, on the Eve of Time,  
will be performed,  
THE GREAT ASSIZE,  
OR,  
DAY OF JUDGiV!  ENT.«  
THE SCENERV,  
Which is now  actually preparing, will not oaly surpass  
every thing that has yet been seen, but will infinitely  
exceed the utmost stretch of human conception./— 
There will be a just representation of all the inhabi- 
tants of the world, in their various and proper colors ;  
and their customs and manners will be so exactly and  
minutely delineated, that the most secret thought will  
be discovered, g " For God will bring every work into  
judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good,  
or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12: 14.  
This Theatre will be laid out after a new plan, and  
will consist of a Pit and Gallery only ; and contrary to  
all others, the  Gallery is fittted up for the reception of  
people of high [or heavenly] birth, h and the Pit for 
those of low [or earthly] rank, i N. B.—The Gallery 
is very spacious, k and the Pit without bottom. I  
To prevent inconvenience, there are separate doors  
for admitting the company ; and they are so different, 
that none can mistake who are not wilfully blind. The  
door which opens into the Gallery is very narrow, and  
the steps up to it are somewhat difficult ; for which 
reason there are seldom many people about it. m.  
But the door that gives entrance into the Pit, is very  
wide and commodious, which causes such numbers to  
flock to it, that it is generally crowded, n. N. B. The  
straight door leads towards the right hand, and the  
broad one to the left, o- 
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES. John v. 39.  
a Rev. xix. 16. 1 Tim. vj. 15. 
b 2 Tim. iv. 3. Tit. ii. 13.  
e Heb. ix. 27. Ps. ix. 7, 8. Rev. vi. 17, 2 Cor. v. 10. Zeph. i. 14  
to 17.  
/ 1 Cor. ii. 9. Isa. lxiv. 4. Ps xxxi. 13.  
g Matt, xii 36. 1 Cor. iv. 5. Rom. ii. 16, 16.  
h John iii. 3. 5. 1 Pet. i. 23. Rom. viii. 14. 
i James iii. 14, 15. Rom. viii. 6, 7, 8. Gal. v. 19 to 21. 
k Luke xiv. 22. John xiv. 2. 
I Rev. ix. 12 ; xix. 20.  
m Matt. vii. 14.  
n " " IS.  
o " xxv. 23.  

It will be in vain for one with a tinselled coat, and  
borrowed language, to personate one of High Birth, in 
order to get admittance into the Upper Places, p as  
there is One of wonderful and deep penetration, who 
will search and examine every individual ; q and all  
who cannot pronounce Shibboleth, r in the language of 
Canaan, s or has not received a White Stone and a  
New Name, t or cannot prove a clear title to a certain  
portion of the Land of Promise, u must be turned in at 
the left hand door, w  
THE PRINCIPAL PERFORMERS.  
Are described in 1 Thes. 4:16. 2 Thes. 1 : 7, 8, 9. 
Matt. 24: 30, 31.—25 i 31,32. Dan. 7 : 10. Judg.  
14 :; 4. Rev. 20 : 12 to 15, &c. But as there are  
some people much better acquainted with the contents  
of a Play Bill than the Word of God, it may not be 
amiss to transcribe a verse or two for their perusal:  
" The Lord Jesus will be revealed from Heaven with  
his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on  
them that obey not the gospel, but to be glorified in his  
saints. A fiery stream issued and came forth from be- 
fore him. A thousand thousands ministered unto him, 
and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him:  
The Judgment was set, and the Books were opened,  
and whosoever was not found written in the Book of  
Life, was cast into the Lake of Fire."  
Act First of this Grand and Solemn Piece  
Will be opened by an Arch-Angel with the Trump of  
God. x "For the trumpet shall sound and the dead  
shall be raised." 1 Cor. 15 : 52.  
ACT 2D.—Will be a procession of saints, in white, y  
with Golden. Harps, accompanied with shouts of joy  
and songs of praise, z  
ACT 3d.—Will be an assemblage of the unregenera- 
ted. a  
The music will consist chiefly of Cries, b accompa- 
nied with Weeping, Wailing, Lamentation and Woe. c  
To conclude with an Oration by the Son of God.  
It is written in the 25th chapter of Matthew, from  
the 34th verse to the end of the chapter ; but for the  
sake of those who seldom; read She Scriptures, I shall  
here transcribe two verses : " Then shall the King 
say unto them on his right hand, ' Come ye blessed of  
my Father, inherit the kingdom, prepared for you from 
the foundation of the world.' Then  shall he say unto  
them on his left hand, ' Depart from me, ye accursed, 
into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his  
angels.' "  
AFTER WHICH THE CURTAIN WILL DROP !  
( -Then! O to tell!  
Some raised on high, and others  
doomed to hell !  
These praise the Lamb, and sing re- 
deeming love,  
Lodg'd i^ his bosom, all his good- 
ness prove:  
While those who trampled under  
foot his grace,  
Are banished now for ever from his  
face.  
Divided thus, a gulph is fixed be- 
tween,  
And (everlasting) closes up the  
scene!  
" Thus will I do unto  thee, O Israel ; and because I  
will do thus unto thee, prepare to meet thy God."  
Amos 4 : 12,  
Tickets for the Pit at the easy purchase of following  
the pomps and vanities ofthe fashionable world, and 
the desires and amusements of the flesh : d to be had 
at every flesh-pleasing assembly. " If ye shall live 
after the flesh, ye shall die." Rom. 8, 13.  
Tickets for the Gallery, at no less rate than being  
converted, e forsaking all,/denying self, taking up the 
cross, g and following Christ in the regeneration; h  

John 5 : 28, 29.  
Rev. 5 : 8. 9.  
Luke 16  : 22, 23.  
14, 27.  
30.  

Luke 9:  
Matt. 25:  
Luke 16: 29.  
Matt. 25: 46.  
p " vii. 21 to 28.  
q Ps. xliv. 20, 21. Jer. xvii. 10. Zeph. i. 12. 2 Tim. ii. 19. John  
x. 14.  
r Judges xii. 6.  
s Isa. xix. 11 Zeph. iii. 9. 
t Rev. ii. 17.  
u Heb. xi. 1. 8,9. Gal. iii. 9. 29. 2 Cor. xi. 22.  
to Ps. ix. 17. Heb. iii. 17 to 19. 
x 1 Thess. iv. 16. Matt. xxiv. 31.  
y Rev. vii. 14 ; xix. 14.  
z Rev. xiv. 2, 3 ; xv. 2, 3, 4. 
a 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10. Matt. xiii. 41. 
b Luke xxiii.<3. Rev. vi. 16. 
c " xiii. 28. Matt. xxiv. 31. Rev. i.7. Ezek. ii. 10.  
d James iv. 2 ; i. 15, 16, 17. Cor. iii. 5, 6. 1 Tim. v. 6. Eph. r.  
3 to 7.  
e Matt, xviii. 3. Acts iii. 19.  
/ Luke xiv. 33 ; xviii. 29, 30.  
g " ix. 23 to 26 ; xiv. 27.  
h Matt. xix. 28, 29. Gal. v. 24 25. Eph. r. 1, 2.  
155  

" Bid his angels turn askance  
This oblique globe,"  
thereby occasioning violent cold on one part, and vio- 
lent heat on the other; he will,undoubtedly, then order  
them to restore it to its original position : so that there  
will be a final end, on the one hand, of the burning  
heat, which makes some parts of it scarce habitable ;  
and on the other, of  
16. And what will the general produce of the  
earth be ? Not thorns, biiers, or thistles; not any  
useless or fetid weed; not any poisonous, hurtful, 
or unpleasant plant; but every one that can be con- 
ducive, in any wise, either to our use or pleasure. 
How far beyond all that the most lively imagination  
is now able to conceive ! We shall no more regret 
the loss ofthe terrestial paradise, or sigh at that well  
I devised description of our great poet:  
" Then shall this mount  
Of paradise by might of waves, be moved 
Out his place, push'd by the horned flood,  
With all its verdure spoiled and trees adrift,  
Down the great river to the opening gulf,  
And there take root, an island salt and bare."  
For all the earth shall be a more beautiful paradise  
than Adam ever saw.  
17. Such will be the state of the new earth with  
regard to the meaner, the inanimate parts of it. But  
great as this change will be, it is nothing in comparison  
of that which will then take place throughout all ani- 
mated nature. In the living pait of the creation were 
seen the most deplorable effects of Adam's apostacy.  
The whole animated creation, whatever has life, from 
leviathan to the smallest mite, was thereby made  
subject to such vanity, as the inanimate creatures  
could not be. They were subject to that fell monster,  
DEATH, the conqueror of all that breathe. They  
were made subject  to its forerunner, pain, in its. ten  
thousand forms ; although " Gorl made not death,  
neither hath he pleasure in the death of any living." 
How many millions of creatures in the sea, in the  
air, and on every part of the earth, can now no oth-
erwise preserve their lives than by taking away the 
lives of others ; by tearing in pieces and devouring  
their poor, innocent, unresisting fellow creatures —• 
Miserable lot of such innumerable multitudes, who,  
insignificant as they seem, are the offspring of one 
common Father: the creatures of the same God of  
love ! It is probable not only two-thirds of the ani-
mal creation, but ninety-nine parts of a hundred, are  
under the necessity of destroying others, in order to  
preserve their own life ! But it shall  not always be  
so. He that sitteih upon the throne will soon change  
the face of all things, and give a demonstrative proof  
to all his creatures, that " his mercy is over  all his  
works." The horrid state of things which at present  
obtains, wili soon be at an end. On the new earth 
no creature will kill, or hurt, or give pain to any  
other. The scorpion will have no poisonous sting ;  
the adder no venomous teeth. The lion will have no  
claws to tear the lamb ; no teeth to grind his flesh 
and bones. Nay, no creature, no beast, bird, or fish, 
will have any inclination to hurt any other; for cruel-
ty will be far away, and savageness and fierceness  
be forgotten. So that violence shall be heard no 
more, neither wasting or destruction, seen on the  
face of the earth. " The wolf shall dwell with the  

" The rage of Arotos and eternal frost."  
15. And it will then contain no jarring or destruc- 
tive principles within its own bosom. It will no more 
have any of those violent convulsions in its own bow- 
els. It will no more be shaken or torn asunder, by the  
impetuous force of earthquakes; and will, therefore,  
need neither Vesuvius, nor Etna, nor any burning  
mountains to prevent them. There will be no more  
horrid rocks, or frightful precipices ; no wild deserts, 
or barren sands ; no impassable morasses, or un- 
fruitful bogs, to swallow up the unwary traveller.—  
There will, doubtless, be inequalities  on  the surface  
of the earth ; which are n«t blemishes but beauties. 
And though I will not affirm, that  
" Earth hath this variety from heaven,  
Of pleasure situate in hill and dale ;"  
yet I cannot think gently rising hills will be any de-
fect, but an ornament of the new made earth. And 
doubtless we shall then likewise have occasion to  
say :  
" Lo, there his wondrous skill arrays  
The fields in cheerful green !  
A thousand herbs his hand displays,  
A thousand flowers between !"


To be had no  where but in the Werd of God, and where  
that word appoints. " He that hath ears to hear, let  
him hear, for God is not mocked ; for whatsoever a  
man soweth, that shall he also reap." Matth- 11 ; 15.  
Gal. 6: 7.  
'N- B.—No money will be taken at the door, i nor  
will any tickets give admittance into the Gallery, but  
those sealed by the Holy Ghost, k with Emmanuel's  
signet ". I " Watch therefore ; be ye also ready, for in 
such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh."  
Matth. 24: 42, 44,  
i Acts viii. 20 to 23. Zeph. i. 18. 
k 2 Cor. i. 22 ; iv. 30. Eph. i. 13.  
I Rev. vii. 2 ; xiv. 1. Ezek. ix. 4.  
A LABORER AT THE WEST- 
The writer of the following is ready to labor in the  
Lord's work wherever the way is open. In a postscript, 
he says: "I am a servant of God, and endeavoring by  
his grace to labor with all my powers and faculties to  
win precious souls for his kingdom. Like Christ's dis- 
ciples, without money, staff or scrip, I enter into the 
vineyard." He asks for some papers, and says : " Please  
send me as many copies as you can, free from postage. 
I think I could do a great amount of good with them, if  
you feel willing to take an order on our Master of the  
vineyard, until we shall meet to settle all accounts."  
We gladly supply such orders, but our brother must  
look for some steward of the Lord's money in his own  
neighborhood, to pay the postage on papers. We can- 
not send them free.  
" GALESBUKG, Knox Co., 111., June 23d, 1843.  
" Dear Brother Himes,—Some ten or twelve years ago,  
I embraced the views of brother Miller, and have been a  
constant observer of the signs of the times from that to  
the present day. I was an eye-witness of some of the  
most singular and striking appearances that I have  
ever heard any description of;—one of an appearance  of  
two bright and fiery red lines, about six or eight feet 
apart, dividing the horizon in the center from east to  
West, and within these lines were the appearance of  
men marching from the east and from the west, centering  
at the meridian in perfect order, which had an appear- 
ance of an assembling there to their head ; and also the  
northern hemisphere seemed to be in a constant commo- 
tion from east to west, like that of a mighty city being  
on fire, which continued from twelve at night till three  in  
the morning, alarming many of our neighbors, who came  
and called our family out of bed ; for, said they, ' Behold,  
the Day of Judgment has come!' and immediately they  
began to confess their sins one to another, and before  
God. One old lady, an old professor, declared that she  
never would pick her neighbor's geese any more, which  
shows that what is done in the dark shall be made mani- 
fest in light.  
I am also a witness oT those stars that disappeared  
by conflagration ; also those meteoric showers of 1831,  
'32 and '33, that so much astonished the world ; also the  
moon turned to blood in '37. The moon, and the whole  
heavens and earth, and all that the eye could rest upon,  
had the appearance of blood.  
" I am conversant also with those who were eye-wit- 
nesses of that astonishing scene ofthe dark day of 1780, 
which began the signs of the last days, and many others 
which I do not mention in this. And by most diligent 
and constant searching the word of God by the mouth of 
his holy prophets, and the prediction of our Saviour, and  
the declaration of all his holy apostles, which is to con- 
firm and establish the truth of all the others, I am led to  
a decided conclusion, that ' He that is to come, will soon  
come, and will  not tarry,' for the Judge is even now  
standing at the door.  
" Dear brother in Christ, the dealings of God with me  
are mysterious and past finding out, and that which as-
tonishes all who are acquainted with me. For nearly  
five years past my Christian course of life has been made  
j up of a constants scene of trials,disappointments,conflicts,  
and afflictions, which by the grace of God, have been 
sanctified to my soul's eternal good ; I feel perfect resig-
nation to God's tioly will and pleasure, whatsoever it  
may be. I have had my faith tried like Job, somewhat.  
Four times I had my hopes and earthly prospects for this  
world's goods blighted and laid low ; but in all this I had 
learned submission, and my soul was ready to exclaim,  
It is the Lord's, and all things are done well. Foui  
years ago last January the Lord manifested himself to  
me the second time, and converted my soul to the doc- 
trine of holiness and entire sanctification in this life, and  
a constant preparation for eternity, which rendered my  
soul exultingly happy, and from that time to the present  
1 have not had a doubt or a cloud pass my mind. My  
joy is full, it is unspeakable and full of glory, and peace  
like a flowing river, and some of the time I hardly know  
156  

whether I am in the body or out of the body. I then J 
commenced labor in the Lord's vineyard, and ceased  
not night or day to warn with tears and prayers from  
house to house, precious immortal souls ; pleading with  
sinners, to flee from the wrath to come and make an  
entire consecration to the service of God, and exhorting  
professors to holiness of heart and entire sanctification,  
for which I was taunted with the following: ' You are 
too zealous; you will not always feel as you do now ;  
you feel so now because you have had the manifestations  
of the love of Christ, but it will soon wear away.' ' You  
are deluded, crazy, enthusiastic, monomaniac,' &c. &c..  
which seemed to heighten my joy; as I am accounted  
worthy of persecution for Christ's sake; and this, dear  
brother, from those who profess to love the Lord and his  
cause.  
" Oh, dear reader, are you a professor of the religion  
of Jesus Christ 1 if so, I entreat you, in the name of my  
blessed Master, not to bring a reproach upon his blessed  
cause, but always abound in the good work ofthe Lord. 
Do not be afraid or weary of well doing, but put on  
Christ that ye may not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and  
prav God that you may be preserved blameless and sanc-
tified both soul, spirit and body, until the coming of our  
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. LEWIS HORH."  
CAPITAL OF THE CHKlSTIAN WORLD.  
The London correspondent of the New York  
Evangelist, in giving an account of the annual meet- 
ing of the Christian Instruction Society, calls atten- 
tion to the following array of heart-sickening facts,  
collected by Rev. Baptist Noel, Mr. Blackburn, and  
Mr. Bickersteth :  
" There are 30,000 persons living in London by  
theft and fraud ; 10,000 children training for crime ;  
3,000 houses continually open for the reception of 
stolen goods; 4,000 persons annually committed for 
criminal offences; 10,000 addicted to gambling; 
23,000 annually taken up by the police helplessly 
drunk in the streets ; 150,000 habitual gin drinkers ; 
and an equal number living abandoned to systematic 
debauchery and profligacy; and £3,000,000 are an-
nually spent for gin. Now if we add to these the  
number of gin and beer shops, of hells and brothels, 
and all the other apparatus which the utmost inge- 
nuity can supply, we have an apparatus for evil the  
most perfect conceivable. Think then of London  
witn one million of inhabitants given up to all the  
influences of vice."  
When such is the state of this great centre of in- 
fluence, can we hope for the reign of holiness and  
peace till after the cleansing which attends Christ's 
coming? Who will not pray as did the beloved dis-
ciple, " Even so, come quickly 1"  
THE CELESTIAL RAILROAD.  
BY NATHANIEL  HAWTHORNE.  
Not a great while ago, passing through the  
gate of dreams, I visited that region of the  
earth in which lies the famous city of Destruc- 
tion. It interested me much to learn that, by 
the public spirit of some of the inhabitants, a  
railroad has recently been established between  
this populous and flourishing town and the  
Celestial City. Having a  little time upon my  
hands, 1 resolved to gratify a liberal curiosity  
by making a trip thither. Accordingly, one  fine  
morning, after paying my bill at the. hotel, and 
directing the porter to stow my luggage behind 
a coach, I took my seat in the vehicle and set 
out for the station house. It was my good for- 
tune to enjoy.the company of a gentleman—one  
Mr. Smooth-it-away—who, though he had never  
actually visited the Celestial City, yet seemed 
as well acquainted with its laws, customs,  
policy, and statistics, as with those of the city  
of Destruction, of which he was a native towns- 
man. Being, moreover, a director of the rail- 
road corporation, and one of its largest stock-
holders, he had it in his power to give me all 
desirable information respecting that praise- 
worthy enterprise.  
Our coach rattled out of the city, and at a  
short distance from its outskirts, passed over  a  
bridge of elegant construction, but somewhat 
too slight, as I imagined, to sustain any con- 

siderable weight. On both sides lay an exten- 
sive quagmire, which could not have been more  
disagreeable, either to sight or smell, had all 
the kennels of the earth emptied their pollution 
there.  
" This," remarked Mr. Smooth-it-away, " is  
the famous Slough of Despond—a disgrace to  
all the neighborhood ; and the greater that it  
might so easily be converted into firm ground."  
"I have understood," said I, "that efforts  
have been made for that purpose from time im- 
memorial.  
" Very probably—and what effect could be  
anticipated from such unsubstantial stuff ?"  
cried Mr. Smooth-it-away. " You observe this 
convenient bridge. We obtained a sufficient 
foundation for it by throwing into the Slough  
some editions of books of morality, volumes of 
French philosophy and German rationalism,  
tracts, sermons, and essays of modern clergy-
men, extracts from Plato, Confucius, and various  
Hindoo sages, together with a few ingenious  
commentaries upon texts of Scripture ; all of  
which, by some scientific process, have been  
converted into a mass like granite. The whole 
bog might be filled up with similar matter,"  
It really seemed to me, however, that the  
bridge vibrated and heaved up and down in a  
very formidable manner ; and spite of Mr.  
Smooth-it-away's testimony to the solidity of its  
foundation, I should be loth to cross it in a  
crowded omnibus, especially if each passenger  
were encumbered with as heavy luggage as that  
gentleman and myself. Nevertheless, we got  
over without accident, and soon found ourselves 
at the Station house, This very neat and spa- 
cious edifice is erected on the site of the little  
Wicket Gate, which formerly, as all old pil- 
grims will recollect, stood directly across the  
highway, and by its inconvenient narrowness,  
was a great obstruction to the traveller of liberal 
mind and expansive stomach.  
A large number of passengers were already  
at the Station house, awaiting the departure of 
the cars. By the aspect and demeanor of the 
persons, it was easy to judge that the feelings  
ofthe community had undergone a very favora- 
ble change  in reference to the celestial pilgrim- 
age. It would have done Bunyan's heart good  
to see it. Instead of a lonely and ragged man  
with a huge burthen on his back, plodding along  
sorrowfully on foot while the whole city hooted 
after him, here were parties of the first gentry  
and most respectable people in the neighbor- 
hood setting forth toward the Celestial City as  
cheerfully as if the pilgrimage were merely a  
summer tour. Among the gentlemen were  
characters of deserved eminence, magistrates, 
politicians, and men of wealth, by whose exam- 
ple religion could riot but be greatly recom- 
mended to their meaner brethren. In the ladies'  
apartment, too, I rejoiced to distinguish some  
of those flowers of fashionable society, who are  
so well fitted to adorn the most elevated circles 
of the Celestial City. There was much plea- 
sant conversation about the news of the day, 
topics of business, politics, or the lighter mat- 
ters of amusement; while religion, though in- 
dubitably the main thing at heart, was thrown  
tastefully into the back-ground. Even an infi- 
del would have heard little or nothing to shock 
his sensibility.  
One great convenience of the new method of  
going on pilgrimage I must not forget to men-
tion. Our enormous burthens, instead of being  
carried on our shoulders as had been the cus-
tom of old, were all snugly deposited in the  
baggage car, and as I was assured, would be  
delivered to their respective owners at the  
journey's end. Another thing, likewise, the  
benevolent reader will be delighted  to under-


stand. -It may be remembered that there was ]  
an ancient feud between Prince Beelzebub and  
the keeper of the Wicket Gate, and that the ad- 
herents of the former distinguished  personage  
were accustomed to shoot deadly arrows at  
honest pilgrims while knocking at the door.—  
This dispute, much to the credit, as well of  
the illustrious  potentate above mentioned, as  
of the worthy and enlightened directors of the 
railroad, has been pacifically arranged on the  
principle of mutual compromise. The Prince's  
subjects are now pretty numerously employed 
about the Station house, some in taking care of  
the baggage, others in collecting fuel, feeding  
the engines, and such congenial occupations ;  
and I can conscientiously  affirm that persons  
more attentive to their business, more willing  
to accommodate, or more generally agreeable  
to the passengers, are not to be found on any  
railroad. Every good heart must surely exult  
at so satisfactory an arrangement of an imme- 
morial difficulty.  
" Where is Mr. Great-heart ?" inquired I.—  
" Beyond a doubt the Directors have engaged  
that famous old champion to be chief conductor  
on the railroad ?"  
" Why, no ;" said Mr. Smooth-it-away, with  
a dry cough. " He was offered the situation of 
brakeman ; but to tell you the truth, our friend 
Great-heart has grown preposterously stiff and  
narrow in his old age. He has so often guided  
pilgrims over the road on foot that he considers  
it a sin to travel in any other fashion. Besides,  
the old fellow had entered so heartily into the  
ancient feud with Prince Beelzebub that he 
would have been perpetually at blows or ill 
language with some of the Prince's subjects,  
and thus have embroiled us anew. So, oj^The  
whole, we were not sorry when honest Great- j  
heart went off to the Celestial City in a huff, | 
and left us at liberty to choose a more suitable  
and accommodating man. Yonder comes the  
conductor of the train. You will probably re- 
cognize him at once."  
The engine at this moment took its station in  
advan ce of the cars, looking, I must confess,  
much more like a sort of mechanical demon,  
that would hurry us to the infernal regions, than 
a laudable contrivance for smoothing  our way  
to the Celestial. City. On its top sat a person- 
age almost enveloped in smoke and flame,  
which—(not to startle the reader)—appeared  
to gush from his own mouth and stomach  
well as from the engine's brazen abdomen.  as 
"Do mv eyes deceive me ?" cried I. " What  
on earth is this? A living creature? If so,he  
he is own brother to the engine that he rides 
upon."  
" Poh, poh, you are obtuse," said Mr. Smooth- 
it-away, with a hearty laugh. " Don't you know  
Apoll yon. Christian's old enemy, with whom  
he fought so fierce a battle in the'Valley of Hu-
miliation ? He was the very fellow to manage 
the engine, and so we have reconciled him to  
the custom of going on pilgrimage, and en- 
gaged him as chief conductor."  
" Bravo—bravo !" exclaimed f, with irrepres- 
sible enthusiasm. " This shows the liberality  
ofthe age. This proves, if any thing can, that 
all musty prejudices are in a fair way to be  
obliterated. And how will Christian rejoice to 
hear of this happy transformation of his old an- 
tagonist. I promise myself great pleasure in 
informing him of it when we"reach the Celes-
tial City."  
The passengers being all comfortably seat- 
ed, we now rattled away merrily, accomplish- 
ing a greater distance in ten minutes than  
Christian probably trudged over in a day. It  
was laughable while we glanced along, as it  
were, at the tail of a thunderbolt, to observe  

two dusty foot-travellers  in the old pilgrim  
guise, with cockle snell arid staff, their mystic 
rolls of parchment irt their hands, and their in- 
tolerable burthens on their backs. The pre.  
.posterous obstinacy of these honest people in  
persisting to groan and stumble along the diffi- 
cult pathway, raiher than take advantage ot 
modern improvements, excited great mirth  
among our wiser brotherhood. We greeted the  
two pilgrims with many pleasant gibes and a  
roar of laughter ; whereupon they gazed at us  
with such woful and absurdly compassionate  
visages, that our merriment grew ten-fold more  
obstreperous. Apollyon, also, entered heartily 
into the fun, and contrived to flirt the smoke 
and flame of the engine, or of his own breath,  
into their faces, and envelope them in an atmos- 
phere of scalding steam. These little practi- 
cal jokes amused us mightily, and doubtless af-
forded the pilgrims the gratification  of consider- 
ing themselves martyrs.  
At some distance from the railroad, Mr.  
Smooth-it-away pointed to a large, antique edi>  
fice, which, he observed, was a tavern of long 
standing, and had formerly been a noted stop- 
ping place for pilgrims. In Buriyan's road-book  
it is mentioned as the Interpreter's House.  
" I have long had a curiosity to visit that old  
mansion," remarked I.  
" It is not one of our stations, as you per- 
ceive," said my companion. "The keeper was 
violently opposed to the railroad; and well he  
might be, as the track left his house of enter- 
tainment on one side, and thus was pretty cer-
tain to deprive him of all his reputable custom-
ers. But the foot-path still passes his door, 
and the old gentleman now and then receives a  
call from some simple traveller, and entertains  
him with fare as old-fashioned as himself."  
Before our talk on this subject came to a  
conclusion, we were rushing by the place where 
Christian's burthen fell from his shoulders, at  
the sight of the cross This served as a theme  
for Mr. Smooth-it-away,  Mr. Live-for-the-world,  
Mr. Hide-sin-in-the-heart,  and Mr. Scaly-con- 
science, and a knot of gentleman  from the town  
of Shun-repentance, to descant upon the inesti- 
mable advantages resulting from the safety of  
our baggage. Myself, and all the passengers 
indeed, joined with great unanimity  in this  
view ofthe matter; for our burthens were rich 
in many things esteemed precious throughout 
the world ; and especially, we each of us pos- 
sessed a great variety of favorite habits, which  
we trusted would not be out of fashion, even in  
the polite circles of the Celestial City. It  
would have been a sad spectacle to see such  
an assortment of valuable articles tumbling  into  
the sepulchre. Thus pleasantly conversing on  
the favorable circumstances of our position as 
compared with those of past pilgrims, and of  
narrow-minded ones at the present day, we  
soon found ourselves at the foot of the Hill  
Difficulty.  Through the very heart of this  
rocky mountain a tunnel has been constructed 
of most admirable architecture, with a lofty  
arch and a spacious double track ; so that  
unless the earth and rocks should chance to 
crumble down, it will remain an eternal monu- 
ment ofthe builder's skill and enterprise. It is  
a great though incidental advantage, that the  
materials from the heart of the Hill Difficulty  
have been employed in filling up the Valley of  
Humiliation  ; thus obviating the necessity of  
descending into that disagreeable and un- 
wholesome hollow.  
" This is a wonderful improvement, indeed,"  
said I. "Yet I should have been glad of an 
opportunity to visit the Palace Beautiful, and  
be introduced to the charming young ladies—  
Miss Prudence, Miss Piety, Miss Charity, and  

the rest—who have the kindness to entertain  
pilgrims there."  
" Young ladies !" cried Mr. Smooth-it-away,  
as soon as he could speak for laughing. "And 
charming young ladies ! Why, my dear fellow,  
they are old maids, every soul of them—prim,  
starched, dry and angular—and not one of  
them, I will venture to say, has altered so much 
as the fashion of her gown, since the days of  
Christian's  pilgrimage."  
" Ah, well," said I, much comforted, " then I  
can very well dispense with their acquaintance."  
The respectable Apollyon was now putting  
on the steam at a prodigious rate, anxious per- 
haps to get rid ofthe unpleasant reminiscences  
connected with the spot where he had so disas- 
trously encountered Christian. Consulting  Mr.  
Bunyan's road-book, I perceived that we must 
now be within a few miles of the Valley of the 
Shadow of Death, into which doleful region, at  
our present speed, we should plunge much 
sooner than seemed at all desirable. In truth,  
I expected nothing better than to find myself in  
the ditch on one side, or the quag on the other.  
But, on communicating  my apprehensions to  
Mr. Smooth-it-away, he assured me that the  
difficulties  of this passage, even in its worst  
condition, had been vastly exaggerated, and  
that, in its present state of improvement, I might  
consider myself as safe as on any railroad in  
Christendom.  
Even while we were speaking, the train shot  
into the entrance of this dreaded valley.—  
Though I plead guilty to some foolish palpita- 
tions of the heart during our headlong rush over 
the causeway here constructed, yet it were  
unjust to withhold the highest encomiums on  
the boldness of its original conception, and the  
ingenuity  of those who executed it. It was  
gratifying,  likewise, to observe how much care  
had been taken to dispel the everlasting gloom  
and supply the defect of cheerful sunshine,  not  
a ray of which has ever penetrated among these 
awful shadows. For this purpose, the inflam-
mable gas, which exudes plentifully  from the  
soil, is collected by means of pipes, and thence 
communicated to a quadruple row of lamps  
along the whole extent of the passage. Thus  
a radiance has been created, even out of the  
fiery and sulphurous curse that rests forever 
upon the valley; a radiance hurtful, however,  
to the eyes, and somewhat bewildering', as I 
discovered by the changes which it wrought in 
the visages of my companions. In this respect, 
as compared with natural daylight, there is the  
same difference as between truth and falsehood ;  
but if the reader has ever travelled through the 
dark valley, he will have learned to be thank-
ful for any light that he could get; if not from  
the sky above, then from the blasted soil be-
neath. Such was the red brilliancy of these 
lamps that they appeared to build walls of fire  
on both sides of the track, between which we  
held our course at lightning  speed, while a  
reverberating thunder filled the valley with its  
echoes. Had the engine run off the track, (a  
catastrophe, it is whispered, by no means  
unprecedented,) the bottomless pit, if there be 
any such place, would undoubtedly have re-
ceived us. Just as some dismal fooleries of  
this kind had made my heart quake, there came  
a tremendous shriek careering along the valley  
as if a thousand devils had burst their lungs to  
utter it, but which proved to be merely the 
whistle of the engine on arriving at a stopping  
place.  
The spot where we had now paused is the  
same that our friend Bunyan—a truthful man,  
but infected with many fantastic notions—has  
designated, in terms plainer than I like to re- 
; peat, as the mouth of the infernal region. Tht


however, must be a mistake, inasmuch as Mr.  
Smooth-it-away, while we remained in the  
smoky and lurid cavern, took occasion to prove  
that Tophet has not even a metaphorical exist- 
ence. The place, he assured us, is no other  
than the crater of a half extinct volcano, in  
which the directors had caused forges to be set  
up for the manufacture of railroad iron. Hence  
also is obtained a plentiful supply of fuel for the  
use of the engines. Whoever had gazed into  
the dismal obscurity of the broad cavern mouth,  
whence, ever and anon darted huge tongues of  
dusky flame, and had seen the strange, half  
shaped monsters, and visions of faces horribly  
grotesque into which the smoke seemed to  
wreathe itself, and had heard the awful mur- 
murs, and shrieks, and deep shuddering whis- 
pers of the blast, sometimes forming itself into  
words almost articulate—would have seized  
upon Mr. Smooth-it-away's comfortable expla- 
nation as greedily as we did. The inhabitants 
ofthe cavern, moreover, were unlovely person-
ages, dark, smoke-begrimed,generally deformed, 
with mis-shapen feet, and a glow of dusky red-
ness in their eyes, as if their hearts had caught  
fire, and were blazing out of the upper win- 
dows. It struck me as a peculiarity that the  
laborers at the forge and those  who brought  
fuel to the engine, when they began to draw  
short breath, positively emitted smoke from  
their mouth and nostrils.  
Among the idlers about the train, most of  
whom were puffing cigars which they had light-
ed at the flame of the crater, I was perplexed to 
notice several who, to my certain knowledge,  
had heretofore set forth by railroad for the Ce- 
lestial City! They looked dark, wild, and  
smoky, with a singular resemblance, indeed, to 
the native inhabitants, like whom, also, they 
had a disagreeable propensity to ill-natured  
gibes and sneers, the habit of whieh had  
wrought a settled contortion on their visages.  
Having been on speaking terms with one of  
them—an indolent, good-for-nothing fellow, who  
went by the name of Take it-easy—I called  
to him, and inquired what was his business  
there.  
"Did you not start," said I, " for the Celestial  
City ?"  
" That's a fact," said Mr. Take-it-easy, care- 
lessly puffing some smoke into my eyes.—  
" But I heard such bad accounts that I never  
took pains to climb the hill on which the city  
stands. No business doing, no fun going on,  
nothing to drink and no smoking allowed, and  
a thrumming of church music from morning 
till night. I would not stay in such a place, 
if they offered me house-room and living free."  
" But, my good Mr. Take-it-easy," cried I,  
" why take up your residence here, of all places  
in the world ?"  
" Ch," said the loafer with a grin, " it is very  
warm hereabouts, and I meet with plenty of old 
acquaintances, and altogether the place suits  
me. I hope to see you back again, some day  
soon. A pleasant journey to you."  
While he was speaking, the bell of the en- 
gine rang, and we dashed away after dropping  
a few passengers, but receiving no new ones. 
Rattling onward through the valley, we were  
dazzled with the fiercely gleaming gas lamps, 
as before ; but sometimes, in the dark, of intense 
brightness, grim faces, that bore the aspect and  
expression of individual sins or evil passions,  
seemed to thrust themselves through the veil of  
light, glaring upon us, and stretching forth a  
great dusky hand, as if to impede our progress.  
1 almost thought that they were my own sins  
that appalled me there. These were freaks of  
imagination—nothing more, certainly—mere  
delusions, which I ought to be heartily ashamed  
158 '  

of; but all through the dark Valley, I was tor- 
mented, and pestered, and dolefully bewildered  
with the same kind of waking dreams. The  
mephitic gases of that region intoxicate the  
brain. As the light of natural day, however,  
began to struggle with the glow ofthe lanterns,  
these vain imaginations lost their vividness, and 
finally vanished with the first ray of sunshine 
that greeted our escape from the Valley of the  
Shadow of Death. Ere we had gone a mile  
beyond it, I could well nigh have taken my oath  
that this whole gloomy passage was a dream.  
At the end of the valley, as John Bunyan  
mentions, is a cavern, where, in his days, dwelt  
two cruel giants, Pope and Pagan, who had 
strewn the ground about their residence with  
the bones of slaughtered pilgrims. These vile old  
troglodytes are no longer there ; but into their 
deserted cave another terrible giant has thrust 
himself, and makes it his business to seize up- 
on honest travellers, and fat them for his table  
with plentiful meals of smoke, mist, moonshine,  
raw potatoes, and saw-dust. He is a German 
by birth, and is called Giant Transcendentalist;  
but as to his form, his features, his -ubstance, 
and his nature generally, it is the chief pecu- 
liarity of this huge miscreant, that neither he  
for himself, nor anybody for him, has  ever been  
able to describe them. As we rushed by the 
cavern's mouth, we caught a hasty glimpse of  
him, looking somewhat like an ill-proportioned 
figure, but considerably more like a heap of fog  
and duskiness. He shouted after us, but in so 
strange a phraseology, that we knew not what  
he meant, nor whether to be encouraged or af-
frighted.  
It was late in the day, when the train thun- 
dered into the ancient city of Vanity, where  
Vanity Fair is still at the height of prosperity,  
and exhibits an epitome of whatever is bril- 
liant, gay, and fascinating, beneath the sun. As  
I purposed to make a considerable stay here, it  
gratified me to learn that there is no longer the  
want of harmony between the towns-people and 
pilgrims, which impelled the former to such la- 
mentable mistaken measures as the persecution  
of Christian, and the fiery martyrdom of Faith- 
ful. On the contrary, as the new railroad brings  
with it great trade and a constant influx of  
strangers, the lord of Vanity Fair is its chief 
patron, and  the capitalists of the city are among  
the largest stockholders. Many passengers 
stop to take their pleasure or make their profit 
in the Fair, instead of going onward to the Ce-
lestial City. Indeed, such are the charms of  
the place, that people often affirm it to be the  
true and only heaven ; stoutly contending that  
there is no other, that those who seek further  
are mere dreamers, and that, if the fabled bright- 
ness of the Celestial City lay but a bare mile  
beyond the gates of Vanity, they would not be  
fools enough to go thither. Without subscrib- 
ing to these, perhaps exaggerated encomiums, 
I can truly say, that my abode in the city was  
mainly agreeable, and my intercourse with the  
inhabitants productive of much amusement and  
instruction.  
Being naturally of a serious turn, my atten- 
tion was directed to the solid advantages deri- 
vable from a residence here, rather than to the  
effervescent pleasures, which are the grand  
object with too many visitants. The Christian  
reader, if he have had no accounts of the city  
later than Bunyan's time, will be surprised to 
"hear that almost every street has its church, and  
that the reverend clergy are  nowhere held in  
higher respect than at Vanity Fair. And well  
do they deserve such honorable estimation ; for 
the maxims of wisdom and virtue which fall  
from their lips, come from as deep a spiritual 
source, and tend to as lofty a religious aim, as  

those of the sagest philosophers of old. In jus- 
tification of this high praise, I need only men-
tion the names of the Rev. Mr. Shallow-deep; 
the Rev. Mr. Stumble-at-Truth ; that fine old  
clerical character, the Rev. Mr. This-to day,  
who expects shortly to resign his pulpit to the  
Rev. Mr. That-to-morrow ; together with the  
Rev. Mr. Bewilderment; the Rev. Mr. Clog-
the-spirit; and, last and greatest, the Rev. Dr.  
Wind-of-doctrine. The labors of these eminent  
divines are aided by those of innumerable lec-
turers, who diffuse such a various profundity, in  
all subjects of human or celestial science, that 
any man may acquire an omnigenous erudition,  
without the trouble of even learning to read.  
Thus literature is etherealized by assuming for 
its medium the human voice ; arsd knowledge, 
depositing all its heavier particles—except,  
doubtless, its gold—becomes exhaled into a 
sound, which forthwith steals into the ever-open  
ear ofthe community. These ingenious meth- 
ods constitute a sort of machinery, by which  
thought and study are done to every person's 
hand, without his putting himself to the slight- 
est inconvenience in the matter. There is ano- 
ther species of  machine for the wholesale  
manufacture of individual morality. This ex-
cellent result is effected by  societies for all  
manner of virtuous purposes ; with which a man  
has merely to connect himself, throwing, as it  
were, his quota of virtue into the common  
stock; and the president and directors will take 
care that the aggregate amount be well applied.  
All these, and other wonderful improvements in  
ethics, religion, and literature,being made plain  
to my comprehension by the ingenious Mr.  
Smooth-it-away, inspired me with a vast admi- 
ration of Vanity Fair.  
It would fill a volume, in an age of pamphlets,  
were I to record all my observations in this  
great capital of human business and pleasure.  
There was an unlimited range of society—the  
powerful, the wise, the witty, and the famous  
in every walk of life—princes, presidents, po. 
ets, generals, artists,actors, and philanthropists, 
all making their own market at the Fair, and 
deeming no price too exorbitant for such com-
modities as hit their fancy. It was well worth  
one's while, even if he had no idea of buying  
or selling, to loiter through the bazaars, and 
observe the various sorts of traffic that were  
going forward.  
Some of the purchasers, I thought, made very  
foolish bargains. For instance, a young man,  
having inherited a splendid fortune, laid out a  
considerable portion of it in the purchase of 
diseases, and finally spent all the rest for a 
heavy lot of repemance and a suit of rags.—-
There was a sort of stock or scrip, called Con- 
science, which seemed to be in great demand, 
and would purchase almost any thing. Indeed, 
few rich commodities were to be obtained with- 
out paying a heavy sum in this particular stock,  
as a man's business was seldom very lucrative, 
unless he knew precisely when and how to  
throw his hoard of Conscience into the market.  
Yet as this stock was the only thing  of perma- 
nent value, whoever parted with it was sure to  
find himself a loser, in the long run. Thousands  
sold their happiness for a whim. Gilded chains  
were in great demand, and  purchased with al- 
most any sacrifice. In truth, those who desired,  
according to the old adage, to sell anything 
valuable for a song, might find customers all 
over the Fair; and there were innumerable 
messes of pottage, piping hot, for such as chose 
to buy them with their birth-rights. A few ar-
ticles, however, could not be found genuine at 
Vanity Fair. If a customer wished to  renew  
his stock of youth, the dealers offered him a set  
of false teeth and an auburn wig ; if he demand- 
rm


ed peace of mind, they recommended opium or  
a brandy-bottle.  
Tracts of land and golden mansions, situate  
in the Celestial City, were often exchanged, at  
very disadvantageous rates, for a few years'  
lease of small, dismal, inconvenient tenements- 
in Vanity Fair.  
Day after day, as I walked the streets &f  
Vanity, my manners and deportment became  
more and more like those of the inhabitants.— 
The place began to seem like home ; the idea  
of pursuing my travels to the Celestial City was  
almost obliterated from my mind. I was remind-
ed of it, however, by the sight of the same pair  
of simple pilgrims at whom we had laughed so  
heartily, when Apollyon puffed smoke and steam 
into their faces, at the commencement of our  
journey. There they stood amid the densest  
bustle of Vanity—the dealers offering them  
their purple, and fine linen, and jewels ; the men 
of wit and humor gibing at them ; a pair of  
buxom ladies ogling them askance ; while the  
benevolent Mr. Smooth-it-away  whispered some  
of his wisdom at their elbows, and pointed to a  
newly-erected temple,—but there were these  
worthy simpletons, making the scene look wild 
and monstrous, merely by their sturdy repudia- 
tion ofal! part in its business or pleasures.  
One of them—his name was Stick-to-the- 
right.—perceived in my face, I suppose, a spe- 
cies of sympathy and almost admiration, which  
to my own great surprise, I could not help feel- 
ing for this pragmatic couple. It prompted him 
to address me.  
" Sir," inquired he, with a  sad, vet mild and  
kindly voice, " do you call yourself a pilgrim V  
" Yes," I replied, " my right to that appella- 
tion is indubitable. I am merely a sojourner 
here in Vanity Fair, being bound to the Celes- 
tial City by the new railroad."  
" Alas, friend," rejoined Mr. Stick-to-t'he- 
right, " I do assure you. and beseech you to re>.  
ceive the truth of my words, that that whole  
concern is a bubble. You may travel on it all  
your life time, were you to live thousands of 
years, and yet r.ever get beyond the limits of  
Vanity Fair! Yea; though you should deem  
yourself entering the gates ofthe Blessed City,  
it will be nothing but a miserable delusion."  
" The Lord of the Celestial City," began the  
other pilgrim, whose name was Mr. Go-the-old- 
way, " has refused, and will ever refuse, to  
grant an act of incorporation for this railroad ; 
and unless that be obtained, no passenger can 
ever hope to enter his dominions. Wherefore,  
every man who buys a ticket, must lay his ac- 
count with losing the purchase money—which  
is the value of his own soul."  
" Poh, nonsense !" said Mr. Smooth-it-away,  
taking my arm and leading me off, "these fel- 
lows ought to be indicted for a libel. If the law  
stood as it once did in Vanity Fair, we should  
see them grinning through the iron bars of the  
prison window."  
This incident made a considerable impression  
on my mind, and contributed with other circum- 
stances to indispose me to a permanent resi- 
dence in the city of Vanity ; although, of course,  
I was not simple enough to give up my original  
plan of gliding  along easily and commodiously  
by railroad. Still, I grew anxious to be gone.  
There was one strange thing that troubled me;  
amid the occupations or amusements of the fair,  
nothing was more common than for a person—  
whether at a  feast, theatre, or church, or traffic- 
ing for wealth and honors, or whatever he  
might be doing, and however unseasonable the  
interruption—suddenly  to vanish like a soap,  
bubble, and be never more seen of his fellows ;  
and so accustomed were the latter to such little  
accidents, that they went on with their business,  

as quietly as if nothing had happened. But it  
was otherwise with me.  
Finally, after a pretty long residence at the  
Fair, I resumed my journey towards the Celes- 
tial City, still with Mr. Smooth-it-away  at my  
side. At a short distance beyond the suburbs  
of Vanity, we passed the ancient silver-mine,  
of which Demas was the first discoverer, and  
which is now wrought to great advantage, sup- 
plying nearly all the coined currency of the  
world. A little further onward was the spot  
where Lot's wife had stood* for ages, under the  
semblance of a pillar of salt. Curious travellers 
have carried it away piecemeal. Had all re- 
grets been punished as rigorously as this poor  
dame's were, my yearning for the relinquished  
delights of Vanity Fair might have produced a  
similar change in my own corporeal substance, 
and left me a warning to future pilgrims  
The next remarkable object was a large edi- 
fice, constructed of moss grown stone, but in a  
modern and airy style Of architecture. The  
engine came to a pause in its vicinity with the 
usual tremendous shriek.  
" This was formerly the castle of the redoubt- 
ed giant Despair," observed Mr. Smooth-it-
away ; " but, since his death, Mr. Flimsy-faith  
has repaired it, and now keeps an excellent 
house of entertainment  here. It is one of our  
stopping places."  
" It seems but slightly  p«t together," remark- 
ed I, looking at the frail, yet ponderous walls.  
"I do not envy Mr. Flimsy-faith  his habitation.  
Some day it will thunder down upon the heads 
of the occupants."  
" We shall escape, at all events," said Mr.  
Smooth-it-away ; for Apollyon is putting on the  
steam again."  
The road now plunged into a gorge of the  
Delectable Mountains, and traversed the field  
where, in former ages, the blind men wandered  
and scumbled among the tombs. One of these 
ancient tomb-stones had been thrust across the  
track, by some malicious person, and gave the  
train of cars a terrible jolt. Far up the rugged  
side of a mountain, I perceived a rusty iron 
door, half overgrown with bushes and ereep- 
ing plants, but with smoke issuing from its  
crevices.  
" Is that," inquired I, " the very door in the  
hill-side, which the shepherds assured Christian  
was a by-way to Hell?"  
" That was a  joke on the part of the-shep- 
herds," said Mr. Smooth-it-away, with a smile.  
" It is neither more nor less than the door of a 
cavern, which they use as a smoke-house for  
the preparation of mutton hams."  
My recollections of the journey are now, for  
a little space, dim and confused, inasmuch as a 
singular drowsiness here overcame me, owing  
to the fact that we were  passing over the en- 
chanted ground, the air of which encourages a  
disposition  to sleep. I awoke, however, as  
soon as we crossed the borders of the pleasant  
land of Beulah. All the passengers were rub-
bing their eyes, comparing watches, and con- 
gratulating  one another on the prospect of  
arriving so seasonably at the journey's end.  
The sweet breezes of this happv clime camc  
refreshingly  to our nostrils; we beheld the  
glimmering  gush of silver fountains, overhung  
by trees of beautiful foliage and delicious fruit,  
which were propagated by grafts from the ce- 
lestial gardens. Once, as we dashed onward  
like a hurricane, there was a flutter of wings,  
and the bright appearance of an angel in the air, 
speeding forth on some heavenly mission. The  
engine now announced the close vicinity of the  
final Station House, by one last and horrible  
scream, in which there seemed to be distin- 
guishable every kind of wailing and wo, and  

bitter fierceness of wrath, all mixed up with the 
wild laughter of a devil or a madman. Through- 
out our journey, at every stopping-place, Apol- 
lyon had exercised his ingenuity  in screwing  
the most abominable sounds out of the whistle  
of the steam-engine  ; but, in this closing effort  
he outdid himself, and created an infernal up- 
roar, which, besides disturbing the peaceful 
inhabitants  of Beulah, must have sent its dis- 
cord evert through the celestial gates.  
While the horrid clamor was still ringing in  
our ears, we heard an exulting strain, as If a  
thousand instruments  of  music, with height, and  
depth, and sweetness, in their tones, at once  
tender and triumphant, were struck in unison,  
to greet the approach of some illustrious  hero,  
who had fought the good fight and won a glori- 
ous victory, and was come to lay aside his  
battered arms for ever. Looking to ascertain 
what might be the occasion of this glad harmo- 
ny, I perceived, on alighting  from the cars, that  
a multitude  of shining ones had assembled on  
the other side ofthe river, to welcome two poor  
pilgrims, who were just emerging from its 
depths. They were the same whom Apollyon 
and ourselves had persecuted with taunts and  
gibes, and scalding steam, at the commencement  
of our journey—the same whose unworldly 
aspect arid impressive words had stirred my 
conscience, amid the wild revellers of Vanitv  
Fair. 3  
" How amazingly well those men have got  
on!" cried I to Mr. Smooth-it-away. "I wish 
we were secure of as good a reception."  
"Never fear—never fear!" answered my  
friend. " Come—make haste ; the ferry-boat  
will be off directly; and in three minutes you  
will be on the other side of the river. No doubt  
you will find coaches to carry you up to the city  
gates."  
A steam ferry boat, the last improvement on  
this important route, lay at the river side, puff- 
ing, snorting, and emitting  all those other disa.  
greeable utterances, which betoken the depart- 
ure to be immediate. 1 hurried on board with 
the rest of the passengers, most of whom were  
in great perturbation ; some bawling out for their  
baggage ; some tearing their hair and exclaim- 
ing that the boat would explode or sink ; some 
already pale with the heaving of the stream ;  
some gazing affrighted at the ugly aspect ofthe  
steersman ; and some still dizzy with the slum- 
berous influences of the Enchanted Ground. 
Looking back  to the shore, I was amazed to  
discern Mr. Smooth-it-away waving his hand  
in token of farewell!  
"Don't you go over to the Celestial City?"  
exclaimed I.  
"Oh, no !" answered he, with a queer smile,  
and that same disagreeable contortion of visage  
which I had remarked in the inhabitants  of the  
Dark Valley. "Oh, no! I have come thus far 
only for the sake of your pleasant company.  
Good bye ! We shall meet again."  
And then did my excellent friend, Mr. Smooth- 
it-away, laugh outright; in the midst of which  
cachinnation, a smoke wreath issued from his  
mouth and nostrils, while a twinkle of livid  
flame darted out of either eye, proving indubi.  
tably, that his heart was all of a  red blaze. The  
impudent fiend! to deny the existence of To. 
phet, when he felt its fiery tortures raging  
within his breast! I rushed to the side of the 
boat, intending to fling myself on shore. But  
the wheels, as they began their revolutions, 
threw a dash of spray over me, so cold—so  
deadly cold, with the chill that will never leave 
those waters, until Death be drowned in his  
own river; that, with a shiver and a heart- 
quake, I awoke. Thank Heaven, it was a  
Dream!  
159


THE MIDNIGHT CRY.  
LETTER FROM A CONVERTED UNI VER- 
SA LIST.  

J MEETINGS AT HARTFORD, CT.  
A CAMP-RIEETING PROPOSED.  
j Bro. Aaron Clapp writes : 
l " W e continue to hold second advent meetings every 
| evening, and have since last winter, and they are  
generally very interesting. We have now stated  
preaching on the Sabbath by our good brother L. C.  
Collins, who labored in western New York, last winter.  
We intend, if time continues, to hold a second advent  
camp meeting, within five or six miles of Hartford,  
j commencing the second week in August, 
j "We hope we shall see many of our friends from 
( abroad, and especially, some ofthe lecturers."  
| We hope the brethren at Hartford will not appoint  
their meeting till they know who can attend, and have  
assurance from one or more, that they will lie present,  
(Providence permitting,) at the day they may designate.  
E DITORIAL CANDOR.  
The Hempstead Inquirer of June 24, says;  
"MILLERISM.—Many of our editorial brethren are d is- 
posed to ridicule this doctrine and its propagators, al-
though not one of them has endeavored to prove that it  
is not true. To us such a course appears wrong, and  
to evince an unchristian-like spirit. If ridiculing a doc- 
trine proves its falsity, then none are true. Even the  
word of God itself has not been exempt from the shafts 
of ridicule.  
"We are no advocate for this'extraordinary belief, for  
we do not believe the end of the world is to come this 
year—yet we feel no disposition to bring opprobrium  
upon those who do.  
"We admit that it is the most easy way, when the  
readers of a paper are supposed to desire to hear some- 
thing upon a subject so exciting as Millerism, for one  
to merely say, ' it's all a delusion,' ' it's nothing but a  
humbug,' ' they are a set of fanatics,' and the ease  
with which this may be done, is the only apparent rea- 
son, in many eases, of its being done.  
" That those who recently held a Camp Meeting  
near this village, were true and sincere Christians, we  
have good reason to believe. We do not doubt that an  
ardent desire to spread the truth was the object of their  
visit. They appeared to be well acquainted with the  
Scriptures, and urged their hearers to search for them-
selves, to see whether their doctrine was true or not.  
If then these men were Christians, and in the discharge  
of what they conceive to be their duty, are they the  
proper subjects for sarcasm and ridicule? Let "those  
who indulge in such a spirit, remember that the great 
Author of the Christian Religion has said, 'Inasmuch  
as ve have done it unto one of the least of these, my  
brethren, ye have done it unto me.'  
"We should be pleased to publish Mr. Miller's views,  
and the proofs which he thinks can be found in the Bi-
ble that the destruction ofthe world is to take place  
by the 21st of March next year. Those who desire to  
examine them, may find them in ' The Midnight Cry' 
ofthe 15th inst; many copies of which were gratuitous- 
ly distributed at the conclusion of their meeting on .Sun- 
day last."  
WE SEND BILLS  
To our Subscribers, this week, for the first time.  
We wish each person to understand how the account  
stands with him on our books. As ihe volumes have 
successively expired, we have continued to send to  
many hundreds beyond the time for which they had  
paid, till necessity required us to make a general sweep  
of such names from the books. Each one, who re- 
ceives a bill for a part of a volume, if he is unable or 
unwilling to pay, will please return the paper which  
contains it, with his name, and Post office, marked on  
it, and the account shall be cancelled.  
But if such person chooses to renew his subscription,  
and will send a dollar, the whole of it shall be credited  
for future numbers, and the old account balanced.  
If any prefer to receive the numbers which have  
been printed since their papers were stopped, we can  
supply them, at the usual rates.  
Present subscribers are requested to remit for what- 
ever time they may choose, and send definite orders  
whether the paper is to continue beyond the present  
volume. Postmasters will frank all such letters, whether  
containing money or  not, if signed by themselves.  
The reports which follow are made by business men,  

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 1843.  
A GROVE MEETING, IN N- J. NEAR N- Y ,  
Commences  (Providence permitting) at Port Wash- 
ington, [formerly called Rumson,] on THURSDAY,  
July 20th, at 3, P. M., to continue 4 m 5 days The  
steamer Orus, from Fulton Market, lands passengers,  
daily, near the ground, touching at the lower wharf, 
near the Quarantine, for Staten Island passengers.  
The liberal owner ofthe Boat furnishes tickets at 25 
cents—half the usual price. For sale at this office.  
Several lecturers are engaged, and we trust there  
will be a large attendance. Board and Tent Room 
on moderate terms.  
MEETINGS AT ROCHESTER.  
Brother N. Hervey, having just returned from the  
west, [see his letter,] informs us that he preached in 
Rochester, Wednesday afternoon of last week. Brother 
Fitch arrived there in good health, in season to lecture 
Wednesday evening. The Glad Tidings of July 6, says :  
" Our meetings have been kept up as much as possi- 
ble thus far in the Tent, and a strong influence has gone 
out among the people, although the boisterous weather 
has greatly interrupted. Those who give a candid hear- 
ing confess that what is called Millerism is in fact Bible- 
ism, and the people, the common people, hear it gladly,  
and hundreds are rejoicing in hope of a speedy deliver- 
ance.  
" Arrangements have been made for commencing meet- 
ings at Talman's Hall to-morrow, at half-past two, P.M.,  
where brother Fitch will continue a  consecutive course  
of lectures each day and evening for a number of days  
to come. Arrangements are also made for brethren  
Fitch, Barry, and one or two others, to continue their  
labors in this vicinity for the present."  
In reference to the Tent, it is added :  
" A. request has been made to have the Tent pitched  
in Chatauque Co. Our judgment is, that it will be tound 
much less practicable to prosecute the tent enterprize in 
the vicinity of the lakes than in New England. The high  
winds to which this region is subject renders it very dif- 
ficult to keep up a consecutive course of lectures in the  
Tent. If any of our friends can procure secure spots in  
good groves, where the Tent will be screened from the 
winds, and are anxious for meetings of the kind, they  
will give us immediate notice, and we will consider their 
request. Direct J. V. Himes, Rochester, N, Y."  
The following, from the same paper, is one illustration  
ofthe effect of preaching a "judgment to come."  
"THE TRUTH MAKETH MANIFEST.—During our meet- 
ings in this city, the following, among other strange inci-
dents, has occurred: A lady, a native of England, after  
hearing the subject of Christ's speed:/ advent proclaimed, 
has confessed, under the writhingsoi a guilty conscience,  
that she committed a murder in England fourteen years  
ago ! She expresses a strong desire to return to Eng- 
land, and there, pay the penalty due to human laws."  
COOK'S APPEAL.—This is one of our standard  
pamphlets. We put it in the paper because it deserves 
the widest possible circulation. It admirably supplies  
the place of editorial, which we could not prepare,  
while constantly engaged at Camp-meeting.  
BRO. HENRY JONES, we are happy to learn., exhibits  
more favorable symptoms, and the physician hopes he  
will recover.  
SECOND ADVENT BOOKS IN NEWARK can be obtained  
of T. F. Peeney, the sexton at the meeting house in  
Market st., or at his residence, 3 Greene st.  
ID3 There is to be a grove meeting at Newfound- 
land, N. J., commencing Sabbath, July 23, as we learn  
by letter from Bro. S.  Young.  
Hear what our Lord saith, Mark viii. 38, " Whoso- 
ever therefore shall be ashamed of me, and of my words,  
in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also  
shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in  
the glory of his  Father, with the holy angels-."  
160  

CHESHIRE, CT., July 3d, 1843.  
Dear Brother Himes,—Conscience, and duty to my  
God and fellow-men, eail on me to make a full renun- 
ciation of my former belief in universal salvation. I  
know, by sad experience, it is a doctrine not fit to live  
by, and I think it is not fit to die by. Some say I never  
believed it, but I say I did in sincerity believe, until 
about fourteen months ago, that all the human family,  
when they left this world, received happiness in the 
next. One year ago, last April, I was under serious 
conviction. I felt that I was wrong, and that something  
soon was to happen; that I was soon to leave this  
world. I went to the throne of grace, and called on the  
Lord for his assistance. As I was in great pain of body,  
I begged that he would relieve me from the sufferings  
of this life, thinking all would be well hereafter. I got  
but little relief in body, and much less in mind, until I 
gave up so much of my selfish notion as to believe there  
was some punishment hereafter.  
At that time, I never, to my knowledge, had heard  
ofthe theory  or calculations of Mr. Miller. I supposed  
that what I read about the end of the world all alluded 
to the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of  the  
Jews ; but the voice still said I was wrong. Convic-
tions followed, but, to my shame, I was a man of intem-
perate habits, and would drown my convictions with  
the accursed evil spirit alcohol. So I went on, until 
last fall, when I heard some conversation about the  
Millerites, as they were termed. I made sport of it,  
called the believers in the doctrine fools, and many  
more abusive things I said, which I am sorry for now,  
and humbly ask forgiveness of all I ever  injured, by  
word or deed. Finally, some advent tracts found their  
way to my dwelling. My mind was disturbed more,  
and I tried to shake it off, until some time in Decem- 
ber last, when busy at work, the Spirit of the Lord and  
his power came mightily upon me. I could not with-
stand it, and, blessed be God, I was disarmed of all my 
former weapons. I said, Lord, what shall I do? The  
answer was. Quit your  accursed cup, read my sacred  
word without partiality or selfishness, pray to me, the  
living and true God, in faith, and I will make you to  
understand what shall shortly come to pass.  
1 then had some of that body-and-soul-destroying  
liquid, ardent (or rather evil) spirit in the house, in a 
bottle. I told my daughter to pour it into some vessel  
and bring it to me. She did so, and said, Father are  
you going to drink all that at once 1 1 took it and  
committed it to the flames., bidding it a final farewell.  
Blessed be God, he has helped me hitherto to keep my  
promise. Then I sought the Lord in earnest, and he  
hath heard and answered me. 1 believe he has taught  
me there is no truth in universal salvation, and no  
thousand years millennium before Christ comes the se- 
cond time, that the  end of the world did not come at the  
destruction of Jerusalem, and that my blessed Saviour 
is soon coming to take all the true Israel home to the 
happy land of Canaan, and I am in full belief of this 
being the last year that this present earth shall be in-
habited ; and I truly mean to be one of that happy num-
ber, by the grace of God, that shall have a possession  
in that happy land. And oh! how thankful I ought to 
be to my heavenly Father for opening the blind eyes of  
my understanding ! My soul doth praise the Lord for  
calling me out of universal darkness, into the glorious  
belief of soon leaving this world of sorrow, and going  
home to Christ. It is a feast to my soul, and would .to  
God that all Universalists, drunkards, yes, and all that  
know not God, might forsake the error of their ways, 
and turn to God and live. May God have mercy on all 
sinners for Christ's sake. In my neighborhood there 
are some that seem to be going headlong to the pit of  
woe, and others that say, Peace and safety, and seem 
to be at ease, saying, My Lord delayeth his coming,  
but 1 read in the book of the prophet Amos, " Wo to 
yon that are at ease in Zion ;" but, thanks be to God, 
there are some in my neighborhood that seem to be de- 
termined to be Christ's, by the grace of God, let what  
will come.  
We have meetings once a week, and have had twice,  
at my dwelling, and the Lord is with us, and does bless 
oar souls. Great comfort do I take in reading the  
Midnight Cry ; it is a feast to my soul; it seems to me 
a key to the sacred word of God. Yours in Christian  
love, with a hope of soon meeting you in a better world 
than this. STANLEY G. HILL.  
If I understood all things in the world, and had not  
charity, what would that help me in the  sight of God.,  
who will judge me according to my deeds.


who possess as they deserve, the full confidence of the  
community.  
REPORTS OF THE COMMITTEE  
APPOINTED ANNIVERSARY WEEK, TO EXAMINE THE  
FINANCIAL AFFAIRS OK THE ADVENT CAUSE.  
The Committee appointed at the Second Ad- 
vent Conference held in Boston anniversary  
week, commencing May 29th, to investigate and 
report concerning the financial affairs of the  
publication department of the advent cause, and  
the disposition made of the contributions for,  
and the avails of the same, present the follow- 
ing report.  
We have attended to the duty assigned us,  
as far and fully as practicable under the circum- 
stances, and we find that those connected with 
this department, have faithfully applied the  
donations made to the cause, and also a very  
large proportion of the profits of the works sold,  
for the advancement of the same, by sustaining  
our well known general operations.  
We are fully satisfied that brother Himes  
considers the cause the Lord's and he only a  
steward, who must soon give an account ofhis 
stewardship, and that his determination is to be  
found faithful unto the end.  
We find that the reports respecting this de- 
partment., as a "speculation" which are so in-
dustriously circulated, are entirely without 
foundation. On the contrary, it appears he has  
devoted his earnings as freely as his energies,  I 

to the giving of the Midnight Cry, we feel that  
we can give the strongest assurance to those  
who may wish to aid the cause, that their wish- 
es will be fully carried out in any assistance 
they can render it, and which is now greatly 
needed in continuing its operation. Why  
\ should the work cease ? Ought we not to double  
our diligence as we see the end drawing near ?  
The following statement of the  accounts as  I 

exhibited by the books, will suffice we think to  
justify the above.  
Amount paid for general expenses since  
January, 1843, including balance paid to 
Committee on general expenses 1842. $781,50  
Excess of expenses of the Great Tent,  
over and above the receipts 1842—3. 200,85  
Excess of Gratuitous Distribution,"  
p account kept by clerk over and above  
1 donations received. $1508,97  I 

s1 2491,32  
We find the concern in debt to the amount of  
only about $800, to meet which, we find suffi- 
cient stock of books on hand, and a considera-
ble amount trusted out, having been begun and  
carried on upon the principle of doing just as  
much and fast as the means would permit 
without resorting to credit.  
THOMAS VY. HA SKINS, )  
EZEKIEL HALE, JR., >Com.  B. IRISH, Y  
In pursuance of a vote passed at the Second  
Advent Conference, held in Boston anniversary 
week, commencing May 29th, 1843,  
I have investigated the affairs of J. V. Himes,  
as connected with the office of the Midnight  
Cry, published in the city of New York, and  
| would respectfully submit the following report.  
I find that the books have been correctly  I 

kept, being in double entry, they readily exhibit  
the state and condition of the office. I am  
pleased to say that the affairs appear to have  
been judiciously managed, both in the editorial  
and business departments, the former, under  I 

the charge of brother N. Southard, the latter,  
under brother T. L. Tullock, and much good  
has been accomplished with the means had to  operate on.  

The office was established on the individual  
responsibility of brother J. V. Himes of Boston,  
on the 17th of November last past, and designed  
at that, time, as only temporary, for the express 
purpose of expending only a few hundred dol-
lars in the publication of a daily paper for a 
limited period, for the purpose of presenting 
the great truths of the scriptures on the doctrine 
of Christ's Second Coming, and disabusing the  
public mind in relation to the sentiments, the  
Adventists cherish, and arousing them if possi- 
ble to a consideration of the momentous crisis  
which we believe so near. It has exceeded  
the most sanguine expectations of its friends, 
having been more extensive, and continued 
longer than was at first anticipated.  
It appears from letters now numbered, and on  
file, that 2000 letters have been received from  
every section of the country, also from bills  
on file, that upwards of one million of second  
advent papers have been published and scatter- 
ed far and wide.  
To every Post Office in this country, publica- 
tions have been gratuitously mailed, and to 
many, a considerable quantity. England, the  
Canadas and other countries have not been  
neglected. Clergymen have been liberally  
supplied, and great quantities have been fur- 
nished to individuals in different sections of the  
Union, for gratuitous circulation.  
The office has received in cash $8627,83,  
and business has been done to a much larger 
amount, the monies have been  faithfully expend- 
ed, and judiciously appropriated. The amount  
received and credited to donations is $1863,41.  
The amount of books, &c. gratuitously dis- 
tributed, $1005,48, and the Midnight Cry up- 
wards of $4000.  
This has been accomplished by receipts as  
donations, profit or subscription, and sale of  
the papers and on books. The concern is, how-
ever, largely indebted to brother Himes for the 
use of stereotype  plates furnished from Boston,  
and paid for there, (of which no account is  
made) which has enabled the concern to dis-
tribute thus profusely. I would further state 
that the office is unencumbered by debt., except-
ing an amount due J. Y. Himes, Boston, on  
account, he having furnished from the deposi-
tory there, most of the books received and sold. 
The amount of cash on hand is about $100,  
which amount will be inadequate to  meet the  
expenses weekly incurred, without an increase  
of receipts.  
Also the concern has due it on account. $1000,  
a very small portion of which can be estimated  
as of any value.  
The stock on hand is inconsiderable, and  
only valuable as sales can be made.  
The Midnight Cry has now reached the six- 
teenth number of Vol. 4. When 26 are issued, 
the volume is completed, (if time continue.)  
The question now presents itself, shall the  
paper (which has been such a valuable auxilia.  
ry in the cause of truth) be sustained, or shall  
it cease to be published.  
If it is deemed practicable to continue the  
paper till the Lord comes, it will be incumbent  
on the dear brethren scattered abroad, to renew 
their subscription, increase its circulation, and  
also by voluntary contributions to sustain the 
enterprise.  
The work is prosecuted on this principle,  
to do all that can be done with the means on  
hand, without involving the concern in debt. If 
little is received its circulation will of course  
be limited, if generously supported, its influence  
will be increased accordingly.  
JOSEPH  J. SANGER, Com.  
New York City, June 27, 1843.  

A SOLEMN APPEAL  
TO MINISTERS AND CHURCHES,  
ESPECIALLY TO THOSE OI- THE BAPTIST DENOMINATION,  
RELATIVE TO THE  
SPEEDY COMING OF CHRIST.  
BY J. B. COOK.  
Acts 13 : 40, 41. " Beware therefore, lest that come  
upon you which is spoken of in the prophets. Behold, 
ye despisers, and wonder and perish ; for I work a woik  
in your days which ye shall in no wise believe, though a  
man declare it unto you."  
This dreadful language was pressed from the  
heart of the apostle by the solemn, awful im-
pressions which the Holy Spirit made on his  
mind. His whole soul was moved to its depth,  
when viewing the state of his brethren, " his  
kindred according to the flesh." God had writ- 
ten the truth of Christ's Messiahship on his in-
most soul : consequently, he knew that however 
plausible their objections might be, however  
complaisant they might be to himself or the  
truth, they were, in heart, rebelling against  
heaven. Their arguments, he saw, were found- 
ed in prejudice and carnality of mind. " Can  
any good thing come out of Nazareth ?"  
" Search and look, for out of Galilee ariseth no 
prophet!" " Is not this the carpenter's son ! !'' 
" Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed on 
him I! !" Surely we say that they were carnal  
— were destitute of living faith. They assum- 
ed that those who opposed them, must be wrong.  
Those to whom Paul addressed this dreadful  
appeal were not  the impious or profane. They  
were the rulers of the synagogue,—" men of Is- 
rael, and those who feared God,"—the highest 
in reputation for piety and zeal. This is a  
point generally overlooked. Vs. 15, 16. They  
adhered to their opinions with as much pertina- 
city as if the attributes of infallibility and im- 
mutability belonged exclusively to them. Their  
interpretation which gratified the carnal mind  
must he true. The Messiah must come accord-
ing to their notions—Jehovah must conform to  
their sectarian organizations in all he proposed  
to do for mankind. They would not, did not  
yield, either to prophecy or providence. When  
pressed with the evidence that the finger of God  
was seen in the miracles, and signs, and wonders,  
and gifts ofthe Holy Ghost that shone around  
them, they professed to want more evidence.  
When Jerusalem and all Judea were blazing  
with the light and evidence, they said, " we  
would see a sign." They professed to desire  
sufficient light to see clearly, without question- 
ing their integrity to act according to their light.  
Thus they deceived others, if not themselves,  
with their acknowledged willingness to believe  
the truth when seen : but Jesus penetrating their  
hearts, said, " Ye are they who justify your-
selves before men, but God knoweth your hearts,  
for that which is highly esteemed among men, 
is abomination in the sight of God." Luke 26 :  
15. We know therefore, on the highest autho- 
rity, that the Jewish rulers were not  sincere, ex- 
cept in their love for themselves,—their stations  
of honor and profit. To these they clung.  
Hence Jesus said, " How can ye believe who  
receive honor one of another, and seek not the  
honor that cometh from God only V John 5 : 44.  
Paul saw the true character of these Jews in  
the light in which Jesus revealed it. He saw  
it in the light of prophecy which the Spirit then  
opened to his mind ; therefore he could but feel  
for them deeply. The deep fountains of feel- 
ing in his soul were stirred. His brethren, his  
kindred according to the flesh, were in infinite  
peril of damnation. Crushed with their im- 
pending doom, his soul gushed out in this sol- 
emn language: "Beware therefore, 'est that


#  
come upon you which is spoken of in the pro- 
phets. Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and 
perish ; for I work a work in your days which  
ye shall not believe, though a man declare it  
unto you."  
The Jews, thus pitied, thus addressed, and  
thus doomed, had probably a much more plaus- 
ible ground for rejecting Jesus as then revealed,  
than we have the One to come, as he is now  
revealed. They said that if they had lived in  
the days of their fathers  they would not have  
been partakers with them in the blood of the  
prophets. They were looking for the Messiah  
as much or more than any of their contempo- 
raries. They based their expectation on the  
most plausible exposition of the prophets; of  
course, they could not reject him  when he should  
come ; this would be, they thought, impossible.  
The prophets spoke of him as a " King" on  
the " holy hill of Zion." They predicted, not 
only his humiliation and death, but his exalta-
tion to the throne of David forever ; by conse- 
quence, they fastened on the latter, because  
more in harmony with their carnal noiions of  
what would be for their good and the glory of 
God. If they had anything from the Messiah,  
it must come  in their way. Shiloh must be  
honorable, powerful, able to relieve them from  
Roman bondage, ere they could receive him as  
the one to whom all the prophets gave witness.  
Above all, it is infinitely more easy for any  
mind to receive what is said relating to his glo-
ry than his suffering. I know that a heart fill- 
ed with a Holy Spirit, will receive with child- 
like confidence, just what God has revealed,  
and just as it is revealed : but we are by nature  
so constituted, so depraved, that we never reject  
a glorified one, who comes in harmony with  
our views,—never receive a " crucified, one"  
who has nothing to gratify us. Therefore, if  
we are allowed to judge by a human standard, 
we can more easily excuse them for rejecting 
their Messiah when despised and crucified,  
than we could now, when he is about to be glo-
rified. This is not said to palliate unbelief in  
any age, or by any people ; but only to show  
that there are degrees of malignity in rebellion  
against heaven. Some stripes in the pictures of  
human life are broader and blacker than others.  
To reject revealed truth, when in direct oppo- 
sition to all the known principles of human na- 
ture, does not seem so sinful, as when presented  
in a less repulsive form. Still, as the language 
was addressed to tbe unbelieving, but honora- 
ble arid professedly pious, of a less favored age,  
concerning Jesus in his humiliation, it may,  
with more propriety, be now addressed to those 
who disbelieve, disregard, or trifle with the  
plainer evidence that Jesus is coming a second  
time to consummate his glory.  
I feel awfully solemn in making  an applica- 
tion of this passage. I would feel, if I do not 
already, all that compassion for my brethren,  
which characterized the language and labors  
ofthe apostle. It is in view of the judgment  
you are addressed. Under bis eye who search- 
es all hearts is this solemn appeal made, to all  
in the ministry or communion of the Baptist  
church—to all within the circle of my acquain- 
tance.  
Dear brethren, God is working wonderfully  
—He is fulfilling prophecy—preparing  for the  
consummation of " all things spoken by the  
mouth of all his holy prophets since the  
world began." The evidence of this is  
varied, comprehending types, signs, pro- 
phetic periods, and spiritual influences. It  
is overwhelming to my mind. My mind  
and heart are. perhaps, as well satisfied that 
God is in this movement relating to the second  
appearing ofhis Son, as were Paul's that Jesus  
162  

was the Messiah. As to the apostle, the truth  
was stamped by the eternal Spirit on his soul. 
He believed, therefore he spoke.—"The love  
of Christ constrained" him to give the reason of 
the hope that was in him. His heart seemed  
on fire to make known the truth on which the  
destiny of unnumbered thousands depended.  
To do this, he explored prophecy—stated its 
fulfilment and its harmony with God's wonder- 
ful dealings with his own soul. He never be-
came weary with telling his experience of the  
truth that Jesus is the Messiah. After exhaust- 
ing every motive that is tender and subduing, 
he does not fail to employ those that are alarm- 
ing. Follow Paul through life. The charity 
which is supposed by some to forbid the note  
of warning, compels him " to cry aloud and 
spare not." " Beware therefore, lest that come  
upon you which is spoken of in the prophets.  
Behold, ye despisers, and wonder and  perish ;  
for I work a work in your days which ye shall 
not believe though a man declare it unto you."  
The great truth that lies on the surlace of the  
Bible relating to Christ's second coming,  
(though overlooked by most, as the Jews over-
looked the plainest prophecies relating to the 
first,) has been experienced by me. It has been  
wrought into my soul. Now you believe in the  
apostle's experience ; in Luther's experience  
of the doctrine of justification by faith ; in  
Roger Williams' experience of  believers' bap- 
tism, and doctrine of religious liberty.  
If there be such a thing as the experience of  
a truth, as having a great truth engraven indel- 
libly on the heart, then such is the fact with  
me. It is true I am  infinitely unworthy of this.  
My soul melts within me when making this  
statement; for unto me, " who am less than the  
least of all saints, is this grace given that I  
should preach" the power and coming of our  
Lord Jesus Christ. It is clearly perceived—  
as clearly as any truth of prophecy, that his se- 
cond advent is just at hand. No truth of our 
holy rebgion has ever been more powerfully  
applied to my heart and conscience. Such is  
the impulse which tbe Spirit has given me to  
publish this truth, that it seems to me at the  
peril of my soul to forbear. During the care and  
distraction attending the sale of my furniture, I 
was disposed to omit writing you—but last  
night and this morning, the Holy Ghost (if I am  
not a stranger to his heavenly agency) has  
sweetly, yet with awful solemnity, chided me,  
till everything of a secular nature is left, as far  
as possible, in order to obey what seems to be  
the divine will. I dare not resist the plain  
word of God when set home by that Spirit which  
is to guide unto all truth. My message is the  
second appearing of Jesus. 1 expect this over- 
whelming event more than anything else. I  
look and long for it more than every thingelse. I  
make no calculation to labor or live but a short  
time. Yet. I was never more resigned to God's  
blessed will to live or not. 0, tbe glorious ex* 
pectation of the " glorious appearing" of the  
great God and our Savior Jesus Christ !—how  
dare you disregard this fact, revealed with more  
solemnity than any other event named in the  
Book of God ! Even though for a time its oc- 
currence was not mentioned, no one, it seems  
to me, can be regardless of this tremendous era 
in the Divine dispensations, without impiety.  
My reasons for believing thus, it is now my  
purpose to give, as briefly as possible.  
My experience began in August last. A de*  
lightfully sweet and  solemn influence was felt  
to be settling down upon my soul, and direct- 
ing me to consider the predicted coming and  
kingdom of Jesus. This was believed to  
be from God,—as such it was cherish- 
ed, and very imperfectly obeyed. Had I obey.  

ed with all readiness of mind, more time would  
have been enjoyed to mature my views and pre- 
pare others, lnstrumentally, for that day. No  
period of my life has been reviewed with less  
complacence than the last autumn, and winter.  
My progress was too slow—my investigations  
too cautious. Still my Bible was read with 
more interest and a somewhat better understand- 
Some great truths, before unobserved,  ing.  
were perceived and felt. " Litch's Address to  
the Clergy" appeared to me true, yet such was  
my attachment to former opinions that I sought  
something from bis opponents. " He that is  
first in his cause seemeth just, but his neigh- 
bor cometh and searcheth him." Beside per- 
sonal conversation with one of the most learn-
ed in the ministry, Mr. Morris' work was read.  
The two together  exerted a powerful influence  
to counteract the truth of God on this subject,  
which had just begun, as I now believe,to dawn  
on my understanding. To show you that I 
have not been hasty, let me here say that about  
seven years ago, when in Cincinnati, my mind  
was called to contemplate with much interest  
what God had revealed as to the close of time ;  
but it was not till after the lapse of two years,  
at the end of my ministry in that city, that suf-
ficient light was perceived to enable me to  
preach on the subject. It was the theme of  
my farewell sermon. The prayerful reflection 
vvhich I then gave to it has most of the time  
since been followed by a desire to learn more  
of what I knew was revealed. But it seemed  
beyond my grasp, simply because of my rever- 
ence for the opinions of the learned. The Bi- 
ble seemed now so pi ain, that I am sure I mi^ht 
have understood it had I given it. just that place 
among books which it should have had. My  
instruction in the theological seminary, as well 
as my habits there formed, prompted me to con-
sult the learned first. " Father forgive me," for  
surely I knew not what contempt I was cast- 
ing on thee, and on that Spirit whose office it  
is to guide into all truth. It was like borrowing 
some wise one's brass lamps to see daylight. 
Of course, this is not objecting to instruction  
but to that kind of instruction which makes the  
Bible subordinate, and the promised teachings  
of the Holy Spirit almost nothing. Let me  
state a fact which made a deep impression on 
my mind two or three years since. "A grad- 
uate" of one of our popular theological institu- 
tions preached several times where I worship, 
without reading his text correctly. My con- 
viction was, that he quoted it from memorv,  
when writing his sermon, and then, in preach- 
ing, read it from his manuscript. When " the  
word" is not consulted, " the Spirit" not sought,  
it is not strange if the people remain unspiritual!  
My appeal is to my Judge that this is stated  
with grief of heart. Could my conscience have  
been at ease and my skirts clear, all allusion to 
the subject of theological education would have  
been suppressed, especially out of regard for  
those for whom personal respect has ever been, 
and ever will be cherished. The fault lies in  
the system, which is obviously, to my mind, in- '  
corrigible. '  
After reading last autumn what fell in my  
way on both sides, my mind was left in suspense.  
Still the strong desire awakened in my heart  
to know what was revealed, prompted strong 
cryings to God for light. As an interesting  
field for ministerial labors was, in October5,  
opened to me, six miles distant, where they  
had not had a sermon, save one funeral dis- 
course, for about three years, my entire leisure  
was occupied in cultivating it. The exhaus- 
tion consequent on going so far daily, for a  
time prevented anything like progress in my 
investigations. When brother Stoddard was to  

+  
*  
»  
*  
#


come to our city to lecture on the second ad- 
vent, my influence was so exerted, as to secure  
our meeting house for that purpose. His first  
lecture seemed severe. Many were offended ;  
my best friend much so. I could not gainsay 
the substance of it. In reflecting on it, how- 
ever, to sift the chaff from the wheat, my con- 
viction was, that its severity was the severity  
of truth. It bore hard on respectable classes  
of character; that was it. Many, in company  
with myself, slept but little for days afterward.  
I felt intensely- My soul never was subject  
to a more terrible conflict; all the elements of  
my intellectual and moral nature were in  
commotion ; a conviction of the truth began  
to fasten on my heart more deeply; while my  
family, the peace ofthe church, the value of a  
good name among friends and through the com- 
munity, all seemed to be in the opposite scale. 
The settled, solemn purpose of my soul was,  
however, as soon as formed, to follow where  
tbe truth might lead ; but darkness, more or less  
dense, shrouded my mind. I was not " light 
in the Lord." In truth, my mind was, as most  
seem to be, sceptical as to the fact of Christ's  
personal appearing. This scepticism was oc-
casioned by reading a popular author 111 New- 
York. So that at the outset, as well as in the  
entire progress of conviction in my mind, there  
were antagonist principles, or lather a want of  
settled principles, for neither my mind nor  
heart was at. rest, so far as this subject was  
concerned.  
The first step towards peace of mind con- 
sisted in the dissipation of my remaining scep- 
ticism,—the doubts excited by the conflicting  
opinions ofthe most learned and pious. Such  
was the influence of these doubts on my heart  
that portions of God's word appeared more like  
chaos, without form and void, than any other  
thing to which I may compare them. It sad- 
dens my heart to reflect that I was so long  
sceptical as to whether the Bible was to be 
understood in all ordinary cases, as it reads. 
1 entertained no doubt that it was true, but. it  
was a great point lo decide, how much relating  
to "the end" was allegorical, and how much  
literal.*  
From this state of uncertainty, my mind was  
relieved gradually, by reflecting on the revealed  
character of Deity, on the improbability of his  
having given us "a revelation which could not  
be understood by an honest, prayerful study. If  
the prophecies,'which we are commanded to  
understand, Matt. 24 : 15—and pronounced  
" blessed" in reading, Rev. 1: 3, are too obscure  
and enigmatical to be understood, then we need  
an aui horned interpreter. The principle of the  
Papacy is then the only one which meets the  
pressing necessity of our souls, when hunger-
ing to know the Divine will. To escape this  
alternative, I saw that God's word should be  
taken in its most natural import. The language  
of inspired men, relating to the coming and 
kingdom of Jesus, should be understood to  
mean what the same language would mean, if  
employed by an eminently wise and good man,  
who had a perfect acquaintance with the sub- 
ject, to instruct us in it. Many of the terms  
are as simple, as intelligible and as much di- 
vested of figure as any that we find in the Bible.  
My soul was quickened, I am assured by the  
> That numbers are sceptical, that they have no settled  
faith, is evident from the oft-repeated saying, " I don't  
know about Christ's personal appearing !" " What do 
you mean by his personal appearing 1" On this state ol  
mind the plainest language of truth is lost, as it was 
when  Paul preached to the Jewish rulers. Another min- 
ister says, " I know nothing more of these portions of 
Scripture than vour child :" yet he opposes the doctrine  
strenuously. These are examples of the scepticism  
prevalent in the church.  

promised Spirit's aid, to read and understand  
the Bible according to the known laws of lan- 
guage, such as obtain in other books. When,  
by faith, I was enabled to receive the testimony  
of God, with only a subordinate regard to hu- 
man opinions, I was enabled to decide, at least  
to my own satisfaction, what is revealed. «  
2dly, As to our Lord's personal appearing.  
He solemnly averred to the high priest, " Here- 
after ye shall see the Son of man—coming in 
the clouds of heaven." Matt. 26 : 64. "And  
he led them out as far as to Bethany; and it 
came to pass, while he blessed them, he was  
parted from them, and carried up into heaven,"  
Luke 24 : 50. " He was taken up, and a cloud  
received him out of their sight." Acts 1:11.  
Two shining intelligences affirmed that this  
same Jesus which is taken up from you into hea- 
ven, shall 50 come in like manner as ye have seen 
him go into heaven. Here we have a threefold  
assurance that Jesus shall come personally. The  
assurance is made doubly sure, by beir.g con- 
nected with his personal, visible ascension.  
" The Lord himself shall descend from heaven "  
" When he shall appear we shall be like him,  
for we shall see him as he is." " Behold, he  
cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him."  
Here we have the most explicit, most solemn 
declarations that " the appearing" shall be per- 
sonal and visible. This harmonizes with the  
ancient prophets. One exclaims exultingly,  
" I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he  
shall stand in the latter day upon the earth. In 
my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for  
myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not ano-
ther." Certain it is, therefore, that the Bible 
teaches the visible, personal appearing of Jesus.  
If these plain, positive statements are not to be  
understood according  to the most natural import  
ofthe  terms, what doctrine of revelation can be  
understood ? Observe that " the coming of the  
Son of man," spoken of in the above quoted 
passages, is, by express revelation, known to  
be his'second coming. He shall " appear the 
second time, without sin unto salvation." The  
circumstances which are described as attending 
this dread event, can never  occur except at the  
resurrection and the judgment. Job  cannot see  
him " with his eyes" till he comes up in the  
resurrection. The beloved disciple cannot "see  
him as he is, and be like him," till he comes up in  
the resurrection. All the kindreds of the earth  
will not " wail because of him," till the open- 
ing scenes of "the day of God." It is, then,  
settled beyond all cavil, (but that of the infidel,)  
that Christ's next appearing will be " the  
second time," to consummate his work in refer,  
ence to human probation.  
It is plain that death, revivals, and providen- 
tial judgments, are not the " coming" that is  
the subject of the leading prophecies on this  
subject—they are not "the appearing" on  
which the eye of faith rested with such hea- 
venly rapture. Rom. 8: 23. 2 Tim. 4: 8. Heb. 
9: 28. if the Redeemer's coming, in the Scrip-
ture sense, be at these events, then the number  
of his comings will be the number of such  
events ; consequently, a second coming would  
be impossible, because his next coming would 
not be his second, but possibly his ten thou- 
sand millionth. The apostles believed in one  
coming ofthe Lord, after the first—they call it 
his second appearing. It will be like the first,  
personal and visible. " Even so, amen ."'  
3. The next step was to ascertain what  
events are, in the Scriptures, identified with 
"the coming of the Son of man." 1  Cor. 15.  
" In Christ shall all be made alive. But every  
man in his own order—Christ the  first fruits, af- 
terward they that are Christ's at Jus coming."  
1 Thess. 4 : 14. " For if we believe that Jesus  

died and rose again, even so them also which  
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For  the  
Lord himself shall descend. Then we which 
are alive and remain, shall be (changed, 1 Cor.  
15: 51,) caught up together with them in the  
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." The res-
urrection of the righteous dead, the changing of  
the righteous living, and their ascentto join his  
holy retinue, are connected necessarily in these  
passages with the second advent.  
The Man of Sin shall be destroyed ; 2 Thess.  
2:8; the body of the beast given to the burning  
flame ; Dan. Till; and the devil bound and  
shut up in the bottomless pit; Rev. 20 : 2 ; the  
wicked will be slain ; Jer. 25: 31—33; the  
world burned ; 2 Pet. 3 : 7, 10 ; the new hea- 
vens formed, and the righteous  will begin their  
rei<m with their glorified Redeemer.  
The coming of Christ, to achieve these  
tremendous purposes, was seen to have been  
the event on which the apostles fixed their eye,  
whenever they looked into the future. It is  
said with truth, that "faith brings distant things  
near;" therefore, I was led to believe, that this  
fact, instead of proving that " the day of the  
Lord" is distant from us, as it was from the  
apostles, proves how destitute the Christian  
church is of faith. This truth was fastened in  
my soul "as a nail in a sure place/' that the  
" glorious appearing" of the Son of God had not 
that place either in my mind or ministry, that it 
had in Paul's. It is noticed in every chapter in  
1 Thess. It is the theme cf 2 Thess. To wait  
for the " Son from heaven" was as much a part  
of their Christian calling, as to " serve the liv- 
ing God." T , ,  
This was, to me, a long step. It showed me  
that I was wrong—the ministry and the church  
wronff. Why, eighteen hundred years ago,  
when" " faith" overcame " the world," they  
preached a coming Jesus and the judgment.  
For hundreds of years this was the theme of  
the Christian ministry. The coming one,—the  
coming judgment, echoed down the shores of  
time, till faith yielded to sense. When the  
abominations of earth were mingled  with the  
purities of heaven,—when the god of this world 
began to reign in the church in the place of  
I Jesus, the ministry had neither courage or  
strength to declare that God was reserving 
i. this°world unto fire against the day of judg-
ment and perdition of ungodly men."  
It is not for want of evidence, but of a living  
faith, that the ministry decline preaching the  
coming of Jesus. The faith of the first age  
brouoht the burning glories of the day of God 
near; surely the same faith in " the last age 
will not put that day distant. This is so evi- 
dent, that I should like to proclaim it with trum- 
pet tongue. There is an alarming want of faith  
in the  ministry and church, when they say, the  
« Lord delayeth his coming," and have pleasure  
in them that do. It is a dreadful token that the  
words of Jesus will be soon fulfilled, "When  
the Son of man cometh shall he find faith on the  
earth My brethren, how dare you aid in  
producing this unbelief? How can you create  
the tokens of your own perdition ? You surely  
have read, " He that  believeth not shall be  
damned." You are bolder than I, if you rush on 
to such a doom. Faith—living faith, will exert  
the same power over us, that it did over primi- 
tive preachers and private members. It will 
bring Christ near. Beware, lest, in your unbe- 
lief, you only behold to perish.  
5. The millennium, as held by many, was  
next demolished. It lay in my mind in such a  
form that it put off the second advent at least a 
thousand years,—how much longer, I did not  
know, because no one seemed to know when it  
was to begin. When this was taken from me,  16 3


it brought " the mountain of the Lord's house," 
as it were, a thousand miles nearer—right at  
hand ! I was roused as from a dream. The 
most stupendous scenes to occur in the history  
ofthe divine dispensations to man, were, in all  
probability, very near. The day of doom to  
myself, my family, the church, and the world, 
might take us, it appeared to me, by surprise, 
very soon.  
Th is conviction, without determining even  
the year for its fulfilment, was to me over  
whelming. Who could, or, if they could, who  
would  contemplate the terrible splendor of the  
day of God, possibly just opening upon us, with- 
out emotion! Under the deep and awful im- 
pressions which approaching judgment awaken-
ed, I looked around me to see whence I had  
expected a millennium in the present state. It  
is in the second Psalm, is it ? Sure the Saviour  
is to ask " the heathen" for his " inheritance," 
—but what will he do with them? " He will 
dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."—  
Just so my poor earthly millennium was shiv- 
ered. It may be in Isa. 2 : 20,—they shall  
cast their "' idols—to the moles and to the bats"  
—for what purpose ? Surely, to corne like the  
blessed Mary to Jesus' feet ; but let us read the  
next verse  : "To go into the clefts of the rocks,  
—for fear of the Lord and the terror of his ma- 
jesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the  
earth." Alas for my blindness—alas for the 
blindness of my instructors ! Surely the an- 
nexed admonition, verse 22, speaks volumes :  
" Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his  
nostrils, for wherein is he to be accounted of  
Yet the temporal millennium  has .some counte- 
nance. Does not the prophet say that " they 
shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy moun- 
tain, saith the Lord ?" Yes, but this cannot be  
true of any state where death and the devil  
are Where they are, they will both hurt and 
destroy. Of course, that cheering prediction  
is not to be fulfilled in the present state. It i3  
in the new heavens and the new earth: Isa.  
65 ; 17, 25. This we learn from an inspired  
apostle, is after the burning of this world : 2  
Pet. 3 : 12, 13. Now do, dying reader, "search  
the Scriptures" sufficiently to put these two  
passages together, We have consulted the  
Book of God too much as lawyers consult a  
suspected witness. If we read the Bible in  
harmony, comparing spiritual things with spir-
itual, we can see the doctrine of the millenni- 
um, as held by many, to be as baseless as the  
wildest dream ofthe wildest sect in their wild- 
est vagaries. It is utterly without foundation, 
except it be a perverted, spiritual interpretation 
of plain Scripture. Read those portions where 
we might most reasonably expect at least, some  
notice of holy triumph to the church. Begin,  
if you please, at the Lord's prayer, Matt. 6 :  
9—14. Temptation is to be deprecated, for- 
giveness implored, and, at the same time, ex- 
tended to our erring fellow-creatures. Is it  
not plainly implied, that the whole period, du- 
ring which this model prayer shall be offered,  
will be a state of trial, instead of triumph?  
In the 24th of Matthew, the disciples'inquiry  
relating to the end of the world, and the signs  
of Christ's coming, is recorded. In reply, there  
is no millennium, nothing but temptation, tribu-
lation, and death, till the special signs of his  
coming should begin. This surely is the place 
for the happy condition of the church, (if there 
be any such place in the Bible,) but as there is  
no prosperous condition even alluded to, I con- 
clude positively that there will be nothing of  
the kind prior to the second advent. If there  
is to be a millennium before this event, the Sa- 
viour does not deem it worthy of mention. Then  
his answer would not meet the disciples' inqui- 
fC<4  

ry. But  his answer does meet their inquiry.  
The re is no millennium to be enjoyed prior to 
his coming.  
Read the Redeemer's last prayer. Does he  
pray that his people might become prosperous  
or popular, during some future period ? Does  
he nt)t pray that they might be kept " from the  
evil?"—that they are " not of the world" and  
that the world hated them on this account ? 
During the same dreadful night  of his agony,  
when he uttered his prayer, John .17, he told  
his disciples that '• in the world" they should 
have "tribulation." There is not a note of tri- 
umph relating to this world in its present state  
—nothing to cheer them, but the fact that "he  
had overcome the world," would give them  
peace in himself, and come again to receive  
them to himself. John 14: 3, 27.  
The apostle Paul was doubtless misunder- 
stood, in speaking of the coming of Jesus ;  
therefore he took up the subject in 2 Thess. 2 :  
1—8. Please read with care what precedes  
this great event. The taking away of that  
which hindered the rise of Antichrist—the  
revelation of that " man of sin," and his preva- 
lence till his destruction by Christ at his com- 
ing. Surely there is no long period of pros- 
perity to the church noticed in this chapter. Jt 
is in  perfect harmony with the prophet, Dan.  
7: 21, 22. This power "made war with the  
saints and prevailed against them, till the An- 
cient of days came—and the time came that the 
saints possessed the kingdom." If the Papacy  
and the Prince of evil "prevail'' till the Judg- 
ment—the coming of Christ, then it follows, of  
course, that the church cannot "prevail" a  
thousand years, or one year, a thousand days,  
or one day prior to that event. No one can 
harmonize this and other Scripture passages  
with a millennium in this world. Well, this  
looks as if the millennium was indeed demol- 
ished ; but what do you do, says one, with this?  
"They shall not teach every man his neighbor  
and every man his brother, saying, Know the  
Lord ; for all shall know me from the least even  
to the greatest." It. must be beyond this world, 
because all need to be taught here ; in fact,  
with th e best possible instruction, only a few  
can be said to " know the  Lord." Let no one  
therefore dream of a fulfilment of this predic- 
tion, till a new and heavenly state shall dawn ;  
then alone shall all " know the Lord" without  
being taught. Teaching the knowledge of the  
Lord will not be necessary then, because all  
who are " counted worthy to obtain that world  
and the resurrection from the dead" shall know  
him without being taught.  
There is a millennium revealed. It will be  
after the Lord shall have come, raised the  
righteous, destroyed the man of sin, bound the  
devil, burned the earth, and made it new. "They  
shall live and reign with Christ a thousand  
years." Rev. 5 : 10. 20: 4—6. They shall  all  
be " blessed and holy"—having part in " the  
first resurrection." Then they shall all " know  
the Lord,"—God's people will be " all right- 
eous." Amen! There will be nothing to hurt  
or destroy in all God's holy mountain. Amen ! 
and Amen ! Still a doubt may linger in some 
humble  inquirer, as to Satan's being loosed—  
Gog and Magog, who come up on " the breadth  
of the earth." To avoid confusion, read this  
with care, and you may see that neither Satan  
nor Gog and Magog, are said to " hurt or de- 
stroy," or even enter, " the beloved city—the 
camp of the saints." No one that has part in  
" the first resurrection" is either tempted or 
touched. This Gog andMagogare the enemies  
of God "without." Rev. 22: 14, 15. They  
are proclaimed blessed who enter in through  
the gates into the city ; " for without are dogs,  

and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murder- 
ers, and idolators, and whosoever loveth and  
maketh a lie." These dupes of the devil are  
again duped to make an attempt on the "blessed 
and holy" within the eternal city—the heavenly  
Jerusalem. The attempt fails, because God  
makes this the occasion to engulf them forever  
in hell. This is the second death. If we follow  
the plain word of God, we may know that Gog  
and Magog are not from among " the blessed  
and holy." They are the foes^ of God, who,  
through the lapse of time, became, by sin, ves- 
sels of wrath—those who were cast " out into  
outer darkness." At the close of " the day of 
God," at the resurrection of the " unjust,"  
when these "children ofthe wicked one" shall  
come up, it may be from the dross which has  
been purged away from the earth by the confla- 
gration, they will be victims of his devices once  
more. But all they do is to develop their enmi- 
ty to God and his redeemed, which will furnish 
a righteous occasion for their eternal damna- 
tion. I can easily conceive, that, as the dross  
is purged away by fire from precious metals,  
leaving the centre and substanee of it pure, so 
the dross of  this world may, in the final fires,  
fall off by the rapid revolution of the earth on  
its axis, and form something like " the breadth,"  
the " without," whence " the unjust" may have  
their resurrection,—be marshalled by Satan, and  
finally doomed to the second death/ Whymav  
not the dross, the lighter portions of this world",  
with the dust of the wicked, be thrown off. (0,  
my God, how my poor soul bleeds for sinners.'  
when I see their doom !) Why may there not  
be formed, from well-known natural causes,  
something like the ring of Saturn? One thing  
is certain, from the plain, unambiguous lan- 
guage of Scripture,—on this alone dol positive- 
ly rely,—the wicked are " without." " Gog and  
Magog come up  on the breadth." Then let us  
never again imagine that these foes are apos-
tates from religion towards the close of the  
millennium. None live, so far as we are informed 
by the Bible, during that blissful period, but the  
" blessed and holy," none but those who have  
part in " the first resurrection." It is written  
" the rest of the dead lived not again" till the thou- 
sand years were finished. They have no  
resurrection for a thousand years after the right- 
eous. No proposition need be stated more  
plainly. It is then proved positively that Goo- 
and Magog are nothing but the wicked raised  
from the dead, who, with the devil, come up by  
God's permission to final execution.  
6. After the millennium was seen to be  
subsequent to the Saviour's coming, the restora- 
tion of the Jews, in my mind, stood in the way.  
It was believed that they must be restored first.  
On this point, I had no very definite views, ex-
cept that the natural seed of Abraham were to  
be returned, at some indefinite period, to Judea,  
and probably be made instrumental in the con' 
version ofthe world. This plausible idea was  
founded on the promise to Abraham, that in his 
seed "all nations" should be blessed; but had  
I read my Bible (as I intend to for the future)  
instead of Judaizing teachers, I mio-ht have  
learned who "the seed" is Gal. 3:&16. Had 
the promise been understood, as it is plainly  
stated, Rom. 4 : 13, 17, I need not have been in  
doubt, for "the promise that he should be heir  
of the world, was not to Abraham or to his seed,  
through the law, but through the righteousness  
of faith; for if they which are of the law be  
heirs, faith is made void, and the promise of none 
effect." You see the plain teaching of God was 
overlooked. The term " seed" was applied to 
the carnal Jews, instead of Christ. The carnal  
Jews restored, were to be made a blessing to  
the world; » they which are of the law" were


by me esteemed "heirs," on principles, which,  
if true, broke up or subverted the whole gospel  
plan. If the carnal Jew be an heir, "faith is  
made void, and the promise of none effect."  
My first object was to get a well defined  
idea of the new covenant. This comprehends  
all the promises. None are heirs of these  
promises except they come within its provi- 
sions,—except they believe. The middle wall  
of partition between Jew and Gentile is broken  
down, so that the gospel knows no man "after 
the flesh" To give the promises to the carnal 
Jew would be to rebuild the partition wall  
which God has thrown down. In Gal. 4 ; 21  
—31, the apostle names but "the two covenants,"  
the two Jerusalems, and the two classes of  
people. One was after the  flesh, in bondage,  
under sentence of being cast out,—the other  
was by promise free and heir to the Jerusalem  
above. Now we may take " the curse" from  
those who are " under the law," and transfer it  
to the " children of promise," with the same  
propriety that we may take the promise from  
believers, and transfer it to those who are under  
the law ; but we cannot do either. We must  
not mar " His work" which is perfect. We 
dare not " lay anything lo the charge of God's  
elect," seeing it is he who justifieth them on  
the principle of the new covenant,—" by grace  
through faith." We would not apply the pro- 
mise, which is given only to " them who be- 
lieve," to a carnal Jew, any sooner than to a  
wicked Gentile, lest we should be accessory  
to their deception and ruin.  
But if the casting away of them be the recon- 
ciling of the world, what shall the receiving 
of them be, but life from the  dead ! Rom. 11 :  
15. This I had supposed to be in harmony  
with the promise to Abraham, that in his des- 
cendants all nations should be blessed. When  
the Jewish nation was cast off, the gospel was  
given to the Gentiles, and made the means of  
bringing them to God ; but when they should 
be restored, it would be a still greater blessing 
to the world, even as life from the dead. This  
is a prevailing notion ; but still it is a notion  
not authorized by this or any other passage in  
the Bible. Read it with care,—" What  shall  
the receiving of them be but.life from the dead?" 
—as life from the dead ? No ; there is no as in 
the text. It means what it says, that their res  
toration is nothing " bat life from the dead,"  
nothing but a resurrection.  
This is confirmed by what is said, (5 : 25,)  
" that blindness in part is happened to Israel,  
until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." 
Do see ! The blindness is not  said to be taken  
from them, and they made the instruments of  
bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles. If this  
had been said, we shovdd have been authorized 
to entertain the prevalent expectation ; but,  
instead of this, it is said that blindness is hap- 
pened to Israel till the fulness of the Gentiles 
be come in,—till all of the Gentiles are brought  
in who shall be. Their blindness will remain  
until the coming of Christ; then "all Israel  
shall be saved,"—all God's Israel,—all believers  
will have final, eternal salvation. They shall  
come out of their graves, Ezek. 37: 12, or be 
changed at the last trump, 1 Cor. 15: 51. 
This is the simple language of the apostle ;  
their reception is " life from ihe dead," or resur-
rection. Their blindness remains till the ful- 
ness of the Gentiles shall come in ; therefore  
all are deceived who rely on the Jews, devoted  
to destruction, as a means for converting  the  
world. Deut. 28: 61 ; Isa. 65: 9, 15.  
The apostle defines the Jew, Rom. 2: 27,  
29. "He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and 
circumcision is of the heart." " They are not  
all Israel who are descended from Israel; the  

children of the flesh, these are not the children 
of God, but the children of the promise are 
counted for the seed." Rom. 9 : 6,8. Ye are  
all the children of God by faith in Christ ;  
Christ is "the seed' to whom the promise is  
made. Gal. 3. He hau no natural descendants, 
therefore the descent is not reckoned by natural  
generation, but by faith, as it is wriiten,—"if  
ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and  
heirs according to the promise." Gal. 3 : 29.  
Believers constitute the Israel of God, the " all  
Israel"  who "shall be saved" when Christ the  
Deliverer shall come out of Zion. No argument 
is more direct. Those who believe are Christ's.  
They are to be " his at his corning." Them  
"God will bring with him." 1 Thess. 4: 14.  
Now as these are the children of promise, who  
are counted for the seed,—as this class alone  
are named in the provisions ofthe new covenant, 
it follows, of course, that they constitute the 
" all Israel who shall be saved."  
The mass of ihe Jewish nation has ever been  
" under the law," consequently under its curse,""  
not under the promise of the new covenant- 
Wrath came upon them to the uttermost;" not  
the promise to national restoration. Deut 28:  
44; Rom. 11 : 9, 10. Every Sabbath-school  
scholar knows that " the gospel" is to be  
preached to every class without distinction,—  
IO the Jew and Gentile. " He that believeth  
and is baptized shall be saved," whether Jew  
or Gentile. " He who believeth not shall be 
damned," whether Jew or Gentile. We should  
rejoice that divine teaching is not yea and nay ; 
it is all " yea;" so that every honest inquirer,  
who will follow the word and Spirit of God,  
may come directly out into light. No one need 
be in doubt as to who the reaHsrael of God are. 
To them all the promises belong. To tlie op- 
posite class there is nothing but impending  
-wrath. Lord, forgive thy professed people for  
sustaining the false and ruinous expectations of  
the poor carnal Jew. They have clung to their  
abolished system, and we have helped them to  
hold on to their perdition; but we should have  
cried aloud to them and spared not to tell them 
that they  were under the curse. Alas for the  
church ! it has been, for the most part, carnal ; 
and by consequence in the same condemnation.  
Who can avoid this conclusion from Scripture  
premises? Who can wonder that professing  
Christians, who apply the promises ofthe new  
covenant to those who are under the curse of  
the old, should be in need of this solemn appeal : j  
"Beware therefore, lest that come upon you  
which is spoken of in the prophets. Behold,  
ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I  
work a work in your days, a work which ye  
shall in no wise believe, though a man declare  
it. unto you." Those who are in the fog as to 
the "first principles of the oracles of God,"  
may be also with regard to both prophecy and  
providence, relating to the second advent and 
the final restoration of " all Israel." They  
should at least beware.  
When this Judaistic notion of a national res- 
toraiion was dissipated, there was nothing in  
prophecy, which, to my mind, would delay the 
Saviour's coming. The next step was to ascer- 
tain,  
7. The time. After having read, reflected,  
and prayed for weeks to know what God has  
revealed on this point, my mind was relieved,  
as is often the case with an anxious inquirer.  
The different positions of prophecy that seemed ! 
isolated and somewhat confused, were arranged 
in my mind in the most perfect order, and  
sweetly impressed on my heart. As thousands 
of young converts have felt, when emerging  
from darkness into the light, so I felt when I  
leaped up and said, the second advent is as  

plainly revealed as was the first. It is revealed  
in connection with the first, in the very place  
where we might most naturally expect to find it.  
The more frequqjatly my mind reviews the  
ground it then traversed, the more clear and 
satisfactory does the conclusion seem that the 
second appearing of Jesus is just at hand—this  
very year. Acts 3 : 21, 22. All the prophets  
have foretold it. Then the prophet Daniel has.  
If he has foretold it, it must be in chapter 8 ;  
13,14, for in' this place we have the longest  
period named in his scheme of prophecy. It  
must be foretold here, because this prophecy  
reaches " to the end." It is the time appointed  
when shall be " the end." vs. 17—19. The  
inquiry was, " How long shall be the vision ?"  
&c. In reply it was said, "Unto two thousand  
three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be  
clearrsed." The cleansing of the sanctuary was 
explained by Jesus, Matt. 13: 40, 41, " In the 
end of this world ho will gather out of his king-
dom all things that offend," &c.  
In 2 Thess. 1—8, we have the prophecy of  
the Man of Sin, who has his origin in a "falling  
away" from the purity of the gospel. He has  
his seat in "the temple" or sanctuary of God,  
which of course cannot be cleansed till he be 
destroyed by Christ, " at his coming." Here  
we have the sanctuary cleansed. Paul's pro- 
phecy is the perfect counterpart of Daniel's,  
chap. 7: 21, 22. The little horn made war with 
the saints, and prevailed against them until the 
Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given 
to the saints, and the time came that the saints  
possessed the kingdom. The coming of the 
Ancient of Days to judge this wicked power,  
answers to the destruction of the Man of Sin by 
the brightness of Christ's coming. The tread-
ing down of" the sanctuary and the host" dur-
ing two thousand three hundred days, looks  
just like the prevailing of the little horn, " till  
the Ancient of Days came." Here there is no 
need for imagination,—nothing but a plain  
comparison of plain prophecy. Jesus says 
that he will purify his kingdom "in the end of  
the world," Paul says of the Man of Sin, sit- 
ting in the temple Of God, whom the Lord will 
" destroy with the brightness of his coming."  
Does not. this harmonize with the prophet, who  
gives the length of the vision, and " the time 
appointed" when (shall be) " the end?"  
Though the vision extends to the eleansing  
of the sanctuary, to the end, (8: 17,) to the  
comi'ng of the Ancient of Days, and the judg- 
merit, (7 : 22,) yet there is no date ; and without  
a date, the two thousand three hundred days is 
no revelation of the time. The prophet avers  
that" none understood it." 8 : 27. No one could  
understand without a date. After this beloved  
prophet had prayed with special reference to  
the subject of the eighth chapter,—the sanctu-
ary,—the holy mountain of God, Gabriel was  
again commissioned, in answer to his entreaty, 
to Explain " the vision.'' Gabriel, who was  
s'een in the vision," was he who was named,  
chapter 8: 16. He is not named in chapter  
ninth, nor is there any vision here recorded.  
The necessary conclusion is, (if we confine our  
minds to the prophecy,) that Gabriel explains  
further " the vision" of the eighth,—the vision  
of two thousand three hundred days, which,  
being without a date, could not be understood. 
Therefore, he says, " Understand the matter 
and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are  
i determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy  
! city, to finish the transgression, and to make an  
end of sins, and to make reconciliation for ini- 
quity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,  
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to 
anoint the most holy." ver. 24. Then he gives  
it a date. " Know, therefore, and understand,  
165


that from the going forth of the commandment  
to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto Messiah 
the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and three- 
score and two weeks ; ihe street shall be built  
again, and the wall, even in troublous times "  
ver. 25. From this date there were seventy 
times seven years, till Christ's crucifixion ; 
therefore, we learri the nature of the days as  
well as the period whence to reckon them.  
The two thousand three hundred days are un- 
questionably  periods of the same length with  
the seventy times seven. Had  they been days  
of twenty-four hours each, the sanctuary would 
have been cleansed long since. Whereas, it is  
not yet cleansed, nor will it be, as we learn from  
the New Testament, till the end of the world.  
The seventy weeks are " cut off," or, as Dr. 
Gill has it, " cut out." They must be cut off  
or cut out from something,  and they cannot be  
eut off without leaving a remainder. The vision  
including  the two thousand three hundred days  
is the subject of explanation. Gabriel said,  
•" understand the vision ;" therefore, the seventy  
weeks, unless we travel out of the record, must 
be cut off from the two thousand three hundred  
days. There is nothing else from which to cut 
them. If so, the conclusion is irresistible that  
as the seventy weeks ended near the crucifixion  
or ascension, the remainder will end this year.  
Thus 70X7=490—2300=1810. 1810 added to  
A. D. 33, makes 1843. The date is from  
God—the lengths of the periods are of God—  
their number is of God. The God of truth  
teaches us by Gabriel that they reach to '' the  
end,"—"the last end of the indignation;"  
therefore I believe with all my heart. The  
obscurity is probably no greater than in any  
other portion of prophecy. The second advent  
is as plainly noted in " the scriptures of truth,"  
as was the first. We know that the Jews,  
however •plausible might have been their objec-
tions to believing in Jesus as their Messiah,  
sinned grievously  in rejecting him. We learn  
the degree of their sin by the dreadfulness of  
their doom. But they had not a tenth part of  
the light which we enjoy to enkindle faith.  
How sinful, then, must we be, who reject " the 
coming One,"—put off the cleansing of the  
sanctuary,—perpetuate  the prevalence of" that  
wicked one," and delay the church's triumph  
;in the Redeemer's glory for a thousand years.  
Beware! O beware, lest in your unbelief you  
only behold and wonder and perish. You, my 
brethren, who disbelieve, do not think more of  
yourselves, nor are you more esteemed by your  
;fellow-men than were the rulers of the syna- 
gogue, whom Paul addressed. Paul was as  
lightly  esteemed by them as any second advent  
brother is by you. My appeal ss to the Searcher  
of hearts, that 1 do not in heart despise or de- 
nounce my brethren. No, no ; I have been in 
the dark too long. But I am bound with you to  
meet ''the coming One," and I dare not forbear  
tospeak plainly, though at the hazard of your  
displeasure. We  shall all find, very soon, that  
the displeasure of our fellow-creatures is naught  
to be dreaded. We can all afford to lose the  
approbation of man ; but who can, in view of  
the opening judgment, hazard the approbation  
of his conscience or his God !  
When the passages above quoted, were  
'brought into order in my mind, what could I do  
but believe that the event here predicted, would  
in all probability occur this year.* It is true,  
(that the stupendous nature of the event over- 
whelmed me,—well nigh crushed me ; but  
thereis no more difficulty  in believing that this  
* I see nothing on which to predicate a doubt, except  
it be that the interpretation is human ; but this occasion  
for doubt, applies with as much force to every other in- 
( terpretation.  
166  

is the year, than any one future, except that it  
crosses our natural feelings, breaks in upon our 
projects, or excites the opposing spirit of evil.  
As for me, I have not for years wanted to form  
any projects or cherish any feelings, but such 
as please God. Therefore, if we believe in  
any time, it is clear that it should be the time  
he has fixed. We should have no will of our 
own, especially in religion. Such was my 
conviction; but my good name, my situation 
as pastor, or, what was more, the peace of the  
church—in truth, every thing relating to this  
world seemed at stake. To admit the truth, 
was probably to forfeit the friendship of those 
whom I had most highly esteemed. Every  
thing of this kind was presented to my mind's  
eye in all its importance; and much of what,  
was then seen, has been realized ; so that I did  
not rush recklessly into my present position. 
O, no ! the truth was never admitted with a  
more complete survey of consequences. I did  
not see any thing with the second advent doc-
trine. in this world, but disgrace and the prom- 
ised blessing of Jesus. On this condition, my 
soul submitted. Soon, very soon, I was con-
strained to say, that whatever sufferings might  
be allotted me, I enjoyed enough to compensate 
for them all. My very soul and body were  
bathed and blessed,—my whole person was  
baptized with the Holy Spirit's influence ; never  
did my heart love God so much. In fact, it  
seemed to me that I had been a comparative 
stranger to love. God, our Saviour, had my  
whole heart; so sweetly, and yet so powerful- 
ly, did he draw my soul after him, that it sen-
sibly affected and exhausted my body. His  
word was verified : 44 No man forsaketh father  
or mother," &c., " for the kingdom of God's 
sake, but he shall receive an hundred fold more."  
My whole intellectual  and moral nature was  
made to repose sweetlv in the truth and its  
Di vine Author. My Bible seemed nearer now  
than when I bought it, at my first conversion.  
If friends had been lost, I found those who were  
an hundred fold nearer and dearer. Heaven, 
for which my soul at times had panted, seems  
as in open vision. Hell is an awful reality.  
Sinners seem to be in the condition of persons 
in a house on fire: their doom is seen to be so  
dreadful and so near, that 1 want to call after 
them continually.  God never wrought in my  
soul with such power to rescue souls as brands 
from the burning. He gave me about all that  
my physical strength could bear. Now my  
concern seems directed to my brethren in the  
ministry, and the state of the churches. Be- 
loved brethren, suffer the word of exhortation. 
It is not possible for me to address you as if  
you had a long life of usefulness before you ; it 
is not possible for me to feel that you or your  
people are safe. It is my settled, solemn con- 
viction, that you are many of you in infinite  
peril. Many of you have been to me amiable :  
hut it does seem that you, who put off the com-
ing of Jesus, occupy a wrong position with  
reference to that amazing event. If you are in  
doubt as to the time, still there is no excuse  
why you should despise those who are not in  
doubt. Surely, the least you can do, with safety 
to your own souls, is to pray to be ready, and 
labor to get your people ready. " Take heed to  
yourselves—watch  and pray always, that ye  
may be accounted worthy to escape all these  
things that shall come to pass, and to stand be- 
fore the Son of man." Tell me—settle it in  
your mind before God—how you can be saft.-,  
when the announcement of this tremendous  
event, on the authority of the Most High, pro*  
duces little or no prayer. How can you forgive  
yourselves—how can our common Judge for-
give you, when you fulfil the character of the  

unfaithful  servant, and turn to smite your fel- 
low servants? Do you not see that just so far  
as you oppose the speedy coming of our Lord, 
you please the ungodly 1 It is dangerous to  
stand in the way of sinners, for the next step  
will be to sit "in the seat of  the scornful."  
Ministers have passions like other men. and  
are as easily excited, except they watch and  
pray. Ministers have more at stake than other  
men—their salary, reputation, comfort, and the  
respectability of their families, will all serve to 
tempt them to take just that stand against the 
unpopular doctrine of the second advent, that  
the rulers of the synagogue took against Paul.  
My brethren, you are exposed to temptation,  
and Jesus saw it, or he would not have charged  
you, as well as me, to watch. There are many,  
however, who seem not to suspect danger of  
being unprepared ; these do not wateh with  
reference to the coming of Christ. Some make  
light of " going up." They may not have lead  
with attention, that some who mocked at Eli- 
sha for saying that Elijah had " gone up," were  
cursed, and made a monument to the impious in  
after ages.  
God has given us one illustration,  in each  
dispensation ofthe revealed truth, that his peo- 
ple shall be caught up to meet the Lord in 
the air." Enoch in the patriarchal, Elijah 
in the prophetic, and Jesus in the Chris-
tian ; yet many make a mock of it. Though 
ministers may haye read, they seem not to  
believe that even children where destroyed,  
who mocked at Eiisha, for saying that Elijah 
had gone up. It was mocking Cod, who caused  
Elijah to go up. So now, it seems plain to me,  
that all who make light of second advent believ- 
ers' "going up," mock God. One minister says  
that he had as leif be found fighting the doc-
trine of the second advent when Christ comes, 
as not ; but I forbear. "Father, forgive them, 
they know not what they do." If my service be 
not accepted ofthe brethren, it will be, I trust,  
a relief to myself. I was constrained to write, 
and though I have written amid the interruptions  
occasioned by the sale of furniture and "breaking  
up," yet here are some of my convictions stated  
—some of my feelings portrayed.  
It would have gratified my own feelings to  
have stated what appears plainly revealed con- 
cerning the 1335 days. Dan. 12 : 12. These 
begin from the event named ver. 11 ; also 2 
Thess. 2 : 7. Pagan Rome, that hindered the  
development of Antichrist, yielded to the influ-
ence of Christianity,  so that their daily worship  
was taken away A. D. 508; add to 508 + 1335,  
and you have 1843. Paganism gave way and  
Papacy came up thirty years after.  
It was my desire to have referred to the time  
named in connection with the sounding of the 
trumpets. The time is not given for the first  
four, but it is given for the fifth and sixth, prob- 
ably to indicate to us the approaching judgment. 
The events named under the sixth trumpet, 
ended 1840. It is said that the second wo is 
past; behold, the third wo cometh quickly.—  
Rev. 11 : 14. This does not designate the  
year, but, taken in connection with the definite  
periods, it is, to my mind, most impressive. The  
third wo is the last; the seventh trumpet is the  
last; when it " begins to sound, the mystery of  
God shall be finished."—Rev.  10:7. In view of  
this fact, who can be indifferent ? O Lord, 
awake the watchmen !  
The signs of the coming of the Son of man are  
by the wicked scoffed at. Judging from what I 
know, many ministers and professors join in  
these, scoffs. The majority do not scoff, but 
still very many seem to " take pleasure in them  
that do." If my feeble testimony can be receiv- 
' ed, let me say that if the signs have not been


given, they need never be expected. The ob-
jections now made against the evidence from  
the signs, would be urged with more plausibili-
ty and more effect, if they should be repeated.  
As to spiritual influences, are they not what  
has been foretold ? What cause can be assign-
ed for Brother Brown's primitive experience ? 
There are, 1 presume, thousands who have had 
an experience strongly resembling his. A min- 
istering brother has just told me of a pious wo- 
man, who had essentially such an experience 
as brother Brown's, and she was brought by  
nothing but the word and Spirit to just those  
views E now entertain. She was deemed cra- 
zy, but the Spirit of God wrote this whole sec- 
ond advent doctrine on her soul; she has it all  
without human agency. If there are to be in  
the last days instances of remarkable outpour- 
ings of the Spirit, where are we to find them, if  
not among second advent believers ? A child  
of six years old, when converted, told me the  
most interesting experience I ever heard ; her  
whole soul was quickened, and she was a be- 
liever in her Lord's speedy coming. Now I  
should like to hear some of those who feel and 
act as if the Lord could not come yet, account  
for these spiritual influences, on any other prin- 
ciples than those by which "the rulers ol the  
synagogue" accounted for Paul's experience— 
for the miracles of Jesus, &c. Account for  
them, my brethren, if possible, on any other  
principles than those by which Uriiver- 
salists and Infidels account for ordinary  
conversions. If insanity, mental imbecility,  
or the devil, be the cause of our experi- 
ences of truth, what is the cause of revivals ?  
My brethren, let those engaged in them be your  
judges. This is a solemn truth. I feel awfully,  
in view of the necessary conclusion to which  
these premises lead. You cannot justify opposi- 
tion to that agency which cuts the soul loose from  
the world and fills it with the second advent, as  
well as "glory and God,"except you virtually jus- 
tify the Jewish rulers in opposing the apostles. 
Therefore, it is my solemn conviction, that you  
need beware, lest ye only behold, oppose, and  
perish. It is true that there were miraculous  
powers attending Paul ; but observe that is not  
the basis of my argument. The church has 
long regarded the argument derived from Pawl's  
conversion, (it being sustained by the same  
kind of conversion in all parts of the world,) as  
a strong one. It has been urged as if irrefraga- 
ble. If it be a good argument in any case.why  
not in the one before us ? You observe that  
the argument is based only on spiritual influ- 
ences. Every effect has an adequate cause ;  
every direct spiritual effect has not. only its  
adequate cause, but a cause of its own nature—  
as it is written, " Satan is not divided against  
Satan," nor can Jesus "deny himself." These 
eternal truths ate not recognized by wicked  
men when they oppose the Holy Spirit's agen- 
cy in the experience of the saints ; nor do you,  
my brethren, when trifling with the same sort  
of agency in writing the second advent on the 
hearts of many. This Spirit is " not of the  
world ;" if it was of the world, the world would  
love its own ; but seeing it is not of the world,  
" therefore the world hateth it." All ministers  
who believe in the Lord's coming at hand, must  
be hated, or at least neglected. Those who be- 
lieve, cannot, therefore, have the ordinary im- 
pulses to action,which worldly men have: they  
must have higher, holier impulses, derived from  
the Holy One, to separate from the spirit of this  
world, and wait, on scriptural principles, for the  
coming of Jesus to judgment.  
If any desire, as one did, that there should be,  
beside these spiritual influences, miracles and  
signs, to convince them of the truth ofthe second  

advent, let me assure you that the " miracles and  
signs" are furnished.—Where ? Just where we  
might expect to find them ; where they should 
be, in order to confirm the revelation of God on this  
subject. These proofs that the docirine of " the 
glorious appearing" is of God, are not wanting.  
They are as abundant to prove this as to prove 
the Messiahship of Jesus, or any other truth;  
so that now we want nothing but the Spirit to  
aid our infirmities, and dispose us to believe 
that word, which is confirmed by both "signs 
and miracles," that Christ will come when the 
signs he himself has foretold have been wit- 
nessed, and the prophetic periods terminated.  
It was faith that was wanting in the rulers of  
the synagogue, not signs; so it is faith in the  
more sure word of prophecy that is now wanting.  
It is painful to see how many make this want 
of faith, which is itself a striking fulfilment of  
Scripture, an objection. Jesus solemnly in  
quired, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he  
find faith on the  earth ?" Yet the masters in  
Israel are making the verification of this dread-
ful truth a reason for their continued unbelief.  
When unbelief is predicted to be a fearful to- 
ken of his coming, many ministers, with an un- 
believing world, co-operate to create that token.  
Surely, 1  have not mistaken the application of  
my text. Beware, lest in unbelief ye only  
wonder to perish.  
Even though a definite period had not been  
named for the coming of the day of God, such are  
the general admonitions to be ready, to wait for,  
look for, and love his appearing, that no one can 
disregard them wiihout infinite peril. Beware,  
then, beware, lest that come upon you which is  
spoken in the prophets.  
Did you ever learn ihe whole name of Jesus ?  
Rev. 1 : 8—"I am Alpha and Omega, the begin- 
ning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, 
and which was, and which is to come.'1'' The 
last clause, literally rendered, may read The  
coming One. Faith respects him in his whole  
character. Many have  spoken to me about  
preaching the gospel, not seeming to know that 
the gospel is the good news of the kingdom to. 
come, when Jesus shall appear. The gospel  
dispensation is not his kingdom, except in em-
bryo in the hearts of his people, because, Luke  
19: 11  —13—" He spake a parable to them, be- 
cause they thought the kingdom should immediate- 
ly appear." The disciples where expecting the  
kingdom, Acts 16. It shall be set up at his ap- 
pearing, 2 Tim. 4:1; and we know, on the  
highest authority, that it cannot come till after 
the resurrection. 1 Cor, 15 : 50,. Now this I  
say, brethren, that fash and blood cannot inherit  
the kingdom of God. No one will ever en:er 
that glor ous, everlasting kingdom, butby the re- 
surrection, or a change equal IO it.  
Some want me to preach Jesus Christ and him  
crucified. Such, probably, do not know that he,  
who was the crucified One, is now The coming 
One. If we, my brethren, preach, and the peo- 
ple believe in Jesus as he is revealed, we shall  
both preach and have the people believe in the  
coming One. Beware, how you omit to preach  
th e coming of Jesus. By the terrible splendors  
ofthe Day of God, I charge you to preach the 
coming of Jesus By your past remissness, I  
charge you to preach the coming of Jesus. By 
the doom of the unfaithful watchman and the 
unfaithful servant, I charge you to preach the  
coming of Jesus. To all, I say, in view of  
opening judgment, repent, be baptised and be-
lieve in Jesus, The coming One. Amen !  
It is good that we have sometimes troubles  
and crosses ; for they often make a man enter  
into himself, and consider that he ought not to  
place his trust on any worldly thing.—a Kempis.  

IMPORTANCE AND INFLUENCE OF THE  
SECOND ADVENT FAITH.  
The writer ofthe following, is the Methodist Epis- 
copal clergyman at Harrisburgh, Pa. It is addressed 
to a female member of the M. E. Church, in Paterson,  
N. J., where he had been stationed two years.  
" My Dear Sister,—Your truly acceptable letter, af- 
forded me a good degree of satisfaction, inasmuch as it  
clearly evinced that not only you, but four or five of  
your class leaders, and a number of our dear friends,  
and not a few who are ardently attached to me in Pat-
erson, are occupied as they shouid be, in contemplating 
the near approach of our adorable Lord. You also in- 
formed me that your dear pastor is desirous to know 
my sentiments on this momentous subject.  
" I have unhesitatingly, and boldly proclaimed the  
coming and kingdom of Christ, in all the charges I have  
supplied for several years past, when, for aught I knew, 
I was the only minister in the place that thus preach-
ed. As to  the effect of conversing and preaching on  
this subject, I have been favored to see such an in-
fluence as evinced most clearly that Jehovah sanction- 
ed the effort, honored the speaker, and blessed the  
hearer. Believe me, my dear sister, that the effect  
produced was not like the morning cloud, and early 
dew. No, truly, months afterward, the increased spi- 
rituality, improved devotion, advancing holiness, and 
corresponding happiness of those who were affected,  
proved indubitably that they grew in grace and the 
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. When I have 
preached expressly on this subject,—which I have 
often—the congregations were unusually interested, and  
in every instance wished to hear more anon of the 
same matter. Indeed, I have seen a vast assembly  
convulsed—believers enraptured, and careless sinners  
pale, trembling, and astounded. One difficulty I will  
name : viz., when persons, religious or irreligious, be-
come interested in this matter, they are exceedingly 
prone to endeavor to grasp the whole subject at once,  
and with undue haste, to seek to know in an hour, what  
will require months of serious inquiry. In this place,  
the capital of Pennsylvania, my most devoted members 
are those who attend the midnight cry : ' Behold, the 
bridegroom cometh.' Here, all my books on the mil- 
lennium have been in constant requisition, and many  
feel that they could cheerfully spend the midnight hour  
in conversing or thinking on this theme. Many and  
many a night I have been poring over my Bible, with  
this absorbing inquiry, when and how will the Lord ap- 
pear, and what will be the signs of his coming, the cir- 
cumstances preceding, attending and succeeding 1 And 
now, my sister, allow me to say, respecting myself, 
that, looking for, and hasting to the coming of the Lord, 
has a most  hallowing and exhilarating influence on my  
mind and heart, my sentiments and passions, my prin-
ciples and conduct, and by a careful perusal ofthe New 
Testament, you will find that this especially sanctified,  
sustained, and comforted the Apostles, their successors, 
and all the apostolic Churches. How much more then, 
now that ages have passed away, should the expecting 
Church look for the coming of the Lord '! You were  
right in informing our friends that in your opinion, I 
intimated to you that though in some particulars, I did  
not agree with Messrs Litch and Miller, yet in the  
leading truths their sentiments are scriptural."  
WESTERN NEW YORK.  
Dear Bro. Southard,r—xlllow  me to acknowledge  
through your paper, the goodness of God during my 
labors in the YVestern part of this State. After spend- 
ing one day and evening with our dear friends in Alba-
ny, at the " house of prayer," I hastened on to James- 
town, Chautauqu© Co. Here I met with my old friend 
and class-mate, Elder A. Chapin,, pastor ofthe Baptist  
Church in that place—a brother dearly beloved, and  
highly esteemed. He is full in the faith of the advent 
nigh, and is warning the people to be hourly prepared 
for the event. Having spent a week there in lecturing,  
we started with horse and carriage for Westfield,—22  
miles—to attend a ministerial conference. The day  
there wras profitable to us all. Several of the brethren  
present, expressed their faith in the near approach of  
our Lord. Though all were not decided on the time,  
yet all seemed interested in the " blessed hope." I  
preached in the evening to a large and attentive au- 
dience. In the morning brethren Wilson, Chapin, and  
Swain proceeded with me to North East, Pa., to attend  
a Second Advent Conference ; arrangements having 
been previously made by Elder Wilson, an old and  
faithful missionary in that region. The people flocked  
167


to hear, and many are rejoicing in the hope of being so  
soon in the company of the patriarchs, apostles and the 
Lamb. I lectured once at North East Village, after  
the Conference; dosed—also at Quincy, and Salem— 
and on my return,- at the terit meeting at Rochester.  
The Lord has been with me, and he has " promised to  
be with us to the end." The people in the .country are  
anxious to hear on the Subject of our Savior's approach.  
In the midst of Opposition and Unbelie'f, there are many  
who love the appearing of the Lord. They are looking  
for his approach. To all the friends who so kindly  
entertained me I would say, may grace, mercy, aftd  
peace abide.  
Yours truly, N. HERVEY.  
New York, July 8, 1843.  
LETTER FROM MARYLAND.  
PRINCESS  ANNE, SOMERSET  CO.,  \  
July 6th, 1843. \  
Dear Bro. Himes,—I take the liberty of writing you  
a few lines, although I am a stranger to you. I was 
born in 1800, in Europe, in a Roman Catholic country,  
one of the ten horns of the beast (Portugal.) I emi- 
grated to Nortn America, and settled at Baltimore just  
before the last war. I continued a Catholic until about  
1818, at which time I was converted to the doctrine  
of Methodism; but recently I have embraced Miller's  
false prophecy, (srteeringly so called,) but to me, it  is  
and has proved to be a soul-reviving and heart-cheer- 
ing doctrine. When I first heard of Millerism, I was  
full of prejudice, and was among the scoffers,' until; ac-
cidentally, one of the daily Midnight Cries fell in my  
way. I took it up to read with the avowed purpose of 
ridiculing its contents. I had not read half of it before 
my prejudice began to shake, and I continued to read  
on until I read the whole. I formed a resolution that I  
would say no more against Millerism until I was satis- 
fied in my own mind whether it was true or false.'— 
This was about the last of December, 1842. The next  
day I tried to get more papers to read, but could find  
none; and as I had seen, in the paper that I read, pro-
posals to print the Midnight Cry weekly, and as 1 was  
anxious to be satisfied in my own mind, I got my next  
neighbor to join me, and sent for the Cry. You may  
suppose I awaited the arrival of it with interest. I re-
ceived five nos. at once. I commenced with the first, took 
my Bible, read slowly and carefully, and referred to  
holy writ. I was engaged in this way, day and night, 
for better than a week, without attending to any thing  
else. The result was, the more I read the more I 
wanted to read : my prejudice gave way, I began to  
believe, but was somewhat backward in coming out.—  
I began to advocate the doctrine on all proper occa- 
sions (as I thought,) openly and fearlessly. I thought 
that others would be brought to believe with me, bv  
the same means. I began to lend my papers to one  
and another, but my expectations were not realized.—  
However, I have not been discouraged, although I  
have to contend with my own brethren, and sinners too.  
I have tried to get subscribers to the Cry, but from the  
number that came to this post office, (five,) you may  
judge my success.  
The object of my writing to you at this time is, to1  
see if you can contrive by some means to send some of  
the brethren this way to lecture on the fulfilment of the 
prophecies, and the second advent in 1843. If any  
will come, they may expect to find opposition ; but I  
know of some in this village, and the next, a few miles  
off, that will gladly receive them and accommodate  
them.  
I remain your friend and brother in the Lord,  
JOHN V. PINTO.  
CAMP MEETING NEAR MIDDLETOWN, FA.  
In the haste of copying the letter respecting this  
camp meeting, a mistake was made in the dates. We 
now give the notice corrected.  
A camp meeting will commence, Providence per- 
mitting, Friday, July 28th, a mile and a half from Mid- 
dletown, the same distance from High Spire, eight  
miles from Harrisburg, half a mile from the rail-road,  
a quarter of a mile from the turnpike and the Pennsyl- 
vania Canal. Passengers from Philadelphia arrive at  
the place by rail-road at 3 P. M. It can be easily 
reached from Lancaster, Little York, and Carlisle.— 
The meeting will probably continue ten days. Of the  
best speakers whom God has raised up in this cause, it 
is expected that three or four will be present, but we  
cannot now announce their names. The owner of the  
o-round gives the use of it, together with two large  
168  

farm houses; and ample provision will be made for the  
accommodation and comfort of those who may attend.  
JOHN WALBORN.  
Middletown, June 23, 1843.  
4  
SECOND ADVENT GROVE MEETING.  
On the land of Pardon Ryoh, at Smith's Landing, At- 
lantic County, N. J., to commence Thursday, Aug. 3, 
and to continue about one week.  
LETTERS RECEIVED DURING THE WEEK  
ENDING JULY 11.  
POSTMASTERS.—Brimmersville, N. Y., 37-Jcts. ; Ea.  
Greenwich, R. I. ; St. Albans, III.; Bristol, Conn.; Co- 
penhagen, N. Y.; New Castle, Ky. ; Freetown Corner,  
N. Y. ; Royalton, Vt. ; Wales, Mass. ; McLain's Mills, 
Me., each $1. Hillsboro', 0.; Bethel, 0., each $2. 
Pittsburgh, Pa., §5. Middlebury. 0. ; Allenton, Ala. ;  
Norfolk, Va. ; Rensselaerville, N. Y. ; Ea. Hamilton, 
N. Y. ; Cntchogue, L. I. ; Fort Decatur, Ala. ; Kenne- 
beck-Port, Me. ; Hagerstown, Md., (distribute the  num- 
bers not taken ;) Bennington, Vt. ; Bath, N. H. • Fruit  
Hill, R. I.; Melvin Village, N. H., (A. Walker's paper  
has been sent ;) Harrisburg, N. Y.  
INDIVIDUALS —Aaron Clapp. $2. James Wise  and  
James Marsh, each $2. A subscriber, Cleveland, O. ; 
R. E. Ladd; Homer Caswell, each <B5. Wm. Rogers,  
$10. L. Caldwell, Wm. S. Taylor, C. Merchant, Lewis  
Hurd, Dyer Austin, John V. Pinto, L. D. Fleming, E.  
C. Galusha, and Stanley G. Hill.  
For the Midnight Cry- 
«BEHOLD IIE COMETH WITH CLOUD'S.'  
REV. 1: 7.  
Behold—behold, he cometh  
To set the captives free ;  
The morning light appeareth,  
The dawn of jubilee,  
When all God's chosen people  
Shall each their tribute bring,  
And hail him Prince of Zion,  
Their everlasting King.  
Behold—heboid, he coni'eth,  
But not as when to earth  
He came to be a suff 'rer,  
In mean and humble birth ;  
When nought but Bethl'hem's manger  
A birthplace could afford  
To him who seemed a stranger,  
But was our common Lord.  
Oh, no ; his second coming  
Shall other thoughts inspire ;  
Our God shall come in grandeur  
To set the world on fire,  
And gather home his people  
To reign with  him above,  
F&rever in his presence,  
The objects of his love.  
Now, with the clouds of heaven,  
Our God shall soon appear;  
The day of our redemption,  
We feel is drawing near—  
The day of our rejoicing  
When all thy saints get home ;  
Oh,, hear us, Lord, we pray thee, '  
And let thy kingdom come.  
CHEAP LIBRARY.  
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