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shown in the most conspicuous manner. 'Glory will be given to God in the highest, that there is peace on earth, and that good will is manifested to the children of men.'

It is no part of my design to utter personal reflections or to cast reproach on those, who, in England and in our own country, have for these many years been labouring to excite the churches to engage in speculations respecting the prophecies. That many of them are well-meaning men, and even men of ardent piety, I should be among the last to call in question. But John Albert Bengel was all this, and much more. He was a pillar of the higher order in the temple of God. His learning and philology command homage even at the present time. Yet "the baseless fabric of his vision has not left a wreck behind." And so it has fared-so I apprehend it will fare—with many a vaticination equally confident with his. Why should we not take warning, when we hear the surges roar and see the breakers dash, to steer the good ship in a safe and more quiet direction?

If the matter in question merely concerned a few ardent men, prone to dive into turbid depths and seek for pearls there, we might leave them to dive, and pass quietly along upon our own way. But the church is assailed on all sides with the claims of these hariolations. It has even come to this, that the quiet and sober Christian is reproached with a want of faith, because he hesitates to engage in them, or to sympathize with them. Ministers of the Gospel are in some cases looked upon with coldness, and even with disdain, because they will not preach these fanciful interpretations. It is time, therefore, for common sense and reason to rouse themselves up for action, and make sober, honest, and thorough inquiry whether there is any good ground for all this excitement. There is nothing in sacred hermeneutics that casts such a stain on English and Amer

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ican expositors, as the character of their interpretation of some parts of the prophets. They have no standard, no landmark, no compass. Every man says "what is right in his own eyes," and then calls upon others to agree with him. The most ingenious and fluent man is most extensively applauded; ingenious in forming conjectures, and fluent in his mode of developing them. Thus, as we might expect, one book succeeds another with the greatest rapidity; and the public, at least a portion of it, ever thirsting after novelty, and excited by the hope of obtaining a look into the future, receive every new actor in this drama with more or less of applause. How often is one compelled to turn away from such a spectacle, with an agitated and even mournful look, and exclaim: When will the churches learn to believe what their divine Master declared, in saying to his anxiously inquiring disciples: IT IS NOT YOURS TO

KNOW THE TIMES AND THE SEASONS, WHICH THE FATHER HATH PUT IN HIS OWN POWER!

One thing at all events must be true. If the Bible is not to be interpreted by the common principles of language, it cannot be interpreted at all, except by inspired men. Is there any promise to the church of such a class of interpreters? If not, then our only safety lies in adopting and following out the common, well-known, and well-established principles of interpretation. That these are violated by the extravagant and unfounded views so common at the present day, lies upon the very face of the interpretations. The main object of this little book has been, to show how they are unfounded, and why they ought to be so regarded. And now I appeal to the sober judgment of every unprejudiced reader, and ask him the question: Am I not in the right, in insisting that all designations of time should be interpreted according to their obvious meaning, when no good reason can be given why we should depart from

this? Are not the historical facts that I have adduced as the fulfilment of events predicted, as true to the representations in the prophecies, as other fulfilments to which we usually appeal? If so, why should we not be satisfied with them? Why should we persevere in looking to centuries in advance for fulfilment of that, respecting which it is repeatedly and solemnly declared, that it shall take place SPEEDILY?

Particularly would I urge one consideration here. It is this. How could it so happen, that all the various historical events to which I have adverted as fulfilments of prophecy, and which, it must in candour be granted, look very much like fulfilments, should have happened at times that coincide so exactly with the times designated in the prophecies? One or two of these we might account for on the ground of accident; but that so many events of the nature just described, should have all happened at the periods in question, and in regular order-is a matter which carries on its very face the stamp of being connected with prophecy.

If the sober and considerate portion of our religious community can be persuaded to give some due attention to this subject, and to insist on the application of sound principles to all prophetic exegesis, an important end will be answered. If others more capable than myself, and who have more leisure, can be roused up to pursue the investigations which are here but imperfectly commenced, and to expose any errors, or confirm any truths, which have now been suggested, this little book will not have been written in vain.

APPENDIX.

STRICTURES ON THE REV. G. DUFFIELD'S RECENT WORK ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

SINCE the publication of the first edition of my Hints on the Interpretation of Prophecy, a new work on the Millennium, or second Coming of Christ, by the Rev. George Duffield of Detroit, has made its appearance. It did not come into my hands, until the last sheets of the second edition of my work were under the press; and therefore I could make no reference to it, either in my preface, or in the body of my work. It contains 334 pages 12mo, and is occupied with the exposition and defence of millennial views of a nature very different from, and in many respects entirely opposite to, those which are commended on p. 147 seq. above. Of course it became a matter of interest to me, to know what reasons could be given in defence of such views; and it is surely a matter of some interest to the religious public to know, whether these reasons may fairly be deemed satisfactory.

I have read Mr. D's work with all the attention which time has permitted. The result is, a deeper conviction than ever of the difficulties which attend the supposition of a personal, actual, and visible descent of Christ and the glorified saints to the earth; and of their politico-ecclesiastical dominion here. The author is very much in earnest, in his defence of such a theory; and he has read somewhat extensively the more recent works of those who have assayed to defend it. He has, however, advanced but little which is really new, and evidently depends, for most of his appeals to the Christian fathers and other writings of somewhat remote origin, on the extracts which he finds in some of his favourite authors.

If the time which he has expended in such a pursuit, had been spent in the direct study of the original Scriptures, he would have shunned many an error which he has now com

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