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advent, p. 41.) How awful my brethren will be the state of the world, at the coming of our Lord! How awful is it, at this very time! There is the same indifference, the same practical infidelity, the same neglect of God, the same thoughtless pursuit of pleasure,—the same disgusting sensuality, the same cold-blooded wickedness, as in the days of Noah and of Lot. Watch and pray, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.

And this reminds me of my last argument for the premillennial return of Christ; and that is the constant admonitions of Scripture to wait and watch for this event. The believers of the apostolic age did not know, but that it might take place during their lifetime: and hence as they knew "neither the day nor the hour" they kept their lamps trimmed and burning, in order to be ready to welcome the Bridegroom. But if the coming of Christ is not to take place till after the millennium, it must still be at least a thousand years off: and how could they, or how can we be expecting, and watching and waiting for that which we know to be distant a thousand years? The coming of the Messiah therefore must be BEFORE the millennium and not after it.* Watch and Watch and pray, for ye know not at WHAT hour your Lord doth come.

• Those who deny the personal and pre-millennial advent of Messiah, maintain, that previous to the coming of Christ, there will be a thousand years of purity, holiness, and peace, commonly called the millennium. Now after several thousand years of wickedness, bloodshed, and all manner of cruelty, such a blessed period as the millennium just before the advent of ou Savior, must have proved a very "notable sign"t of his approach. How

Begg. See also Bickersteth's Practical Guide, chapter V. pp. 53, 54; and chapter VI. pp. 63-69. Some few however maintain, that the millennium commenced early in the fourth century, and of course is now past. It was a millennium indeed! Truly a most enlightened age of purity, holiness and truth, during the corruptions of the dark ages!! The people then were no doubt "ALL RIGHTEOUS"!!! (See Is. lx. 21.) This reminds us of the remark of Cicero, that "nothing is so absurd, but that some one of the philosophers has said it."

To the sinner, I would say, Repent and prepare to meet thy God; for the hour of his judgments is at hand. The season of thy probation is nearly ended, and if you submit not to the righteousness of Christ, you will soon be ruled with a rod of iron, and dashed in pieces like a potter's vessel. (Ps. ii. 9; Rev. ii. 26, 27; Ps. cxlix. 7–9.)

To the careless and thoughtless professor,-Beware lest you have the portion of the foolish virgins, and be excluded from the marriage feast.

The

But to the Christian who is standing on the watch-tower, anxiously expecting the return of his absent king,—Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for deliverance is near. tempest for a while may beat around thy head. You may sometimes ask with fearful solicitude,-How long Lord, how long, shall the enemy triumph,-how long shall thy saints be the scorn of an ungodly world? Blessed be the name of the Lord, the Son of man shall soon appear as thine avenger, in the day when he cometh to shake terribly the earth. "Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of Hosts [God manifest in the flesh] shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." (Is. xxiv. 23.)

Dear brethren, be not discouraged;-this short delay will exercise "faith, and hope and patience; and what better thing can be done for us than the strengthening [of] those

happens it then, in mentioning the various signs of this event, so conspicuous a token should have been omitted? The truth is, instead of any such period previous to the advent of Messiah, the Scriptures inform us that the last days shall be emphatically DAYS OF WICKEDNESS ;-"PERILOUS TIMES shall come," (2 Tim. iii. 1,)—“ sCOFFERS shall abound, saying, where is the promise of his coming"-(2 Pet. iii. 3, 4;) and " THE MAN OF SIN" (2 Thess. ii. 3,) to whom Satan gives a tremendous power (Rev. xiii. 13) is destroyed only by the glorious epiphany of the Lord's presence, (2 Thess. ii. 8) that is by the Lord in person when he cometh in his glory.-See another argument for the pre-millennial advent, derived from a comparison of 2 Pet.. iii. with Is. lxv., in Part II. Lecture IV.

ye,

graces to whose growth shall be proportioned the splendors of our immortality." (Melvill.) "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint," (Is. xl. 31.) "The Lord is a God of judgment; blessed are all they that wait for him." (Is. xxx. 18.) "And if the time seem long," says an eminent living writer,* "if the time seem long, and worn down with affliction and wearied with toil, ye feel impatient for the moment of full emancipation,-remember and let the remembrance check every murmur,— that God leaves you upon earth, in order that advancing in holiness, you may secure to yourselves a higher grade amongst the children of the first resurrection. Strive ye therefore, to "let patience have her perfect work." (James i. 4.) It is " yet a little while, and he that shall come will come. (Hebr. x. 37.). Be ye not disheartened; for "the night is far spent, the day is at hand. (Rev. xiii. 12.) As yet there has been no day to this creation, since rebellion wove the sackcloth into the overhead canopy. But the day comes onward. There is that edge of gold on the snow-mountains of a long-darkened world, which marks the ascending of the sun in his strength. "Watchman, what of the night ?-Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, the morning cometh, and also the night." (Is. xxi. 11, 12.) Strange, that morning and night should come hand in hand. But the morning to the righteous, as bringing salvation, shall be the night to the wicked, as bringing destruction. On then, still on, lest the morning break, ere hoping and waiting have wrought their intent. Who will sleep, when as he slumbers, bright things glide by, which if wakeful he might have added to his portion? Who will put off the armor, when by stemming the battle-tide, he may gather, every instant, spoil

* Rev. H. Melvill.

and trophies for eternity? Who will tamper with carnal indulgencies, when for the poor enjoyment of a second, he must barter some ever-during privilege? Wrestle, strive, fight, as men who "know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (1 Cor. xv. 58.) Ye cannot indeed merit advancement. What is called reward, will be the reward of nothing but God's work within you, and therefore be a gift most royal and gratuitous. But whilst there is the strongest instituted connection between attainment here and enjoyment hereafter, we need not pause upon terms,. but may summon you to holiness by the certainties of happiness. The Judge of mankind cometh, bringing with him rewards all wonderfully glorious; but nevertheless, "one star differeth from another star in glory." (1 Cor. xv. 41.) O God, it were an overwhelming merey, and a magnificent portion, if we should obtain the least; but since thou dost invite, yea command us to "strive for mas-teries," we will struggle thy grace being our strengthfor the higher and more beautiful."*

* See Melvill's Sermons, vol. I. pp. 224, 225. New York ed. 1839.

LECTURE II.

THE RESTORATION AND CONVERSION OF THE JEWS.

"THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD: BEHOLD, I WILL TAKE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FROM AMONG THE HEATHEN, WHITHER THEY BE GONE, AND WILL GATHER THEM ON EVERY SIDE, AND BRING THEM INTO THEIR OWN LAND: AND I WILL MAKE THEM ONE NATION IN THE LAND UPON THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL; And one king SHALL BE KING TO THEM ALL AND THEY SHALL BE NO MORE TWO NATIONS, NEITHER SHALL THEY BE DIVIDED INTO TWO KINGDOMS ANY MORE AT ALL. NEITHER SHALL THEY DEFILE THEMSELVES ANYMORE WITH THEIR IDOLS, NOR WITH THEIR DETESTABLE THINGS, NOR WITH ANY OF THEIR TRANSGRESSIONS: BUT I WILL SAVE THEM OUT OF ALL THEIR DWELLING PLACES, WHEREIN THEY HAVE SINNED, AND WILL CLEANSE THEM. So SHALL THEY BE MY PEOPLE, AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD."-Ez. xxxvii. 21, 22, 23.

Introduction. The dispersion of the Jews has been literal, so also will be their restoration.-Two grand epochs in the return of the Jews.-NoteMr. Begg's view respecting Egypt, as the place of our Lord's return at the second advent.-Zech. xiv. 1, 2, 3, cannot refer to the seige of Jerusalem by Titus and the Romans.-The small remnant of the nations that escapes. the vengeance converted and employed to bring in the rest of the Jews: Is. Ixvi. 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22: Jer. iii. 17, 18, referred to this era: Jer. xxx. 18, and Zech. xiv. 16-19.-The conversion of the Jews.-ConclusionAppeal to the descendants of Abraham.—Note, containing extracts on the subject of the Jews.

More than three thousand years ago, it was foretold by Moses, that the Jewish people should be scattered into all lands, and should be an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all the nations, whither the Lord should lead them. (Deut. xxviii. 37, 64.) This has for many ages been a matter of common history, and has been literally verified. The Jew has been literally scattered among all