But Dr. Cumming says, No, it cannot take place before 1885. St. Paul thought that some of those whom he addressed would be" alive and remain until the coming of the Lord.” But no, they will not be caught up to meet the Lord in the air; but will dwell upon earth in our day and generation for 1000 years.

Where, too, shall he reign-in London, Paris, Rome, Constantinople, or Jerusalem? How shall he reign-personally or by delegates? Shall the kings of the earth be dashed from their thrones, or shall their hearts be suddenly changed to execute his behests? He will reign too with his risen saints. What, shall one half of this earth be spiritual, and the other half be carnal? Shall men and angels walk side by side? Shall men plunge, as they do now, into business, traffic, gain, lust, pleasure, in the presence, and unrestrained by the society of higher and more intellectual natures? heaven so poor a habitation, and all its joys and delights so worthless, that saints in bliss shall esteem it a great thing to exchange it for earth?

Is

How, too, shall the risen saints mix with the ordinary mortals of the earth-what shall be their nature, their appearance, their occupation? Shall Abraham once more dwell in the tents of Beersheba-shall David once more pour forth his songs on Zion-shall Peter, and James, and John once more inhabit the shores of Galilee?

The earth, too, will be prepared for the reception of these risen saints; for Dr. Cumming gravely tells us, " "The fire that is treasured up in the very centre of the earth shall burst forth at ten thousand crevices; the solid rocks shall blaze as if they were wax, and the rivers as if they were oil, and the weary old earth, having undergone the ordeal of the last fire, shall regain its pristine purity, and become fit for the immediate presence of the descending Saviour and his risen saints." 1

We feel sure that Rome ought to perish; that it is quite consistent with the goodness and mercy of God that Babylon should be destroyed; and we cannot imagine an easier way of settling the question than "by the explosion of those fearful volcanic elements which pervade the whole of the Italian penin

1 Apocalyptic Sketches, p. 474.

sula." Of course Rome is much guiltier than London, Paris, Vienna, Madrid. Of course volcanoes exist in the Italian peninsula for the sole purpose of a retaliation of the 5th of November tragedy on a grand scale. I presume it is needless to inquire what purpose these "fearful volcanic elements" serve elsewhere, or to what use they could have been put before Rome was discovered to be the Beast, or before the scarlet Lady had acquired so meretricious a notoriety. True, they overwhelmed Pompeii and Herculaneum, and swallowed up a philosopher who sought to push his inquiries somewhat too far; but, if the date will allow it, we must suppose that the cities in question had already become infected with germinant Tractarianism, and that the luckless Pliny was at heart an embryo Papist. Of course Rome must be the incarnation and impersonification of the spirit of evil, compared with which the systems of Buddha, Confucius, and Mahomet are very babes of innocence and purity. Of course no "ism" which ever tainted the world with heresy―no, not even Tractarianism—deserves so completely to be made an holocaust. Well, then, burn it, if you will; but beware how you mix up the name of your merciful Lord with your unmerciful intentions, or connect his coming with an object so puerile and so uncharitable.

These views are attended, in my estimation, with great and insurmountable obstacles; they have no foundation in Scripture; they are a perversion of the legitimate principles of interpretation; they serve to amuse weak and unstable minds, and they encourage infidelity. How many will give up their leases, or dispose of their wealth, on the ground of this dawning Millennium? How many will withdraw themselves from the secular pursuits of life, from the conviction that the end of all things is at hand? The world, by its daily conduct, gives the lie to these speculations, and the preachers of these doctrines occasionally support the practices of the world. I know that I must die, and that after death there is the judgment, and a city of God prepared for me, if I shall be found worthy to enter it; and this leaves me at liberty to strive for my calling in this world, and to "provide things honest in the sight of all men" but if I believed that before 1885 Christ was coming

in millennial glory-I do not say if I preached it, but if I believed it-I could not consistently with my own views be very careful about my temporal concerns; by so doing I should give the lie to the doctrine that I preached, or make men believe that I did not think that my Saviour, when he came, would be able to "supply all my need."

To sum up our argument, I consider it proved that Christ came, as he said, within the lifetime of that generation to tread the winepress "without the city," and to close the æon, or age that the period immediately preceding his coming was one of unutterable wickedness, when Satan "had great wrath, knowing that he had but a short time,”—that at his appearing and his kingdom the visible agency of devils, personally exerted over the bodies and souls of men, disappeared, and has not since been heard of, and that the miraculous powers of the Holy Spirit, given to counteract these demoniacal influences, were simultaneously withdrawn, that He came to " to "judge the quick and dead at his appearing and his kingdom," and that the judgments which fell upon the quick upon earth afford reasonable ground for believing that the spiritual judgment of the dead was executed at the same time, that there was then a new and glorious kingdom set up, embracing heaven and earth; that the righteous were invited to enter into it; that they are now sharing that kingdom with him, and are "gone to the place due to them from the Lord,"—that this spiritual kingdom is daily developing more and more its progressive character, daily adding to the number of its celestial inhabitants, and to the church on earth such as shall be saved-daily advancing in the power of its might, until "the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High."

And one great point remains to be noticed: it is this. All this corresponds to present experience. It is only what we cannot help seeing. Here is no dark prophecy respecting futurity; for all we know, anything may be future, and no man speaks with greater immunity, or less probability of his assertions being refuted, than he who ventures to foretell things to come. And yet there is that strange restlessness in men's bosoms, that longing after something which they have not,

that desire to penetrate into the things of eternity (a glorious earnest and foretaste of their immortality), that they recoil from truth, however evident, in their aspiration after mysterious and heavenly developments; and the subject of a kingdom of Christ yet to come, and of a personal and visible reign on earth, will have greater charms for them than, the unanswerable fact of a spiritual kingdom already set up, already changing the destinies of the universe, and reaching away in its superb and unlimited dominion from sea to sea, and from pole to pole.

472

LECTURE XVIII.

THE NEW JERUSALEM.

REV. xxi. 1—27.

1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3. And I heard 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 with them, and be their God.

4. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away.

:

5. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6. And he said unto me, It is done.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

9. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11. Having the glory of God; and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal ;

12. And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13. On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.