warrant any man to thus contradict the other plain passages of the Scripture, and shows the writer's presumption, or ignorance of the word of God. And what may we not expect of a writer, who will wrest Scripture to suit his own vain views or feelings? If a man starts wrong, he is very apt to come out wrong; like his saying, "then shall the end come," when he is trying to prove "the end will not come."

But

Again, our Saviour says, "Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" Why ask this question, when all the world are to be evangelized, and then the end shall come? the text explains itself" for a witness to all nations; and then shall the end come." It does not say "evangelize" all nations. The text in Matt. xxviii. 19—“Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost"-does not help his explanation, at any rate; for the command to make all nations Christians was as binding on the disciples as on us; and we know that all nations were not made Christians then, are not now, neither can be, as long as tares grow with wheat, or foolish virgins have no oil, or that wicked" stands revealed, whom the Lord shall "destroy by the brightness of his coming." This writer, then, would acknowledge that his text is wrested from its true meaning, by supposing

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the apostles or pastors under obligation to convert all men. And the idea of this command not being obeyed by the apostles, is too absurd to be found in the brain of any one but the skeptic, and is an assumption which has no base on which to rest. So much for the explanation of his text.

Then, on page 9, he says, "The Scripture expressly asserts, that it is not permitted to men, nor to any created being, to know when the end shall be." This is a broad assertion, and no man but a bigot or infidel could thus boastingly declare such a sentiment. He goes still further, and says, "Even the Son, though in his higher nature knowing all things, yet is not commissioned to reveal this great secret." Now see how

the Scripture can put down this vain boasting. Matt. xxiv. 33: "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." Also, Isa. lxi. 2: "To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.' If he was not commissioned, how could Isaiah foretell that he was to proclaim the day of vengeance; and how could Christ tell us we might know when he was near, even at the door? His very text is a plain contradiction to this daring and reckless assertion; for it tells us "when the end shall be"-"when this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations;

and then shall the end come." He, the writer, should have left it where Christ left it "Of that day and hour knoweth no man," &c.—and not put words and language, as it were, into the Savior's mouth, in plain and palpable contradiction to what Christ had just before said "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."

But, says the writer of the sermon under consideration, "It is the design of the Savior to teach, in clear and honest language, that the time of the judgment is not revealed." I say, that language cannot be more plain than Christ has used to teach us that we may know when it is as near as summer is to the spring; and Paul says, "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." And yet, this pretended preacher of righteousness presumptuously declares, that the "design" of the Savior is opposite to the words of Christ, the declaration of Isaiah, and the opinion of the apostle Paul. All the proof he has brought to support his assertion may be found in Matt. xxiv. 36: But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." And in quoting this text, he shows his sense of his own weakness, or he would not have labored so hard to prove that "day and hour" means all time, to the exclusion of all those passages which certainly show the time near.

Again; he quotes Acts i. 6, 7: "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power:" and again misapplies his text by only quoting a part of the sentiment contained in the passage. Let the reader read the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses, and it will prove too much for our North Church divine. It will prove that, when they asked the question, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Christ answered them, that it was not then for them "to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power; but ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." What power shall they receive? The same as expressed before-"to know times and seasons." And Peter has expressly told us this in his 1st Epistle, i. 10—13: “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported

unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Paul, also, in 1 Thess. v. 4: "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief."

On page 10, he says, "II. The speedy ushering in of the judgment and end of the world seems unlikely; considering the shortness of the Christian dispensation up to the present time, compared with what has gone before it." To support this skeptical idea, which could not be hatched in the brain of a believer, he has first quoted Rom. ix. 28: "For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth,"—and then says, "which may only mean, however, that, in carrying forward his kingdom of grace, he will act with great energy and power."

To "cut short," with this expounder, is to "carry forward," and to "make a short work upon the earth," is to prolong it 365,000 years!! See, on page 9 of this sermon: "Some have understood this language figuratively, a day for a year, making it 365,000 years, when the end shall come." Then he tells us his mind would favor even this long period. His next proof is from 1 Peter