and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." Literally "the habitable

earth."

That there is a great excitement at the present time, on the state of the world and the prospects of the future, is undeniable. That some great revolution is soon to take place, all are disposed to concede, whether they belong to the political, civil, commercial, literary, philanthropic, benevolent, moral, or religious organizations and associations of the age.

But what that revolution is to be, they are not so well satisfied. It is now, much as at the time of Christ's first advent; expectation is on tiptoe, looking for something. The interest on the subject of the second advent is almost universal. From every quarter of the globe from which we hear, it is a topic of interest. It is a theme which excites universal interest in our own country, insomuch that scarcely a paper of any description appears without alluding to the subject; most of them, it is true, with contempt. East, west, north, and south, the press is teeming with books illustrative of the prophecies; so that probably not a week passes without a new work from some quarter on this subject. Thus the world is looking after those things which are coming on "the habitable earth."

"The powers of heaven shall be shaken, and then they shall see the Son of man coming in a cloud, with power and great glory."

"Shall be shaken." This is the last sign of the series, and is to take place in immediate connection with the second advent. "Yet once

more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." It signifieth the removing of things that can be

shaken, and the leaving a kingdom which cannot be nioved.

The signs have all appeared, and it only remains that the coming of Christ should close the scene. "I shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land; I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come."

THE CERTAINTY AND DEFINITENESS OF OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE TIME.

Verse 28. "And when THESE THINGS BEGIN TO COME TO PASS, then look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh."

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These things," must refer to the signs he had just uttered: signs in the sun, in the moon, in the stars, &c. "When these things BEGIN to come to pass:" as though they would have a very marked beginning. The first sign in the sun was in 1780; and at the same time, a full moon did not give her light. The shower of meteors was six months previous. Thus sixty-two years and little over have passed, since the series of signs began. "Your redemption draweth nigh." How near? As, when the trees put forth their leaves, the summer is soon to follow; so these signs shall immediately precede Christ's advent.

Verses 29-32. "And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig-tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled."

"The kingdom of God is nigh at hand." The Son of man is to come in a cloud, as in Dan. vii. 13, 14, to establish this kingdom. But how near will it most certainly be, when these signs begin? Answer. Within one generation. "This generation" who see these things BEGIN to come to pass, "shall not pass away till all be fulfilled." It is certain: "heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." That this is the true import of the passage, is to my mind clear, from the fact that the events here specified, did not take place during the lifetime of those who heard him; and that to call it this race, whether Jews or Christians, and say they should continue on earth until Christ should come, would be no sign of his near or speedy coming. For it was as true 1800 years ago, that both races were on earth as it is now. But if it is understood of a generation of threescore years and ten, the age of man, and applied to those who saw the beginning of these signs, sixty-two years ago, then seventy years, or a generation, will not pass away before the last event will take place. About seven years more remain of the generation; but they cannot be fulfilled before Christ comes, without destroying his word of promise. For the budding tree is not so sure a precursor of summer, as these signs are of the coming of the kingdom of God.

On the ungodly, after all these positive admonitions, that day will come as a thief, as did the flood on the old world, and the storm of fire on Sodom; but not so, God's people; they will, like the disciples when they saw Jerusalem compassed with armies and fled, be found watching for

the hour, and at every successive sign, lift up their heads and rejoice that their redemption draweth nigh. Reader, are you ready?

THE TEN VIRGINS-MATTHEW TWENTY-FIFTH

CHAPTER.

Verse 1. "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom."

When shall the kingdom of heaven be likened, &c.? When the foretold signs are taking place; -within one generation of the second coming of Christ. For this condition of the kingdom of heaven is as much one of the signs, as any of the foregoing signs.

"The kingdom of heaven." By the kingdom of heaven, I understand here, the earth and its inhabitants. It being promised to Christ as the theatre of his everlasting kingdom, but yet suffering violence and being held of the Gentiles by force; but it is his promised inheritance. Thus, in the parable in Matt. xiii. 47-50: "The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind; which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." The net is the world or earth which contains and receives all the inhabitants who come into it, good and bad. Like the tares and wheat which grow together until the harvest, or end of the world, the net is also to gather good and bad to the same period. Then Christ will send his angels to separate between the good and bad. They shall gather out of his kingdom all things

that offend, and them which do iniquity, and cast them into a furnace of fire." "They gather the good into vessels, and cast the bad away." All the inhabitants of the earth are citizens of the kingdom of Christ, as occupying the territory he is to possess, when he comes in his glory. The inhabitants of the earth are like the ten virgins, five wise, and five foolish. When the predicted signs were taking place, they, like the virgins, took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

Verses 3, 4. "They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps."

"Their lamps." The lamp is a light-bearer. The light-bearer of the moral world is the word of God. It is not light of itself, but bears light, and is a means of communicating it to us. The Infidel has the Bible as well as the Christian, but it affords him no light; he cannot see that there is a God, a future state, a Saviour, a devil, and angels. The Christian finds all these things plainly revealed. A lamp will give no light without a wick. The wick is the capacity to read. We may have the lamp, the Bible, and be able to read it, but if there is no oil in the lamp to feed the flame when once the wick is ignited, it will be but a meteor glare, and all will expire. That oil is faith. The word of God can do us no good unless we have faith in it. This is the difference between the Christian and Infidel; one has light from the Bible, the other has not because the one believes it, and the other does not. The world is being rapidly supplied with the Bible, and have been for many years spreading it abroad.