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of impervious darkness; yet think that, here and there, scattered through the pages of inspiration, they are furnished with a concentration of light, opening to their understanding a clear and unobstructed view, at least in the general, if not in details, of the character of the present, and the course of the rapidly approaching future, dispensations of God to the world' and to the church. Nor, as they consider, ought this assumption to subject them to the charge either of egotism or presumption; those who impugn the same, themselves being judges. For, on what, we ask, is this assumption on our part founded? Chiefly, we reply, on that steady, accumulating light, which the HISTORICO-PROPHETIC pages of the PAST, throws in its divinely illuminating beams, upon the pregnantly ominous present and future; and this, upon no other ground than that of the popular admission, that “history is the interpreter of prophecy." We argue, that "if the external dispensations of God be progressive, the light which can illustrate them may be progressive also. The light which, "for instance," revealed the day of Christ to Isaiah, emitted a feebler ray than that which enabled the saints at the era of the Redeemer's birth "to wait for the consolation of Israel, and for redemption in Jerusalem." Why then

it is demanded, may not the additional light since that period of more than one thousand eight hundred years, a light which has continued to shine with increasing brightness in the burning but unconsumed

1. Luke ii., 25; v. 38.

bush of unerring prophecy, justify "the same eager Scrutiny into the time and circumstances of the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, in these advanced days of human history?" Our position therefore in view of the above, may be gathered from the following, viz.: — That even admitting (which is all that can reasonably be asked) that "the times and seasons which the Father" is said to have "put in his own power," as embracing the entire series of his dispensations to men, as revealed in his word, have been heretofore concealed from their definite knowledge; yet that the Scriptures encourage God's people to expect the arrival of the period when the seal of prophetic mysteries should be broken; and,

2. That this breaking of the said seal, if applicable to any one dispensation, is especially so to the present. At this stage of our advance, therefore, in order to assume the affirmative of the position involved in the above, and that we may render the subject before us the more tangible, we shall merge our two propositions at the head of this Lecture into one, thus

GOD, IN HIS INFINITE WISDOM, HAS ASSIGNED

TO THE PRESENT CONSTITUTION OF THINGS IN THIS WORLD A LIMITED AND DEFINITE DURATION; AND HAS IMPARTED A KNOWLEDGE OF THE SAME TO HIS PEOPLE, IN HIS WORD.

Of the former part of this proposition we have already spoken in general terms, and have adduced the prevalent sentiment respecting it in all ages, Heathen,

1. Noel, p. 5, 6.

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Jewish, and Christian. We here remark, however, once for all, that the proof of it remains to be tested by the result of our subsequent chronological deductions, historic and prophetic. Of the latter part of the proposition, we repeat, that the Revelation of " times and seasons seems more especially reserved for the faithful in Christ Jesus of the "last times," "the time of the end." The historico-prophetic chart of Holy Scripture, as now spread out before us, cannot fail to make known to the Christian of this day of wonders, his duty to examine "whether these things be so," and to fill his heart with unutterable joy at their discovery; "which," to have attempted in "earlier times, we admit, would neither have been illustrative of the one, nor productive of the other." This furnishes us with a KEY, opening to our view the ground of that suspense to which both the old prophets and primitive saints were subjected, by their indefinite knowledge of "THE END." Hence the above and similar passages, already quoted; such as, "the day of the Lord is at hand." "The end of all things is at hand," "Watch, for ye know not when your Lord doth come." "Behold, I come as a thief," &c.

The following observations of Bickersteth on the answer of our Lord to his disciples respecting the restoration of the kingdom to Israel prior to his ascension, viz.: "it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power," cannot fail to throw further light on this important part

1. Noel, p. 6.

of our subject. "Why," says this writer, "did Christ withhold the time?" "Look back," says he to the reader" You stand on the eminence of eighteen centuries ; see what these centuries have been. Generation after generation, apostles, martyrs, confessors, and reformers, have lived and died. Mark all the conflicts through which the early Christians attained their triumphs - their labors, sufferings, persecutions, martyrdoms. Go on to the rise of Popery and Mahomedanism see the dark ages-mark the struggles of infant Protestantism, and its subsequent decay — look at the present spread of infidelity among professedly Christian nations." Now, "had the apostles been told all this must previously take place all this corruption must previously spread over the world, oh, what needless despondency and heart-sinkings must have overwhelmed them! Eighteen hundred years of deferred expectation - eighteen hundred years of Israel's dispersion and desolation-eighteen hundred years yet to remain of the Gentile monarchies and eighteen hundred years the treading under foot of Jerusalem! With what wisdom and love, which marks all his providence to his Church, this dark scene was kept back!" Again, "why, also, did he tell them that the times and seasons WERE PUT INTO THE FATHER'S HANDS? It seems to point out the entire filial confidence they might have in the paternal wisdom and love of all the Divine arrangements," during "a prolonged time of delay, which it was not for the good

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1. Time to favor Zion, p. 7.

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of the Church to know then." It was, in a word, "that his Church then might have a waiting spirit" for the day of the Lord's RE-APPEARING "that expectation might be kept alive that all the benefits of a prepared, watchful, prayerful, desiring spirit, might be continued, and all the animation of hope, from age to age, fill the souls of his people, the Son of God was not in the beginning commissioned to give any date of the time." 2

But to this exposition of the above it may be replied, yea, it is replied, that it makes the Savior guilty of a trifling evasion, in answering the question of his inquiring disciples. At first view, the great lapse of time (more than eighteen centuries) which was to intervene between the propounding of the above question and the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, would seem to give to this inference the semblance of plausibleness. In any other aspect, it merits the severest animadversion. For is time, as measured by the Infinite God, the same that it is with man? Such a supposition would argue that the eternal mind is subject to similar emotions with ourselves, in view of an exercise of "hope deferred!" But who will pretend this? No, my brethren, the infinite wisdom which clothed the answer of Christ to his disciples, is seen in the effect (practically) which it produced upon their minds and conduct; and which, as we conceive, was precisely the same as it is with those to whom "the

1. Time to favor Zion. p. 7.
3. 2 Pet. iii., 8, 9.

2. Ibid. p. 8, 9.

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