dreds, are labouring with unprecedented earnestness, and with the fierceness of a last deadly struggle, are they unwillingly urging on the unparalleled crisis, in which their expectations and their works will be overwhelmed in hopeless and eternal darkness.' 13 Now, if the axiom of a noted sceptic 14 of a past age be true that "history is philosophy teaching us by example," with no less truth may it be said, that prophecy is history with the impress of the authority of Jehovah. What striking events, what wonderful changes, have not taken place of late in the history of the world. Within the memory of man, how repeatedly have the civilized nations of the earth experienced a foretaste of that tremendous visitation, which is yet to come, and concerning which, "the signs of the times" seem to declare that it draweth very nigh. "Upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming upon the earth; for the powers of heaven shall be shaken." A late distinguished writer,16 speaking of the close of the 18th century, says,-"The present is a period more interesting, perhaps, than any which has been known in the whole flight of time. The scenes of Providence thicken upon us so fast, and are shifted with so strange a rapidity, as if the great drama of the world were drawing to a close. Events have taken place of late, and revolutions have been effected, which, had they been foretold a very few years ago, would have been viewed as visionary and extravagant. Institutions, which have been long held in veneration as the most sublime refinements of human wisdom and policy, which age hath cemented and confirmed, 13 Revd. C. Goodheart. 16 Robert Hall. which power hath supported, which eloquence hath conspired to embellish, and opulence to enrich, are falling fast to decay. New prospects are opening on every side, of such amazing variety and extent, as to stretch further than the age of the most enlightened observer can reach." Surely, then, it is the duty of all who remember our Master's solemn injunction to His disciples, to note those "signs" which are gathering like a heavy bank of clouds, that denote the coming storm over the fairest and most civilized parts of the earth, and to learn from them the lesson which they are intended to teach, that the Advent of Him, who is both the hope and the refuge of the church, draweth very nigh. In the execution of the following work on "the First and Second Advent, or the Past and future of the Jew, the Gentile, and the Church of God," the author has constantly endeavoured to bring every thing which he has adduced to the touchstone of Holy Scripture, firmly persuaded of the value of the inspired test in all things, "To the law, and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." In this respect, the author would follow the example of those great luminaries of the Eastern and Western Churches. "If any one," taught the golden-mouthed Patriarch of Constantinople, "wishes to ascertain which is the true Church of Christ, whence can he ascertain it in the confusion arising from so great a similitude, but only by the Scriptures? Therefore, the Lord, knowing that such a confusion of things would take place in the last days, commands, on that account, that Christians desirous of being possessed of the strength of the true faith, should betake themselves to nothing else but the Scriptures." 18 "I ought not to adduce the Council of Nice," declared the profound and saintly Bishop of Hippo, "nor ought you to adduce the Council 17 Isaiah viii. 20. 18 Chrysostome, Op. Ed. Ben. T. vi. App. p. 204. of Ariminum, for I am not bound by the authority of the one, nor are you bound by the authority of the other. Let the authority be determined by the authority of the Scriptures, which are witnesses peculiar to neither of us, but common to both." 19 And so our own church affirms in her Articles, that "whatsoever is not read in Holy Scripture, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith." 20 While, therefore, the author has sought to rest the statements he has made on this secure foundation, he has, at the same time, largely and gratefully availed himself of the labours of eminent men, both in ancient and modern times, who have explored the prophetic field, and illuminated the path by the depth of their researches and their discoveries. This will account for the lengthened quotations with which the work abounds. Amidst so many uninspired writers on the subject of prophecy, which has ever been such a fruitful theme, since the commencement of the 1st century, when Justin Martyr pronounced the doctrine of the Millennium to be the test of orthodoxy, a variety of interpretations have naturally existed. Indeed, none but those whose attention has been much directed to the subject, can conceive the endless opinions which have been entertained both on the subject of fulfilled, as well as of unfulfilled prophecy. This is sufficient to prove the deficiency of our system of prophetic interpretation, though it is not sufficient to forbid our searching, with the light that God has vouschafed to us, and with the humility becoming the disciples of Him who was emphatically, "meek and lowly in heart," in order to discover what God has given for our learning, and to see "whether these things are so." It was so with the faithful of old, who, independent of the inspiration they enjoyed, are represented by St. Peter as "sear 19 St. Augustine Com. Max. iii. c. 14. 20 Art. vi. b ching 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." " And we have a clear warrant for directing our attention to this particular brauch of theology, in the recollection that a more peculiar blessing is attached to the reading of the most prophetic portions of Scripture, than to any other part of God's word. For the book of Revelation opens with a promised blessing on the subject, and closes with a most solemn warning. "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand."..." I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."22 In this humble attempt to direct attention to the past and the future of "the Jew, the Gentile, and the Church of God," as gathered from the sacred Scriptures, the author has endeavoured to bear in mind the canon of that great divine, upon whom all parties have appropriately bestowed the title of "judicious," and whose rule may be as properly applied to prophecy as to any other didactic portion of God's word. "I hold it," says Hooker, "for a most infallible rule in expositions of sacred Scripture, that where a literal construction will stand, the farthest from the letter is commonly the worst. There is nothing more dangerous than this licentious and deluding art, which changeth the meaning of words, as alchymy doth or would do the substance of metals, maketh of anything what it listeth, and bringeth in the end all truth to nothing." 23 21 1 Fet. i. 11. 2 Rev. i. 3. xxii. 18. 23 Ecc. Pol. v. c. 59. On one point of no slight importance with regard to both history and chronology, a student of prophecy has an advantage, of which the author has made considerable use, over previous explorers of the field of prophetic intepretation, in the recent decipherment of the cuneiform inscriptions from Assyria and Babylonia-one of the most triumphant discoveries in the present day, which the skill and research of Oriental linguists have been enabled to effect. For not only does it throw light upon certain historial portions of Daniel's prophecies, and helps to reconcile the profane historians of that time with the unerring oracles of God, as, e.g., in the instance where Belshazzar is said to have been slain on the night that Babylon was captured, while Berosus and Megasthenes represent the then King of Babylon as living in Carmania, for several years after the siege, in a principality given him by the generosity of his conqueror Cyrus; but it also unanswerably refutes the theories of modern sceptics, who, in the pride of intellect and the daring of an unrenewed heart, have made their vain and puny attempts to overthrow the word of the Infinite One, and to bring down the standard of the Almighty Creator to the level of the insignificant creature. Human nature, untaught and unsanctified by the Spirit of God, must necessarily be proud and boastful, sinful and rebellious; and it is as true now as it was 3,000 years ago, when the Psalmist wrote, "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." The very rocks of Behistun and the stones of Nineveh can no longer hold their peace; but, according to the appointed time of Him who "worketh all things after the counsel of His own will," they have risen, as it were, as this present age is drawing to a close, in their majesty and strength, to rebuke the folly and the blashemy of those who have either played the part of the infidel or denied the existence of God. In the course of this work, it will be seen that the following 24 Ps. xiv. 1. |