“2. Secondly, it was not possible the apostles should expect the end of the world to be in their own time, when they knew so many things were to come to pass before it, as could not be fulfilled n a short time; as, first, the desolation of Jerusalem, and that not till the seventy weeks were expired. Secondly, then the Jews to be carried captives over all nations, and Jerusalem to be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of he Gentiles be fulfilled. 2

1

"3. Thirdly, that in the meantime the Roman empire must be ruined, and that which hindered taken out of the way."

"4. Fourthly, that after that was done, the man of sin should be revealed, and domineer his time in the temple and church of God.*

"5. Fifthly, after all this, viz. when the fulness of the Gentiles should come in, that

should be received again to mercy.' 5

Israel

"6. Sixthly, that Christ should reign in his church on earth so long, till He had put down all rule, all authority and power, and subjected all his enemies under his feet, before He should subdue the last enemy, which is death, and surrender his kingdom into the hands of his Father. 6

"7. Seventhly, that the time should be so long,

See p. 303. 4 2 Thess. ii. 7.

25, &c. Heb. ii. 8.

2 Luke xxi. 24.

5 Rom. xi. 27.

3 2 Thess. ii. 7. 24,

6 1 Cor. xv.

that in the last days should come scoffers, saying, where is the promise of his coming? How is it possible they should imagine the day of doom to be so near, when all these things must first come to pass, and not one of them was yet fulfilled?"J. Mede's Apost. of the Latter Times, Appendix. The second and third epistles of John contain no reference to our subject.

Jude.

In the 14th and 15th verses of this epistle we find the remarkable prophecy of Enoch respecting the glorious epiphany of the Lord, with all his saints, to execute judgment upon the ungodly world, which prophecy having been already considered, at the opening of this subject we can only refer the reader to what we have there written. See Part I. p. 5.

But, how very striking is the testimony thus afforded to the real importance of the doctrine, that the very first prophecy, which is recorded in the Scriptures, (excepting of course that which was uttered by God himself in Paradise, which involves the second advent of Christ, Gen. iii. 15,) should unfold the coming of the Lord in glory with his saints, and that the winding up of the sacred canon, containing, as

1 2 Peter iii. 4.

it does, the last breath of inspiration, should give utterance to the same truth. Thus the incarnation of prophecy proclaims as it were in the hour of its nativity the spirit-stirring truth : Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints; and, after the lapse of four thousand years repeats the same as with its expiring breath, "Surely I come quickly, Amen." And, may we reply from the heart, "Even so, come

Lord Jesus."

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST.

We have now reached this wonderful book, which, as it winds up the whole of the divine revelations to man, contains communications of the most important kind to the church on earth. It will be needless to remark upon the different opinions which have been entertained concerning it, according to the varied state and constitution of the minds which have considered it. Its true character is given by its author. It was the revelation of Jesus Christ, which He had received from his Father, being a part of the meritorious reward of his passion. The object, also, which the Father had in giving it unto the Son, was that He might shew it unto his servants upon earth. It is, moreover, described as "the word of God," and as "the

Jude 14.

2 Chap. i. 1.

3 Chap. v. 12.

testimony of Jesus;" and "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.'

It has been acutely observed by an eminent servant of the Lord, when commenting on the third verse," Blessed is he that readeth," that he understood thereby the minister who sits in the seat of Christ; and by the words, "they that hear the words of this prophecy," the people. Here is sufficient encouragement, both for ministers and people, to make this portion of Scripture the subject of meditation, for it is the encouragement which God gives.

It forms no part of my present subject to enter upon the proof of the fulfilment of any passages of this divine book, but simply to select such parts as appear, without controversy, to be waiting for their accomplishment at the coming of the Lord. Before we do this, however, it may be well to state some few reasons, for which I consider it most improbable that the greater part of this prophecy is yet unfulfilled. One object for which this revelation was made, was to inform the servants of God of "things which must shortly come to pass,' "3 which teaches, that of the things about to be revealed some would shortly occur; and, as it speaks of the sufferings of the saints, and of their blood, and of the things which were coming upon them to

1

Chap. i. 2.

2

xix. 10.

3 i. 1: xxii. 6, 10.

try them, our conclusion, I think, must be, that these were revealed to prepare them for their trials. When we look back upon the history of the church, what portions of it stand out with more than ordinary prominence? The ten Pagan persecutions: the Empire christianized : the rise of the Papacy, in which Christ in his Melchizedec character is aped as a priest upon his throne: the consequent making war with the saints, and prevailing against them: the rise of Mahomet, as the successor of the Roman power in the East: his desolations, carrying death and Hades in their train. These strike the eye of him who looks back upon her past history; and must they not have struck, with no less prominence, the eye of Him who looked forward, "seeing the end from the beginning," yea, grasping all eternity within the compass of his unbounded vision? And if so, would not these form the subjects of the divine warnings and predictions to his people? If, therefore, we find in the symbolical language of this book symbols which aptly describe these events, I see not how we can avoid the inference tha God, who gave the revelation, intended thereby to reveal these events beforehand.

But, beside this, we find a striking agreement between some of the announcements in Daniel and this part of Scripture; and, amongst others, of the predicted time of the great de