It is surely not too much to say, that on any subject of worldly prudence, such a mass of evidence would be considered as rising to a moral demonstration which no reasonable man could resist—it would be considered as an act, not so much of faith, as of common sense, to follow such proofs-the man who refused so to do, would be condemned by all the rules of conduct which he is compelled to follow every day of his life. We might more reasonably question the existence of Julius Cæsar, Alfred, or Charlemagne-or the authenticity and credibility of the histories of Thucydides, or Bede, or Davila, or Clarendonor all the facts and history in the world, than we could deny the facts and miracles and truth of the Christian religion. We must reject the evidences of our senses, we must spurn the testimony of all past history, we must throw into confusion the elements of all knowledge, we must dig up the foundations of civilization and law and science and jurisprudence, we must extinguish conscience and put off our whole intellectual and moral nature, before we can reject the evidences of Christianity. pp. 540, 541.

Not one of the chief works on the Evidences of Christianity was ever answered. Who answered Lardner-Michaelis-Paley-Porteus-T. H. Horne? -Or even the brief and select arguments of Lyttleton and Leslie? Gibbon's vapid objections against Christianity received thirty or forty replies at once! p. 542, note.

Act, then, fully on the revelation you profess. Secure all these advantages by a more entire submission of heart to God. Remember that the Christian evidences can only bring you to the doors of the sacred temple. To enter that temple must be the fruit of grace. It is not the proof of authenticity or credibility that can change the heart. It is not the magnificence of miracles that can infuse the love of God. It is not the wonderful accomplishment of prophecies that can subdue our sins. It is not the propagation or beneficial effects of the gospel that can produce holiness in our lives. It is not the conviction of the inward excellency of the Christian doctrines, that can engage our obedience to God. It is not the persuasion of the force and obligation of all the combined proofs of our holy faith, that can generate a correspondent frame of heart. pp. 546, 547.

On our bended knees we record our prayer in reference to this volume, which has afforded us so much instruction and edification. God Almighty be gracious to the author, and make his work a blessing to the church and to the world to the latest periods of time, through Jesus Christ our Lord, and by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, to whom, with the Father Almighty, be honour and glory for ever. Amen!

A Summary View of the Scriptural Argument for the Second and glorious Coming of Messiah before the Millennium; specially addressed to the Consideration of the Ministers of Christ. First printed in the Christian Observer, and now re-published with Corrections and Additions. By WILLIAM CUNNINGHAME, Esq., of Lainshaw, in the County of Ayr, Glasgow: Maurice Ogle. 1828.

THE subject of prophecy has lately awakened a very consi

derable measure of attention among a large portion of those who profess a serious regard for religion. Not only have various learned works been published for the close and regular student, but also many tracts and pamphlets, for those who have but little time for reading; and many sermons are preached, professedly on this subject, and addressed to the congregation at large. So far as this is indicative of an increasing attention to the Scriptures, of a more holy, earnest, and practical study of the whole word of God, in its length and breadth and fulness, we most unfeignedly rejoice. We conceive that the direction, "Search the Scriptures," applies to the whole Bible, from cover to cover, as also the declaration with which it is enforced" for they are they which testify of Me." (John v. 39.)

But we cannot forget that prophecy has many charms for the natural man. It is a subject calculated to engage and stir up many of the feelings of our unrenewed nature. Vain curiosity would ever be prying into futurity. Pride is flattered with the hope of diving into mysteries and expounding that which has been, or is, beyond the knowledge of multitudes before us, or around us; and, perhaps, still more, with the idea of pronouncing authoritatively on events which are to take place in future ages. Man in his own corrupt nature is fond of speculating and systematizing. And there is a restless adversary continually going about to deceive and destroy; of whose devices we ought not to be ignorant, who knows our weakness, and is always endeavouring to involve us in mere speculations, in order to distract our attention from those plain and practical points upon which the everlasting salvation of our souls depends. Scarcely any thing can better serve his turn in this respect, than speculations connected with religion, which are near enough to that which is vital and all-important to beguile our unwary minds, and yet sufficiently distinct from the thing itself to leave our hearts entirely destitute of any holy and vital influence, and only warmed by the parching and withering heat of controversy. Of all this we cannot be too jealous. And, therefore, we must say that we regard the present discussions on the subject of Prophecy with much fear and trembling.

For ourselves it may be allowable to state, that it is now seven or eight years since our attention was first called to this subject, by a sermon on the Nature of the First Resurrection, which was certainly as specious as any thing we have yet met with on that side of the question. Till then we had been too much occupied with the first principles of the oracles of God, to have had any opportunity or inclination to think about Prophecy. This publication

therefore found us unprepared and unprejudiced: and we hope we may ascribe it to an influence from above, that we were induced to be very cautious as to the views we adopted on this subject. Neither the speciousness of the statement itself, nor the great and venerable names who were adduced to support it, could entirely blind us to some inconsistencies in the scheme, and some fallacies in the argument, which so far alarmed us as to awaken a measure of jealousy which has ever since clung to us, and led us to scrutinize with some severity of judgment whatever we have met with on the millennial question. We have the rather encouraged in ourselves and others this frame of mind, because we saw that many were disposed to give an undue magnitude and importance to their speculations on these points, and to devote to them much of that time and attention which would have been better bestowed on other topics, at once more plain and more practical. We have indeed, since then, been many times urged, and in a manner almost amounting to persecution, to give a very peculiar and almost exclusive attention to this subject, yet could we never perceive it to be consistent with other immediate and pressing duties to bestow the exclusive attention upon those points which some of our friends seemed to demand for them. Nevertheless in the course of years that the subject has been before us, it has engaged much thought, and from time to time has been a matter of very serious consideration. We have read such books and tracts on the views of modern Millennarians as have come in our way: we have heard a good deal of conversation on the subject, and have endeavoured to sift the proofs and arguments adduced, and to try them by the test of sound reasoning. Above all, we have read the Scriptures some eight or ten times through with earnest prayer; and have considered how far the statements we have met with were borne out by the sure, unquestionable word of God. So that, we trust, we shall not be charged with rashness or presumption in now venturing to have an opinion. This, perhaps, we might still have kept to ourselves; but reiterated solicitations from various quarters, have at length induced us to perform our promise, and offer a few plain and sober thoughts on a question that has so much agitated the religious world. And we do this with earnest prayer, that the God of truth, the Father of all light and all illumination, may vouchsafe to direct and bless us, that what we write may tend to the welfare of his church and the glory of his Name.

From a number of books which have been published on the same side of the question, we have selected that of Mr. Cun

ninghame, as being intended, we presume, to bring the whole question into a short compass; and because we believe that the author is generally acknowledged as one of the most clear and logical who have written upon it. We had indeed once some thought of attaching a much larger work, and of rather making Irving's Translation of Ben Ezra, with the Preliminary Discourse, the more peculiar subject of our remarks. But not liking to review a book unless we have fairly read it through: and having some time ago took Irving's Ben Ezra in hand for this purpose, we found ourselves, before it was very long, compelled to give up the task as hopeless. For, first of all, we found it written in the most insufferable style of any book that we ever had the misfortune to meet with, and therefore felt that nothing but the sense of indispensable duty, or the reasonable expectation of very special edification, could induce us to wade through two volumes of sentences of such elaborate and unaccountable misconstruction. Further, we found, after various attempts, that we must always reckon upon reading six pages of print, in order to get hold of half a page of information or argument and we think, in sober judgment, that we have other duties of superior obligation, and that our few brief moments of irrevocable time are too precious to be wasted upon labours which promise so very little to remunerate us. Lastly, the mere consideration of Ben Ezra's statement of the principles on which he intended to argue the point, and of "the ordinary system upon the second coming of Messiah," which he intended to refute, with his other "necessary preparations for a right view of the subject," so far satisfied us, that we did not deem it necessary to enter with him upon such a tedious discussion; seeing that we differed too widely at the outset to have any comfortable expectation of agreeing as we proceeded. We have, therefore, contented ourselves with looking into his book here and there, with the help of his consulting Index.

But to Mr. Cunninghame we must certainly give the praise of having brought the question within narrow limits, and of presenting it to the public in a compendious form. We feel (as we doubt not many others also will feel) much indebted to him for the summary and perspicuous statement of the views he maintains, and the line of argument upon which it is founded. Hereby he has brought the real merits of the question before us, and laid them open to fair examination; and we should consider it a dereliction of our duty, if we failed to take advantage hereof, and embrace the opportunity thus afforded of entering upon a candid discussion of a question which has excited so much attention among many, to whom, as Christian Reviewers, we earnestly desire to be useful.

But, on a question on which so much has been, and so much more is likely to be, said and written, it is necessary to premise some observations upon the temper and spirit in which it behoves Christians to enter upon those inquiries. We consider this indeed as vastly more important than the particular conclusions to which they may arrive upon the subject of unfulfilled prophecy. The subject is confessedly one of so much difficulty and obscurity, that we cannot expect the Church, during our present state of imperfection, to see eye to eye upon it: nor is it perhaps intended that we should. For differences upon these points we are not to unchristianize one another, or brand our opponents as heretics. But the temper and spirit in which we pursue our inquiries are matters of vast importance. Those require special selfexamination, as in the presence of God. These, amid much remaining error and darkness, may be such as to prove us accepted of God in the Beloved, and sealed with that Spirit who is declared to be "a Spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Those, amid much light and knowledge, may prove us to be children of darkness, unrenewed, and dead in trespasses and sins,-or, if not altogether in that dire condition, yet awfully deluded and blinded by sin and Satan, to the great hurt and danger of our own souls, and to the ruin of others, who ought to look up to us for guidance and instruction in Christian faith and practice.

We wish therefore to keep in continual remembrance, that Prophecy is a portion of the word of God; of those communications which the high and lofty One, who inhabiteth eternity, in infinite condescension and grace, has made to us poor worms of the earth,-to hell-deserving sinners. Whatever then of solemn reverence, holy fear, deep humiliation, and thankful adoration, becomes us in listening to all such communications, must become us also in considering the word of Prophecy. Whatever need be attended to, in order to discover the mind of the Spirit, in other portions of Scripture, is needful also in studying this, And the Scripture itself must be our rule and guide. That contains not only the truths we would know, but directions how to learn them. "For the Lord giveth wisdom ;" even he alone-and whatever is not from him, is egregious and miserable folly. "Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding;" that is, both the truth to be learned, and the capacity to receive it. For till he give it by the inward operation of his Spirit, we have no faculty by which we can understand spiritual things, even when they are declared unto us, any more than we have the knowledge of them before they are revealed from Heaven. Therefore, let no man de