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Now, what is there in the assumed absence of supernatural interference with the so-called "laws of nature" for six thousand years, to prove that the supernatural cannot-or even to suggest that it will not-take place at any hour? Men who pride themselves on their logical acuteness and theological superiority, should avoid an argument so utterly and absurdly fallacious. Because a thing, quite possible in itself, has not been, therefore it will not be! What sort of reasoning is that in the lips of men who take their place among "the leaders of modern thought," the mental sovereigns of the last days? To set reason above revelation is a common thing, with which the readers of modern literature are sufficiently acquainted; but to advance absurdity to the same dogmatic position is the peculiar exploit of those who scoff at the Second Advent.

But is the argument upon which the scoffers rest their case sound, so far as the mere fact is concerned? In other words, is it historically true that all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation? So far from it, what men call the natural sequence of things has been repeatedly disturbed by supernatural intervention; and, when it suits their purpose, none know better than the scientific opponents of supernaturalism how to appeal to great physical changes. Going far beyond the historical period, they have tried to cast doubts upon the Mosaic cosmogony, to throw back the beginning of the world to a dateless era, which can only be represented by eternity itself, and to make the first appearance of humanity on this mundane sphere untold ages earlier than the teaching of the Bible warrants.

We need not, however, further trouble ourselves with these enormous geological epochs, for whether they be sober facts or wild fancies, they do not come within the historical era with which alone we have to do in this paper. We allude to them simply because the scoffers press them into the general service of scepticism when they think it will answer their purpose

so to do.

We ask, then, with regard to historic time, did things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation at the period of the deluge ? Was that tremendous cataclysm, that terrific interruption of the ordinary course of things, no proof of the supernatural? Did things continue their usual quiet course when the cities of the plain, and their abominable inhabitants, were consumed in unquenchable fire? Was there no check to the placid stream of events in the terrible plagues which desolated Egypt before the emancipation of the oppressed Hebrews? Did not something awfully unusual occur when the earth opened and swallowed Korah and his rebellious associates ?* Was there no proof of the super

* Moses says it was "a new thing." Numbers xvi. 30.

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natural when "the sun stood still and the moon stayed, until the people avenged themselves upon their enemies"? Was it simply an event in the ordinary course of things when "Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven"? Was it exactly what might have been expected in the ordinary "fortunes of war," when the angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand men ? And to hasten on from what might easily be made a long list of similar questions, what about the ever memorable miracles of our LORD? Not to speak of himself, the grand miracle of miracles-the incarnate One, GOD manifested in the flesh, Emmanuel," GOD with us."-do not his wonderful works arrest the attention of all intelligent beings, and prove not only that the argument of the scoffers is founded upon an error, but that Christ is every way likely to return to our world? When one thinks of those marvellous works by which the Saviour's power over earth, sea, and air, disease, demons, and death, was demonstrated; and remembers at the same time, how the beneficent Worker was maligned, persecuted, killed; the thought springs up, surely he will revisit our shores and look again upon the scenes of his unparalleled kindness, and unequalled sorrow. You have but to think of the reason why he wrought those works, and of the relation in which he stands to the human family, to feel the propriety, the necessity of that second coming to which the Scriptures so abundantly testify.

We should be sorry to lower the dignity of this Magazine by specimens of the mocking words, in relation to the Lord's advent, in which some of its opponents are pleased to indulge. Ridiculous, absurd, foolish, vulgar things are sneeringly uttered, to which no intelligent Christian can pay the least attention, so far as he is personally concerned; for sarcasm from men that are "willingly ignorant" is a very feeble weapon against those that "know the truth;" but when it is remembered that the royal claims of our blessed Lord are turned into ridicule, that it is the coming King himself who in reality is mocked, the thing becomes distressingly painful. The dishonour done to our blessed Lord is keenly felt; and we feel deeply sorry, also, on account of the deluded men who scoff at the holiest realities of revelation, and thus prepare themselves to be either the worshippers or the victims of Antichrist; but it is at once remarkable and instructive that the very existence of these scoffers proves that we are in the last days, and that the "coming" which they deride is therefore near. The Holy Ghost having foretold this, these men are witnesses to the truth of that which they deny.

One of the most painfully suggestive characteristics of the present day is that of irreverence. We are in the midst of a great revolution, and the proud spirit of an irreverent democracy is everywhere manifesting itself. This spirit, essentially vulgar, whether manifested by peer or boor, deems

Nov. 1, 1868.

nothing sacred. It touches divine subjects with as little veneration as it does those of the most secular kind; and if you bring before it the holy subject of the Second Advent, the result is a look of surprise, a movement of impatience, and then a sarcastic reference to some "prophet" whose dates have been falsified by time. And this is thought sufficient to negative the entire series of Old and New Testament prophecies respecting the coming and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ! The spirit of irreverence cannot brook the idea of the Holy One of God coming to execute judgment on the ungodly, and to rule the world in righteousness; for its proud lawlessness will find no quarter when the righteous King takes his sceptre; and, therefore, it virtually pours contempt upon divine truth itself, only slightly saving its manners by directing its scorn against those who have unwisely taken upon them to determine "times and seasons known only to GOD. A spirit of reverent enquiry would reason differently. It would conclude that an event of which Scripture students felt so morally certain as to fix the period when it should transpire, may be true, notwithstanding the error in the date. Human chronology, which is so liable to go wrong, cannot invalidate divine prophecy-which must be true. The fact that Christ is coming is repeatedly given in Scripture, the day and the hour never. You gain nothing, therefore, by hurling the shafts of ridicule at men whose chronological inductions have proved erroneous. God has said that he "will send Jesus Christ "(Acts iii. 20.) But he has nowhere said that he will send him in the sixty-sixth or sixty-seventh year of the nineteenth century; this last is the human adjunct to the divine verity, which never should have been made, but which, though made, casts no discredit upon the sure word of prophecy.

The irreverent spirit, however, cannot reason in this honest fashion. Having no regard for the things of the Spirit, and minding only earthly things, it eludes the duty of investigation by a foolish laugh at the mistakes of others, quite forgetful of the fact that its own mistakes are far more serious. There is this mighty difference, however, between us and the scoffers: we are heartily sorry that any of our brethren should have fixed dates; they are glad of it because those dates have proved wrong, and thus discredit has been thrown, they suppose, upon the entire subject of prophetic examination. But what if these over hasty inductions of good men, in relation to the element of time be among the "trials" to our faith? In that case we shall, by grace, extract spiritual benefit from the very things which minister food to the merriment of the scorner.

We find another class of scoffers among those who search out and, of course, magnify strange or ridiculous associations in connection with persons who have believed the word of God in relation to the kingly advent of the Redeemer. To justify eccentricity is no business of ours; and to show

that it has no possible connection with the Second Advent faith, is superfluous for wise men, and would be argument lost upon those who delight in scoffing. But, after all, conformity to the world in everything, though no doubt a sure way to escape the charge of religious eccentricity, is not the most direct path to the light and the truth, and the spiritual strength that come from a knowledge of the oracles of God. There are men who have a traditional creed-a thing unexamined and unfelt-a thing which has come to them as an heirloom; but where is its vital power in moulding character, ennobling life, and making manifest living epistles of Christ? It has no such power, never had, never can; and consequently these are the very men who are certain still further to swell the ranks of the scoffers.

DAVID,

TRUTH, GOLD, AND HONEY.

AVID, "the sweet singer of Israel," says, the law, or doctrine of the Lord, his testimony and judgments, are "More to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb," or the droppings of honeycombs. Pliny says, "In all kinds of honey, that which flows of itself, as wine and oil, and is called acœter, that is, without sediment, is most commended;" and Homer mentions, "honey spontaneously distilling," as peculiarly sweet. Much fine gold and the droppings of the honeycomb are thus selected to illustrate the value of divine truth; but, valuable as they both are, it is implied that they fail to do so, because a revelation from heaven is "more to be desired" than either or both.

In the first place, it is obvious that the Psalmist declares his own deliberate judgment in this comparison. He did not utter the sentiment merely for the purpose of getting it adopted by others, however emphatically true it may be in itself, or set it in a frame of noble poetry to attract the attention of those who practically say that gold and honey are better than divine truth. It was his own settled conviction, the testimony of his personal experience, the verdict of his calm judgment, and the expression of his grateful heart. It is wonderful how often he repeats the same thought in every variety of phrase throughout the psalms. This holy love of the word so burns upon the altar of his heart, and so breathes in gems of unrivalled song from his lips, that you cannot read the psalter without finding it continually. When he bears testimony thus to the inestimable value of revelation, there is a royalty about the man greater than that which belongs to him even as the divinely-appointed sovereign of the chosen tion. He is bathed in the light of the truth he loves, and its more than

THE RAINBOW.
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golden glories rest upon his brow. He seems to get nearer to the God of Abraham as he basks in its life-giving beams; and he exclaims with holy gladness, "For ever, O Lord, thy word is SETTLED in heaven!" Happy the man who uttered the deepest feeling of his heart in the words, “Oh, how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day."

It is needless to quote more. Every one knows how these orient gems sparkle, like the dew of heaven in the light of the Sun of Righteousness, upon the pages of David's matchless book of song; and all know also that the cxix., the longest in the book, is entirely devoted to the celebration of divine truth.

Now, when one reflects upon the fact that David had only a small portion of revelation compared with the two-volumed Bible which has been open to the inspection of Christendom for so many centuries, the thought must arise that his love of Scripture rebukes the coldness, the indifference, the mere formal reverence of many who ought to know more about the love of God in Christ; the wonderful character and work of our most blessed Lord; regeneration and sanctification by the Holy Spirit; the adoption of the believer into the divine family; and the glory which is shortly to be manifested as the sublime issue of the mediatorial work, than ever David did. We will not here enter upon the question how much or how little the saints of God in the land of Israel knew of the things which are "most surely believed among us," but we know quite well how much Scripture was extant in David's day, in addition to the priceless portion he was himself inspired to write; and, we repeat, compared with what we have, it was small indeed. Yet what devotion, what reverent worship, what admiration, what love, what panting after holiness, what stretching forth to the resurrection, what longing for the advent, and the kingdom and dominion of his Son and Heir, according to the flesh, and what gushings of soul-stirring poetry when he sees in the distance the consequences of that glorious dominion, "from the river to the ends of the earth, and as long as the sun and moon endure!"* The royal poet of Israel and Judah was not ashamed to write jubilant odes about that most precious truth which we are labouring amidst many difficulties, and in the face of great opposition, to bring back to the sorely bewildered church.

Yes, the son of Jesse puts us all to the blush! His love to his little Bible was stronger than that of most of us to our larger one; and his perception of its divine meaning as culminating in the reign of Messiah with his saints, in resurrection glory, over a subdued, restored, and happy

For proof, if it be demanded, see ii., viii., ix., x., xvi., xxii., xxiv., xlv., xlvii., 1., lxvii., lxviii., lxxii., lxxvi., lxxxix., xcvi., xcviii. Compare viii. with Heb. ii.; xvi. with Acts ii., and xlv. with Heb. i. "Things written in the Psalms concerning me." (Luke xxiv. 44.) How true, both as regards their number and far-reaching significance !