the light God hath given them, and charitably to believe that others do so too."

I am prepared to expect that the statements made in the following pages, will have to contend with Prejudice; but, of this I am assured, That a mind under the power of prejudice, is not in a fit state to search for Truth. Many also will object to the whole scheme, and more particularly to that leading feature of it, the Second coming of our Lord, in power and great glory, before the Millennium, being ready to say, "This is a hard saying, who can bear it?" But, "thus saith the Lord of Hosts, if it be hard (marg.) in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, should it also be hard (marg.) in mine eyes? saith the Lord of Hosts."2 And, let us not forget, that the name of Jesus was at one time " every where spoken against," though it then was, even as it now is, "the only name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved."

"3

To Him, who magnifies his Power by making the meanest instrument effectual to set forth his glory, I humbly commit these Thoughts, beseeching Him, for his great Name's sake, to pardon and overrule whatever is amiss, and to bless what may be good in them to promote the cause of Truth and Righteousness in the earth.

Willian Rectory, March, 1829.

1 John vi. 60. 2 Zech. viii. 6. 3 Acts iv. 12.

PREFACE

TO

THE THIRD EDITION.

Ir having pleased God to make this small work more generally known than the Writer had any reason to expect, he feels it a duty to say, That from the time of his first preaching these doctrines, in the year 1827, for the instruction of his own flock, to the present hour, he has met with nothing to shake his faith in them, but, on the contrary, much to confirm it. Indeed, it is scarcely possible now to look around us, without perceiving that some important crisis is at hand; and, if we bring the light of the sure word of prophecy, with which we are favoured, to bear upon the existing state of things in the prophetical earth, we shall discover it to be that for which "the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth," "the manifestation of the sons of God." That a spirit of enquiry has gone forth upon these subjects, which are at this time the most important and interesting committed to the Christian Church, demands the tribute of our thanks and praise to Him, who has

created and still keeps it alive. For thus many will be led to look "for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" and so the day of the Lord shall not overtake them as a thief.

That this may be the case with all into whose hands these few pages shall come, and more particularly with such as are bound to the Writer by the ties of kindred or acquaintance, is the earnest and sincere desire of his heart; and, with this object in view, he commits them confidently to Him who can employ them for that purpose, and whose strength is made perfect in our weakness.

As it respects the work itself, a few verbal alterations have been made in it, several notes have been added, and a short Postscript on 1 Cor. xv. 28. With these exceptions, the work is substantially the same.

Willian Rectory, March, 1831.

CHAPTER I.

On the duty of giving good heed to those parts of Holy Scripture, which are termed Prophetical.

It has been a matter of much surprise to me, as a Minister of Christ, to hear a question raised, by any believer in divine revelation, as to the duty of studying the prophetical Scriptures. Without dwelling on the acknowledged principle, that, if it please God to reveal his will to man, it is man's undeniable duty thankfully to receive the whole revelation, and diligently to search it, in order to understand what the will of the Lord is: let us turn our attention at once to the written word, and endeavour, from that source, to derive some conclusive information on this subject. If the duty of Christians may be drawn from the example of believers of former times, as that is written in the Scriptures for our learning; and if a confirmation of the same be found in the approving testimony of the Lord to their conduct; but, above all, if we can discover an express command to adopt any line of conduct for which we have the authority of their example, then our case is clear, clear also is our duty on this momentous subject. And precisely such a case we conceive the Scriptures to afford in the example of Daniel the prophet: a man distinguished above his fellows by the testimony of an angel of light, that he was "greatly