but the land without is the land of them. Their piety will not be perpromise. The whole earth is pro-fect till they are removed to a betmised to Messiah, and certainly ter world, to live for ever under the will be possessed by him in due full influence of holy principles, time. Whilst we look upon the and never more to heave a sigh or state of the world with grief and shed a tear. compassion, let us not regard it Moreover, all the real and solid with despondency. "It is said joy which is in this world, arises that such was the confidence of wholly from the influence of true the Romans that they should con- religion. Whatever nation has exquer the Carthaginians, that they isted without holiness, that nation sold at a public auction, and for a has had no solid, no lasting feligreat price, the ground upon which city; and the farther any indivithe camp of Hannibal stood. When dual or people recede from the this fact was known it inspired the paths of purity, so far they depart Romans with fresh courage, and from real blessedness. "Their their opponents betook themselves sorrows shall be multiplied that to flight." Courage then my fel-hasten after another god." "There low Christians: the whole land is is no peace to the wicked." Could before us, and by the power of the fear of God be wholly banished the Divine Spirit we are well able from the human mind, and holiness to possess it; and ere long we shall driven from this world, lamentation hear the triumphant shout of vic-and woe would burst from every tory. "The kingdoms of this heart, and the appropriate name world are become the kingdoms of of the earth would be Aceldama ! our Lord and of his Christ." The Lord hasten it in his time!

BLESSED ARE THEY THAT MOURN."

Mourning in the present state of things is inevitable. Men who have no religion, have however, the greatest portion of distress. We have apostatized from the AuIT is a very serious evil that men thor of our existence, and God has do not distinguish between things frowned upon us, and blighted all that differ. Mourning is insepa- our prospects. Sin has mingled rably connected with true religion; wormwood and gall with every and hence it has been considered potion we drink, has strewed ashes as the offspring of piety. This on all the bread we eat, and planted idea is, however, inadmissible, and thorns in all the ways we must grossly erroneous. Religion can travel through life. True, religion give birth to that only which makes does in this world separate these us happy. What is not inherent painful admixtures, eradicates many in a thing, can never spring out of these thorns, and sanctifies the of it; but true religion contains tears which flow from inevitable only what is morally excellent; evils. Yea, it renders the very sorpurity, goodness, mercy and truth. rows of life tributary to the soul's That all who possess genuine piety moral welfare, and subordinates do mourn, is certain; but their grief the natural evils which spring from arises not from the possession of re- moral pollution to the aiding of ligion, but the want of it; from a view holy desires, and the bringing the of the imperfect state of their charac-mind to Christ, the only Saviour ters in the sight of God, togetherwith from all sin. a contemplation of the sins and consequent miseries of those around

Could a man by a course of depravity banish all sorrow from his

woe, where even the mercy of God and the work of Christ are no longer the foundation of hope. For these things the man of holy benevolence must weep, his eye will affect his heart. But he is still blessed.

mind, this could be effected for a very short season only, and then he must lie down in everlasting sorrow. Why should hands so feeble attempt to raise a mound against an ocean of woe? The sinner must flee to Christ or he will be overwhelmed for ever. See His deep sense of these evils the reckless rebel who has dis- will preserve himself from many missed all his grief, is he not the sins, snares and temptations to maniac dancing on a precipice? which he is constantly exposed, Or is his soul benumbed? The and which would be the sources of opiates which have produced a the severest afflictions he could entemporary stupefaction are expend- dure. This is not a small coming their force, and with returning fort; to look back on all the way sensibility he will experience all in which the Lord has led him, the writhings of agony and tor- and to know that he has stood ture. Man as a sinner must mourn. where thousands have fallen. But The only choice left is, whether he he will also enjoy a sense of divine will for a season sorrow after a forgiveness. God will put away godly sort for his sins, or be doom- all his transgressions, and his coned under the influence of their science will, through the blood of curse, to suffer in everlasting de- Christ, be purified from guilt. His spair. Now is the only moment Father shews mercy unto him, notto make his election, and he who withstanding all that he has done. knew all things said, "Blessed are And oh, what felicity, what holy they that mourn." joy mingles with his tears! But The mourning connected with how will this blessedness be intrue religion, arises from an accu- creased, from the pleasing assurrate view of prevailing iniquity. ance that in a little while, he will The penitent will be deeply sen- be delivered, fully and perfectly sible of his own depravity. This delivered, from the cause of all his will the most powerfully affect calamities, his own sins. Yes, he him. His pride, carnality, back- will presently be holy as his heaslidings of heart, and sin in every venly Father is holy. And in lookview in which it prevails in him-ing onward a little, he sees moreself, will abase him in the dust, as it will be painfully evident to himself, that he has dishonoured his Redeemer, failed to give the world a correct specimen of the influence of the gospel, and his Lord an adequate expression of his gratitude and love. The wretchedness and misery of mankind, will produce heart-felt sorrow. While the Christian is looking abroad on a fallen world, while he is praying and labouring for its restoration, men are in these very moments actually perishing by thousands. Thousands are sinking into unavailing sorrow, lamentation and

over, the day approaching, when millions and millions from every quarter of the globe, will be restored to God; when the bonds of iniquity will be broken; and the captive emancipated and free; when war shall cease to the ends of the earth, and all nations be blessed in Christ. Oh, what consolation to think of a restored, a renovated world! Then shall it be said that the holy city, the new Jerusalem has come down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

London.

I. M.

REVIEW.

Co.

A Defence of the Scriptural Doctrine con- | kind through all time until now, to such cerning the Second Advent of Christ, as view it in a serious light, and with from the Erroneaus Representations of deep religious sensibility, opens a vast the Modern Millenarians. By WILLIAM HAMILTON, D. D. Minister of and solemn contemplation. The review Strathblane. Hamilton, Adams, and of the past is gloomy and 'distressing; the present, though rich in promises of THE religious state and improvement of improvement, affords but little repose; our race, through the future ages of so we are compelled to turn in pious time, is a subject of affecting and solemn and sublime hope to the prospect of the interest to all devout and reflecting future, for nearly all the comfort we minds. To love mankind with the ge- can have amidst the sadness of this nerous and cordial affection which a ten-wide contemplation. It is while musing der and enlightened piety inspires, to on this great prospect, with the sofeel as we ought to feel, a holy and fer-lemnity and interest which every Chrisvent solicitude for their true happiness, tian should feel in the future history of awakens a deep concern to ascertain, mankind, that the prophetic declaraas far as we can, what the religious con- tions of the word of God become most dition of all future generations will be precious and delightful. They do not, down to the final conclusion of this mor- indeed, shed so perfect a light over the tal state. Much as this sacred curiosity vast scene as we might wish to have; has lately prevailed among Christians, they leave us in uncertainty respecting and enlarged the circle of their devo- many points on which we should love to tional hopes and felicities, we know be informed; but they have sufficiently there is still a great defect to lament in illuminated the prospect to give us great profound sensibility and devotion, for consolation and delight. Without saan object so immense as the spiritual tisfying our wishes to the full, they give happiness of mankind. We wish to us, what is quite enough for the pur cherish this generous and elevated tem-poses of comfort and activity, the conper in ourselves and others to its highest soling assurance, that the Lord Jesus ardour, that it may give enlargement will become in literal truth the Saviour and fervour to our prayers, and ten- of the world, that his religion in all its derness to our devout affections, and spirituality and glory will be extended move us to more constant activity for over the whole earth, and the number the attainment of our object. One of of his true and happy servants be vastly the best means for nourishing this tem- enlarged. This world will become and per, is a frequent and bright anticipa- continue for a long period a Christian tion of the result which is promised to world. In this consoling and glorious our devotions and labours for the good assurance, nearly all good men are of our race. Who can think of the in- comforted and perfectly agreed. We numerable multitudes of guilty and im- wish they would all repose on this grand mortal beings that will people the scenes and delightful certainty, of which no of this world for many ages to come, serious believer can doubt, and labour perpetually multiplying in number be- and pray without ceasing for its full yond all assignable limits, till the last accomplishment. But some of them unchild of our race shall be born, without happily, when they come to paint the earnestly wishing to know what shall scene, to describe and adorn the holy be their spiritual condition, and what and splendid prospects which the word their character and destination for eter- of God has opened to our contemplation, nity. The melancholy condition of man- introduce numerous embellishments that

serve to no other purpose but to dazzle | scriptural facts, and powerful reasonand confound the mind. They turn the ings upon them are answered. It is prophetic descriptions of the purity, very strange that none of the fervent loveliness and splendour of the church advocates of the modern theory, to in future ages, which are so glorious which his sentiments are completely opand soothing when meditated in sim- posed, seem to have paid any attenplicity and love, into a topic of specu- tention to the work of that great critic lation and dispute. By this means the and divine: a work replete with the spirituality and grandeur of the pros- most enlarged and luminous views of pect, on which the prophets delighted sacred truth which are sustained throughto lavish all the images of beauty which out, by reasonings that remain untheir inspired fancy could devise, and touched. which should touch the heart of every Christian with joy unspeakable and full of glory, is merged in and exchanged for a conflict of human opinions.

Many of our readers are aware that for some time past a considerable band of very able and excellent men have devoted great attention to the prophecies which relate to the introduction and nature of the Millenium. Their publications on the subject have given rise to the controversy which is treated with powerful ability in the volume before us. With all deference and even devout admiration for some of the excellent men who have written on this topic, with a fervour and devotion worthy of a better cause, we cannot but say that we look upon it as one of the most fanciful and useless controversies which has ever engaged the attention, and consumed the time of the servants of Christ. We have paid considerable attention to what they have said, we have meditated their views in a serious manner, we have compared them with the word of God, and sought for divine illumination to guide us while so employed; but at the close of this labour we are mortified to find that we have gained scarcely any new light or benefit whatever to reward us for our toil. We think they have completely failed to establish any views of the approaching kingdom of Christ different from those which are commonly held. The views that we formed of the Millenium many years since from the study of Dr. Whitby's most admirable | discourse on the subject, and which have been confirmed by all our subsequent reading and meditation on the prophe cies, remain unchanged; so they must remain, until his ample statement of

When we first took up this volume, we intended to go into rather an extended view of the subject in all its parts, for it is one in which we greatly delight; but further reflection convinced us that it would be an unprofitable task for ourselves, and that it would be wrong to perplex the minds of our readers with such useless and fleeting speculations as we should have to bring forward, and then refute, in an ample discussion of the topic. Christians have, or ought to have, something nobler to do in this world of conflict and labour than to waste their time in musings that lead to no beneficial result,—or to be amused with prospects and visions that will never be realized in this state of mortality.

The grand point in the views of the modern Millenarians is the personal coming and dominion of the Redeemer on earth, where they expect him to remain in power and majesty for a long period of time. This wonderful prospect seems to have in their minds all the beauty and glory of divine certainty attached to it. No wonder they are absorbed and delighted by even the distant effulgence of such a vision. On such as have persuaded themselves of its truth, and live in the full expectation, of their Lord soon descending from heaven, we can easily imagine it to have a most devotional and happy effect. But we cannot indulge the high anticipation that the Saviour of mankind will ever again take up his abode in this world. After the fullest attention, that we have been able to give to what has been said in favour of it, we cannot find any solid proof whatever in the predictions of Scripture for this solemn and glorious fancy. The whole scheme depends on