from them, how those relating to the glory and kingdom of the Messiah are to receive their accomplish-. ment at his second coming ?

As the Jews, attracted by the superior splendor of the promises relating to the second advent of Messiah, overlooked and neglected those which relate to: his first coming in great humility;-even so, is it not to be feared that Christians are so engrossed by the mercies brought to mankind by his first advent, that they too. commonly overlook or misapprehend those passages

which refer to his second coming in glorious majesty, at the last day? It is true, we profess to believe that he will “come again to judge the quick and the dead,”—but how mystical, shadowy, and indistinct are our views in reference to tbe second revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ?

How many suppose that our Lord's second coming means nothing more than the day of our death, when we shall go individually into the presence of God, to receive our sentence, and be immediately consigned to heaven or hell! Whenever they reflect upon the judgment-day, (for the awful theme will sometimes force itself upon their attention !) what are their views? They form a conception of some mysterious and inexplicable manifestation of the diwine glory,—the erection of a great white throne either in heaven, or some other region beyond the boundaries of this globe, where all the human, race

will be assembled for the grand Assize; the righteous will be separated from the wicked ;--and in the short space of one day of twelve or twenty-four hours, all the stupendous events connected with the second advent of our Lord will be accomplished, and done with forever !

Now, we ask, is this view answerable to the language of the Old Prophets—the instructions of inspired Apostles-the admonitions and warnings of our Lord himself, upon this fearfully grand and majestic theme? This view includes no manifestation of Christ in his human nature,—no establishment of a dominion upon earth,-no restoration of the Jews, -no offering of universal incense to the Lord by the Gentile nations, no overthrow of Antichrist, no first resurrection of departed saints,-no transformation: of living ones,-no binding of Satan for a thousand years-no creation of a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness:- In a word, there is an absence of almost all the antecedents and concomitants which the Scriptures teach us to look for in connexion with the second coming of our Lord. To some of those antecedents and concomitants, as well as to the glorious results of our Lord's. second advent, I propose to invite your attention in the present course of Lectures.

Let us bear away from the house of God this night the solemn impression, that the second coming of

Christ will be an event no less real than his first; and, so far as we are informed, those predictions which relate to the one, will be fulfilled no less truly and literally than those have been which relate to the other.

We are not at liberty to change actual events into figures, or to force upon plain and express passages of holy writ, which relate to facts, a metaphorical and spiritual interpretation. We may properly translate metaphors into the facts which they are intended to symbolize, but it is never lawful, in interpreting God's word, to convert facts into figures. As Jesus Christ once actually came, as the Son of man, to seek and to save that which was lost; so will he actually come again, as the Son of man, in the clouds of heaven, to judge the quick and the dead. It is no unreal picture-no imaginary scene of which we speak. 6 Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus shall so come again, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” As they saw him ascend with their bodily eyes, so, when he comes again, “every eye shall see him; and they also that pierced him shall wail because of him."* As he ascended from the Mount of Olives, so Zechariah informs us, that in the last day “his feet shall stand upon the Mount of Olives” again.t

Those feet which once trod the streets of Jerusalem in humiliation and sorrow, shall again traverse them in majesty and glory. Those hands which were once employed in acts of benevolence and mercy, shall then distribute blessings and gifts to his saints. That tongue which once spake the accents of truth and love, shall be employed in pronouncing benedictions upon his people, and wrath upon his enemies. And the guilty nation which once exclaimed “crucify him-crucify him!” will then, according to his own prediction, sing “Hosanna to the son of David !!! « Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the

Lord."'*

We will not now anticipate the solemn and joyful scenes that will accompany and follow that great day of Christ's “appearing and kingdom.” But we wish you to realize that he will truly come again to this earth to reckon with his servants and decide their doom. But “who may abide the day of his coming? or who shall stand when he appeareth?” Are we prepared for the coming of our Lord ? Are we among the penitent, believing and holy ones, who are “looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God ?” or are we among the impenitent and unholy who will 66 wail because of him?"

May there be great searchings of heart in this assembly!. “For the proud, and all that do wickedly

66

shall be as stubble, and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts: but unto you that fear my name, shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.”