"Fire and pillars of smoke," says the prophet Joel. Has this sign been seen? It has. Luke calls it "fearful sights and great signs from heaven." The Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, are a perfect fulfilment of this prophecy. But it is said, "They are no sign of the end of the world, for they have always been." But where, I ask, is the proof that they have always been? Who can find a particle of ancient history in support of that idea? It is true, that some modern writers have asserted that there is; but have they been able to put their finger on such anciently written history? If so, where is it? Till they produce it, we shall deny that there is any such history in existence. It seems, from some of our modern historians, that in March, 1716, these lights were first seen with great brilliancy and astonishment in England, though never seen before by the oldest inhabitants. Since that period they have often been seen, and especially within the last thirty or forty years, exactly answering to the prophecy of "fire and pillars of smoke."

The following article is in illustration of this subject, and may be seen in the New York Commercial Advertiser of Oct. 22d, 1839. "The phenomenon described in this London article was seen by myself," says Henry Jones," and on the same Tuesday evening of Sept. 3d, especially of the Aurora, in the western part of New York, and is described by various papers of this city, as seen here and at Boston at the same time, with unprecedented splendor, brilliancy, and singularity of appearance, though far less astonishing than their described appearance in London, and with nothing special in regard to appearances in the stars." [See New York Commercial Advertiser of Sept. 4th, and Christian Advocate and Journal of Sept. 13.]

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FROM LATE LONDON PAPERS.

London, Sept. 5th.—Between the hours of ten on Tuesday night and three yesterday morning, in the

heavens was observed one of the most magnificent specimens of those extraordinary phenomena—the falling stars and northern lights—witnessed for many years past. The first indication of this singular phenomenon was about ten minutes before ten, when a light crimson, apparently vapor, rose from the northern portion of the hemisphere, and gradually extended to the centre of the heavens, and by ten o'clock, or a quarter past, the whole, from east to west, was one vast sheet of light. It had a most alarming appearance, and was exactly like that occasioned by a TERRIFIC FIRE. The light varied considerably; at one time it seemed to fall, and directly after rose with intense brightness. There were to be seen mingled with it volumes of smoke, which rolled over and over, and every beholder seemed convinced that it was 'a tremendous conflagration.' The consternation in the metropolis was very great; thousands of persons were running in the direction of the supposed awful catastrophe. The engines belonging to the fire brigade stations in Baker street, Farrington street, Watling street, Warterloo road, and likewise those belonging to the West of England station—in fact, every fireengine in London—were horsed, and galloped after the supposed scene of destruction,' with more than ordinary energy, followed by carriages, horsemen, and vast mobs. Some of the engines proceeded as far as Highgate and Holloway, before the error was discovered. These appearances lasted for upwards of two hours, and towards morning the spectacle became one of more grandeur.

"At two o'clock in the morning, the phenomenon presented a most gorgeous scene, and one very difficult to describe. The whole of London was illuminated as light as noonday, and the atmosphere was remarkably clear. The southern hemisphere at the time mentioned, although unclouded, was very dark; but the stars, which were innumerable, shone beautifully. The opposite side of the heavens presented a singular, but magnificent contrast: it was clear to

extreme, and the light was very vivid; there was a continual succession of meteors, which varied in splendor. They appeared formed in the centre of the heavens, and spread till they seemed to burst; the effect was electrical; myriads of small stars shot out over the horizon, and darted with that swiftness towards the earth that the eye scarcely could follow the track; they seemed to burst also, and to throw a dark crimson vapor over the entire hemisphere. The colors were most magnificent. At half past two o'clock, the spectacle changed to darkness, which, on dispersing, displayed a luminous rainbow in the zenith of the heavens, and round the ridge of darkness that overhung the southern portion of the country. Soon afterwards, columns of silvery light radiated from it ;—they increased wonderfully, intermingled among crimson vapor which formed at the same time, and when at full height the spectacle was beyond all imagination. Stars were darting about in all directions, and continued until four o'clock, when all died away. During the time that they lasted, a great many persons assembled on the bridges across the river Thames, where they had a commanding view of the heavens, and watched the progress of the phenomenon attentively."

It is difficult to conceive how a more perfect fulfilment of the prophecy could take place. God never has, and we have no reason to believe he ever will, give signs that unbelieving men cannot cavil with. He gives men sufficient evidence to satisfy the childlike mind, but allows "strong delusions" to follow all his signs, that men who do not love the truth may believe a lie. They ask for lies, and God suffers them to have them, "that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. So when Moses cast down his rod and it became a serpent, the magicians did likewise. "It can be accounted for upon natural principles," cries Pharoah, and all the anti-types, that, Pharaoh-like, contemn all the signs the great God is giving us of the coming of Christ and the end of the world. God will never give such

men signs that they cannot scoff at, till the last sign, that of the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven; but then it will be too late, and they are lost forever.

"The stars shall fall from heaven." This is another sign of the near approach of Christ and the end of the world. The Revelator says, chap. vi. 13, "The stars of heaven fell upon the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind." Has this sign been seen? It has. Nov. 13th, 1833, was seen precisely such an appearance as the Revelator describes. Though "shooting stars" have been seen at other times, so far as known, nothing of this kind was ever seen before 1789. The atmosphere was literally filled with falling stars, shooting in every direction, answering exactly to the description in Rev. vi. 13. If that was not a fulfilment of the prophecy, it will be difficult for any man to show how it ever can be fulfilled.

"Blood" is one of the signs given us by Joel, to precede the "terrible day of the Lord." Has this sign appeared? It has. In addition to the bloody appearance of the moon, already spoken of, in February, 1837, the whole face of the earth seemed as though covered with blood, the snow having exactly that appearance.

"Pestilences "" were to "be in divers places," Luke tells us. Who has forgotten the terrible and desolating cholera, that has passed over almost the entire world within the past twenty years? If that is not a fulfilment of that prophecy, it is diffi cult to see how it could be fulfilled.

"Earthquakes in divers places was to be another sign. Not to mention the many shocks which have more or less affected various places, look at the one felt at St. Domingo the past year, in which a whole city, of some ten or twelve thousand inhabitants, is swallowed up, and a mere handful of souls saved.

All the signs our Saviour spoke of as preceding his coming have appeared, and the next thing to be looked for is the "COMING of the "Son of Man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." This appearance, it is true, is to be preceded by its "sign," v. 30. But what is that sign? I pretend not to know with certainty, but perhaps we may get a clew to it from Numbers xxiv. 17: "There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a SCEPTRE shall arise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners [or, as the margin has it, through the princes'] of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth," or the wicked.

A "Star" was the sign to the wise men of the East at our Saviour's birth: may not the "Sceptre," or sign of Royalty, be the forerunner of his second coming? He comes to set up his everlasting kingdom, having been into "a far country to receive" it, and is now to "return," when his "enemies, who would not that " he 66 'should reign over them," shall be slain

"before" him.

Verse 31: "He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, [see 1 Cor. xv. 52,] and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." What a glorious meeting of the children of God!—they meet to part no more—meet to share the purchased inheritance with their once suffering but now glorified Lord and Saviour. O blessed state! O glorious hour! Reader, would you have a part in it? Hasten, then; make no delay to be reconciled to God—" kiss the Son," lest you "perish from the way "when his "wrath" shall be kindled by your obstinate slighting his mercy.

Verses 32, 33: "Now learn a parable of the fig-tree: When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when shall see all these things, know that it is near, at the door.'

ye

Just as certain as we can know the approach of summer by the putting forth of leaves, just so certain we may know that the coming of Christ is now at the door.

Verse 34. This verse is supposed to form an objection to the foregoing application, and to fix the meaning of our Lord to events to transpire in that age, because he says, "This generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled."

The term generation is applied not only to an age, but a class or race. First, to the righteous; see Ps. xiv. 5: "God is in the generation of the righteous." See also Ps. xxii. 30; xxiv. 6, and lxxiii. 15; also 1 Pet. ii. 9.

It is also applied to the wicked as a class. Matt. iii. 7: "O generation of vipers." See also Matt. xii. 24; and xxiii. 33; and Mark viii. 38; and Luke xvi. 8.

Our Lord was speaking to his children, and telling them they should be gathered unto him in the clouds of heaven when he should come, but tells them not to look for such an event till all the signs he had given them had first appeared; then, and not till then, the generation of saints should be "caught up together, to meet the Lord in the air," and thus " pass away from earth, while the last indignation is poured out upon the wicked. See Isaiah xxvi. 19—21.

But after all, the difficulty in this text is not so much in the term generation as in the word "fulfilled." The word translated fulfilled occurs forty-eight times in the New Testament,