apostle should arrive, they might all have their donations ready. This plan might be adopted, with advantage, by many Christians; and it is not uncommon, for families to keep a box, into which every member, including children, deposites an offering every week. Regularity and frequency in making contributions have many beneficial effects on the character of the individual, by reminding him continually of his duty, and by fostering habits of benevolence and economy. But all Christians cannot ascertain, every week, what is the actual amount of their income, and few persons receive, each week, the pecuniary avails of their industry. The plan alluded to cannot, therefore, be generally adopted, even by individuals at home. We doubt, whether it would, if practicable, be expedient for each person to bring all his charitable donations, every Sabbath, to a common treasury. We cannot enumerate, at length, the objections. We can merely say, that the practice would not be in harmony with the general principle, that contributions should be adjusted to exigences; it would probably give rise to jealousies and accusations; it would create a fund, which must be managed by the church, or by individuals, and which would, in either case, be liable to excite suspicions, if it did not really operate as a temptation. It is, too, inconsistent with the nature of man to expect, that as large donations would result from an abstract and general impulse of duty, as would be furnished by a mind and heart penetrated and moved by individual claims, successively presented and distinctly contemplated. It is desirable, for the benefit of the Christian's piety, as well as for the sake of larger contributions, to bring the missionary cause, the education society, and all the circle of benevolent operations, before his mind, that he may understand their character and feel their claims. Benevolent action must spring from benevolent emotions; but these emotions must be excited by appropriate causes.

A better plan might be something like this: Let every church consider itself as a primary society for all proper objects. About the beginning of each year, let there be a committee

*The practice of bringing contributions, every Sabbath, appears to have been common in the early churches; but their situation was different from ours. For the support of the ministers, for the relief of the sick, the poor, widows and orphans, prisoners, and fugitives from persecution, frequent and large donations were necessary. The excellent custom is still preserved, in our churches, of making a collection for the poor, and for other church expenses, each month, after the celebration of the Lord's supper.

appointed to collect funds for foreign missions, another for domestic missions, another for education, and others for other purposes. Let the year be divided into periods, each of which shall be appropriated to collections for one particular object. During the period assigned to foreign missions, for example, let the pastor preach on the subject, presenting statements of facts, and urging the proper motives. Let the topic be mentioned in the church meetings, and let it be a special theme of prayer, in public, in families, and in private. Let the collectors proceed in soliciting donations from all persons, in the church and congregation, who may be disposed to lend their aid; and let the inoney be paid into the treasury of the county or state society, if there be one, or directly into the general treasury. During the period allotted to domestic missions, or education, let the same process be pursued. All the great plans of benevolence would thus be distinctly presented, and the claims of each could be seen and felt. Such a plan would make agencies for these objects nearly unnecessary. It would benefit the church, by keeping in constant action its benevolent affections. It would give employment to many of the members, as collectors, and would. foster their piety, by forming habits of active service for the Saviour.

A plan like this has been adopted by some of the churches, and it is believed, that its operation has been found highly beneficial and effective.

We have but little space left, for a consideration of another idea, proposed by Mr. Church. It is briefly this: That it is desirable, to have the operations of our benevolent societies simplified, by confiding them all, in each denomination, to one board, to be composed of a few individuals, entirely devoted to the work, and properly paid for their services. This board might, he thinks, perform the business of all the societies. We have been taught, by painful experience, the evils connected with the present system, which throws on the overburdened pastors in the cities a large part of the charge of managing the concerns of our benevolent societies. We believe, that they would be better conducted by a few trustworthy and wise men, who could appropriate to them all their time. But we are sure, that Mr. Church's plan, of having but one central

We would not, of course, discontinue the good custom, of making a collection for missions at each monthly concert.

VOL. II.-NO. V.

13

board, is not feasible. He himself, indeed, speaks of it rather as a bright vision, belonging to a purer state of the church, than as a project which can now be accomplished. It is, no doubt, better, in the present condition of the church, that Dr. Bolles and his coadjutors should manage our foreign missions, and that Dr. Going, with his colleagues, should conduct the domestic missions, and that our other excellent brethren, who are diligently prosecuting their respective plans of philanthropy, should go onward, with undiminished zeal and concentrated energy.

We have additional considerations to suggest, but we must forbear, for the present. It will be seen, that Mr. Church's book touches many highly important subjects. It well deserves an attentive perusal. It must awaken thought; and if the reader is not perfectly satisfied with the author's conclusions, the book will aid him in forming his own.

EDITOR.

ARTICLE IX.

INTERPRETATION OF MATTHEW 24: 29-31.

"AND after the tribulation of those days, suddenly shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man corning in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory and he shall send his angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds,-from the one end of heaven to the other."

To what do these words relate? Are they a poetical description of the destruction of Jerusalem and the extinction of the Jewish polity, or are they descriptive of the final coming of our Lord to judge the world?

On the supposition, that any part of the 24th of Matthew relates to the final coming of Christ, many interpreters have

found it difficult to distinguish between what refers to that event and what to the destruction of Jerusalem. Hence, they have been led to refer the whole of the chapter to the latter occurrence, and to the circumstances attending it.

Other interpreters, however, comparing the language from the 29th to the 32d verse with that of other parts of the New Testament, which confessedly relate to the final coming of our Lord, have felt constrained to apply this, also, to that great event. In favor of this interpretation, much may be urged.

1. In the first place, the Greek word (EU), in the 29th verse, which, in our version, is rendered "immediately," seems, in this connexion, to mean suddenly. Our Lord doubtless spoke in the Hebrew of his time; and one of the corresponding Hebrew words (ON), signifies, in a moment, suddenly; and this is the very word here used in the Hebrew version of the New Testament.

2. Our Saviour observes, "after the tribulation of those days, shall the sun be darkened," &c. What tribulation is here spoken of? Evidently, that occasioned by the siege and the destruction of Jerusalem. The event, then, to which allusion is made in this verse, was to occur after the destruction of Jerusalem; and if after that event, it could not be the event itself. Besides, we cannot discover, from history, that any event did occur "immediately after" the destruction of Jerusalem, corresponding either in manner or in importance to the language here used. If, however, we suppose the allusion to be made to the final coming of our Lord, the language admits of an easy explanation. Taking this view of the subject, and reading εvos, suddenly, we perceive, that the time when the event was to take place is left indefinite. It was to occur after the destruction of Jerusalem; but how soon or how long after, is not specified. This corresponds precisely to other intimations in the New Testament, respecting the day of judgment. We are told, that "the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,"-when we are not prepared. "But," it

is said, "this is the language of poetry, and should be interpreted accordingly." I ask, then, what are we to think of those descriptions in the New Testament, in which similar language is used, and which confessedly relate to the final coming of Christ?

The apostle declares, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel,

and with the trump of God." Our Saviour says, " And he shall send his angels, with a great sound of a trumpet." The apostle continues, "And the dead in Christ shall rise first." Our Saviour asserts, "And they shall gather together his elect from the four winds,-from the one end of heaven to the other." The apostle adds, "Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord." Our Saviour says, "And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory." And yet we are told, concerning these passages, that the one is a poetical description of the downfall of the Jewish state, and the other is a representation of the final coming of our Lord to judge the world! If the passage under consideration be compared with other representations of the day of judgment, the same similarity of language will appear.

3. The phrase, "that day," in the 36th verse of this chapter, when used in reference to the "coming of our Lord," is elsewhere applied to his final coming. Here, it naturally refers to the preceding words, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away; but of that day and hour, knoweth no one." Now, this is in exact accordance with the representation given by the apostle Peter, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise." The term, "those days," as used in the 24th verse of the 13th chapter of Mark, and the expression, "that day," as used in the 24th of Matthew, are to be considered as synonymous; because, in Mark, it is said, that the same event will occur in "those days," which, in Matthew, it is said will take place in "that day." The prophets use these expressions in a similar manner.

4. The representation which our Lord gives of the suddenness of what he terms "his coming," does not comport with the idea, that the destruction of Jerusalem is alluded to in this expression. He tells his disciples, "In such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh." And yet, with regard to the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dreadful sufferings which were to accompany it, he declares, that certain signs were to be the precursors of those events; and further, he declares, that these indications should point out almost the precise moment when these events should take place. "And when ye see all these things, know, that it is near, even at the doors." Now, if an event be preceded by signs of such a character as