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THE

SECOND ADVENT,

OR

COMING OF THE MESSIAH IN GLORY,

SHOWN TO BE

A SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE,

AND

TAUGHT BY DIVINE REVELATION,

FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD.

BY AN AMERICAN LAYMAN.

"Oh! scenes surpassing fable, and yet true

"Scenes of accomplished bliss!

"Praise in all her gates. Upon her walls

"And in her streets, and in her spacious courts,

"Is heard Salvation.

"One song employs all nations, and all cry,

"Worthy the Lamb, for he was slain for us."-COWPER.

TRENTON, (N. J.)

PUBLISHED BY D. FENTON & S. HUTCHINSON.

District of New-Jersey, ss.

BE IT REMEMBERED, That on the second day of March, in the thirtyninth 4mmx year of the independence of the United States of America, A.D. 1815, Daniel Fenton and S. Hutchinson, of the said district, SEAL. have deposited in this office, the title of a book, the right Xmm whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit:

"The Second Advent, or coming of the Messiah in glory, shewn to be a Scrip"ture doctrine, and taught by Divine revelation, from the beginning of the "world. By an American layman.

"Oh! scenes, surpassing fable, and yet true
"Scenes of accomplished bliss!

"Praise in all her gates. Upon her walls

"And in her streets, and in her spacious courts,

"Is heard Salvation.

"One song employs all nations, and all cry,

"Worthy the Lamb, for he was slain for us."...CowPER.

In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entituled, "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned." And also to the Act, entitled, "An Act supplementary to an Act, entitled "An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprie.ors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned;" and exfending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints."

ROBERT BOGGS, Clerk of the District of New-Jersey.

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Presby F. An

11-28-31

PREFACE.

TO have a better understanding of the following work, it is necessary that the reader should be informed of the circumstances attending its commencement, and the manner in which it has been carried on to the present period. Some time about the year 1790, the important events of that day made a deep impression on the author's mind and led him to examine the Scriptures with great attention, from Genesis to the Revelation of St. John. The solemn exhortation of the apostle to his readers to hearken to what the Spirit saith to the Churches; and repeated six times within the bounds of two chapters, fixed his attention to the important call. He made the prophetic declarations in the Scriptures, for a while, the peculiar object of his daily studies; at the same time humbly supplicating for aid from, and looking to the Spirit of God, who dictated those prophesies, for being led into all necessary truth, in enquiring into their genuine meaning. He must acknowledge that the passing events of the day alarmed him; and he thought he saw the signs of the latter day, foretold in the sacred record, thickening upon him. But here his fears arose, lest he might unwittingly slide into the error of judging of the prophesies altogether by the events, instead of comparing the events with the prophesies. To prevent this, he determined to guard against error, by forming a short compendium of what, on great consideration, comparing those prophesies yet to be fulfilled, with those which had already taken place, he verily believed was the meaning of the Spirit of God in the revelation of his will to his Church, as to what was to take place, as the signs of the second coming of the Saviour, to this our world.

In doing this he was surprized to find that this glorious event, at the end of Daniel and John's 1260, 30, and 90 days, or years, was the great and leading object of the sacred volume from the beginning to the end. This is the latter days and day of judg ment of Daniel-The great day of judgment, or the judgment of the great day of the Jews, and the kingdom of Heaven, the kingdom of God, and the times of refreshing and the restitution of all things of the New Testament. In short, it appears to be like a thread running through the whole web, and in which all the lesser objects seem like the woof of the web, to give a complexion and character to the whole system of divine grace and mercy.

After consulting the Sacred Text, with close attention and critical precision, and comparing the result with the opinions of the

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