troversy in Edinburgh on the Immortality of the soul. The individual holding this popular dogma, endeavoured to silence his opponent by saying, "That he knew he was right, because he had the Holy Spirit." How this doctrine of direct influence on unbelievers tends to depreciate the Scriptures, which are spoken of as a dead letter, as in the above example, without the miraculous accompaniment. David's estimate was very high: "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Ps. cxix. 105.) "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces ?" (Jer. xxiii. 29.) Manchester. SAMUEL TATTERSALL.

THE END OF THE DISPENSATION.

T is a matter of congratulation that, amid the many hues of thought

been permitted to fade out-viz., those thoughts which specially point to the coming of the Master. The darkness around is still such as to require the RAINBOW in all its vividness, and if the light fade not, it will so continue.

Anxiously desiring to see MORE Concerning the Lord's second advent, or if additional information cannot be afforded, a repetition of what has already been advanced in relation to Christ's coming, we are prompted to ask of those who have already written, "What of the night ?" Where are we? Will some of our able writers again inquire, and write?

Surely the signs of the times, the condition of the nations, the direct and indirect Bible evidence, indicate very strongly that the coming crisis is imminent: VERY IMMINENT, all but upon us. Has not the "eveningtime" long passed, "the midnight" also? Did not the time of the "cock-crowing cease with 1870; and is not the dawn of "morning" approaching? Is it not at very early morning that he will come? Where are we ?

It may be that we have reached unto the very last days of the present dispensation, just concluding the lapse of years known in the language of Daniel the prophet as "the time of the end." If so, we are entering upon a most momentous period; the time of the resurrection of those who are Christ's; the change of the living, and the time of trouble, such as never was, nor ever shall again be, with the manifestation of the literal lawless one.

We think we are close upon the period when Jesus will fulfil the promise: "I will come again." Of course there is a POSSIBILITY of mistake, but we cling to the promise that "the wise shall understand at the time of the end," that which David could not, and what the other prophets could not; though the apostle informs us that "they searched diligently what, or what manner of TIME the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it prophesied beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." (1 Pet. i. 11-12.)

May we not judge from such language that even the prophets thought much about the TIME of Christ's glory, but that to them, even as also unto the apostles and the church, the TIME has been hidden, and was intended to have been hidden until these last days? Scripture certainly intimates that as the period of our Saviour's coming draws nigh, so the Church shall be gradually enlightened as to the very TIME. Absolute statement of the time of Christ's coming is not given in Scripture, but there are certain landmarks and types given, by which the believer may know that his Lord is near.

It is the great Master's will that they only shall know who will searchas those who would search for hid treasure, and alone indicate that they care much about it, that their hearts are set upon it. The great majority even of those who are believers in the Lord's second advent rest satisfied with the reply, "Well, it becomes us to be always ready." But such, alas are never ready. No; they are quite content to remain as they are, so long as they think that by and by they shall be safe. It does not at all concern them whether the Lord comes this time two or twenty years, and as to the possibility of its being within twenty days or two months, the thought can scarcely be endured. Such ought not so to be. The Bride ought to be ever most anxiously desiring the presence of the Bridegroom; and ONLY SUCH will, even when the time is come for the veil to be lifted from the prophetic Scripture, understand these things; but the wise shall understand. Yes, they "SHALL"-then they must. God's word cannot fail. Understand what? Why just that concerning which Daniel inquired (Dan. xii. 8)-" concerning the end."

We have said, we think that we have reached unto the very close of "the time of the end," and have commenced the last days. Let us briefly inquire what Daniel says respecting this time of the end. (Dan. xii. 11-12.) "And from the time that the daily (sacrifice is not in the original text) shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days." Fully believing as we do that these days have yet to meet a literal fulfilment in days under a lawless dictator, still they have another and first fulfilment in years under the papacy, which, for the space of 1260 years, was a desolating power. In the seventh verse, Daniel was informed that the full period of this desolating power was to be for a time, times and a half, or 1260 days, or, as the history of the papacy has proved in type, 1260 years.

This abomination was papal Rome, fully set up in 538 (incipiently a few years before), when the power and dominion of the Goths were broken in Rome, and when alone the Catholic bishop could exercise the power with which he had been clothed by Justinian. 1260 years of dominion she had, during which she did as she listed; but in the year 1798 came to the end of her persecuting power, when the French army, under Berthier, entered Rome, took possession of the city, made the Pope and Cardinals prisoners, and within a week Pius the Sixth was deposed, and Rome declared a Republic.

But the "daily" which was taken away, refers to pagan Rome; which paganism had continued" ("daily" and "continual" are, in the Hebrew text, the same word) throughout all the previous kingdoms, and

which was taken away in 508 A.D., by which time all the kings of the ten divisions, into which the Roman Empire had been divided, had embraced the Christian faith. The time of the end appears to be the lapse of years from 1798 to the present time, constituting the seventy-five years which, added to the 1260, make up the 1335 years, which was apparently to witness the standing of Daniel in his lot.

During these years great events have taken place. Its commencement witnessed the termination of that tremendous moral convulsion in France, when infidelity triumphed, the churches were closed, the Bible burnt, the ministrations of religion all suspended, Sunday abolished, and a celebrated beauty of the opera was conducted from the assembly on a magnificent car, and enthroned and accepted by the people as a goddess. in the cathedral of Notre Dame. And this was the result of Voltaire's teaching, changed only by the dictum of Napoleon the First, who observed that from a civil point of view, such a state of moral and mental perversion must ruin them as a nation. It was from seven to ten years a time of tribulation; deep shadow of a still more terrible, moral darkness at hand. And during the last seventy-five years what wonderful changes have taken place." Knowledge has been increased, and many run to and fro;" knowledge of every kind. Witness our Bible Society, founded in 1804; in the first eighteen years, issued upwards of four millions of copies. And at the French exposition in 1867, there were specimens of the Word of God in more than two hundred languages. There are our missionary, tract, and Sunday-school societies. Science has progressed in every department; while steam and iron, both on land. and sea, have combined to cause many to run to and fro. Evils have largely developed also, in things, signs, and events; and of late, there has been a terrible growth, both in number and vastness, of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, floods, and fires. We have had, in the physical, moral, and mental of late years, a rapid progress in truth, in abounding iniquity, and the intensifying of both. And yet, how many will dare to say that "the world is becoming better every year, every month, every day." What has Christ and his apostles said on this subject? Will the reader kindly take the trouble to read consecutively the following passages:-1 Tim. iv. 1-3; 2 Pet. iii. 3; Jude 17, 18; 2 Thess. ii. 7-12; 2 Tim. iii. 1-5; 2 Tim. iv. 3; 1 Thess. v. 2, 3; Matt. xxiv. 37, 38; 2 Tim. iii. 13.

There are many reasons for knowing that we are in "the time of the end." Scripture Chronology shows that the six-thousandth year of the world ended with the Jewish year 1872, which reached to September 1873; this is shown not from the marginal dates, which cannot be trusted; but from internal evidence. True, of itself this will prove little in relation to the return of the Lord Jesus, but it has been universally recognised as introductory to the millennial rest.

The Jubilee cycles also are said to be completed by the Spring of next year, when we are taught to look for the great antitypical Jubilee, when all God's people shall ere long return to their possession-the possession of the kingdom under the whole heavens; for "the meek shall inherit"-not heaven, but "the earth."

With this very year also closes the period of Israel's having received double for all her sins. (Isaiah xl. 1-2.) "Comfort ye, comfort ye my

people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished (more literally-her afflictions are filled up), that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received at the Lord's hand double for all her sins." Now this word "double" in the Hebrew text is in the dual form, and means "twice as much." So that Israel has received afflictions from the death of Jacob, when their nationality began, to the preaching of Jesus Christ, 1843 years, and from the preaching of their King whom they rejected, unto the present year, under the Gospel dispensation, just another 1843 years, or, according to the prophet, "afflictions" "twice as much." In Jeremiah xvi. 18, where God declares that he will bring His people back to their own land, he says that he will "first recompense their iniquity and their sin double.” That Israel's reception of the "double affliction " for her sins commenced with the preaching of the Gospel, is apparently clear from Zech. ix. 12. In the ninth and tenth verses, the prophet wraps up in few words the chief things to follow the first Advent of the Saviour, from his riding to Jerusalem on the foal of an ass, to the cutting off the power of Jerusalem, the speaking peace to the nations, and His ultimate reign from the river to the ends of the earth; then turning to the literal Jew, he says; v. 11: "As for thee also, whose covenant is by blood (see margin), I have sent forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water (the law). Turn you to the stronghold (Christ, who has the water of life), ye prisoners of hope: even to-day do I declare, I will render double unto thee." This is apparently fulfilled somewhere about the present time.

Another sign of the time of the end is the fulfilling of the parable of the ten virgins. (Matt. xxv. 1, &c.)

The statement comes from America that there are tens of thousands of Second Adventists in that country who have been fulfilling this parable to the most minute detail. There can be very little doubt that this parable must be fulfilled in that generation which shall see the signs which are to precede the second Advent. Our American friends say that those signs spoken of by our Lord in Matt. xxiv. have been specially notable in their country, during these late years, termed the time of the end. They desire to show that the parable of the ten virgins has been fulfilling during the last half of the period, constituting the time of the end. It was in or about the year 1828 that a Mr.William Miller, a Baptist minister, began to preach the second advent; many rose and trimmed their lamps" (i.e. searched the Scriptures), for "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet," and they-dating from the year 508, instead of 538, in which later year, the abomination was set up-expected the Lord in 1843-4, but were disappointed, and the result was that they fell back into a state of great confusion. Many and various are the opinions which have since obtained, and Christendom has been shrouded in a state of prophetic darkness. For the last thirty years this darkness has rested upon-we may say-all the church; for, "whilst the Bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept." There are three kinds of darkness noted in Scripture:

Natural darkness. (Gen. i. 5.) "And the darkness he called night." Moral darkness; as in Rom. xiii. 12. "Cast off the works of darkness." Prophetical darkness; as in Micah iii. 6. "Therefore, night shall be

unto you, and ye shall not have a vision, and it shall be dark unto you that ye shall not divine," &c. It was into this last class of darkness that the Second Adventists fell.

But at midnight, just half way between 1843-4 and 1873-4, a cry went through Christendom, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh." In America, all who held the doctrine of the Second Advent again trimmed their lamps; they searched the Scriptures; and the result has been, that about one half of their number, believing the Lord Jesus to be near, have been, and still are, watching for his coming. But a full half of their number do not believe any sign to be given in Scripture of his near approach, they declare they must wait for further information, and some amongst them are expecting an angel to be commissioned to inform them of his coming.

Thus are they fulfilling the parable, the one half having again searched the Scriptures, their hearts had in them the Spirit-stirred desire to see him, who had, and alone can have the power to quicken us in our search. It is vain to look for further revelation. What was true in former days is true still, "the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light." (Prov. vi. 25.) All that is requisite to make us wise unto our final deliverance, is there, in that volume which God has given us; we only want more light; it will be given to the seeker. We need our hearts emptied of the cares of this life and surcharged with the LOVING AND EARNEST DESIRE TO SEE HIM, or else there will easily be found difficulties enough in the way of our search, to hinder and prevent our expectation.

In April, 1865, the RAINBOW published an address upon these words, "Behold, the Bridegroom. cometh." The sentiments uttered then we maintain still, and have never swerved from the opinion that all the ten virgins in the parable represent Christ's saints, part of whom would be wise enough to search into the time of the Saviour's return, whilst the other part through their carelessness (though Christians), would be left to pass through the first part of the great Tribulation. Although that view of divine trnth openly preached, divided, and so broke up a flourishing church, and caused us to be charged with preaching devil's doctrines, still to one portion of that church the same truths and its kindred topics have been preached, and we cease not to hold fast that profession of our faith. "The Bridegroom cometh ;" the cry has been specially raised through Christendom since 1859, and now he is near. In a very little while will be fulfilled the remaining part of the parable, "give us of your oil." Something will transpire which will arouse all who yet are lacking, but alas! it will then prove too late. Now is the time to look into these things. Let there be no delay. We have no desire to write sensationally, far from it, but do thus write to ALL with whom we may have the slightest weight, entreating them to see that they are ready for the Lord's return. Be this our prayer, "Lord, remember us when thou comest into thy kingdom."

Exeter.

E. H. TUCKETT.