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So man lieth down and riseth not;

Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep."

These words fell not unnoticed from the lips of the venerable, yet troubled and confused, sufferer. With other unadvised assertions, they were plainly taken up when, in the end, God himself addressed himself to Job. "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?

Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?
Or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?
Have the gates of death been opened unto thee?
Or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?"

Chap. xxxviii. 1, 2, 4, 16 and 17. How then should he adventure the assertion, that "As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up,

So man lieth down and riseth not till the heavens be no more "?

The order of the resurrection was not as yet revealed. Only Job must not assert what would directly contradict full revelations which should be made afterwards. Yet even Job could say:

"Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book!

That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever!

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at

the latter day upon the earth;

And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my

flesh shall I see God:

Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and

not another;

Though my reins be consumed within me." Chap. xix. 23-27 His wondrous words were "written "-yea," printed in a book," whatever was the meaning of Job's very words, so rendered. And truly in this case, the words of Job were words of knowledge-divinely imparted knowledge. In the subsequent light we discern this light. A "Redeemer" should one day stand upon the earth. Job knew this; and that, though his body should become the food of worms, yet in his flesh he should see God. He knew that he should die, and rise again. Yea, with the wise woman of Tekoah, he could say with certainty, "We must needs die "; or with the yet wiser writer, of the book of Ecclesiastes, "The living know that they shall die." The men of that age could generally affirm that with certainty. The subsequent unfolding to christians, when the risen Christ had departed, shortly to return, the subsequent unfolding to christians, of the mystery that they all "shall not sleep," did not affect the question as to these children of a previous dispensation. They must die. Yet those who had wisdom knew that they should rise again. Job at the least, was well assured of this. And his memorable words, written in the BOOK OF BOOKS for ever, thus furnish the first definite declaration of a life beyond the death man's sin had introduced.

6. The light breaks in upon us as the waters of a flood, when we approach the times and the prophetic ministry of David.

"David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high,

The anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me."

Such is the emphatic assertion of his inspiration. Such is the glowing language in which he tells how he was "moved of the Holy Ghost."

When his heart "indited a good matter," and "his tongue was as the pen of a ready writer," he poured forth predictions of a glorious future, to be brought in by the authority and might of One who should, at some future period, arise to rule the earth (Ps. xlv). When the utmost wishes of his heart were exhausted-when "the prayers of David the son of Jesse were ended," he had just rendered worship on the same account.

"His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun :

And men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.

Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things.

And blessed be his glorious name for ever:

And let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen and Amen.

The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended."

Ps. lxxii. 17-20.

And when the hour had come for him to die, his last words were employed in the most beautiful utterance of prophecy, as to the same glorious person and his day of equity and mercy - -a day however, in each case, announced as being introduced by solemn and exterminatThere is much of ing judgments upon the wicked. mystery still, yet the light breaks in apace. We add only, for the present, those "last words of David."

"Now these be the last words of David.

David the son of Jesse said,-And the man who was raised up on high,

The anointed of the God of Jacob,-And the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,

The Spirit of the Lord spake by me,-And his word was in my tongue.

The God of Israel said,-The Rock of Israel spake to me,
He that ruleth over men must be just,-Ruling in the fear of
God.

And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,

Even a morning without clouds;

As the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

Although my house be not so with God;

Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, -Ordered in all things, and sure:

For this is all my salvation, and all my desire,- Although he make it not to grow.

But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away,

Because they cannot be taken with hands."

2 Sam. xxiii. 1—6.

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THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

THE frequent recurrence of this title in the New Testament, or its interchange with its synonyme, "The kingdom of God," must always produce an impression that its meaning is of the utmost importance, and that those who mistake the idea attaching to the word by which Christ designated his own system, are certain to mistake the system itself.

As a matter of fact, ever since the first announcement of Christianity, there have been two essentially different modes of conceiving the nature of the church, or the fellowship of Christ's disciples; and it would form no unprofitable task to inquire whether the various contests that have at successive epochs occurred in the history of the church, may not be traced to these different modes of considering the kingdom of heaven.

Christ's place, the saying "my Lord delayeth his coming," "the sitting in the temple of God, showing that he is God": and it found its most brilliant, though by no means solitary, expression in the Church of Rome. The men who resisted the claims of that church met with a certain success that was very soon limited. The reformation was soon arrested in its course; and the reason very evidently was, that those who directed its course forgot what ought to have been their guiding principle: and, instead of really bringing themselves back to the apostolical idea of a church-viz., a body of disciples expecting the return of their master-they gradually slipped into the real principles of the apos tasy, and tried to elevate their fraction of the church into an all-sufficient body, "sitting in the place of God." And this return to the apostasy is no more noticeable in that party which tended towards Rome, and elevated the sacerdotal character of the clergy, than in that which placed the same power in the hands of synods and conprotestants believed; and, in consequence, both parties read the larger of the two volumes of the Bible in an unnatural sense. Instead of seeing the promise made to Israel as made to a condition of things, not existing in any purely Gentile church; both called themselves Israel, and appropriated to themselves the promises made only to the circumcision: giving what is called a spiritual, i.e., an altogether arbitrary, sense to some of the plainest words that have ever been uttered.

To our own apprehension, nothing seems clearer than that, from the very first, i. e., from the expulsion of Adam and Eve out of Paradise, a great and notable pro-gregations. The apostasy was much wider spread than mise was given of restoration-restoration of course to what had been lost, viz., to a terrestrial locality, under the visible presidentship of Christ (who is and always was Jehovah visible), and under the unimpaired influence of the Holy Spirit. The office of the prophets was to preserve this three-fold promise, and to inculcate the necessity of not separating one of them from the others. When, at length, the offer from on high was made, and the solemn voice of the herald was heard, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," we believe that the burden of the preaching amounted to this: "The return of the true King, and the recovery of Paradise cannot take place, until repentance be secured, i.e., until the Holy Ghost be paramount over men's affections."

Is it any wonder that the church of Christ among christian countries, is very far from being the real power it ought to be: or if throughout the world-the christian world—the church is barely tolerated: allowed indeed, as the Romans allowed their colleges of Augurs, only as a part of the state police, which is in some cases useful, but either ridiculed, or thrust back, when it offers to do

The history of Christ's life carefully records that the condition was refused: the Holy Ghost was not admit-real work. ted; the King was rejected; and the kingdom of heaven postponed; and when the King was charging his disciples what they were to do during his åbsence, he laid it down as a distinguishing mark of their being his true disciples, that they must watch for his return, and expect affliction, if they held fast to their discipleship; at the same time he warned them that there should arise a great and wide-spread apostasy; a rising up of his servants, who should cast away the expectation of his return, and act as though they were all-sufficient with--in a word, "the kingdom of heaven." out him.*

Why! men of the world know, and christian ministers suspect, that the mutual relations between the world and the church, are neither natural, nor such as Christ intended. We ought to hold and preach that the world has not yet been taught to look upon the church, in its scriptural light, as teaching men how to regain by lawful means what they are all striving to attain by other means:-the reign of peace and goodness, the presence of a good king, the absence of war and disease

THE OLD TESTAMENT enjoys the testimony of more immediate

This, then, is one view of the subject. The other is, that the church as left by Christ was the kingdom of heaven, perfect in itself, and, of itself fully able to govern Divine authority than the New, since our Lord Jesus and the the world. Now it seems to us that this idea of the apostles mention and quote it continually, and with reverence as the Word of the living God. But the manner in which the church has always been struggling for preeminence; and Old Testament is treated among us, clearly shows that, in its has always so far succeeded as to keep the other view whole mode of conception and representation-in its whole in the background, and even to prevent its becoming view of God and the world-it differs as widely from views curthe prominent topic for which to contend, when ecclesi-rent among us, as a majestic primeval forest contrasts with the astical domination has been resisted.

busy thoroughfares of our metropolitan cities. Rationalistic criticism directed its first attacks against the Old Testament,

The apostasy was the elevating of the church into and seems to maintain here its ground longest; for, while we

Compare Matt. xxiv. 48-51 with 2 Thess. ii. 38, which manifestly refer to the same event. THE apostasy which St. Paul speaks of, must have been something which the christians knew well enough had already been predicted.

may regard it as almost entirely conquered in the field of dogmatic and New Testament exegesis, we see yet a considerable number of distinguished theologians influenced in their views of the Old Covenant, more or less, by the principles of that adverse criticism.-Auberlen's Daniel and St. John.

People and Land of Israel.

ISRAEL'S VOCATION.*

view, in their relation to God and Christ, as needing mercy and salvation, Gentiles and Jews stand on a perfect equality; the same righteousness is imputed to them, the same glory is given them, they have the same part in Christ, and by him both have access to the We see this also in the transFather in One Spirit.

nation." Thus Israel stands in the same relation to humanity as a priest stands to the nation; it mediates in the relations of humanity to God (πας γαρ αρχιερευς ύπερ ανθρωπον καθισταται τα προς τον θεον, Heb. ν. 1). ISRAEL is again to be at the head of all humanity. We, Hereby the relation of Israel to the nations is fixed, from our one-sided Gentile-Christian point of view, not merely for the times of the Old Covenant, during have at first difficulty to take in and reconcile ourselves which Israel did not even exercise her priestly office as to this idea. But although the Church lost this view, regards the heathens, but for all times, and for ever. it is yet of such importance and significance in Holy Because "the gifts and calling of God are without Scripture, that, in strict truth, it must be designated as repentance." Rom. xi. 29. It is remarkable, that the an important key to the understanding of the prophetic same Apostle, who preaches so frequently and so emword. If this truth is viewed in its Biblical connexion, phatically, that in Christ the distinction of Jew and it will lose the appearance of an arbitrary and accidental Gentile is abrogated-that in him circumcision and character, which may at first seem to attach to it Holy uncircumcision are of no avail (Rom. iii. 29; Gal. iii. Scripture looks on the human race, not as an aggregate 28, vi. 15; Eph. ii. 13—18; Col. iii. 11), attributes to of individuals and nationalities, but her view of world Israel a peculiar advantage and preeminence, in saying, and humanity is a thoroughly organic one, and laid that the noble olive-tree of the kingdom of God is, down, once for all, in the very first pages of Revelation. properly and strictly speaking, their own (idea), and in Nature is a great organism, which, in its various and designating even the unbelieving and rejected Jews as successively created gradations, is striving upwards to the natural branches (kara purv Kλado, Rom. xi. 21its Head: Man; all rational creation, is connected with 24), whereas he represents the believing Gentiles as him as its ruler and lord. Gen. i. The creation of man only grafted in, contrary to nature (rapa ovo, verse commences a life, higher than the life of nature-a 24). How is this contradiction to be solved? Simply life based upon free personality in the image of God by considering the different points of view from which -the life of history. The spiritual nobility of hu- Scripture stands in the different passages and repremanity is primarily expressed in its unity. Natural sentations quoted above. From the religious point of differences are of subordinate importance; all have sprung from one blood, and have the same endowment and destiny. Notwithstanding, the life of history is not monotony and sameness, and therefore the human race has likewise its organic structure and gradations. Hamites, Japhetites, and Shemites, are according to Gen. ix. and x., the three grand groups of nations form-figured Church, which consists of both Jews and Gening humanity, in which an ancient comparison saw a tiles. But from the stand-point of the history of the parallelism to the three fundamental elements in the revelation, as regards the way in which God uses men individual man-body, soul, and spirit. Moreover, at as instruments to bring about the objects of his kingthe head of individual nations, and groups of nations, dom, the case is altogether different; from this point as well as at the head of the whole race, there stand of view Israel is, and ever shall be, the chosen people personal fathers and representatives, who impress their through which God executes his plans concerning huspiritual bodily character on their descendants. Such manity. The relation of Jews and Gentiles is quite is one of the living, concrete, fundamental views of similar to that of man and woman. The last difference Scripture, which have hitherto not been sufficiently re- does likewise not exist in Christ; and the apostle (Gal. cognised and appreciated. Through the words of bless-iii. 28) joins the two expressly: "there is neither Jew nor ing which Noah pronounced (Gen. ix. 26), Shem is Greek, there is neither male nor female." But although chosen as the chief representative of pneumatic life, as man and woman are equal in Christ, and before God, the mediator of the fundamental relations of humanity and have the same privileges and rights of mercy, yet to God. But the blossom and flower of Shem is Israel, woman is subordinate to man not only in the house, but (Gen. xi.); even as the flower of Israel is He in whom also, essentially, in the Church 1 Cor. xiv. 34; 1 Tim. the whole race is to be summed up, as in its second ii. 11, etc. The woman is not to teach, but to ask Adam, the spiritual Head. Comp. Gen. xii. 1-3. Thus her husband for instruction. Thus the Jews are our the people of Israel receives for all times the destiny, teachers in divine things. They are our teachers even to be recipient and mediator of divine revelations. When in the New Testament times. Since their rejection, Israel appears for the first time as a people in Egypt, God sends his word to Pharaoh; Israel is my first-born son. Exod. iv. 22. And immediately before the giving of the law on Sinai, the Lord says (Exod. xix. 5, 6), "Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine, and ye shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and an holy

From Auberlen's Daniel and St. John.

the voice of divine revelation has been silent. But if we wish to hear God's Word in these times without revelation, we must turn to the writings of Jews, since the whole Bible, even the New Testament, is written by Jews. Jesus and His apostles were Jews. Therefore if revelation is to recommence in the millennial kingdom, it is necessary that converted Israel stand at the head of humanity. The Israelitish priest-kings are upon earth what the transfigured priest-kings are in heaven. Then there shall be a blessed glorious chain

of giving and receiving-God, Christ, the transfigured We spent between two and three hours in these quarries. Our bride the Church, Israel, the world of nations-simi-examinations were, however, chiefly on the side towards lar to the word in 1 Cor. xi. 3: The head of the woman the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Our guide stated, that more to the westward was a quarry of the peculiar reddish marble so is man, the head of every man is Christ, and the head commonly used as pavement in the streets of Jerusalem. of Christ is God. From the place where we entered the descent was gradual ; between some of the quarries, however, there were broad flights of steps, cut out of the solid rock. I had no means of judging of the distance between the roofs of the vaults and the streets of the city, except that from the descent the thickness must be enormous. The size and extent of these excavations fully bore out the opinion that they had yielded stones enough to build not only the Temple, but the whole of Jerusalem.

Things New and Old.

THE SILENT BUILDING OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.

WHEN Bishop Heber read his beautiful poem, “Palestine," in manuscript to Sir Walter Scott, his friend remarked that in speaking of the Temple of Solomon he had forgotten to refer to the silence which prevailed during its erection. The poet immediately retired for a few minutes and introduced the following beautiful lines:

"No workman's steel, no ponderous axes rung; Like some tall palm, the noiseless fabric sprung." This very remarkable circumstance has been frequently noticed. It is regarded as an indication of the deep sense which Solomon had of the sacredness of the work; and it has given rise to many pious and useful meditations. Matthew Henry in his commentary says, "It was to be the temple of the God of peace, therefore no iron tool must be heard in it; quietness and silence both become and befriend religious exercises; God's work should be done with as much care and as little noise as may be; the temple was thrown down with axes and hammers; they that did it roared in the midst of the congregation, Ps. lxxiv. 4, 6; but it was built up in silence. Clamour and violence often hinder, but never further the work of God." These thoughts are well worthy of consideration, especially of those who can never assert their own opinions without violently assailing those of others; nor do anything for God, without inviting the multitude to come and see their zeal for the Lord of Hosts.

The fact itself, however, has lately received a remarkable confirmation of its truth. Mr. Douglas, a Scotch gentleman, writing to the Athenæum on the 3rd of May last, states that during a recent visit to Jerusalem he learned from a very intelligent Hebrew, that there were extensive quarries beneath the city; and that there was abundant evidence that from those quarries had been obtained the stones employed in the building and re-building of the temple. He had visited them some time before, with two Englishmen, and discovered that the quarries had contained materials sufficient for building the walls and the city of Jerusalem. We extract the following statement: "When fairly inside, we found ourselves in an immense vault, and standing upon the top of a pile which was very evidently formed by the accumulation of the minute particles from the final dressings of the blocks of stone. On descending this pile, we entered through a large arch, into another vault, equally vast, and separated from the first by enormous pillars. This vault, or quarry, led, by a gradual descent, into another and another, each separated from the other by massive stony partitions, which had been left to give additional strength to the vaulted roofs. In some of the quarries the blocks of stone which had been quarried out lay partly dressed; in some the blocks were still attached to the rock; in some the workmen had just commenced chiselling; and in some the architect's line was distinct on the smooth face of the wall of the quarry. The mode in which the blocks were got out was similar to that used by the ancient Egyptians, as seen in the sandstone quarries at Hagar Tilsilis and in the granite quarries at Syene. The architect first drew the outline of the blocks on the face of the quarry; the workmen then chiselled them out in their whole thickness, separating them entirely from each other, and leaving them attached by their barks only to the solid wall. They were then detached by cutting a passage behind them, which, while it separated the blocks, left them roughly dressed, and left the wall prepared for further operations. We remarked the similarity between the stones chiselled out in these quarries and the few blocks of stone built into the south east corner of the wall of Jerusalem, which are so remarkable for their size, their weatherworn appearance, and the peculiar ornamentation of their edges.

"The situation of these quarries-the mode by which the stones were got out- and the evidence that the stones were fully prepared and dressed before being removed, may possibly throw light upon the verses of Scripture in which it is said2 Chronicles ii. 18-'And he (Solomon) set threescore and ten thousand of them to be bearers of burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountains, and three thousand and six hundred overseers to set the people a work.' And again-1 Kings vi. 7-' And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor ax nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.' It could scarcely have been anticipated that at a period so remote from that in which the temple was erected, any evidence should arise, thus to confirm the statement concerning the silence observed in the building; yet this testimony has come forth as it were from the dead to verify the word of truth. This, however, is only one of a large and accumulating class of facts in our day, by which the faith of believers is justified, and the clamourer's voice of infidelity silenced. At the commencement of this century, Egypt began to pay its tribute to the truth and accuracy of the Mosaic narrative; and now from the mounds of Assyria we are constantly receiving the most overwhelming testimony to the faithfulness of that portion of the history of Israel and Judah, which stands in connection with Assyrian history."

To all such interesting practical proofs of the truth of the Scripture narrative, our pages will be open at all times, and we shall be happy to receive notices of this kind from any of our correspondents.

THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.

A STATEMENT has appeared in The Times, that this mount has been purchased by Madame Polack, the widow of a wealthy Hebrew banker at Königsberg, in Prussia. It appears that she intends to beautify the place, and indeed to improve the whole neighbourhood, at her own expense. In order to restore the mount to its original state, she has planted the whole space with a grove of clive trees.

This is a very remarkable circumstance, and shews the belief which exists among the Jews, concerning the fulfilment of the prophecy of Zechariah xiv. 4, where speaking of Jehovah, it is said, "And his feet shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives."

TRUE CATHOLICITY.-Let us hate all spirit of sect, ecclesias. tical, national or dissenting, but love Jesus Christ in every sect, ecclesiastical, national, or dissenting. The true catholicity which we have lost, and which we ought to find again, is that of love in the truth. A restoration of the church is necessary-I know it, I feel it, I invoke it from the depth of my soul. Only let us follow after it in the path where it may be found. Forms, ecclesiastical constitutions, and the organization of congrega. tions, have their importance, and even their great importance. "But seek we FIRST the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto us." Let us then, sirs, be decided and firm in the truth; and in loving those who stray, let us freely march against error. Let us place ourselves upon the eternal rock of ages, which is the Word of God, and we will leave all these vain opinions, all these witless innovations, which endlessly are born and die in the world, tumultuously to fall beneath us.-Merle D' Aubigne.

Poetry, Original and Select.

FAITH AND ITS FRUITS.
Where'er the patriarch pitched his tent,
He built an altar to his God;
And sanctified, where'er he went,

With faith and prayer, the ground he trod.
Through all the east for riches famed,
(Heaven's gifts) he set his heart on none;
Nor when the dearest was reclaimed,
Withheld his son, his only son.
Wherefore in blessing he was blest;

Friendless, the friend of God became;
Long wandering, everywhere found rest;
Long childless, nations bear his name.
Nor nations born of blood alone;

The father of the faithful he,
Where'er his promised seed is known,
Faith's heirs are his posterity.

My God, if called like him to roam,
Glad may I all for thee forsake;

My God, what thou hast made my home,
Let me thy sanctuary make.

Thy law, thy love, be my delight,
Whate'er I do, or think, or am,
Walking by faith and not by sight,
Like a true child of Abraham.

Our Study.

JAMES MONTGOMERY,

The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelations of St. John, viewed in their mutual relation. With an exposition of the principal passages. By Carl August Auberlen, Dr. Phil., Licentiate and Professor Extraordinarius of Theology in Basil, with an Appendix, by M. Fr. Roos, translated by the Rev. Adolph Saphir. (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 38, George Street: pp. 458 crown 8vo.) We have elsewhere laid this volume under contribution (p.16) and hope, in a future Number, to give our readers an analysis of its contents; meanwhile we hasten to direct attention to it, as a very valuable addition to prophetical literature. By the publication of this volume, Messrs. Clark have largely increased the obligation under which they have placed the Church of Christ, by their important issues.

D.

Millennial Studies: or What saith the Scripture concerning the Kingdom and Advent of Christ? By the Rev. W. P. Lyon, B. A., Tunbridge Wells. (London: Ward and Co., 1856.) This is a re-publication of a series of papers on Millenarianism, which lately appeared in the Evangelical Magazine. The opinions of the Rev. T. R. Birks, the Rev. H. Bonar, and the Rev. Dr. Cumming, are the principal subjects of discussion. The volume is referred to in another part of our Review.

A New Solution of the Contemporaneous Symbols of the Revelation of St. John; dc. By the Rev. R. Gascoyne, M.A. (Mickleton, Gloucestershire. Second Edition. London: Wertheim and Macintosh. 1855.) In this work the author thinks that the first series of symbols describes the apostasy; the second, the true church, and that the "Constantinian" church of the fourth century was the former: that the rupture of the seals describes its development under the man of sin, or Antichrist; and the blast of the seventh trumpet, or the discharge of the vials describes its destruction.

author cleverly describes the two antagonist principles at present in operation in Europe, the spirit of association, and the spirit of the priesthood; gives the history of the dispute between the church and government of Baden; an account of the conflict between civil legislation and the canon law of Rome; recent persecutions; solution of our difficulties; Stahl's doctrine of tolerance; and state of protestant christianity in Germany. W.

The Second Advent. Extracts from letters lately published in the Torquay Chronicle. By the author of the Last Vials. (London: W. Yapp, Old Cavendish Street.) Contains as clear an account of the millenarian hypotheses as we have yet seen. In the compass of thirty pages, are compressed the arguments of volumes; some of them appear to us to be unanswerable. We wish that our Christian brethren holding opposite views, would take it up in a calm spirit of inquiry, and re-investigate the matter for themselves. W.

God's Eternal Purpose, and Christ's Everlasting Kingdom. By Thomas George Bell, Esq., LL.D. (London: W. Yapp, Old Cavendish Street.) Presents many interesting passages of Scripture in a new light, especially those that relate to the people and the land of Israel. Those who think that premillenial doctrines tend to blunt the edge of earnest practical appeals to the sinner's conscience, should peruse this pamphlet, and they will probably abandon this common but untenable assumption. D.

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THE "May Meetings" have been well attended, and with the return of peace, have had a considerable increase in their funds. The British and Foreign Bible Society celebrated its fiftysecond anniversary on the 7th, when the president, the Earl of Shaftesbury, took the chair. In his opening speech he noticed the proposal for a new translation of the Bible, and spoke very powerfully against it. He said that from the sample of this work which had been received, it seemed that a commentary was desired and not a translation. "He would resist it unto the death.". -The Trinitarian Bible Society met at the Freemason's Tavern on the 19th ult., Admiral Vernon Harcourt in the chair. G. F. Maberly, Esq., read the report, which gave an interesting account of the operations of the Society in various parts of Europe, and stated that they had met with cheering and increased success. The income of the year was £952 15s. 2d., showing an increase of £175. Several speeches were delivered in favour of the distinctive features of the Society, and resolutions passed pledging the meeting to support it. The Bible Translation Society held its 16th annual meeting on the 24th ult., the treasurer, the Rev. E. Steane, D.D., in the chair. It had its origin in some differences as to the translations made by Baptist missionaries in British India. We are glad to record a statement of the chairman, that “He believed he should not be deemed a betrayer of secrets when he remarked that there were measures in course of adoption having this healing tendency, designed to bring about this reunion of their denomination with the British and Foreign Bible Society.- - The Naval and Military Bible Society held its 76th anniversary on the 5th, the president, Admiral Vernon Harcourt in the chair. From the report, it appeared that the Army, Navy, and Militia, had been supplied with 42,657 copies of the Word of God.

PROPHETICAL MEETINGS.

The Prophetical Society, formed for the prayerful discussion of questions connected with prophecy, with a view to the practical advantages of such inquiry to the church, has met regularly during the month at Maddox Street, Hanover Square. On the 6th ult., the Rev. T. R. Birks read a paper on preterism and futurism, their points of approximation. The differences, he Signs of the Times: letters to Ernst Moritz Arndt, on the observed, among the students of prophecy, are either primary Dangers to Religious Liberty in the present state of the world. or secondary in their nature. The first relate to the outline of By Christian Charles Josias Bunsen, D. D., D. C. L., D. PH. the successive dispensations of God, the second to the appliTranslated from the German by Susannah Winkworth. (Lon-cation of the prophecies to the events of such dispensations. Of don: Smith, Elder & Co., 1856.) In this work, the illustrious the first we may distinguish; (1) anti-millenarianism, which

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