It might be deemed an unwarrantable piece of neglect on my part, were I not to take some notice, in connexion with the subject of which I have been treating, of the doctrine of the second coming of the Lord Jesus. The period when this event took place has been but rarely understood. Notwithstanding our Lord's oft repeated warning, behold I come quickly, and his numerous exhortations to his followers, to be prepared for his approach, they have not watched, the Son of Man has come as a thief in the night, and his coming has not been perceived. The professed disciples of Jesus, ignorant of these important facts, that the end of the world signifies, in scripture language, the end of the Mosaic economy, Heb. ix. 26, and that the design of his second coming, was to set aside that economy visibly and entirely by taking to himself his great power and reigning, have feigned to themselves the notion that the second coming of Jesus is still future. and stands connected with the termination of this present visible system of things. To support them in their delusions and give to these a plausible sort of colouring, the Book of Revelation has been pressed into the service, and a work which, more clearly than almost any other part of scripture, points to the destruction of Jerusalem there denominated Babylon, and the full introduction of New Testament privileges, beautifully described in the 21st and 22d chapters, prophecies which long since received their accomplishment, has had senses the most chimerical, incongruous, and unwarranted assigned to it, by Mede and a host of subsequent commentators, and is supposed to be yet in a great measure unfulfilled. Alas! little are such persons aware, that if their theories were correct, scripture would be untrue. Our

blessed Lord has declared, Matthew v. 17. 18, that he came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfil, and that till heaven and earth (figurative language for the Old Testament economy) passed, one jot or one tittle, should in no wise pass from the law till all was fulfilled. But the law has passed away-heaven and earth or the Mosaic economy has passed away or come to an end likewise-and as it thus appears that the law and the prophets, by which expression we are to understand all that is contained in the Old Testament scriptures were fulfilled, when Jesus executed the divine vengeance upon the Jewish nation-brought to a close the Mosaic Economy and set up in its full lustre and glory his own long promised and long expected Kingdom-what further accomplishment of scripture in this world remains to be looked for? The law has passed awayit must then be entirely fulfilled. But I cannot enlarge on this subject. Sat verbum sapienti! Whatever may be advanced to the contrary, from the dreaming and inconsistent works of the Fathers, I am now fully satisfied, and that from the terms in which they are couched, that all the books of the New Testament, without a single exception, were written previous to the destruction of Jerusalem.

In conclusion, after the ample, and, I hope, satisfactory manner, in which the topics proposed for consideration have been discussed, little or nothing remains to be added. I have shown, that as, on the one hand, it was impossible for Adam to forfeit more than he possessed, so, on the other, the forfeiture incurred. by him attached to all that he possessed. I have shown, that this forfeiture of his, was no unforeseen

or accidental matter, but was introductory to, and the means of developing the ulterior designs of the Supreme Being, or, in other words, that the forfeiture of this present life by Adam, opened up the way for God's bestowing immortality and eternal life through Jesus, and that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, was both the pledge and the medium of this blessing being bestowed. I have also shown, that the everlasting punishment of unbelieving and wicked persons in a future state of existence, is a mere chimera or fiction of the human mind, deriving its origin from mistaken views of scripture, and from ignorance of the nature and consequences of sin. To sum up the whole in a few sentences, the design of this essay has been, by combating and refuting a few closely connected errors, to show, that although God applies, and, consistently with his revealed character, can apply no remedy to the original transgression of man, but allows it to take its full effect in the destruction of human nature, he renders that transgression and its consequences, the means of accomplishing his designs, in the development of his character, and the communication of his nature. There is no restoration or recovery of what Adam forfeited announced in scripture, for what he forfeited he forfeited for ever, but the substance of the divine declarations is, that through Jesus as the Lord from Heaven all things are made new. This is the record that God hath given to us originally possessed of natural life eternal life, and this life is, not in or through Adam but in or through his Son.* the course of the preceding remarks, I have shown particularly, that sin being merely one of the means or instruments which God employs for effecting his

* See also 1 Peter i. 23.

In

purposes, comes to an end or is annihilated, along with this present world, as soon as these purposes are accomplished. How much more pleasing, as well as scriptural, is this view of things than that which represents sin, as having an eternal and necessary existence, and as being thus either one with or the rival of the Almighty, May the Great Head of the Church, in whose name, and for the advancement of whose Glory, this little work was undertaken, condescend to make it the vehicle of exciting in some, attention to his own most blessed word, and of emancipating them from certain antichristian errors and prejudices, by which, for ages, the followers of Jesus, from neglect or an undue deference to the opinions of others, have been enslaved.

24,

85 for recommencing read commencing.

39,

46,

52,

9, for points read parts.

22, for are some read is one.

3 and 4, for misunprehend read misapprehend,

72, 5, of the note, for inceasing read increasing,

81,

22, for proceedure read procedure,

R. Riddick, Printer, Kelly's Rooms, 46, Lord-street,

I cannot allow this little work to go forth to the public, without acknowledging the obligations under which I lie, for valuable hints as to the subject matter of which it treats, to certain highly respected and much endeared members of my congregation. In particular, for the remark concerning the agency of the Devil in giving rise to the ordinary doctrine of the immortality of the soul, at page 53, for part of the note at page 54, and for the note at page 94, I am indebted to my friend Mr. W. J. Reade,