the day, yet future, when "the times of the Gentiles" shall have been accomplished. Then shall "THE PRINCE" of that people which before-time destroyed the city and the Temple come forward on the behalf of Israel. "And he shall confirm the (a) covenant with many for one week and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate even until the consummation." The Prince, then, who will make the covenant must be a DECEIVER,—one who will not keep his word. He will make a covenant with all the appearance of strength and security for seven years, and break it in the midst of the time, that he may overspread the land with abominations, and until the end appointed make it desolate. Who now shall this Roman Prince or leader be, who shall act thus towards Israel? Who indeed but that DREAD BEING, that "MAN OF SIN" of whom we have been speaking.

"1

Surely, then, we have a hint as to the meaning of our Saviour's words, "IF ANOTHER SHALL COME IN HIS OWN NAME, HIM YE WILL RECEIVE.' This last head of the Roman Empire will probably be THE FALSE MESSIAH OF THE JEWS, and thus, in very perfect sense, "THE ANTICHRIST." But now, the covenant made,-the Jews brought to their land under his protection,—the Temple and the

1 John v. 43.

sacrificial rites restored: and now again the covenant broken, and the sacrifice and oblation caused to cease in the midst of the seven years: THREE YEARS AND A HALF ("a time, times, and the dividing of time,” as Daniel predicted,1) are left for the full display of all the horrors of the Antichrist's dominion: his gross unparalleled idolatry, his bitter cruelty, his craft, his thirst for blood. Then he shall come to his end; for MICHAEL, the great Prince, shall stand up for Israel's remnant. Yea, the Lord shall come, and all His Saints attending Him, and this "Man of Sin" shall be consumed. But the destruction of Antichrist and the reception of Israel's remnant by the Lord Jesus must be reserved for the next chapter. To enter upon them would oblige us to bring forward matter which has properly to do with the subjects next in order, viz.: THE ADVENT, AND THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS.

Let it suffice for the present that Israel will be indeed restored, at least in part, and that in UNBELIEF, under the auspices of ANTICHRIST; that they will erect their Temple and restore their ancient worship; but that their protector will turn speedily against them, and they will endure a tribulation of a kind more bitter than all former trials.

In concluding this chapter, let me impress upon my

1 Dan. vii. 25.

readers THE GREAT NEED OF PRAYER ON THE BEHALF OF ISRAEL. We have seen already, and in the next chapter shall see more particularly, what great blessings God has laid up in store for the Twelve Tribes in the Millennial age. But they have much to suffer first. We must, then, keep them in remembrance.

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Moreover, while we pray for them, let us look well also AT HOME; examining OUR OWN standing before God. For even now are there many Antichrists: forerunners of THE ANTICHRIST" who shall appear. INFIDELITY is an Antichrist: POPERY and TRACTARIANISM are Antichrists: ULTRA-CHURCHISM and DENOMINATIONALISM are ANTICHRISTS: ANTINOMIANISM is an Antichrist: LUKEWARMNESS is an Antichrist. Let us see that we take not the side of any such, but ever guard our hearts with prayer and watchfulness; ever keep our lives in harmony with the inspired Word: ever KEEP OUR BEST AFFECTIONS FIXED WITH FIRMNESS ON THE SAVIOUR. So, when the world's iniquity is headed up in the person of THE GREAT ANTICHRIST, he will have no part in us.

CHAPTER IV.

The Advent.

"Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him; and all kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of Him. Even so. Amen."-REV. i. 7.

r will be needful for us to retrace our steps a little, in order that we may deal fairly with the subject which now comes before us. That

subject is THE ADVENT.

Uplifting first the mind towards heaven, we must behold our Great Redeemer, there enthroned in glory at the right hand of the Eternal Father. He is a Man, bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh; a Man who once was dead, but liveth, and has been exalted above all the Principalities and Powers of Heaven; a Man, before whose GLORIFIED HUMANITY the angels bow. A Man, yet God:1 the very and Eternal God, "for whom are all things, and by whom all things consist." Since, in the sight of His disciples He ascended up on high, 2 Col. i. 16, 17.

1 John i. 1-3; Rom. ix. 5.

His Session has been there: and there, amid unceasing praises, He must sit the great High Priest-the only "Mediator between God and men"-until the day appointed by the Father, when He shall descend once more to Earth for JUDGMENT and SALVATION.

In heaven, then, at the right hand of power, awaiting the appointed time, let us BEHOLD OUR LORD as we commence this Chapter. And let us note well the fact, -He shall descend to earth again. He shall descend. That once despised and rejected Lord, who by the hand of wickedness was crucified, but who by the Eternal Spirit rose again, and then ascended, and now sits enthroned at the right hand of power-THAT VERY JESUS, at the time appointed, SHALL DESCEND, as King and Judge, UPON OUR FALLEN EARTH.

Moreover, it is evident that he will come AS MAN; clothed indeed in the perfection of our manhood, but still in its reality. It does not require much searching into Scripture to establish this. In the first chapter of THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES we are told that when Jesus had spoken His last words to His disciples, "while they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel, which said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?