people" in the wilderness: "whose chariots are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels." (ver. 7, 16, 17.) And the very word" ascended" can be only applicable to God on the supposition of his being on earth. But God visiting mankind on earth is Christ.

Joel ii. 27. speaks of God being "in the midst of Israel;" and of" the great and terrible day of the Lord.” (ver. 31.) The great day of God is the day of God's appearing, to judge the wicked, and to raise up the good. What St. Paul calls our blessed hope," the glorious appearing of the great God," (Titus ii. 13.) St. Peter calls "the day of God." (2 Peter iii. 12.) And therefore when Joel, after speaking of the coming of " the great and terrible day of the Lord," goes on immediately to say, (ver. 32.) that "whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be delivered," it is evident that he means that Lord whose "great day" or whose "appearing" should then have taken place. But God appearing to judge mankind is

Christ.

Finally, Isaiah xlv. 23. must be connected with the beginning of the prophecy in chap. xl. where God, who avenges his people upon Babylon, is expressly said to "visit the cities of Judah," and they are called upon to "behold their God." (xl. 9.) And in chap. xlv. also, in the verse immediately preceding that to which St. Paul refers, God says, "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." (ver. 22.) And in ver. 24. it is added, "To him shall men come." Here then we have again the notion of God coming down from heaven, and being present among his people, and therefore he to whom every knee shall bow," (ver. 23.) is rightly understood by St. Paul to be Christ the Lord, at whose judgment-seat we shall all stand.

IT has been my earnest endeavour in the foregoing pages to avoid as much as possible all such questions as might be likely to engender strife; that is to say, such as are connected with the peculiar opinions of any of the various parties existing in the Church. If these are not touched upon, men can differ without hostility, they can analyse a book fairly, can disapprove of some things in it, and yet approve of others; nay, can think its main conclusions erroneous, without condemning it as unsound and mischievous. I have tried so to write on the subject of Prophecy, as not to shock even those from whom on many other points I differ widely. Once or twice I found myself on the very edge of debateable ground: but as my argument did not oblige me to enter on it, I was glad not to cross its boundaries. At the same time I need not, I trust, say, that what I have written is in no respect coloured for the purpose of conciliation: if any one agrees with the views and language of this volume, let him be assured, that so far the agreement between us is real; that I hold these views and use this language as sincerely and as earnestly as he could do himself; and let him share with me the comfort of believing, for surely a great comfort it should be to Christians, that there are other points over and above the main articles of our common faith, on which we can truly have the same mind and speak the same thing.

THE END.

BAXTER, PRINTER, OXFORD.