of the law." But let us add a reflection or two on the subject.

1. Love, it has been said, is the true principle of a Christian.What humiliation should we not feel, to think how little it has been ours! Among those who were first called Christians, we see it in full activity, constraining them to live no longer to themselves, but to him who died for them and rose again; we see it animating, supporting, comforting, exalting them; inspiring zeal to confess Christ; constancy to suffer for his sake, and charity like his own to pray for their murderers. Their love was stronger than death. Its effects astonished their enemies, and afford an interesting lesson to us, whose principles are too weak even for the ordinary calls of our profession. And in our own days we may observe the same love producing similar effects. There are those, even now, who can resign the world-nay, can go forth with their lives in their hand, to make known their Saviour's name among the heathen, and raise living tem ples to his honour where the seat of Satan has stood. With all in every age whose praise is in the churches of God, the same senti ment has prevailed. They have lived, indeed, looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of their Saviour: but why? Because then they will see him whom their soul loveth. Their crown of glory itself would not content them, if they might not cast it with adoring gratitude at his feet. The chief joy they expect is the presence of their Saviour. Is it, then, our desire to be like them? Let us trim our lamps of holy love. Let that flame be kept brightly burning. "We love him." "We love him." says St. John, "because he first loved us." Let us think, then, on his love;-let us strive to compre hend more and more of that love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fulness of God; that his love and grace may fill our souls. Then

should we abide and walk in love: we should be rich in its influence and strong in its power.

2. What has the believer, even in point of present happiness, when he does not cherish this affection?Are we indeed regenerate by the Holy Spirit? We must wish to perceive symptoms of spiritual life. We must attempt to pray. We cannot be happy without trying to excite the sentiments and affections peculiar to the Christian. We must struggle against sin. We must use efforts to overcome the world, to stem that tide of evil which continually threatens to bear us away. And when the heart faints in these duties, when our efforts are languid, and our success small, and we seem to be rather going backward in religion, there is often much and deep distress, which, though we may never speak of it, is sufficient to embitter our life. In such a case, let us review our principles. Perhaps we have left our first love, and therefore can neither do our first works nor find any satisfaction in God. Perhaps the motive from which we act is no longer a sentiment of grateful affection to the Saviour, but an anxiety not to lose our hopes. We feel something of the value of redemption; but we have nearly lost sight of the Redeemer. Would we be happy, we must renew our love. Love is the happiness of the believer. Let us go to Calvary, and behold Him who bought us with his blood. The view would excite our love to him, and our attachment to his service, as well as a desire for its recompence. We should be happy in prayer, because it is communion with him;-in severer duties, as his injunctions; and even in sufferings, for his sake. Such a motive we shall find delightful as well as powerful. There will be pleasure and success in our exertions. Or if by surprise and the violence of temptation we should fall, the ob ject of our love is also our Advocate with the Father, and the pro

pitiation for our sins. For his intercession we may always apply with confidence. And then those comforts and that communion of the Spirit, which are always connected with the love of Christ, shall give us joy and peace in believing. May the Lord then direct our hearts into the love of God, and enable us to prove that we love him by fulfilling his laws, and by presenting ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. In the course of the last summer, you were pleased to insert a paper which I addressed to you, in vindication of Mr. Penn's publication of that year. His work had been controverted by another correspondent of yours upon the subject of the Scythian Genealogy; and, as it struck me, unreasonably, My paper was replied to by that correspondent, but in a mode which it was thought called for no further observations of mine at least his answer amounting merely to this intimation, That Josephus was not to be believed, when he affirmed the Scythians to have been the descendants of Magog; but that he (the Inquirer) was, when he affirmed the contrary.

Will you allow me again to trouble you, very shortly, in justification of Mr. Penn's works on Prophecy? and which I trust you will be the rather disposed to do, as you have admitted, from several correspondents, declarations against that gentleman's expositions of Scripture. The principal variation between Mr. Penn and most other commentators arises from the doctrine of the Millennium: for, as to the period of the Christian dispensation, in which we are now living, he will be found not materially to differ from the chief of those learned and most deserving persons who, of late years, have thrown CHRIST. OBSERV, No. 162.

so much light upon the prophecies. He is particularly reconcileable with Mr. Hatley Frere, in this important point, That the last struggles of the great adversary's power will be limited to the duration of one individual life. Now with respect to that mysterious passage in the Apocalypse, from which alone the doctrine of a Millennium is derived (after much deliberation, and with every wish for conviction, if I can be proved to be wrong), I am almost entirely of Mr. Penn's opinion, that the commonly received notion of it is utterly erroneous. However, many wise and excellent persons undoubtedly interpret it thus:-For a period (they say) of a thousand years; or a thousand years, every day passing for a year; or for a very long time indefinitely, pure Christianity is to prevail throughout all the world: That the world is consequently to enjoy a comparative state of blessedness; to which state are to be applied all (or most) of the magnificent descriptions in Isaiah : That, nevertheless, this life is still to be, in some degree, a course of trial; so much so, that at the expiration of the Millennium, the Church of our Saviour is to bę violently opposed, and even menaced with destruction by some confederacy formed through the influence of Satan, and predicted under the names of Gog and Magog. All this notion is rejected by Mr. Penn, without hesitation; and we may suppose (though he is not diffuse upon the subject) that writer adducing some such reasons as the following in support of his opinion:-The only passages in Scripture, from whence the idea of a Millennium can arise, are met with in Rev. xx. from verse 1 to 11; in which there is not one syllable about a state of blessedness on earth. Neither can a single verse in Isaiah be so tortured as to make it uphold the millennian system. Sublime and most exquisite 3 B

descriptions of our Lord's kingdom in glory there undoubtedly are in chapters xi., xxxv., xlix., Ïx., &c. &c. all of which relate (as I humbly conceive) to the period when "the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever!" when "the fashion of this earth shall pass away, and every thing be made anew." Then, as to Gog and Magog, it is expressly said in Rev. xv., that St. John saw seven angels “ ἔχοντας πληγὰς ἑπτὰ τὰς ἐσχάτας.” Now if the evils of the vials are the last, there can be no more plagues upon the earth when they are accomplished, after either the lapse of a thousand years or any other length of time. It is, therefore, probable, that the Gog of St. John must be the same with the Gog of Ezekiel; and that his commotions either have taken place already, or will do so during the pouring out of the sixth or seventh vials; the only two, according to all the commentators, which remain to be exhausted. Mr. Penn says, that the prophecy was fulfilled in Napoleon's Russian expedition. Now, though I admire extremely his work upon Ezekiel, and think it - has been decried without justice, or even consideration, one may still doubt the accuracy of his interpretation, for this reason:In the application of the name of "Gog" to Bonaparte, Mr. Penu has shewn ingenuity; but (in my judgment) has, as yet, apparently failed. Moreover, according to the prophet, Gog himself ought to have been involved in the destruction of his army. Perhaps it may hereafter be discovered that the Russian armament was but a type of a more portentous confederacy, directed expressly against the visible designs of God, and conducted by the same leader, to whom at that period the prophetical appel-lation shall be confessedly applicable, and who will be cut off in

the height of his prosperity and presumption.

The admirable intent of both Mr. Penn's works on prophecy is to prepare men's minds for that great and terrible day, which, if the signs of the times (distinctly foretold by our Lord) may be trusted to, is not far from us. To my surprise, I have heard a sermon preached by a gentleman of zeal, powers, and reputation, objecting to this doctrine as dangerous. How so? Wherein can consist the danger of a Christian's expecting the coming of his Saviour from day to day? of its occupying all his thoughts? of its influencing (which it may certainly do, without deranging them) his whole business, life, and conversation? Surely be is not likely to become the worse member of society for it, or to be the less prepared for the exent of his own death, ‹‹

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I cannot, however, in candour, conclude without acknowledging the merit of a short paper in one of your late Numbers, upon this very subject; and which, there is ground for thinking, has made a considerable impression. I allude to the observations upon, Luke xxi. 32.; for, as it strikes me, the words, "yɛveά aurη" may surely be rendered " that same generation." The discovery is simple, but momentous; and will much better explain that often-contested passage, than Bishop Horsley's notion of," till all be fulfilled,”. meaning "till all are in a course of fulfilment," or "begin to be fulfilled."

Upon the whole, sir, every expositor of the present day seems to agree that we live in the last times; that we are either near to what is called the Millennium, or to such a change as it hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive. The former doctrine is generally preferred; because the day of judgment, like the sun, cannot be looked at steadily. But

there are also reasons for the latter, which many Christians will not be disposed to pass over. Let us "watch and pray always, that we

may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." M. J. A.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer. HAVING read the letters of " T," "A Friend to the Old Society," and "X," on the safeguards of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, it appeared to me that the readiest way of determining the question would be to examine the publications of the Society, in order to see whether they have fallen into any of the errors T. and X: consider them liable to. If they have not, it seems fair to conclude; that T.'s objection ought not to deter him any longer from becoming one of its members. If they have, T. will, of course, continue to withhold his support.

I leave it to those who have leisure for the task, to examine all the publications of the Society, to discover whether or not they have run into any errors. In the mean time, I enclose you an extract from the Encyclopædia Britannica, (under the article "Clarke, Dr. Samuel,") which seems very much to strengthen the remark made by T. on the liability of the Society to

error.

"In 1718, Dr. Clarke made an alteration in the forms of Doxology in the singing Psalms, which produced no small noise and disturbance, and occasioned some pamphlets to be written. The alteration was this:

"To God through Christ, his only Son, "Immortal glory be, &c."

And,

“To God, through Christ, his Son, our Lord,

"All glory be therefore, &c."

"A considerable number of these select Psalms and Hymns having been dispersed by the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, before the alteration of the doxologies was taken notice of, he was charged with the design of imposing on the Society; whereas, in truth, the edition of them had been prepared by him for the use of his own parish only, before the Society had thoughts of purchasing any of the copies; and as the usual forms of doxology are not established by any legal authority, ecclesiastical or civil, in this he had not offend ed."-Encyc. Brit. Fourth Edit. Vol. VI. p. 180.

I am, Sir, &c.

Q.

To the Editor of the Christian Observer.

WHEN I first solicited the insertion of a letter into your publication, my only aim was that of endeavouring to satisfy the scruples of your correspondent T. on a question which appeared to me capable of a very easy solution: and I shall be truly glad, if any of my remarks have served to remove from T.'s mind, the ouly doubt which seemed to remain with him, with respect to rendering his subscription and cooperation to the designs of the Society for promoting Christian Knowledge.

Since the appearance of my letter in your pages, however, a correspondent who signs himself X. has made some remarks in your Number for February, on my statements; and therefore I have to request of you to insert the follow