world,” the Lord had said, “until I come again." Thus, then, the disciples were commissioned to evangelize the world before Christ's second coming; not merely to preach the Gospel, "for a witness," to a world that would not receive it till he came again" to gather out the few elect," as Mr Bonar expresses it, as contradistinguished from the world at large, to be brought in only after the second advent-but to accomplish, instrumentally, the actual "discipleship of all nations," to baptize them when gathered in, and to train them up as professed Christians in the knowledge and obedience of the truth, for glory-all before his second coming. In the doing of this, He promises to be with them-not merely to stand by them while preaching a rejected Gospel, and to note their fidelity, but clearly to prosper the work of their hands unto the actual evangelization of the world at large, before his coming. "Those," says Mr Bonar, "that deny the premillennial coming have led themselves and others to expect that at this present time, in this dispensation that precedes the Lord's coming, the preaching of the Gospel is to be followed up with national conversions, or at least conversion and reformation in the dense masses of the world's population." No, brother, we have not "led ourselves;” but thy Master and ours-who tremble, as we doubt not thou dost, at the word of the Lord-hath constrained us to believe that not "the few elect," as contradistinguished from the world at large, but that very world at large, is to be gained over to Christ, in the only sense in which the world at large ever will be Christ's "in this dispensation that precedes the Lord's coming."

But what I wish specially to note, is the connection between the present exercise of the work of the ministry-at home by pastors, and abroad by missionaries-and this evangelization of all nations as the result. To expect this result, in the believing and prayerful use of the prescribed means, is nothing else but to rely on Christ's word of promise; and to ex

pect it in the "present" use of the means, or "in this dispensation that precedes the Lord's coming," is merely to presume that the Lord means what he says. Yet this is what Mr Bonar ventures to call "a vain" and "visionary hope' "" dazzling the Church at home," and fitted only to "dishearten missionaries abroad. Say we not well, that the premillennial theory paralyses missionary effort by paralysing missionary expectation?

To the same effect, Dr H. Bonar. "Do I paralyse effort," he asks, “when I say, 'Work while it is day, for the night cometh when no man can work?"" No, I reply, not when you say "work;" but when you teach the workman not to expect the promised result, then you paralyse effort.

I cannot illustrate this better, nor more effectually show the bearings of the premillennial theory upon missionary work, than by quoting a passage in which Dr Bonar administers a lofty and imposing rebuke to the late excellent Dr Bogue of Gosport, one of the original founders of the London Missionary Society, the wonderful success of which in the South Seas and elsewhere filled his soul with burning desires for the universal triumph of the Gospel, and joyous anticipations of the near approach of that consummation. True, he lived not to see some things which we have witnessed, and which would probably have modified his language; the revived missionary zeal, too, of the Church, then in the warmth of its first love, would naturally be estimated at more than its real value. But for myself, I am willing to underlie the castigation administered to that venerated servant of Christ-now indeed beyond its reachfor what is extracted from his "Discourses on the Millennium."

"Of what use would it be," asks Dr Bonar, "to cheat or dazzle men by such rhetoric as the following [from Dr Bogue] ?—' Was there ever a period in the history of our world in which so many vistas of glorious hope opened to mankind as at the present

moment? Let the siege which has so auspiciously commenced upon the forces of the enemy, be kept up with evergrowing skill and determination; let existing advantages be seized upon with a resolution worthy of the cause; let the armies of the living God muster their whole strength, and go forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty, and ere long the camp of the enemy shall be seized with sudden overwhelming dread; the legions of darkness shall flee apace, and the conquest of a world shall be given to the saints of the Most High.' Well spoken! But what if it be all a dream! Go forth (fond theorist!) from the study or the pulpit, and look on Europe now. Is there aught . . . . . in the turbid swelling of the great deluge of European atheism on which to build such glorious hopes ?'" &c. *

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Where, I desire to ask, is the "cheat" practised by Dr Bogue? Is it in assuring his readers that "let the siege so auspiciously commenced upon the forces of the enemy, be kept up with evergrowing skill and determination"-that "let existing advantages be seized upon with a resolution worthy of the cause"-that "let the armies of the living God muster their whole strength, and go forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty;" and then, " ere long"-Dr Bogue does not presume to say how long, but " ere long," or, as the apostle says about Christ's coming, yet a little while"" the camp of the enemy shall tremble and flee, and the world be given to the saints of the Most High?" Is this the "cheat?" For myself, I believe it most profoundly; and if, with such views, Mr Bonar asks, "Do I paralyse effort?" I answer-Yes. Not only does the Lord's commission authorize the expectation that all nations shall be evangelized" at the present time-in this dispensation that precedes the Lord's coming"-but the very expectation of this result from the preaching of the Gospel will be a prime element of success; † and therefore it is to paralyse effort to calumniate

*Coming and Kingdom, &c., pp. 152, 153.

† In the second edition, I said "prime and indispensable;" but after Mr Wood's remarks, I am willing to erase the second word. I hope my

such expectations, and, let those who talk of "cheating and dazzling men" with "visionary hopes,” have a care at whose door their charges ultimately lie.

2. On the judgments which are to usher in the millennium I have nothing to say, except to notice the false position assigned to them in such statements as the following, already quoted:" The universal prevalence of true religion," says Mr Brooks," hereafter to be enjoyed, is not to be effected by any increased impetus given to the present means of evangelizing the nations, but by a stupendous display of the divine truth upon all the apostate and ungodly"-as if judgments would do what "the Gospel had failed to accomplish" 66 evangelize the nations." Let Dr H. Bonar rebuke this view of the judgments of God. "We look," says he, "upon the judgments, at the Lord's coming, in the same light (though differing in degree) as we do upon any judgment of God's hand. He may use these awful calamities just as he now uses afflictions, but the power and the glory are his alone."* Mr Brooks, indeed, would not deny that the power and glory of conversion, in every case, belong to God; but by contrasting judgments with a preached Gospel, he makes the instrumentality that will be employed in converting "the nations," something different from what is now employed in every case of conversion.

3. A word or two on the effusion of the Spirit, in virtue of which those extensive conquests of the nations to Christ are to be brought about. We should like to hear more about this. I do not for a moment doubt that those whose writings I am now examining are at one with me in expecting such effusion. But do they believe that it may come at this present time-in this dispensation that precedes the esteem for the brethren to whom I am opposed on this subject, and my confidence in their personal interest in the missionary work, may be allowed to consist with strenuous opposition to the system which they espouse.

* Coming and Kingdom, pp. 51, 52.

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Lord's coming?" We-believing that the "discipling of all nations" is to be effected, as the Lord himself assures us, before he comes-of course look for those copious showers of the Spirit which alone can make the Word efficacious to do it. They believing that the conversion of the nations is not to be till after the Lord come—of course do not look for the Spirit to effect it by any preaching of the Gospel that is, or can be now set on foot. And is not this to "paralyse effort?” 4. I will not dwell upon the converting efficacy ascribed to Christ's personal appearing; because, though such passages as, They shall look on me whom they have pierced"—" Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him," are frequently referred to in proof of this, there seems a general disposition to admit that it is the WORD and the SPIRIT to which even these men will owe their conversion, just as now; and, consequently, that the very sight of Christ in person will only be one of the means by which such conversion will be aided, like other striking events, though none will be so striking as this. Strange, indeed, that when Christ" cometh in his own glory, and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels"-when he "cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him"-that the most stupendous, bright, and awful of all events should just rank amongst the means by which men at the millennium are to be converted!

Some look to the revival of miracles as one great means of the rapid conversions which are to signalise the latter day. But in vain. As we do not need them, so the soul in a healthy state does not desire them. The Church is in its manhood, and miracles are for its infancy.* Souls that have

*The Scripture doctrine of physical, as contrasted with moral miracles, deducible from such passages as John iv. 48, 49, compared with chapter xx. 29; John xiv. 12; i. 50, 51, and Luke xvi. 27-31, suggests a line of thought quite adverse to any expectation of physical manifestations, such as floats loosely in the minds of not a few whose apprehensions in every other respect are thoroughly scriptural. The above passages indicate that such manifestations are suited, as they were granted, to an in