Joel 2: 1. "Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is NIGH AT HAND.”

In view of this" great and terrible day," surely, all the inhabitants of the world, who are unprepared to meet it, have infinitely more occasion to tremble than can be imagined from the solemn description of the day given in this chapter; and especially, that it is even "nigh at hand," to every individual of them, suddenly to destroy such characters without remedy. Our Saviour's preaching the everlasting kingdom at hand was seemingly the same thing.

10. THE PROPHET AMOS.

Amos 9: 10, 11. "All the sinners of my people shall die by the sword, which say the evil shall not overtake nor prevent us. In that day will I raise up the tabernacles of David," &c.

This death by the sword of the Lord, of all the sinners among God's people, seems most naturally understood, as a threatening of final destruction of all the enemies of God, and this promise to build the tabernacles of David, appears as a promise to all the saints who are God's house, spoken of as tabernacles because he will dwell with them as his house, and "his tabernacle," shall be "with men." (Rev. 21: 3.) When Christ asking shall come to judg ment, all such promises and threatenings can be fulfilled and not before.

11. THE PROPHET OBADIAH.

Obad. 15th verse. "For the day of the Lord is NIGH upon all the heathen."

If our other premises are correct in supposing the great

day of the Lord in the former prophets to be the same as the kingdom at hand in the Gospel, then, of course, Obadiah preaches the great kingdom at hand, as truly as did Jesus Christ.

12. THE PROPHET JONAH.

Jonah, 3: 4.

overthrown."

"Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be

Unless this prophet was an exception with Peter when he said they all foretold Christ's coming again to judgment, this passage may be understood as typical, and foretelling the faithful preaching of the Gospel yet to sinners who shall repent, before the great city of wickedness," spiritually called "Nineveh" (see Rev. 11:8. Na. 1:1, &c.) shall be destroyed; and inasmuch as Christ calls Jonah a " prophet,” as if he foretold things as did the others, and quotes a passage from his book, seeming to make Jonah a type of himself in being three days in the heart of the earth, might it not be inquired whether the book of Jonah, after all, does not really mean something infinitely more interesting to the saints than a mere history of striking worldly transactions?

13. THE PROPHET MICAH.

Mic. 1:3. "For behold the Lord cometh forth out of his place, and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth."

Upon the same principles and testimony as before mentioned, this passage also may be understood as foretelling the Lord's coming "forth" with his kingdom "out of his place," to judgment, when, surely, he will tread down and destroy all his enemies for ever, which must be done when the kingdom of God, yet future, or "at hand," shall come, and be set up by the God of heaven.

14. THE PROPHET NAHUM.

Na. 1:15. "Behold upon the mountains, the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, THAT PUBLISHETH peace— for the wicked shall no more pass through thee, he is utterly cut off."

As "the wicked" are not yet "eut off" from the privileges of the church "utterly," while they still continue to "pass through" it; but will be so cut off and destroyed at Christ's coming again to reign, it would seem, that this passage, with its connection, was designed to foretel of Christ's finally coming upon, or from the high "mountains" of his habitation, when he shall bring everlasting ' good tidings"—to be then realized to all his saints, with "the kingdom of heaven" then come, now" at hand."

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15. THE PROPHET HABAKKUK.

Hab. 3: 3. "God came from Teman and the Holy One from Mount Paran. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise."

As this passage, with what follows it, appears so strikingly descriptive of Christ's final coming from "Mount Zion," or "Mount Paran," to judgment, with his glory covering the heavens, and his praise filling the earth, never to be done till the great day of God's final universal glorification, may not the passage be considered as parallel to the final coming of the kingdom of heaven at hand, or yet future, to mortals?

16. THE PROPHET ZEPHANIAH.

Zeph. 1: 7, 14, 15. "The day of the Lord is AT HAND"

"The GREAT day of the Lord is NEAR, IT IS NEAR, and HASTETH GREATLY, even the voice of the day of the Lord; the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath," &c.

If the Lord ever did foretel, by any of the ancient prophets, the things of Christ's coming again from heaven to the day of judgment, as Peter affirms they all did, then how can this passage be rationally understood, except as foretelling that same "great day of the Lord," always "at hand," yea, "It is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly”—“ A day of wrath," when even "the mighty" sinner "shall cry there bitterly?"

17. THE PROPHET HAGGAI.

Hag. 2:22.

"And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen," (or the wicked.)

If the kingdoms of the heathen here, are all the high powers or thrones of Satan, and all who adhere to him of foul spirits and wicked mortals, as would seem most like the general spirit of the preaching of the Holy Ghost by the prophets, then these events are yet future, for the kingdoms of wickedness are not yet overthrown; the world was never more full of them than now; but in the actual and final coming of "the kingdom of heaven, at hand,” as in the text, this work of God Almighty will be for ever done, in the deliverance and glory of his saints, and utter destruction of all his enemies.

18. THE PROPHET ZECHARIAH.

Zech. 14: 5. "The Lord my God shall come, and all

the saints with thee."

Inasmuch as the Lord God has never yet "come" with "all the saints," but will so come at the last day, to judgment, as expressly foretold by "all" the "holy prophets," and inasmuch as this passage of the Lord's coming with his saints is the same, both in the spirit and the letter, as the same prophecy in the New Testament, it is reasonable to understand it as foretelling the same kingdom of saints coming from heaven, as that called "the kingdom of hea ven, at hand.”

19. THE PROPHET MALACHI.

Mal. 3:1-5. "The Lord whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the Messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap. And I will come near to you to judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the Lord."

The proof contained in this passage alone, that it was not all fulfilled in Christ's first coming; and that it includes also his second coming with his kingdom to judgment, may be seen in several particulars, viz. (1.) Christ's first coming was not so "sudden" as will be his second," as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west." (Mat. 24:27.) (2.) All the wicked could "abide the day of his" first "coming," and could even crucify him, as they will not be able to do at his second appearing, when they will cry only to "mountains and rocks" for a hiding place, saying, "for the great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able tostand?" (Rev. 6:16,

17.)