Having then, now seen that our text speaks of the second Advent of Christ, and having proved, by reference to Scripture, that this Advent must be PREMILLENNIAL, we still have to notice ITS NATURE, and that was the point we proposed to consider in the third place.

III. THAT IT WILL BE A PERSONAL ADVENT.

The opposition to this part of our subject has been given up by many of those who still differ from us, as to the period and purposes of this event. I shall not, therefore, occupy much time upon it, and will only bring some one or two arguments forward which appear most conclusive on this point.

1. If we take the ordinary way of judging of the meaning of unfulfilled prophecy, and interpret it by that which has been most surely accomplished, can we arrive at any other conclusion, but that the second coming of Christ will be a personal Advent? For if we look at the prophecies with reference to his first coming, and compare them with their fulfilment in the events which have transpired, it cannot but strike the mind of all, how literally they have come to pass, even, notwithstanding the apparent impossibilities which stood in the way of their accomplishment. Was it foretold that a virgin should conceive and

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bear a son? We find he was born of a virgin. Was it predicted the Redeemer should be man as well as God? He was made man, being bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. In short, were not all the prophecies respecting our blessed Lord's FIRST ADVENT, from his incarnation to his ascension, literally accomplished? How can we expect, then, the fulfilment of those which relate to his Second Advent in any other way? If we find the declaration of the Prophet Zechariah in chap. ix. ver. 9, as far as it related to the First Advent, literally and personally fulfilled, " Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass,"-I ask, is it not obvious to all that the most natural way of interpreting the passage now before us, "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord," is to take it literally and personally? There must, indeed, be some very strong reason, amounting in weight to little, if at all less than that of Divine revelation, to convince us, that when we have one and the same Prophet writing in the same style of language, addressing the same people, with regard to two great events,

in which they were particularly interested; and when we have the Divine testimony with reference to the personal and literal fulfilment of the one, that we are to take the other in some metaphorical or spiritual sense, so that, in fact, its real fulfilment would be altogether lost. Therefore, I conclude that the text will have a similar accomplishment with that referred to in Zech. ix. 9; this latter was fulfilled LITERALLY and PERSONALLY, consequently our text will be in like

manner.

2. But further, that Christ's Advent will be PERSONAL, appears from the express declaration of Scripture. How distinct and specific, with reference to this point, is the announcement of the angel in Acts i. 11, "This SAME Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, SHALL SO COME in LIKE MANNER as ye have seen him go into heaven." This passage needs no comment, for no words could be used more clearly to denote a PERSONAL Advent.

Again, in 1 Thess. iv. 16, we read, "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God:" surely this expression, "The Lord HIMSELF shall descend," must declare a personal act. well-known exclamation of the Patriarch Job, chap. xix. 25, is very striking, as it bears on this

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point, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that HE SHALL STAND at the latter day UPON THE EARTH: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." But time would fail me to bring before you the many clear and plain passages of Scripture, which assert the personal Advent of Christ.

3. I therefore pass on to one more consideration which appears very strongly to support this truth; and it is this, that in whatever sense we can ascertain that Christ did leave his Church, and is now absent from it, his promised return must be of the same nature.

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Now, before our Lord's ascension, he assured his first disciples, and through them his Church to the end of time, that he would be with them always, even to the end of the world" (or age). But he also spoke of his departure from his disciples, in John xvi., " It is expedient for you that I go away." We have many more similar expressions; and St. Luke, both in his Gospel, and also in the Acts, gives us an account of his departure from them, and his ascension into heaven. It is obvious then, that there must be some difference in the sense in which he promised

to be always present with his people; from that, in which he assured them it was necessary for him to depart from them; for he could not be present and absent in the same sense, at the same time. Now, it must be evident that as to his spiritual presence, he did not leave his first disciples; nor is he now absent from his Church; for he dwells in his people and they in him; and so essential is this his presence with them to their true Church membership, that the Apostle asserts in 2 Cor. xii. 5, "Know ye not your ownselves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"

Such, and many more plain texts of Scripture prove that our Lord has been, and still is spiritually present with his Church; therefore, not having left it in this sense, he cannot be said to come again spiritually. But how then is he now absent from his people? we reply, only as to his personal presence: therefore, when he assures us, "I will come again, to receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also," he must mean that he will return PERSONALLY there is no other signification in which the words can be taken.

Having then, we trust, proved from Scripture that our text speaks of the Second Advent of