at college, who has passed off his weeks of study in idleness and frivolous amusement, as the day of public examination approaches, has a very strong desire to know as much as his classmates. He is still censured as wilfully ignorant. The careless, loitering, and work-hating apprentice may have a desire for knowledge and skill in the business of his employer. His deficiencies are punished as wilful ignorance. Many unbelievers desire knowledge on the great subject, but they never undergo the labour of research. We do suppose that of all the scoffers who were to come in the last days, and who were to be wilfully ignorant, there is scarce. ly one but would be willing to receive historic knowledge, at least, provided an angel could just grasp it in his hand, and throw it into his brain, without any exertion on his part. But the toil of research he never encounters. He may snatch at some plausible objection to truth, as he hears it repeated: but to impartial investigation he is an utter stranger. As for those who think they have investigated very laboriously, but who have not investigated at all, we will notice their case at a more advanced part of this subject. The millions of scoffers who have come, and who now live, are ignorant of Bible facts and Bible language. The profound and the unlettered; the wealthy and the indigent; the talented and the stupid, are ignorant of Bible facts and Bible language! To some, this may sound strange, but it is not hard to prove. The matter may be easily tested. The scoffers live now; and you may approach and converse with them. During a ten years' search, you are not likely to find one exception to the general statement. There was one who tried this for eighteen years, to see if he could meet with any one who cast away the Bible, and who was at the same time aç

quainted with its contents, and with the ancient literature connected with the Bible. He found some who at first declared themselves acquainted with the subject, but really were not. After asking them, in an affectionate manner, a few questions, they generally confessed that their knowledge did not extend far. But this fact can be seen more clearly whilst looking at examples of wilful ignorance.

CHAPTER VIII.

SCOFFERS ARE UNACQUAINTED WITH THAT AT WHICH THEY

MOCK.

Examples.-Those who have come deriding in the present age, are utterly unacquainted with Bible facts and Bible language. We first notice Bible facts. In exhibiting such cases, we are like the man who stands by an immense magazine of wheat. He may take a handful and hold it out to view; but he cannot exhibit each grain in the mass to the eye of any purchaser. It would be a task, endless and painful.

ITEM 1.-In the second and third chapters of Revelations may be found the letters written by St. John, at the direction of Jesus Christ, to seven Churches, situated in that part of the world which we call Asia Minor. To each Church was sent a different message, a different threatening, or a different promise. These prophetic declarations were long in fulfilling, but have all come to pass. It is common with the totally uninformed in chronology to say, when phropecy is named, Perhaps this was written after the event came to

pass."

For the sake of such, it is here remarked, that the events about to be noticed, transpired more than nine centuries after the book of Revelation was much written against by haters of the Gospel, and defended by lovers of the truth. Inasmuch as a book is written before its contents are greatly controverted, even the most unlettered will be able to understand dates in this case; and will be satisfied, after nine hundred years of discussion, that the book was in existence. For the sake of those who may fear Christian partiality, when we come to speak of the fulfilment of these seven messages, we will quote mostly from infidel authority. They will scarce suspect an undue favour toward the sacred volume, in those who have hated its name, written against its authority, and mocked at its doctrines. To the Church of Ephesus, the Redeemer ordered John to write : "Remember, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candle-stick out of its place, except thou repent."

The author of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, (Gibbon,) one of the most accomplished and continued haters of the Bible, that ever spent half a lifetime in writing against it, says: "In the loss of Ephesus, the Christians deplored the fall of the first Angel, and the extinction of the first Candle-stick of the Revelation." He tells us this was accomplished by the Ottomans, A.D. 1312. In Ephesus, at the present day, there are none who even bear the Christian name; so completely is the Candle-stick removed.

To the Angel of the Church, in Philadelphia, John was commanded to write: "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the

world, to try them that dwell upon the earth." It was, indeed, an hour of trial to all the Churches, when the Mahometan, with his naked sword, gave the member choice to receive the Koran for his Bible, and Mahomet for his Prophet, or to see his sons and daughters go into servitude, his dwelling blaze, and to suffer his blood to stain his own hearth. From this temptation, it was especially improbable that Philadelphia would be saved. This we may learn from the language of the same unbelieving author, who seemed almost startled himself at what he was compelled to record. Hear him speak, "Philadelphia alone has been saved, by prophecy-or courage. At a distance from the sea, forgotten by the Emperors, encompassed on all sides by the Turks, her valiant sons defended their religion and freedom, above fourscore years, and at length capitulated with the proudest of the Ottomans. Philadelphia is still erect; a column in a scene of ruins." We have reason to hope that God has had new-born souls there in every age.

To the Laodicean Church the Saviour wrote: "Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth." It seems to us, that words could not be placed on paper expressing a more deep and decisive abhorrence. What are the words of the Infidel Historian, in after age? He says, "The Circus and three stately Theatres, at Laodicea, are now peopled by wolves and foxes."

The Church at Smyrna, claims our notice next. In the sacred volume we find the Lord repeatedly telling his servants, that a day should stand for a year, in the occurrence then foretold. This may be more fully considered, when we come to mention the subject of prophecy. That the ten years persecution, during which the Church at Smyrna suffered, under the reign of

Domitian, was a cruel and a bloody one, perhaps no one has ever questioned, and we need not pause here to quote history for its proof. The Lord had, long beforehand, commanded an Apostle to tell them, by letter: "Behold, the Devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a Crown of life," &c. &c. A minister of the gospel once felt a desire, and sought an opportunity to converse with a number of rejectors of Christianity, who possessed talent and literature. Between him and some of these a friendly intimacy existed; some of them were admired by their countrymen, and known to the nation for their political eminence. He felt pressingly solicitious to make inquiries, such as the following: Do you never find your curiosity at least somewhat awakened, whilst reading the letters to the seven Churches of Asia? Suppose it had been of Philadelphia, that the historian had said, with truth, "it is inhabited by wolves and foxes?" or suppose it had been concerning Sardis, that the Redeemer's promise of salvation from the hour of trial, was penned? How triumphantly would the event have been noticed by the opposers of Holy Writ? Suppose the Saviour had said of Philadelphia, 1 will spew thee out of my mouth? Suppose that Gospel light had still shone at Ephesus, even faintly, showing that the Candle-stick had not been removed? Suppose no marked distress, of ten years continuance, had ever prevailed at Smyrna? or suppose some comforting promise had been recorded concerning Laodicea? Vary either the history as it transpired, or the message which was sent into any one out of an hundred ways, and what would have been the result?