thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice, before the Lord for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth." Ps. 9: 7, 8. 82: 8. 96: 913. See also Ps. 98: 8, 9. Isai. 2: 2-4. The word for world in these passages in the Seventy version, is oikoumene, the same word Paul uses in this passage. It is evident from them, that God is not speaking of a day of judgment at the end of this material world, but of judging, ruling, or governing the world or heathen nations by his word. This judging of the world in righteousness, was not at the end of the kosmos, world, but among the heathen. The result of this judging is, that " God shall inherit all nations," and the world is to be established by it. And, instead of its ending in the howlings of the damned, all nature, animate and inanimate, are called on to rejoice before the Lord. Why? Because he cometh to judge the earth, to judge the world with righteousness and the people with his truth." Does this look like the orthodox day of general judgment? That God was thus to rule and govern the world by Jesus Christ, is evident from the following passages, which to save room the reader will please turn to and read. Isai. 32: 1. comp. Matt. 19: 28. Ps. 2. comp. Acts 2. Ps. 22: 27-30. Isai. 11:1-5. That Christ was ordained of God thus to rule and govern the world in righteousness is also evident from Isai. 42: 1-4. comp. Matt. 12: 14-21. Ps. 89, particularly verses 19, 20. See also Acts 10: 42, considered below.

But the fact proves, that this view of the subject is correct, as I shall now show from the New Testament. It is the oikoumene Paul says God was to judge by Jesus Christ, and we have seen this meant the Roman empire, including Judea, which was then

a province of it. Let us then see what took place in this oikoumene, or world. Our Lord says, Matt. 24: 14, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world (oikoumene) for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come;" evidently the end of the Jewish dispensation. But

again, Paul says, Rom. 10: 18, showing the fulfilment of our Lord's words: "But I say, have they not heard? Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world." (Oikoumene.) And Luke, in Acts 17: 6, informs us of the effects produced by the apostles' preaching on the oikoumene, or world. "These that have turned the world (oikoumene) upside down are come hither also." In a case so obvious, who can doubt, that God by Jesus Christ judged the world in righteousness by the gospel, in the sense I have stated?

2d. But God also judged the world, (oikoumene) by Jesus Christ, by inflicting temporal judgments upon it. All judgment is committed unto the son. See John 5, with other texts. Let the reader now notice the following texts: Luke 21: 26, after speaking of God's judgments on Judea, informs us that his judgments should extend to the oikoumene, world or Roman empire. "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth (oikoumene) for the powers of the heaven shall be shaken." Again, John, Rev. 3: 10, says, "because thou hast kept the word of my patience, also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come (mellouses erhesthai, is about to come) upon all the world (epi tes oikoumenes oles) to try them that dwell upon the earth." Comp. Rev. 6: 10. 19: 11. 16: 5. Such then is the way the oikoumene was judged. I then press the question, where is it ever said that Jesus Christ was to judge the oikoumene, or world, in condemning any part

of it to future endless or limited punishment? Nothing like this is ever suggested. Paul on the contrary says, Heb. 1: 6, that God brought him again from the dead into the oikoumene, or world; and tells us, chap. 2: 5, that it was put in subjection to him. "For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world (oikoumene) to come whereof we speak." He then goes on, in verses 6-10, showing, that Christ is set "over the works of God's hands," and that he has "put all things, or the universe, in subjection to him."

3d. Let us now consider the time referred to in which God by Jesus Christ was to judge the oikoumene, or world, in righteousness. Most people say at a day of general judgment at the end of this material system. But 1st, this is just taking for granted the point in debate. 2d. But why such a day of general judgment, if it be true, that every man's state is fixed at death? 3d. If this passage teaches such a day of judgment, it is the only place in all the Bible, where it is said such a day is appointed, or, where repentance is enforced on men from such a consideration. 4th. If it teaches such a day of judgment, and all are to be judged righteously-who then shall escape its condemnation? None; all have sinned and all must be condemned.

That the day was appointed in which Jesus Christ was to rule or govern the world, in righteousness no one questions. A day, in Scripture, often expresses a long series of years. See Ps. 95: 7-11. Heb. 3: 8, 9. Deut. 32: 35. That the period of Messiah's reign is called a day is evident, from Zech. 13: 1-8. 14: 6-9. 2:11. Isai. 49: 8. comp. 2 Cor. 6: 2, and John 16: 26. 8: 56. Mal. 3: 2. Christ shall reign and govern the world in righteousness, until all shall be subdued to him, and then he shall deliver up the kingdom to God the father. See Ps. 110. comp. 1

Cor. 15: 24-28. See also Dan. 7: 9, 10, and Macknight's Harmony, sect. 105. It is certain the sacred books of the Jews led them to expect, that their Messiah should rule and govern the world in righteousness. But it is generally conceded that they teach nothing about the orthodox day of general judgment. If such a day was not revealed in the Old Testament, when was it appointed and revealed of the sons of men? To assume this, and make bold assertions about it, is easily done, and is all the evidence we have ever seen in proof of the common opinion.

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But there is one thing yet to be noticed in this passage, which of itself shows it had no reference to a day of general judgment at the close of time. is the Greek phrase rendered-" in the which he will judge the world." The Greek is en e mellei krinein ten oikoumenen, which ought to be rendered-" in the which he is about to judge the world." As this criticism is of importance, and is to be introduced in considering some other texts, I have been at some pains to examine its correctness. Parkhurst says, mello signifies," with an infinitive following, to be about to do a thing, futurus sum.” Dr. Campbell, on Matt. 3: 7, also says, "mellon often means not only future, but near. There is just such a difference between estai and mellei esesthai in Greek, as there is between it will be, and it is about to be, in English. This holds particularly in threats and warnings." Mello is used with an infinitive in the passage before us. then ask, was God about to judge the world in Paul's day in the sense usually attached to it? He certainly was not, unless Paul believed the day of judgment and end of the world was then about to take place. But God certainly was about to rule and govern the world by Jesus Christ as I have shown, yea, was already commenced.

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I have examined with some care the Scripture usage of mello. The passages are pretty numerous, and it would be aside from my present object to examine them in detail. No man I think will dispute the correctness of the criticism, who takes the trouble to examine them. Mello, with an infinitive, is rendered in the common version about to do a thing, or by some similar phrase, which shows that it was so understood by our translators and proves the correctness of the criticism. Thus it is said Acts 3: 3, "who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple." See other examples Acts 18: 14. Rev. 3: 2. Many other instances might be adduced, where the scope of the place shows this was the sense of the writer, though not so rendered in our version. I may also remark in passing, that this criticism sheds light on some texts, and leads to very different views of others, from those generally entertained of them. For example Matt. 3: 7. Luke 3: 7, which Dr. Campbell renders, "who hath prompted you to flee from the impending vengeance." See his note, part of which is quoted above. Again Matt. 16: 27, "For the son of man shall come (is about to come) in the glory of his father with his angels," referring to his coming at the end of the Jewish dispensation. Again, 1 Peter 5: 1, "And also a partaker of the glory that shall be (is about to be) revealed," referring to the glory mentioned in the last passage. The importance of this criticism will be seen in considering other texts below.

4th. What assurance had God given, that he was about to judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ? Answer. He had given assurance of this unto all men in that he had raised him from the dead. Or, as it is in the margin, he "offered faith" unto all men in that he had raised him from the dead. was in consequence of Jesus' resurrection from the

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