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KEV. J. B. WHITING, M.A., ON 



compiled the chapters of Genesis, chapters essential as the 

 foundation records of our holy religion. When this great 

 work was accomplished he is led back into Egypt, for the 

 persecuting Pharaoh had died, another Pharaoh sat on the 

 throne, and the 420 years were drawing to an end. 



Do we sufficiently bear in mind this cardinal principle 

 that " times and seasons " God bath kept in His own power ? 

 No doubt there is a reality in human agency; no doubt the 

 Christian is a free agent, responsible for utilizing or neglecting 

 opportunities.; no doubt in the Scriptures God speaks to us, or 

 by His Spirit incites, inspires, commands, praises, or blames 

 His people, as free agents. The Holy Spirit carries out the 

 Eternal Purpose through the free agency of man. But the 

 opportunities are God-given, God-appointed, and timed by God. 



We must be very careful lest we use language which 

 overlooks the absolute, unerring wisdom of God. If, for 

 example, we say, " If the Church had exerted her energy the 

 world would have been evangelized centuries ago, and the 

 Second Advent would have already taken place ; the prepara- 

 tion would have been completed for the glorious appearing of 

 the Great God, even our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Kingdom 

 would have come," such unguarded language is unscriptural. 

 For we read that it was in the fulness of time that the First 

 Advent took place, neither too soon nor too late. In the 

 appointed hour and not sooner, will take place the Second 

 Advent. " Though it tarry, wait for it ; for it will surely 

 come, it will not tarry " (Hab. ii, 3). This is not inconsistent 

 with the longing expressed by St. Peter, "Looking for and 

 hasting unto the coming of the day of Gcd" (n Pet. iii, 12); 

 nor with the declarations regarding the restoration of the Jew : 

 " I the Lord will hasten it in His time " (Isa. lx, 22); " I the 

 Lord will hasten my Word to perform it" (Jer. i, 12); or 

 with the proclamation regarding the Second Advent, "surely I 

 come quickly," or with the prayer of the Bride, " Even so, come, 

 Lord Jesus " (Bev. xxii, 20). This involves the active, direct 

 working of the Living God. 



If we search outside the pages of the Bible, we arrive at 

 the same conviction. The position of the affairs of the world 

 fills us with astonishment. England, in the extreme north- 

 west of Europe, is in the centre of an Empire which girdles 

 the globe ; her influence controls the tendency of human 

 thought and energy ; she includes under her sway nearly one- 

 third of the human race ; her ships enter every port : her 

 language is spoken or understood by 150,000,000 ; her flag is 



