The National Register.
London, England, 1816-07-22 00:00:00

4)r Oatitinitt

No. 441.—V01.. IX.

O.V THE END OF VIE WORLD.

HOW would the penetrating cye of Butler have
looled'into the hearts of the modern Philosophers who
plaoned the dostruction of the world on the 18th inst.
from the spots on the suns disk ! and would have s,•ut
them to the wise Astrologer of his day,
That deals in dustinicA. dark conarils,

And sav opiniotag of the ninon;
wham all people. far and Ileac,
On &ell importance- repair. 2 Find. cant. 3.
and would have laughed at their restless folly, while he
quaffed is peace his nut-brown ale, and slept as soundly
as on any other night of his existeoce. It is true, that
liefiwe that terrible day, and near its approach, there will
be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars ;
but these are not such sigmas spots on the sun's disk :
Meteors arc not signs of that nature—they arc the na-
tural exhalations of the planetary system, its diurnal
course—its astonishing velocity, and its rotatory motion ;
and these are frequently shown to he as transitory as the
spray of the sea upon the objects of the surrounding shore.
mke minds, ignorant of the wonderful phenomena,
have also ascribed the rain, during the present month, to
these spots on the inn: but they do not recollect, that
rain is the dissolving of clouds which are moved by the
wind, and are not only Lir below the sun, but far below
many mountains; from the summits of which travellers
have stool, and beheld storms of rain and lightning, and
thunder, playing below them !—the mucous particles of
these clouds falling in drops of min won the earth, are
thus returned to refresh its vegetation, mid render its
otherwise parched surface fruitful : but they are opera-
tions of a lower region; a medium too low ferthe sun's
operation, except in its congenial efliTt.. Some have
gone so tia back as to imagine they can trace some re-
cords of many spots on the sun previous to the deluge ;
-which event happened '2349 years before the Christian
/Eta, according to the Bible historY ; hut as Moses has
a )t. said one word about the,sun or his situation at that
lime (sax: Gen. vii.), probably these gentlemen have- some
calculations or minutes of their own, by which this mat-
ter has 'been peculiarly revealed to them in these latter
days, in preference to Moses ! But it is an extraordi-
nary presumption in any philatophers to assume a spirit
of dictation and slum ; when they, by a short reference
to the only authority on such grave subjects, may not
only satisfy themselves, but be detected by their readers!

"Throughout the Old Test:incept, the end width is there allnded
.te, is the end of each nian's l!fe. It seems to have heen re-
-served for the Christian Revelation to declare the end of the
world, as well as immortality. 'flicexpeetatien ()edits is often,
as it were, habitually expressed Icy the terns " tkese latter da s s,"
as denothatT that the lime was at hand: and many of the ex-
hortations to morality are founded nut only upon the tincer•
tainty of life, but upon the time being short!—" Brethren, the
time is short," said lit..P4lll;—and St. Peter says, " tke end
of all things is at haul." 1 Pet. iv. "i*, IT. ISnt, in the time of
our Saviour, the people being desirous of knowing some lithe;
of these facts, asked their Divine Master, " when these things
should be, and what would be the Fi7,11 of his coming and of
Jlie end of the world ?" Matt. xxiv. 3. Our Lord's answer
clearly distinguished between the ttibulations arising from the
,calamities which were assuredly to fall upon their cite, and
the time of which they eimuiri•il —Gtr they lia:1 supposed their
city to be as eternal as the world itself—but Ice concluded by
declaring, that "such things must MT& be,blit the end was not.
yet." v. ti. And after mentioning their aftlivtions anal persecu-
tions for the sake of their faith, be promises " tins thud reward
of euluution to those who shoild endure throng!' them." s. It.
Exhorting Oren in their patience still tic possess their souls
(Lnke xxi. I 9.), he thou foretells the fall al Jerusalem an.: its
grievous sorrows, and that she should be trodden dots 4.! the
Gentiles mail their time should he folfuled, Luke asi. 24. It wits;
not until otter those triludations that the seemsd routing of
tun of Math was to be expected ; sslvic the snit should be dark..
ened, and the moon bllutild 110: cite 111. r light. and the stars Of
Neaten should fall, and the powers of the heavens should be
shaken (\loft. X•is'.'29.l; and then should appear the sign of the
51:mot—Ilan in heaven, &e. v. 30. But of that day and hour know-
eth no into t no, not the angels of It-.oven, but my father only,
v. 31f. If ye peaftv ; for in such an hour as e think not, the:
Pion of than corneal. v. tt. .Iccil this exhortation is ficlloweir
eh. %%v.) by the er:r.timtcd parables and valuable examples a':
the ten virgins and tire eight talt ; and the subject is closed
by an awful sielicsoaSion of the last judgment, anti the uteri iful
distribation of rewards anti pacislimetos.
Suck is the end ilesi•ribi•il I,y St. Ma ttliese.—No one doubts
his authority. 1111,1 every one aoknooleilges that none of the
signs which he predicts hate yet appeared; but as the sidel-
ines of Jerusalem took place, Ills se most assuredly follow as
the close of lice propheev. cventiliose who have applied
the teems suit, moan, and 'dare, to the Ariel.. pclitie;ll hemi-
spheres, ohmic fell in the dire visitations of the Fronch revo-
lution, do also w•knowledge that our Lord's prophecy of kis
own cioni lig 55.1 s olteral, and not comitif if to one nation,:
and that Define 11131 awful period, all the nations of the earth
should se,.! awl feel the blessing: of his salvation: and there •
for • it iit.u•l be at once contioiseil, that though the time may
approach., it is lint yet. A sudiei.mt period is 4iveet for amend-
Jaunt, for vigilance, oast for repeutaucc, to all tlse. natio:lied
tk ,world!

Our ittq, Qo

MONDAY,