THE TWO TREATIES.

We meet to-day under a sense of profound thanksgiving.  With the rest of the nation we have been praying for a righteous peace; and now we trust that through God’s great, and abounding¹, mercy, such a peace has been secured.  In all probability very few persons are altogether satisfied.  There are very few who would not wish to have some of the conditions changed.  But in the midst of so many conflicting interests it was not to be expected that any one nation should have its own way in every point; so that we have to be most heartily² thankful to God that the Congress has dispersed³ without a conflict; that England is not involved in war; and that Europe is free to devote its energies to the extension of commerce, and the promotion⁴ of goodwill⁵ amongst mankind.  May God bless the peace that has been established, and enable his people in a thankful spirit to avail themselves of it for the circulation of his Word, the spread of his Gospel, the promotion of his kingdom, and the glory of his name!

But thanksgiving is not the only duty of the day, for the two treaties now concluded involve consequences of such p. 4great importance that they ought to awaken⁶ in all our minds the deepest interest, and the most earnest expectation.  To the student of the Prophetic Scriptures⁸ they assume an importance altogether unequalled by any event in modern history; I might almost say; by any event since the Siege of Jerusalem.  We are taught in many places of Scripture⁷ that the people of God will not be taken by surprise by the great events of the latter days; but that there will be certain predicted signs which may be understood beforehand by those who study them.  Thus in Matthew xxiv. our Lord teaches us that there will be such signs as will indicate the nearness of his return as distinctly as the budding of the fig⁹ tree assures us of the approach of summer.  When we see the fig tree budding in spring we know that summer is at hand, and so when we see these predicted signs we are to conclude without a doubt that the great deliverance is near.  Nor are we to wait until the signs are fully¹⁰ developed, or have passed into the region of history, but we are to look out for their beginnings, as our Lord said, “when these things begin to come to pass then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh.”  Now I cannot help believing that the conclusion of these two treaties is at all events amongst the beginnings.  I believe that the fig tree is beginning to bud, and that, if it be, it is high time for us to be looking out for the summer.  Let us endeavour then to consider, first, what we actually see; and secondly¹¹, what we may anticipate as the not improbable consequence of the great events that have taken place.

1 abounding   

adj.丰富的，大量的v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Ahead lay the scalloped ocean and the abounding blessed isles. 再往前是水波荡漾的海洋和星罗棋布的宝岛。 来自英汉文学 - 盖茨比
• The metallic curve of his sheep-crook shone silver-bright in the same abounding rays. 他那弯柄牧羊杖上的金属曲线也在这一片炽盛的火光下闪着银亮的光。 来自辞典例句

2 heartily   

adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很

参考例句：

• He ate heartily and went out to look for his horse.他痛快地吃了一顿，就出去找他的马。
• The host seized my hand and shook it heartily.主人抓住我的手，热情地和我握手。

3 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

4 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

5 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

6 awaken   

vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起

参考例句：

• Old people awaken early in the morning.老年人早晨醒得早。
• Please awaken me at six.请于六点叫醒我。

7 scripture   

n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段

参考例句：

• The scripture states that God did not want us to be alone.圣经指出上帝并不是想让我们独身一人生活。
• They invoked Hindu scripture to justify their position.他们援引印度教的经文为他们的立场辩护。

8 scriptures   

经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典

参考例句：

• Here the apostle Peter affirms his belief that the Scriptures are 'inspired'. 使徒彼得在此表达了他相信《圣经》是通过默感写成的。
• You won't find this moral precept in the scriptures. 你在《圣经》中找不到这种道德规范。

9 fig   

n.无花果(树)

参考例句：

• The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。
• You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。