very notable Old Testament prophecy, given almost in the same words by two of the prophets. Isa. ii. 2-5., Micah iv. 1-5. "It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains," &c. And can we doubt that the Apostles would have applied to it precisely the same principle of interpretation which they do to the very similar ones of Joel and Amos. Nay, were not the prophets Isaiah and Micah themselves specially directed to intimate the period of fulfilment of their prophecy, when they said, "for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem?" It may be very natural for a writer in the position of the Essayist, to which I have already referred, who designates himself "Vicar of Clarebro' and St. Saviours and Chaplain to Lord Fitzgerald and Vesey," unless he be a member of the Peace Society, to think that the "beating of swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks" must of necessity apply to a state of things widely different from the present. But why should any one who has been privileged to see anything of the "Kingdom and patience of the Lord Jesus Christ" even in its humblest form in the world, have any such difficulty? To whom do the words of the prophecy refer? To the nations of this world? No-but to "the nations of them who are saved"—to the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem," to which says the apostle we "are come" in the New

Testament Church. The prophets, in the above passages do not give a description of the world, but of the Church under the reign of the Prince of Peace, who said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in me ye shall have peace" But has that reign not begun? Assuredly it has. It begun at the dawning of that morn when the Lord of glory arose from the dead, saying, All hail! Peace be unto you." Having wrought all his people's works for them, he ordained their peace; and as evidence that peace was now restored between God and man, the use of the sword was for ever discharged in his kingdom. The subjects of the Prince of Peace, “learn war no more." Being justified by faith, they have peace with God and rejoice in hope of his glory. The first creation was soon marred, the entrance of sin having brought discord and war among the creatures. But for this purpose was the son of God manifested, to destroy these works of the devil. "How beautiful on the mountains were the feet of him who then came to publish peace, and to say unto Zion, THY GOD REIGNETH." did not cry nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets, and he left his people an example that they should walk in his steps, who when reviled, reviled not again. In his kingdom or reign he manifests himself as the God of peace; there the lion and the lamb feed together-the wildest passions profess subjection to him who could even say to the raging of the sea, Peace! and there was a great calm."

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THIS portion of scripture is a sort of stock in trade, for preachers of funeral sermons, "improvers " of deaths, &c. And it is taken for granted, as setting forth the happiness, and enjoyment, of the souls of departed saints, before the throne of God, and of the lamb. That this view of the passage is erroneous, can, I conceive, be clearly proved, by considering very briefly, the opening of the fifth and sixth seals. Rev. chap. vi.

When the fifth seal was opened the prophet saw the souls of the martyrs under the altar; and they cried "how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge, and avenge our blood, on them that dwell on the earth." And it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a season, until their fellow servants also, and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be completed. This, therefore, must embrace a period of time from the death of Stephen the first martyr, to the last of the children of God, who shall seal their testimony with their blood; and then, and not before, the cry of the martyrs will be answered, and their blood avenged. It appears, when the sixth seal was opened the day of vengeance had then arrived. The judgment day was come. The great day of the wrath of the Lamb; when all the enemies of God and of his Christ, shall be dashed in pieces like a potter's vessel. The awfully sublime and terrible imagery of this prophecy, can have its full accomplishment, only in the events of the great judgment day. comp. chap. xx. 11, and 2 Pet. iii. 10. Nothing else can be at all answerable to it. The luminaries of heaven suddenly disappear, like a scroll when it is rolled together; and every moun

tain and island are moved out of their places; all ranks and conditions of men are filled with terror and dismay; surely this must be descriptive of the final ruin of all the enemies of God, and of the Lamb.

Again, in the beginning of chap. vii. we have this fearful destruction, depicted by different imagery. Four angels are stationed on the four corners of the earth, (they are the ministers of God's vengeance) holding the four winds of the earth, that the winds should not injure the earth, nor the sea, nor any tree, (for they are destroying winds, Jer. li. 1.) until the servants of God were sealed; then the devastating winds will be loosed, and the ungodly shall be swept away with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power. The great day of his wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand? Those only shall be able to stand, who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They came out of this great tribulation, and ascribe their salvation, to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

The adherents of national establishments of christianity, indeed, see this prediction fulfilled by the downfall of heathenism, when Constantine became sole emperor, and christianity was taken under his imperial patronage. This accords with their views of the duty of the magistrate, and also of the best means of promoting the interests of the kingdom of Christ.; but it is passing strange, that any of the modern advocates of the spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom,-of its being manifestly not of this world, should adopt this view; knowing well, as they must know, that establishments of christianity,

have been, and are, most fruitful sources of its corruption. They are a device of the God of this world, who by means of the governments of this world, carries on his acts of hostility against the true church of Christ. From the first, the governments of this world have been hostile to the religion of Jesus, The kings of the earth, and the rulers, are against the Lord, and against his anointed. The Dragon, (the old serpent who is the devil and Satan) gave the beast his power, and his throne, and great authority, and through the beast, (the Roman government) he waged war with the saints, until Constantine took christianity into connection with the imperial throne. Then persecution ceased for a season,-then the head of the persecuting beast, was, as it were wounded to death, but soon the deadly wound was healed, and the warfare was carried on by the enemy, more covertly, yet far more successfully than before. Besides, it cannot be shewn from his tory, that the church of Christ derived any benefit from Constantine's protection. Multitudes, it is true, were gined over to the religion of the court, but it is also true, that the great bulk were christians in name, not in reality; and a state of things was brought about, out of which arose the great anti-christian tyrannical power, (prefigured by the two horned beast from the earth, Rev. xiii. 11.) under whose cruel sway, and during a long period of time, "the blood of prophets, and of saints was shed," (for "they loved not their lives unto the death.") Numerous were the martyrs under heathen Rome, but vastly more numerous, have been the martyrs under the so called christian Rome.

1 therefore conclude, that the contents of the sixth seal must refer to the judgment day, and if so, then the 144 thousand, together

with the innumerable multitude will represent the whole of the redeemed. And the passage, Rev. vii. 14-17. will be a description of the final and complete blessedness, of all the saints, after the resurrection from the dead.

It may be observed further that the intermediate, is an imperfect state, during which it would seem, departed saints are not fitted for the full enjoyment of heaven, where all is perfection. They must first, be the children of the resurrection, before they are equal unto the angels. Luke xx. 36. A great change has passed upon them at death, but they have to undergo another change; the state they are in is not to last for ever, the state of immortality-the eternal, unchangeable state, will take place after the resurrection; when they shall "awake unto everlasting life." Then (the bodies of the saints being fashioned like unto the glorious body of their Lord,) they shall be received into the heavenly mansions, which he (their Lord) is preparing for them. But we are so ready to fall in with the speculative notions of philosophers, concerning the soul, when it escapes from the "prison" of the body, and to receive without any proof all the fine things said of its wonderful capabilities, and intellectual powers, that the body becomes disregarded, and looked upon rather as an incumbrance we had much better be rid of. The apostle Paul however, had a very different view. His ardent desire was to "attain unto the resurrection of the dead," to be clothed with his house which is from heaven. He did not seek to be unclothed, "but clothed upon, that immortality might be swallowed up of life;" for "this mortal shall put on immortality." The house from heaven is in contrast to

by others, had these sanguinary laws any power, It is believed, therefore, that their principal support is religious opinion, or the supposed sanction of the Bible.

The passage of Scripture to which, on this occasion I purpose to refer is Gen. ix. 2. 6.

A reference to Gen. i. 29. will shew that after man passed from the hands of his Creator, he had given to him "every herb bearing seed, upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be FOR MEAT," Chap, ii. 16. 17. shews that to this law there was but one exception,-the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Moreover every beast of the earth, every fowl of the air, and every creeping thing upon the earth were, along with man, to enjoy the vegetable bounties of their Creator, spontaneously and without labour (Gen. i. 30.) This divine institution was like every other thing affected by man's rebellion against God. For God said (Chap. iii. 17, 19,) "In sorrow shalt thou eat the fruit of the earth, all the days of thy life: in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground," &c. Man's meat is thus shown to have been exclusively regetable, which he was, after his fall, to enjoy only as the result of severe bodily labour; whereas formerly it was supplied to him spontaneously. This constitution continued until the wickedness of man having become great before God, he brought the deluge on the world of the ungodly and swept them all away, leaving only Noah and his family.

Accordingly after the waters of the deluge had subsided, it became necessary to supply man with food; and now to the former constitution of things, which supplied man with

vegetable diet only, God adds the authority to slay and eat animal flesh. "Into your hands are delivered every beast of the earth, every fowl of the air, and all the fishes of the sea, and every moving thing that liveth, shall be meat for you; even as (before time I had given you,) the green herb, have I (now) given you all things." To this law there was one very marked exception, namely,-" But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. And surely your blood of your lives will I require at the hand of every beast; at the hand of every man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require Whoso sheddeth the life of man. man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man." Gen. ix. 2-6 In these words we have

I. The exception stated to the great law of God, which supplied man with food, both vegetable and animal, namely, thou shalt not eat, and therefore shalt not take the life of man. This exception is as imperative and as universal as the law which gives man meat, as the result of his labour,-to which law it is the only exception which God has made. It is, therefore, a positive prohibition, to take man's life from any cause whatever, even to supply the cravings of hunger.-the most ungovernable of all man's natural desires.

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II. The certainty that God will require. and will therefore punish the violation of this law. I will require it of every man, of every man's brother, yea at the hand of every beast that sheds the blood of man, even for meat, will I require the life of man." Who is it who has thus constituted himself "the avenger of blood? Not the puny arm of man, even when shielded with magisterial authority, but Jehovah himself, and none else; even him who

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