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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 A i,' THE PRESENT TRUTH. BY THE EEV. GEORGE PATTERSON. I •T" T '^mim ■Wtf" I % .ijRi'Pi'Mj 'jW, i|n_,. ,mt[^i^'!i' ' '<■•- -mit,j?ii^,^ _;«.„|J«!. .""P'," -» ipip^in^w^ l\) THE PRESENT TRUTH. «i 2_ -A. SE I?,3VEOiT, PREACHED AT THE OPEXING OF THE SYNOD OF THE PKESBYTElilAN CHURCH OF NOVA SCOTIA, JUNE ISth, 1858. PUBUISHEO BY REQUEST, JAMP:S BARNES, 179 IIOLLTS STREET. 1858. w^m^^ma^mmvmm ^ IT- W^^^^iP w^^mmm A SERMON. ■ The great truths of the gospel are unchanged anil unchangeable. This must be the case from the manner in which they have been made known to man. They are not the result of human speculation, and therefore can- not share the fate of such enquiries, where the conclusions of one age are jverthrown or are superseded by the more matured investigations of its successor. They are not the result of human discovery, and no subsequent progress of man can render them obsolete, or unfold any other or more ad- vanced system to take their place. On the contrary they come to us by tiie inspiration of the Most High, — and as no new revelation is promised, we are to expect during all this sublunary state of things no substitute for them. Hence in every age and under all circumstances the same doctrines are be proclaimed to men for their salvation and are blessed by God for tliat -nd. Christir lity as a system of religious instruction is adapted^© univer- al humanity. In its primal truths it reaches man in the lowest Barbarism .r the highest civilization. The profoundest philosopher and the most il- iterate peasant alike find rest and comfort in the Savicur which it pro- laims. A. ^ the lapse of time eff.^cts no change in its virtue. The same ruths which the Apostles proclaimed when the throne of the Ciesars sat irm upon the seven-hilled city, were those by the proclamation of which be Reformers of the 10th century awoke the world from the slumber of ges. By the preaching of the same truths the Missionary brings sav.ige nbes to the obedience of faith, and the ministry at home contends with the ■laterialistic spirit of the present age. And the same truths brought lome to the hearts of men by a new Baptism of the spirit will introduce he Millenial glory of the Church. Yet in another sense each age has its peculiar truths to maintain. The nemy does not assault the citadel at every point at the same time, nor at •le same point in every age. And hence the defenders are called upon ccording to the times in which they live, to defend particular portions of le edifice, and to exhibit more energetically those particular truths, which lay be the subject of special assault. In the application too of the great ri-'.SnloB nf nh'Js'J^-iJtv to the changing phases of human life, moral, so- I »7ffff 6 cinl, find reli^'iou3, they are ever appearing in new forms ami achieving •new results. Ik'sid's, too, the truth in its duvelopement h pron;ressive. "VVe do not mean by thi;*, that there auj many new truth;* beinjj; discovered, or that any of tlie old become obsohite. liiit tiie princii)les of God's wjrd are only slowly appreciated, and their full boarins only comprehended in t!ie lapse of af^es. And it lias commonly happened tiiat each period in the church's history has had some great truth to maintain. The storms of discussion are made the means of its clearer ehiciihu ion— circumstances in providence excite attention to it — experience teaches its value and importance, and the peculiar vigor of the assaults of the great adversary upon it ez\th-.\v it to t!ie liearts of tire faithful. Principles which may have for a time been dormant in the word of God, or only partially appreciated, become thus established as nart of the faith of the church, and are interwoven with its whole exjieri- ence and practice. Thus one age has had the Arian controversy, in which the doctrines of God's word regarding the i.erson of Christ have been so fully discussed, that, with tritling exceptions, they have since been the un- disturbed faith of the church, and another age seemed to have had as its peculiar vocation, the exhibition of the doctrines of sovereign grace in the procuring and bestowing salvation upon the children of men. ■\Vhile therefore we are to " contend earnestly for the faith oneedelivor- ed unto the saints" to preach the whole system of divine truth— to " ke»^p back nothing that is profitable," and "not to shun to declare tlie whole counsel of God," yet if we would not shew ourselves "unskilful in the word of righteousness" we mu>t observe what particular portions of the system of divine truth the times and situations in which we are placed re- quire us to hold forth most prominently. If we do not attend to this, though we may preach no positive error, yet our preaching may have the same" effect as if we did. To preach morality, when men are trusting to their own doings, would be equivalent to preaching justification by the works of the law. But to insist mainly on justification by faith, when nien are already running into Antinomian excesses, would have the same efiiect as preaching our release from the law as a rule of life. In both cases we would be pn^aching no error, but we would show that we had not learned '• rif//d/f' to divide the woi-d of truth." In the one case it would be our du- ty like Paul to preach tliai " we are justified by faith without the deeds of the luw," and in the other, like James, to proclaim, tliat "faith w'thout works is dead being ah.ne." The same niiglit be illustrated by other in- stances. If then we shoul.l show ourselves " ukmi of Issacliar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do," we mustlearii, what are the^errors aaainst which we are jjarticulMrly called to contend in the present day, and what are the truths u|.on whi. h we are particularly called to insist. Will my fathers and brethren in the ministry then sutler an imperfect atiempt to exldbit " the present truth." In attending to this suh)ect one general remark may be made in the out- set, viz. : that^a peculiar cllaracteri.•^tic of false teachers in the present day, is t'o assume the language and phrases of ortho.loxy. There is no honest assault upon the truth in our tmn-s. All the operations of the enemy are carried on by sapping and mining. So that it is now impossible to judge merely by the language employed whetlur a preacher or writer be ortho- dox or not. We wili'have occlusion to shew this more abundantly in the sequel. We only remark at present, that it shows the insidious nature of the opposition we are calleil to encounter, the dishonesfy of which well merila the denunciation of God's word. " Woe unto thera that call evil good and ^ood evil ; that put darkness for lij,'ht and light for darknesa ; that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." I. With this general preliminary observation, I would remark, in the first place, that we are especii.lly called in the present day to maintain the inspiration of the scriptuies and the authority of the whole loord of God. Formerly infidelity attempted to prove the Bible a forgery, and the claim of inspiration for its authors an imposition upon human credulity. Now it has entirely changed its tactics. It now professes not only to believe in in- spiration, but to maintain it in its fullest sense. But it is only such an inspi- ration for the writers of the books of scripture, as is possessed by men of genius in every age. According to the advocates of this system, Paul was inspired but so was Shakespeare— Isaiah was inspired and so was Milton — John the apostle of love was divinely inspired and so was Byron, the apostle of misanthropy. This view is openly advocated by the Westminster Review, a publication, conducted with eminent ability and entensively cir- culated among ourselves. It is the view of a large class of philosophical writers and of the distinguished Litterateurs of tlie day. It is a favourite idea of the Rationalists of Germany, and, worse than all this, it has lately been openly avowed by clergymen of the Church of England, as Maurice, Jowettand McNaught, if not also by some leading members of the Enghsh Dissenters.* This is not a difference about the theory of inspiration such a.3 there has been among the Orthodox. It is in reality a denial of inspiration alto- gether. It is degrading the apostles and prophets to the level of mere hu- man teachers, and making their works of no bin ling authority upon the consciences of men. All that we feel it necessary to do is to point out the dishonesty of this mode of speech. The advocates of this theory know that by the Bible being inspired we mean that it is a supernatural and infalli- ble expression of The will of God, while they mean in using the same lan- guage that its various portions are the natural efforts of the human mind. Surely the very statement of this view conveys its own refutation, _ The in- spiration for which they contend is no inspiration at all, and their whole theory is but an attempt to conciliate prejudice by admitting an inspiration in words, which they deny in reality. Far better was the downright ri- baldry of Paine himself, than this betrayal of the Son of Man with a kiss. In connexion with this, we may remark that the Old Testament has been made the special subject of assault, and we are particularly called upon to mainttnn the divine authority of the whole revelation of God. In former * That tvo raay not soem to misrepresent the views of such we will give the words of Mr McNaught himself. " Referring Milton's Paradise Lost or Bacon's Novum orgnnnn to the man who wrote each, wc describe each of these books as a book of genius; but the far truer and grander mode of speaking would be to refer thecreative power of thinking to him who alone made Milton or Bacon to differ from ordinary writers, and thus to call their books works of the spirit ot Ood written by divine inspiration. This seoms to be the Bible's oimi teaching, viz. : that every t .ng good in any book, person or thing, is inspired, and that the value of any inspired book must bo decided by the extent of its inspiration, and the importance of tho truth which it well or inspiredly teaches. Milton, and Sliakespeare, and Bacon, and Canticles, and the Apocalypse, and tho Sermon on the Mount, and tho eighth chapter of Romans are in our view inspired. 8 times the Old and New Testament have generally stood together. Rut in the present day we hear the loudest commendations of the New Testament, while the Old ia decried as useless or worse. It is not uncommon to hear the loudest praise of the doctrines of Jesus, with the fiercest denunciations of the Theology of Moses, and the morality of the one is represented as en- tirely at variance with that of the other book in spirit and letter. This error is far more extensive than the last, as it is held by many who hold most of the distinguishing doctrines of Cliristianity. In particular, the Christian public was not long since shocked by the open avowal on the part of Dr Wayland, a man whose writings on moral science had won him a high reputation, and whose efforts on behalf of the anti-slavery cause, had gained him the esteem of the friends of the oppressed, that he did not regard the Old Testament as any part of the standard of divine truth. Those who have come in contact with the Baptists in this Province must have observed a tendency to the same view, and will not be surprised at the open avowal of it by one of the most eminent men that that body has produced. The same view, however, is maintained by others. It has re- cently been elaborately defended by Professor Powell of Oxford in a work entitled " Christianity without Judaism," and it seems also to form part of the creed of Dr Davidson, late of the Lancashire Independent College. This is an old heresy, but it is not the less dangerous. It is impossible to pass from the Old Testament to the New without observing a close con- nexion between them. Not only do the writers of the New Testament manifest a familiarity with the Old — not only do they evince that their thoughts were cast in the same mould, but they constantly appeal to the Old Testament as of binding authority. The scriptures, the word, the word of God, are the expressions by which they designate the Old Testa- ment. So far from our Saviour and his apostles representing themselves as teaching a religion, different from, or opposed to, what had gone before, they everywhere represent them as identical, " Think not that I am come to destroy the law and the piophets ; I am not come to destroy but to ful- fil." " All things must be fulfilled which are written in the law, and in the prophe*=, and in the Psalms concerning me."* It is admitted that the Mosaic Dispensation was temporary, while the other is permanent — that the one w;as preparatory, and imperfect. But it is far from following, that the books of the Old Testament, that contain the record of taat dispensa- tion, are now without authority, and only of interest as so much ancient history. The New Testament, on the contrary, recognizes them as having a claim o respect and confidence from all believers. They are de- clared to be " given by inspiration of God, and able to make wise unto salvation." They are those which our Lord exhorts the Jews to search, and which this writer, one of the latest of the New Testament, pronounces " a sure word of prophecy" to which Christians woulu "do well to take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place" — that is a revelation of the will of God which they cannot safely or lawfully disregard. With this accords the experience of the church in all ages. The influence of Chris- tianity upon the world has been produced not through the New Testament alone, but by the Bible as a whole, and in proportion to the depth of its spirituality has the church clung to the whole Scriptures as the infallible standard of divine truth. 't' » Matt. T. 17. Luke xxW. 44. ^ ir. Rut secondly. I \\:niil\ hriofly remurk, thai we nre nt llie present nio- int'iit ciilluil u|)oii to inaiiitiiiii tlio doctriiiu of a Tiinity of persons in thu Godhead, and t-spccially of the Elcrnul Sonship of Christ. We do not say til at tluTo is any gen<;ral revival of IJnitarianisin tlirougliout the world. On the contrary wc think, that in the United States particularly, it ii dyinp;out. Some of its advocates are going forward to Deism, as in the ease of the celchrated i lieodore I'aiker, wliile .od, it is taught that he " became the Son of God when he was begotten in the womb of the Virgin Mary"' — that he is the Son of God because " God only was his father," and "the Sou of Man because he had JIary for his mother." Now it is admitted tliat some otherwi-e sound divines have denied the Kternal Sonship of Christ but ilieir viei- has generally been that he was called the Son of God. in con8e([iun<,'e of his otlicial character, and they have regarded the title as equivalent to the Messiah, IJut wc have nev- er heard anything so gross as that he was the Son of (iod by being begot- ten in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Such a view must ultimately lead >» the denial of his divinity altogether. Even as maintained by those Di- vines to whom we have referred, we regard the denial of the Eternal Son- ship of Christ as a dangerous doctrine, and contrary to scripture, which represents him as taking the title in u sense which implied equality with the Father — which represents him as Son entitled to the same honor, pos- sessing the same authority, and performing the same works as the Father * — which represents the Eternal logos or word as the only begotten of the Falherf — which contrasts his Sonship with his humanity — and which in the names of the Trinity reckons the Son as second in order with the Father.* But in the gross form in which it is exhibited by JVIorrlson it ifiust lead to a denial of *he divinity of Christ altogether. It maybe a niere pedantic attempt at displaying superior learning which prefers using a difficult word in place of a plain one, and a Latin word for an English one, that leads Morrison to speak of " three subsistents" in the Godhead, instead of three persons, but we confess that to us it sounds suspicious. Experience shows that such tampering with the received ph.rascology of the church is dangerous, and it will not surprise us if we should see his followers in their great zeal for freedom and their eagerness to castofT the trammels of creeds and confessions, abandon the doctrine of the Trinity altogether. Indeed within the last Aw months there has been published in this town a (tatechism, which contains in reality a denial of the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity. The following arc its statements. • John V. 17, ct seq. f John i. 14. i Matt, xxviii. I'J. John X. 30— 3a. 10 " What is the Lord as to his body cailcd ? *" 1 he Sun of God. AVhut is the divine life ailed to wliicli his body is united ? Jl is called tho Father. "VVhat name is given to the life, wisdom and power that proceeds from the Lord ? The Holy Spirit. Are the Father. Son, and Holy Spirit one God. They are one (Jod in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Here we have published in our midsi and by an individual belonging to a houy which ptyles itself" Evangelical Union," views wliich are entirely subversive of the orthodox doetrin« of the Trinity. And yet with that pe- culiar art, which Satan tnanifests in the present day of " transforming him- self into an angel of light," and of teaching the grossest errors under the language of orthodoxy, we have an attemj)! to maintain a. Trinity, a three one, but not three persons in one Godhead, as held by the universal church, but throe " subsistents" to use Morrison's phrase, in the one j)erson of desus Christ — the Father denoting, as it is said, (he divine life to which his body is united, the Son denoting his body, and .he Spirit denoting merely the influence that proceeds from him. Here is the " deceivable- ness of unrighteousness" so characteristic of all assaults upon the truth in the present day. IIL But in the third place T would remark that we are in the present day called on to maintain the doctrines of sovereign grace against some pe- culiar modes either of den ijing them or of neutralizing them. There have been times in the history of the church, when these were proclaimed in such a manner as to cause other important truths to be ne- glected, and thus to induce an Antinomian abuse of them. The doctrine of the free grace of God in the salvation of man has been so exclusively exhibited, that the necessity of practical godliness has been overlooked — man's inability for spiritual good, and his entire dependence on the spirit, have been insisted on in such a manner, that the e([ually true doctrines of man's free agency and human responsibility have been kept out of sight. or so feebly pressed, that sinners restcjd in carnal security — as if they were not only helpless but blameless — the sovereignty of God has been so ex- hibited as to conceal the freeness of the gospel oH'cr and the sinner's war- rant to accept the Saviour. But assuredly this is not t!ie characteristic of the i)resent day. The ma- terial progress which man is making — his uuvaiicement in the arts and sci* ences, and the improvements making in social lite, have induced a boastful- ness of spirit, which has been extended to moral and religious subjects. And hence in the present day those views which exalt man and tend to give him honor and credit in his own salvation are prominent and pul)lic, while Calvinism which lays man prostrate at the feet of his Creator is of- ten regarded as distanced by the progress of the age. It is not, however, so much against the open d.uiial of the doctrines of grace, that we have to contend, as the spirit so prevalent of keeping out of sight the sterner features of the system — to clip off what we regard as its rugged corners, and plane down its roughness, that it may pass smoothly through the world. There is a disposition prevalent in the church, to in- sist on what is general, and to eondno attention to the principles that ar'* considered commoa to all evangelical bodies. X 11 .A. But moro than tliis tlioro has been a strong dlspnjiition to modify tho .•sy- • tern — to seek some middh; i^ronnd — to explain its doctrine-: accordinpj to some prevailing theory of tlw human mind, and thu;^ to harmonize them witli Iniman philo.-ophy. Tiiese attempts have heen closely eoimectfd, and though their efforts have been widely spread, and though the forms of doctrine in which they have issued have heen multifarious, yet they are all more or less connected with the New School Theology of the United States. In some instances they have originated in an attempt to amend the nomenclature of Theology — to exchange what is considered the schol- astic form of a past age for a more scientitic terminology suited to the pre- sent day. In tliis way some gooil men have lent their names to specula- tions which have ended in the grossest forms of Pelagianisin. Tliis is the real character of what is tlnve called Finneyism, from the Ilev (■. (i. Fin- ney, and soraetiraes " Oberlin doctrines" from his having founded liis tlieo- logical school at Oberlin.* lie has been followed implicitly by Morrison in Scotland, with the exception that the latter has not decidedly adopted the views of the former r"gar(lh.ir pi'rfection, and hence in Scotland the system has usually borne tlie name of Morrisonianism. We are not, howevi'r, to regai''! the New School Presbyterians, or the ndvotates of what is called New Kngland Theology as opposed to Calvin- ism. This is supposed to be the case, but it is not correct. The adher- ents of the latter system speak of it as " Calvinism in an improved form." " It is," said one of its leading advocates, " not mere Calvinism, but it is consistent Calvinism. It is a revised and corrected edition of the Genevan creed."! They in general agree with Calvinists in holding the doctrine.s of the divine decrees, election, and the Perseverance of the Saints. But they differ from the " Old Calvinists" in denying the doctrine of human inability, making man's responsibility commensurate with his ability, also in denying the doctrine of the imputation either of Adam's sin or of Christ's righteousness, and of any covenant relations between Adam and his posterity, or Christ and his people, and of a definite eilicacious atone- ment. On these and kindred topics they have adopted certain speculati- ons founded principally on certain »)hilosophical theories of the huuiau mind, which have led to every variety of error. An extreme section represented by Finney in America and Morrison in Scotland have adopted a system of tlie grossnst Pelagianism, not only denying the doctrines of the divine decrees and Election, but also adopting the views advoc.ited by Pelagius in the lifth century r.'garuing man's mo- ral nature, regimeration and the work of the Spirit. From the peculiar and insidious form, in which their views on these last points are presented, we feel it due to notice tiiem inoie particularly. In reference to the natural state of man, they deny any corrupt nature descending from Adam to his posterity. They represent sin as consisting in acts of transgression, couunitti'd by those who have come to years to have :i kiv.vledge of the law, and holiness in acts of obedience. They row opposed to the Bible they are. In it we everywhere iind holi- ness ainrmed of the heart. We read of a brokei heart, a clean heart, an evil heart. It traces our evil actions to their seat in the heart. "Out of the heart proceed evil thouglits," &;c. It lells us that we are " conceived in sin and shapen in iniquity," certainly implying asitiful nature. It re- presents us as by nature "the children of wrath," and if we are subjects of wrath, by nature, surely we must be sinful by nature. It represents man as created originally " in the image of God," which is elsewhere defined as consisting in knowledge and holiness, but that after he became sinful, that his child was born in that image. It proclaims the great principle that " all that is born of the flesh is flesh," and utters the challenge, " who car. bring a clean thing out of an unclean." We might also remark that this system is as unphilosophical and opposed to common sense as it is unscriptural. Did we see a tree, which in every variety of circumstances always produced evil fruit or the reverse — that amid the heat of Tropics or the cold of an arctic region — that in whatever position, whether on the storm-beaten mountain or the shaded valley — that in every variety of soil — in the sandy desert or the well watered plain — that under every variety of cultivation, whether in the elegant parterre or exposed ni the open wilderness, always and everywhere produced a bitter fruit, would we not consider it an utter absurdity to say that only the fruit of the tree was evil, and that there was nothing in the tiature of the tree causing it to produce fruit of that kind. And this is the example which our Savlou"' adduces to illustrate that our sinful acts proceed from an evil na- ture. " A good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit ; neither doth a cor- rupt tree bring forth good fruit." \Vc might press the inquiry, how do men universally sin as soon as they become capable of moral action. To this we receive the old Pelagian ans- wer, that it is by the contagious exiunple of those around us. lUit how comes it that men universally set such a bad example — and how comes it that the child sins in spite of the best example. There is in fact the same evidence that we have an evil moral nature as there is that we are ration- al creatures. l«ut JMorrison, who in the lo>\est depths of American TIkoI- ogy seems always to find some lower depth, gives another explanation. lie represents tiie sinfulness of man as owing to a dispraved bodily consti- tution resulting from the fall. Tiiis mortality, Ik; says, (that is the univer- sal mortality in consequence of Adam's .sin) must be the result lA n p/iysi- fa/ depravation, or a corruption of" the flesh," and this corrupted "flesh" ia evidently one of the two great channels in which moral depravity runs 13 to ns from Ailam." "We must here note again tlie Satanic art, by which the liiiipunge of (hthodoxy is used to denote ideas the very op[)0-;ite. Mere is tallv of " corruption of the flesii" and a depraved constitution which, liow- ever, only denotes a diseased body, and even moral depravity Avhich, how- ever, is explained as denoting actual transgression. But taking the view as it stands, we thougiit that we had at length found sonietliing new in the way of heresy, but really it is so transcendantly ab- surd, tluit we scarcely know how to treat it otherwise than with ridicule. But the subject is too serious for ridicule. As the friends of truth, we are called to take a determined stand a^.unst such a system of low and de- basing materialism— a doctrineakin to the old Heathen doctrine of the ma- lignity of matter— a doctrine which destroys the very foundation of all mo- ral obligation, by referring man's conduct, not to a responsible will, but to his physical oiganizalion, at the same time that we cannot but feel pity for those who have allowed themselves to be misled by such blind guides, and with scarcely pity for those guides who aflbrd so impressive an exhibition of the apostle's language, " Professing themselves to be wise they became fools." '' But this view of depravity leads to a new theory in regard to regenera- tion. This is admitted by themselves. They acknowledge no radical change of nature. It is merely as Finney expresses it, " a change of the governing purpose of the soul," or as others define it, " of the balance of the susceptibilities," and hence the idea of instantaneous regeneration is scouted by some of them, and it is maintained that it is gradually etlected, and in the catechism already referred to, it is asserted tliat a man is born again by a life in accf)rdance with God's Word. In other words he per- forms the actions of life before he is born, and becomes born by continuing to do so. Surely absurdity like this needs no refutation. But how imper- fect the whole view of regeneration compared with the Scriplure account of the matter — as communicating new life to them that were dead — a be- ing born again — a taking the heart of stone out of our flesh and giving a new heart, iiaving a divine seed implanted in the heart, and being Created new, so that, " If any inan be in Christ he is a new creature. Old things are passed away and all things become new." But the point particularly requiring attention is the agency to which all this is attributed. It is boldly asserted by Finney tliat tliis a man can do himself. " As God requires men to make themselves anew heart, it is the strongest possible evidence that they are able to do it. If the sinner ever lias a new heart he must obey the command of tiie text, and make it him- self. Sinner, instead of waiting and praying for God to change your heart, you should at once summon up your powers, put forth the effort, and change the governing purposes of your mind. The siimer that minds the flesh can change his mind, and m-nd (Jlod." Thus "the Ethiopian can change his skin and the leopard his spots." Tliis is pTain enough, but such an entire denial of the work of the Spirit goes too phtinly in tlie face of t!:e Bible, to go down with any portion of tile christian public, and accordingly tliere must be some appearance of ac- knowledging the hand of God in the vork, but they reduce it all to the in- fluenci' of UKU'al suasion — such as one man exercises over another. " The powtM" wliicli CJod exerts in tlie conversion of a soul is moral power ; it is that kJ!!'.! of nnwer l.-y which a stater-man sways the mind of a senate ; or by which an advocate moves and bows the heart of a jury." And again he says, in spi-aking of this change, " It is perfectly proper to say that the Spi- 14 rit turned hira, just as you would t!ay of a man who Imd persnadcd another to chanj^e his mind on the suhject of politics that he had converted him and brought him over." According to this all that the Spirit docs is to present truth powert'uliy before the mind, like an advocate arguing a causa before a jury ; or as one man influences and persuades another in the com- mon utf'airs of life, though with greater skill tiian can be eniph)y. d by any liuman agent. Similar to this is the language of Morrison. In reply to the (piestlon, "What more does the Holy Spirit do, besides r(;cording the truth about the propitiation of Jo^us, in order to bring sinners to have i'aith in it ?" " Tiie Holy Spirit, by a holy and wise Providence, preserves the Bible, and spreads it abroad in tlie world ; and he raises up men of God, whom he qualifies to declare and explain tlie truths contained in it ; and by mul- titu(h^s of ways, many of which may not be known to us, he overrult;s, as far as he wisely can, the circumstances of all men's lots, so as to bring the truth home upon tlieir conscience, and so as to leave them without excuse,, if they continue without faith in it." Now this system entirely makes void the dispensation of the Spirit. ^ It indeed professes to hold it in name, speaking of the inlluence of the Spiiit in the word, but it denies all tliat is commonly understood by it. It re- cognizes no direct action of tlie Spirit upon the liaart of man. Indee.d, from its denial of a depraved nature, no such thing is needed. All that the Spirit does is to present the word to men, and by means in Providence render it more impressive. As Jenkyn illustrates the idea, at the revival of philosophy much was elFected by the works of Aristotle, and, as he was the author of these, their iniluence may be said to be the influeiioiof Aris- totle, so we may speak of the influence whicli the word produces iipt.n men as the iiiHuence of the Spirit, as he was the author of the \so\\{, and in Providence adopts means to imjiress it upon men. We need scarcely say how contra-y these are to the representations of the word of Cicd. Tliere, when a new heart is given to us it is because God has imt his Spirit within us. There, when the multitudes were converted on the day of Tentecost, it was not the force of Peter's arguments that efl'ected the change, but the Holy Ghost fell upon thein that heard. There, when Lydia attended to tlie things sfioken by Paul, it was because the Lord opened her heart. It indeed represents the word as the means, but in itself it has no power.— The gosjiel must come not in word only, but in demonstration ot the Spirit and in power. Kven when preached with the clearness of Paul and enforced with the elocpience of Apollos, all is vain. The jirophet may prophesy to the dry bones in the valley of vision but tiiere shall be no breath in them. — The saincj is evident from the descriptions given of the nature of the work as a rising trom the dead, &c., as well as from those passages which repre- sent the Spirit as dwelling in believers, and its consequent eileets as " the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Giiust given unto us." V. a we need not multi[)ly proofs. Sulhcient has been saii to show that we liave here under the most insidious form, in the words of orthodoxy, and under the guise of half-truths, a denial of the great doctrines of sove- reign grace in the salvation of the sinner. Will my fathers and brethren permit me to say that there is a loud call upon us to make ourselves tatni- liar not m<-rely with these errors as the" have been presented in former times, but in the specious disguises which they assume in the pre-^ent day, for we feel fully assured that the doctrines thus assail<.'d form an important part of'' the present truth." 15 IV. Rut fourthly, the present is an age in which the Roman CathoUe oon- tr(»versy is revived. " I saw three unclean •^-pirit:^ like frogs come out of the month of the dra- gon, and out of the mouth ot the beast, and out of the mouth of the False IVopIiet. For they are tlie spirits of I)(ivils working miracles, which go forth unto the Kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gatiier them 1<> tlie battle of that great day of ( iod Almighty."* The best expounders of {»rophecy refer tiii,- prediction to our own era, and when we look abroad upon the world we see every reason to believe the correctness of ihe appli- cation. Ev.^rywhere we see liome putting forth extraordinary eftbrts, and tiiat Ml her twofold form of the beast and the false prophet. Taking the beast to denote the I'ope as the heail of tlie ten kingdoms of Europe and of the Church of Rome as a politico-ecclesiastical system, we behold desperate ef- forts made to re-establish her influence over the fiovernments of the world. Concordats have been entered into not only with Austria, but with some ot the minor Powers of Europe t.y which in their civil administration, they are placed entirely at the disposal of the Churcli of Rome, and the power which she wielded in the dark ages is a^'ain in a large measure restored to her.— - Tiie same tiung has been eitlier attempted or actually accomplished in Mexi- co and South America. We do not say that in these countries the influenco of Popery over the mass of the population is increased. On the contrary, we believe that nothing is more certain than that it is dying out, and nowiiere more thorouprhly than in the very Roman States themselves. IJut such is the effort which, according to divine prediction, she is making to regain her lost ascendanc;, over the Governments of the earth. But she is liei-e represented as going fbrtii to the Kings of the whole world. In those countries of Europe whicii retain representative institutions, she is making a dcjsperate etlort, through the infiueni'e of her i)riests over the jieo- ple. to decide the elections and tlius control the Government. The ruler of France, whatever his own ineliuiitions, is at the mercy of the Jesuits. And what is more sad, Holland, once the home o, freedom, the refuge of the op- pressed, and great through hei- Protestantism and her liible, has so far yield- ed to intrigue, that from the 1st January, 1858, tlie P.ible and everything distinctive of her Protestantism has been banished from her schools. h\ England and the United States, and in almost every British Colony, the ef- forts of the Papacy are directed to securing political power and rendering the civil government subservient to the advancement of her influence. This she commonly manages by holding the balance of power between those par- ties which arc apt to arise in free states. In her missionary op(,'rations she ndies much upon the civil power, in some instances, as in Taiiiti. emiiloyliig the power of a Papal Goverinnent for the establishment of her influence, in others using intrigues with the native Governments for the same end. This is a very important phase of Popery in the present day. We have indeed some men among us, who proclaim themselves good Protestants, who think we should only oppose the errors in doctrine of Rome, and leave; her to rule our political and social afhiirs as she pleases. We beg huml)ly to tell such, that they are very imperfectly accjiainted with the system either as exhibited on the page of history or as delineated in the ]Vible. There it is exhibited as a beast — a tyrannical political power — having seven heads and ton horns. It is in this char.'icler that it makes war upon the saints. The (;}nircli of Rome is represented as an harlot, the emblem of a false Church, • Ue<'. xvi. 13, 11. 16 I « I'tit in her power and prcgross tlironjijli the world, slie i.« represented as ridhig upon the beast, or throujih her possession of politi(!al power. The Kings of the eartli are represented as giving tiieir power and strepgtii unto tiie beast, until the times be fultilled, and the, l)easl and tlie false propln't are alike to be d(;stroyed. '' They botli were cast alive into the lake that burns with lire and brimstone."* "VVe nnist also here notiee as a peeuliar featin'e of the Papal system in the J. resent day, the immense develojjment of ritrnmontanism. The whole power of tiie Church centres more than ever in Rome. The Churches of France, f Jermar.y and Spain were formerly national Churches, enjoying cer- tain rights and a certain measure of self-government. The (jallican liber- ties, as they were called, v.ere long zealously maintained by the Churcii of France, lint all thi-5 has passed away. Tlie influence of the various Churches and (heir liishops is every day becoming less, all power and nutho- rity centres in (he Chair of Peter, and the Komi>h rontHf is moi'e than ever a!)>olut(! master, or rather the Jesuits through him wield the entire influence of the Church. liut the passage already quoted indicates that there should bean extension of th(! teaching of the errors of I?ome. " The unclean spirits come out of th<' mouth n^ the False Prophet." And have we not abimdant indication^ oi" this, wherever we turn our eyes? The missions of the Propaganda extend throughout the w1k>1o world. Their agents cr.)-s the path of the Protestant missiouaiy wherever 1 e goes, be it to the inte.ior of China, or. as in the case ot otu- own missionaries, among the most savage tribes of the Paciiic. To use the language of another, . " They are to be found among the Islanders of the South Seas, and the Nomails of Tartary — traversing tht; vast forests of North America and the pampas of the Soutii — laboi'ing amid the pestilential jungles of Java and the breezy table lands of the Himalayas — the fever- stricken swamps of Senegal and the frost-bound .-bores of Labrador — the arid plains of Seniiaar and the teeming delta of the Niger. They are to be found wherever perils are to be encountered for the glory oi the Church, or souls to be gathered to her fold. Facing a fiery ))ers('cution in Con>a and Siam. lumted like wild beasts from the mountains of Thibet, and ex[)loring with im- flinching courage the solitudes through which flows the sounding Brahma- ])ootra, confronting starvation among the Alleghanies and shipwreck on the coast of ISladagascar, these men exhibit in their .■lingular career every variety of moving peril and romantic incident, and all united with a perseverance, that admits nothing to be impossible, and a devotedness that would ennoble any eause."t At home every county in Ireland and every populous town in England has its Papnl missionaries. In lfS29 \\\o Propaganda expended nothing on missions in England, but in one year lately they s[ient the sum of Ji.4(»,t)00. In our own I'rovince we cannot but have observed lately a great increase of activity in building chapel-, training priests, and other means for advancing the iYiterests of the Church. , And farther, the system of Tractarianism or I'useyisin. both in the United States and ICngland, has been the means of a vast increase of the teaching of Popish doctrines, and has led a larg(> nui'iber of the aristocracy and clergy of the Church of England into the bosom of the Romish Church. We do not say that with all this activity Popery is really making progress * llfiv. xiii. !-'>, xvii. 8, Ac. t United Presbyterian Mugiiaino, 17 in the world. On the contrary, we believe that she is daily losinj» gi-onnd. This is remarkably the case in Papal countries. The efforts of their mis- sionaries in Heathen countries effect little more than a nominal chanfro. — Amid the free institutions and general education of America, notwithstanding the vast tide of Roman Catholic immigration, the highest authorities admit that her losses are such, that she does not increase with the progress of i)0- pulation. And we believe that with all her activity in England, her progress such desperate efforts. And in these efforts no engine that will answer her purpose is left unem- ployed. There were three agencies, which may almost be said to have be^n brought into existence by the Reformation— the pulpit, the press, and the common school. When the Reformation commenced, there could scarcely be said to have been anything like public preaching. The printing press was only discovered about that time and remained unproductive, until the literary activity of the Reformation gave it employment. And to the same great re- volution we owe our common schools. John Knox was the founder of Scot- land's parish schools, and this was only a sample of what took place wherever the Reformation was successful. These agencies were long in the hands of Protestantism, while Rome endeavoured to maintain her cause by means of the Inquisition. But that instrument is unsuited to the age, and she has learned to use the machinery of the Reformation. The pulpit has been again re-occupicd. On the Continent, both in the large towns and country villa- ges, there has been a great revival of preaching since 1848. The Jesuits have not a few who cultivate pulpit oratory, and some of them with decided success. Popery is also working the press with no small vigor. It has produced several volumes with a considerable air of letters and philosophy for the bet- ter informed, but she has a popular literature filled with imposture and ab- surdities, letters written by Jesus Christ, discourses written by the Virgin Mary, and she has even adopted the Reformed plan of circulating it by col- porteurs. Another feature of her movements almost peculiar to the present day has been Journalism. In leading towns she maintains periodicals con- ducted with great ability ; and a singular peculiarity of the management of them, is that in many instances, these are independent of the Bishop of the Diocese, and directly in the interest of the Central power, and thus the Pope is enabled by them to exercise a control over his clergy. The school, too, Rome is everywhere turning to her purposes. The school she hates, and had she the power she would close every one, but not being able to do this she employs her skill in making them the instruments of ad- vancing her own ends. If she cannot prevent the peasantry of Frarce and Ireland from being taught to read, she labors to render their education abor- tive by binding their intelligence in the chains of superstition. In Roman Catholic countries she is getting the whole education under her own control. In free countries, where she cannot do this, her efforts are directed to obtain- ing schools of her own, supported from the public funds, or at least to thrust the Bible from those established by law. She has her Nunnery Schools for teaching female accomplishments, which serve as so many traps for romantic gu'ls. She has oven her Sabbath Schools wrought dili^ontW for the ^ame great end. We do not feel it necessary to advert at much length to the doctrines of I 18 the Chmvh of Rome, as these are substantially tl c same as i" ^^-^''T oH'^r ace. lJ.it there is one point particularly wortliy of attention. AH who havx' exa.niuo.l closely her present position ccmcar in the ^J^^' Jjl''^^''^;/:'; '^■!"'! ;'• be<:ominj,' more and n^ore a system of ISIanolatry. fhe \ u-m Maij i^, bc- conung llu. one great object of all her adorations, and she seems to have tilled up tlKMn..vsuie oi' her aiiostaey by proclaiming the immaculate eonc.pt.on of the moth.-r <.f our Lord. We have devoted our attention to the elhals xvhich she is making to extend her principles, to show that this is hkoly soon to l-e, if it is not already, the great controversy of the age. Preparation is nii.king in this mai....r tor a great, and we believe the final struggle, ui whuh gioat Babvloi. will be cast as a millstone into the depths of thesea.^ Ihey aietlie spirits of Devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the Kings ot the earth and the whole world to gather them to the battle of that great day ot God v!"lt will be seen that all these subjects of controversy are exactly the same as those which have agitated the Church in other ages, and though they may come before us in a different form they are the same in reality.- But we liave remarked at the outset that each age has commonly one distinc- tive subject of controversy-one doctrine which it is privileged to e.stabl.sh as a part of the practical faith of the Churcli, and it may be asked is there any such in our day. We think that there is, and with due submission we would sav. that the one great principle which it seems the mission of the ju-e- sent a-.rto establish is the spiritual character of Christ s himjdom, particu- larly as affecting its relation to the kingdoms of the earth and the world at '"our Lord tauglit that his " kingdom was not of this world." When his disciples misundc tood its nature, he instructed them by the dec aration, " The kiii-hn(n- called it, of an established Church. It has connected *■ Ilov. xvi. U. 19 civil immunities witli the observance of religious oidinfinces ; nnd, cspoeiully, it liiis substitutetl tor the simple spiritual means wliieli the Cliureirs King has a[)pointe(l the carnal weapons of the eivil power. Indeed, whatever be the particular regidations of an established Church, its very tbundation prin- eipl" is a dcpendanee on carnal weapons tor the promotion of the interests of the Ciiiireh. It has been and still is the work of the age to establish the important truth of till' spiritual character of the Church airl its independ-nce ot all woi'ldly powers. Tiiis v.as the great principle of the Voluntary controversy. This was tiie princii»le at the tbundation of the noble struggle of the Free Church, tiioiigh tliose most deeply interested in that struggle did not understand the fidl bearing ot' the great principle for which they were contending. They had to learn (but they are now learning) the truth that the Church has as mucli to fear from Ca-sar's gold as from Ca-sar's sword, and the great princi- ple tliOu God has given her all the resources requisite for the work which she has to accomplish in the world.* Secessions have also taken place in France, Switzerland and Holland. Indeed the peo[)le of almost every christian coun- try, at least of every one in which a civil establishment ot religion e\ : u'O more or less agitated on the subject. They may not be discussing tiie .• .ual question of the separation ot Church and Sta^e, but questions are constantly arising which involve that issue. Tins is the ease in Papal countries as well as Protestant. I'^ven in Rome, where there is any expression of public sen- timent, it is in favor of the separation of the Pope's temporal and spiritual power. The interpretation given by the best interpreters of the statement under the seventh vial, that " the cities of the nations fell," is that it denotes the downfall of eivil establishments of religion, and it reipiires no keen observer of llie signs of the times to i)erceivo, that these institutions are nodding to their fall. In Irclanil the Established Church is only upheld, in consequence of the fear, that if it were to come down, olhers would have to follow. In Scot- land, wcM'c the continuance of tbe Established Church de[)endant upon the will of the peojjle of that country, it would not stand a single day, while in England, though more slowly, the tendency is in the same direction. And on llie Continent the indication is that many of such institutions will be over- thrown by revolutionary violence. IJut another source in the present day from which we have to contend with opposition to the spiiiinal cliaracter ot Christ's .kingdom, is from the Millena- rian theories so [)revalent. This heresy seems to arise at every period of great excitement, and considering the agitated state of society in the ])resent day throughout tiie world, we are not surprised that it should have Inoken out wiili fVe,-h vigor. It is now maintained by a large number of the clergy both of Ibitain and America, and advocated by many of the most popular writers of tlie day. * The author regrets to hear thi\t those sentiments have been considered offensive to liis bretl.rcii ut'tt'! Free Chinoli. iS'othiug cculd be further from his intention than to utter any thiiii; of the kind, lie luis not felt it necessary to alter any thing that he has written. IIo may be, wrini; in his opinion, th.it the (ivineiple of the spiritual independence of the Church, for which the Free Churcli has been contending, must lead to the relinquishment of all de- peiidaiice upon the civil power tor support. He may be wrong in his belief that Free Church- men are changing their opinion regarding the efficaey (jf the Voluntary princi_ 'e, and the va- lue of State support to religion. Ilo believes that he can adduce high authority in the Free Church in support of his view. But whether right or wrong, ho cannot believe tliat intellinont and candid members of tl.at body will object to the free expression ot his sentiments on tliij subject, particularly w!ien in this very paragraph Le has shown every disposition to do justioa to the Free Church, iu what he had there called their " noble struggle." I 20 I We aro not poinp to .Vi.^rus.^ the Millcnariun theory in full, but wc wish to point attention to th.- tiu-t. that it obscures, if it .lo not entirely . estn.y, t he ' piritnal eharacter of C'lnist's kin.trn (and lionar .roes even so far as to maintain, that the whole sacrilicnil system o the Levitical law will be restored,) that .Terusalem will be rebuilt, enlarged and magnificently adorned, and that Christ will literally " fight with his ene- mies as he fought with them in the day of battle," and thus show himselt the greatest warrior of the age. r .i „ t^„.. It will be at once seen, that these are just the carnal notions of the .7ev\> rerrardin^T Christ's kin-dom. All the difference is as to the time of its mani- fe"tationr Millenarians admit this and say that the Jews were on y mistaken in confounding, what was to take place at his second advent, with what was to take place at his first. The apostles were imbued with this notion even after our Lord's resurrection, and until the day of Pentecost, when they were endued with power from on high. That day eradicated all such notions from their minds, and Peter's first discourse is directed to show tjiat^ Jesus was then exalted to the throne of David and made - Lord and Christ, or m other words, ^lessiah on his throne, (Acts ii. 29-86). It is certainly amazing that ehri^tians in the light of the 19th century should return to the old notions of the Jews. There must be something gratifying to creatures of sense in this anti-spiritual system, that christians of high attainments and smcere piety should be led to adopt it. The whole history of the system in the past-the absurdities connected with it in the first thn^e centuru^-thc ^vK•kedness^ ot the Anabaptists of ISIunstei— the tragical end of the -Celestial Keiuibbe of John of Leyden-the extravagances of the " Fifth Monarchy men in he days of Cromwell, should be a warning to those who, though they may dis- elaim all such results, yet embrace a system which has so cc ^monly in the past led to such ruinous consequences. . . /^, , i • In connexion with the spiritual character of the christian Church, as exlu- bited in the movements and discussions of the present age, may be mention- ed its diffusive or aggressive character. The present is the great niissionary a-e. Its symbol is in the words of the seer, '• I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to evtny nation and tongue and jieople. * Uicre have Ijeen other ages in which there have been missionary operations, but none in which they have been carried on so extensively and so systematically, ihe pre- sent is the age in which the missionary enterprise is first regarded as belong- hwes.mdialhj to the character of the Church~^y\m^ it nas been shown to be lier chief duty, and a principal end for which she has been instituted, to evancrelize the nations. So that now any Church, that is not engaged m one way or another in extending the gospel, is regarded as neglecting an impor- tiint part of her obligations. In connexion: with these discussions, and parti- cularly with the discussion of the Voluntary principle, the duty ot contributing to the support and extension of ordinances, has received greater prominence than before, so that the present day is characterized by a liberality tor reli- » Rev. xiv. e.'' it gioiir* objects, 8uch as lias never been exhibited in any former age. It wns only at the clo.se of the hist century that tlie great r.odern niissionary move- nu'iit may be t^aid to have conuneneed, and yet noY tiiere is seareelv ji |)or- tion of the worhl that has not been refreslied with its influences. The mis- sionaries of the Cross are to be found among tlie ishinds that gem the Soutii- ern Pacific, in the sultry air of llindostan and the cinnamon groves of Cey- lon, amid the ruins of Athens and the desolations of Jerusalem, in the scorch- ed i)lain3 of Africa and the everlasting snows of Greenland, in the praiiies of America and amid the streets and lanes of the crowded city, and everywheie the gospel is found the power of God unto salvation, until we begin to anti- cipate tlu era When Christ shall have domiaion O'er river, sea and shore. Far as the eagle's pinion Or dove's light wing can soar- But ti.e progress of the Church is still onward. Its goal in this age is its starting point in the next. Its present attainments form but the stage from which it takes a higher ascent. " Forgetting ibose things that are behind she reaches forth unto those things that are before." What then is to be her next step. It is always hazardous to attempt to predict the future, yet from the examination of causes now in oi)eration we may be able to form some ge-^ neral idea of what may be the distinguishing feature of the next age, and we would express our belief, judging from the preparatory work going on, that the visible union of Christ's followers will be a distinguishing feature of the coming era. For this we see in the present day abundance of preparation — 'We see the subject discussed by the press and from the pulpit — we see the co-operation of christians of various denominations in great schemes of bene- volence — we see the formation of the Evangelical Alliance and other intsi- tutions, especially with the view of giving practical exhibition of the real union between them — we have seen the actual incorporation of bodies nearly allied, and attempts to form other unions of the same kind — we see a tenden- cy to cherish brotherly feeling among those, whose differences are such as to prevent incorporation, and in this way misunderstandings are removed, and evangelical christians find that in heart they agree more nearly than they had supposed ; and above all the strength and imposing attitude of the com- mon foes, gathering their strength and combining iheir efforts, have shown the necessity of greater combination among the friends of Protestant truth. All this however is only preparation. "The ideas men form on the subject are generally crude, and some of the theories adopted involve the most un- scriptural latitudinarianism. And it would appear as if God were saying to this generation, as he said to David, Ye shall not build the goodly temple of concord, for ye have been men of war, but thy sons that shall come after thee shall build the temple. These movements however, like the contributions of David, serve to prepare the way for that era, when Zion's " watchmen shall see eye to eye and the Lord bring again Zion," and our Saviour's praver be answered, that his disciples " may be all one, as thou Father art in me and 1 in thee, that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." More combination will be needed for that fearful conflict that is evidently approaching. Every student of prophecy — and every observer of the signs of the times, whatever be the point of view from which he looks upon the fu- ture, is anticipating a struggle political and religions. Whether it will be the final struggle, preparatory to the ushering in of the Millennial glory of the Church, we would not positively decide ; but in our view, circumstances in 22 Providence, nn well ny God's word, indirnte 'Imt it will lip. There otdy rc- inniii to he fulHlh-d the fiill of Home and the Noilhern Iliiilslorm. The Pu- pal Kin^ is now totteriiij: upon hrs throne, ilis ln'ud hanjrs from side to side and he iiiiist he i)ropp(d up with jtillows to retain the see[»tre in his gniHp, while the unclean spirits like frogs are fifatherinf^ the Kinj^s of the carlh to hattle to that <;rpat day ot CJod Almij^hty, and "he j;athered them tofri'ther in a place which is called in the Ilehrew tongue Armageddon." — And the Hailstorm seems ready to burst upon the devoted nations. The great contest between despotism and democracy, between superstition and in- tidelitv, is near at hand. Already we see the impending hosts mustering to the battle — " Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision." AVc may al- most hear the summons of the Almighty " to the feathered fowl and to the bea-'t of the ''eld to assemble that they may eat the Hesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth." A time of universal retribution seem- ajiproacdiing, when the wine cup of God's fnry shall pass fnmi king- dom to kingdom and from nation to nation, and already " men's hearts are failing th'^m for fear and for looking after those things which arc coming upon the earth." Ihit if there is reason for gloom, there is also reason for hope. Even should the skies grow darker around us, the christian has no reason to b(! dis- heartened. Among the shaking of the nations, the things that cannot he shaken will remain, and he is the subject of a kingdom that cannot be moved. Though the storm gathers round the vessel, and the r'i\ and the waves roar, yet in the fourth watch of the night, wlu . the darkness is deepest and the billows are highest, the great Lord will appear walking upon the waves, and received with joy by his disciples, the wind will cease and there shall be a great calm. Six thousand years of sorrow have well nigh Fulfilled their tardy and disastrous course Over a sinful world, and what remains (Jf this tempcstous state of things ' Is merely as the working of the sea Before a calm that rocks itself to rest. What, then, though the years coming should travail in the pangs of a new birth and " have sorrow because her hour is come," in a little she will no more remember her sorrow, for joy that a new age is born unto the world. " Zicn shall be redeemed with judgment and her converts with righteous- ness." These judgments are simultaneous with the dawning of the INIillen- nial glory of the Church. No sooner did tJie seer hear the voice of much people in heaven, saying " Allelui<\, salvution, glory and honor and power unto the Lord our God, for true and rig!j*''('u-: are thy ju '.'/r .^.'nts, for he hath judged the great whore, which did ournipt lae earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand," than he he^irs also as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, " Alleluia, for tl.o Lord God omnipotent reigneth." Happy they who are watching for the dawning of that day, and whose hearts are prepared by the Spirit of God for its blissful changes. I