ing will be continuous with the existence of the cause that produces it—and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his

name.

Now, let any unprejudiced man turn his eyes upon Europe, and look at the history of her nations for two centuries past, and he will not fail to see a living, practical commentary upon the announcement of this third angel, from the ninth to the eleventh verse, inclusive. Most strikingly will this appear in the history of Portugal and Spain, the two nations. that were conspicuous in executing the Pope's commands to extirpate the heretics, meaning the promoters and subjects of the Reformation. These two nations distinguished themselves for their zeal in carrying the terrors of the Inquisition wherever the Reformation extended its influence. They were then distinguished for wealth and great political consequence, now they are sunk deep in national poverty, torn and distracted by intestine commotions, with hardly enough government remaining to them to be ranked as kingdoms; groping in the darkness of their antiquated bigotry, without any of those great improvements which characterize the present enlightened day; holding the doubtful sceptre of their tottering authority with a palsied hand, and are strong in nothing but their bigoted adherence to the mark of the beast. Nor is Italy herself any better. Rome may be said to be a city of assassins, where murder is plotted through the day and executed in the darkness of night. The smoke of this torment may be seen ascending from other nations, from the same cause; France has exhibited clouds of it.

Upon the other hand, we shall see the nations where the Protestant religion has been embraced, and where the light and power of a gospel Christianity are enjoyed by the people, living in a state of increasing prosperity, enjoying the blessings of civil liberty, and constantly developing great moral and intellectual powers, producing the most wonderful improvements in the arts and sciences, all tending to bring

mankind into a state of brotherhood, and to establish peace and good will amongst men. As a general rule these are fruits found only amongst the nations where civil and religious liberty are enjoyed by the people.

Let us now return to the prophet. He says that these torments shall be suffered in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 10th verse.

The presence of Christ with his church on earth is one of the plainest truths in the Bible. He says: wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

The meaning of this difficult passage seems to be, that the nations and people, amongst whom is the true church of Christ, are designated here by the title of holy angels, they belong to God in a peculiar sense; different from that in which all men are his. They shall witness these judgments upon the upholders of a corrupt religion, while, at the same time, their own peace and security are unthreatened. They behold nations around them, torn and distracted by storms of anarchy and revolution, but they remain in peace and quietness : their safety arises from the presence of the Lamb who stands with them in Mount Zion-the true church of God.

The rich poetic strains of the ninety-first psalm give us a beautiful description of that watchful care which God's providence exercises over the nations that walk in his law and fear his name.

That part of the psalm which is applicable to the present subject is embraced in the seventh, eighth, and ninth verses: A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eye shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation, &c.

This general view of the subject is confirmed by the twelfth verse, in which it is said, here is the patience of the saints. Here is the end to which they looked-here is the day of

gospel light and liberty, which had its dawning in the Reformation, and was borne along by the faith and patience of the saints, until it now reflects its light, not only over Christendom, but upon heathen lands, making the solitary places to rejoice, and the desert to blossom as the rose. The latter clause of the verse shows that this represents an earthly scene: Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Language such as this can only apply to Christians dwelling upon the earth, and it holds up the purity and holiness of their lives, and the peace and security of their state, in contrast with those who are suffering the judgments of God's displeasure. The conclusion is, that all those scenes throughout this entire chapter refer to events which have their origin and consummation in this world.

13. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.

The doctrine contained in this verse is not announced by the angel; but it is the voice of the gospel: And I heard a voice from heaven, &c.

One of the grand peculiarities of the gospel is that it alone brings life and immortality to light. What was before dimly seen even by good men, and but partially understood, is by the gospel made as clear and distinct to the believer's mind as any other truth which it proclaims.

This chief light of the Christian's hope, together with almost all the other truths of divine revelation, were lost in the general darkness which involved the church for a thousand years. It was recovered by the Reformation, and is now proclaimed by the gospel church as a most comfortable and encouraging doctrine. The prophet is commanded to write it-that is, to place it permanently and conspicuously before the world as the great solace and comfort of the Christian in his trials and afflictions of this life; that whenever or however he may fall, he is blessed in his death, even more than

he could be in his life. Write it, proclaim it from henceforth, blessed are the dead who die in the Lord, that they may rest from their labors. They enter at once into rest-endless, glorious rest.

How needful it was that this doctrine should occupy a position in the foreground of the new gospel church, will be seen when we consider the absurd and monstrous assumption of the Church of Rome in presuming to control the future state of the dead. By the doctrine of purgatory, that church claims to exercise an agency over the souls of men after they have left this world.

To be consistent with a state of purgatory, the text should read: "Blessed are the dead when they have escaped from purgatory;" for surely they do not rest while they are in purgatory.

All idea of this intermediate state as a means of purification from sin of the departed, is exploded by the textBlessed are the dead which die in the Lord, for they rest. When they die they rest from their labors; they go at once to this glorious reward, not to purgatory.

To this monstrous device of the Romish Church is very nearly allied the saying in the service of another church, "he "descended into hell." This too strongly supports the Romish doctrine of the existence of a state of purgatory after death. This tries,

The Protestant Episcopal Church disclaims all idea of meaning that Christ actually descended into the place of torment. But would it not be much better to drop the objectionable phrase altogether; and if they mean to quote the Apostles' Creed, to say that which would convey the true meaning of the apostle, instead of what he never meant to say ? (1 Cor. xv.) Let us return to the text. And their works follow them. Not to a bar of final judgment, as some have supposed; but the influence and light of their godly lives while on earth still remain, and perpetuate their good deeds and holy example amongst men.

The life of a good man does not die with him; it lives in the memory and is cherished in the hearts of his Christian friends who remain on earth; and whilst the recollection of his godly conversation cheers and stimulates the weary pilgrim with fresh hopes and renewed purposes of holy effort, it often, like the writing upon the walls of Belshazzar, strikes the heart of the sinner with fear and trembling. When no outward voice will be listened to-when the minister warns in vain, and cries aloud to no purpose, from some silent tomb, where rests a departed saint, a voice comes up and smites the conscience of the ungodly with penitential sorrow.

Perhaps a pious mother, whose tears and entreaties were spent in vain upon her obdurate son, uttered, as the last expressions heard from her death-cold lips, "my son !" These words never left his ear, but kept his mother's holy life and pious counsel present to his mind, until he bowed himself to a voice from the grave which he would not listen to in life. Thus do their works follow them.

THE HARVEST AND THE VINTAGE.

The remaining portion of the chapter, from the fourteenth verse, is employed in referring to the two grand divisions of the Christian dispensation, and in showing the mode of the divine government in each of them.

Upon this point I wish to make myself distinctly understood, as the views and opinions which I have drawn from the Bible differ materially from the commonly-received explanations of these verses. I speak of the two great divisions of the Christian age, in the sense in which I think the Jewish prophets and Christ and his apostles spoke of them—the first, a day eminently distinguished for its grace and mercy; and the second, a day as eminently distinguished for the primitive dispensations of the divine providence—a day of judgment.

The former is the period when the mercy of God is employed in drawing and entreating men to repent and be saved;