strong conviction of the truths contained in the Word of God, a the blessing promised to those who read and keep the sayings contains, have urged me to attempt, with what light I could co mand, and in despite of persecution in my own land, an expo tion of the divine mysteries which God in his mercy throu Jesus Christ has given to mankind. Many of the prophecies St. John have evidently been fulfilled; and as they were design for our instruction, must be within the grasp of the human und standing.

As my youth was spent under circumstances calculated to f ten upon me prejudices in favor of popery, my change and prese state of thought has not been the work of a moment. The refle tions in the following pages are the effects of a mind that has ov come an almost invincible ignorance of the truth, and a prejudi of long duration -a prejudice that grew up with my youth days, accompanied my more mature years, and had very nearly i terwoven itself around the future destinies of my soul. They a the effect of a mind that has taken impartiality for its guide, a looked upon truth as the sole object of its ambition -a mind th has ruminated day and night upon the subject, that has viewe both sides of the question, closely, attentively, and, I trust, reli iously. The conclusions to which I have come are founded on conscious rectitude. During those hours of darkness, when slee falleth upon man, and others were taking that repose to which th silence of the night or exhausted nature might invite them, thought of my present change, and often bedewed my pillo with tears till my eye-sight became dim. Before a change too place, this severe, continual stuggle afflicted me. My nights wer turned into day, because of my watching, and I could find no res until I obeyed the advice of the Psalmist, "To-day, if ye wi hear his voice, harden not your heart." When my mind turne on the serious question of religion, and I looked upon the boo of God as the sole standard of my faith, and began to view

through the medium of impartiality the important subject of my soul's salvation, my mind became more enlarged, and my thoughts expanded, till doubt fol owed doubt, and my prejudices all vanished before the sun-light of a more liberal knowledge-the elements of darkness became supereeded by the glorious principles of unerring light, while the effulgence of the religion of the Reformation, which I had so often heard misrepresented through life, pierced through the mystic veil in which my mind was enveloped, giving me soon to hear my Protestant brethren say, "He that persecuted us in times past, now proclaims the faith which once he destroyed." There was a time during the imperial and papal power, when the dungeon or scaffold would be the temporary but certain reward of these my humble efforts for vital, real religion to be restored. But, blessed be the Father of love, those times are past, and a purer religion, producing a more refined civilization, has counteracted the unwarrantable stretch of Roman church authority, and the intelligence of mankind points to a safer way in the glorious spirit of religious toleration.

With regard to the doctrines contained in the "REFLECTIONS:" I know it will be charged that I maintain the opinions of the Arians; but by those perhaps who know only the name of that party, and not its tenets. The doctrines of the Arians are not known. Their writings were destroyed by the apostates in after ages. That the Arian and Athanasian factions strove violently together in the church councils of the first ages, is well known. Under Constantine, the latter became predominant, banished the other, destroyed its records, and founded the infamous Athanasian creed. How far the Arians disagreed with their opponents in point of doctrine is more legitimately the province of conjecture than of demonstration, for nothing more than shadowy tradition can be appealed to in the matter. The assumption, therefore, that I support Arian opinions be that assumption, if true, of whatever value it may, is necessarily unfair. That I oppose and detest the Athanasian platform is true;

and so far as the Arians opposed it on similar grounds, so far I an Arian, and no farther.

The Athanasian creed was deeply corrupt. It was formed at time to which John points as a period during which the saluta waters, or truths of the gospel, were made bitter to mankind false teachers. A glance at the chain of events described by t prophet in this connection, will put this matter in a clearer lig Under the fourth sound, the third part of the sun, or gospel lig was smitten; the third part of the moon, or brotherly love, follow the same fate, and the third part of the stars, those once faithf luminaries of the church, lost their lustre. For this, the proph predicts three woes or calamities to afflict the Christian worl under the three succeeding sounds, by reason of its apostasy fro the truth. Under the fifth sound, the bottomless pit was open by Constantine: a smoke, or gross ignorance and error arose o of it, and the first woe commenced, urged on by the locusts, or t numerous false teachers of those days. Now grew the man of s to his full stature. Now he assumed a triple crown indicative supremacy in heaven, earth and hell, and marshalled to his aid h six hundred and sixty-six bishops, and two hundred millions the inferior orders. These are all considered by the prophet murderers, gross idolators and persecutors, who would not repe From this mass of evil sprang the Athanasian creed; can a bitt fountain cast forth sweet waters? I reject, therefore, that cree because I believe it impure, opposed to the spirit of the gospel, a contrary to reason. If by so doing, I am found in company wi the Arians, or opposed to any modern school, I cannot regret n position.

Let Arianism be what it may, by a careful perusal of John wonderful book we shall find that he charges the Western Athanasian church with heresy. He doomed it, as the eighth hea coming of the seventh or imperial head, to perdition. He co demned it as filling the earth with abominations, and he render

THIS extraordinary book of Revelation leads us to the kno edge of God, of Christ, and of ourselves. By it we may perce what true and revealed religion is. In part, the council and fo knowledge of God are revealed to man, through the mediation the Lord Jesus Christ. The saints of God are enabled to view things which have and must come to pass. By the providen care of God, this book has been on record nearly eighteen hund years, and will continue so for generations to come. It was w ten in such characters that neither its heathen nor its antichrist enemies could understand it, whereby it escaped their destruct hands. Many eminent men, of the latter ages, mistook its t meaning, by endeavoring to bend it as their various inclinatio and opinions led them. It was given by the eternal Author truth, and, therefore, an ardent and zealous enquirer after truth c acquire a knowledge of it.

The writer of the book of Revelation is the prophet John, w was, in a peculiar manner loved by the Savior, by whom he ceived his heavenly education. According to the Mediato promise, he came under the inspiration and guidance of God the day of Pentecost, in consequence of which, many migh works were done by him. The same guidance accompanied hi in the isle of Patmos, upwards of sixty years after, and enabl him there to write this amazing book. All accounts agree that I