Lord saith by Peter, by their conversion they may strengthen their brethren. If we have grace to guide us, and true sincerity to accompany us, all things (even mistakes) will be made profitable.

The enemy has certainly been permitted to make great ravages in the cause; and that, too, I presume, to give the most perfect conviction to all who are not wilfully blind, that it is the cause of the Lord. Where were believers to be found when the apostles ran away from the Lord?-when Judas betrayed him, and the rest deserted him?-all that had ever believed were ashamed of it, and sorry for it then; but when rallied together again, at the feast of Penticost, how different was the feeling! Then they cried out "the wonderful works of God." Even so will it be again.-Yet then, there were a few whose steady minds made them retain their attachment. They had received real conviction, and although not called to fill any peculiar office, yet in defiance of popular opinion dared openly to show their respect, as Joseph of Arimathea, an honourable counsellor. Nor is the cause now without persons of the same firmness; persons of respectability, who have neither been ashamed, or afraid to avow their faith in it, in the circle of their acquaintance; although popular prejudice is as much against it now as it was against the great Author of it, eighteen hundred years ago. For it has been not only subjected to the ridicule of triflers, and to the argument of professors, but rendered truly ridiculous by its instruments, and some of its supporters. Yet these persons of discernment see,―nay, feel that it is the oppressed cause of universal good; and desire to put a hand towards giving it publicity, and have, therefore, contributed liberally towards sending some account of it into the

world. One of them, remote and secluded from its advocates, and therefore, has not his faith from the reasoning of creatures, but I presume from the study of Scripture, and light of the Spirit. One, who has liberally contributed to adding to the respectability of the plan, and now, in the most handsome way, given a sum to let information of it go to the world. He is one of those who disclaims all merit and praise for what he does; and, therefore, I am not at liberty to thank him by name: but, ere long, it will be an honour to be ranked among the believers in the Revelation now given to announce the Second Advent of the Lord. Then shall the name of himself, and all that have supported it, be published to the world. Then they will have praise from those who would now censure. When Satan's arts are explored, and mortals are taken from dependence on man's wisdom; when the tongue of selfishness, of vanity, and ambition, is put to silence; when real believers see the necessity of trusting to the spirit alone, to give them a knowledge of all truth, and by its influence can gather an understanding of God's will from his word without the aid of any part of that Babylonish jargon, which now divides the Christian world. This aid has not come from the inconsiderate, who are careless in parting with their money; but from sober sedate persons, who have families and dependents; who, seeing the difficulty of obtaining readers, or inquirers, to enable an individual to give the intelligence by the sale of the book, have deemed it advisable thus to support it, convinced the popular cry raised against the cause of the Lord cannot exist for ever, any more than it did 1800 years ago against the Lord of the cause. What is, therefore, given here, is only a sort

effect and understudy of it, by a

of preliminary matter, to show the standing that are gathered from the few that have simplicity to believe. In our next address, we shall endeavour to lay before the reader, in the most clear and circumstantial way, the rise and the progress of it: omitting nothing that can enable every one to compare it with the scriptures, and qualifying all to form a judgement for themselves.

Every age has boasted its light and knowledge, supposing they have attained the summit of it. And nothing is more common in the present day: all are now disposed to say we have the light of the gospel. There is, therefore, no reason to expect any more information from heaven than what is given; for the period of miracles is ended. One clerical character asked me, if I thought Christ left his work unfinished? Such pithy questions, as they are supposed, may be put with a great air of consequence, and those who put them imagine they must be very embarrassing to answer. Yet, if these enlightened believers had lived when the Lord was on earth, they would have heard them and many others more pertinent, concerning the law of Moses, and the manner in which the Messiah should come. Nay, you would have heard them brought against the prophets before the Lord's time.God has never sent any messages into the world that have not been rejected on this ground. But is the world more moral, more virtuous, more religious, than it ever was? You will say the law was a covenant of works: now man's to have salvation by faith. We agree to it; but who is to define what faith is? Are not all the pretendedly-enlightened always maintaining contentions about it? How is the great mass of the people to know, when those who pretend to lead

the people have been contending for centuries about it? Are those who, by these contentions, are made to discredit the scriptures to have no attention? Or, who is to decide for them what choice they shall make of profession? Some say, the grave will destroy all contentions. But will the grave change mortals? Will the grave purify? Contention will end before they come there, for the plainest of all reasons, that is, at death the creature loses the power of it. But, what numberless proofs have we had of their retaining the will of it, with their last breath? How often have we been told of expressions of firmness in the faith they held when living; their certainty of eternal happiness, from the tenets held by the body of worshippers to which they belonged? Therefore, the contentions they hold in the world they carry out of the world with them; and are we to suppose, that they carry these contentions to heaven, and settle the difference there?—No, my friends; die whenever you may, you must, in some way, or in some place, live again till differences are no more known among you. And it is, I presume, on this ground, the Lord saith; "He that believeth in me, though he were dead,

yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth, and be"lieveth in me, shall never die." Numbers firmly believe in Christ, and trust to him for salvation.-But the idea furnished by the wisdom of men, of going to heaven at death, destroys all expectation of his coming again. Therefore, they must live again, to have a belief in his second coming, that they may never die. Death is the last enemy that must be conquered. Here this grim king of terrors began his reign; here he must be conquered-that man may do the will of God on the earth, as it is done in hea

ven. If any are disposed to believe, that, after this, man is to ascend to some higher regions of bliss than what the earth can afford, I shall raise no opposing argument. I enter into no speculations of my own on things so remote; it is for me to seek an interest,— "In the first resurrection, on such the second, death can "have no power." Rev.

The careless conclusion among believers runs thus. I know that I am a sinner; but thanks be to God, Christ died for sin,-this is good; but, remember, Christ lived to be your pattern; and believing that you must live till you are made like him is better. By this, you make the attributes of God harmonize. Justice is satisfied by the death of sinners :-mercy is triumphant in bringing them into existence again, till they are made like Christ, never to die.-Christ only died because he took our sins on him; and then, as before observed, "went into a far country," till we by the spirit are made like him, and then never can we die. "If a man keep my sayings, he shall never see death," John, viii. 51. When made like him, we shall be able to keep his sayings; and then, shout, "O death, where now is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" One gentleman, that is an occasional preacher, has been frequently in the habit of meeting me, and generally has a desire of hearing a word or two; he mostly concludes "well, I only desire to know Christ, and "him crucified,”—and I, as generally answer, "I desire "to know Christ, and him glorified.”—And one of the most able ministers the church could boast, with whom I had as close an intimacy as could exist between brothers, now twenty years in the grave, said, that an idea of such a happiness upon earth only arose in the minds of those, whose grovelling souls could not as