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which is in heaven and earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, join in the universal chorus, saying, Blessing and honour and glory and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and for

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CHAPTER V.

now.

WE shall now point out for our readers' consideration the remarkable observations contained in the chapter from whence a passage previously inserted was extracted—namely, that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until It commences, as did our premised remark on the subject we are discussing, by St. Paul's declaring, that he reckons not the sufferings of this present time as worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us; and the doctrine he inculcates throughout all his addresses to the Christian converts is, that although chastisement is not at present joyous, but grievous, yet that it ultimately proves productive of the greatest blessings. And as all sufferings, when endured with patient resignation to the will of God, we are assured, do work out good for us; we have already quoted an inference involving a suspicion, that the benignant Father of the whole creation, whose tender mercies are declared to extend over all his works, would not allow the barbarous sufferings so undeservedly inflicted on

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the brute creation by their cruel master, man, to prove utterly unavailing to unoffending animals, but that they would be ultimately rendered contributary towards their future welfare in some more advanced state of intellect than that with which they are in their present state endued: for the earnest expectation of the creature, the apostle proceeds to inform us, waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. Dr. Doddridge on this passage gives us the following comment: These, my dear brethren, are the views with which I would animate your minds, and surely no object can give them more noble or more delightful employment: for methinks, when I look round on the blasted and wretched state of this world of ours, it seems that all nature does, as it were, call aloud in pathetic language for that blessed change which the gospel was intended to introduce. The earnest expectation of the whole creation.—(Here comes a note as follows.) This and the following verses have been generally, and not without reason, accounted as difficult as any part of this epistle. The difficulty has perhaps been something encreased by rendering KrOIS Κτισις creation, in one clause, and creature in another.* To explain it as chiefly referring to the brutal or inanimate creation is insufferable, since the day of the redemption of our bodies will be attended with the conflagration which will put an

* It is, we think, of no great importance to the sense; for the whole of the creation, or the whole of the creatures included in the creation, are synonymous.

end to them."* Now, should instinct have been ordained to advance to reason, and in some new envelope and secondary state of existence, have passed, previous to the destruction of our little world, probationary states with safety and with honour, creatures thus constituted and prepared for the enjoyment of promised happiness would as earnestly expect and wait for the manifestation of the sons of God, as will the victorious portion of the human race; which consideration, should it be correct, would effectually remove the difficulty complained of by Dr. Doddridge, and, as he observes, by other commentators: for so far from its being insufferable to explain the meaning of St. Paul as chiefly referring to the brute creation, it would appear not very improbable that he did really and actually mean to include the creatures of the animal creation with the creatures of the human one, in the foregoing assertion; and that this is the natural and straightforward interpretation of this, as Dr. Doddridge denominates it, very difficult passage, is pretty clearly evinced by his being at the pains of endeavouring to explain away what he in effect acknowledges to be its palpable meaning. It is insufferable, he tells us, to explain what St. Paul advances as chiefly referring to the brutal part of the creation. And on what account is it in his opinion so very insufferable? Why, because, he further adds, that the day of the redemption of our bodies will be attended with the conflagration which will put an end to theirs: a conclusion we do not perceive

* Doddridge's Exposition, vol. iv. p. 100.

altogether warranted by scriptural assertions. That the brutal nature of those myriads of animals who have inhabited our world since the original formation, and been destroyed by death, have perished long antecedent to the decisive day, does not admit of doubt; and that the bodies of those animals who will be alive on earth upon Christ's second coming will be consigned unto the general conflagration, is likewise most probable, but not until the vital spark of their instinctive spirits has been dislodged from out their carnal coil, and rendered inanimate and incapable of sufferance: for it would indeed be quite insufferable to suppose, without the previous passing of this act of grace, that the great day of universal jubilee would commit unto the devouring element, doomed to consume the inanimate creation, the millions of innocent and unoffending creatures who may be alive on earth at that triumphant juncture. That the inanimate creation will be then destroyed appears distinctly ascertained by many prophecies. "It shall come to pass in that day, that the remnant of Israel, and such as are escaped of the house of Jacob, shall no more again stay upon him that smote them; but shall stay upon the Lord, the holy One of Israel, in truth. The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God." (Isa. x. 20, 21.) Events to be fulfilled either before or at the great final day. And on this awful day, it is previously foretold in the preceding verses, that the Lord of hosts will underneath his glory kindle a burning fire; and the

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