vens and the earth in six days, but rested on the seventh; and He ordained the first seventh day, with all its succeeding ones, to be observed by all the inhabitants of the earth as the grand data of their existence, being commenced the day before the ordination of that day in the natural, moral and political image of God.

The Creator greatly demonstrated his benevolent purposes towards our race, when he commanded the solemn observance of every seventh day. The nations, who, out of regard to God's authority, have reverenced that day, have been more or less blessed of heaven on that account, above other nations who observe it not. But in the process of ages, God raised up from among the nations a people, viz. the Jews, to whom he chose to reveal many things, to whom was committed the oracles of God, the first Testament. Among the records of God's good pleasure committed to this people, are found their obligation to observ three distinct kinds of Sabbaths, beside the origina one. The first was a Sabbath of weeks, wherein they were to number seven Sabbaths, making forty-nine days; and the fiftieth they were to observe, by offering a new meat offering to the Lord in the most solemn manner. Levit. 23, 15, 16..

The second was a Sabbath of years, wherein they were commanded to number six years from their first possession of the country, and to keep the seventh for a Sabbath, in which they were forbidden to labour. Levit. 25, 4.

The third was a Sabbath of years also, though of much longer continuation, consisting of seven times

seven years, making forty-nine, and the fiftieth to be a Sabbath hallowed in a solemn manner-a Sabbath in which a general obliteration of all grievances took place. It was a jubilee, a year of restoration to all those that were in bonds, or involved in their estates. Levit. 25, 8.

Here, then, we find the appointment of three kinds of Sabbaths, for the use of the Jews, which are embodied in the law of Moses, and all that appertained to that law, its sacrifices and Sabbaths were, besides their intrinsic worth to the Jews, shadows also of some good things to come in future ages. For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, are not the very image of the things. Heb. 10, 1. Therefore the things they symbolize, are the very image or reality pointed at. From which it is extremely easy to percieve, that the law of sacrifices, with all its accompanying ceremonies, were but the shadows of the great sacrifice of Christ for the sins of the whole world; and that He, and the gospel which He preached, and its healing effects, were the good things which it shadowed forth. But what good things, distinctly considered, do those three kinds of Sabbaths shadow forth? for they must be considered as shadowing forth some good thing, as well as the law of sacrifices. We consider, that though there are three kinds of Sabbaths, yet they are one in their nature, and had their uses among the Jews, and were ordained wholly for times of offerings to God, and for feasts to his honour, and for rest to the land, and for times of release to the oppressed, and restoration of involved estates, and to keep in

remembrance the wonderful things God had done for them as a nation, lest they should forget his name, and say who is the Lord, and mingle with the surrounding heathen nations. We, therefore, conclude them as typically blended together, and pointing to one event only, which event is no where to be found in the Christian economy, except it be the expected Millennium. That great Sabbath of rest, the jubilee of heaven, wherein the earth shall rest from a weight of wicked-` ness, which has oppressed it six thousand years, when that time shall have arrived, but then shall rest a thousand years, which is one seventh part of the time, and in this respect most strikingly resembles all the former kinds of Sabbaths, which were its forerunners.

The resemblance that all these kinds of Sabbaths bear to each other in one respect, we will now endeavour to present to the reader, with the desire of impressing upon his mind, that they, on that one account, point to the Millennium, which particular is, that they are all governed by the number seven. The first Sabbath consisted of one perfect and whole day, which is the seventh part of seven days, or a week of days, but the seventh a Sabbath.

The second kind of Sabbath was observed at the end of seven weeks, or when they had numbered sever Sabbaths from the day when the sheaf for a wave of fering had been presented to the priest. From that day, therefore, they were to number seven weeks, making forty-nine days, but the fiftieth must be a holy day -this was a week of weeks.

The third kind consisted of seven years, and the se

venth year was a Sabbath-this is a week of years. The fourth kind consisted of seven times seven years, and the fiftieth a Sabbath-this was the great week of years, which embraced in it seven weeks of years, or seven Sabbaths of years.

The first Sabbath, or every seventh day, which was given to Adam, was a sanctification of one seventh part of the time, in reference to rest, and the worship of God. The three other kinds of Sabbaths which were given to the Jews, was a sanctification of certain periods of time, which, after a septennial manner, referred to rest for the land, to offerings to God, to release of the oppressed, and restoration of involved estates, every fiftieth year after seven Sabbaths of years were accomplished.

So also shall the Millennium, consisting of a thou sand years, be the sanctification of one seventh part of the age of the earth, in reference to the absence of all moral and natural evil, as those other kinds were for the purposes for which they were ordained. This view of the subject exceedingly exalts the propriety of the expectation of a thousand years' Sabbath, and will effect its design with equal certainty.

Now if these resemble each other in the manner of their constitutions, observing the order of sevens, will it not be in exact coincidence with these, if we say that seven thousand years is a week, but the seventh a Saba bath, which will be the great week of time.

I believe that each day in the first week of time stood each the representative of a thousand years; for it is R*

said of God, that with him a day is as a thousand years, or a thousand years a day. With this view, in reference to his saying a thousand years is as a day, I have concluded, that seven thousand years are but seven days, and that the seventh is the Sabbath, which is the Millennium.

From the beginning, and through all the sacred book, the number seven appears to be a perfect number, and is used to denote a perfection belonging to whatever it illustrates, or which it symbolizes.

In the beginning, seven days was a perfect week. God added seven days to his promised patience toward the old world. Clean beasts were taken into the ark by sevens. The years of plenty and famine in Egypt, and their emblems, were marked by sevens. The days of feasting, or feast of tabernacles, of unleavened bread, was observed by sevens. The number of beasts, in sundry of their oblations, were offered by sevens. The golden candlesticks had seven branches. Seven priests, with seven trumpets, went round the wall of Jericho seven days, and seven times, on the seventh day. Wisdom had her seven pillars.

In Revelations, there were seven churches, seven. candlesticks, seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven vials, seven plagues, and seven angels to pour them out on the seven headed

monster.

Seven often signifies many, as sevenfold, and is complete in whatever it refers to. And as the first week of time was not complete nor perfect, without its seventh day of rest, which was, and is now,emphatically the glory