tality are brought to open light by the glorious gospel. No shadows, clouds, or darkness rest upon a Christian's views: his hopes are clear, his prospects gilded by a bright horizon. Mosaic shadows have been all dispersed; the holy place on earth served but to prefigure the holy place in heaven. Philosophy no longer need to wander in sad, forlorn uncertainty. The veil is lifted up; a door is opened into this celestial sanctuary. Here it will obtain full confirmation of that most consoling truth, the soul's distinct existence; contemplate unconfined those pure etherial realms, ordained for the blest intermediate state of every virtuous spirit, conquering probationary, who has warred triumphant in these lower heavens. Behold them purifying, like unto silver seven times tried; for in this refined and refining region, the great Refiner dwells: our characters will here become transparent as our essence!

With what delight will the chafed fluttering soul, harassed by its last contest with its deadly foes, break from its mortal foil-resign to the kind care of guardian angels, kindred spirits, be quickened, conveyed far from the noxious power of that malicious prince, who infects the air we here inhale with his pestiferous vapours-skim free and fresh the serene atmosphere, whose gentle breezes waft it swift onward, in its aerial flight to that blest resting-place, where wearied souls find rest; and consummation of the comforting assurance, "This day shalt thou be with me in Pa

* The prince of the power of the air-he who has the power of death-that is, the devil.

radise"-awaits their joyful entrance. In this celestial garden of ambrosial sweets and innocent felicity, our happy shades will soon perceive, that better it is by far, to be absented from their old companion, and ever present with their muchloved Lord. (Phil. i. 23.) Placed in the immediate influence of his attractive grace, the willing spirit, freed from its conflicts with the unwilling flesh, progresses rapidly towards its high mark, perfection; points ever true, as the magnetic needle to the northern Pole, to its grand polar star the quickening Spirit, whose obedience has regained the Paradise which disobedience lost. The blessed balsamics administered by this spiritual Prescriber, pour an emollient of unfailing virtue into the wounded spirit-healing the griefs its former frail envelope was unable to sustain!

The exquisite sensibility of the immortal soul moving in its own sphere, will add to, not diminish from, its ineffable repose. An heavenly sympathy pervades the feelings of congenial spirits:

66

Thought meeteth thought,

And will preventeth will: for nought but love

Can answer love, and render bliss secure."*

No kind emotion will ever be repressed by an unkind return. The straight and narrow pass once safely cleared on earth, intricate mazes will perplex our joyful path no more. No cherubim are stationed to guard and keep the way; the flaming sword, here sheathed in endless peace, inverts its pristine use-waved by a smiling cherub's kind,

* Thomson.

benignant hand, it turneth every way, to guide and lead to the life-giving tree. Watered by the clear, crystal streams which flow from heavenly mounts, midst the bright verdure, glowing flowers, and rich perfumes of paradisaic meads and paradisaic groves, pre-eminent it stands, yielding free participation of its vital fruitage.

Beneath these sacred arborets the eternal Spirit need not to seek for spiritual worshippers; all as one spirit will unite to worship Him in spirit and in truth. Melodious warblings, etherial music, and Æolian lyres, echo from hill to hill, strains pure as He whose praise they ceaseless hymn; and every zephyr whispers the still small soothing voice of an approving God! Sins, sorrows, doubts, cares, fears, are given to the wind-the dragon of the wilderness has snuffed them up,' and cast them in the air. The fair Aurora of our separate state presents a cloudless prospect

"Faith lost in certainty, and hope in joy!

Whilst the surviving grace blest charity-"+

that tender plant, whose drooping head was scarce upstayed on earth, transplanted in its native soil, now vegetates apace, puts forth immortal shoots, and climbs up to superior scenes of bliss! But imagination fails; we cannot dwell on pleasures inconceivable, or treat on paper of unutterable words. Yet there remains one blessed attested truth we may aloud proclaim-for a celestial voice has reached these lower heavens, issuing + Singing Psalms.

* Jeremiah.

this glorious mandate from out the high emporium-Write, let it be blazoned in eternal characters, that" Blessed from henceforth are the dead that die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." (Rev. xiv. 13.)

But though the dim light of reason is here sunk and set, the brighter one of revelation still illumines our view: by that refulgent torch we here behold the holy garments of the high heavenly Priest resplendent, shining forth in glory and in beauty;* the blest attire those emblematic trappings of his frail precursor were intended to preshow. Engraven gems need not to be affixed on these illustrious shoulders, which bear the weight of universal sway. He in his own glorious person presents a bright memorial of patriarchal virtue, and its high reward. In his splendid breast-plate of judgment no registers are required to keep his people's names in constant, kind remembrance; He who has borne their sins, their griefs, their sorrows on this earth, for ever

* Ex. xxxviii. 2.

+ "And thou shalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and for beauty."

"Thou shalt make an ephod of gold; it shall have two shoulder-pieces and thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel. And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod, for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord, upon his shoulders for a memorial." (Ex. xxviii.) The government shall be upon his shoulders; "of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end." (Isaiah ix. 6.)

bears them in his heart above.* To execute just judgment He came unto our globe. The usurper's power is destroyed, and he is now cast out; Urim and Thummim,† light and perfection from ages and from generations hid, (Col. i.) no longer lie concealed within mysterious couplings. He is himself Urim and Thummim, manifested truth.§

"And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work, with blue, purple, and scarlet, and fine-twined linen. Foursquare it shall be, being doubled. And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, sardius, topaz, carbuncle, emerald, sapphire, diamond, ligure, agate, amethyst, beryl, onyx, jasper. They shall be set in gold in their enclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their tribes. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. (Ex. xxviii. 15-17, 21, 29.)

+" And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually." (Ex. xxviii. 30.) The words Urim and Thummim signify light and perfection.

"The breastplate into which Moses did put the Urim and Thummim was a piece of cloth doubled, of a span square, in which were set in sockets of gold twelve precious stones, bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraven on them, which being fixed to the ephod or upper vestment of the high priest's robes, was worn by him on his breast on all solemn occasions. In this breastplate the Urim and Thummim, say the Scriptures, were put."-Prideaux.

The Septuagint translation renders the words Urim and Thummim, manifestation and truth. Too absurd and various have been the opinions promulgated respecting the words Urim and Thummim to be all inserted in these pages: "Some will have them to be Tetragrammaton, or the ineffable name of God, which being written or engraven, say they, in a mysterious man