throughout the boundless universe possessed of faculties including the observation of our world; and that it was a vast and unlimited host of spectators who viewed this amazing spectacle, the vast and unlimited declaration positively proclaims seen of angels, seen openly by myriads of the heavenly hierarchies, by an innumerable company of celestial beholders, who formed and composed this most august assembly.

Now, we cannot possibly imagine that the Supreme Director condescended to gratify the ardent desire of his attendant legions merely for the purpose of satisfying an idle curiosity in them; or that beings of such illustrious virtue would have fostered such a desire from so unworthy a motive: we may, therefore, most certainly conclude, both from the gracious conduct of him who granted, and the superior goodness of those who wished, that the highest, noblest, and most important purposes were to be the result of this indulgence. These heavenly missionaries must indeed have possessed a just comprehension of this great and wise design, when delegated to impart its representative religion on our earth, (which was ordained by them in the hand of the typical mediator, Moses; (Gal. iii. 19;) he who was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers who received the lively oracles to give unto us; Acts vii. 38;) and again evinced their knowledge when ushered on our globe, when multitudes of angelic heralds pealed heaven with praise, commencing their prophetic chaunt by publishing its primary

grand object-glory to God in the highest; its secondary one, peace, goodwill towards men. (Luke ii. 13, 14.) No wonder, then, they fervently desired to behold its final consummation; that their faith awaited in most joyful hope the fulfilment of their high prediction;-no wonder that heaven's eternal arch resounded hallelujahs at its complete accomplishment; that the celestial choir, ten thousand times ten thousand angels, who surround God's throne, and thousands of thousands, should all unite in grand harmonious chorus to ascribe salvation, and honour, and glory, and power unto the Lord Supreme, and with loud voice proclaim, that worthy is the slaughtered Lamb to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing; (Rev. iii. 10. 12; v. 12;) for of what momentous import must it have been unto the cause of universal virtue, to have the smallest speck removed from off the Creator's glory, before whom heaven's most highly exalted worthies cast down their crowns with humble adoration, and in melodious symphonies declare, "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power, for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were created." (Rev. iv. 10, 11.)

The all pervading wisdom that marked this great event was likewise to be further proved by the good educed from the sublime and pure religion established on our globe, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known, by the church,

the manifold wisdom of God; and if its benignant guardians rejoice over even one repentant sinner, (Matt. xviii. 10; Luke xv. 7,) how will they joy to hear the seventh grand trumpet (Rev. x. 7) of their great compeer, sound the commencement of that happy era, when all the kingdoms of this world will have become the kingdoms of their Lord, and of his Christ, and He shall reign for ever and ever! (Rev. xi. 15.) These high-commissioned preachers, when sent forth to declare their God's eternal mandates throughout the vast expanse of his dominions unto the heirs of heaven,† would, doubtless, deeply inculcate that

* We conceive that the explanation now given to the verse which has been fully inserted from the Ephesians, performs the promise stated in note, page 10; and additional reasons for the fervent interest taken by the heavenly hierarchs in that greatest of all events, the death of Christ, and the deep and momentous import of which it was to them, will be futurely recorded in this work, but must be postponed until the rank and dignity of the great heavenly victor have been clearly ascertained.

Are not all the angels ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Heb. i. 14.) This question propounds an additional evidence in support of a former position, namely, that the boundless universe contains innumerable seminaries for the trial and cultivation of virtue. For when we find the utmost powers of language employed to convey an idea of that immensity of numbers which compose the angelic hosts, that thousands of thousands minister unto the universal Father, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before Him, (Dan. vii. 10,) and are also enlightened with the knowledge of their express destination, it renders it highly improbable that their guardianship and care should be solely confined to the globe which we inhabit, and confirms our belief that vast are the numbers of worlds whose inhabitants still require their super

weighty precept of the everlasting gospel, (Rev. xix. 6,) Overcome evil by good." They now can bear the glorious tidings, that this command has been illustriously fulfilled amidst the most adverse circumstances, and with renewed energy enforce this awful lesson, that the minutest law of God cannot, with impunity, be violated by the minutest order of probationaries: and if no trespass can be passed over in these-if He who alone could appreciate the full demerit of transgression, and at one view perceive the extent of its most baneful influence, styles those of one poor wanderer on earth, sins against heaven, (Luke xv. 18,) of what dimension must be the black ingratitude of that highest treason which caused revolt in heaven, and dared wage war against its sovereign Governor! Of what imperious import did it then become, that those blest spirits who, with unshaken faith and firm fidelity, ministered for their God, should view the direful consequence of intendence and assistance. The passage just above inserted from the Revelations, tends again to strengthen this opinion. The whole of the verse is as follows: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth." Now this unqualified declaration, "on the earth," we think clearly embraces all the inhabitants of our earth, every nation, kindred, tongue, and people; and yet it is subjoined, "and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." And when we reflect on who the preacher was, that he is described as flying in the midst of heaven, and that his commission was to preach the everlasting gospel, it may, we conceive, be fairly inferred, that his commission embraced a far more widely extended object than that of superintending and influencing the inhabitants of our small world.

VOL. I.

G

their once loved, their now for ever lost associates' dread fall; and that the supreme Director should educe glory unto himself, by causing those rebellious potentates who chose not to remain the monuments of his love, to become the monuments of his just displeasure! Not that we suppose the wrath of God like that of man to be a sudden, violent impulse; or that this awful sentence was executed in pursuance of any new or special edict. "That omniscient Being who beholds all causes and effects at the greatest distance; whose view comprehends the vast chain of events which includes all that is past, present, or to come," and who has appointed the liability of evil, was doubtless prepared for every exigence.

"Our lives through various scenes are drawn,

And vexed with trifling cares,

Whilst God's eternal thought moves on

His undisturbed affairs."

DR. WATTS.

*

It is, therefore, highly reasonable to conclude, that the great moral Ruler of the universe has, by one fixed, irrevocable decree, for ever and unchangeably evinced his love of virtue and abhorrence of vice, by rendering the first invariably productive of ultimate happiness, and the last of ultimate misery; thereby causing, through the effectual operation of these undeviating principles, these wicked revolters to become the authors of their own wretchedness, and the inflictors of their own punishment. "His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself; and he shall be holden with the cords of his own

* Dr. Johnson.