power and property which appertain to Deity. God and man are one Christ. Our glorified humanity is now become the spiritualized appendant upon God the Son. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him who sat upon the throne." This unfailing intercessor instantly prevailed with his almighty Father; and in the weak, yet now glorified nature which had vindicated the great Jehovah's honour and glorified his name, asserted his high right to take the book from him who sat upon the throne. "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts," those transcendently high and glorious intelligents," and the four and twenty elders, fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song," a song proclaiming the glorious victory the Lamb had just obtained," saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood."

This appears a full confirmation of the justness of Mr. Reynolds' position, namely, that the angels receive confirming grace in Christ. For in the triumphant anthems which now ecstatic burst from heaven's highest dignities, their transcendent elevation is ascribed unto the slaughtered Lamb. Thus concurring with the scriptural assertion that in God's sight the heavens are not clean, and that he chargeth even his highest angels with folly; rendering it almost, if not entirely certain, that the highest orders of intellectual beings, those

the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat on the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth.† And I beheld and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and

* The number of eyes described in Zechariah's vision as running to and fro throughout the whole earth.

+ By reigning on earth, we conceive, it must mean that they have been made, through the merits of the Lamb, rulers over many things, in a far more extensive sphere than merely on our earth.

side of the river was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Rev. xxii. 1, 2.)

CHAPTER X.

SINCE it hath been the good pleasure of God, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, to reveal to man this mystery, let not man reject it. For we may reasonably conclude that it would not have been God's good pleasure to reveal a mystery we could not understand, or profit by withal. We do not attain unto the knowledge of arts and sciences without arduous mental labours, and yet the book of God is often closed, and all the wonderful and most important information it contains is laid aside without the smallest pains employed to understand its meaning. The doctrine of the universality of the atonement will be found a most eminent remover of difficulties. For when we reflect upon the infinite benefits procured through the infinite Saviour's merits, we cease to wonder that the infinite purpose of Almighty God should have been effected by his infinite Son. It is also a full and perfect reconciler of assertions which appear somewhat discordant: "Enter ye in at the strait gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat because strait is the

power and property which appertain to Deity. God and man are one Christ. Our glorified humanity is now become the spiritualized appendant upon God the Son. "And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him who sat upon the throne." This unfailing intercessor instantly prevailed with his almighty Father; and in the weak, yet now glorified nature which had vindicated the great Jehovah's honour and glorified his name, asserted his high right to take the book from him who sat upon the throne. "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts," those transcendently high and glorious intelligents," and the four and twenty elders, fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song," a song proclaiming the glorious victory the Lamb had just obtained," saying, Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood."

This appears a full confirmation of the justness of Mr. Reynolds' position, namely, that the angels receive confirming grace in Christ. For in the triumphant anthems which now ecstatic burst from heaven's highest dignities, their transcendent elevation is ascribed unto the slaughtered Lamb. Thus concurring with the scriptural assertion that in God's sight the heavens are not clean, and that he chargeth even his highest angels with folly; rendering it almost, if not entirely certain, that the highest orders of intellectual beings, those