humanity, how the wisdom and truth, the mercy and justice, of God would be glorified in the highest by the sorrows which now he bore; how all the saints already in glory would have their title to heaven made good forever by his atonement; how liberty to the captive, and life from the dead, would be preached in his name to the generations of men, as long as the sun and moon shall endure; how the city of God would be peopled with ransomed multitudes, which no man can number, wearing crowns of life, and waving palms of victory; how the new song of redeeming grace and dying love would transcend all the anthems of the heavenly world; how the glory of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, would be spread over the plains of eternity, and the whole creation would ascribe hosannas and hallelujahs to the Lamb that was slain, through interminable ages. Now, by the contemplation of these immortal truths, in that dark and dreadful hour, his humanity was strengthened, and "for the joy that was set before him," (Heb. xii. 2,) he endured those weighty sorrows that would have crushed a thousand worlds.'"

Here Lucifer made a deep pause. The spirits of darkness looked one upon another in profound silence. There was an anxious and troubled agitation in every countenance; but their lips appeared to be sealed, and their tongues to cleave to the roof of their mouths. After the lapse of four or five minutes, it was asked by one, in a low and subdued tone of voice,

"Did Adam speak of Calvary?"

"Speak of Calvary!" said Lucifer: "surely he did; and his speech fully convinced me that the departed saints, who were so deeply concerned in the work the

Mediator was now accomplishing, were constant and earnest spectators during his whole earthly history. Yes, he spoke of Judas, of Herod, and of Pilate, and the scenes in the hall of the Jewish high priest."

"Of Judas! of Judas!" was now called out from every part of the assembly. "Tell us what view he gave of the character of Judas."

"The character of Judas," continued Lucifer, "has long been a fruitful source of debate in the church on earth, and the most prying and penetrating of the fallen angels have never been able to discover why it was that Christ took such a man into his family, and had him numbered with the twelve disciples."

CHAPTER IV.

ADAM.

THE chief seemed reluctant to proceed, and the changing shades of powerful conflicting emotions appeared and disappeared in his strongly-marked coun

tenance.

"Tell us of Judas," was again earnestly demanded. "Well," said the chief, "Adam declared that God, and God only, can search the heart; that the veil of hypocrisy is of such a texture that it cannot, in certain cases, be penetrated by the eye of man, angel, or devil. It is penetrated in all cases alone by the eye of the omniscient God. He claims it as his high prerogative: 'I, the Lord, search the hearts of the children of men.'

Now,' said he, 'the character of Judas, when Christ called him, and during the time he was among the disciples, can only be known with certainty from Christ's testimony concerning him. He knew all men. He knew what was in man. Now, the unvarying testimony of Christ is, that Judas was a bad man. When he washed the disciples' feet, he said "Ye are not all clean," and he spoke in reference to Judas. When Judas murmured about the waste of ointment, because the woman anointed Christ, alleging that it should have been sold, and the money given to the poor, the inspired word

affirms, "he cared not for the poor." He was without that benevolence that is essential to true piety; and that same inspired word asserts in that connection that he "was a thief." At another time, Christ says to his disciples, "Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John vi. 70; xii. 6.)

"At this point in Adam's address," said Lucifer, "one of the mighty congregation arose, and wished to propound an inquiry. He was a tall and splendid form. In his countenance were the beamings of a soul that had long been making advances in knowledge, holiness, and happiness. There was there not the slightest trace of anxious care, or vexation, or any of that long train of woes that have followed in the footsteps of sin. But there sat upon his broad, expansive brow an unruffled and perpetual serenity, clearly denoting one who had been a dutiful son in the family of God from the birthday of his being. The question he proposed to Adam was this: :

"Why did the Redeemer admit into his immediate family even in the number of those whom he had chosen to be with him - such a man as Judas, when he knew him so well?'

“This was Adam's reply: 'It was the design of God to spread before the world the most ample proof of the character and works of Christ. He intended to record on the pages of inspiration the fullest testimony of both friends and enemies to the reality of his miracles and the purity of his life. That record he meant to send round the earth, and down the tide of time to the end of the world. Now, for this purpose, Christ showed himself openly to the world. He walked

say,

CALIFOleand

in Solomon's porch; he taught in the performed many of his wonderful works before-hundreds of his sharp-sighted and fault-finding enemies. Now, it is plain, that had the miracles of Christ been witnessed only by his friends, the modern sceptic would "It is true the friends of the Redeemer say he wrought miracles, and such miracles as fully proved his divine mission; but who ever saw them, except his particular friends? and they were partial, and even interested in putting the most favorable construction on them. Why did he not do his mighty works before those who were impartial? Such would have been the cavillings of modern infidelity. There it would have taken refuge, and from that lurking-place it would have been difficult to dislodge it.

"But how stands the matter now. Jewish rulers, men of great learning and influence, admit the reality and grandeur of his miracles. "No man can do the miracles which thou doest, except God be with him." They acknowledged the resurrection of Lazarus; and in a very notable case, the man that was born blind, was brought into the Jewish high court, and catechized and cross-questioned by the Jewish lawyers and doctors, intensely eager to find some flaw, or plausible objection, but they could make nothing out of it. The man had been born blind, and Christ had opened his eyes. Then having already passed an ordinance, “that if any man did confess that Jesus was the Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue," they sent for his father and mother, and under the terror of that ordinance, tried to frighten them into a denial that this was their son, or that he was born blind. But this scheme also failed,