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tion into the glorious liberty of the sons of God; who, having supreme control, gives free scope to all the powers of nature fully to develope themselves in all the forms of blessing: thus contemplating the sacrifice made by Christ from the beginning, they give the power of the throne from which he descended, the riches of the kingdom of Israel He hath purchased, the wisdom of contrivance with regard to preparing a people for his name, and leading them into the purchased possession, the strength for accomplishing the deliverance thus planned, the honour of the many crowns procured for those who shall be kings and priests unto God, the glory in heaven into which themselves have introduced these heirs of salvation, and all blessing upon earth, upon which the heaven is now opened in an abundant bestowment of good—All they give unto the Lamb that was slain.

It is now, indeed, made manifest, that the Most High doth feel with and for the creature; and the creature has been led into the mind of the Most High, and all through the union of the divine and human natures in the person of Christ Jesus, and by him in his exercise of the three great offices of prophet, king, and priest: justifying us through faith, sanctifying us by his holy love, and enlightening us so as to apprehend the joyful object of hope set before us. Therefore unto him be supreme power to possess the riches of the Inheritance, to use, according to his strength of salvation, his saints, in the honour into which he hath raised them, the angels in the glory he hath spread out before them: and every obedient creature in the blessing wherewith he hath blessed them. Thus do the angels desire to look into these things; how much more should we, whose eternal interests are more deeply involved in the matter of this brief, but most expressive, song!

VII.

BLESSING FROM EVERY CREATURE TO GOD AND THE LAMB.

Rev. v. 13, 14.

"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 power, Unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, And unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. And the four living creatures said Amen, And the four and twenty elders fell down, And worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever."

The song having been begun by the saints upon earth, and continued as they ascend under the conduct of the angels; and that song having been answered by the angels, as having accomplished that service for the bridethese take their stand before their Lord, and around the redeemed family in heaven, and joyfully give Him the glory of all that work of grace, which, as under his command, they have just completed. The song being thus sung, upon the heaven and the earth meeting each other in the glory of the New Jerusalem, that then shall descend, to receive within its pearly gates those that have been prepared to ascend, and to see" the King in his beauty;" and to behold the earth, as afar off, spread out beneath their feet in the enjoyment of righteousness and peace, where the nations of the saved disport themselves amid scenes of the loveliest beauty and richest fruitfulness; surveying all with intelligence, and looking upon all with hearts full of innocence and love, now is heard the earth answering to the heavens; yea, every creature is heard taking part in the song, and answering to each other; whether it be in heaven, or on the earth, immediately beneath the glory, or under the earth, on the reverse side of the globe, or on the sea which lieth

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between—yea, all that are in them, are heard ascribing the blessing they enjoy, through the ministration of those who have over them been made kings and priests; and the honour of that salvation into which these have been exalted over the earth; and the glory which these are given to enjoy amid innumerable angels in their Father's house in heaven; and the power of the throne before which these worship, and in the midst of which these are, all they gladly give unto the Creator and Redeemer.— Unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." And the four living creatures, who are given abiding life in him that liveth for ever and ever, give their glad Amen; and the four and twenty elders, through whom the blessing has been ministered to the nations, are blessed in ascribing all to Him whose eternal purposes have resulted in the full feast of joy to the whole creation of God—they "fall down and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever."

It is remarkable that this description of the service of the Lamb, in order to prepare this feast for all people; yea, for heaven and earth, and of which the Lord himself as man will partake, consists of seven parts, correspondent in order with the names of the seven who were first chosen to worldly service in the church, Acts, ch. vi. 5. Thus Stephen (the Crown) characterizes the opening of the vision, which is with the presentation of the Book, giving a right to the crown, or lordship, to him that can prevail or obtain the crown of victory, as bruising the head of Satan who had usurped the dominion. Then Philip, which is Lover of the Horse, or one ready and able for service, refers to the proclamation of the strong angel for one able to accomplish this high service for God and for man. Then the third, Prochorus, Leader of the Choir, points to the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who bids the weeping captive to cease the mournful cry, and be led back with songs of everlasting joy,

under the standard of the Beloved, into the inheritance which had been lost. And the fourth, Nicanor, the Overcomer, directs us to the Lamb who conquered through his being slain; and all power and all wisdom are his to enable his followers to overcome through the blood of the Lamb, and loving not their lives unto the death; and then the fifth, Timon, Honour, characterizes the prayer and song of the saints, which are for what men, in the pride of their own imaginations, have been apt to call Not Honour; even that Christ should again come down to earth, and fix his throne where it was promised the son of David should reign; and that his saints with him should reign over the earth and Parmenas, Ever Abiding, expresses the glory in which, shall be the portion of the sons of God, as being given ever to abide in their Father's house, through the Son, who abideth for ever: and amid the glory of which, the angels who have kept their first estate, sing in their glad review of redeeming love, as given in the sixth part of the description. And, lastly, the seventh of these names, Nicolas, is the name of those whose song succeeds that of the glorified saints, and that of the angels in glory. These are the conquered people, who have been subdued by the great King reigning in Zion, and placed under the dominion of those who shall be with him as kings and priests unto God. He hath subdued them to his grace by the strong rod of his power, and having delivered them out of the enemy's hand, and set them free from the tyranny of every oppressor, they serve him in obedience to his great law of love, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of their life. He hath conquered, not to enslave, but to bless with all blessing that can upon earth be enjoyed. His people are willing in the day of His power, and all nations shall be blessed in Him, and call Him blessed.

These words were spoken long after Israel had been carried captive forth of his laud; when Ephraim was to appearance lost, when even the Jews were about being taken away to Babylon. Jacob was indeed made small among the nations, and appeared to be devoted to destruction. Yet God doth here still call himself "The Lord God of Israel :" plainly implying that he would, notwithstanding all present appearances, continue true to the promises made unto their fathers; still accomplish his design with regard to the people he had chosen to be peculiarly his own. It may also be remarked, that there is so much, in the words hereafter written, hard of belief; and, in the then circumstances of the world, even so unimaginable, that the command to write "all the words," was not uncalled for. There would have been danger in the intrusting any mere creature with the giving only the sum of them. Matters then not understood, but now applicable in the most minute particulars, and essential to the making out the case fully for the rightful heir, would otherwise have, most probably, been omitted. These particulars being so long written in a book, open to the inb

spection of all, are unquestionably authentic and authoritative; and are a powerful Witness to the truth of God.

Let us also consider, that, if all these matters, and if the very words in which they are expressed, are of divine dictation, it most assuredly becomes us earnestly to listen to them, and diligently to study their import. This should the more be the case, as we shall find that they regard our People, our Place, and our Time. And they speak of that which is generally interesting, Property, possession of land; and this in that part of the globe which is to be, of all others, the most advantageous position---the Land of Israel: and this is to be had as a free gift from the rightful Possessor.

If there be one portion of the earth of more importance than another, it is the Land of Israel. Not only has it been the theatre of all God's grand manifestations of Himself to man, but, seated there between the seas, the Red and the Mediterranean, these stretching out into the two great oceans, by which America may be reached on the one hand, and Australia on the other, it is most centrally placed, with regard to water, and the more distant parts of the globe. It is also most eligibly

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placed as to land; having all Africa spread out from it to the south, and Europe and Asia to the north. This meeting point of all parts of the earth, is evidently designed by the God of Nature for the Throne of Universal Empire; and this opinion is amply confirmed by the revealed word of God.

The people for whom this position is appointed, are plainly the people intended to have rule. God, accordingly, from the very beginning, took them under his especial care, and led them about, and instructed them; and ever wrought wondrously with them. But about 2,500 years ago, the House of Israel, and therein the tribe of Ephraim, of whom the promised multitude of nations was specially promised to come, were swept away, by the Assyrians, into a land from which they have never yet returned. Our view is, that God nevertheless was true to his promise; and has so far accomplished it, as that his people have become many nations, and these even the chief of the nations, here, in the North Country, so frequently intimated in prophecy as the principal quarter out of which his people will flow up to Jerusalem, when it shall be made the Throne of the Lord. Already do they possess the gate of their enemies; they have broken forth on all sides; seem adapted for all climates, and all occupations; and are rapidly colonizing the globe. To them, as well as to the Jews, and to them in the first place, is bequeathed the land of Israel. This will appear in the course of the following pages: in which it is proposed to show that in Jeremiah, ch. xxx., xxxi., is given a continued course of prophecy, especially referring to Israel, the kingdom of the Ten Tribes, or rather their descendants in the North Country.

The prophecy commences with the testimony of the two great witnesses, Mercy and Judgment; the mercy promised, the judgment threatened: the two burdens of all prophecy, and the great matters to be testified of by all that would witness for God; and characterizing the condition of both houses in their past History. On Israel he

had not mercy; He, to appearance, utterly cast them away; yet it was that with everlasting mercies He might gather them. Of Judah the case has been different; the Lord had mercy upon them, and saved them wonderfully, until the promised One Seed did come, whom the Jews rejected; and then were they delivered over to judgment, to be witnesses of his justice ever since, and that among all nations. And now we approach the time, when, casting from them their clothing of sackcloth, they are conjointly to witness to all the earth, of the truth and faithfulness of God, and that in open manifestation; the purposes of God with regard to them being revealed. And this open witnessing is again to be of mercy and of judgment; and, most likely, in the midst of both, most powerfully displayed in them, in the blessing and deliverance of the righteous, and in the punishment of the wicked, whose counsels may yet seem to prosper for a time; but the triumphing of the wicked shall be short, and their portion most bitter: whilst the Portion of Israel, the Lord Himself, and in Him all needful blessing, shall indeed be most sweet, and shall be rejoiced in for ever.

After the reference, in verse 3, to the Book of the Inheritance, the crowning of the Mercy promised to Israel, when complete order shall be established, and the perfect beauty of all God's workings, with regard to his people, shall be made to appear: we have then, in verses 4—7, the witnessing of the Judgment threatened, the dark tribulation intimated, through which the world, and even Jacob, must pass, into the full enjoyment of the glorious salvation. Dreadful overturnings will take place when the Lord is taking possession, and is preparing the land for his favoured people.

Thereafter, in verses 8—21, we have seven Securities given, that the promise refers to the future, and will most assuredly be fulfilled. These seven securities we shall see still further unfolded in Ezekiel xxxiii.

There is a farther witnessing of judgment and of mercy, the order of these two being here reversed, in Jer. xxx. 23, 24; xxxi. 1. See pages 65, 66.

The prophecy then proceeds, ch. xxxi. 2—26, to identify the people, more especially concerned in the contents of the Book. This is done in seven descriptions, of which see a summary 107—109. These contain the substance of the loud and joyful acclamations, spoken of as Seven Thunders, with which shall be hailed the open book, in the hand of the mighty angel, as described Rev. x.

See page 62. These Seven Thunders run parallel with the Seven Seals, as is noticed pages 63, 64, and they are "according as God hath declared to his servants the prophets "—as is shewn in the exposition of the Seven Thunders, pages 67—105.

The remaining portion of Jer. xxxi. is found to contain the Name of the Lord: who hath not only condescended to give his signature to the free promises respecting the Land, and the richness of blessing to be bestowed upon his united people in their great restoration; but, He hath given Himself to be their Everlasting Portion, having also purposed to take them to Himself to be his peculiar Inheritance for ever. His name is found to be, "The Wonderful," who has been leading his people to make to Him-elf a glorious name; He is "The Counsellor," who hath purposed to reconcile us onto Himself according to New Testament mercy; He is "The Mighty God," who, having formed us at first, can sustain us through all changes; and present us in grace and in glory, new created in Christ Jesus; He is "The Everlasting Father," unto whom the long-lost children of Rachel may

now say "Though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not, yet doubtless thou art our Father, our Redeemer, thy Name from everlasting." In Him the fatherless have found mercy. When this shall be acknowledged, He will hasten to vindicate his claim to the concluding title, "The Prince of Peace," or King of Salem: His throne shall be Jerusalem, when found worthy of its name; when heard to say, "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord;" "And all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the Name of the Lord,—to Jerusalem."

This Name is presented in Psalm lxxxix. See pages 89—91. It is more fully dwelt upon in the exposition of Jer. xxxi. 27—40. See pages 110—129. And it is further unfolded in an analysis of ch. xxxii., xxxiii. See pages 130—144. In this last review of the Name, it may be noticed, there is a parallelism to the Seven Thunders in the sevenfold description of the Good, which the Lord intends to bestow upon His people, in contrast to a sevenfold description of their evil, which, as the Counsellor, He hath purposed to remove. See pages 133136. And under the third Name, "The Mighty God," there is also ano ther parallelism to the Seven Seals. See pages 137—140.

Now surely there is an opening of the mystery as presented in vision to Abrahain, Gen. xv.: The first vision recorded in the Scriptures, a vision containing the substance of all future revelation; and which may well be called "the Vision of All." It most clearly sets before us the Lord Himself as the Portion of his people, as well as that it is through faith that the blessing is obtained. It also points out the changes through which the promised seed would have to pass, until they should obtain possession of the Land, according to the free promise: when God Himself will be more fully known as Israel's Inheritance. Oh, Lord, make haste to accomplish! See Introduction.