his gospel trampled under foot, his blood profaned, his promises broken, his word falsified, and his mediatorial glory tarnished and lost forever. The writer of these sheets mentions these things with religious detestation, conscientious abhorrence, and pious indignation.

Mr. Spalden, a late writer, and those who abet his scheme of a literal resurrection, and the literal reign of Christ with his saints here on earth, openly avow the termination of the gospel, and the final close of the whole system of grace, at the commencement of the MillenniIt surely becomes every true disciple of Christ, who wishes to know the truth on this important subject, to lay aside all levity and partiality of mind, and to look into the word of God with reverence, and search for the truth, with honesty, soberness, and godly sincerity.

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Let us first ascertain what is the mediatorial glory of Christ. A correct resolution of this inquiry, is a matter of great consequence as to the important subject under consideration. The question is not, What is the glory of Christ in his divine nature and in his co-equality with the Father; nor is it, What is his glory as the creator, preserver and governor of the universe; but the question is, What is his glory as the Redeemer of the fallen race of Adam? This question is easily answered; his glory is, and must be, in redeeming the human race, as far as he has said he would, and as far as he has proposed in his word. His mediatorial glory therefore consists not in doing one thing, two things, or twenty things, necessary to be done, in order to redeem sinners, but in doing every thing necessary, and in completely performing the whole work from first to last, as he has proposed. Had Christ died on the cross, risen again from the dead, taken his seat in heaven, commanded his gospel to be preached, and done nothing else, there would have been no sinners saved; and although the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, are glorious things indeed, when considered in connection with the whole plan of salvation, and although they are the fundamental basis of the whole system of the gospel, yet if there were no sinners saved, (I speak with reverence and to the honor of God) the cross of Christ would be an eternal disgrace to the Deity. Then we may safely say, that the mediatorial glory of Christ, consists not merely in dying on the cross, but in saving as many of the sinful race of Adam as he has engaged in

covenant with his Father to redeem, and as many as he has promised in his word to save; and he must at least save so many as will effectually overthrow and destroy the kingdom of Satan in the world. If Christ will not do all this he never can be glorious as a Mediator. These things are so evident that I think no reasonable man can deny them, and on these principles I think we are obliged to conclude, that if the gospel will come to a close at the commencement of the Millennium; and if no more will be saved than have yet been saved and will be between this and then, Satan will come off victorious, and triumphant over the gospel; not the one half of the promises will be fulfilled, and the word of God will be a lie, and the gospel will be eternally dishonored. These are hard conclusions, but they arise as a necessary consequence of a literal resurrection, which necessarily implies a complete termination of the human race, and of the gospel of salvation, at the commencement of the Millennium.

Let us now try whether the bible, and stubborn facts, will not prove the truth of what we have said. We will first take a view of what Christ has engaged in his word to do; then we will consider what he has done in saving sinners, and thirdly, we will see what he has yet to do, before his mediatorial glory can be complete.

1. What has Christ engaged in his word to do? 1st. He has engaged to bruise the Serpent's head. 2d. He has engaged that he will be a blessing to all the families of the earth. 3d. He has promised that he will draw all men unto him. 4th. He has engaged to destroy the works of the Devil. 5th. He has promised to bring in the Jews with the fulness of the Gentiles, and that the whole earth shall be full of his glory; and that all people, and nations, and languages, shall serve him, and that the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters do the sea, and that all lands shall see his salvation.-See Gen. iii. 15, and xii. 3. John xii. 32. 1 John iii. 8. Rom. xi. 25, 26, 30 32. Num. xiv. 21. Dan. vii. 14. Is. xi. 9, and xlix. 6. We are still to remember, as I have observed before, in page 12th, that in the original promise, in Gen. iii. 15, there is an excep tion stated, of a small remnant of mankind, as the seed of the Serpent, who will be lost, whom Christ has not promised to save; who, for God's own infinitely wise

ends, were left out of the number which he gave to his Son to redeem. This remnant is always to be considered as excepted in all the other promises, whether mentioned or not. Eut all the rest he has pledged his faith to his Father and to the church to save; and if he lose one of them his Mediatorial glory is lost forever. See John vi. 37-40, and x. 14-16, 27-29. These promises and engagements are to be considered as general rules (as I have already stated in page 16th) the exceptions to which are so small that they are comparatively not worth men tioning; and are indeed only as a slight bruise on the heel, not worth complaining about.

2. We now proceed to inquire what Christ has done in fulfilling these engagements. The question now is, Has he bruised the Serpent's head? Has he been a blessing to all the families of the earth? Has he drawn alt men unto him? Has he destroyed the works of the Devil? Has he brought in all Israel, with the fulness of the Gentiles? and has he been salvation to the ends of the earth? Let the history of the bible and facts determine. -On such an important subject as this we are not to indulge a fanciful imagination, and build castles in the air; but we are to take solid ground, and determine by real facts, known by the state of the world; and by the solid declarations of the word of God. In the first place let positive known facts tell us what the gospel has done in the world, and then let the prophets of God tell us what it has yet to do. Then we can assuredly know whether the gospel will have finished its course at the commencement of the Millennium; or whether the main work of salvation will not then be only beginning. In our inquiries on this subject, we will take a view of the progress of the gospel, and the extent of Christ's kingdom from the fall of Adam to the flood; from the flood to the calling of Abraham; from the calling of Abraham to the coming of Christ; from the coming of Christ to the present day; and from the present day to the com mencement of the Millennium.

After the fall the gospel set out under the auspices of the grand and fundamental declaration that the seed of the woman should bruise the head of the Serpent. With this great plan in view, Christ began his kingdom, and introduced his Mediatorial work of redemption, in which he was engaged to counteract the influence of Satan, the

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grand enemy of mankind, and ransome a fallen world from eternal destruction. We cannot comprehend the great plan of God in conducting his affairs. But it appears evident that Christ, the glorious Captain of our salvation, proceeds in his Mediatorial work according to the infinitely wise councils of heaven. It appears from facts, and from the prophecies, and statements of the scriptures, that God saw it best, and most for the mediatorial glory of Christ, to leave out a small remnant of the human race, as the seed of the Serpent; and it appears that he allotted them to be born, at least generally, during the first ages of the world, and after the end of the Millennium, and that a small number of his elect, whom he had given to Christ, should be born during the time of the reign of Satan over the non-elect, just as many as would be sufficient to have, and maintain a church on earth, in the midst of Satan's dominions. We dare not ask the reason why God chose to do so; but "known unto God are all his works from the beginning." Our business is to acquiesce in his will with humble reverence and adoration. Nevertheless it is our duty to observe his footsteps, and learn from his works and ways something of his divine purpose towards the children of men. We find, however, in fact, that Christ intended, in his infinite wisdom, to let Satan have the advantage at first, and he has evidently had the advantage for nearly six thousand years. Six thousand years seem to us a long time; but they are as nothing compared with the years of the Millennium.

We will modestly suggest a few considerations on this dark, solemn, and unfathomable subject. First, it evidently appears by the opposition that the church has met with, from the power and subtlety of Satan, that he is no contemptible enemy; but such as nothing but almighty power can conquer. Christ intends to make it evident to the world, to angels, and to his church, that he is a glorious conqueror. A great conqueror disdains a feeble enemy, and he would gain but little honor in conquering him. King David disdained to kill Shimei; but he gloried in killing Goliah, and how diminutively Goliah spoke to the stripling David when he saw a raw, ruddy youth advancing forward to fight with a giant, and a man of war! But Christ has let the world know that Satan is not a trifling antagonist, and he will get glory in conquering him when the proper time will come.

But, again, we are to take notice that the seed of the Serpent are the non elect, who are all devoted to destruction; and therefore they are proper objects of wrath and judgment. Thus Christ has a fair opportunity of showing his just indignation against sin and sinners, on these vessels of wrath fitted for destruction." There does not appear, in the application of mercy to the guilty, and ungodly, any display of wrath and indignation against rebels, except only in the death of Christ. But God has seen fit, not only to display his justice in the death of his Son, when he took the sinner's place, but, by crowding the Devil's seed together for six thousand years, he has given his Son ample room, on all proper occasions, to "make his name terrible among the heathen, as a sin revenging God." See Gen. vi. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13. Exod. viii. 22, and ix. 14-16, and x. 1, 2, and xiv. 17, 18. Deut. vi. 14, 16. Mal. i, 12. Many instances are recorded of God's terrible judgments falling upon the wicked generations of men. The flood of Noah, the land of Egypt, the Canaanites, the Sodomites, the rebellious Israelites, the Babylonish captivity, the destruction of Jerusalem, and thousands of other instances in the course of providence, declare unto us that God will not suffer sin to go unpunished. Thus, for wise reasons, of which we know but little, Christ has permitted Satan to reign generally over the world, and has suffered him to pursue his church with blood and slaughter wherever he has erected his kingdom.

But we return from these general observations to take a view of the church in the different ages of the world since the fall of Adam.

1. It appears from the history of Moses, that Satan got an easy conquest over our first parents in the garden of Eden, and by his fatal artifice he seduced Adam, who was the federal head of his posterity, to break covenant with God, and thus he ruined the human race and brought them into bondage. Adam revolted from under the government of God, and he and all the human race became the servants of the wicked one. When the two first children of Adam came to years of maturity, the enmity of the seed of the Serpent against the seed of the woman began to exhibit itself in wicked Cain, against righteous Abel. Religion is the sole cause of the spite and malice of the wicked sons of Beliel against the peo-.