arrived which I have long hoped for, with an earnest desire and prayer that I might obtain the salvation of God. The hour is come in which I too may receive the blessing of that seal which confers immortality; the hour in which I may partake of the impression of the salutary sign. I had thought to do this in the waters of the river Jordan, wherein our Saviour, for our example, is recorded to have been baptized: but God, who knows what is expedient for us, is pleased that I should receive this blessing here. Be it so, then, without delay; for should it be His will who is Lord of life and death, that my existence here should be prolonged, and should I be destined henceforth to associate with the people of God, and unite with them in prayer as a member of His Church, I will prescribe to myself from this time such a course of life as befits His service.' After he had thus spoken, the prelates performed the sacred ceremonies in the usual manner, and having given him the necessary instructions, made him a partaker of the mystic ordinance. Thus was Constantine the first of all sovereigns who was regenerated and perfected in a church dedicated to the martyrs of Christ; thus gifted with the Divine seal of baptism, he rejoiced in spirit, was renewed, and filled with heavenly light: his soul was gladdened by reason of the fervency of his faith, and astonished at the manifestation of the power of God. At the conclusion of the ceremony he arrayed himself in imperial vestments, white and brilliant as the light, and reclined on a couch of the purest white, refusing to clothe himself with the purple any more. He then lifted his voice and poured forth a strain of thanksgiving to God; after which he added these words: 'Now I know that I am truly blessed: now I feel assured that I am accounted worthy of immortality, and am made a partaker of Divine light.""

:

Is this real Christianity? Can we wonder that Gibbon should sarcastically comment on it thus ? "The pride of Constantine, who refused the privileges of a catechumen, cannot easily be explained or excused but the delay of his baptism may be justified by the maxims and practice of ecclesiastical antiquity. The sacrament of baptism was supposed to contain a full and absolute expiation of sin; and the soul was instantly restored to its original purity, and entitled to the promise of eternal salvation. Among the proselytes of Christianity, there were many who judged it imprudent to precipitate a salutary rite, which could not be repeated; to throw away inestimable privilege, which could never be recovered," &c. "Decline and Fall," chapter xx.

We who maintain that a large part of prophetic Scripture yet remains to be fulfilled, are accustomed to receive many a word of admonition as to the danger of wrongly applying or interpreting the Word of God. No doubt there is danger; but is the danger confined merely to interpretations that have the future as their subject? Is there not equal, if not greater danger of wrong interpretation in respect of the past? Men seem to think that the interpretation of prophecies which they conceive to be fulfilled, must be comparatively sure and safe. But is it so? Is there not infinite danger of our misjudging the events of the past, so as even to call evil good: and what possibility can there, in that case, be, of our interpreting prophecy aright, even supposing that we had committed no error in thinking it to be fulfilled when it is not? In looking back over the history of professing Christendom from the day of Constantine onward, we have to remember, that God has watched it and formed His own estimate thereon. The events that have marked those years have not been disregarded by Him. He has weighed them in the balances of His holiness, and His sentence on them is registered above. The exaltation of philosophic and ritual Christianity under Constantine, and the resulting consequences down to the moment at which we live, have all been watched by the holy eye of the great Judge of all, and He expects that the judgment of His people should, as to these things, be in accordance with His own. He has not written His Word to sanction evil, but to condemn it. Shall we then seek to frustrate His purpose in this? Shall we so distort and alter the bearing of His Word as to cause it to sanctify abomination? These are questions more solemn-more important, than any that concern any mere point of prophetic interpretation.

Nor must it be supposed, that the subject in dispute between those who maintain, and those who reject the doctrine of the Millennium, concerns any less important question than the principle on which Scripture as a whole is to be interpreted. The same license that

allows me to say that the word resurrection in Rev. xx. ("This is the first resurrection. Blessed is he that hath part in the first resurrection," &c. these words being, let it be remembered, an explanation of the symbol which John had seen in vision)—the same principle that leads me to say that resurrection in this passage does not really mean resurrection, but only a revival of principles, must, if I am consistent, be applied to the final resurrection mentioned in the close of the same chapter; and I shall have to say, that the rest of the

dead raised at the close of the thousand years, means not the resurrection of persons, but merely a revival of principles, and so the doctrine of a resurrection may be set aside altogether.

There are other points on which I might dwell, such for example as the incongruity of Dr. Brown's statement respecting "the slaying of the great red Dragon," with the very words of the passage on which his remarks are founded. If the great Dragon was SLAIN at the time supposed, how is it that the very same chapter describes him in the last verse as continuing to persecute, and leads us on to the succeeding chapter where that Beast through whom the Dragon persecutes is described, and of which Beast it is said that "the Dragon gives to him his throne and great authority." It would be strange that the Dragon if slain should be able to do this. I might dwell on many points like these, but I defer for the present, the ' further consideration of this branch of the subject. All that I will now do, is, to ask attention to the events which Scripture connects with the destruction of the power of Satan. In Isaiah xxvi. I find these solemn words: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword SHALL SLAY THE DRAGON that is in the sea ;" and then, as a consequence, Israel-converted Israel (not the present election from among the Gentiles) "shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit."

Again, in Rev. xix. 19, and xx. 21, I find exactly the same order. The Lord Jesus is revealed as King of kings and Lord of lords, the armies of Heaven following-the same event to which Isaiah referred when he said, "Behold, the Lord cometh out of his place," &c. Next Antichrist and all those associated with him are destroyed. Next Satan is bound (Rev. xx. 2); then comes the reign of Christ and of His saints, when Israel shall indeed "blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit." Ah! how different these things from any thing that occurred either before, or at, or after, the time when Christianity ascended the throne of the Cæsars! And when the Lord shall thus have come out of His place, and punished iniquity, and bound Satan, and converted Israel, may we not well say that a new dispensation will have commenced, and yet it will

not be "the dispensation of the fulness of times." It will not be yet the time for the "new Heavens and new Earth" to be created in which righteousness shall for ever dwell.

To be (D.V.) continued.

For further remarks on the First Resurrection, and Dr. Waldegrave's Bampton Lectures, see tract on "The First Resurrection," as advertised at the end of this pamphlet.

Abraham's History in Genesis XII.

SCARCELY had the waters of the Flood departed from the recovered earth when men, neither dismayed by judgment nor softened by mercy, began again to corrupt themselves. Even Abraham's family were found serving other gods. "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the Father of Nachor: and they served other gods." Josh. xxiv. 2. Universal corruption seemed again about to reign, when God, pursuing the secret counsel of His grace, interfered. It was His purpose to separate or "sever" unto Himself a peculiar people. "I," said God addressing Israel, "I the Lord am holy, and have SEVERED you from other people that ye should be mine." At the call of Abraham God began to carry into effect this purpose of separating or severing a people unto Himself: and on this principle He has ever since acted, and will continue to act until the necessity for such severation shall cease by all things in and around the redeemed being made perfect according to the perfectness of God. Now the Lord had said unto Abram, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, from thy father's house, unto a land that I WILL SHOW thee: and I WILL MAKE of thee a great nation, and I WILL BLESS thee, and make thy name great; and thou SHALT BE a blessing: and I WILL BLESS them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Such were the words of faithful promise with which the God of glory called Abraham. He was separated not only from evil, but he was separated unto blessing-blessing sure and certain, because dependent not on himself, but on the love, and power, and faithfulness of God. Was Abraham to be led into another land? God said, I will shew it unto thee. Was he to be made a great nation? God said, I will make of thee a great nation. Was he to be blessed, and to be made a blessing? God said, I will bless thee, and thou SHALT BE a blessing. God undertook to be the accomplisher of all these things. Abraham was the recipient-God the