earth inconsistent with the reign of Jesus Christ on earth, shall be dissolved, as metal is dissolved by fire, and done away; when the confusion and distress of nations shall be so great, that the universal destruction of men and things, may be compared to metal, melting in a furnace by a fervent heat; but notwithstanding this fiery trial, be ye not discouraged as the consequences will be glorious to you, for "nevertheless we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness:" that is, a new and glorious state of things, and the renovation of the earth and the governments of the world, by which the powers and authorities exercised therein under the Lord Jesus Christ, shall be directed and executed on principles of perfect righteousness.*

* Mr Mede observes on the verses following:-" Wherefore beloved, seeing that ye look for such things at his coming, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless; and account the long suffering of God, in the delay thereof, to be for salvation. Eyen as our beloved brother Paul, (one of the apostles of our Lord, who confirmeth these words of the holy prophets, Isaiah, lx. 20, 21, lxv. 17, lxvi. 22.) according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you; enforcing the like exhortations unto holiness of life, from this our faith and expectation of the Lord Jesus his appearing to judgment, which we now make known unto you, namely in Hebrew, xii. 14, 28, 29-Also in all his epistles speaking in them of these things, (Rom. ii. 4, to vii. 1 Cor. iii. 20, &c. Coloss. iii. 4, 5, 1 Thess. ii. 19. iii. 13. v. 23. 2 Thess. i. 8. 1 Tim. vi. 14, 15. Titus, ii. 12, 13.)—Amongst which things concerning the 2d coming of Christ, are some things hard to be

T

JUDE.

JUDE tells us that Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, in that early day, had foretold this great and awful period, which so substantially occupied the faith and hope of God's people, saying, "behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

conceived, which those who are unlearned and not well settled in the faith, like unto these scoffers, stumble at, as they do at the other scriptures, taking occasion thereby to stagger and doubt of the truth of God; so perverting the scriptures from their right end, by making them the means of your destruction, which were given by God as a means whereby they might believe and be saved."

THE APOCALYPSE OF JOHN.

THE beloved disciple John (of whom it should be specially remarked, that he lived, and wrote his revelation, after the destruction of Jerusalem many years, and therefore, however the other apostles might have done, could have no reference to that event in his predictions) introduces this revelation as having been given by God to Jesus Christ as the great head of his church for the instruction of his servants. That Jesus Christ had signified it by his angel to his servant John, being that disciple who had in the days of his flesh, been honored by leaning on his Lord's bosom, as a mark of his love and confidence. John himself fixes this fact in his outset or preface. His great modesty forbade his saying that it was that John known by the appellation of the beloved disciple, but he expressly declares it was that John "who had borne record of the word of God." This the beloved disciple had done in a very special manner in his gospel, beginning with that divine sentence," In the beginning was the word," &c. and also "the testimony of Jesus Christ and of all things that he had seen; which John had also done in the same gospel. He then pronounces a solemn benediction on all those who should read or hear the words of the prophecy he was about to relate, and especially on those who should keep them, the time being at

hand. Even at the first mention of this joyful communication, being full of the delightful prospect and rejoicing in an event, which was all his hope and all his desire, he cannot refrain from glorying in the blessed subject, although his whole design was to show every previous step, as well as the particulars in detail, attending the final execution of so great and solemn a reality.-He addresses himself to the churches thus," John to the seven churches which are in Asia. Grace be unto you from him, who is, and who was, and who is to come; and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten from the dead; and the prince of the kings of the earth. Behold he cometh with clouds; (that is, great power and glory) and every eye shall see him; and they also who pierced him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him; even so amen. I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, who is, and who was and who is to come, the almighty." Thus three times in five verses does he repeat the blessed event of Christ's future coming-and in his address to the church at Thyatira, the beloved apostle represents Jesus Christ as urging that church, "but that which ye have already, hold fast, till I come; and he who overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod (or sword) of iron."

After this, he saw a door opened in Heaven, and heard a voice like a trumpet, talking with him and say

ing, "Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter." He then describes a magnificent throne in Heaven, around which and among others, were twenty-four elders cloathed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold; and four living creatures (or beasts) each having six wings about him, and they were full of eyes before and behind. And they rested not day or night, saying "holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, andis, and is to come." And at the same time" the four and twenty elders fell down before him who sat on the throne. and worshipped him who liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne saying, "thou art worthy O Lord! to receive glory and honor and pow. er for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."*

*This representation is taken from the tabernacle or temple. The throne here being set in Heaven, is from the temple or tabernacle with the Jewish high-priest thereon, as it will answer to both; the twenty-four seats with the twentyfour elders, were taken from the same circumstance of the Jewish sanhedrim. The seven lamps burning before the throne, from the candlesticks of seven lamps in the temple. The sea of glass from the great laver in Solomon's Temple, though that was made of brass, but it is remarkable that the one in the tabernacle, is said to have been made of the looking glasses of the women attending at the door of the tabernacle, Exod. xxxviii. 8. The four living creatures, or beasts, were the four standards of Israel-that of a lion, a bullock, an eagle and a man, representing the whole congregation of the faithful. In Ezek. xliii. 7, God says, "The place of my throne and the place of the steps of my feet, where I dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever," &c. The elders