and explained have seemed of the most contradictory character, and for years have baffled the most earnest attempts to unravel them. It is a mistake to suppose that the same should not hold true of the Bible, or rather of the things revealed in the Bible. Many of these, indeed,-such, for instance, as those which are essential to the knowledge of salvation,—may be expected to be so clearly revealed that there should be but little difficulty in the way of any sincere inquirer in discovering the truth. And such is really the case. So plain is the highway of life, that "wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein," and so clear the directions that stand on the wayside, that "he who runs may read them." But such is not the case with all the revelations of the Bible,-far from it. Though they are all important and all designed for the good of man, and therefore intended to be studied and known by him, many of them are more remote in their bearing upon his interests than others, and are therefore more difficult of discovery. And in this respect again there is a perfect harmony and analogy between them and the facts of nature. That which is

(vol. ii. p. 630) that "There is reason to believe that the satellite of Neptune revolves with a retrograde motion."

essential to the bare existence of man is readily discovered by him even in his rudest state; but those things the knowledge of which is necessary to his well-being and comfort in an advanced and advancing condition are not so readily learnt, but have to be discovered by long and patient research, and by the united efforts of many minds and many hands. There are many such that are as yet altogether beyond his reach and which he knows nothing about, and many, in the investigation of which he is now earnestly engaged, the difficulties of which seem all but insurmountable, but, cheered by the success that has attended past efforts, he perseveres, in the strong hope that those he is now making shall not be in vain. This is done by the natural philosopher, the student of God's Works: shall those who are engaged in the

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"The character of the true philosopher is to hope all things not impossible, and to believe all things not unreasonable. He who has seen obscurities which appeared impenetrable in physical and mathematical science suddenly dispelled, and the most barren and unpromising fields of inquiry converted, as if by inspiration, into rich and inexhaustible springs of knowledge and power on a simple change of our point of view, or by merely bringing to bear on them some principle which it never occurred before to try, will surely be the very last to acquiesce in any dispiriting prospects of either the present or future destinies of mankind; while, on the other hand, the boundless views of intellectual and moral, as well as material, relations which open on him on all hands in the course of these pursuits, the knowledge of the trivial place he occupies in the scale of creation, and the sense continually pressed upon him of his own weakness and incapacity to suspend

study of His Word be slow to follow his praiseworthy example? If, however, they would be successful in their search for truth, then, like him, they must proceed in a cautious and humble spirit, and adopt nothing as true which has not been proved to be so.

It may be well, moreover, that we should bear in mind, that there is no subject in the Bible in reference to which it is more necessary to guard against the influence of preconceived views, than the one we are now about to examine. It relates pre-eminently to things which are among those that are least understood by us, because farthest off; and which are altogether new to us, because belonging to a state that will be new; and which, therefore, we are least qualified to judge, or even to comprehend,

Nor is this all; we are expressly taught (1 Cor. ii. 9) that "the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" will be so extraordinary in their character as quite to transcend whatever our present experience has made us acquainted with. Among those

or modify the slightest movement of the vast machinery he sees in action around him, must effectually convince him that humility of pretension, no less than confidence of hope, is what best becomes his character."-Sir J. F. HERSCHEL, Discourse on the Stud. of Nat. Phil. p. 8.

things the New Jerusalem must not only be reckoned, but must also hold the foremost place; and therefore, as has been already argued, unless it be of a transcendant character, it will not be in keeping with what we have been taught to expect. To what degree this should be the case we have no means of discovering, but it is clear that it must be so to a very great one. If the description of the New Jerusalem could apparently be readily understood by us, and if the subject seemed level with our comprehension, then there would be strong grounds for suspecting that we had in some way or other misapprehended it. But if it be of an extraordinary character, something which must strike us with amazement on reading it, then it is, in this respect, such as we ought to expect. It is essential that this should be borne in mind while we are engaged in examining the details of the subject.

Another preliminary matter which it is essential to notice is the principle of interpretation on which we should proceed. As in former cases, so in this, the whole case depends upon the way in which it is viewed. The results of the literal and the figurative interpretations are so totally dissimilar as to have nothing in common.

It is therefore necessary, before

we proceed, to let it be understood which we propose to adopt. The latter, the figurative, makes but light work of the difficulties of the question, but it gives us a result that is of but little value,-only one, in short, with which we are already acquainted, having learnt it from other sources: the other, the literal, encounters difficulties that stagger and astound us, but it opens a field of wonders that are altogether new, and which are so great and glorious as to make us feel that they may well be among those incomprehensible things which God hath prepared for His chosen ones.

An examination of the writings of the figurative interpreters will show, that all they attempt to do is to deduce from the inspired description of the New Jerusalem some general notions of greatness, magnificence, and splendour. It is regarded by them as designed to impress the mind with the extreme happiness and glory of the eternal state, but not intended to convey any definite idea as to any particular with regard to it. The notion of a literal city, whether on earth or in heaven, is repudiated; therefore all distinctness of idea is set aside as often as it presents itself, and undefined magnificence and glory are all that are