in the latter day, when Jehovah will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh. Many gracious promises are mentioned, which respect the future conversion of the Jews by means of the gospel, which in the hand of the Holy Ghost will be the means of opening their blind eyes, and by it they will be brought to seek the Lord. They calling to mind what hath befallen them, for their rejection of Christ, the true and only Messiah, will, under the gracious influences of the Holy Spirit, return to the Lord with all their heart, and with all their soul.

Moses closes with pressing the Israelites to the present observance of the laws, statutes, and judgments of the Lord, calling heaven and earth to record his faithfulness in delivering God's revealed will and truth unto them; and the wrath of God which would be sure to fall on them. This would most certainly be the consequence of their sinning against the Lord.

Moses being ready to depart this life, summoned the whole body of the people together, acquainting them he must not go over Jordan. That Joshua was appointed by the Lord to be their leader, whom he encouraged from what the Lord had done, and promised to do, to be courageous. He gives a command to the elders of Israel, that the law, which some suppose was the book of Deuteronomy, others the whole Pentateuch, be read on the seventh year, at their yearly meeting, on the feast of tabernacles.

The Lord informs Moses of his death, and what the Israelites would fall into after his decease; and of the evils this would bring upon them. And the Lord dictates to him a song, which was to be a witness against them, and a testimony for Jehovah. Of his goodness to them-of his foreknowledge of all events respecting them. And it would be also a testimony against them, of their ingratitude, of their unbelief, of their rejection of Christ, and other sins.

Moses wrote this song according to divine direction; instructing the Israelites into the meaning of it; giving a command to the Levites to put the whole Pentateuch in the side of the ark. The song mentioned is most truly excellent; having God for its author. Moses was the publisher of it. The subject of it is the Lord's special mercy to Israel; his separating them from all others, and preparing the land of Canaan for them-Israel's ingratitude and apostacy from God-their slighting Christ, the rock of salvation, and setting up other Messiahs, renouncing the true one, is very particularly treated of in it. The song contains an account of their idolatry, captivity, and future recovery.

This book concludes with Moses' blessing, pronounced upon the people just before his death; and gives an account of his going up into the mount Abarim, on one of the tops of it. He went up to mount Nebo, and this was over against Jericho, on the other side Jordan. Nebo was one of the mountains of Abarim, which formed a ridge of them; and Pisgah was the highest point of Nebo, and

this was over against Jericho, on the other side Jordan. The Lord elevated his sight, and gave him a prospect of the whole land of promise; which may be considered as similar to what he sometimes does, just before he takes his saints to glory. He gives some of them a most glorious prospect and perception by faith of the glory they are about to enter upon, and be possessed of.

Moses having been favoured with a prospect of the good land, dies at the commandment of the Lord, being an hundred and twenty years old; and the Lord buried him, and his sepulchre was unknown to all.

Some conclude Moses was a type of Christ, in his death and resurrection, and ascension into heaven-thus: Moses died in one sense, for the iniquities of the people. It was their rebellion which drew down the displeasure of God upon them, and upon him. Moses went up in the sight of the people to the top of mount Nebo, and there he died, when he was in perfect vigour, when his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. Christ suffered for the sins of his people; and he was led up in the presence of the people to mount Calvary, where he died in the flower of his age, and when he was in his full natural strength. Moses died at the commandment of the Lord willingly. He went up to mount Nebo, and there surrendered up his soul; so Christ died willingly. He said, "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father," see John x. 18. Christ went to mount Golgotha, and there gave up his soul unto his Father.

Moses after his death and burial rose again; buried he was, see Deut. xxxiv. 16.; and that he rose again, and ascended into heaven, may be gathered from the 27th of Matthew's gospel; for he did appear with Christ at his transfiguration, together with Elias, or Elijah. So Jesus Christ rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

According to Jewish writers, Moses died on the 7th of Adar, or February. Joshua succeeded him in the government of Israel.

The five books of Moses contain, according to the index of the bible, the history of 2552 years and an half, from the beginning of the world. They seem to be finished by Moses 1451 years before Christ. The Israelites mourned for Moses thirty days.

The book of Genesis contains an history from the creation of the world to the death of Joseph, of 2369 years, which is reckoned thus. From Adam to the flood, are 1656 years. From the flood to the departure of Abraham out of Chaldea, was 423 years. And from thence to the death of Joseph, 290 years.

So that Genesis contains 2362 years-Exodus 145 years. The other three books of Moses 40 years; which sums put together, make 2554 years.

ESSAYS. No. CII.

ON CHRISTIAN CHARACTERISTICS.

No. XII.

PRACTICE is the end of principle; therefore, in the supernatural formation and sanctification of the church, God has a special design in view, and that in a twofold sense; viz. 1. The manifestation of his perfection and attributes in and through Christ, in the work of salvation; and 2. the completion of the character of the people redeemed and regenerated. Every act of his gracious power elicits the fact that there is in his mind a fixed plan of action, which is now developing the design and counsel of his eternal will. No considerate christian can for a moment suppose, that the vast machinery employed, and the numerous agents set to work by God, are left to the conduct of blind chance to produce an end or not, just as it may fall out. "Order is heaven's first law," and no part of the public conduct of Almighty God has concealed or denied it. The unity and perfection of the scheme of wisdom was originally bottomed on the union and perfection of the triune God, and according to his will it is federally laid in the person of his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, and by whom all things consist. Every creature of God is morally and physically considered endowed with such powers of action as are commensurate with the purpose of infinite wisdom; for God would not call a race of intelligent creatures into being without endowing them with such subjective powers of action as are subordinate to his will. It is quite certain, that the want of rectitude in the creatures of God cannot prevent the accomplishment of his counsel, for it does not depend on their reception or rejection of it; but the omnipotent grace of his arm is the efficient cause why his purpose vitally subsists in the people of his choice. A whole universe was in arms against God the righteous lawgiver; but the rebellion of man never disturbed his mind, to cause him to rescind the ground and plan of his action. He chose his people in the person of his Son to union with him in his eternal love, and in Christ he rested in his love toward them; and he has continued the same unchangeable God of grace through all the rolling ages of time. A church has constantly appeared in the world to witness the truth of the bible; for in the darkest periods of time there was ever found a few disciples of the Son of God to demonstrate that he was not left without a seed to serve him. It is true, that these solitary cases, when they became evident, were always offensive to the worldly-minded professors of his name and interest, for they could not approve the glimmering light which shone forth in their character. This was to them wormwood and gall, and they never failed to persecute, and in some instances even to death, for this VOL, IX.—No. 116.]

3 B

only reason, viz. the men whom they hated were the holy possessors and exhibitors of the commuuicable graces, qualities, and virtues derivable from Christ, according to the establishment of grace and justice in him. It may be a question worthy of our sober consideration, to ask, whether there is any thing of the same principle and temper now in existence ? No man who has had much to do with the churches of Christ in this age can doubt it; for wherever the light of the gospel shines clearly in the sanctity of life and manners, which are common to the saints, no men are more bitterly disposed to harrass the upright believer than are our modern professors of christianity. They will tell you, that they are charitably disposed to crush this hydra-headed monster, antinomianism; because it is cruel in its nature and destructive in its tendencies to sound morals. Why this is the self-same principle and motive that Bonner, and his confederates in wickedness, cherished at the time when they were burning the saints in Smithfield. They then professed great regard for religion, and they pretended how reluctant they were to hand such delinquents over to the secular power to be put to death; at the same time avowing how ready they were, if these disciples of the Lord Jesus would but recant their heresies, to receive them back into the bosom of holy mother church. Dominion over the consciences of men was the main object pursued by them; and is there at this very moment a less lust for power displayed in the plans of our modern evangelists? and do not they, wherever they have the ascendancy, elicit it in the clearest manner? Comparing, then, as we have done, former times with the present, the only difference which we can discern between them is this. In ancient days, the strong arm of the law was on the side of the oppressors; but thanks to our God, the wisdom of modern legislators has bounded the pride and ambition of men, so that they cannot legally destroy the lives of men who regard and value the truth as it is in Jesus; yet amidst the darkness prevalent, and the pride and self-conceit which are so dominant in the lives of men professing religion, there is still a people in our world who are the temples of God, through the Spirit of God who liveth in them. Men are amazed, by reason of their ignorance, at the conduct of true saints; for the unregenerate are in the dark, and they cannot discern the causes by which a spiritual man is actuated to resign the principles and spirit of this evil world in his general deportment in life.

When the apostle Paul had declared the use and benefit of true godliness, and had also referred the ancient church at Corinth to their heavenly home, he then said, "Now he that hath wrought us for this self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of his Spirit." Plainly intimating to us thereby, that there is an inseparable connection between regeneration and glorification; and why should this fact be doubted? Is not regeneration the act of God the Holy Ghost, by which he creates a wicked man a spiritual man? And is it not undeniably evident, that any thing which is

created by Almighty God is indestructible, and it can never be annihilated? Satan and his associates, together with Adam and his seed, have by'sın sacrificed every particle of the rectitude and goodness of their respective natures in which they were created; but because they are now by nature as bad as sin can constitute them, do they cease to be, and are they no longer accountable to God? It were the grossest absurdity for us to indulge such a thought; for it is physically impossible to annihilate that which is by the will of God constituted immortal, and that is the production of his omnipotent goodness. Since, therefore, we can neither create nor destroy a single particle of matter, although we can change its forms by the use of our physical powers, we are by analogy led to conclude, that the change of state produced by the Holy Ghost on man is everlasting in its duration.

The Holy Ghost is said to be the earnest of heaven in the text above cited; and in the same epistle we are told, "that it is God which hath established us together with you in Christ, and hath anointed us; who hath also sealed us, and hath given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.-In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; wherein also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.-But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things; and the anointing which ye have received of him dwelleth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you, but as the same anointing teacheth of all things; and it is true, and is no lie; ye shall abide in him." From these scriptures, we learn, that Christ communicateth himself to his members, and teacheth them by the Holy Ghost. Moreover, the Spirit given is an earnest of future good provided for and promised to the church of God. The characters of the Son of God are replete with life and sanctity to all his members; but it is positively said, "that no man can call Jesus Lord but by the Holy Ghost." It is not said, that Christ is not thus revealed, for he is thus presented to our view in the bible; but this relative character of the Son of God involves the idea of dutiful subjects, who are to have a discernment of his person and dominion over them. This spiritual lordship over the church is more excellent in its kind and different in its tendencies from the territorial rule of Christ over all creatures. In the prayer of Christ Jesus to his Father, he said to him, as thou hast given me power over all flesh, that I should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given me; and this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Thus, in the execution of his lordly dominion over the world, Messiah is gathering by the Holy Ghost the church out of it; and the election of grace, who are separated by a new birth to know God in Christ, have eternal life. The duration of it is expressed by the word used, but the thing conveyed connects