will lead us to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, as v the light of God's infinite love and boundless mercy! regenerated soul here oftentimes shrinks from cont known evil, so there the redeemed soul will loathe an all evil, sharing the feelings of the divine mind which look upon sin with allowance. To suppose man likely evil in heaven knowing its absolute antagonism to all and in the absence of all temptation to sin from with whole mind filled with a consciousness of danger from e izing by the bitter experience of the past as even angels realize, the ruin which sin ever brings upon the soul,pose man to choose under the most favorable condit holiness what he has sought through long years to avoi under conditions most favorable to sin, is a supposition keeping with a disordered imagination than creditable t a sound reason or a loyal faith.

But the practical query may be fairly raised, whether t soul will have supreme desire for evil, as the redeemed preme desire for holiness, or whether it will desire hol an object of choice. In other words, Will the abode spirits be more favorable to holy obedience than this world, where good influences and powerful incentives to are by no means wanting? The question, we think, ad but one answer. It is evidently true that, as in heaven a ward motives to sin are absent, so in the realm of the l

outward motives to holiness are unknown,

while sin in its

depths, and depravity in its most corrupting stages of de

ment, make the very atmosphere pregnant with the influence of moral evil! The influence of the Holy Spirit is withdrawn, and, familiar only with the image of sin within the heart, surrounded by examples of sin, the sinner will choose sin and love iniquity in eternity, as he has chosen it in time. That the lost may have transient desires for forgiveness and heaven, springing from the selfish wish to escape certain consequences, we do not doubt, but a "godly sorrow" unto repentance, sufficient to change character, is, in the nature of the case, impossible. The sinner has chosen his condition with all its known and probable consequences; with his character and his surroundings he will manifestly continue to choose for a perpetual succession of years what he has chosen for a single year.

But this difficulty may perhaps be suggested in regard to the changeless state of the righteous, viz., That if it be true that the memory exists in the future, as it does evidently only in a more perfect state, it must follow that a constant acquaintance with evil experienced in the past is kept up; and, it may be asked, if mental association with the evil through the medium of the memory will not induce wrong desires and lead to sin. We believe not, from at least two considerations

First, many, if not most, of the temptations to sin assail us through the medium of a depraved and corrupt physical nature; as waters, to exhibit power for results must first find a channel in which to gather their force, so temptation, to be efficient for evil, must find an appropriate channel by which to reach the heart. But in heaven we are entirely divested of mortality, and no longer subject "to fleshly lusts which war against the soul," and which "work in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death." Corruption shall have put on incorruption, and the material give place to the spiritual.

Second, in our purified state, and with our quickened spiritual vision, where we "see as we are seen and know as we are known," such will be our conception of moral evil and the enormity of transgression, that past sins will only be remembered to be despised and to deepen our gratitude to God that we have been able through grace "to escape the corruption which is in the world through lust." We shall view the nature of sin

tion, reasoning from analogy and the known constitutio human mind, fortifying our position by declarations f Scriptures, and at the same time not forgetting some uy difficulties presented. If the conclusions we have d correct, it follows that death effects no change, and in us to no condition materially altering the operations mind from its present voluntary action; and that, thoug cal and influential changes mark the conditions of futu yet they are not of such a character as to interfere with freedom, but rather illustrate the wise and complete. h between the freedom of man and the sovereignty of God

ART. IV. BINDING THE DRAGON.

No part of the Bible has given rise to so many wild co ures as the Book of Revelation. In consequence of these turn away from its pages as from a forbidden thing, and dep all discussion concerning its varied symbols. Yet it is ac as an inspired book, and it contains within its own page key with which we may unlock its hidden mysteries.

Perhaps no part of this much tortured book has suffered at the hands of commentators than that which relates t subject of this article The first mention made of the d

soon it was born."

A similar beast is described in the succeeding chapter: I stood upon the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast rise of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and up horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the names of blas And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, a feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the m a lion, and the dragon gave him his power, and his sea great authority." This description is more minute th other, the only essential difference appearing in the fact the latter the horns are crowned, while in the former the are upon the heads. Most commentators suppose the first -the dragon-to be symbolical of Pagan Rome; the sec the Papal power. The seven heads are supposed to re the different forms of government under which Rome h isted. This would be fitly symbolized by representi heads as being crowned. After old Rome was overt some half score of small kingdoms sprang up, posses similar language, aims, religion and forms of government. is fitly symbolized by preserving the main features of th and placing the crowns upon the horns. In the eleventh another beast is spoken of, having but two horns, y sessing the spirit and aims of the dragon. In the sever chapter the dragon appears again in a lengthened des and the apostle's explanation subjoined; this renders it important chapter.

“And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored bea of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten

we have seen, by the great red dragon, she was not;she was overthrown by the Barbarians, and yet, she prestige was restored by the popes,-symbolized by the colored beast.

"And here is the mind of wisdom. The seven he seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth; and th seven kings; five are fallen, and one is, and the other yet come; and when he cometh he must continue a shor And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eigh is of the seven, and goeth to perdition. And the ten which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no dom as yet, but receive power as kings one hour with the The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sittet peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. A woman which thou sawest is the great city, which reignet the kings of the earth."

From this it appears that the apostle, in all these sym contemplating Rome. The woman is the great city; first verse she is represented as sitting upon the waters, i third she is seated upon the scarlet colored beast. The symbolize the peoples, nations, multitudes and tongues; the beast must symbolize the same thing. The city of is seated on seven hills; it existed under seven forms of administration, and when its power was broken by the Barba ten minor kings sprang up having similar ends, laws, lang and religion. From all of which it appears that the term on, as used in the book of Revelation, is symbolical of Rom