Orme, the new heavens and new earth to the church as a body are not come. All national churches are but integral parts of the latter temple, which must pass away. We, as the two Nonconformist churches, are journeying to the new heavens and new earth, like Joshua and Caleb; and we are the two olive trees on the sides of this latter temple (Zech. iv), who must infuse our spirit in it, that it may fall and become a plain. But, as individuals, we have been all along come to the new heavens and new earth if we become new creatures, if we put on the new man (not after a carnal commandment, but) which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, and we are already raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Otherwise, Faith is the only substance of things hoped for. And this brings me to the unwarrantable liberty you have taken with the translation. "Wherefore we having received the kingdom which cannot be moved, let us hold fast the gift, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear." Hold fast the gift! What before you have got it! If Mr. Orme had said, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful who promised," it would have been in keeping. But all what we have to hold fast there is plain grace, that we may not fall short of the claims we have upon the kingdom which is bequeathed us, by sinning wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth (See Heb. xii. 15, 16, 17.) As a body we are still pressing forward for it, but the perfection which it demands, can only be brought into full operation by a new state of things, when there will be neither civil government nor ecclesiastical government necessary, and which must be prepared by a continual overturning till he comes whose right it is (Ezek. xxi. 27; Hagg. ii. 22). And now, having made Mr. Orme come back to himself and recover from the start which he experienced at his own argument, his dispensation becomes perpetual, without any reservation, in its genuine sense; and the consequence is that his new heavens and new earth, so deplorably remote, mystical and fugacious, at last, like the happy islands which still kept vanishing at every new geographical discovery, become replaced by a stable continent which fully compensates for their external splendour by its internal glories. In short, his new heavens and new earth become a new order of things upon this terrestrial

globe, prepared for this new order by a dissipation of its obnoxious elements by fire, and re-peopled by a select portion of its former inhabitants with new bodies adapted to their perfected souls. So that I take Mr. Orme's great talk about "the earth perishing and the mighty apparatus of the universe passing away like a scroll when it is rolled together," p. 55, as a mere oratorical flourish common to those whose fancy outstrips their reason, unless Mr. Orme would wish the wreck to enter into the composition of the new atmosphere, and the new earth, the suns (if they be entire bodies of light) forming the one, and the planets the other. This scheme I should have no objection to, if Mr. Orme should press it, though I should imagine that the happiness of a future state was rendered entirely independent of external circumstances, nevertheless, without neglecting them. But if Mr. Orme's "exclusively spiritual" mind should require the utter dissipation of matter in his eternal state, he will be content with being "absent from the body and present with the Lord," and look upon the resurrection as a vulgar thing adapted only to vulgar minds. But for my part I look for the promise of the restitution of all things, BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW as true and faithful (Rev. xxi. 5,) and consequently I look for a new body as I look for a new soul, and I look for a new material earth and atmosphere as I look for a new spiritual earth and atmosphere, i. e. as I look for a new state of kingship and priesthood, order without law, harmony without discipline, which is already begun in this old earth in the true church. If I did not look for a new body, then I should not look for new Jerusalem "to descend from God out of heaven" on a material earth, but should regard Mr. Orme's "wreck of matter and crush of worlds" with indifference in the security of the soul's existence. But I hold it as a moral truth certified by the immutability and progressiveness, of God's schemes as well as from his omniscience and omnipotence, that he did not call into form the mighty apparatus of the universe to fling it hereafter by, as an indomitable, unwieldy, stubborn thing, incapable of entering into his system; that he did not burst forth out of his slumber into all the glories of creation to retreat at a capricious turn of mind into his ancient mental abstractedness; but that he created matter in order to enlarge the sphere of heaven by associating it into its spirituality, and not after having once pronounced it good

for a holy use, to return defeated from his enterprise and hide himself behind his ancient invisibility of nothingness, in all the puerility of short-sightedness. No-God himself has eternally sanctified matter by assuming a material form himself; and whatever changes it may undergo in improvement, according to the progressive scheme of the Almighty, those "all things" which are declared to be made for an eternal Being, must be as eternal as himself to be worthy of his enjoyment. He who is head of the creation and the church, will preside over a church and creation worthy of himself. He who thinks no glories on earth can be worthy of the presence of the Son of God, may as well blot out his essence from existence which animates the viper on the dunghill; for if the wisdom and power of Christ are not disgraced in the maintenance of the lowest link in the creation by his essential presence, much less can the mere vehicle of that power and wisdom, his body, be polluted by a residence on earth. Whether the glories of his power and wisdom or the glories of his person be most resplendent, I leave men to judge. "In my Father's house are many mansions," says our Lord, "I go to prepare a place for you: and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. That where I am, there ye may be also." (John xiv. 2, 3). And will these mansions and that place be out of the circle of that creation which was created for Christ? Did God create all things by Jesus Christ," and "give him to be head over all things to the church" for no other purpose than to destroy all things by Jesus Christ at his appearing, not long after their formation? Will there be such a waste of systems necessary to celebrate the nuptials of the God of Love? Impossible-Perish the thought."Thou hast created all things (the whole) O Lord, and for thy pleasure they are and were created," say the church in heaven, with regard to the four living creatures, the symbols of that creation, which declares day and night the holiness of God exhibited in it (Rev. iv. II). The crea tion falls down and worships the Lord Jesus, as its master, on his inauguration and enthronisation, and points out the place out of the many mansions of the universe in which the Lord will keep his court. "Thou art worthy to take the management of the dispensation and bring it into operation," sing they: " for thou wast slain and hast redeemed to God by thy blood some out of (Griesbach)

every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made them (Griesb.) unto our God, kings, and priests; and they (Griesb.) shall reign on the earth." This then is the result of their redemption, for which they wait, and can be effected only by Christ's appearing: they shall reign on the earth. "The kingdoms of THIS WORLD shall become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." Reign for ever and ever? Where? On this earth when he had not before reigned. Had he not reigned for ever and ever every where else? A new planet is drawn within the circle of the heavenly state, the boundaries of heaven are enlarged, and not contracted, or made stationary. God's designs are not conquest and retreat. "They take the kingdom. and possess the kingdom for ever and ever." The planet is permanently incorporated with heaven. Not conquered and thrown away. "I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from" not going up to " God, out of" not into "heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Rev. xxi. 2), having the glory of God," the Schechinah, Christ, (Rev. xxi. 11). Here is the glory promised (John xvii. 24), here is the place prepared. The saints are caught up to be ever with the Lord" out of the general conflagration, but they finally descend with Him to reign on the earth, the inheritance of the meek (Matth. v. 5). "Let us be glad," therefore, Mr. Orme,

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and rejoice;" and let us leave your political, republican, and radical Millennium to "the dogs without" the city, shouting "Alleluia," that "the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" within it. Those who are satisfied with partial statements of scripture, on the true Calvinistic plan, will imagine that when Christ" receives" the church" to himself" he will, in the unmeaning flourish of Mr. Orme, "conduct it into his Father's presence, and there present it with exceeding joy," a story which is very good till another's told. I, for my part, drawing my conclusions by comparing spiritual things with spiritual, believe that when Christ receives his church unto himself, he will not conduct it into his Father's presence, but carry his fair one off " from God out of heaven" to that home from which he is at present an absentee. See Matth. xxiv. 42-50; Luke xii. 42, 43; xix. 11-27; Mark xiii. 34, 35; Matth. xxv. 1-30.

The Law-a shadow of good things to come, but not the very image of them. Heb. x. 1.

All these things happened unto them for types. 1 Cor. x. 11.