the whole intelligent creation may be compared to the various smaller bodies of the material system. Holiness, in its nature, tends to produce an order in the moral world similar to that which ap pears in the natural world. Each holy being attracts others towards himself; and all are drawn towards the fountain of the secondary-And finally, every portion of matter, may be estimated, according to its respective place, or nearness to the common centre. According to the hypothesis, the sun is the centre of gravity, and of infinitely more worth than all the rest of the systems. It derives its excellence, and keeps its station, from an inherent principle, which constitutes its nature, indepen-being and blessedness. Those dently on all created external causes. All the other planets are attracted towards this centre of gravity; borrow their light from it, and perform their revolutions round it. At the same time the secondary are attracted towards their primary; and each smaller portion of matter is attracted towards the centre of its respective planet. Each particle of matter, exerts a force proportional to its nearness to the sun, or common centre; as it respects both the common centre, and also the body to which it belongs. Consequently harmony prevails throughout the material system. flaming spirits, nearest the throne of God, like the bodies nearest the sun, are most pow erfully attracted towards God himself; and of course, towards the holy part of his creation.Were this divine principle universal it would unite and bring in to one, every created intelli gent. All, thus united, would be attracted towards the fountain of holiness, and be made one, in interest, and affection, with the Deity. Each individual, by promoting his own happiness, would do it, consistently with the good of all others, and the glory of God. What was the joy of one, would be equally the joy of all, A happy gradation would extend from God himself through all the angelic hosts and saints in heaven, to the lowest saint on earth. Then would exist happy individuals; happy families; happy neighborhoods; happy societies; happy worlds. The universe itself would be happy. To apply this to the moral world. And for the want of better helps, to compare things spiritual with things temporalview the Deity like the sun, independent on the material system for his holy brightness.As also independent on the moral system. As strictly and absolutely independent on all causes which imply the least degree of imperfection. Himself, a fountain of moral light. Emitting beams of light to bodies of moral darkness. The highest order of created intelligences may take the place of the primary planets. The next high-telligent or rational part of creation. Which can, by none, be properly viewed as a limitation est the place of the secondary. And those less noble, including Some reflections which naturally suggest themselves, from what has been already observed, will only be noticed, without enlarging. 1. Disinterested benevolence, as it has been considered, has been confined, wholly, to the in 5. Joy beams upon the afflicted and desponding soul, whilst it realizes its immortality, and pensively counts the fleeting moments which rapidly waft it to its immortal inheritance. from this consideration. The to the hands of God who gave it. supposition that perfect disinterested benevolence can be consistent with the least degree of malevolence, would be absurd. The benevolent man will regard every beast and insect; all things that have animal life, as the creatures of God. He will view them, as fashioned and preserved by that same Almighty pow-it; the subjeet is peculiarly cal er which gave himself existence; as formed to answer the end of their creation; and therefore he will not abuse the goodness of God. 6. Especially, considering the nature of holiness, in the view which has been already taken of culated to clothe the creature with humility. With humility because he is a creature; but more particularly, because he is a sinful creature. 7. The last reflection which will here be noticed, is, that reason points us to the scriptures, for full and complete satisfac tion on the nature of holiness; and in this case, as well as in all others, directs to them, as our 2. Whatever disorder exists in the moral world, may be seen to be the effect of sin. Sin has separated moral agents from the centre of happiness. Storms in the natural world, by displacing bodies, and removing them from their common centre may pro-infallible guide in all things duce disorder. Hence, the pe- which respect our belief, and culiar force, in the prophet's practice. striking comparison, "The wicked are like the troubled sca when it cannot rest.” 3. One obvious truth, and one too, which ought to afford comfort to every rational being, is, that an infinitely wise and benevoient God, in having an ultimate and chief regard to his own honor and glory, has it in a manner perfectly consistent with the greatest possible good of the creature. He hath made the path of duty the direct road to happiness. 4. The worth of the immortal soul is brought into view, by considering it, in the relation which it bears to other intelligences, and especially to God himself. It has an interest in what was transacted before it was united with this body even in the councils of eternity; and patiently waits till it may return II. Accordingly, by adverting to them, as was proposed in the second place, and comparing the view which reason gives of the nature of holiness, with the scriptures; we shall be enabled to discover, how far, what has been already suggested, harmonizes with the word of God. The scriptures, evidently, speak of two kinds of love.― One of which is sinful; and the other holy. Of the former kind is that spoken of in 2 Chron. xix. 2.-1 John ii. 15-and 2 Tim. iii. 2. where mention is made of some who love those that hate the Lord; who love themselves, the world and the things of the world. The Apos tle Peter, in saying, "men shall be lovers of their own selves," evidently means by it that they shall be wholly selfish or that they shall show an unreasona ble partiality towards self. Of this kind of love, though manifesting great friendship, was that which was reproved by our blessed Saviour. Such as induced some to love others, because termed, in scripture, brotherly love, or love of the brethren; and is mentioned as being of such a nature as to be an infallible evidence of having "passed from death unto life." And the speaking of those to whom we ought to do good, denotes those of this character, by saying, they loved them; to lend, hop-great Apostle of the Gentiles, ing to receive, and to do other kind offices, expecting a full compensation. The scriptures place the sum and essence of this kind of love in selfishness. especially unto them who are of the household of faith;" as if more worthy, on account of what Christ had done for them, and on account of their moral It is not inconsistent with the nature of holiness, to show a proper and becoming regard to character, than those who were one's self; but what is in scrip-in a state of nature. ture required, appears from the command given by our Saviour, to love our neighbor as ourselves. If the love which we bear towards ourselves, is to be the measure of that to be exer cised towards our neighbor, the former is as evidently required as the latter. As if it had been said, consider your neighbor as a brother. You are both the creatures of God, and deserve to be treated exactly according to your moral characters. All the invitations, exhortations and commands of the gospel, imply When they this supposition. When they are complied with, God and the Saviour are glorified. The creature is happy. There is joy in heaven. Love is the bond of perfectness. There is mutual joy in heaven and earth. A holy universe participates. We are expressly commanded to be holy, from the example of an holy God. To bring direct scripture passages to show that God has an ultimate and chief regard to his own glory in all his works, would only be quoting the obvious sense of every sacred page. The love of complacence is VOL. V. No. 2. cate a spirit of universal, disinFinally, the scriptures incul terested benevolence, as the nature of holiness, and the sum of all moral virtue, and Christian duties. They invite to it, from the example of Christ; from the dying love of a crucified Saviour; and from a sense of our own need of divine mercy and it, from the mercy of our heavensovereign grace. They urge to ly Father, who indiscriminately and with a liberal hand dispenseth the blessings of his comevil and the good; among the mon providence among the just and among the unjust. We are commanded to bless and curse not; to love our enemies; to pray for them that hate us; and to do good to all. But we are to love the Lord our God with all our faculties to the greatest possible degree. Because he is an infinite being, and because "God is love."His name is holy. He dwelleth in the holy place. With vailed faces the holy Angels worship him in ascriptions of holy praise. H LX. ing to the mode of computation adopted by this Prophet, are prophetic weeks; each week containing seven days, and each day denoting a year; according to which, the seventy weeks are 490 years. For the com that the captivity of the Jews in Babylon was about to expire, and applying himself to the devout exercises of humiliation, fasting and prayer, was instructed by an holy Angel in the following manner :- -Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and up-putation of these weeks a certain on thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know, therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jeruzalem, unto Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street and the wall shall be built in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week; and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abomination he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that deter-mies, the Samaritans, Ammomined shall be poured upon the desolate. This vision or pro period is fixed, or date given; from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem. This could not be the decree of Cyrus for the liberation of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, as these weeks, computed from that period, would expire about eighty years before the existence of those events, which by all expositors, are acknowledged to be the important subjects of this prophecy. But they are to be computed from the celebrated decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus given to Ezra, to go up to Jerusalem and restore God's worship according to its primitive institution. The occasion appears to have been this. Cyrus proclaimed liberty to the Jews, saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built, and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. To this work the Jews applied themselves with great ardor on their return to Judea; but it was embarrassed and retarded by the artifices of their inveterate ene nites and Moabites, through the reigns of Cyrus and his son Cam terms of this prophecy, that such a general and anxious expectation of the Messiah obtained among the Jews, about the time of his advent? Art thou he that should come or look we for another? The divine declaration, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, certified the event, the incarnation of the redeemer. The promise to Abraham defined the nation of which he should be, of his posterity, or the Jews. The prophecy of Jacob, The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, prescribed the tribe. The promise to David, the family; and the prophecy of Micah, Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, the town or city. But however ac byses, or Ahasuerus; and by the decree of Smerdis, or Artaxerxes, was entirely suspended. Ezra, ch. iv. The work was resumed by the Jews by the address of Haggai and Zecha. (ch. v.) and thro' the favorable decree of Darius (ch. vi.) the temple was finished in the sixth year of his reign, about twenty three years after the return from the captivity of Babylon. Tho' the temple was built and the worship of God attended in it, yet this was but a partial restoration; the decree of Cyrus was but partially executed. Many profanations also had insinuated themselves; Jerusalem was yet waste and the gates were consumed with fire. Neh. ii. To correct abuses and effect a complete res-curately these prophecies might toration, Artaxerxes, in the seventh year of his reign, gave that liberal decree to Ezra, recorded Ezra ch. vii. From the going forth of this commandment are the 70 weeks, or 490 years, to be computed. These weeks by the angel are divided into three parts, 7, weeks, 62, weeks and one week. In the 7 weeks the work of restoration As this prefixed a period from was to be completed, in which which the Jews could calculate, the street and wall should be built it premonished them precisely in troublous times. How exactly of the time when the word this part of the prophecy was should be made flesh and dwell fulfilled, is very obvious from the among them. Computing from history of Nehemiah.-From this period and perceiving that these 7 weeks or 49 years are the the time was about to expire, 62 weeks, or 434 years, to be their minds were filled with arcomputed. These introduce the dent expectation, that the Lord third part, the one week, when would suddenly come into his the Messiah should appear, first temple; and at the time prefixby his messenger, who shoulded he appeared to the inexpresprepare his way, and then in his sible joy of those who were waitown glorious person, to finishing for the consolation of Israel. transgression, make an end of Let us now consider, sin, and bring in everlasting righteousness for the salvation of his people. Was it not from the definite define those particular subjects, yet the Jews could never determine from them the time when the Messiah should appear. But this prophecy of Daniel, making the time a principal subject, defined it in the most explicit, terms. It should be seventy weeks, or 490 years from the going forth of the commandment. II. The works to be effected in this conclusion, or last part, of this period. These are expres |