night, in the which the

chambers of the dead, and change the living. Now, the earth is rolling quietly on in its orbit, and its myriads of entombed children are slumbering unconsciously in its bosom. The next moment, it is con. vulsed, and land and ocean yield up their quickened dead. The rocky prisons, the marble shrines, the coral depths, instantly respond to the almighty voice. And now the burning breath of Jehovah goes up and envelopes the globe; the world is on fire; and heaven and earth mingle their roaring elements in a vast furnace of devouring flame ! "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be burnt up.' From their ashes will rise a world shining with the lustre of a new creation, and corresponding with the resurrection bodies. "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." Then will the Saviour's triumph be complete-his joy full. He will then have subdued the "last enemy," and have delivered all his friends forever from death's iron sway. Then will all that is mortal have put on immortality, all that is corruptible will have put on incorruption, and the blest voices of the redeemed will sing together with angelic powers, death, where is thy sting?— O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God,

who hath given us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ."*

Who would not live for such a consummation? Be this ever in our eye; and never may we forsake the path that leads to a glorious resurrection.

*1 Cor. xv. 55.

CHAPTER XVI.

PROOF OF THE JUDGMENT.

ALL nature proclaims that the affairs of this world are tending to a grand consummation. The human family is evidently a portion of a vast empire of intelligencies, sustaining relations to a government superior to this perishable earth, eternal in the heavens. The Almighty spake the earth into being, lifted the curtains of heaven and marshalled the shining hosts around it, and launched it forth in its orbit, to be peopled with a race of probationers for eternity, and having run its appointed circuit of ages, to present them at his judgment bar. For this, creation exists; towards this, the wheels of providence are rolling; and here will they arrive at the appointed time. The gospel must first be preached among all nations. Religion and science. are to enlighten the earth, infidelity and idolatry to creep forth from their dark places and flee in disgrace. The head of the serpent is to be bruised, Eden to be restored, Zion to put on her beautiful garments, and all the ends of the earth to see the salvation of God. Then will follow the ushering in of the splendors and

triumphs of judgment. Then will appear the great white throne, and him that sitteth thereon, from whose face the earth and the heavens will flee away.* The dead, small and great, will stand before God, the sea give up the dead which are in it, death and the grave surrender all their captives, and the whole human family come forth to receive their doom. Then will come the end of this world. Having finished its appointed circuit of ages, and accomplished its great purpose, its last day will set, and the same Word that spake it into being will return it to whence it came. The angel will lift his hand to heaven, and swear by him that liveth forever and ever, that time shall be no longer.†

By the general judgment we understand an event, in which the Almighty will assemble all the subjects of his moral government, and in the perfect light of truth and on principles of everlasting righteousness pronounce public and final sentence upon them.

Respecting this great event men are prone to be sceptical. It has ever been the scorn of the atheist and the derision of the profane. Yet of all conceivable events, it is the last on which trifling becomes us. Every person must admit that such a judgment may await us; and if it does, language is inadequate to express the magnitude and solemnity of our interest in the event. Let us then look seriously to it. My object now is to notice the evidence that such a judgment will actually take place. We find, on inquiry, that our moral

constitution, the moral government under which we exist, and the express teachings of the divine Word, all harmoniously proclaim it.

1. OUR MORAL CONSTITUTION.

We are conscious

A

of possessing the power to act responsibly. We know that we can do what we judge to be right or wrong. We thus know that we are accountable for our conduct, and are therefore liable to be called to account. man may, for a few dark moments, sin himself out of this conviction, but reason himself out of it he cannot. Conscience, the faithful monitor, will lift up her strong voice and proclaim righteousness and a coming judgment. Even in the dark and reckless soul of the atheist she sometimes speaks, in language of terrible rebuke. In moments of peril the conviction darts like vivid lightning upon his mind, that he is about to fall into the hands of the living God to answer for the deeds of the body, and he instinctively calls to that God for mercy. Thus a single flash of immortality melts away his atheism in a moment, destroys all his sophistical arguments, gives victory to truth, and makes him tremble in anticipation of coming judgment. It has been demonstrated, in thousands of instances, that the most iron-hearted atheism is no proof against the instinctive admonitions of an awakened conscience. Her voice may be for a season drowned in the tumult of passion, or lost in the din of the busy world, but finally silenced she cannot be. After all the most labored attempts to prevent her, she will awake, will speak, will be heard, and will urge a resistless conviction upon the soul of every man, that he is an account