· The whole intelligent univerfe is, ftroy Chrift's kingdom. They divided into two oppofing parties. prefent temptations and employ There is the kingdom of darkness their feducing arts to lead aftray and the kingdom of light, or of and deftroy the foul. Thefe evil fin and holiness. fpirits too often fucceed in their attacks upon the Christian for his honor and peace.

The departed fpirits of all who died in their fins declare for the wicked man. By changing worlds they have not changed their feelings and become fubjects of another kingdom. They have only re-earth. All the children of God newed the oath of allegiance and fworn eternal fidelity to the kingdom of unrighteoufnefs. What a vaft company is formed by all the wicked who have lived and died fince the world began!

ry faint is forwarding the glorious | refiftible might, infinite wifdom and work and is encouraging and affift- every divine attribute are employed ing all his fellow-faints by his ex-in building up the kingdom of hoample and his prayers.

The faints in heaven are amongft the friends of the good man; even all the ancient worthies and the eminent Chriftians fince the days of Chrift, that have fallen afleep. Though gone from earth they have not forfaken the caufe, nor is their attachment to it in the leaft dimin ifhed, but greatly ftrengthened. To thefe who had efpoufed the caufe of Chriftianity Paul writes in the following manner, Te are come to the general affembly and church of the firft born, which are written in heaven and to the fpirits of just men made perfect. Saints in heaven and faints on earth form but one body and have but one interest.

The angels that maintained their integrity and now dwell with God are one in temper and aim with the believer. They are miniftering fpirits, fent forth to minifter for them whe ball be beirs of Jalvation. They are commiffioned to protect, fupport and guide the children of heaven through the world; to fave them from the temptations of Satan and bring them fafely to glory. Saints are faid to have come unto mount Zion and to an innumerable company of angels. Michael, the archangel; the feraphim, the cherubim and all lower orders of thofe shining beings are on the fide of the faint,

linefs. That God, whofe counfel ftandeth and who doth all his pleasure; from whom Satan and all his fubjects derive their power and wifdom; that God, who can reftrain any of his creatures within what bounds he fees beft; who can make the evil defigns of the wicked productive of good and detroy his adverfaries with the breath of his mouth; this being is engaged for the defence, the welfare and final triumph of the faint.

Here we behold all the intelligent beings in the univerfe forming two vaft hofts, Satan at the head of one and God the Redeemer at the head of the other. Several important inferences may be drawn from the above statement.

Ift. It is an honorable thing to be Chriftians. Good men are connected with the most refpectable part of mankind and the most worthy and exalted beings in the univerfe. They are united in the fame body with the virtuous and godly on earth and with the patriarchs and all those ancient worthies, who are now in heaven. They become fubjects of the fame kingdom and members of the fame fociety with the holy angels. Yes, my Chriftian readers, you are one with Christ, and Jehovah takes you under his peculiar care adopts you into his family and calls you children. How much honor do you derive from your new connections? When you become acquainted and connected with the first and beft families of the land you feel yourfelves honored. How much more, when you are connected with all the righteous in ancient and modern times, with those spotlefs beings who furround the divine throne, with the Lamb, the Son Ggg

In addition to all thefe forces, there is Chrift the Son of God, who leads them forth and fights the battles of the Chriftian as the captain of his falvation. He has eftablifhed his kingdom on a firm foundation and will ever maintain it, fince he has wifdom to plan and power to execute. God the Father and Spirit, as well as the Son are engaged in the fame caufe. IrVOL. II. No. II.

of God and the great and holy ru-heart will be given you! Your ler of the univerfe! You need not foes are only dependent creatures; be ashamed of your connections, while your preferver and the defor none are fo honorable. fender of the cause of truth is an uncreated, independent and allfufficient God. The strength of your enemies, therefore, and all the fuccefs they meet with in oppofing you and the kingdom of light are given them by the Lord, for a difplay of his perfections, and a trial of your faith. I may addrefs you in the language of the apoftle Paul to his Corinthian brethren;

2dly. It is dishonorable to be wicked men. Impenitent finners are of the fame fociety with all the vicious, filthy and profligate wretches that have appeared in the world. They fide with fuch as conftitute the off-fcouring of our race Yes, finners, you are fellowworkers with the infernal fpirits, with the angels who turned enemies to God. You are the fer-"All things are yours, whether vants, the foldiers, the fubjects and Paul or Apollos, or Cephas, or children of the devil, who is the the world, or life, or death, or prince of darkness and father of things prefent or things to come; lies. Are thefe connections hon- all are yours, and ye are Chrift'ss orable in your eftimation? Though and Chrift is God's." Not only you difown and defpife them, they mercies and the aids of the divine are the most honorable connections Spirit are given you in covenant you have formed. You have at love, but even afflictions, the aftached yourselves to their intereft faults of Satan and the temptations and heartily co-operate with them of the world. Thefe are all defignin upholding and promoting the ed and ordered by God for your fame wicked, wretched caufe. fpiritual and beft good. If you You would not be thought to have live a humble, watchful and prayformed fuch dishonorable connec- erful life you will be kept by the tions amongst men; yet you actu- power of God unto falvation. The ally form fuch connections in a affaults of your enemies are like the fpiritual fenfe much to your dif- raging billows of the fea, which grace and I fear to your ruin. are broken at the foot of the flupendous rock against which they dafh. The Lord is as a wall, as horses and chariots of fire round about you.

3dly. There is fafety in being good men. Power, wifdom and goodnefs are on the fide of the Chriftian. Departed faints and holy angels-the Father, Son and Spirit are all united with the righteous in the fame caufe-the caufe of virtue, truth and religion. The faint will never be difappointed as to his ultimate object. That in which he feels molt interested will terminate well. O man of God! I would envy thee fooner than I would envy the fons of pleasure and fortune, or the princes of the earth with whom there is power and honor: For your caufe will profper and the defire of your

Truft in him and fear not the powers of darkness, for they that be with you are more than they that be with them.

As you fee iniquity abounding and the enemies of the crofs increafing both in numbers and zeal, perhaps you are alarmed for the interefts of Zion. For your confolation, remember that the King of Zion reigneth and that the Judge of all the earth will do right. The caufe of truth and religion is defended by the united force of infinite wisdom and might. The

:

caufe of virtue and piety is the art are great. Your numbers are caufe of God; who then can op- valt. Many amongst you are fampofe it and profper? The heathened for their brilliancy of talents, rage, the people imagine a vain their worldly wisdom, their wealth thing; the kings of the earth fet and power. Your measures of opthemfelves and the rulers take pofition to Chriftianity have ripencounsel together against the Lord ed to a fyftem. Your labors have and against his anointed. But not failed of the defired fuccefs. give not way to defpondency. The things of your policy are in a Christianity will be upheld and promifing train. You foon expect finally triumph For God hath to "crush the wretch," banish refet his king upon his holy hill of ligion from the world and render Zion, and he will give him the. your victory complete. You alheathen for his inheritance and the ready begin to exult and triumph. uttermoft parts of the earth for his But "Let not him that girdeth on poffeffion. Perhaps you may fee his harness boaft himself, as he that a mountain of difficulties to prevent putteth it off." The day is not the profperity of Zion and impede yours. Your victory is partial, the progrefs of the gofpel. But your triumph momentary. Your who art thou O great mountain? fortitude, zeal, art and strength before the divine Zerubbabel thou will not render you victorious, for Jbalt become a plain. God is against you. You are fight

4thly. We may infer that to being against the Lord of Hofts wicked men is dangerous. All finners are engaged in a caufe which will certainly come to ruin. Satan with all his forces cannot win the victory nor fupport his kingdom. The conquefts he has made will in the end be his overthrow and his empire will tremble and fall. The fad confequences of this catastrophe must be felt by all his fubjects. We live in a day when the friends of chriftianity feel the importance of greater union and more vigorous exertions in defence of the truth and fpread of the gospel-a day alfo in which the enemies of Chrift are uniting in the propagation of dangerous" and ye perifh from the way, when error and in the fupport of the his wrath is kindled but a little." kingdom of darkness-when the SHAPHAN. devil has come down, having great wrath, becaufe his time is bort. He brings his millions to the field and is drawing up his forces in battle array for the complete deftruction of the followers of Chrift. Ye fons of infidelity and wickednefs! Your boldness, your zeal and your

whofe kingdom will ftand and whofe dominion will have no end. Your fchemes will be defeated, your expectations will perish, your caufe will be ruined and in its deftruction you will be destroyed. Zion's God liveth and he is on the throne. Therefore the gates of hell will not prevail against her. He will break her enemies with a rod of iron, and dafh them to pieces like a potter's veffel. "Be wife, now, therefore, O ye kings; be inftructed ye judges of the earth," refrain from your oppoftion to Chriftianity, "left ye be found even to fight against God,"

FOR THE CONNECTICUT EVAN-
GELICAL MAGAZINE.

MESS'RS EDITORS,

You have published, from different writers, obfervations on Heb. v. 7. If you think it not

will be found to be a juft idea of that fear, which the apoftle here afcribes to our Lord Jefus Chrift. And was heard in that he feared. In our tranflation a verb is made ufe of, he feared. In the Greek a fubftantive.

He was heard for

because of-on account of his fear. The original word is not phobos, the term commonly made ufe of by the Greeks, to fignify a dread of evil, mifery or diflrefs; but eulabcia which fignifies reverence or reverential fear, that fear of God which the Pfalmift tells us, is clean, enduring forever. And which comprifes in it all true holiness. Accordingly the marginal reading is, he was heard for his piety.

mentioned-0 my Father, if this cup may not pass from me, except drink it, thy will be done-And be was beard, that is accepted and approved, both in his prayer and fubmiffion, for the perfection of his filial fear and piety."

To this paraphrafe I will add a few obfervations. The impreffive fenfe which our Saviour had in the garden, of his future fufferings, was beyond measure agonizing, as the hiftory of the Evangelifts fully evidences. Sufferings, and efpecially extreme fufferings are dreadful to nature; no lefs fo, to innocent and holy beings, than to the unholy. The defire of avoiding mifery, is natural and irresistible in all. None can be willing to fuffer, but for valuable confiderations. The prayer of our Saviour was excited by a clear prescience of anguish and diftrefs, far exceeding the powers of our conception. At the fame time he knew the infinite gain to the universe, which thofe fufferings would effect. If all this good could not be obtained by other means, he freely fubmit

himself. This entire fubmifhen to his heavenly Father, amidit a prayer for deliverance, excited by the agonies of his holy foul was the highest act of his obedience, and moft decidedly proved its abfolute perfection. It gave an additional value and luftre to all that he did as Mediator. For this as the final act, he was heard and accepted of his Father, and fecured in the endlefs enjoyment of all the infinitely great and glorious rewards of his fufferings.

Thefe facts naturally lead to the following paraphrafe. "Our bleffed Saviour, the great High Prieft of his Church, in the gar-ted to fuftain the tremendous load den of Gethsemane, when his mind was deeply impreffed with a perfect forelight of the dreadful Tufferings that were before him, offered up prayers and fupplications, accompanied with ftrong crying and tears to his Almighty Father, who was infinitely able to deliver him; that, if it were poffible, if it were confiftent with the highest divine glory in the falvation of finners, he might be exempted from that bitter death. His human nature, though perfectly holy, fhrunk from the thought of fuch inconceivable fufferings. But yet, amidft this keen anguish which the profpect offered, he did not afk for deliverance unconditionally, but exprefsly on the condition already

The preceding view of the text may not be free from objection; but it is believed not to be liable to feveral, which lie against other conftructions, which have been adopted.

L. T.