that dark shade of death, neither can the sinner exercise his belief while passing through that dark valley. The language on this subject is highly figurative and denotes the derangement of our moral faculties, about the time. of the seperation of the animal and spiritual man. This suspension of the active exercise of the intellectual taculties, often manifests itself som time before the breath leaves the body. It is the dark shadow of death, it also continues for a space after the breath leaves the body; and during this time man is still in the dark valley of the shadow of death, wherein no man can work, either the work of God or the work of the carnal mind. Therefore our Lord, when alluding to that dark state, says, "I must work the work of him that sent me, while it is day; the night cometh when no man can work." In addition to this evidence, I wish the reader to reflect, that about the time that the night came on as it respected the man christ Jesus when no man can work, a token of the same was given in the heavens; the sun was veiled and thick darkness was on the face of the earth, which lasted three hours,as a sign of three days and nights passage throngh the dark valley of the shadow of death, wherein no man can work. But the third day Jesus arose and left the shade of death, as the first fruits of them that slept.

St. Paul, in the 15th chapter of his first epistle to the Corinthians, seems to use the case of Christ's resurrection, as a pattern of our resurrection, which can mean no less than that we all rise in our spiritual bodies out of the dark valley of the shadow of death, after the pattern shown us in his resurrection. He arose from the state wherein no man can work, in the course of three days; even so shall we; just as certain as we are planted in the likeness of his death, we shall rise in the likeness of this resurrection. And as no man can work while in the dark valley of the shadow of death, even so no man who dies in unbelief, can be converted till he rises from that gloomy valley; for while in that dark state he can be no subject of conviction, until he rises from the shadow of death; nor can he exercise repent

ance until after that resurrection. We find that night of the shadow of death, often represented by the figure of natural sleep, because we usually lie down to sleep in the night while it is dark, therefore the figure is good.

Some by blending this resurrection, of which I have just now spoken, with the last resurrection, have supposed that we remain in the dark valley inactive, until Christ delivers up the kingdom to the father, which I shall explain in another chapter. And only attend in this place to the nature of our passing from this world into the world of spirits. It has already been observed that we often see the intellectual faculties of people become deranged sometime before death; this teaches us the nature of the shadow of death. Aged people as they decline become childish, and sometimes get to be mere idiots, and are under the shade of death, which depresses their mental faculties. Some are born idiots, and remain so all the days of their partial lives. Such are partially under the shadow of death, during their stay in this world, and onward, until they have passed through the dark valley of the shadow of death. I would not wish to be understood, that any faculty of the soul properly sleeps, but that all the powers of the mind, are confused during the night wherein no man can work. So that we are incapable of exercising cur reason, being in a sort of captivity. Christ leads our captivity captive, by virtue of his resurrection power. For we read of him thus, Thou hast ascended on high; thou hast received gifts for men, yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell among them. Yes Jesus Christ will accomplish all his work both in this world and that to come. without fail,

CHAPTER 10,

ON ETERNITY.

Isa. 57. 15, 16, 17. "For thus saith the high and lofty one, that inhabiteth Eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy Place."-In order to explain the holy nature of Eternity, I have adduced the. only passage in our English Bible where the word Eternity is to be found; but the adjective eternal, is often to be met with in the Scriptures. Eternity is a substantive, and a proper name of that high, holy and unchangeable state of being which God alone inhabiteth at this. present time. The truth of my observations will appear by a close examination of the order of the text. Hence the word Eternity can never, with any degree of propriety, be applied to any unholy, sinful or changeable mode of being. For the text says, "Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth Eternity, whose name is Holy, I dwell in the high and holy place." What high and holy place? Why that holy Eternity God inhabiteth. This fact must be obvious to every discerning eye. It will follow then, that any idea of Eternity short of an high and holy place, must be fallacious. For it appears to be the habitation of none but him who is holy. A man perhaps may inhabit Eternity, when he shall become subject to no more change, and is holy as God is also holy; and when he shall become clothed with immortality, which supposes no after change possible, either for the better or for the worse. Until this becomes our happy condition, we cannot dwell in that high and holy place with God; which state is properly named Eternity and beside this, no other eternity can be proved to have existence, not as recorded in the English Bible. Therefore, the spurious doctrine of an eternity of hell torments, must be expunged from the christian

church. For there can be no more two opposite Eternities, one holy and the other unholy, than there can be two opposite Deities equal in power and with unchangeability of nature, and both infinite in their opposite stations, one being good and the other bad. Come ye votaries of the doctrine of an eternity of unholy clamor, in woe and misery, come let us reason together. Can you find as positive an evidence for an unholy eternity of misery, as I have adduced in support of an holy and happy Eternity? I very much dispute your ability to do this, by holy scripture testimony. You never can find in the bible, where sin and death are referred to in Eternity, for you can't find this word, only in the pas-sage I have quoted, there it unequivocally goes to prove my side of the question to be correct. You cannot find the word endless, connected with either sin or misery any where in the holy scriptures. But you can find it connected with life. No man can find in the bible the words, without end, applied to damnation; but they are applied to salvation, or rather to a saved state. There is no passage in the bible, which says plainly in so many words, that iniquity, sin and indignation have no end; but the contrary, "Iniquity shall have ar. end." to make "an end of sin." "The righteous shall see it and all iniquity shall stop her mouth." "Your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand." Such passages as these, are to be found on scripture record. Add to all this, Christ has given us clearly to understand, that both satan and his kingdom shall have an end: St. Mark 3. 24, 25, 26. However, Eternity is a high and exalted state of being, where nothing which is corrupt, or vain, or sinful, can exist. I read of no low, degraded, corrupt, sinful, and wicked eternity, although much is said of wickedness in time. The proper Eternity borrows nothing from time, it is not dependent on any thing done in time. Hence it is not a state of rewards and punishments, but all its joys are in one independent God, and when men shall dwell with God in his own eternity, then all their

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happiness will spontaneously flow from him whose name is holy; not as rewards for what had been done in time, but as a free and independent gift of eternal life. It will appear that moral dependant beings, had already received ample rewards and punishments in time. Either while in the world of flesh or in that portion of time called the world of spirits, and perhaps more or less in both worlds, for all that belongs to time must be done there and there only.

Time, when compared with the hight and holy eternity is the low unholy state of subordinate beings, while in a state of minority. From this low estate of childhood, they will rise at last, to a glorious state of immortality, which will then constitute their unchangeable eternity with God. That translation of dependant moral nature supposes the last resurrection, and the last change ever to be experienced by them. St. Paul when speaking on this subject 1 Cor. 15. 51, 52, 53, 54. says, "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, death is swallowed up in victory." See Isa. 25. 6, 7, 8. "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." Sleep, here implies rest, repose; we shall not rest in a temporal state, and thus remain in this low condition, but we shall be raised to one far better, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, that spiritual change will take place, and we shall rise from time to the high and holy eternity In a moment, at the last sound of the gospel trumpet, that world which follows this, will come to an end, and we shall be changed. And then, as shown in the preceding chapter, time shall be no more. A boundless eternity of immortality and unchangeable glory, will open