about to give up the ghost, he cries, with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge; and when he had said this, he fell asleep. He has the full view of heavenly glory, yet he does not die in a rapture; but he seems to have all his spiritual senses and faculties in proper act and exercise. And if the Lord would give me the desire of my heart, I should prefer dying with Christ's eye on me, and mine on him, and in the exercise of my spiritual senses and faculties on his person-love-salvation-worth-fulness-and glory, than in the enjoyment of spiritual consolation. Because, hereby, a way would be opened to consider the glory that is about to be revealed, as soon as death hath done its office, and the mind is disengaged from the body. Stephen calls Jesus, Lord. He is the Lord of saints. He is your Lord. He is my Lord. He is our Lord. He is the Lord of life, and the Lord of death. He is the Lord of earth, and the Lord of heaven. He is the Lord of glory. Paul says to the saints at Rome; for none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself; for whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord. Whether therefore we live, or die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. It must be a most blessed act to die in Christ, in such views of him, and dependence on him, as Stephen had.

he saw.

But do I conceive ever any beside had such views of Christ as he had, in their last moments? I do not. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he spake out what I consider all this as peculiar unto himself. If we speak of spiritual views of Christ, this belongs to all saints. Hence the apostle says, we see Jesus; yea, he set Christ as the object of their faith before them, and speaks of looking unto Jesus. A most noble employment for a spiritual mind. It is hereby Christ is received into the heart, and lived on in the life and conversation. Many a saint is honoured both in life and death with some supernatural views of the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is in sights of him they live, and therein is the life of their souls. It is generally found, saints live as they die, and die as they live. Such as have been led from the world, and by the Spirit, to receive the knowledge and mysteries contained in the person of Christ, the love and salvation of the holy and immaculate Lamb, and have had real fellowship with him in a way of believing, and centre in him for life everlasting, expecting to find and enjoy in him all the blessings of life everlasting; when such come on the shore of eternity, they generally are found so wrapt up in Christ, so as to utter something to fellow saints who may be about them, how they are sustained in their own minds, and what prospects are now before them; of the glories of Christ which will break in upon their souls, when they shall be admitted into his immediate presence in heaven. Many a saint, grown to spiritual maturity, have found a death-bed, and a dying season, most blessed, as being favoured with such spiritual views of Christ as these which follow.

Contemplations on the eternity and dignity of Christ's person, Godman, have given them to see, that all the glory of God will for ever shine into them, and upon them, in the sight and vision of Him, "the image of the invisible God, in whom dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead." It is a part of glory let down into the mind of such, when they are led to consider Christ as God's alpha and omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last. As the first born of all God's purposes, councils, decrees, designs, and purposes. It fits such for a dying moment to consider Christ in his love to them. To look back into eternity and hear him saying, I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. My delights were with the sons of men. To review all this realized in his open incarnation to consider how it hath been fully ratified by his obedience, sufferings, sacrifice, and death; this is very supporting to the real saint in the prospect of dissolution. So some of the Lord's saints are most blessedly kept up in the near approach of death, from the considerations of the death which Jesus passed through and sustained for them. And some saints are filled with the consolations of the Holy Ghost, and fall asleep in their bodies by death, without sigh or the least struggle. Not that this is always the case. It is in a sovereign way the Lord acts towards his dying saints, as well as towards his living ones. Some who know but very little of Christ, are, it may be, filled with more comfort on their death beds, than those who know far more of him. And some the Lord will have it so, they shall die upon the truth of what he hath revealed of Christ, and spoken to them in his holy word, without any sensible comfort added to it. I conceive it very blessed to be enabled to say as Paul doth, I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Blessed be the Lord, all the Lord's people are equally secure in Christ. Death cannot take off the heart of Christ from them; nor can it separate them one moment from him. Let the particular frame their minds may be in at the article of death, or the circumstances which may attend their departure out of the world be what it may, this can make no alteration in their state in Christ. And their everlasting all depends thereon.

Stephen's words will suit all saints exceeding well when they come to die. A believer cannot close life better, than in the exercise of faith on Christ. He cannot express himself better, when flesh and heart fail, than by saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. He cannot set a greater crown on the head of Christ in his last moments, than by calling on his name, and giving up his soul to him, and committing it to his care and charge. Millions of his saints have acted thus-millions more will. And O that it may be your exercise also, and mine, when the Lord shall call us into such a state, may we die calling on Jesus to receive us, and admit us into such a view of him in his eternal glory, that our souls may be swallowed up wholly in Him.

I conceive nothing can suit saints better, in their expiring moment, than meditations of the Father's everlasting love-of his choice of us in Christ-of his love to us in him-of his having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ-of his having accepted us in the Beloved-of his having blessed us with all spiritual blessings in him-to consider how the Father gave us to Christ, and how he gave himself for us, and hath given himself to us, and redeemed us out of the hands of all our enemies, and we are now about to see him whom our souls loveth face to face--to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord, and to be looking up to the Holy Ghost to bear his testimony to our minds from the word of truth, and realize the same in our hearts. I consider this to be very suitable to us, when we really are just launching into eternity.

It is a pleasing thought, let death come when it may, it will soon be past, and the Lord will be with us. It is only the death of the body. It can do no injury to the mind. When past, it is past for ever. Jesus will take his hand and hold it forth, and hold us by the right hand, saying, "fear not, I will help thee." And we shall have all we need in a dying moment. Let us, therefore, be of good courage, we have his own word for it, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord: you and I need not make so much of death. It is only the sinkings of nature. When the shock is felt, and the whole of our animal life for ever expires, we have Jesus Christ to receive our souls. We need no more. We can say no more to suit us there, than what is contained in these words, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." The Lord bless his truth unto you. Amen.

(For the Spiritual Magazine.)

THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK OF THE REVELATIONS.

(Concluded from page 172.)

IN prosecuting a few detached thoughts, on this mysterious book of God, it was only proposed to consider some of the more prominent parts, as belonging to the vision of the seals, and the trumpets, and the vials; and particularly with an eye to the present advanced day of the church. By watching as far as divine light gives ability, to the Lord's dispensations, during the ministry of those several epochs in what is past and unfolded, we are the better qualified to wait and mark under the same heavenly direction, for what is to come. And as so long a period hath run out, from the days of the apostles, to this nineteenth century of the church; in an humble and patient looking over this sacred scripture, we may hope for the Lord's favour, in the fulfilment of the Lord's promises; Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things

which are written therein.

We have gone over, though in a very cursory manner, our view of the vision of the seals, and of the trumpets. Our present attention will be to that of the vials. The beloved apostle hath introduced the subject, in the 15th chapter, by way of prelude to the events themselves; the relation of which follow in the 16th chapter. It appears that the mind of the hoary servant of the Lord was struck with consternation at what he saw; for he introduceth the subject with expressions to that amount: And I saw (said John) another sign in heaven, great and marvellous; seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled the wrath of God. And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass, mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.

We shall do right to pause here, and observe, under the Lord's teachings how very attentive the Lord is to his people, in the moment when he is going forth in judgment to the ungodly. Here John is brought into a vision, to have these things unfolded, for the church. And God the Holy Ghost watching over his church, hath preserved the relation, and caused it to be handed down in safety, to the present hour. John calls it a sign, great and marvellous! And great and marvellous indeed it is, to behold the safety of the church, when God ariseth to take vengeance on their enemies. Hence the scene is exhibited of a sea of glass mingled with fire; to intimate the Lord's mercy to his people, mingled up in the midst of the fiery indignation of the Lord to his enemies all around. The redeemed of the Lord, who have overcome by the blood of the Lamb, are represented, as standing firm and secure, while beholding the destruction of the ungodly falling on every side. And so composed and tranquil their state, that as Moses at the Red Sea, beholding the destruction of Pharoah and his host, sung the song of salvation, in Israel passing through, a typical representation of Christ's blood; so the church now and at the final overthrow of sin, and satan, sing salvation to God and the Lamb! Distinguishing mercies have a tenfold sweetness in them. And the language of every redeemed, and regenerated child of God is, when in the midst of desolations he findeth peace: Lord! how is it that thou hast manifested thyself unto us, and not unto the world? John xiv. 22.

The man of God having thus prepared the church, for the expectation of the great and marvellous events which were to follow, under the dispensation of the vials, which he calleth the seven last plagues; and having shewn how the Lord had made provision for the church, during these tremendous visitations, next proceeds to introduce the awful ministers, whom the Lord had appointed for this purpose. And I heard a great voice out of the temple, saying to the seven angels, go your way, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God

upon the earth.

And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. Rev. xvi. 1, 2. I stay not to enquire, much less to say, at what period of the church this first vial was poured out. But I would pause to observe, what a beautiful connection there is, in holy scripture, in all ages of the church, in proof that the whole was written by the several penmen under the same Almighty inspiration. When the Lord would shew his servant, the prophet Ezekiel, the awful state of things in his days, it was done as here, by John in vision. The destruction then began at the sanctuary, as in John's vision, from the temple: plainly intimating, that in both there are false professors, as well as the openly profane. But then, as now, the Lord knoweth them that are his! In Ezekiel's vision, the chosen were marked in their foreheads, concerning whom to the destroying angels, the order was given; Come not near any man upon whom is the mark. Ezek. ix. 6. In this vision of John, the angel poured out the vial of wrath upon the men which had the mark of the beast. And what doth the ministry upon both occasions say, but one and the same divine truth as stated by the prophet; Say ye to the righteous, it shall be well with him; woe unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him. Isaiah iii. 10, 11.

This

I do not mean to follow any commentator, upon the subject of the diversity, both on the places where the several vials were poured out, and the different effects when, which were produced by them. would extend the subject much beyond the limits on the present occasion to be observed. And indeed, so many and so various have been their views of them, that scarce any two of them are agreed. And after all, they are wholly conjectural. It will be more to the profit of the spiritual reader, to take the whole into one aggregate, and rather to make observations under divine teaching, on such things belonging to them as tend to edify, than such as though might be amusing, would be unprofitable. That all the dispensations delivered in this mysterious book of God, are prophetical, and had reference to the events which were to follow in the church, from the apostles days to the consummation of all things; whether by vision or otherwise, there can be no question. Hence therefore under this apprehension, and which is truly scriptural, that the spiritually taught child of God may be included in that promise of being blessed in reading or hearing the words of this prophecy, and keep (that is lay up in mind) under the divine unction of the Spirit, what are written therein; our improvement of this cursory view of the seals, trumpets, and vials, will be, in the retrospect of the past, and which have been accomplished; to consider by comparative statement what are yet for to come; and in the solemn contemplation of both, to be always on the watch-tower, attending to the gracious words of our most glorious Christ, and with which he closed each writing sent by