CHAPTER CCLXXIX.

SATAN BOUND.

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HIS WORKS DESTROYED. · -THE NEW

HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH.

OH! scenes surpassing fable, and yet true,

Scenes of accomplished bliss, which who can see,
Though but in distant prospect, and not feel

His soul refreshed with foretaste of the joy?

ND I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life

was cast into the lake of fire.

Hark! to the great trumpet's tones,
Pealing o'er the place of bones.
Hark! it waketh from their bed
All the nations of the dead,
In a countless throng to meet
At the eternal judgment seat.
Nature sickens with dismay:
Death may not retain his prey;
And before the Maker stand
All the creatures of His hand.
The great book shall be unfurled,
Whereby God shall judge the world;
What was distant shall be near;

What was hidden shall be clear.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Oh, joy! to know that Thou, my Friend,
Art Lord, Beginning without end:
The First and Last Eternal!
And Thou, at length, O glorious grace!

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Wilt take me to that holy place,

The home of joys supernal!

Amen, amen!

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Blessed day, which hastens fast,

End of conflict and of sin !
Death itself shall die at last,

Heaven's eternal joy begin.

Then eternity shall prove,
God is Light, and God is Love.

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CHAPTER CCLXXX.

THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM DESCRIBED.

JERUSALEM, my happy home!

Name ever dear to me !

When shall my labours have an end,

In joy, and peace, and thee?

When shall these eyes thy heaven-built walls

And pearly gates behold?

Thy bulwarks with salvation strong,

And streets of shining gold?

ND there came unto me one of the seven angels which had

the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy

Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: on the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

O mother dear, Jerusalem! when shall I come to Thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end, thy joys when shall I see?
O happy harbour of God's saints! O sweet and pleasant soil!
In thee no sorrow may be found, no grief, no care, no toil!
O passing happy were my state, might I be worthy found

To wait upon my God and King, His praises there to sound!

And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there

shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Who are these in dazzling brightness,
Clothed in God's own' righteousness,
These, whose robes of purest whiteness,
Shall their lustre still possess,

Still untouched by Time's rude hand?
Whence come all this glorious band?

Lo! the Lamb Himself now feeds them
On Mount Zion's pastures fair;

From His central throne He leads them
To the living fountains there :
Lamb and Shepherd, Good Supreme!
Free He gives the cooling stream.

CHAPTER CCLXXXI.

THE CLOSING VISION.

THE LAST TESTIMONY.

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OH, the transporting, rapturous scene

That rises to my sight!

Sweet fields, arrayed in living green,

And rivers of delight.

There generous fruits that never fail,

On trees immortal grow;

There rocks and hills, and brooks and vales

With milk and honey flow.

ND he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and