You will observe, friends, that genera y those sins which shut us out from beares have not been transcribed. You will be at no loss to find these specially enumerated in your Bible.

Of the Inhabitants of the Soond Heavens.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be Rer, v、T his God, and he shall be my son. 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. The Lord Jesus Christ Phil, in 21 shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body.

Of the Inhabitants of the Third Heavens, wherein is the
Throne and Paradise of God.

AND his servants shall serve him: and they shall see his face; and his name shall be written in their foreheads. He Rev. xxi. that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, s let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous let him be rightous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. Amen.

ESSAY ON THE THIRD COMING OF THE PRO-
PHET ELIJAH.

We find in the Scriptures, in the general account of the martyrs, saints and prophets, that are to have a place in the resurrection, the following specialities, viz.: three advents of Elijah, two of Moses, two of king David, three of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ, and two of Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah. But this essay will treat of Elijah's third advent only. The second appearance of that great prophet was at the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus.

AS THERE is much diversity of opinion among professing Christians in regard to the third coming of Elias, an argumentative style will be adopted in this essay.

Modern authors admit that the Jews, the Papists, and many of the ancient writers, maintain that Elijah is yet to come. But they, the moderns say, that that great prophet has already come the third time. "And they (his disciples) asked

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Mk ix. 11, 12, 13.

8, 13.

Mat, xvii. him, (the Christ) saying, Why say the Scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered, and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed; likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake of John the Baptist :" and not of Elias. The following paraphrase and commentary may perhaps settle this dispute, before Elijah's public manifestation; for it is believed by some that that prophet is already on the earth. The question put by the disciples, showed two things, viz. their own uncertainty, and the opinion of the Scribes on the subject. Jesus' answer was in accordance and harmony with the 4th, 5th, and 6th verses of the fourth chapter of Malachi; and in which chapter the Scribes, the Jews, the Papists, and ancient writers believe. Ye have not done the law, with the statutes and judgments given to Moses. And as ye appear to have forgotten them entirely, I will send you Elijah to restore all things to your notice, that again, a sccond time, I will induce you to set a good example before your children, in order that they may give you deference, obedience, respect, and esteem; lest, for your disobedience, impenitence, and wickedness, 'I come and smite the earth with a curse; and, behold I will send him before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' Verily, one came already in the same power and spirit as Elias, namely, John the Baptist, whom ye killed; likewise also shall the Son of Man be killed by them, as it was written of John and our Lord; but there was not any thing written of Elias, previous to his coming the first time,—all that ye knew of him when he did come, was, that he was of the inhabitants of Gilead, 1 Kings xvii. 1. Then, but not till then, the disciples were thoroughly convinced that our Lord spake unto them, not of Elias, but of John the Baptist; and then the subject was dropped. And our Lord, knowing that his disciples understood him aright, did not then, nor at any future period, endeavour to remove the impressions which he had left on their minds.

Regarding the persons and endowments of John and Elias, that they were two distinct persons, though in the same power and spirit, no one can doubt. John restored nothing, and he did no miracles, but Elijah had that power, and he was a man subject to like passions as we are.' Why (asked Peter, James, and John) say the Scribes that Elias must first come? Elias, (said our Lord) verily, cometh first, and restoreth all things, Mark ix. 11, 12. At the transfiguration, Elias was seen by Peter, James and John; and if they had not had an expectation of Elias coming again, they surely would not,

immediately after seeing Elias, have questioned our Lord regarding the third coming of that prophet. From what is said in those verses, in conjunction with the 9th and 10th verses, it may be fairly inferred, that the third coming of Elias will precede the first resurrection and the coming of the kingdom.

In regard to the times of the appearance, and the object of the several missions of Elijah and John: nothing having been previously written of Elias, he first appeared in the days of Ahab. John's first and only appearance, as predicted, was immediately before our Lord's public manifestation of himself, and there is no promise of John being sent a second time. John was the messenger of glad tidings,—a joyful day to the whole creation. But Elias is to be sent a third time, and that before the "dreadful day of the Lord; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse, for the iniquity of its inhabitants." In addition to these considerations, take John's own account of himself, John 1. 19-23. And it is particularly worthy of the notice of those persons who call in question the third coming of Elias, that the prophet Malachi writes of the mission of John the Baptist, chap iii. I; and then, in the very next chapter of his book, of the third mission of Elijah,-stating their relative times and objects.

That Herod, the Scribes, and the people, have entertained the opinion, that Christ was John the Baptist, or Elias, was not in the least surprising; because all of them had very imperfect and inadequate opinions of each of the three. There are still Herods and Scribes in the land, in our day.

After the lapse of eighteen hundred years, although our Lord came to confirm the law and the prophets, man has made no progress in moral science, in other words, in their obedience to the ten commandments, statutes, and judgments delivered to Moses in Horeb; and still less have they made any progress in the pure, practical and spiritual precepts of our Saviour. For which reasons, and from many signs also, now is the time that pious and just men look for the third coming of Elias, "Lest the Lord come and smite the earth with a curse.' Is there any, the most distant hope of men being fitted to be inhabitants of Zion, as described in the xv. Psalm, without the aid of such a divine messenger as Elias? No. Therefore his coming will necessarily precede the first or new heavens and new carth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. And by him, it is probable, that "the Lord will shake the heavens, the earth, and the sea."

John had the power and spirit of Elias; they had similar duties to perform-but John preceded the King, and Elias is to precede His kingdom; which there can be no doubt will be, in the language of Malachi, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord, (the second advent.)