heathen temples, marks a new epoch in the prophetic history, and from the direct and distinctive subject of the vision of the sixth seal. "And I beheld, when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind: and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places: and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. vi. 12-17.) Two distinct revolutions are here prefigured to the eye of the Apostle: the one taking place on the earth, the other in the heavens; and according to the distinctive character of these symbols, we must understand the former as respecting the temporal and political state of the empire; the latter, as referring to the religion of the state. Now the "great earthquake," beheld by the Apostle, was signally fulfilled; first, in the subjugation of the whole empire, to the single dominion of Constantine, by the defeat and death of Maxentius in Italy, A.D. 312, of Maximin in Thrace and Asia, A.D. 313, and finally of Licinius in A.D. 323; and secondly, and more particularly, by the building and dedication of Constantinople, and translation of the seat of empire from Rome to that city, A.D. 329 and 330. The symbols, denoting the mighty revolution that he accomplished in the religion of the state,

CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 342.

are such as are universally used by the Spirit of prophecy to prefigure similar events, and I would not detain your readers by here entering into any explanation of them, which they may better find else. where, and particularly in Mr. Faber's Calendar of Prophecy; nor need I dwell on the signal fulfilment of the vision thus interpreted, as none of your readers will probably be disposed to call in question the justness of the application. "The sun" of Paganism "became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together," when the gods of Rome were dethroned, and their rites abolished; when by a succession of edicts, Constantine prohibited the idolatrous rites of Paganism, and the consulting either in public or private, the aruspices, soothsayers, oracles, &c.; and further, commanded all the heathen temples to be shut up, and suppressed the celebrated oracles of antiquity (see Univ. Hist. vol. xv. p. 586);" and every mountain and island were moved out of their places," by depriving the Pagan hierarchy of the support of the wealth and power of the state. The office of Pontifex Maximus was associated by Augustus, with the imperial purple, and generally, as Gibbon observes (vol. ii. p. 354), "The ministers of Polytheism, both in Rome, and in the provinces, were, for the most part, men of a noble birth, and of an affluent fortune, who received as an honourable distinction, the care of a celebrated temple, or of a public sacrifice, and exhibited, very frequently at their own expense, the sacred games *." This constituted

"Fifteen pontiffs exercised their supreme jurisdiction over all things and persons that were consecrated to the service of the gods....Fifteen grave and learned augurs observed the face of the heavens... Fifteen keepers of the Sybilline books occasionally consulted the history of future, and, as it should seem, of con2 X

the pillar of the Pagan hierarchy; and when Polytheism ceased to be the religion of the court, it rapidly lost its most powerful votaries. But it is to be further particularly noted, that the downfal of Paganism is directly ascribed by the prophet, to the rise and prevalence of Christianity. "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bond man, and every free man hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" By the decree of Milan, published A.D. 313, Constantine granted to the Christian church a full and universal toleration in the year 324, after the defeat of Licinius, he published an edict, ordering an universal restitution to be made of all that had been taken from the churches, and for rebuilding those that had been destroyed; in 329 and 330, he dedicated his new city of Constantinople to the God of martyrs, and in it erected a vast number of churches, crosses, and other religious and public edifices. Thus Christianity became the religion of the state; and, through the influ

tingent, events. Six vestals devoted their virginity to the guard of the sacred fire. ...Seven Epulos prepared the table of the gods....The three Flamens of Jupiter, of Mars, and of Quirinus, were considered as the peculiar ministers of the three most powerful deities... The king of the sacrifices represented the person of Numa and of his successors.... The confraternities of the Salians, the Lupercals, &c. practised their superstitious rites....As the service of the altar was not incompatible with the command of armies, the Romans, after their consulships and triumphs, aspired to the place of pontiff or of augur; the seats of Cicero and Pompey were filled, in the fourth century, by the most illustrious members of the senate; and the dignity of their birth reflected additional splendour on their sacerdotal character." (Gibbon, ch. xxviii.)

ence of the court, as well as the force of truth, superstition rapidly fled before the light of the Gospel; but still deep-rooted prejudices, and especially religious prejudices, are not to be extirpated at once, or in the course of one reign. Time was requisite for effecting a full conversion of the Roman world to the faith of Christ; and for accomplishing this great end, the providence of God is represented, in the sequel of St. John's vision, as interposing to grant a longer respite to the western empire from the destruction which overhung it by the desolating inroads of its barbarous enemies. "And after these things, I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed, an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.... After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude whom no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne,

During the short reign of Julian, Paganism again reared her head; and it was not till the accession of Gratian, that the colleges of priests were finally suppressed, and the statue of Victory displaced from the Roman senate: nor could Paganism be said to be finally extirpated till, by the last edict of Theodosius, even the secret exercise of its superstitious rites was rigidly prohibited. (See Gibbon, ch. xxviii.)

and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. There fore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." (Rev. vii.) The barbarous hordes of Germany and Scythia were with the utmost difficulty kept back till the close of the reign of Theodosius the Great, A.D. 395; and that prince seemed to be raised up by the special interposition of Providence, to save the fate of the Western empire, till the servants of God were sealed on their foreheads; and it was by his set tlement of a large Gothic colony within the boundaries of the empire, that that nation became itself Christian, before Italy was overwhelmed by it in the subsequent reign. To this striking circumstance it is, probably, to be ascribed, that the light of the Gospel was not extinguished in the West, almost as soon as it was universally diffused; and that one form of Pagan superstition was not substituted for another. It was moreover to the zeal of the virtuous and pious Theodosius that the church of Christ was indebted for the re

pressing of the Arian heresy, and the establishment of the orthodox faith. By the Council of Constantinople, summoned by the Emperor, A.D. 381, the Nicene Creed, which still forms the standard of Christian faith, even of the Reformed churches, was fully and finally settled: and thereby might the formerly persecuted, but now triumphant, servants of God be properly said, in the language of the prophet, to have "washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb," and to be led by him to "fountains of living waters," and in the enjoyment of the protection of the state, to have "all tears wiped from their eyes." D. W. P.

FAMILY SERMONS.-No. CCLXVIII.

OF FAITH IN THE HOLY TRINITY*.

1 John iv. 8.-He that loveth not,

knoweth not God; for God is love.

THE sentiment with which these words conclude, is one upon which the Apostle John delights to dwell. He repeats it in the sixteenth verse, and descants upon it at large in this chapter, and indeed throughout the Epistle. Here it is introduced for the purpose of enforcing the duty of brotherly love among the children of God. Those who are really his children will be like their heavenly Father. True love to him will produce conformity to his image. Beholding the love of God they will love him and those whom he loves; "for every one that loveth him that begat, loveth him also that is begotten of him; and he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,

how can he love God whom he hath not seen ?" Therefore this commandment have we from him," says

The following sermon, which is appropriate to the present season of our church services, is extracted from the discourses

of the Rev. John Hall, reviewed in our

present Number.

the Apostle," that he who loveth God love his brother also." But the particular object which I have in view, in directing your attention to these words, is, to consider the manner in which the Holy Scriptures represent the Divine being as a God of love. Great and manifold are the mistakes which are current in the world on this important subject; in consequence of which various heresies have arisen in the church. It is therefore proposed to inquire,

First, What are the peculiar attributes of the Divine Being; And, Secondly, How the Holy Scriptures represent him to be a God of love.

This is a subject peculiar to Divine revelation. Who, and what God is, can be ascertained from the sacred volume alone. Let us take this for our guide, praying that the Spirit of God would be pleased to "open our eyes to behold wondrous things out of his law," on this most important subject, that our apprehensions of the Divine Being may be such as he would have us to entertain.

First, on the subject of the peculiar attributes of the Divine Being, or who is God, we may take the definition of the first of the Articles of religion of the Church of England: "There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible."

1. Here we learn, that when we speak of God we mean "the Maker and Preserver of all things." He who brought all nature into existence, and who preserves it in being,, is God. This is the manner in which he is described at the commencement of the book of Divine revelation: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." So likewise, when the Apostle Paul describes him to the wise Athenian philosophers, he says, "In him we live, and move, and have our being." By this description also the Prophet

Isaiah represents him, as proclaiming his own superiority to all other beings. "Thus saith God the Lord, He that created the heavens, and stretched them out; He that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; He that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; and spreadeth abroad the earth by myself. To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?" He who created the world, and who sustains it in existence, is the God whom it becomes his creatures to worship and adore. It is on this account that the worship of heaven is said to be offered to him. “They fall down and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.' To this the prophet Jeremiah appeals as affording undoubted evidence that the Lord Jehovah is the true God: "He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion. He is the former of all things. The Lord of hosts is his name." ." And with this he contrasts the false gods of the heathen, ".Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens."

2. The Creator of all things is "the one true God." "The Lord our God is one Lord. There is one God, and there is none other but he." Or as the prophet says, "Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord: thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? forasmuch as there is none like unto thee."

3. He is the living God. Being the author and sustainer of life in

his creatures, he is in the highest sense the living one. That he is the living God, the prophet Jeremiah proves by saying, "When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth: He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures." As the living God, the exercise of his almighty power is manifested in carrying forward the operations of nature. But with regard to his creature man, he in an especial manner proves himself to be the living God, inasmuch as he says of himself, "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings." On this subject the Psalmist dwells at some length in the hundred and thirty-ninth Psalm, shewing that he is the living God, because "He searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imagi. nations of the thoughts." Wherever we are, his eye is upon us; he hears the words we utter; he sees the actions we perform; he understands the thoughts which pass through our minds. That he is the living God with whom we have to do, is a consideration that should effect our minds with seriousness, and lead us to live" as seeing him who is invisible."

4. He is everlasting, without beginning or end. The Psalmist says of him, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

5. He is without body; incorporeal. He fills heaven and earth with his presence. He therefore asks, "Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord."

6. He is without parts or pas sions. When, therefore, he is spoken

of in any way which might seem to imply these things, it is in accommodation to our apprehensions. As when it is said, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good;" and, "The face of the Lord is against them that do evil." And when he is represented as "repenting and grieving," we are taught to expect that he will deal with mankind in such a manner, or that such effect should follow, as would be the consequence of similar feelings among ourselves.

7. "He is of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness." Infinite in power; for "none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?" So Job said to him, "I know that thou canst do every thing." "He is the only wise God," infinite in wisdom; for " He taketh the wise in their own craftiness;" and "He knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain." And his infinite goodness is the subject particularly referred to in the text; from which we may consider,

Secondly, How the Holy Scriptures represent him to be the God of love. When we view the Divine Being simply as God Almighty, his majesty and glory, his power and greatness, are enough to fill us with dread. And when we reflect that he created all things for himself, for his own glory, and for his pleasure they are and were created; and yet that instead of answering the end of our creation, we have rebelled against our Creator; have trampled under foot his laws and transferred our allegiance to his enemy; and that he has revealed himself to be a consuming fire to his adversaries, and a jealous God-jealous of his honour-and that he is not unrighteous in taking vengeance on those who presume to oppose his authotity:-when all this is considered, the declaration that God is love, and that he has been pleased to reveal himself as such to his rebellious creatures, seems most extraordinary, and scarcely comprehensible. When we contemplate the