४ THE COMPARATIVE COINCIDENCE OF REASON AND SCRIPTURE. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: J. HATCHARD AND SON, 187, PICCADILLY. 1832. " THE COMPARATIVE COINCIDENCE OF REASON AND SCRIPTURE. CHAPTER I. IT will be recollected that our first volume concluded by recording a portion of a prophecy selected from the revelation of St. John-namely, "And I saw an angel stand upon the sea, and upon the earth. And he lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth therein for ever and ever, who created heaven and the things that therein are, and the earth and the things that therein are, and the sea and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished;" and that the scriptural declarations which unfold the wonders to be manifested on this awful consummation were to be reserved for the commencement of the subject matter of our second volume. Upon this solemn summons, rolling from the VOL. II. B angelic trombone through the infinite space of heaven's eternal arch, its loftiest legions wing their rapid flight unto the general standard; for in this blessed region all list under the same banner-all serve with the same leader. Celestial charioteers, myriads of high, strong, mighty angels, princedoms, authorities, dominions, powers, and highest potentates of highest heavens, form the resistless ranks of that almighty armament, over which the glorious Captain of all captains, the Captain of salvation, is vested sole commander. The shout of royalty bursts in ten thousand thunders forth from out this mightiest host. The Lord Jehovah is in the midst of them, as in the holy place of Sinai. And if the ministration of condemnation was made glorious, how much more will the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory! (2 Cor. iii. 9.) How glorious will be the universal jubilee! But imagination cannot soar unto the glorious glory of the King of glory-unto the glorious glory of manifested glory, blazing resplendent in the holiest of holies. Millions of high archangels' trumpets sounding at once with an exceeding loudness through heaven's majestic squadrons the awful signal for prompt readiness to attend their supreme Leader-sounding in long reverberated peals of still augmenting loudness-waxing still louder and louder still, at the command of that tremendous voice which sounds like many waters; instant precipitate with their almighty head, on paradisaic plains. Here, peacefully abiding in their fragrant bowers, myriads of happy spirits await in joyful hope the |