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examine a few before endeavouring to come to any conclusions. In the xixth chap. at the 20th verse, where the overthrow of the beast and the false prophet, which are the temporal and spiritual powers of Christendom is described, it is said: "These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone;" by which, I understand, that in that day of the consummation of wrath, the enemies of Christ thus designated, that is, the whole institute of apostate power, and apostate priesthood, shall like Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, go down quick into the pit. At the end of the Millennium the devil also, in whom as the head I suppose all inferior angels to be represented, is cast (xx. 10): "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 this is all the information which we have concerning the lake of fire, in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ. But in the Gospels and other Scriptures, we have frequent allusions made to it—as, for example, in the judgment of the nations (Matt. xxv. 41), it is said unto those who persecuted his people," Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." But perhaps the most remarkable passage in all the Scriptures concerning this point, is to be found in Mark ix. 43—48: "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." Now this most fearful description of hell-fire, where three times it is set in opposition unto life, though not denominated the second death, three times described not only by fire the element of bodily torture, but by the gnawing worm, the symbol of undying remorse of conscience;-this pas sage I say, in which the eternity and misery of tbe damned

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is so expressed, as if to put universalism and purgatory out of the possibility of being ever thought of, doth rest upon. a passage in the Prophet Isaiah, from which the language is almost literally taken: "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh (Isai. Ixvi. 23, 24). This presents us with a hell upon earth, in the neighbourhood of the city of Jerusalem; and parallel to this, is the concluding words of the Apocalypse, Rev. xxii. 14, 15: "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. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." And the same mystery seems to me to be taught in the lix th Psalm. It is a great mystery which I am not called upon to open now, as it will come in its own place.

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The only question before us at present is, why it should be called the second death. I think it is so called from its resemblance to the first death in this particular, that it brings those who are its victims into a state of impotence, passiveness, inactivity, and helpless endurance of ill. The first death is separation of soul and body but this is not the character of the second death, before which they are united. The first death is the dissolution of the body into unconscious dust, and the imprisonment of the soul in Hades; when the wicked are conscious, I believe, but confined; the subject of its own lusts and passions preyed upon by the memory of evil, and the presence of hopeless remediless evil, while the body is preyed upon by the worm. This passiveness of condition, is the character of the first death to all whom Christ hath not redeemed; and this passiveness to misery is likewise the form of the second death. Now seeing this estate of the second death, comes upon the apostates in the church at the beginning of the Millennium, and not upon the devil and his angels, and other men, until the end of it: the promise in the

text to every one that overcometh, of not being hurt by the second death, is an assurance against apostacy, and the consequences of apostacy. Apostacy is that falling away from the faith, that return unto the lusts from which we had clean escaped, that disseveration from the body of Christ to which we had been joined, which is continually referred to in all the Scriptures, and especially in the writings of the Apostles. Whereof the certain doom is the second death during the Millennium, expressed by casting the beast and the false prophet alive into the lake of fire, while during the same time those who have not his mark; that is, all Christians who have not fallen away from the Lamb, and from the foundation of Mount Zion; do enter into life, do inherit the crown of life. I think I am right in saying, that during the Millennium, the lake of fire contains only the apostates from the faith, whose character is described in such places of Scripture as the following, to which we only refer: 2 Thess. ii.; 1Tim. iv.; Heb. vi. and x.; 2 Pet ii.; Jude; but at the end of the Millennium, all others whose names shall not be found written in the Book of Life shall have their portion therein, and the devil and his angels shall have their portion there, and death and hades shall likewise have their portion there. But where the place of that direful congregation shall be, after the Millennium, I find not. Upon the earth, I believe it will not be; for even the sea is not any longer there, and all things are made new. Somewhere without, out of the blessed heavens and earth, redeemed from the curse, somewhere in the regions of Chaos and of Old Night, shall these children of darkness have their habitation; concerning whose condition, many thoughts of a very far range and hard to be uttered, rise before me, which I forbear to express until in their proper place, under the xxth ch. I shall have an opportunity of unfolding them fully. Let that which hath been said suffice for clearing up the deep and hidden truth, which is contained in the Spirit's Second Promise "to him that overcometh."

Great, vast, yea, almost infinite, are the subjects which have come before us in this Lecture. There is a grandeur about the epistle to the church of Smyrna, which I have done my endeavour, certainly, but very imperfectly succeeded, in representing by mine unworthy thoughts and unskilful words. There is a severe simpli

city, a solemn majesty, an unutterable consolation in its few lines, which I feel and admire, and have sought, but poorly succeeded, to express; yet what I have done, being done according to my gift, and in perfect sincerity, I know that my God willingly accepteth: and I pray the Holy Catholic Church and communion of saints to receive in good part these offerings of my best thoughts, and to sanction them with their approval, and to use them for the perfecting of the saints, and for the edification of the body of Christ that I may not be an unprofitable member of that holy communion, but may supply my portion of strength and nutriment to the whole body, for which I ever pray night and morning, and in all my holy offices, that it may grow up into the stature of perfectness, making continual edification of itself in love. Some I offend whom I would fain not offend, if not offending them I might please the Lord Jesus Christ. But when his displeasure is to be avoided, I must hate father, mother, brother, sister, wife, children, and my own life also. The time is short, I fear the church's long period of the reprieve is about run out. I apprehend that the truce is about concluded, and that the Lord is about to commence hostilities again. And I am a worthless man, and have been an unworthy servant, and now that he hath taught me how near at hand is his day, I do well to labour diligently, that I may be found of him in peace. And O my friends, hear, hear, hear, that word of warning which standeth next before that judgment which endeth all; "Behold I come as a thief, blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame." Yea, so come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

CONCLUSION.

Few words will serve to confirm the prophecy of this epistle, by the history of Smyrna, the seat of this church. After enduring more than its share of the first ten persecutions, this city, which was wont to be styled the lovely, the crown of Ionia, the ornament of Asia, began about the year 1084, to be cast into the furnace of Mohammedan desolation, in which it hath continued unto this day. The same Turkish pirate, referred to in our sketch of the Ephesian church, got possession of it; and, in its rescue out of his hands, besides the loss sustained in regular war, 10,000 of its people were massacred, to revenge the death

of one man. And such were the effects of these ravages, that in the year 1106, the Greek emperor commissioned one to go and endeavour to restore the desolated coast from Smyrna to Attalia; and in the beginning of the next century, when the Acropolis was repaired by John Comnenus, the Greek Emperor, the city remained an uninhabited ruin. It was in its grave, and the church also seemed to be in its grave. From that time forward, it was the object of continual conflict between the Sultans and the Latins, assisted by the knights of Rhodes, who kept a lodgment for Christianity there, till the year 1402, when Tamerlane besieged it and took it, and slaughtered the people, and expelled the Christian knights. All hope seemed now for ever lost to Christianity there; but there was a word upon it from him "which was dead and is alive," and behold at this day there are in it more Christian churches than in any city of the East. It is the seat both of a Greek and an Armenian archbishop; and of three orders of monks, Franciscans, Capuchins, and Jesuits. There are both an English and a Dutch chapel. And it is further to be observed, that from the time of the researches of Dr. Smith in the year 1671, down to the book published last year on the subject of the Seven Churches, almost all our information hath come from persons resident in that city, and proceeding in their researches from thence. And at present it is the rallying point of all the missionary labours in that quarter: from which any reawakening life hath its source. These things are most worthy to be noticed, as confirming all the truth of the prophecy contained in this Epistle; and also all the lessons which we have endeavoured to draw from it for the use of those churches which may be found under the same circumstances of trial. As the former Epistle teacheth us that decay of first love will certainly consume the most flourishing church upon the earth; this teacheth us, that no outward persecutions can overcome the hope of the most unnoticed and unknown, as of Smyrna, of which there is not even a mention in the Scriptures of the New Testament. Moreover it confirms the truth, that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church; and that persecution is the furnace in which the gold is proved, but not a grain of it lost. May God preserve his church in Britain, and Britain for his church, as he hath preserved Smyrna. Amen, Amen.

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