estate, when he has an indefeasible title to it of any sort; although he has not come into possession. Whether he has bought it with his money, or obtained it by his worth, or received it from his ancestors by inheritance, we are accustomed to say that he is owner of the estate; it is his, although the set time for entering into the possession may be years to come. But among men, it would never do, to call one an heir of a property into the possession of which he has already entered it would be among men, untrue to call him an "appointed heir" of an estate of which he is already in full and perfect possession. The name of "appointed heir of all things," is suitable to our heavenly king, before he comes into his kingdom; and his being so designated by the Holy Spirit, is a plain intimation that he has not yet received the possession of his inheritance: for, it is inexplicable to my mind, how it could with propriety be said, "He is the appointed heir of all things," after he had once received the kingdom and dominion of all things into his own hands for an everlasting possession. To my limited understanding, it is impossible; but God is infinite; his ways are incomprehensible; with him all things are possible; only he cannot deny his own word; he cannot prevaricate; he cannot mis-state a fact, or an event: as he says, so it must inevitably be to the jot and tittle, that is, to the very letter.

Many feel at liberty to use a degree of latitude in the understanding of the word of God, which, as honorable men, they would be ashamed to have another use in the understanding of their own word. Every upright man is very careful of his word. Every honest man is faithful to his word. Every honorable man will do exactly as he promises, if not deprived of the power. One of the princes of this world, who should be liberal of his promises, and not careful to fulfil them; who should be fond of exciting hopes in his humble dependants by fair words of promise, which he did not punctiliously keep to the letter; such an one would be held in distrust and contempt by honorable men.

No honest man will fail to cherish the reputation of his truth, the strictness of his veracity, the fidelity of his prom. ises to the day, and the punctiliousness of his engagements to the letter and any man in the ordinary business of life, who is careless in these particulars, is not fit to do business: and if he succeed in business, it is without the honor of the wise, and without the respect of the trustworthy. He cannot go into the market without an ink-horn and a witness, to seal his engagements; for he is known to be a speckled bird, though he may be a very rich man. This is a reputation that neither you nor I would covet: we would repudiate it from ourselves, and despise it in another. No matter whether we were in office or out, high or low, a prince or a beggar, who should lightly regard the letter of his own promise, we would agree lightly to regard both him and his word.

And shall sinful man be more just than God? Shall a worm be more honorable than the Creator? Shall man im. pute to the Lord Jehovah a character for looseness of speech, which man would from himself repudiate? Shall man ascribe to the Most High a disregard of the letter of his word, which would be among men dishonorable, and would be among correct business men esteemed disreputable? God is the source and fountain of honor, the righteous God of immaculate truth, who hates iniquity, and will punish liars. It is impossible for God to fall from his word; or to hold out encouragement in promises, that he will not amply fulfil in deeds. He knows how to speak plainly and accurately; and to speak in parables, and by metaphors and symbols; and when by his Son he proclaims the promise of his kingdom at hand, and drawing near, it is a plain and welcome word of God, which he is able to keep and will keep to the letter.

Therefore, I have no possible way of understanding this promise of the Lord, except it be literally, without treating his word, as would be injurious to the word of an honest

man.

When he declares "The kingdom of heaven is drawing near;" I have no way but to receive the word in its plainest sense; considering, that it is God who speaks, and not a finite and erring mortal: and, that, coming from him, the word may have an extent of meaning, infinite as its Author; but yet accurate as truth to the letter; and that it is not after the manner of God, to come short in his deeds, but to do more than he promises: as when Moses took the twelve rods of the princes of Israel, according to the house of their fathers, and laid them up, with the promise of God that "the man's rod whom I shall choose shall blossom. And on the morrow, Moses went into the tabernacle; and behold the rod of Aaron was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." (Numbers, 17th chap.) This is the manner in which Jehovah keeps his promises.

A disputant may think it easy to puzzle me still, with some text which comes in mind; and I readily admit he could do it. Isay not, that I can comprehend all the word of the Most High, and can literally explain it but I do maintain that its Author can, and I believe he will do it. The Lord God, who spoke the word, will maintain it to the letter, and will defend it from all shadow of impeachment. To make any question of his strict veracity, and most particular accuracy, and literal fidelity, will not prepare a man to see his face in peace. Far be it from me to forsake the letter of his word in search of its spirit; to empty his word of all truth by turning it upside down in pursuit of a figurative sense. Far be it from me to question its perfect accuracy, because I do not see how it consists with the letter. I know God is able to vindicate every word he has spoken; and I am sure he will do it, though man can neither do it, nor yet believe it.

What has he done? Did Adam die; did the old world. perish in the flood? He plainly warned them; but they did not believe it, until their fate was sealed.-Has he given

Sarah a son, when she was past age; has he led Israel out of Egypt; has he given Judah a captive to Babylon? Neither of them believed, when he told them. They supposed. it could not be the literal truth: but the Lord vindicated his word to the letter, and he will ever do it. And when one unbeliever exclaimed: "Now, behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be!" he was answered: "Thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not partake thereof. And so it fell out unto him; for the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died." (2 Kings 7: 19.)

Where is the allegorist, (if he had lived before the event answered to the promise,) that would have failed to declare of this word: "A virgin shall conceive and bring forth a son:" "It is surely metaphorical, it is a figure manifestly, for the event is naturally impossible." Let all such consider that it is naturally impossible with man, but with God it is only impossible that his word shall fail in one single point, though heaven and earth pass away. In the day of the Lord's going up to Jerusalem, when he foretold the disciples of his death and resurrection, they understood him not: though he spoke plainly, they could not believe it literally. In a multitude of cases on record, infinite mischief has been the consequence of man's unbelief of the plain word of God in its simplest sense; but never one occurs to me of very great importance, in which harm was done by adhering to the letter of the promise.

Now, that men rejected the Lord, mocked him, scourged, condemned, and slew him, was all literally foretold: that they should give him gall and vinegar to drink, and wag their heads. at him, and pierce his hands and his feet, and divide his raiment among them, and cast lots for his vest, and make his grave with the rich, and many other things, were all foretold, and were performed expressly that the scriptures might be fulfilled, literally fulfilled. Is it possible, therefore, that

the great God can be very particular about his veracity in small matters, and careless of it in momentous affairs? Far from that.-Shall the lots be cast on the vesture that the scriptures might be fulfilled; and Jesus be numbered with the transgressors that the scriptures might be fulfilled; aye, must they give just thirty pieces of silver for him, because at that goodly. price the scriptures had foretold they would value him; and must they still cast that same silver to the potter, for the purchase of his field, the very thirty pieces, "the price of him. whom the children of Israel did value," without discount of a piece, and without any advance, that the scriptures might be fulfilled and shall not the Son of man soon come into his glorious inheritance of all things, that the scriptures may be fulfilled? Was Jehovah careful of his word in the matter of the number of silver pieces, and that it was silver rather than an equivalent in gold or other coin; and shall he not be also careful of his word spoken to the fathers by the prophets, and in these last days, unto us by his Son that the day of the Lord is at hand: "for the day of the Lord cometh; for it is nigh at hand." (Joel 2: 1.)

Think you it reasonable, that the Almighty should accurately frame his speech to the exact letter in very smallthings of earth, spoken unto the fathers by the prophets; and that he should use great looseness of speech in regard to heavenly things, spoken unto us in these last days by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things ?-Rely upon it, the same care which in the time past he has taken of his word, he will take in time to come.. He foretold the ruin of Babylon, that the very place of the city should be lost in the earth he foretold the ruin of Tyre, where the fishermen now dry their nets, as he said. He is careful to this day, as he said, to sift the Jews among all nations, without permitting them to be lost. He is faithful to his word, to keep his promise in regard to seed time and harvest, that they never fail: and he will be faithful to bruise Satan