of the Holy Spirit. These awfully sublime themes, wrapped up in the mists of the theological and scholastic terminologies and techni calitiea of the mythological or genealogical speculations of certain ecclesiastic Fathers, are like Alpine and Appenine fastnesses and fortresses, whence the mountaineer bandits can hurl their avalanches of snow over the persons and paths of the weary pilgrim, slowly plod. ding his homeward way. But despite of all these verbal bulwarks, time-honored though they be, as are the errors of mystic Rome, the plain, simple, and truly sublime doctrine of the Divine illuminator, sanctifier and comforter-the holy Guest of the Christian temple-are being developed in the simple style of the Christian's guide-book, and made to cheer him on his homeward way to the Zion that he loves.

The true Holy Spirit that operates through the truth, through the light of life, and not through the mystic darkness and bewilderment of theological metaphysics, nor according to them, is, indeed, the Advocate of the claims of Messiah in the sinner's heart-convicting him of sin, and convincing him of righteousness and of judgment, through the facts of the Messiah's life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification at the right hand of God.

His modus operandi-his method of working-has never been explained in any or in all of the theologies of the schools, ancient or modern. No spirit ever was defined by mortal man. No spirit's working ever was comprehended by any theologue since the world began. Rabbis and Reverends, presbyters and prelates, impersonated orthodoxies and heterodoxies, have not yet thrown one ray of light on spiritual influence, Divine or demoniacal, since John wrote the Apocalypse. Papists, and some Protestants, dogmatize most on what they understand least. We believe on testimony more than we doetrinally understand. We also realize influences in our hearts, and upon them, which we do not comprehend. Still, we do not believe that ignorance is the lawful mother of devotion; for as God created light before he created any living thing, he ever works in light, as he does by it, on the sinner's understanding, conscience, volitions, affections and actions.

It would seem that half the religious controversies of the age were about being legitimately begotten and born the second time. And yet some of our wise men have actually discovered, within the present century, that no creature ever was born according to any theory previously known to it. No living man ever was either animally or spiritually born in pursuance of any theory entertained either in his head or in his heart. Preaching regeneration to sinners, in order to convert them, is just as preposterous as the preaching of a resurrection in a grave yard to the ashes of the dead. Take this sentence out of its

context, and how easily we may be slandered! Still, it must have been noticed by many of our contemporaries, that in all the Acts of the Apostles not one discourse upon it, nor allusion to it, can be found. It was preached to Nicodemus, and taught to him, because he was an officer in a nation, and a minister to execute justice in God's worldly or fleshly kingdom, of which every Jew was born a member and a citizen, so far as he had any political citizenship. And thus analogically, as his custom was in parables to teach, he taught him that his kingdom was not of this world, and that no one could enter it in virtue of a natural birth, as our Pedobaptist brethren somehow think of their infant regeneration, or infant baptism.

After Peter received the keys of the kingdom of Christ, or of Heaven, neither he nor any other apostle ever preached regeneration o any one-man, woman or child, as a means or instrument to his, or her, or its conversion or regeneration! What an odium theologicum we bave had to endure for asserting this fact, now, by all enlightened men, a conceded fact. We will offer a premium in this liberal agethe Millennial Harbinger gratis, for life, to any one that can find, in all the preachings of the apostles to unconverted men, Jew or Gentile, one allusion to regeneration or the new birth!

Into Christ's kingdom, we cheerfully depose, that no man can enter who is not born again-"born of water and of the Holy Spirit." It is not born of water, even of the Holy Spirit; but of both. No man nor animal was ever born from one parent alone. And, in all the pro. prieties of analogy, every thing born has had two parents. Our Lord's metaphors, parables and allegories, were natural, and in no case outrage the proprieties of nature or of society. But the same figure may be used and accommodated in both numerous and also various positions and relations. Hence we have the washing of the new birth, as well as the new birth. But we must not confound the imagery of Paul with that of the Lord Jesus himself, and subject them to one and the same import. Jesus has in his eye, or premises, the fact then recognized, that water and air were the parents of all vegetable, and, consequently, of all animal life. In ancient Eastern Philosophy-"The earth was nature's womb, and air and water the parents of all animal and of all vegetable life." But on such premises we build nothing-analogies are not facts. The great Teacher loved imagery; and, therefore, often spake in parables. We, therefore, interpret parables analogically, but do not transubstantiate them into literal facts. Still, water is not spirit, nor spirit water. And what the Lord has joined together, let no man separate.

Paul, too, logical though he was, is inspired with the appositeness of this figure. He is bold in his Epistle to Titus-fears no criticism,

and authoritatively asserts that God our Saviour has savea us according to his mercy, by the washing of the new birth, or regeneration, and by the renewing of the Holy Spirit.

Water and Spirit are here again associated. And who dares to erase either? Still, the washing of regeneration is not regeneration itself. He is not furnishing a parable, but makes simply an allusion to a well known fact, that Christians were born of water and Spirit, according to Jesus; not of water and water, nor of Spirit and Spirit. A third person is but the union or offspring of two, in all cases, biblically and philosophically contemplated. No living man is the offspring of one parent. Therefore, "of his own will God begets us by the word of truth," and we are born into the kingdom of Jesus "by We comprehend the Word and Spirit," symbolized in immersion. nothing-we apprehend something. We believe not contrary to reason or evidence, but above reason and upon testimony, spiritual, supernatural, and Divine. And if we are constrained to admit mysteries or secrets in nature, mysteries in providence, mysteries in moral gov ernment, why repudiate mysteries in the regeneration, in the resurrecA. C.. tion, and in the immortality of man!

PROPHECY-No. III.

THE invasion of Greece by Xerxes, suggests the subjugation of Persia by Alexander. The former was at least made a pretext for the latter. The angel, therefore, next describes the conquests of the hero of Macedon.

It may, however, be well to pause a little, and consider some other things connected with the subsequent history of this second and best of the four universal monarchies. The reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus, the son and successor of Xerxes, is, in some respects, the most interesting period in the history of the empire. It commenced 464, and ended 425 B. C. The first two years were employed in avenging the death of his father, and vanquishing his competitors for the crown. Having completely cut off or subdued all his political opponents, and being firmly seated on the throne of one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, he seems to have assumed the title Ahasuerus, which signifies prince, chief, or sole head of the empire. And in honor of his victories, and the success of his arms, "In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants: the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces

being before him; when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hun. dred and fourscore days. And when these days were expired, the king made a feast unto all the people that were present in Shushan, the palace, both unto great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace."

At this feast an incident occurred, which, though apparently trivial in itself, was nevertheless pregnant with the designs of Providence. "On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of Ahasuerus the king, to bring Vashti, the queen, before him, with the crown royal, to show the people and the princes her beauty; for she was fair to look upon. But the queen Vashti refused to come by the king's commandment by his chamberlains: therefore was the king very wroth, and his anger burned in him." He immediately called together his seven counsellors, to determine what should be done. They came; and others came with them. Gabriel and Michael were probably there; and the Spirit of God was certainly there. It was a critical moment. On the decision of this cabinet depended, in some measure, the means by which God would fulfil many of his promises to Israel. The heavenly ambassadors were extremely courteous. They violated no rule of royal or celestial propriety. Charshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, debated, deliberated, and resolved with entire freedom of will and purpose. But Vashti was divorced, and the royal crown was finally placed on the head of a Jewish captive.

Some of the consequences of this election, are happily detailed in the book of Esther. And many of our most judicious commentators suppose that both Ezra and Nehemiah owe their commissions to the influence of their sister queen. But in the case of Ezra, this is extremely doubtful. For he left Babylon on the first day of the first month, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes. But Esther was not ad

mitted into the king's presence till the tenth month of the same year. We are, therefore, rather inclined to give the honor of Ezra's commission to Gabriel or Michael, as God's messenger to the court of Persia, than to queen Esther. He who rules in heaven and does what is pleasing in his sight among the inhabitants of the earth, could easily procure this decree for Ezra, through the same instrumentalities by which he moved Cyrus to rebuild the temple, Darius to promote Daniel, and Ahasuerus to crown Hadassah.

Be this as it may, there never was a more liberal charter given to any man. "The king granted to him all his request, according to the

hand of the Lord his God upon him." He permitted all the Israelites who were willing, to accompany him to Jerusalem; and gave him full power and authority to restore and settle the state, to reform the church, and to regulate and govern both according to the laws and institutions of Moses.

He arrived at Jerusalem the first day of the fifth month, 457 B. C., and found the Jews in a most deplorable condition. Fifty-eight years had elapsed since the dedication of the temple; and no doubt, Zerubbabel, Joshua, Haggai, Zechariah, and other reformers of the first return from captivity, had finished their work, and gone to rest in Abraham's bosom. But their children had very much degenerated. They had not separated themselves from the people of the land. They had done according to all the abominations of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. They had taken the daughters of the heathen for themselves and for their sons; and the princes and the rulers of the people were, in this respect, the chief transgressors.

Such was the social, political, and religious condition of Israel, when this great reformer and restorer of the Law came to Jerusalem. For a short time he was greatly embarrassed. But the prayer of faith gave him courage. He commenced the work of reformation. The illegal marriages were dissolved; the Law restored; and a correct edition of the Holy Scriptures prepared and given to the people.

But the walls of the city still remained in ruins. To repair these, was the work of Nehemiah. For this purpose, about twelve years after the coronation of Esther, this pious and wealthy cupbearer obained from Artaxerxes ("the queen also sitting by him") a commission to go to Jerusalem. Preparations were made and the work commenced. And notwithstanding the great opposition of Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the freedman, Geshem the Arabian, and other enemies of the Jews, in the short space of fifty-two days the walls were finished and the gates set up.

This was the chief, but not the only work of Nehemiah. He enforced the laws respecting usury; corrected the tables of genealogy; restored the feast of tabernacles; induced many to build houses in Jerusalem; and persuaded the people to make a public confession of their sins, and to enter into a solemn covenant with God to observe and do all that Moses had commanded.

Thus for twelve years did Nehemiah labor in Jerusalem. He then returned to the court of Persia; remained there a short time; and again obtained permission to revisit the holy city. But during his absence, the people had greatly transgressed. As their fathers did, so had they

SERIES IV.-VOL. VI.

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