(Christ) endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God," yet all this delight and all this joy, arose out of himself, the same as fruit arises out of the tree, and is indebted to nothing of a foreign nature for its existence. The mere ability to produce when and where he will the evidences of his power, wisdom, and goodness, is an ingredient of his essential happiness, paramount to their production; so that whatever delight arises to him out of his works, they are the produce of his own nature, and intended wholly for the joy of others; and however he may extend or retrench his works, even to the annihilation of all he has made, or can make; yet the main principle is still in his possession, and is therefore equally happy, whether there be existences or not; and in this way he is the same, yesterday, to-day, and forever.

But as we have said a few pages above, that we should find it necessary to put on the swift wings of imagination, and travel back through countless ages, up to a time, in the annals of eternity, when the Most High put forth his first creative act; we will therefore now suppose ourselves arrived at that awful point in the boundless ocean of eternity. But now that we are there, what is our business, and what has this to do with the origin of sin, or cause of the being of Satan?-which, as follows, we shall attempt to show.

We have already supposed it a determination of the Deity from everlasting, to bring into being existences to consist of mind and of matter, as we can conceive of no other, and indeed, we believe that no other can exist; but the modification of mind and matter, as demonstrated on the face of the universe, shows the Author able consistently to vary them, still more and more, as long as being shall endure: which shall be evermore.

But whether the first creative act, produced mind, or matter, can scarcely amount to a question: yet as it respects the matter which composes the Solar system, of which our earth is a part, we at once allow it to have preceded the creation of such mind as have their habitations here; the ancestors of which, was the two first of our race, as we learn from the history of Moses, that great legislator of the Jews. But we believe that such was not the case, when the first and more ancient creation of spirits took place; as it is more consistent with reason to suppose that a first demonstration of creative power, would be to produce something more resembling the Author, than mere matter could do, which is no resemblance at all. SPIRITS, therefore, we cannot doubt, were the kind of beings which were first brought forth, having intellectual attributes, and in this respect bearing an honorable, and glorious affinity and likeness to their origin: to which matter can never aspire. That spiritual beings existed previous to the creation of Adam and Eve, and the heavens and the earth, is evident from Job, (which book is supposed to have been writ

ten by Moses, others by Job himself, and is a true history of that afflicted man,) chap. xxxviii. 47: where it is said that God enquired of Job, where he was when the foundations of the earth were laid when all the sons of God shouted together. The morning stars and sons of God are the same beings, or they could not have both sang and shouted together, as is said they did in that chapter, when they beheld the works of creation, as consummated in the formation of the Solar system, as perfected in six times twenty-four hours, or six days. This however, is by some boldly disputed, who have, as they pretend, but falsely, found out that the Hebrew Bible says it was six divine ages, amounting to an untold number of years: during which great periods, the whole earth swarmed--both land and sea-before man was created with hideous monsters, all of which are now extinct,-as found embedded in clay and stone. By this discovery it is easy to perceive, that the Sabbath has no foundation; a thing which infidels have always despised, and fain would destroy, but cannot. It is true however, that extinct races of animals, and monsters too, are found thus embedded in limestone quarries, in Europe and other countries: yet this does not prove the position that the earth was six divine, or great ages, in coming forward to its present perfection; as that time enough, since its creation-as accounted for in the Bible--has transpired to produce these appearances, which have been deposited by the waters of the great flood in the earth, and since been encrusted by stone.

Both ancients and moderns agree that the expression-"morning stars and sons of God," point out spiritual beings, who existed prior to the creation of this system, and are spoken of in Scripture, under the names of angels-hosts of angels-troops of angels, and that they celebrated with expressions of joy, the magnificent appearance of the immense fabric of the Solar system, as an additional evidence of the power, the glory, and the dominion of the great Creator. Thus we think we have established from the above cited Scripture, that spiritual beings existed before the time of the creation of Adam and Eve, and that these sons of God, who thus celebrated the works of the Creator, were not made at the self-same time with Adam, as some have thought: as such an idea does not give time for the probationary state of the angels, so that such as stood and such as fell, might thus appear in their various characters; for from the time of Adam's creation till his fall, does not appear to have been more than about ten days, and possibly less, which to ascertain, we will suppose as follows:-Adam it appears was created on the sixth day, which was Saturday, the next being the Sabbath, he no doubt worshipped and sanctified, as it is said that God ceased his labor and rested that day. On Monday no doubt, the animals were made to pass before him, to receive their names-but among them he found none as a companion for himself. How

long it took him thus to name all the animals-which it is likely were produced in pairs only, and no more--we cannot tell, but a day we should suppose was enough, as the number could not have been very great. On Tuesday therefore, it is probable that Adam having found himself alone, as to a companion, was caused to sleep, while God took from his side the famous ribthe origin of the female of the human race. On Wednesday, it is likely they were brought together, and spent the day in forwarding an acquaintance with each other-which was so necesary for their future comfort and happiness-and in selecting a place of sleep at night. On Thursday, for aught we know, the Law was given, respecting the tree of knowledge, and the subject of death alluded to. On Friday they were shown the field and trees of Paradise, and instructed how to cultivate and dress them. On Saturday they may have commenced their happy labor: but not in toil and sweat as now, but as a gentle recreation, furnishing cause of conversation, examination, and comparison, which was the origin of all the social happiness of the globe. On the Sabbath they rested, and now Adam with his bride of Paradise, celebrated the second Sabbath of creation in recounting the history of their first thoughts, and in conversation with angelic spirits, about God and the wonders of his power, and in acts of devotion and holy aspirations. On Monday they again resumed their attentions to the fields of Paradise, and in ascertaining the kinds of fruit the most delicious to their taste, and in alternate labor and converse. Their language was given by inspiration, from above, and was the most eloquent, the most comprehensive, and the most musical that has ever saluted human ears, being as near the language of heaven and the happy hosts of that world, as could have been spoken by the breath of earth's then immortals. On Tuesday they became excursive in their imaginations, and desirous of knowing more of the extent and products of their domain, and to wonder at its immensity, and profuseness of beauty, and to look over its battlements down to the country beneath them. This not unfrequently on the account of the various shapes of the face of the ground, and in one's having a desire to examine this side of a beautiful grove of fruit bearing trees, while the other incidentally passed on the other way, strayed apart, but coming together again, with joy and smiles, so soon as they found an opening where they could. But while thus passing on, in any direction, as the glories of the place invited, a beautiful stream, having a cascade, which dashed its clear waves over a ledge of diamonds, attracted the eyes and ears of Adam, where he gazed long and profound at the silver rush of the liquid flood-a scene entirely new. During this time Eve had seen at a distance, on a mount, the most gorgeous landscape of roses, trees, and vines, with an immensity of the herbage of Eden, while thousands of the birds of Paradise feathered the

air with gold, and sung the songs of ether, in gay eddies on the wind. Thither she was attracted to enjoy with nearer eyes the splendor of the place, and departed, unknown to Adam, who stood still gazing on the ceaseless plunge of the head waters of the Euphrates, as that was the stream, delighted with its roaring music, and heeded not that Eve was gone. But as he viewed the passing waters, there sprung a fish from its bosom, and glittered in the sunny rays a moment, and then was hid again beneath its waves, and then another. This was a new discovery, a creature which had not passed before him on the day in which he had named the animals and fowls, had now leaped suddenly up from an unknown element, asking for a name; when turning to Eve to know whether she had seen this creature, found she was not there, nor any where in sight. He now followed down the stream, nothing doubting but soon to find her; yet he found her not, till passing by a grove of oranges, he saw far to the left, his Eve, descending from a gentle slope, having in her hands the very fruit of the forbidden tree, of which she so soon prevailed on him to taste; which was ten days, including the Saturday of his creation, till he fell-if we have conjectured rightly.

But we have wandered from our subject, which was of the proof of spiritual beings and of angels having first been created, but we will now return, and say, that as strange as it may appear, many Universalists disallow of the being of spiritual angels; although the Bible is full of accounts of such beings, which they say were nothing but men, or messengers of men, and not spirits, as commonly supposed. But to go with them as far as we can, we do not dispute but the term angel, does in some places in the Scriptures, signify ministers of religion, mere mortals, and extraordinary messengers of this cast, not unfrequently; yet we must contend, that the word as found in a mltitude of other places in the Bible, signifies, beyond all contradiction, supernatural beings, and spirits of the eternal world, who have at various, and on a multitude of occasiens, appeared to the human race, as sent by him who governs all. If not, then what are we to do with the account in the book of Luke, chap. ii. 9, 13, where it is said that while certain shepherds of the Jews were attending on their flocks by night, there appeared to them the angel of the Lord, whose presence was accompanied by a shining splendor, far above their heads; a circumstance not belonging to the race of man. But this angel of the Lord had scarcely announced his message, when there burst forth from the skies a host of angels, a multitude of heavenly beings, who poured forth strains of music, such as no mortal ears had ever heard on earth; corroborating that which the first angel had stated, which was that a Saviour, who was Christ the Lord, was that night born in the city of David, who, when they had thus declared their message, vanished out of sight, and went away into heaven: look at the

text. Could all this have been said of mere men? never, as the whole transaction took place in the skies, over their heads, a situation in which men are not often found, on account of the principle of gravitation, unless we suppose some of the rogueish fellows of the city, had made themselves a balloon, and having ascended to that height, set it on fire while they cried out in the midst of its blazing glories, as it is said the angels did, announcing the birth of the Son of God, &c. But we believe the balloon is a modern invention, and was unknown in those early times. If then spirits were the first beings which were created, when as yet there existed no system of nature-nature was not yet produced-was not born into being-had not spread out her fields of suns, of globes, of oceans, of rivers, of fountains of water, of forests, of herbage, of animals and of men:-what therefore could have furnished those newly created spirits with subjects of observation, and mental employment; as intellect without employment, can be considered nothing less than a defect in the economy of things in the very outset of existences. In relation to this, would it be amiss, were we to imagine, that notwithstanding the high intellectual state in which the angels were undoubtedly created; that first of all, the mystery of their own being, could have been an inexhaustable source of conjectural employ`ment, till such time as some revelation should be made on the subject by the Creator.

If no revelation-no communication, between our first parents and their Creator, had taken place; how long, we may enquire, would it have been, before they would have found out whether they were created or not, or by what means they came into being, or whether they were not eternal and without a cause or commencement of being? could they ever have solved the mystery? we think not. So with the first spirits; they found themselves existing in multitudes, active in their powers of mind; glorious in appearance, and exceedingly happy, surrounded on all sides by a blissful heaven; so created, as was adapted to their spiritual state of being; but not consisting of gross matter, as belongs to our condition, but of a pure and rarefied description, so as to be above ponderosity and the tangibility of such senses as we possess. If it is said of man, that he was created in the likeness and image of his Creator, should it be thought strange that his place of dwelling, his beautiful Paradise, should in some sense, correspond to his mental condition; and likewise be a faint type or shadow of the great and sublime heaven of the angels, and final home of all the good.

This is no new thought, for it has been conjectured in ages past, by the immortal Milton, that our earth, as well as all worlds, resemble, in variety of hills and vales, of mountains and plains, of sun and shade, of streams and fountains, of forests and savannas, of fruits and flowers of ocean and dry land; that great