In such an aspect, O how great and glorious does the day of Israel's rest appear! How wonderfully honoured and how richly blest! Their King reigning in unspotted righteousness; their Princes executing perfect judgment; their Priests and Levites carrying out the will of God in truth;-the presence of their Lord the Lord of Hosts-among them; His glory filling all His House; and His word declaring it to be

"THE PLACE OF MY THRONE, AND THE PLACE OF THE SOLES OF MY FEET, WHERE I WILL DWELL IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL FOR EVER," and adding, "AND MY HOLY NAME SHALL THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL NO MORE DEFILE."

"1

But, further, we must observe how happy too will be the condition of ALL GENTILE NATIONS. Their swords beaten into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks. No warfare learned. Peace everywhere. The knowledge of God's glory in every family. No man finding need to say to any of his fellows, "Know the Lord;" because all shall know Him, from the least to the greatest.

So, for the predicted period of ONE THOUSAND YEARS, shall the Redeemer's kingdom on the earth endure in undisturbed righteousness and peace. Yet this shall

1 Ezek. xliii. 7.

be but, as it were, the entrance-gate of a more glorious period of His reign;-for "OF THE INCREASE OF HIS

GOVERNMENT AND PEACE THERE SHALL BE NO END, UPON THE THRONE OF DAVID, AND UPON HIS KINGDOM, TO ORDER IT AND TO ESTABLISH IT, WITH JUDGMENT, AND WITH JUSTICE, FROM HENCEFORTH EVEN FOR EVER."

CHAPTER VII.

The Final Outbreak of Evil.

"Thus saith the Lord God, It shall also come to pass that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought: and thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil, and to take a prey."-EZEK. xxxviii. 10-12.

HE LORD'S GREAT DAY, so rich in righteousness and peace, will (as we have seen) endure in its MERIDIAN SPLENDOUR for A THOUSAND YEARS.' During this long period the world is to enjoy rest indeed. The Day which dawned in fearful judgment, shall find good reason to rejoice because of universal piety and undisturbed repose beneath Immanuel's sceptre. But the EVENING of this great and glorious Day must follow; for this world is not designed to be our everlasting home. Therefore the deep shadows which foretell approaching night, will be extended over all things earthly.

THE EVENING of the Lord's GREAT DAY will open subjects which are to occupy both this and the succeeding chapter.

In dwelling on the peculiar features of the Saviour's Reign of Peace, we were, I hope, careful to observe that, although the Word of God has said so much concerning the extent to which true righteousness will prevail, yet it has revealed with perfect clearness, that the sinful nature of the fallen Adam will remain, so that there will be a tendency to do evil as great as that which exists now. But inasmuch as Satan will be bound, and suffered to deceive mankind no longer, this tendency will be deprived of its most powerful instigator; and since faith will be in measure lost in sight, and incentives to perform the will of God will, in a peculiar manner, be presented to the eye of man, the fleshly power of evil will be in great measure latent. None perhaps will be able to charge the converted people of the Lord with inconsistency; and those who may remain yet unregenerate, will walk orderly before the eyes of men. But all will be in readiness, so that if the Adversary should again be free from his imprisonment, sin would be aroused at once, and the whole world again would lie in wickedness. Thus sin and sinners would speedily assume their old position, and peace would have prominence no more, except it should please God to pour

forth an amount of His constraining grace which hitherto has not been granted to the world.

We are told in the twentieth chapter of REVELATION, that “when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations." So, then, it shall be. As, for want of any explanation being granted in the Inspired Word, we did not pause to ask what was meant by Satan being bound and cast into the bottomless pit; so, for the same reason, we will not stay to make inquiry as to his release therefrom. Let it suffice; he shall again walk to and fro in this world, seeking whom he may sift and whom he may devour. The "LIAR," the "ACCUSER," the “DECEIVER," Still, he will quickly prove himself to be. To overthrow the kingdom of the Lord, to engulf the souls of men in everlasting ruin, to spread sin and misery around, will be, as they have ever been, the base of his designs. So he "shall go out to deceive the nations," and, as in all former time, he shall too well succeed.

What period will be allowed for this renewed attempt against the Lord's dominion is not stated, but from the particulars which are given of the work of evil to be carried on, there is good reason to believe it will be brief. Let us now carefully examine what is said concerning the work which Satan will be permitted to perform.

Two verses only of the chapter to which we just