great confirmation of the doctrine asserted in the Gospels and Epistles, of the ATONEMENT, by "the blood of the "Lamb." Wherefore St. John begins his book with ascribing "glory and dominion "for ever and ever, unto HIM that loved us, " and washed us from our sins in his own "blood." Had not this final portion of scripture been given, the body of revelation would have been imperfect. This is the book of which it is said, emphatically, "If any man shall take away from the "words of this book, God shall take away "his part out of the book of life."* it shall be the object of the present discourse to lead your thoughts to this great subject, and to fix your contemplation on "the "Lamb that was slain." For it is evident, that his name and sacrifice are kept much out of view, or are greatly obscured at this day; And * Of the twenty-two chapters in Revelations, eleven mention the Lamb; his glory or worship. and that many "take away from the "words" that assert his glory. It may be proper to premise, that the images which are employed in scripture to express the pleasures of the heavenly state, are, necessarily, sensible images. They are sometimes derived from things pleasant to the taste; and sometimes from the gladness of heart which reigns at a feast, or on a festal occasion; as when our Lord saith, on his giving the cup to his disciples at the last supper; "I will not drink henceforth of "this fruit of the vine, until that day when "I drink it new, WITH YOU, in my father's kingdom "*" I appoint unto you a "kingdom, that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom."+" For they "shall come from the East, and from the "West, and from the North, and from the "South, and shall sit down in the kingdom * Matt. xxvi. 29. + Luke xxii. 29. " of God."* It is also said, "Blessed is " he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of "God."t But the most beautiful image employed to denote the felicity of the celestial state, is derived from sounds pleasing to the ear. The concord of sweet sounds, being a pleasure more refined and intellectual than that of taste, is, in our apprehension, a more appropriate emblem of the enjoyments of Paradise. This figure is frequently used by St. John and from him, our poet, Milton, has taken some of his images of the joy in heaven; as in the following passage: "The multitude of angels, with a shout * Luke xiii. 19. + Luke xiv. 15. Parad. Lost, Book 3. In directing your thoughts to the scene of the Heavenly Jubilee, we shall first contemplate the assembly and then the employment. The ASSEMBLY is described in the following sublime and beautiful passage. "For ye are now come unto Mount "Zion, and unto the city of the LIVING "GOD; the heavenly Jerusalem; and to an "innumerable company of ANGELS; to the general assembly and church of the first "born, which are written in heaven; and "to GoD, the judge of all, and to the spirits of JUST MEN made perfect and to "JESUS, the mediator of the new covenant; "and to the blood of sprinkling, that "speaketh better things than that of " Abel."* When we consider, that this passage contains not only grandeur of diction, but *Heb. xii. 22. sublime truth, and that it is not merely sustained by metaphor and images, but by a surpassing reality; it must appear to us to stand unrivalled amongst the compositions of men. The Evangelist John, while in the isle of Patmos, had some visions of the EMPLOYMENT and blessedness of heaven. "I beheld, saith he, and lo, a great "multitude which no man could number, " of all nations, and kindreds, and people, "and tongues, stood before the throne, and "before the LAMB, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and " cried, with a loud voice, saying, salvation "to our God, which sitteth upon the "throne, and unto the Lamb.* And I "heard the voice of harpers harping with *Rev. vii. 19. |