Second advent library

'_1& ucrunz xr.song at the birth of our Savior in Bethlehem of Judes.It explains to us in a divine song what the four beastssre, and gives a kely to unlock the mystery of the twentyfour elders, and c early shows who opens the seals ofthe book. I shall, in isubject, inquireI. Who they lustntinglthis were that sung is new song;II. Show the song, and the occasion of it; and,III. Speak of the reign and the place where.I, We aro to inquire who a.re the singers in thisgrand chorus. The cslls them "the foureasts," or, as it mi prophet ave been more (properly translated,four animate 'ngs; and the " our and twentyelders," he also c them " saints," See the 8th verse,"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts andfour and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, havaqevery one of them harps and golden vials full ofon, which are the of the saints." Then comesin our text, "prayers " And ey sung a. new song," &,c. Thefour beasts is arepresentation of the wholeNew Testament þÿ c urch, i i ¬ . not m t ionly v e in character, but inchronology, representing the four diH`erent stixges of trialthrough which the church should pass in her pilin the wilderness of this world, before she would enterthe visible kingdom of her glorious Redeemer, the NewJerusalem, and reignon the earth. And every individualChristian, who may live any length of time after hisconversion, throughsome or all of these states oftrial. The passes our and twenty elders are thenrchs, which are sometimes called prophets, twelvrngstrk thetwelve apostles of the Lamb. For it is said, we arebuilt on the prophets and apostles, Jesus -Christ beingthe chief comer-stone; and figuratively it may representthe faithful and true ministers of Jesu Christ, the samess the twenty-four courses of the priesthood under theJewish economy. See 1 Chron. xxiv. 7-19. And thefour bessts aretypifiedkloethe ibur grand' divisiom ofthe Jewishes. The first,cemtgennderon the east,was to follow standard of Judah; that-on the southsids,andsecoudinthema.rch,wasthsstandard ofRenben;on thswestdde,Ephrahs,and hisuns the thirdstandard inthsmsmhwnthenorth sid|wasDas's