land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh; for it is nigh at hand. Joel ii. 1.

This was the cafe with Prodigalis; there came a watchman into the valley of dry bones and founded the trumpet, which alarmed the confcience of the poor man-be heard the found of the trumpet. Ezek. xxxiii. 5. Thus the dead foul is alarmed by the angel's trumpet, as dead bodies are to be. Secondly, the fleeping body is not only to be alarmed, but it is to be awakened, and brought to judgment. -And many of them that fleep in the dust of the earth fball awake, fome to everlasting life, and fome to fhame and everlasting contempt. Dan. xii. 2. Thus the fleeping body is awakened and brought to judgment; fo in like manner is the fleeping finner awakened and brought to the light, which is God; for God is light.-Awake, thou that fleepest, and arife from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. Eph. v. 14. Thirdly, the archangel's trumpet is to be attended with the powerful voice of the Saviour-All that are in their graves fhall hear his voice and come forth. The gofpel trumpet' is attended by the fame voice-The time is now come when the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God.

Thus you fee, that as the departed body is faid to be dead, to be afleep, and to be in the grave; so an unconverted foul is faid to be dead, to be afleep, and to be in the grave alfo. In railing the body an angel is employed, Matt. xxiv. 31; a trumpet is founded, 1 Cor. xv. 52; the Lord's

voice is heard, John v. 28; the body is alarmed, awakened, Dan. xii. 2; raised up; 1 Cor. xv. 543 and brought to judgment, Eccl. xi. 9. So in raifing a dead foul, an angel by office is employed, Rev. iii. 1; the gospel trumpet is founded, Isa. xxvii. 13; the Lord's voice is heard, John v. 25; the foul is alarmed, Joel ii. i; it is awakened, Eph. v. 14; raised, Eph. ii. 6; and brought forth to the light, and God is light, to be arraigned and chaftened for his iniquity, that he may be justified here, and not condemned in the great day. But when we are judged we are, chaftened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. I Cor. xi. 32.

This was the cafe with Prodigalis; his confcience was alarmed, his understanding awakened, and the Lord's voice quickened his dead foul to feel his guilt; he was raised from his carnal fecurity, and brought forth from a state of fpiritual death and infenfibility; and after this he took his trial as really as any will do in the day of judgment. And at the general judgment, when the Judge is feated, the books will be opened, Dan. vii. 10; and fo poor Prodigalis found at his trial: for both law, gospel, and confcience were point blank against him.

Abimaaz. Then, according to your account, there is not only a first and second refurrection, but a first and laft judgment alfo.

Cufbi. There certainly is; and the word juftification implies a trial here; the elect are tried

in this life, and juftified by faith in the Saviour. Hence they are said to pass from death to life, and fball never come into condemnation; which implies, that there was a miniftration of death that they were arraigned at, and found dead under, and a sentence that they efcaped; elfe how could they pass from death to life by faith, and for ever escape condemnation ?

Abimaaz. I do not remember any paffage of fcripture that favours your opinion.

Cufbi. I think there are many fcriptures that favour it. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous fcarcely be faved, where fhall the ungodly and the finner appear? 1 Peter iv. 17, 18. In that text the deftruction of Ifrael by the Romans may be implied, which was to begin at the temple or houfe of God; but Peter was no part of that, therefore more is intended by Peter's faying, Judgment begins at us. The destruction of the temple was a fulfilment of this prophecy-Slay utterly old and young, both maids, little children, and women, and begin at my fanctuary. Ezek. ix. 5, 6. Secondly, the arraignment and martyrdom of the faints may be implied in that text, but the fpiritual judgment of the elect in this world is not excluded; nor is it excluded in the following text-For, for this caufe was the gofpel preached alfo to them that are dead, that they

might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit. 1 Peter iv. 6.

The Lord hath often difcovered himself as an angry judge to a finner from the pulpit; and has fpoke to his confcience by the preacher, fufficient to convince him of his awful ftate; even his inmoft thoughts have been discovered and laid open, and he has found himself in the powerful hand, and at the very bar of God, convicted of all his crimes, the very fentence founding in his ears, and his foul finking into all the horrors of a condemned criminal; which has made him tremble no less than a condemned finner will do in the day of judgment; as it is written, But if ye prophefy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all: and thus are the fecrets of his heart made manifeft; and fo, falling down on his face, he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25.

Thus you fee the operation of the word and fpirit of God; when the Lord fpeaketh to the heart, the rebel is arraigned, judged, and condemned, both by law and confcience; and would fink to all eternity, if God did not impute an everlafting righteoufnefs to him: but the chofen finner has an advocate, and therefore his trial does not end in eternal death, but in a fatherly chaftifement; as it is written-But when we are judged we are chaftened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. 1 Cor. xi. 31, 32.

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Abimaaz.

Abimaaz. I would wish to hear the trial of Prodigalis, if my brother would relate it; and pray be fo kind as to bring in the word of God to fhew the consistency of his arraignment therewith; for you know that must be the touchstone that all things must be tried by ;-even the fpirit, the practice, and the principles of a believer muft betried by that.

Cufbi. Very true; and I fhall be glad to prove the trial, and the juftification of this poor finner, by that immutable standard. After Prodigalis had been alarmed, awakened, quickened to feel hist guilt, and raised out of his dead ftate of carnal fecurity, he gave himself wholly up to retirement! and melancholy, as being fit company for none but those of the same caft. In one of his folitary walks he came to a lonely grove, which is well known to thousands; and having a clear view and a feeling sense of his loft eftate, be lift up his voice and wept; and he called the name of that place Bochim, Judges ii. 4, 5; and it is called the place of mourners to this day.

At the end of mourning grove there is a little valley, and on the south side of it, at the foot of an hill, is a little enclosed spot, walled round, and planted with dwarf evergreens. Prodigalis attempted an entrance into it, but met with a rebuff, and had the gate shut against him. He then made an attempt to climb over the wall, but he felt himself fenfibly refifted-God refifteth the proud.

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