was Cyrus, because he was then favorable to the restoration of the Jews and their religion, and had given orders exceedingly strict and broad, about the rebuilding of the walls of the city, temple, &c. This glorious angel therefore, who said he would return from Daniel to fight with the prince of Persia, was a spirit, and meant that he would go and counteract the impressions of this evil spirit on the mind of Cyrus and his people, lest the Jews and their works should be defeated. (See the Plate.) Can this account mean anything else? if it does, we do not perceive it. But who was this Michael, called one of the chief princes, who aided the glorious angel in his labors for the Jews; was he of earth, a mere man, or of heaven, a spiritual being? St. Jude settles this question, who says, "Michael the arch angel; who contended with the devil about the body of Moses," which shows him to have been a supernatural being or he could not have thus contended in an unseen manner; for if Michael and this being called the devil, were mere men, and contended respecting what should be done with the body of that great Jewish legislator; the Jews would have known this, and the place of his burial would have been known also, which the Scripture says, is unknown, and that the Lord buried him. See Deut. xxxiv. 5, 6. John the Revelator, corroborates St. Jude in this thing. See chapter xii. 7, who speaks of him (Michael) as being at the head of those angels who kept their first estate; who stood fast during their probation, or trial: and that he, with his angels fought against the dragon and his angels, even in heaven: who were cast out; of which we shall more fully treat, by and by.

But in Hebrews, ii. 6, 7, there is an account, which places this subject beyond controversy, as both the natures of men and angels are there distinguished, and spoken of, allowing one to be superior to the other; as follows: "What is man that thou art mindful of him? or the Son of man, that thou visiteth him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels: thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands." The term man, as above used, stands for the whole species. But if the beings, called angels-mentioned in the passage-are said to be above the race of man-which is implied, when it is said that "man was made a little lower than the angels," then the two kinds of beings are distinct from each other, in their very natures; so that the opinion as held by many Universalists, namely: that the term angels, as used in the Scriptures, is always restricted to, and signifies men, messengers of men, and no more: falls to the ground, from the force of that one passage in Hebrews, while it is corroborated by many others, and the whole sense of the whole Bible, on that subject. The words of Christ himself prove this doctrine, beyond all possible contradiction. See Matthew xxvi. 53, where the account of his apprehension in the garden of Gethsemane is given:

who when the Jews as guided by Judas came rushing upon him. Peter would have defended him with a sword, when he said,. that he could pray to his father and he would send him more than twelve legions of angels to defend him from the Jews and all his enemies.

Now how many in number would twelve legions amount to? This is answered by ascertaining what was meant by one legion. The term legion was a word signifying 6000 soldiers in the Roman armies at that time. This number multiplied by twelve amounts to seventy-two thousands. Now if the Universalist interpretation of the word angel is to be relied on, as restricted by them to answer their purpose, who say that it signifies nothing more than men who are messengers either of God, kings, or assemblies of men-then it follows that at that very time, Christ could have commanded an army of at least seventy two thousand men from among the multitude of the Jews, Romans, and other people then in Judea, which would at once argue him a great military captain, and standing at the head of an immense banditti in the very heart of the country. This would contradict his own words in another place; see John xviii. 36. "Jesus answered, my kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews."

But if the word is restricted wholly to ministers of religion, as Universalists generally contend, then it follows that Christ told a lie; for at that very time all the Jewish ministers of their religion, together with the very few of the Christian system, did not amount to one fourth part of that number. But if it be still restricted to ministers of the Christian system, as then but just commenced; then the words more than twelve legions, are almost without any meaning at all, or a lie is told of the most ridiculous character-even exceeding the tales of the Arabian Nights; as it is impossible to make out over one hundred and fifty one, including both seventies--companies of disciples sent out by the Saviour, together with the eleven who were always with him.

It appears therefore that the twelve legions of angels alluded to by the Saviour, were not men of the earth, but were of the hosts of heaven, altogether of a supernatural character, not belonging to the earth.

But now, if the reader believes that we have in the preceding pages, on this subject, established-first: that angels-such as we have given an account of-were spirits of a supernatural description; and-second: that their numbers are innumerable; and-third: were created in various orders, or degrees of intellectual difference; we are now prepared to investigate more immediately the origin of sin and cause of the being of Satan and his subordinate devils, or fallen angels.

Accounts of the Voyages of the first Angels far into Space before any thing was created but themselves, and the Mode of their Trial, Nature of Mind, &c.

In pursuance therefore of the above subject, we will remind the reader that some twenty pages above, we have supposed that the first angelic beings were left in their incipient state, to conjecture about the mystery of their being; and that various and conflicting opinions on that subject, must have arisen among them and however greatly any number of them may have excelled their fellows in their powers of mind, yet that circumstance gave no advantage in penetrating this mystery, because as yet there had been no clue, no revelation on the subject afforded

them.

But in proportion, it may be supposed, to the amount of intellectual subtilty possessed by any finite unfallen being, there is always manifested a corresponding activity in the business of research, in relation to such matters as occupy their powers; on which account there can be but little doubt, that after all was known, that could be known in their congregated condition, in heaven; that they instituted among themselves a systematic inode of exploring other tracts of space, than the one immediately comprehending their location. But whither could they go? to. what region could these primeval troops direct their course? as on all hands, and in every point of heaven's compass, darkness reigned in the awful distance. There was no light, blackness deep and wide as immensity itself, reigned through boundless space. There were no sounds, no voice of any creature had broken the hitherto eternal silence. There was no heat, nor cold, wet nor dry, all was a boundless, blank eternity. There were no suns nor moons, stars nor constellations, no winds moving through empty space, no light had shed a ray on the interminable vacuum, except that of the home of the angels, where they then were, which was light itself. There was no ocean's roar, no tide waters rocked as now, in the hollow of the seas, the cradle of the floods; no billows dashing against mountains, nor on the sands and stony shores of continents; no rivers, nor streams, nor fountains of waters; no forests, herbage, fishes, fowls, nor animal life of any kind, all was void, deep and fathomless nonentity.

But notwithstanding this, and though no rumor of distant regions had reached their ear; yet, in bands and cohorts, they became resolved to navigate this ocean in straight lines, starting out from their heaven as their centre, and continuing their respective courses, till they should wish to return; when observing the same rule, it could but bring them back to the same point, and prevent their being forever lost in the wastes of boundless