Is. 32: 13-20. Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city: Because the palaces shall be forsaken; the multitude of the city shall be left; the forts and towers shall be for dens forever, a joy of wild asses, a pasture of flocks; until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place. Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. Verses 13, 14 clearly indicate a radical change in the form of society. . Ver. 14. The multitude of the city shall be left. As those without gradually adhere to a better social organization, in which industrial arts are practised, without the evils incident at present, to factories, and in which more rational employments and amusements are cultivated, they will resort less and less to the city. While the city, notwithstanding the extremely artificial condition, which at present prevails, even in the lowest haunts of ignorance and destitution, will gradually lapse in the direction of primitive barbarism; till it becomes a joy only to those who obstinately adhere to the earliest "social compact," now becoming obsolete, and in which the individual tenure is guarded,

so to speak, with military precautions and vigilance. Ver. 15. Until the Spirit be poured upon us from on high. The partial reformation, indicated above, will prepare the way for the blessed influences of God's Holy Spirit. And the wilderness be a fruitful field, and the fruitful field be counted for a forest. Here is an allusion to the tree husbandry, spoken of in Ezek. 47: 1–12. Ordinarily a wilderness is too extensive for individual possession, or to be called a field, in the sense in which the word is employed, when it is said that men add field to field. But under the improved, millennial husbandry-arboriculture—with community of *interest, the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field a forest. Ver. 16. Then judgment shall dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness remain in the fruitful field. The highest science will prevail in the new system of husbandry; and the few and simple laws regulating the distribution of the labour, and of the product of the fruitful field will be founded in equity-millennial equity. Ver. 17. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. Has such righteousness as has prevailed hitherto, produced any such results? or would any such as can prevail under the individual system, &c.? 18. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places. Observe the language: a peaceable habitation, not peaceable habitations. 19. When it shall hail, coming down on the forest. Here apparently, is an allusion to some especial excellence, or advantage, in the system of tree husbandry. See ch. 45: 8. And the city shall be low in a low place. The alternative reading, in the margin, and there can be little doubt, the true reading, is, and the city shall be utterly abased. 20. Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters. Here is an allusion to the true system of vegetation, and to some most interesting particulars in the new system of husbandry. I hope to be able to speak of both hereafter. That send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. Domestick animals first, and finally, (as

salem, and joy in my people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die a hundred years old; but the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. It is very probable, see ver. 17, that the terrestrial heavens, or the atmosphere, will be improved and meliorated,* by the action of the imponderable elements, under the direction of science, in processes of greater extent than has hitherto been dreamed of. Concerning the new earth, something has already been said. There is a character of permanence, in the domestick institutions described in this passage, which is

*Can it be doubted that the atmosphere was affected by the curse, or the deluge, or perhaps by both? That it is now very different from that of Paradise?

utterly inconsistent with any results which the individual system has yet afforded. See ver. 21-23. Ver. 25 seems to intimate that there will be a surprising improvement in vegetable products. Carnivorous animals can now be inured by degrees, to the use of a proportion of vegetable food; and modern chemistry informs us that the difference between animal and vegetable food, is not so great as might be supposed. But an entire change seems to be wrought in the disposition of the savage and carnivorous animals. Discipline, and the fear of man, as men increase, with abundance of vegetable food, bearing a still 'nearer resemblance to animal food, might accomplish considerable; but is it too much to suppose that the change will be effected, in part at least, by influences from above? The power which preserved Daniel in the den of lions, will perhaps be employed to effect an enduring change, at least in the temper and disposition of the savage animals, either without or in addition to secondary means, such as this description supposes. And dust shall be the serpent's meat. Is the serpent to be an exception? Is it quite sure that the translators have supplied the omission in this passage correctly? Might it not read, And dust shall NOT be the serpent's meat? Especially in view of what immediately follows. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain. The occasional presence, in the haunts of men, of animals that had previously been fierce and wild, seems to be here implied; somewhat perhaps, as in Paradise.

Jer. 23: 4. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. This passage will require no comment.

The following section was written, or commenced near the close of the year 1859, as the beginning of a work, which I then contemplated. After having made considerable progress, I found myself entirely disabled from writ

X.

BABYLON-ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT, RESPECTING THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS-FAITH IN THE MILLENNIUM-DESCRIPTION OF THE MILLENNIUM-THE "WAY"-DESTRUCTION OF THE INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM-THE INDIVIDUAL SYSTEM A REGULAR PREPARATION FOR THE MILLENNIUM-SOCIAL SYSTEM, MEANS, INTERPOSITION DEMONIAC POSSESSION-ODIC FORCE-SOCIALISM AN INDISPENSIBLE CONDITION OF THE MILLENNIUM -SOCIAL UNION-INSTANCES OF SOCIAL COMMUNITIES.

Some there are who, in consequence of a religious education, have a dreamy, shadowy belief that in the distant future there will be a time when all will be just and honest-religious—when abundance will universally prevail, when existing civil, political and social institutions will be only of beneficent tendency. But this truth is one with which they have no practical concern, it belongs to another period, to quite another generation of men. But where are they who possess an abiding, practical belief; who obey the great injunction to watch? It is a solemn question, Nevertheless when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

There are many who believe in what is popularly denominated, the good time coming; but their notions are variant, and devoid of coherence; each one forms an idol for himself; as no two see the same rainbow, so no two see