appear to have been the
angelic band, who united in praising God, when the Lamb prevailed to
open the book of his decrees and reveal them to the apostle--"And
they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy--for thou wast slain,
and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God, kings
and priests: _And we shall reign on the earth_." * Surely these must
have been of our race.

* REVELATION v. 9, 10.

Here our proof in explicit. We can conceive of no evasion. Two of our
race _who had long before been removed from earth to heaven_, were
certainly sent to visit the Savior, just before this sufferings
--Moses and Elias, who attended him on the mount, whither he retired
with three of his disciples, and conversed with him in their presence.
St. Luke hath described their appearance, and told the subject of
their conversation--"Who appeared, in glory and spake of his decease,
which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." *

* Luke ix. 29.

Moses had then been dead more than fourteen centuries. Elias had not
tasted death, but he had been changed. That change had passed upon him
which will pass on the saints who shall be alive at Christ's coming.
The change must have been great, or he could not have ascended to
heaven in a chariot of fire, or lived above the region of air which
surrounds this globe.

These two saints, seem, on this occasion, to have been assimilated to
each other--"They both appeared in glory"--were company for each
other, and sent together to testify for Christ, before chosen
witnesses. Our Savior's resurrection was also attended by witnesses
who had been for time in the world of spirits--"And the graves were
opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out
of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and
appeared unto many." *

* Matthew xxvii. 52, 53.

But it is only departed saints who are employed to bear God's
messages. There is no intimation in scripture, that those who die in
their sins, are afterwards sent, or suffered to go abroad. There is
reason to believe, that as the saints are made perfect at death, so
all that bears an affinity to goodness, ceases at that period, in the
unrenewed, and that they put on the complete image of him who is
termed their father. If this is the case, they would spread mischief
and misery, were they permitted access to those who remain in the
body, a