world, what his mind is on this subject,-for in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. Besides, these witnesses have never been corrupted by traditions of men. Their testimony is of the purest character. If Adam was to reappear in the world, would he not be surprised to see beardless men, and inquire whether they were ashamed of him, their father, on account of his beard, or say, You think you have become wiser than God was when he made me in his image?

When God gave his people a code of laws for their government by Moses, shaving was expressly forbidden. Levit. xix., 27. "Ye shall not round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou mar the corners of thy beard." Levit. xxi. 5. "Neither shall they shave off the corners of their beard."

God's chosen people wore the beard; it was considered a reproach to be without it.-See 2 Sam., x., 4. "Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and sent them away. When they told unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed and the king said, Tarry at Jericho (a frontier city) until your beards be grown, and return."

God made our bodies for himself to dwell and walk in. 2 Cor. vi., 14-18. "I will dwell in them and walk in them: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

When God made our bodies, was there a deficiency of wisdom? Who is authorized to alter or disfigure God's dwelling? Rom. ix., 20.* "Shall the thing formed say," &c. What does shaving preach?

Ans. That God has given us something not only useless, but burdensome, and that we must almost daily be at the trouble of ridding ourselves of it. Thus we daily reproach our Maker, and his Son Jesus. Rom. ix., 20.

It is said that it is singular. it should not be practised.

This forms no objection why

Because it is singular for men to be holy in this age, will any one say we ought not to be holy? Men often pray to be like Jesus. Now, if their prayers were never answered, would they have beards?

Nay, but O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed, why hast thou made me thus?—Note by Mr. Folger.

7

Who was Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God!

Ans. A Jew. If the Son be a Jew, what is the Father? Jesus said, John iv., 22, "Salvation is of the Jews. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship." Again he says, John xiv. 9, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.”

When God appears, his sons are to be like him. 1 John iii., 3. The beard is the grand visible distinction between the male and female. It denotes age, wisdom, strength, and gives dignity to the being God has made lord of his creation. Henceforth, men who become holy will wear their beards by the appointment of God.

Children have no beards: so those who are children in the kingdom of God will have no beards, till they be grown to the age and stature of young men.

E.

THE SABBATH OF YEARS.

[The following meditation contains Mr. Pierson's notions respecting the Seventh Millennium, or the great Sabbath of years.]

June 28, 1832. Meditation. God made all his works in five days, and the sixth day made man, and gave them commandment what to do, and rested on the seventh day.

This is a type of what God is about to do now; viz:

The new creation is to be completed and made perfect before the Sabbath of years begins, that is, before the six thousand years are ended, that God may rest from all his works on the seventh thousand years.

The new creation is the new heavens and new earth for men to dwell in, and new men after God's image, holy, and that entire renovation of the animal and vegetable world which is needful. The entire destruction and banishment of the wicked from the earth before the six thousand years are ended.

God will then have nothing to do but rest on the seventh thousand years, and bless them, and enjoy the fruit of his labour.

The world to be a Garden of Eden.

[The consecration of his house in Fourth-street, as a place of worship, after his removal from the Bowery Hill, has been mentioned in the text. The following entry occurs in

his diary upon the subject.]

Friday evening, 6 o'clock, April 19, 1832. Finished fixing the carpets, cleaning the house, &c.

While meditating on the goodness of God for his help and aid in all our moving, the Spirit said, Sanctify your house unto the Lord.

I was directed to go into every room, from the cellar to the garret, praying that God would take up his abode with me in the house. Keep all evil from us, let no destroyer come nigh us, keep us from fire and all hurtful elements, give me power to speak his words. Grant hearing ears to the people, &c. &c.

[The particular occasion of the following entry is not known.]

June 3d and 4th, 1833. Go not anywhere abroad. Hide thyself three months till the indignation be overpast. I will bring evil upon this place, such as has never been, because they have rejected my words, and thee my servant. Wo, wo, wo unto this place.

F.

DOCTOR CONDICT'S STATEMENT.

[The elder Doctor Condict, a physician of standing, and a gentleman of high respectability, conceiving that his testimony on the trial had not been correctly reported, has transmitted to the writer the following statement respecting the post mortem examination of Mr. Pierson's body, in full. It is deemed of sufficient importance for insertion entire.]

On the 18th August, 1834, the body of Elijah Pierson was disinterred for examination. The surface of it was of a dark chocolate colour, and the face nearly black. The abdomen was laid open, a ligature passed round the œsophagus above the stomach, and another round the intestine below the stomach, and the stomach then taken out of the body. It

cular coat, had elevated the former by separating these two coats, and gave the dark colour to these spots; and when removed, the muscular coat, upon which the dark blood was spread, showed a bright red colour, extending a considerable distance around the dark spots, with increased thickness of substance, and enlargement of blood vessels. The whole internal surface of the stomach seemed devoid of putrefaction. Nothing was found in the stomach except the little mucus first mentioned, and the chalk-like powder.

The stomach and its little contents were carefully placed in a jar, and sent to Dr. Torrey, Professor of Chymistry in New-York, for the purpose of analyzing them, and it is understood and believed that no poisonous substance was detected.

On the 21st of March, 1835, the body of Mr. Pierson was again disinterred, with a view to an examination of the intestines and œsophagus, which conducts food from the mouth into the stomach. The body externally had advanced considerably in the putrefactive stage. The flesh about the limbs was giving way and falling off. What remained of the lungs was about the size of a fist, and black. The liver and spleen had entirely disappeared. The oesophagus or gullet was drawn down, and cut off high up in the throat, and with a considerable portion of the intestines, was carried home for examination. The gullet, at its end near the stomach, where it had been divided in August, was found to be reddened, and somewhat thickened, for about an inch and a half. It was slit open its whole length, and the remainder appeared natural, the redness below gradually diminishing till it disappeared. The whole was firm and unyielding, having very little if any appearance of dissolution or of tenderness. Different portions were cut off from the intestinal tube at different places, the feculent matters scraped off, rinsed in water, and spread open. No marks of redness appeared about them, nor any appearance of decay. They were very firm and unyielding. They could not be torn by the fingers, and possessed more tenacity than the gullet. It was remarked, on cutting through the muscles or fleshy covering of the lower belly, immediately over the intestines, that the flesh here was firm, and not decayed or decomposed more than it is usually found to be in the dead subject a few days after death. There was very little if any offensive smell at

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