papal antichrift, and the converfion of the Jews; and alfo that there fhall be then, an universal peace and plenty, and a great increase of knowledge and righteousness, throughout the whole church of God; to this elaborate, and judicious performance, the reader is therefore referred.

Only we may observe, that, befides the accounts of that happy ftate given in this and the following chapter, and in many of the prophecies in the Old Teftament, quoted and explained by Dr Whitby, there are several omens of its near approach. For do not the almoft innumerable inventions of the mo

derns,

the latter were to be raised to life again after the 1000 years are finished, what a poor reward would this be, nay rather would it not be a very fevere punishment to them, to be obli ged to behold the dreadful diforders which will then be occafioned by the impious attempts of Gog and Magog?

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As to the last objection taken from the declaration in the 6th verse, that blefled and holy is he that hath part in the first refurrection, that on them the fecond death fhould have no power;" we have the greatest reafon to understand it as a form of expreffion frequently used in fcripture, where a part, or a confiderable part, is defcribed by the whole. Thus Pfal. 84. verie 4. Bleffed are they that dwell in thy house, they will be ftill praifing thee." Pfal. 89. ver. 15. "Bleffed is the "people that know the joyful found; they fhall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance." Thus alfo Matth. xxvii. 44. The thieves, who were crucified with our Saviour, are faid to revile him, though the evangelift Luke affures us that only one of them was guilty of this indecency; and, in commenting upon Rev. xvi. 3. I fhewed, that when it is faid, on the fecond angel his pouring out the vial" upon the fea, it became as the "blood of a dead man;" that by these figures we were to understand not that the whole, but only that a confiderable part of the political state of papal Rome typified by the fea, would become dead to it, or would withdraw its allegiance from it.

Thus, by giving a proper attention to this paffage, it will appear, that it is perfectly confiftent with the explanations of the preceding parts of this prophecy, and abfolutely free from the ridiculous abfurdities of the ancient millennarians, or of their modern followers

See Dr Newton's Differtations on the Prophecies, vol. 3. p. 316. &c. where the arguments for a literal Resurrection of he Martyrs, are argued, and adopted.

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derns, and the amazing progrefs of arts and sciences in the various branches of them, namely, in divinity, philofophy, medicine, agriculture, chymiftry, mechanics, &c. do not thefe, I fay, promise a quick maturity? to which, if they fhall once be brought, what great, and good, and lafting confequences may be expected? more efpecially if we confider that many, and perhaps the most useful inventions, have not been the refult of genius, but of what we call chance, or, more properly speaking, the effects of divine providence. This one confideration, methinks, is fufficient to raise our hopes, and engage us to conclude, that God, who in these latter times has fo visibly favoured the human race, and is almost every year throwing fomething new and profitable in their way, defigns by fome other gifts, yet in reserve, to exalt the temporal and spiritual happiness of mankind to a higher pitch than was ever known fince the fall of man.

But perhaps it may be faid, that the church of God, under the millennial reign, fhall either be in a ftate of trial or not; if not, the members of it cannot properly be the fubjects of a future judgment; but that they, as well as the rest of mankind, fhall be judged, is evident from the 13th verfe of the 20th chapter, where it is declared, that every man, without exception, " fhall be judged according to his works," which expreffions clearly demonftrate, that all men, whether under the millennium or not, shall be subjected to a state of trial: And, if they shall, then it is plain, that a flow of outward profperity will rather have a tendency to hurt, than to promote the intereft of religion; and that higher measures of knowledge will not be a fufficient check, fince it hath been often found, that fome of the most knowing men have been alfo moft remarkably wicked; and therefore it is confequent, if there shall be a millennium of happiness, it must consist in

a

a state of pure spiritual profperity, to which adverfity hath always been moft friendly.

;

In answer to these objections, it is acknowledged, that the happiness of the millennial state will chiefly confift in the fpiritual profperity of its fubjects; and alfo that these will certainly be in a state of trial and farther, that a mere fpeculative knowledge of their duty will not of itself be a fufficient check or balance againft temptations. But, after all these conceflions, it still remains a certain truth, that the knowledge of our duty is of great advantage, in order to the performance of it; and, when this knowledge is accompanied with fpecial communications of grace, and powerful external motives, what a mighty influence muft it have to preferve men from the force of worldly temptations, and to keep them fteady in the practice of religion?

Let us fuppofe a man bleft with a healthy conftitution, and an equal temperament of body, from which naturally flows a tweetnefs of difpofition; let us fuppofe him alío born for filling up fome high ftation in life; and, befides the aids of divine grace, to have had the benefit of a liberal and pious education, and good example, and afterwards to be settled in fuch happy circumftances, as not to be af1aulted by any violent temptations to deviate from the path of duty; fuch a man, though fubjected to tome common or ordinary trials; yet, having fo many and to great advantages, may he not be conceived to grow old in virtue, and to die untainted with any grofs acts of vice, whilft his health, his power, and riches, contributed to his more extenlive ufefulness, and at the fame time, to his higher 1piritual pertection?

Though the above is only fuppofed, yet they muft be great ftrangers to the world, who, (notwithstanding our prefent depravity), think that no fuch perfons have exifted, or that all mankind are

upon

upon an equal level, as to their moral trial. If then fuch perfons, and fuch circumftances have already exifted in the world, (however few they may poffibly be), is there any difficulty in conceiving, that God may, in fome future period, place the whole, or at least the greatest part of christian magiftrates, in like or much more favourable circumftances? And, if this fhall once happen, what mighty advantages mùft redound to their subjects? fince

Regis ad exemplum totus componitur orbis.

Befides, if we confider, that, on account of mens rebellion against God, the human race hath been punished with an almoft continued feries of fufferings and calamities for near fix thousand years; may we not then entertain the pleafing hope, that, in compaffion to mankind, an infinitely good God, who is love itself, and who fent "his only begotten Son to die for us," will grant us one thoufand years, or a fabbath of reft, to enjoy the fruits of his beneficence, before the conclufion of the great drama?

This seems to be imported in the figure whereby the state of the church is reprefented in the 12th chapter, during the reign of antichrift. There, the woman or church is faid to "flee from the face of "the serpent into the wilderness, where she was to "be nourished for 1260 days." Now, as this figure bears a plain allufion to the state of the Old Teftament church in the wilderness; and, as this was fucceeded by the poffeffion of the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, after they had extirpated or expelled the idolatrous nations. out of it; fo this poffeffion is called, in the 95th Pfalm, a fabbath or reft. In analogy to this type, may we not then infer, that, when the New Tefta

ment

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ment church hath once finished its trials in the wilderness, and extirpated papal idolatry, it shall enter upon a flourishing and glorious ftate, both of temporal and fpiritual profperity? And this appears ftill to be more probable, fince we find in the 11th chapter of Ifaiah's prophecy, (which, according to the moft judicious commentators, contains a fublime description of the millennium), that the happy ftate of the church, upon the converfion of Jews and Gentiles, is reprefented in the 10th verse, by a Sabbath or reft: "His reft fhall be glorious." Farther, fince God measures out his temporal mercies or judgments to large bodies or focieties of men in this world, according to their moral behaviour, as fufficiently appears from the hiftories of all nations; is there not then a probability (abstracting from the prophecy), that his church fhall be as long flourishing and triumphant, as she has, in any remarkable degree, been formerly borne down and oppreffed ?

But, before this happy æra fhall take place, we have reafon, from what hath been already obferved, to conclude, that a general and terrible affault shall be made by all the powers of darkness and idolatry, upon the true church of God, by which it may be fubjected to a state of purgation. This feems to be implied, Revelation 16th chapter, 15th verfe, where, immediately after the preparation for the laft and decifive battle is mentioned, follow these awful words: "Behold, I come as a thief; blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, left he walk naked, and they fee his fhame." Which words. are of the fame import with that warning given to the church of Sardis, chapter 3d, verfe 3d, "Remember therefore how thou haft received and heard, and hold faft and repent; if therefore thou fhalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I fhall come upon thee:"