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lows the ruin of the Othman empire, and then the total deftruction of Rome and of Antichrift. When thefe great events, I fay, fhall come to pafs, then fall the kingdom of Chrift commence, or the reign of the faints upon earth. So Daniel exprefly informs us, that the kingdom of Chrift and the faints will be raised upon the ruins of the kingdom of Antichrift; (VII. 26, 27.) But the judgment fhall fit, and they shall take away his dominion, to confume, and to deftroy it unto the end: And the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, fhall be given to the people of the faints of the most High, whofe kingdom is an everlufting kingdom, and all dominion fhall ferce and obey him. likewife St. John faith, that upon the final deftruction of the beast and the falfe prophet (Rev. XX.) Satan is bound for a thousand years; And I saw thrones, and they fat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I faw the fouls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jefus and for the word of God, and which had not worhipped the beaft, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; aud they Irved and reigned with Chrift a thousand years: But the reft of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the firft refurrection. It is, I conceive, to thefe great events, the fall of Antichrift, the re-establishment of the Jews, and the beginning of the glorious millennium, that the three different dates in Daniel of 1260 years, 1290 years, and 1335 years are to be referred: and as Daniel faith, (XII. 12.) Bleed is he that waiteth and cometh to the 1335 years; fo St. John faith, (XX. 6.) Bleffed and holy is he that hath part in the first refurrection. Bleffed and happy indeed will be this period; and it is very obfervable, that the martyrs and confeffors of Jefus, in popish as well as in pagan times, will be raised to partake of this felicity. Then fhall all thofe gracious promifes in the Old Teftament be fulfilled of the amplitude and extent, of the peace and profperity, of the glory and happinefs of the church in the latter days. Then in the full fenfe of the words (Rev. XI. 15.) shall the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he

Shall

hall reign for ever and ever. According to (7) tradition thefe thousand years of the reign of Chrift and the faints will be the feventh millennary of the world; for as God created the world in fix days and refted on the feventh, fo the world, it is argued, will continue fix thousand years, and the feventh thousand will be the great fabbatism or holy reft to the people of God; one day (2 Pet. III. 8.) being with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. According to (8) tradition too these thousand years of the reign of Chrift and the faints are the great day of judgment; in the morning or beginning whereof fhall be the coming of Chrift in flaming fire, and the particular judgment of Antichrift, and the first refurrection; and in the evening or conclufion whereof fhall be the general refurrection of the dead, small and great, and they shall be judged every man according to their works.

Prudence as well as modefty requires, that we should forbear all curious enquiries into the nature and condition of this future kingdom; as how Satan fhould be bound for a thousand years, and afterwards loofed again; how the raised faints fhall cohabit with the living, and judge and govern the world; how Chrift fhall manifeft himfelf to them, and reign among them; how the new Jerufalem, the city and church of the living God, fhall defcend from heaven to earth; how Satan fhall at laft deceive the nations, and what nations they fhall be. These are points which the holy Spirit hath not thought fit to explain; and folly may easily afk more questions about them, than wifdom can aufwer. Wisdom, in the myfterious things of God, and efpecially in the mysterious things of futurity, will ftill adhere to the words of fcripture; and having feen the completion of fo many particulars will reft contented with believing that these alfo thall be, without knowing how they fhall be. It is of the nature of moft prophecies not to be fully understood, till they are fully accomplished, and especially propliecies relating to a ftate fo different from the prefent

(7) See Burnet's Theory, B. Ch. 5. B. 4. Ch. 6.

(8) See Placita Hebræorum Doc

torum de Magno die Judicii in Mede. P. 535. B. 5. Ch. 3. p. 892.

as

Thus

as the millennium. Perfectly to comprehend these and all other prophecies may conftitute a part of the happinefs of that period, for then they will all be fulfilled, and the mystery of God fhall be finished. This however is very evident, that wickedness would foon overrun the world, if not reftrained by an overruling providence; for no fooner is Satan loofed again, than the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth come up against the holy city, the number of whom is as the fand of the fea: And therefore at the time appointed, after the general judgment, this world fhall be deftroyed. (2 Pet. III. 10.) the heavens fhall pass away with a great noife, and the elements fhall melt with fervent heat, the earth alfo, and the works that are therein shall be burnt up. (Rev. XXI. 1.) the first heaven and the first earth fhall pass away, and a new heaven and a new earth fhall fucceed, (2 Pet. III. 13.) wherein dwelleth righteousness (Rev. XXI. 3, 4.) God himself fhall be with men, and be their God; and there fhall be no more death, neither forrow nor pain, for the former things are paffed away. (1 Cor. XV. 24, &c.) Then cometh the end, when Chrift fhall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet; the last enemy that shall be deftroyed is death. And when all things fhall be fubdued unto him, then fhall the Son alfo himself be fubject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Since then the corruptions of popery are fo particularly foretold in fcripture, and make fo confiderable a part of the ancient prophecies, we have the lefs reafon to be furprifed and offended at them. While the papifts endevor to corrupt and adulterate the doctrins of the prophets and apoftles, they ftill accomplish their predictions; while they labour to deftroy Chriftianity in one part, they unwittingly confirm and establish it in another. And fince a time is certainly coming, wherein God will avenge himself on these idolaters, and require the blood of his fervants at their hands, let us wait with the faith and the patience of faints, till it be accomplished. We have feen the prophecies remarkably fulfilled in their

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fuccefs,

fuccefs, and we thall fee them as remarkably fulfilled too in their deftruction. The power of the pope is nothing near fo great now as it was fome years ago: It received its death-wound at the Reformation, of which it may languish for a time, but will never entirely recover, though its last struggles and efforts, like thofe of a dying monster, may be terrible and dangerous. In the end, the gospel will prevail over all enemies and oppofers; (Matt. XXI. 44.) Whomfoever shall fall on this ftone, fhall be broken; but on whomfoever it fhall fall, it will grind him to powder. We will conclude our difcourfe with the words of Ezra, fo very applicable to us of the reformed religion: (IX. 13, 14.) After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God haft punished us less than our inquities deferce, and haft given us fuch deliverance as this, a deliverance from the yoke and tyranny of the church of Rome; fhould we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations, wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst confumed us, fo that there fhould be no remnant nor efcaping?

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CONCLUSION.

ROM these inftances, which have been produced, of prophecies and their completions, it is hoped, this conclufion may fairly be drawn in the words of St. Peter, (2 Pet. I. 20, 21.) that no prophecy of the fcripture is of any private interpretation, or the fuggeftion of any man's own fpirit or fancy; for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God Spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost. Other inftances might have been alleged to the fame purpose: but those prophecies which received their full accomplishment in ancient times, and even thofe which were accomplished in the perfon and actions of our bleffed Saviour,

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Saviour, are not here confidered; fuch only as relate to these latter ages, and either in the whole or in part are now fulfilling in the world, are made the fubjects of thefe differtations. This is proving our religion in fome meafure by ocular demonftration, is not walking by faith only, but alfo by fight. For you can have no reafon to doubt of the truth of prophecy, and confequently of the truth of revelation, when you fee inftances of things, which could no ways depend upon human conjecture, foretold with the greateft clearness, and fulfilled hundreds of years afterwards with the greateft exactnefs. Nay you fee prophecies, the latest whereof were delivered about 1700 years ago, and fome of them above 3000 years ago, fulfilling at this very time, and cities, countries, and kingdoms in the very fame condition, and all brought about in the very fame manner, and with the very fame circumftances, as the prophets had foreto

You fee the defcendants of Shem and Japheth ruling and inlarged in Afia and Europe, and perhaps in America, and the curfe of fervitude still attending the wretched defcendents of Ham in Africa. You fee the pofterity of Ishmael multiplied exceedingly, and become a great nation in the Arabians; yet living like wild men, and fhifting from place to place in the wilderness; their hand against every man, and every man's hand against them; and ftill dwelling an independent and free people, in the prefence of all their brethren, and in the prefence of all their enemies. You fee the family of Efau totally extinct, and that of Jacob fubfifting at this day; the feepter departed from Judah, and the people living no where in authority, every where in fubjection; the Jews ftill dwelling alone among the nations, while the remembrance of Amalek is utterly put out from under heaven. You fee the Jews feverely punished for their infidelity and difobedience to their great prophet like unto Mofes; plucked from off their own land, and removed into all the kingdoms of the earth; oppressed and spoiled evermore, and made a proverb and a by-word among all nations. You fee Ephraim fo broken as to be no more a people, while the whole nation is comprehended under the name of Judah; the Jews won

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