which fword proceeded out of his mouth, and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.'

After this follows the defcription of the millennium, chap. xx. ver. 4. And I saw thrones, and they fat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the fouls of them that were beheaded for the witnefs of Jefus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon ⚫ their forehead, or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Chrift a thousand years. But the rest ◄ of the dead lived not again until the thousand years C were finished. This is the first refurrection. Bleff• ed and holy is he that hath part in the first resur<rection. On fuch the second death hath no power, but they fhall be priests of God, and of Christ, and they fhall reign with him. a thoufand ' years.'

To me it appears not improbable, that feveral circumstances in our Saviour's prophecy concerning the deftruction of Jerufalem, and the defolation of Judea, relate to this great and more diftant period. For it was delivered in anfwer to a queftion put to him by his difciples, which refpected both the events, on the idea of their being coincident. • Tell us,' fay they, Matt. xxiv. 3, when fhall these things be,

' and what shall be the the end of the age. firft, as it is in Luke,

fign of thy coming, and of

In anfwer to this, he fays, whofe account in this cafe

feems to be the most orderly and diftinct of any,

chap.

chap. xxi. ver. 9. But when ye shall hear of wars, ' and commotions, be not terrified; for these things 'must first come to pass, but the end is not by and

by. Then faid he unto them, Nation fhall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and peftilences, and fearful fights, and great figns fhall there be from heaven. But before all these they shall lay their hands on you, and perse⚫ cute you, delivering you up to the fynagogues, and into prifons, being brought before kings and rulers my name's fake.'

• for

I am the more inclined to think that fome things in this prediction have this farther reference, because in them Jefus exprefsly quotes the language of Daniel recited above, which unquestionably has this reference; as when he fays, Matt. xxix. 20. There fhall be great tribulation, fuch as was not fince the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever ' fhall be: And except those days fhould be fhortened, there fhould no flesh be faved, but for the elect's fake thofe days fhall be shortened.'

It seems still more evident that this prediction admits of this interpretation, from what follows, which exactly corresponds to the more antient prophecies. Mat. xxiv. 29. Immediately after the tribulation of ⚫ those days fhall the fun be darkened, and the moon not give her light, and the ftars fhall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens fhall be 'fhaken;' which are almoft the very words of the prophet

prophet Haggai quoted above. And then shall appear the fign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then fhall all the tribes of the earth mourn.

And

they fhall fee the Son of Man coming in the clouds ⚫ of heaven, with power and great glory. And he 'fhall fend his angels with a great found of a trumpet,

and they fhall gather together his elect, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." That this great tribulation was a diftant event, and did not refpect the Jews, but the Gentiles, is probable from Jefus calling it, Luke xxi. 25, the • distress of nations,' or 'the nations,' i. e. the Gentiles,' men's hearts,' he fubjoins, failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth. For the powers of heaven fhall be fhaken,' that is, there will be great convulfions, and violent revolutions, in kingdoms and ftates; And then fhall they fee the Son of Man ⚫ coming in clouds, with power and great glory.'

That this tribulation is coincident with that which is to precede the restoration of the Jews, is probable from his faying immediately before, ver. 24, Jerufalem fhall be trodden down of the Gentiles, till the ⚫ times of the Gentiles be fulfilled,' that is, till it fhall come to be their turn to be punished; the deftruction of the Gentiles, who had oppreffed the Jews, commencing with the restoration of that highly favoured nation.

Jefus farther fays, Luke xxi. 22. These be the days of vengeance, that all the things which are

' written

' written may be fulfilled.' Now the only days of vengeance particularly announced by the antient prophets, to which Jefus here alludes, relate to the judgments of God upon the Gentiles who had fhewn enmity to the Jews, and especially in their oppofition to their re-fettlement in their own country. There is nothing more clear in the whole compafs of prophecy, as I have fhewn on another occafion, than that after the deftined period for the difperfion and calamities of the Jews, the heaviest of all the divine judgments will fall upon those nations by whom they shall have been oppressed; and this will involve almost all the nations of the world, but more especially those of these western parts, which have been fubject first to the Roman empire, and then to the fee of Rome.

Mofes fays, Deut. xxx. 7. The Lord thy God ' will put all these curfes' (those which were threatened to fall upon them) upon thine enemies, and upon them that hate thee, and perfecute thee.' Ifa. xliii. 25. I will contend with them that contend ' with thee, and I will fave thy children. And I will feed them that opprefs thee with their own flesh, and they fhall be drunken with their own blood, as with fweet wine, and all flesh shall know that I, Jehovah, am thy Saviour, and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.' Zeph. iii. 19. Behold

at that time I will undo all that afflict thee.' Jer. Xxx. 11. Though I make a full end of all the na<tions whither I have fcattered thee, yet will I not • make

C

• make a full end of thee, but I will correct thee in 'meafure.' Ezekiel, fpeaking of the happy times that will take place on the restoration of the Jews, fays, chap. xxviii. ver. 26. Yea they fhall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that defpife them round about them, ⚫ and they shall know that I am Jehovah their God.' Laftly, Zechariah fays, chap. xii. ver. 9. It fhall come to pass in that day, that I will feek to deftroy all the nations that come against Jerufalem.'

That there is to be a day of vifitation for all the nations in this part of the world (all of whom have distinguished themselves fo by their oppreffion and maffacre of the Jews) will now, I prefume, be fufficiently apparent, if there be any truth in prophecy. You will therefore naturally afk, if there be any ground for thinking, that those judgments are now about to take place; if fo, how long they will probably continue, and when will be the commencement of the glorious and happy times that are to follow.

That those great troubles, fo frequently mentioned in the antient prophecies, are now commencing, I do own I strongly fufpect, as I intimated the last time that I addressed you on this occafion; and the events of the laft year have contributed to ftrengthen that suspicion; the storm, however, may still blow over for the present, and the great scene of calamity be reserved for fome future time, though I cannot think it will be deferred long.

As to the precife time when the scene of calamity