civil government will undergo fuch a change at the Millennium? It appears from Daniel, chap. ii. 35. The great image seen by Nebuchadnezzar in his dream, is the fymbol of the four univerfal monarchies, or, in other words, of civil government, as a power distinct from, but coexistent with the church, at length the "stone cut out without hands," which repre fents the church, fmote the image on the toes; "then was the iron, the clay, the brafs, the fil "ver, the gold broken to pieces together; and "became like the chaff of the fummer thresh"ing floors and the wind carried them away, " and no place was found for them." We are not to suppose with levellers, and fome Millennarians, that civil government shall then cease to exift, it is the ordinance of God, and neceffary for maintaining order in the world; nor are we to imagine that it shall be swallowed up by the ecclefiaftical government: That was the attempt of Antichrift; but it is exprefsly faid, "no place was found for it ;" meaning, (I apprehend) that it ceases to exift, as a power distinct from the church, being now animated by the spirit of the church, and holding the fame ends in view, the glory of God, the ho nour of the Redeemer, and the eternal interests of mankind.

This fentiment is confirmed by Daniel, chap. vii. 27. "And the kingdom and dominion, " and the greatnefs of the kingdom under the "whole heaven, fhall be given to the people of "the faints of the moft High." If the faints shall govern the world, they muft, as a body politic, be animated by the fpirit of Chrift, of which they individually partake. The faint difcovers the spirit by which he is animated, in the government of his family; fo God fays of Abraham: "I know that he will teach his houfe"hold my ftatutes." By parity of reason, when the faints become a body-politic, they will transfer the spirit by which they are animated to the civil government.

We may infer this change likewife from Rev. xi. 15. "And the feventh angel founded; and "there were great voices in heaven, faying, "The kingdoms of this world are become the

kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Chrift; and "he fhall reign for ever and ever." If at the period specified, Chrift fhall reign over the kingdoms of the world in a manner different from his mode of governing them at any former period, fo as to claim a fpecial intereft in them, Is it not reasonable to fuppofe, that he thus reigns, by infusing his Spirit, which all along animated his church, (properly termed his kingdom),

dom), into the civil government, in the various kingdoms of the world?

This change in the civil government is fully established by Rev. xx. 4. "I faw thrones, and

they fat upon them, and judgment was given "unto them: and I faw the fouls of them that "were beheaded for the witnefs of Jefus ;" and they lived and reigned with Chrift a thou"fand years. Thrones of judgment in fcripture-language fignify the civil government, fo it is faid of Jerufalem, "Here are fet thrones of "judgment, the thrones of the house of David," Pfal. cxxii. 5. meaning the fupreme council of the nation fixed at Jerufalem by Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron xix. 8. Martyrs are reprefented fitting on thefe thrones of judgment, to intimate, that the civil governors of the period pointed out in the prophecy fhall be animated by the spirit of the martyrs of Jefus, not only as individuals, but as governors, that is, in their legislative and judicative capacities..

IV. A fourth character of the Millennium is, that all who profefs Chriftianity, or the far greater part of them', fhall experience its vital

power.

(1) That fome perfons during the Millennium shall not experience the efficacy of divine grace, I gather from Ezek. xlvii. 11. The waters iffuing from the fanctuary,

ver. 1.

power. In every former period, multitudes reconciled a profeffion of Chriftianity to the gra tification of their own lufts and paffions; nay, upon it has been grafted a system of tyranny, idolatry and wickednefs, the most odious the world ever beheld. But at the Millennium, the divine beauty and power of this religion shall be confpicuously displayed in the conduct of those who embrace it.

The influences of the Spirit fhall be extenfively and abundantly beftowed, the ordinances of religion shall be diligently and faithfully dif penfed, and in confequence multitudes fhall be actually converted; for all this is represented to the prophet Ezekiel in a vision, by the emblem of a "river iffuing from the fanctuary and entering into the fea, which being brought "forth into the fea, the waters shall be healed. "And it fhall come to pafs, that every thing "that liveth, which moveth, whitherfoever the " rivers

ver. 1. certainly fignify the extenfive and copious diffufion of divine grace in the ordinances of religion, during the Millennium; but ftill the "miry places thereof, and "the marifhes thereof, fhall not be healed, they fhall be "given to falt." Meaning, either that certain corners of the earth fhall not receive the Chriftian religion, or that fome individuals fhall not experience its vital power; and from Ifa. lxv. 20. "The finner being an hundred "years old fhall be accurfed."

"rivers fhall come, fhall live: and there fhall "be a very great multitude of fish, because these "waters hall come thither; for they fhall be "healed, and every thing fhall live whither "the river cometh. And it fhall come to pass, "that the fishers fhall stand upon it, from En"gedi, even unto En-eglaim: they fhall be a "place to spread forth nets, their fifh fhall be "according to their kinds, as the fifh of the great fea, exceeding many," Ezekiel xlvii. 8,

9, 103.

The degree of knowledge beftowed on the church fhall be fuperior to that the enjoyed at any former period; "for the earth fhall be full "of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters "cover the fea," Ifa. xi. 9. Hab. ii. 14. It shall not only be extenfive, but profound. “More"over, the light of the moon fhall be as the

light of the fun, and the light of the fun shall "be seven-fold, as the light of feven days," Ifa. xxx. 26. Chriftianity fhall then have due influence on the hearts and lives of men, producing its genuine fruits, righteousness and true holinefs."Truth fhall spring out of the earth; "and righteousness shall look down from hea"ven.-Righteousness shall go before him, and "shall set us in the way of his steps," Pfal.lxxxv.

3 I

11.

(1) See the fame emblem ufed, Joel iii. 18. Zech. xiv. 8. Rev. xxii. 1, 2.