longs: the length, and the breadth, and the height of it are equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jafper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnifhed with all manner of precious ftones. The first foundation was jafper, the second sapphire, the third a chalcedony, the fourth an emerald, the fifth fardonyx, the fixth fardius, the seventh chryfolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth a topaz, the tenth a chryfophrafus, the eleventh a jacinct, the twelfth an amethyft. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every feveral gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were tranfparent glafs.

3

Agreeably to the idiom of prophetic writing, and to the particular conftruction of this book, an angel is introduced to give a full and distinct view of the new Jerufalem or millennium ftate of the Christian church, which had been predicted in the xx. chapter, and in the preceding part of this one, after the Papal hierarchy had been predicted in chap. xiii. In chap. xvii. 1. an angel is introduced LOVOL. II. 3 E

in

in a manner exactly fimilar to that of the angel in this paffage, to present a striking picture of the Papal hierarchy and an explication of it, which he did in the whole xvii. chapter. In chap. xvii. 1. the angel faid to John, "Come hither;" and in this paffage the angel alfo fays to John, "Come hither." By thefe fimilar expreffions it is intimated, that each of these vilions is limited to a particular fcene, even to that on which the angel ftood at the time when he gave each of these invitations, “Come hi"ther." In the former inftance it was the witdernefs ftate of the church, even the period from the year of Chrift 756 to the end of the year 1999. Verse 3d, "So he carried me away in the Spirit "unto the wilderness." In this inftance it is a great and high mountain. Verfe 10th, “And he "carried me away in the Spirit unto a great and "high mountain." But what particular scene or ftate of the church and of the world is reprefented by this great and high mountain? This is the fymbol for the millennian period of the church and of the world.

It was formerly fhewn, that, in the fymbolical language, a mountain fignifies dominion or kingdom; becaufe dominion or power elevates those who are vefted with it above the reft of men, juft as mountains are elevated above the furrounding plains. Hence the proper fymbol for that period of the Chriftian church, when the kingdom of God fhall come on earth, when the kingdom fhall be

given to the faints of the Moft High, and when they shall be made kings and priefts unto God, and shall reign with Chrift a thousand years, is a great mountain, because that kingdom of God fhall then extend over the whole earth; and a high mountain, because it fhall then overtop every other kingdom on earth. By this fymbol the millennian period is uniformly reprefented by the antient prophets. Thus Daniel ii. 31,-45. Ifhall transcribe only verses 34, 35, 44, 45. but the reader is defired to read the whole paffage. "Thou "sawest till that a stone was cut out without "hands, which fmote the image upon his feet that "were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces; "then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the filver, "and the gold broken to pieces together, and be"came like the chaff of the fummer threfhing-floors, "and the wind carried them away that no place "was found for them: and the ftone that smote "the image became a great mountain, and filled "the whole earth. And in the days of these

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kings fhall the God of heaven fet up a kingdom "which fhall never be deftroyed: and the king"dom fhall not be left to other people, but it shall

break in pieces and confume all these kingdoms, " and it fhall ftand for ever. Forafmuch as thou "faweft that the ftone was cut out of the moun"tain without hands, and that it brake in pieces "the iron, the brass, the clay, the filver, and the gold: the great God hath made known to the

"king what fhall come to pafs hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof "fure."

In this paffage Daniel predicts the rife and fall of the four great kingdoms, the Babylonian, the Perfian, the Grecian, and Roman. And he also predicts the different appearances of the kingdom of God in the world in different periods. So long as any of these four kingdoms should continue, it is reprefented by the ftone cut out without hands: but whenever the left of them should be totally and finally deftroyed, that fame ftone should become a great mountain, and fhall fill the whole earth. Hence it is perfectly clear, that the period in which the church of Chrift is reprefented by a great mountain is that which fhall commence upon the final overthrow of Rome under its laft head, the Papal, which is the laft of these four kingdoms. But, as was formerly fhewn, the millennian period is to commence at that time, and on the very back of that event.

Ifaiah predicting the millennian period uses the fame fymbol, chap. ii. 2,-4. "And it fhall come "to pass in the last days that the mountain of the "Lord's house shall be established in the top of "the mountains, and fhall be exalted above the

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hills; and all nations fhall flow unto it. And

many people fhall go and fay, Come ye, and let "us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the

"houfe

"houfe of the God of Jacob, and he will teach us "of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for "out of Zion fhall go forth the law, and the word "of the Lord from Jerufalem. And he fhall judge among the nations, and fhall rebuke many peo

ple; and they shall beat their fwords into plough "fhares, and their fpears into pruning hooks: na"tion fhall not lift up fword against nation, nei"ther fhall they learn war any more." All the particulars of this paffage unite in marking the period of the mountain of God's houfe as that of the millennium. This This prediction refpected the last days. This fymbol, "the last days," always fignifies the period of the gofpel, as distinguished from that of the Mofaic difpenfation. This mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and exalted above the hills, and all nations fhall flow unto it: and there fhall be no more war. But that period when the kingdom of God fhall be fupreme in the world, when all nations fhall flow unto it, and univerfal peace fhall prevail on the earth, is the millennium. Micah predicting the fame pe riod uses the fame fymbol, and the very fame defcription, without almoft a fingle word of variation, chap. iv. 1,-3. This paffage the reader is defired to examine, and particularly to notice that Micah, like Isaiah, expressly limits the period to which it refers to "the last days." And Ezekiel when