of the new Jerufalem or millennian ftate. Some men might be ready to fay, this millennian ftate is glorious and happy; but, being only for a thoufand years, it will come to an end, and the citi zens of the new Jerufalem may be conquered by their enemies. But, faith the fpitit of prophecy, ens tertain no fuch fear; for true Chriftians fhall reign for ever and ever. They fhall never more be perfecuted by devils and wicked men, as their forefathers were under Heathen and Papal Rome. At the end of the thousand years, the devil fhall be loofed for a fhort time, and Gog and Magog fhall compass the camp of the faints about and the be loved city; and thus, by raifing wars in the earth after they had ceafed for a thousand years, fhall put an end to the millennium; but they fhall not put an end to the reign and triumph of the faints on earth. For the devil and Gog and Magog fhall be defeated in these wars. Gog and Magog fhall be destroyed by fire from heaven, and the devil fhall be caft into the lake of fire and brimftone, where he shall be tormented day and night for e

ver.

After the commencement of the millennium, Christians fhall not be conquered by any enemies on earth, and their reign shall not terminate with this earth. "On them the fecond death fhall "have no power." The fame truth, righteoufness, peace, and joy which conftitute their king-, dom

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dom and reign on the earth, shall in higher degree of perfection accompany them to heaven, for ever improve, and conftitute their reign for ever and ever.

Before this earth and the works that are therein fhall be burnt in the general conflagration, "the "Lord himself fhall defcend from heaven with "a fhout, with the voice of the Archangel and

trump of God, and the dead in Chrift fhall rise "firft: then they who are alive and remain fhall "be caught up together with them in the clouds, "to meet the Lord in the air: and fo fhall they "ever be with the Lord."

As the seventh day fabbath is the type or fymbol of the feventh millennary or great fabbath of the whole earth, fo, it is probable that the first day of the week, the Lord's day, is the type of that reign of the Christian church, after the millennium until the general refurrection, and in heaven for ever and ever. The Lord's day, or fint day of the week, though frequently mentioned in fcripture as the day fet apart for the public worship of God in the Christian church, is always defcribed in very general terms. May not one reafon of this be, that it is not, like the seventh day, the type of a determinate period of time; but the type of indefinite time, even of the eternal reign of the faints in heaven, and therefore beft expreffed in general or indefinite terms.

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Verfe 6th. And he faid unto me, These fayings are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets fent his angel to fhew unto his fervants the things which must shortly be done.

All the fayings of this book are truths of God, and all the predictions in it shall be faithfully accomplished in due time. That God who is the Lord and fovereign of all the holy prophets, who dictated to them what they revealed to men, and whom they cheerfully obeyed and devoutly worshipped as their God, fent a particular angel, who, on account of fome peculiarities in his character or office is ftiled peculiarly his angel, to fhew unto his fervants the things which muft fhortly be done. This angelis the fame one, and the truft committed to him is the fame, that was mentioned in chap. i. 1. He was the particular and intermediate agent between Jefus Chrift and John, in conveying to John the things contained in this book. The prophecies of this book are things which muft fhortly be done. The first of them were accomplished in the days of John, immediately after this revelation was made to him; and ever fince that time the fucceeding predictions have been gradually fulfilled in the ftrictest conformity to the chain of prophecy contained in this book, The angel was VOL. II. 3 1

to

to fhew them to the fervants of God. The book is left open to the inspection of all; but the fervants of God only perceive the meaning of the predictions, in fo far as it is fit for supporting their faith and patience. So much are even the intellectual powers of man blinded or turned afide by his wishes, his propenfities, or his averfions, that the fervants of this or that church, of this or that vice, and of this or that erroneous opinion, see every thing, and these prophecies among the reft, through a glafs which gives them its own colour. But they who are the fervants of the Lord, these upright, candid, pious, and diligent men, who in matters of religion have no other wifh but to dif cover and obey the will of God, fhall fee every thing, and among the reft these prophecies in their own colour. "The high way of the upright "is to depart from evil."

Verfe 7th.-Behold I come quickly: bles fed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Chrift cometh quickly in the accomplishment of the predicted events. In the first of them he came quickly after the revelation was made to John. And he comes at the predicted time in every one of them. The fame bleffing which was pronounced in chap. i. 3. on those who keep the

fayings

fayings of the prophecy of this book, is repeated in this verfe when the book draws near to a clofe. Thofe whom God bleffes are bleffed indeed. Is not this a powerful motive to the ftudy of the prophecies of this book? For, unless we know them we cannot keep them in a way that may be ftiled duty, or in a way to which a bleffing is affixed. Those who keep them shall be bleffed in all the fituations of life, even the most calamitous, by that fupport which they fhall afford to their faith and patience, and by that improvement and delight which they shall communicate to their heads and hearts, under the bleffing of God. And they fhall be qualified for the enjoyment of unfpeakable and endless blifs in a future ftate.

Verses 8th, 9th. And I John faw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and feen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which fhewed me these things. Then faith he unto me, See thou do it not for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the fayings of this book: worship God.

John informs us that he does not relate these prophecies as legendary tales or stories, which had 312

been