Page images
PDF
EPUB

Bride adorned for her Husband. And if we but a little confider what Nation is meant in Scripture, by the Wife of the Lamb, we fhall not be able to deny that the New Jerufalem muft belong to the fame State. But that this State is the fame with that of the Binding of Satan, and of the Reign of the Saints for a 1000 years, after the first Refurrection; or at leaft Contemporary with it, is thus prov'd:

1. At the Destruction of Babylon we are directly told that the Marriage of the Lamb is come, and that her Wife bath made Apoc.xix. 7. her felf ready. And after the Destruction of the two Beasts, Apoc.xix. & which is Contemporary with Babylon's Deftruction, or rather the fame thing, immediately follows the Binding of Satan, and the beginning of the Millennium: fo that thefe two States plainly begin together.

XX.

2. Upon the loofing of Gog and Magog after the end of the Millennium, they immediately encompass, or Befiege the Camp Apoc. xx. 9. of the Saints, and the beloved City, i. e. the New Jerufalem, till fire defcends out of Heaven from God and devours them. So that these two States end together alfo ; and therefore upon the whole, are intirely Contemporary.

That these two States immediately fucceed the Seal'd Book, and Open Codicil, or are to begin juft after the Deftruction of Babylon, and of the two Beafts, appears because,

1. These Contemporary States follow thofe beforemention'd Apoc.xix. & immediately, as we have feen,in the Order of the Narration ofSt. xx. John; and therefore, fince no otherCharacters perfwade the contrary, are to be fuppos'd to follow in the Order of the Event alfo. 2. Thefe Contemporary States could not come fooner than this Destruction of Babylon, and of the two Beafts; because Satan, or the Great Dragon was till now fo far from being intirely Bound, or Chain'd up from deceiving the Nations, as he Apoc. xX• Z• was to be during the Millennium, that He it was who gave to

xx.

the first Beaft his Power, and his Seat, and that great Authority, by Chap. xiij. 2. which the World was fo long Enflav'd and Deceiv'd and Impos'd upon. And during the fame Interval it was that God fent upon

Men that Efficacy of Error or Deceit, 'Erépar hans which 2Thef.ij. 11. was to continue during that whole Interval.

[blocks in formation]

12.

3. Thefe Contemporary States could not come later than we have affign'd, because the Second Refurrection,the General JudgApoc. xx. 11, ment, and the Confummation of all things are then come; and fo put an intire Period to this Prophecy, and to the present Ages of the World at the fame time. So that upon the whole, fince these States can neither come fooner nor later than is here afferted, they must belong to this Time, that is, to the Interval after the Deftruction of Babylon, and of the two Beasts; from the first to the second Refurrection.

But because these Glorious States whereof the Scripture fpeaks fo often, and fo magnificently, are wholly future, and therefore beyond the proper bounds of our prefent Enquiry, I fhall content my felf with thefe fhort Hints, and wave any farther more particular Discourse about them; and fo leave the more full Explication of these Prophecies of things fo remote from our times, to thofe whom God fhall hereafter ftir up to enquire into them, and explain them.

AN

[blocks in formation]
[ocr errors]

AN

ESSAY

ON THE

Revelation of Saint John.

PART II.

OR,

A fhort View of the Prophecies contain'd in the

H

SEALED BOOK.

Aving already laid down and establish'd the principal Foundations neceffary to be known, before we can at all understand the particular Prophecies of this Book; and having withal fettl'd the Order and Series of all its Visions from Characters fetch'd only from the Book it felf, or from the parallel Book of Daniel, without any dependance on particular Hypothefes and Applications; (which indeed ought not to be at all allow'd any place there;) I am prepar'd to attempt a Short View of the Vifions and Prophecies themfelves. But before I proceed, the Reader must give me leave to fay fomewhat more about that grand Rule of Interpretation juft now hinted, which is of fo great Importance to the right understanding of this Book; and the Neglect whereof I look upon to have been the general occafion of almost all the Errors of Expofitors one way or other: I mean, That the Order of all the Vifions is to be wholly taken from intrinfick Chara&ers in the Book it felf, and not at all to be conform'd to any

particular

« PreviousContinue »