'that when his fon fhall come, and shall abolith

the season of the wicked one, and shall judge "the ungodly, and shall change the fun, and the moon, and the stars, then he shall rest gloriously in that seventh day.' Juftin Martyr in the fecond century (4) declares the millennium to be "the catholic doctrin of his time. "I, and as many ' as are orthodox Chriftians in all refpects, do acknowlege that there shall be a resurrection of the flesh, (meaning the first refurrection), and a thousand years in Jerufalem rebuilt, and adorned, and inlarged, (that is in the new Jerufalem) as the prophets Ezekiel, and Ifaiah, and others unanimously atteft.' After wards he fubjoins, A certain man among us, whofe name was John, one of the apoftles of Chrift, in a revelation made to him did prophefy that the faithful believers in Christ fhould live a thousand years in the new Jeru• falem,

Χρισε, εν αποκαλύψει γενομενη

αυτῷ χίλια στη ποιησείν εν Ιερ σαλημ τες τῳ ἡμετέρῳ Χρισω στις δεύσαντας προεφήτευσε, και μετα ταυτα την καθολικην και, συνε λεντι φαναί, αιώνιαν ὁμοθυμαδόν άμα παντων ανατασιν γενήσεσθαι x21 1. Et vir apud nos

falem, and after these should be the general<refurrection and judgment:' which is an early atteftation to the genuinnefs and authenticity of' the book of the Revelation; for Juftin was' converted to Christianity about thirty years after ́ the death of St. John, at which time probably many were alive, who had known and remembered the apostle. Tertullian at the beginning of the third century (5) profeffeth his belief of the kingdom promised to the faints upon earth, of their refurrection for a thousand years, of their living in the new Jerufalem, and therein enjoying all spiritual delights, and of the deftruction of the world and the general judgment after the thousand years: and his books of Paradife and of the hope of the faithful, if they had not been loft or fuppreffed, might have afforded ampler proofs of all these particulars. Lactantius at the beginning of the fourth century (6) is very copious

copious upon this fubject in the seventh book of his Divine Inftitutions. He faith, Because

all the works of God were finished in fix days, it is neceffary that the world should remain in this ftate fix ages, that is fix thoufand years.' And again, because having finished the works he rested on the feventh day, and bleffed it; it is neceffary that at the end of the fix thousandth year all wickedness fhould. be abolished out of the earth, and justice, 'fhould reign for a thousand years.' He faith, . When the Son of God fhall have deftroyed. injustice, and shall have restored the just to life, he fhall be converfant among men a thousand years, and fhall rule them with most just government. At the fame time the prince of devils shall be bound with chains, and 'fhall be in cuftody the thousand years of the heavenly kingdom, while juftice shall reign in the world, left he should attempt any evil against the people of God.' He faith, ' When

C

neceffe eft, ut in fine fexti millefimi anni malitia omnis aboleatur é terra, et regnet per annos mille juftitia. Cap. 14. Verum ille, cum deleverit injuftitiam,--ac juftos, qui a principio fuerunt, ad vitam reftauraverit, mille annis inter homines verfabitur, eofque juftiffimo imperio reget.-Subidem tempus etiam princeps 4

the

dæmonum catenis vincietur, et erit in cuftodia mille annis cæleftis imperii, quo juftitia in orbe regnabit, ne quod malum adverfus populum Dei moliatur. Cap. 24. Sed idem, cum mille anni regni, hoc eft feptem millia cæperint terminari; folvetur denuo, &c. Cum vero completi fuerint mille anni,-fiet,

fecunda

the thousand years of the kingdom, that is feven thousand years fhall draw towards a & conclufion, Satan fhall be loofed again and

when the thoufand years fhall be completed, then fhall be that fecond and public refurrection of all, wherein the unjuft fhall be raised to everlasting torments.' And having inlarged upon these topics he concludes, This is the doctrin of the holy prophets which we Chriftians follow; this is our wildom.' In fhort the doctrin of the millennium was generally believed in the three first and pureft ages; and this belief, as the (7) learned Dodwell hath juftly observed, was one principal cause of the fortitude of the primitive Chriftians; they even coveted martyrdom, in hopes of being partakers of the privileges and glories of the martyrs in the first refurrection.

Afterwards this doctrin grew into disrepute for various reafons. Some both Jewish and Chriftian writers have debafed it with a mix

ture of fables; they have defcribed the kingdom more like a fenfual than a fpiritual kingdom, and thereby they have not only exposed themselves, but (what is infinitely worse) the doctrin itself to contempt and ridicule. It hath fuffered by the mifreprefentations of its enemies, as well as by the indifcretions of its friends; many, like (8) Jerome, have charged the millennarians with abfurd and impious opinions which they never held; and rather than they would admit the truth of the doctrin, they have not fcrupled to call in question the genuinnefs of the Revelation. It hath been abused. even to worse purposes; it hath been made an engin of faction; and turbulent fanatics, under the pretence of faints, have afpired to dominion, and difturbed the peace of civil fociety. Befides wherever the influence and authority of the church of Rome have extended, she hath endevored by all means to difcredit this doctrin; and indeed not without fufficient reafon, this kingdom of Chrift being founded on the ruins. of the kingdom of Antichrift. No wonder therefore that this doctrin lay depreffed for many ages, but it fprang up again at the Reformation, and will florish together with the study of the Revelation. All the danger is,

on

(8) See Mede's Works, B. 5, Chap, 5. D. Hieronymi Pro

nunciata