great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. And certain of the people, and kindreds, and tongues, shall see their beheaded remains three days and a half; and shall not deliver up · their beheaded remains to be put in sepulchres. xi. 13. For men substitute names of men, xi. 15. For the present version substitute, A kingdom of the world is become our Lord's and his Anointed's. (see Bowyer's Greek Testament).. I now proceed to analyze the literal sense of the vision before us, which we shall find to be the history of the New Testament, applied to the body of Christ, his churches; their ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, and glorification corresponding to his. The accomplishment of the law of God by the witnesses, their death, and the conversion of the Gentiles, may be an accomplishment of the mystery of God, and the rending of the veil of the temple. The prophet Daniel, in the same manner, haying described the worshipping of idols by the Antichristians, and the woes inflicted upon them by a king of the south and a king of the north, and the conquest of Egypt by the latter (chap xi. 38, &c.) foretold the standing up of Michael, the scattering of the power of the holy peo-: ple in the great time of trouble, and the resurrection of them whose names were written in the book, and the esta blishment of a new government denoted by the heaven; and stars: And all this the angel confirmed with an oath, swearing that the appointed time of the sufferings of the Church, should be finished when the scattering or political death of the holy people should be accomplished; agreeably to which St. John terminates the scattering of the witnesses immediately before the sounding of the seventh trumpet, which is their deliverance. Should the reader wish for a more full and able analysis of the vision than my abilities and limits allow me to offer, he will find a masterly analysis in the second volume of Dr. Goodwin's Works; next to whom, on this particular vision, Jurieu may rank. Here I shall terminate for the present; but, by the way, will set down a few remarks, connected with my former letters. It has lately occurred to me, that in the word desert (Matt. 24, 26.) there may be an allusion to the place of the Mahomedan apostacy. The sign of the Son of Man (Matt. 24, 30.) seems opposed to the sun, moon, and stars of Antichrist, mentioned above; and it would seem that the kingdom and Church of Christ were to be discovered by the world, when the star of Christ, the true Christian king, should remain alone uneclypsed in the hour of darkness. May this sign be the Georgium Sidus? (see Rev. II. 18, to the end.) The king of the north (Dan, xi. 40.) is thought to coincide with Gog and Magog, in Ezekiel, and with the hail of the seventh vial. (Rev, xvi.). It might easily be proved if necessary; but what is most observable, is the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal (Ezek. 38, 2.) may be rendered the Prince of Rhos, Meshech, and Tubal, (see Newcome's Ezekiel.) May there not here be a prediction relating to the Emperor of Russia, Moscovy, and Tobolski? The prophecy has certainly a future accomplishment, which is perhaps very nearly at hand. 11 11 INa N addition to what I have said on the "Conditions of Salvation," it may not be without use to make a remark or two on the word Covenant; more especially as, with respect to practical purposes, the Christian religion cannot be considered in a more important view, than as it is a covenant between God and man, requiring condi tions on the part of the latter; and because, if it be admitted, that the Christian religion is a covenant, in the strict sense of the word; the Calvinistic notion of elec tion, i.e. the arbitrary and absolute election of individuals at once falls to the ground. Mr. Mede, defines a covenant to be "a bargain between God and man, wherein God promises some spiritual good to us, so we perform some duty unto him; if not, then to incur everlasting punishment." Disc. XLV. Though this definition is confined to the consideration of spiritual good and evil, it will sufficiently answer our purpase. It has pleased God to enter into two covenants of this kind with the human race, the covenant of works and the covenant of grace. "The covenant of works," as the same 1 same learned and judicious writer states, "is that wherein God, on his part, makes us a promise of eternal life, if we, on our part, shall perform exact obedience unto his law; otherwise, to be everlastingly condemned." But, as man, from the depravity, and consequent imbecility of his nature, was unable to perform the conditions of this covenant, it necessarily became a covenant of condemnation. It pleased God, therefore, for the sake, and at the intercession of Christ, to establish another covenant with us, the covenant of grace," wherein God, on his part, pro mises us sinners Christ to be our Saviour and Redeemer, if we, on our part, shall believe on him with a lively and obedient faith; otherwise, to be condemned." This cove nant of grace took place at the time of the full; and, as a secret and hidden covenant, though not an open and apparent one, has had its effect ever since. In order, however, to convince mankind of their inability to keep their part of the covenant of works, and of their consequent obligation to God for the blessing of redemption, the covenant of works was "the open and apparent covenant" till the time of Christ's appearance; or, more strictly speaking, till the time of Christ's suffering on the cross. During the early ages of the world, the covenant of works, though the only open and apparent one, was gradually less and less regarded by mankind; and, at length, it became necessary to “ renew it under Moses with the Israelites, when the law was given in Horeb; as Moses says, (Deut. v. 2.) The Lord made a covenant with us in Horeb The conditions of the covenant of grace, as they apply to mankind under different dispensations, are somewhat different, and need not be particularly stated. Suffice it to say on this point, that, according to the sentiment of. the Apostle, men will be judged according to that law, under which they happened to live, "In the day," says St. Paul, "when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel, as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law, shall be judged by the law. Rom. ii. 12. Our chief concern is to inquire what are the conditions of the covenant of grace to us, who live under the Christian dispensation; and these it has pleased God to make so eclear, that we cannot easily mistake them, The general terms, under which these may be included; were mentioned in my former paper, and need not now be be repeated; the object of the present communication being merely to show, that the Christian religion is, strictly and properly, a covenant The direct proof, that the Christian religion is a covenant, is to be sought for in scripture, where it is repeatedly, I may say constantly, considered in that light. I have already referred to the 3d and 4th chapters of St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, and the 8th and 9th chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews; but a more full proof may easily be obtained, by consulting those passages of scripture, which are referred to in any good Concordance under the word covenant. It may be objected, and it is the strongest objection which can be alleged against what has been here said, that the promise of God to Noah, not to destroy the earth any more by a flood, is called a covenant, though no conditions on the part of man are annexed to it. The utmost that this objection amounts to, is, that the word covenant is not always used in the Scriptures in exactly the same sense; a fact, which must be allowed with respect to many other words, and which is to be referred to the necessary imperfection of language. This promise, however, when it comes to be duly considered, will probably be found to have in it more of the nature of a covenant, than may, at first mention, be supposed. The object of it was to give to Noah and his family, who, after witnessing the ruin of a world, may well be supposed to stand in need of encouragement, such an assurance of security against the recurrence of a like dreadful event, as night inspire them with alacrity in resuming their former putsuits and occupations; without which they could not obey the precept, originally given to man, and now repeated, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." It is not easy for us to enter exactly into the feelings of persons in such a situation; but we may easily conceive, that the impression of awe must have been so great, as to overwhelm all the faculties of the soul; and we know, that, from the contemplation - of natural causes, they could obtain no security, that the same dreadful event would not soon take place again. Even now, we know, so little of the operation of natural causes, considered on a large scale, that we should not be sure, taking them alone into the account, that the like event event, either by a comet in its way to the sun, or by some other natural cause, will not take place to-morrow. Our greatest security, that it will not, is built, as Noah's was, on the solemn promise of God. The sentiment of security, therefore, and the consequent return of application to the proper occupations of human life, may be considered as the condition on the part of man in this covenant. The only circumstance in which this proceeding differs from a covenant in the strict sense, is, that the promise is delivered in absolute terms, and not made to depend on the reality of the sentiments which were meant to be excited::-" The waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh."" While the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." With respect to this, it is to be considered, that, in this particular case, unless the promise had been absolute, it could not have been effectual to the purpose intended; for, if it had depended on the condition, that all men believed in it, it could not have been depended on by any; since it was impossible for any to know with certainty, that others did believe in it. Besides, it is further to be considered, that this promise, though made to all, operated as an encouragement only to those who gave credit to it; so that though, in this case, faith was not a necessary condition to the fulfilment of the promise, it was necessary to its being effectual to the intended purpose. The rain-bow, the token of the promise, was indeed visible to all; but the rain-bow, the appearance of which was resolvable into natural causes, and which had been visible before the flood, had no intrinsic efficacy in restraining the waters from becoming a flood, any more than circumcision (the token of the Abrahamic covenant) has in the conquest of a country, or than water (the token of the' Christian covenant) has in washing away sin*. The sight of this, therefore, could give no encouragement to those who had not a previous trust in the divine promise. As a token of that promise, it was calculated to bring a comfortable recollection of it to the minds of those, who did believe in it; and more especially at such times as when, by the recurrence of a rainy season, they might be sup posed to stand more in need of such a recollection. This may be sufficient to show, that the word covenant, even * 1 Pet. iii. 21. as |