of Ezekiel are the Gog and Magog of St. John *?

Having

* The whole of this matter is very well discussed by Mr. Fraser, whose Key to the Prophecies I had not read at the time when my own work was originally published.

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"The happiness of the Church after the union of Jews and "Gentiles into one body, continues a thousand years uninterrupted. There is, notwithstanding, reason to suppose, "that certain countries, or at any rate, certain individuals, "remain all along strangers to the vital influence of the "truth-It may happen too, that the long-continued pros

perity of that period shall, towards the close, multiply "worldly-minded persons within the pale of the Church; for "it is certain, that of such the army of Gog consists, as we "shall presently seee-The account in Rev. xx. 7-9 is short, because the same enemy of the Church had been already' largely described in the Old Testament. This serves chiefly "to note the time of his appearance in the world.

"The prophet Ezekiel gives a minute account of the enemy "by the same name (Chap. xxxviii. xxxix.). No doubt some "of the most eminent commentators on the Apocalypse, as "Mede and Newton, apply the description of the prophet to

a different period, and to quite another person than this' "mentioned by the Apostle: however, a minute examination" "and comparison of both passages must convince the unpre judiced, that they refer to the same person.

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1." The prophet repeatedly enforces on Judèa, that a long period of time should intervene between the prediction and "the accomplishment of it. Ezek. xxxviii. 8, 16, 17.

2. "The prophet carefully notes another circumstance re"lative to the time of Gog's appearance, that the Jews should' "then be in possession of their own land after a long disper "sion (xxxviii. 8, 12.). This circumstance, in conjunction' "with that mentioned in the preceding paragraph, clearly demonstrates,

н 3

Having now sufficiently anticipated any objections that might have been made, so far as Gog and Magog are concerned, to my proposed inter

pretation

"monstrates, that the prophet had an eye to the resettlement "of the Jews in their own land, after their present dispersion. "Now, from the time the Jews go up to take possession of "their native land, until the day of judgment, the Apocalypse "shews, that no memorable battle is fought betwixt the nem"bers of the Church and her enemies, excepting two; the "battle of Armageddon immediately before the Millennium, "and the battle of Gog and Magog immediately after it: "therefore the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel must refer to one "or other of these. But there are other circumstances in "the relation, which effectually prevent the application of it "to the battle of Armageddon: therefore the Gog and Magog "of Ezekiel and of St. John must be the same.

"First, the prophet represents the Jews in possession of "their land previous to the invasion of Gog: but they only "take possession by the battle of Armageddon, and were not in "possession before it was fought.

"Secondly, he represents them as dwelling at ease, not "dreading an enemy, nor prepared for an attack (xxxviii. 11.). "This can by no means apply to Armageddon; for at that "time they are represented as being aware of the preparation "of their enemies, yea, as being trained up and employed as the instruments in God's hand to subdue them.

"Thirdly, he represents them as wealthy, possessed of "cattle and goods in abundance (xxxviii. 12, 13.). All this

supposes them to have been long in possession of their ་་ own land. Both the sacred and the profane histories shew, "that wealth is not the attainment of an infant state; it is a "blessing required by a course of years. This representa"tion therefore cannot apply to the battle of Armageddon

"But

pretation of the present prophecy, I shall proceed to discuss it at large. And here I apprehend, the parallel prediction of St. John will be found of

essential

"But all these circumstances fitly apply to the Gog and Magog of St. John. The time of their invasion is at the <end of the Millennium, when the Jews have been a thou"sand years in possession of their native land. During all "that period, universal peace prevails; therefore they have 66 no enemy outward prosperity abounds; therefore they have cattle and goods: love and communion subsist be"twixt them and the Gentile Church; therefore they are not disposed to make any hostile attack.

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3. "Bp. Newton allows, that the prophecy of Ezekiel and "this of St. John remain yet to be accomplished; and can"not be absolutely certain, that they may not both relate "to the same event; but thinks it more probable, that they "relate to different events. I shall just glance at his rea66 sons.

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"The one is expected to take effect before, but the other will "not take effect till after, the Millennium. To this a sufficient answer has been given in the observations already made on "the time of Gog's appearance-Gog and Magog are said ex"pressly to come from the north-quarters and the north-parts; "but in St. John, they come from the four quarters or corners of "the earth. Gog and Magog in Ezekiel bend their forces against "the Jews resettled in their own land; but in St. John they "march up against the saints and Church of God in general. "These circumstances do not contradict, but illustrate, each "other. Some of those, which the prophet had omitted, the

apostle mentions; and others, which the prophet had men"tioned, the apostle omits. May we not suppose, that the "leader of this vast army comes from the north-quarters, and yet that multitudes of a similar spirit join his standard from

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essential use, inasmuch as it treats of the same events in precisely the same order. The only difference indeed between the two prophets is this; Ezekiel

"the four corners of the earth? In fact, the countries, from "which his followers come according to the prophet, are situ. "ate with respect to Judea to the four quarters of the earth.

Is it not reasonable to expect, that so immense an army "shall lay waste an extensive territory, and of course harass "the Church in many places; and yet their chief design may Le

against, and their final overthrow may take place in, the land "of Judèa? So far is the apostle from contradicting the relation "of the prophet in this respect, that he expressly mentions "their compassing about the beloved city, that is, the Jewish "Church-The learned prelate proceeds: Gog and Magog in "Ezekiel are with very good reason supposed to be the Turks : "but the Turks are the authors of the second woe; and the se"cond woe is passed before the third woe; and the third woe long precedes the time here treated of. This argument is certainly "conclusive against the existence of the Ottoman empire at the period in which St. John represents Gag and Magog compassing about the beloved city; but the very good reasons, "which induce him to suppose Gog and Magog in Ezekiel to "represent the Turks, I see not

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4. "The agents in this persecution are distinctly noted. "The great invisible adversary is the first mover of this, as "of every foriner, persecution; while the sovereign Ruler sees meet to permit this last effort of the enemy by taking "off the restraint under which he was laid for a season (Rev. xx. 7.), not only to try the faith and patience of his people, "but likewise to separate the chaff from the wheat. It appears clearly, that the Church had much declined by long con"tinued prosperity, and harboured multitudes of hypocritical professors in her bosom, for these lay hold of the first op

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"portunity

Ezekiel peculiarly directs our attention to the children of Israel, and connects the history of their restoration with the successive confederacies of Antichrist

"portunity that offers to throw off the mask and join the "standard of an enemy against her.

5. "As to the visible agents, the leader of the army in this "expedition is described by the country in which he resides, " and his occupation (Ezek. xxxviii. 2.). The inspired wri"ters commonly denominate nations by the names of their "progenitors, and countries by the names given them on the "first partition of the earth betwixt the sons of Noah. Now "it appears from Genesis (x. 2.), that Magog, as well as "Meshech and Tubal, were sons of Japhet; and all the learned 66 agree, that they originally settled in the neighbourhood of "each other, to the east and north-east of the Euxine sea, "and that Magog is the father of the Scythians or Tartars. "It appears to me, that the intention of the prophecy is to "shew, that some adventurous Tartar prince, residing near "the Euxine sea and reigning over the neighbouring coun"tries, shall, at the end of the Millennium, set up the stand"ard of rebellion against the Church. But we are carefully "to observe, that, besides his natural subjects, he is joined by malcontents from all the corners of the earth. So the apostle says expressly (Rev. xx. 8.): and the prophet Eze"kiel says as much by implication; for he enumerates, not only Gomer and his bands, Togarmah and his bands, out of "the north quarters; but he likewise mentions Persia, Ethiopia, "and Libya, countries widely distant from each other and "from the land of Magog, and, with respect to Judèa, situ"ated at the four quarters of the earth.

6. "The motives, which animate these enemies of the "Church are various. The grand adversary, under the in"fluence of the old enmity, endeavours, in this last effort,'