"them, (the Jews), and the places round about my hill, (the whole Gentile church), a bles " fing." We need not have recourfe to that miracu-. lous fruitfulness of the earth which Papia feign-. ed, in order to fulfil this prophecy. Plenty is. the natural confequence of the moral change which takes place in the world at the Millennium. The universal righteousness of that happy period will prevent defpotism in government, anarchy in the people, as well as the devaftations of war, by which the earth is left uncultivated, or its produce is destroyed. The religion of that period will civilize favages, and deftroy among civilized nations the numerous occupations that minister solely to the lawless paffions of men, thus directing a great multitude of the human race to the useful arts of agricul ture, who had been formerly idle, and a burden upon the labour of others. The love univerfal ly felt and practifed in that period, will lead those who have abundance, to diftribute cheerfully and freely to the neceffities of those who may be in need. Even inclement feafons, which have fo fre. quently occafioned scarcity and famine, can have no place at the Millennium; for these are punishments inflicted by the moral Governor of the world, for the violation of his laws; but in that that happy period, when men are made fubject to the laws of God, in heart and life, there will be no occafion for fuch punishments. On the contrary, tokens of his good will, in fending favourable feasons, and in bleffing the produce of the earth, are exprefsly promised. Now, by withholding his bleffing, "He turneth a "fruitful land into barrenness, for the wicked"nefs of them that dwell therein." Whereas by beftowing it, "He turneth the wilderness "into a standing water, and dry ground into 66 water-fprings: And there he maketh the hungry to dwell: that they may prepare a city for habitation. And fow the fields, and plant vineyards: which may yield fruits of "increase. He bleffeth them alfo, fo that they "are multiplied greatly: and fuffereth not their "cattle to decrease," Pfal. cvii. 34.-38. VII. The laft character of the Millennium I fhall mention is, that the Jewish church fhall then make the most confpicuous figure in the Chriftian world. This character is clearly deducible from the circumftances already mentioned. It is the natural confequence of their extraordinary converfion, their being trained by God in the wilderness, their being employed as his instruments to punish the enemies of religion, and as his miffionaries to convert the nations. But But what puts it beyond a doubt is, that the new Jerufalem fo gloriously defcribed, that many have fuppofed it to be the church triumphant, is, in reality, the national polity of the Jews during the Millennium. It is exprefsly called "the bride, the Lamb's wife," Rev. xxi. 9. and fo must be the fame with the Lamb's wife mentioned chap xix. 7. which I have already proved to be the Jewish nation converted. It only makes a part of the "new earth," chap. xxi. 1, that is, of the whole Chriftian church spread throughout the world. It is called "the be"loved city," and exprefsly distinguished from "the camp of the faints," chap. xx. 9. fo it muft fignify the Jewish church, diftinct from the Gentile churches in communion with her. It is faid to "come down from God out of hea"ven," chap. xxi. 2.-10. because their polity is not contrived by human wisdom, but received immediately from God; every part of it is according to the rule and measure delivered by him. It is faid to be built of precious ftones, and gold, chap. xxi. 18.-21. to intimate, that it fhall excel the contrivances of human wif dom, on the fubject of government, as far as a city built of gold and precious ftones is fuperior to the most finished fpecimens of human architecture. Similar metaphors have been used by the Old Testament prophets, to describe the fu3 K ture ture glory of the Jewish church. "I will lay "thy ftones with fair colours, and lay thy foun"dations with fapphires. And I will make thy "windows of agates, and thy gates of carbun"cles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones," Ifa. liv. 11, 12'. The minutiae of their polity, I pretend not to explain; however, it is clearly afferted, that their worship shall be spiritual; the material temple, the great glory of their ancient polity, shall not exist, nor fhall the service then practifed be used. Such is the meaning of these expreffions: "I faw no temple therein: for the "Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the "temple of it, Rev. xxi. 22. And this repre. fentation is perfectly conformable to that of the ancient prophets; for God intimates by the prophet Ifaiah, chap. lxvi 1, 2, 3. a renunciation of the material temple, with the facrifices offered on it, for the fpiritual temple of the heart. "Thus faith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, "and the earth is my footstool: where is the "house that ye build unto me? and where is "the place of my reft? For all those things hath "mine hands made, and all those things have been, faith the Lord: but to this man will I "look, even to him that is poor, and of a con trite fpirit, and trembleth at my word. He that (1) See alfo Jer. xxx. 16.-23. Chap. xxxiii. 17.-26, " that killeth an ox, as if he flew a man ; he "that facrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's "neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he "offered fwines blood; he that burneth in"cenfe, as if he bleffed an idol." True it is, that he intimates that the Jews would adhere to the temple-service after God had abolished it, and that for this reafon, he would give them over to delufion, and the punishments they feared. "Yea, they have chofen their own ways, "and their foul delighteth in their abominati"ons. I will also choose their delufions, and "will bring their fears upon them," ver. 3, 4. But when they fhall be restored from their difperfion in the latter days, the Jews fhall acquiefce in the renunciation of the temple-service. "It fhall come to pafs, when ye be multiplied "and increased in the land; in those days, faith "the Lord, they shall fay no more, The ark of "the covenant of the Lord; neither fhall it "come to mind, neither shall they remember it, "neither fhall they vifit it, neither fhall that "be done any more," Jer. iii. 16. But instead of the ceremonial law, God fhall make with them a new and more fpiritual covenant. "Behold, the days come, faith the "Lord, that I will make a new covenant with "the house of Ifrael and with the house of Judah; not according to the covenant that * |