on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the ifles, and they fhall know that I am the Lord." St. John fays, Rev. xx. 9. "And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compaffed the camp of the faints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them."

Our Saviour informs us, that moral corruption and depravity of manners fhall be fo great, and fo univerfal, when he fhall come again, as to make it neceffary to burn the world in order to purify it. Matt. xxiv. 37, 38, 39. "As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not, until the flood came, and took them all away: So fhall alfo the coming of the Son of man be." And again, defcribing the univerfal degeneracy of mankind, Chrift fays, Luke xviii. 8. "Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ?" And St. Paul, 2 Thef. i. 8. 9. fays Chrift fhall come, "in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift: who fhall be punished with everlafting deftruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power."

Now, according to the fuppofition we are combating, Chrift will come immediately on the expiration

of

of the Millennium. Is it not, then, incredible that fuch univerfal corruption should overspread the world?

Place this millennial ftate after the general refur rection and judgment, and let it be the fame term that fatan will be reftrained; and all these difficulties vanish, and we may very eafily account for the rife of Gog and Magog, and every thing appears natural and rational. St. John fays, Chap. xx. 14, 15. "And death and hell were caft into the lake of fire. And whofoever was not found written in the book of life was caft into the lake of fire."

These multitudes of the human race, who will be condemned in the general judgment, and caft into the lake of fire, and confined to that difagreeable part of the earth which God will affign them, with the devil and falfe prophet; may easily be fuppofed, when restraint is taken off, to be prepared for any attempt, efpecially when abetted and excited by fatan.

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Thus it appears rational, and agreeable to the analogy of fcripture, that the Millennium will commence immediately after the general judgment, will continue whilft fatan is confined, and be a happy reign with Chift.

1.

4. What are we to understand by the expreffion, the rest of the dead lived not till the thousand years were finished?

By the rest of the dead, we are to understand all the rest of mankind, who were not described in the

foregoing

foregoing verfe. All, except martyrs and thofe whose names were written in the lamb's book of life are included in the terms, the rest of the dead. And, by their not living, till the thousand years were fin ibed, is meant, their not living fuch a life as faints and martyrs lived; a happy reign with Chrift.

Thus representing one part of mankind as enjoy. ing happy life with Chrift, whilft the, other part, though raised from the dead at the fame time, are in a state of suffering; is perfectly agreeable to the whole current of New Teftament fcriptures. Matt. iii. 12. "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his flour, and gather his wheat into the garner but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." That mixture of wheat and chaff, of, faints and finners in the prefent ftate of Chrift's church, will not continue always; for the time is coming when a clear and decided feparation fhall be made. This is moft explicitly declared by our Saviour, in the parable of the wheat and tares, Matt. xiii. 24-30. "Another parable put he forth unto them, faying, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which fowed good feed in his field: But, while men lept, his enemy came and fowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was fprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares alfo. So the fervants of the householder came, and faid unto him, Sir, didft not thou fow good feed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He faid unto them, an enemy hath done this. The

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fervarits

ye

fervants faid unto him; Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; left, while gather up the tares, ye root up alfo the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harveft I will fay to the reapers, Gather ye together firft the tares, and bind them in bundles, to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." Afterwards, Jefus gratified his difciples with the explanation of this parable." The good feed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that fowed them is the devil; the harveft is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As, therefore, the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, fo fhall it be in the end of the world. The Son of man fhall fend forth his angels, and they fhall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall caft them into a furnace of fire; there fhall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous fhine forth in thé kingdom of their Father."

These are the fame ideas with thofe of St. John. The wicked are caft into a furnace of fire according to our Saviour: they are caft into a lake of fire according to St. John. Our Saviour fays, "the righteous fhall fhine forth like the fun in the kingdom of their Father;". St. John fays, " they lived and reigned with Chrift." In the most exprefs reprefentation our Saviour hath given us of the general judgment, we find that, at the fame time that

the righteous are approved and rewarded; the wicked are condemned and are punifhed; Matt. xxv. "Then shall the king fay unto them on his right hand, Come, ye bleffed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the worldThen fhall he fay also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye curfed, into everlafting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."-And we find these fentences immediately put in execution. "And thefe fhall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."-If we are right in the interpretation of the expreffion of St. John, "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished," as I think we are; here is a plain intimation that they may live in the fame manner with the righteous, or leaft, that fome of them may, after the thousand years fhall be finished.

5.

What is meant by the first refurrection? What we have seen under the 4th inquiry, leads us to fuppofe that the righteous and wicked are both raised together; both ftand together on the fcene of the general judgment; both hear the fentence of the judge at nearly the fame time; and that both re ceive the execution of it together; the one going into everlasting punishment, and the other into life sternal. But, if there could be any doubt whether the righteous and the wicked will be raised at the fame time, our Saviour hath removed it. John v. 28, 29. "The hour is coming, in the which all that

are