"And when the thousand years are finished, Satan M SERMON I. The Deftruction of Antichrift. 2 THESS. xi. 8. And then hall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord fhall confume with the Spirit of his mouth, and fhall deftroy with the brightness of his coming. W HEN I confider the ftupendous Majesty of Heaven and Earth, and his amazing love to finful men, manifested in becoming incarnate, I heartily join the angelic choir, finging, Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace, good will to men. I cannot therefore help thinking that fome great, and mighty things, will certainly be brought to pass, even in this life, fuch as eye hath not feen nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive *. 2. MANY bleffed ends undoubtedly, have already been accomplished, both vifible and invifible. Much fin hath been restrained, by preventing grace, or otherwife earth would have been turned into hell itself, Perhaps cutting short the lives of men may have had a happy tendency to lay a restraint upon the violence Lev. ii. 14. 1 Cor. ii. 8. and and corruption with which the old world was overrun, before the flood, when men's lives were little less than a thousand years. But whatever may be the inftrumental cause of actual good being done, or of evil being restrained, I am very clear it is all owing to the amazing love of God manifested in laying down his life for us. 3. EVIL, therfore, has not only been restrained, but much good has manifeftly been done. All the temporal bleffings, which we are fo happily favoured with, are the gracious effects of the fame gracious caufe; the divine fpirit has been poured out upon mankind, and the glorious gospel has been preached, and many precious fouls have already washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb *. These are more than conquerors, through him who loved them, and serve him in his temple for evermore. A divine revelation is given, to be a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our path: a revelation in every respect worthy of its bleffed author, and calculated to answer the most valuable ends; in which we have many glorious prophecies, and alfo many of their accomplishments, which happily confirm their divine original, and cut off many cavils which crafty men have invented against the oracles of truth. In this divine volume the way of falvation is clearly manifested through the blood of Jefus : the nature and neceffity of repentance, of faith and holiness. 4. But notwithstanding much evil has been prevented, and much good has been done, yet when I confider * Rev. vii. 14. the the great undertaking, viz. the redemption of the world, and the glorious undertaker, even JEHOVAH himself, alfo what he has promifed in the facred oracles, I can by no means think that a thousandth part has yet been fulfilled; I cannot think the paffages which will hereafter be quoted have yet been accomplished; nor do I think that the world will continue groaning under the bondage, both of the physical and moral evil, which at present it labours under. It is already redeemed, and in due time it shall be faved.I cannot think that the grand abaddon shall have the majority, however unpromising things may be at the prefent. Certainly a glorious time is coming, when Jefus will reign, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue fhall confefs him to be Lord. He fhall have the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermoft part of the earth for his poffeffion. All writers that I have confulted, who believe the fcriptures, agree in this, though there are many opinions which I can by no means credit. In fhort, fome make too much of that bleffed time, and fome too little, infomuch that the scriptures which treat of that bleffed feafon are either overstrained, or their meanings are explained away. I apprehend the truth lieth in the middle way, and that is the way I defign to pursue in the following difcourfes. What I call the glory of the latter day, I take to confift, 1. In the deftruction of Antichrift. 4. Univerfal |