raising of that righteous Branch, who, as the true David, should sit upon his throne for evermore ! Hence all the prophets, who spake as they were moved by the Spirit of Christ, searched diligently into these things; and, with the feeling of Israelites indeed, they loved to dwell upon that theme, which, whilst it magnified Jehovah's undeserved grace to them, exalted the chosen people of the Lord above every other people, and threw around their wild but lovely land a character of sacred interest, which, without these associations of future glory, it possessed not. Hence, in after ages, the Apostles and Disciples of the Lord, partakers of the same faith, and having drank from the same fountain those waters of refreshing, enquired When he would restore the Kingdom to Israel? An enquiry fraught, in my esteem, with far more meaning than the dull carnal expectation which is commonly assigned to it. An enquiry, made by men who looked for a glory to be revealed, which would excel every measure of earthly glory that had yet been witnessed by their fathers by men who believed that the hill of Zion would become, in very deed, a fair place, the city of the Great King, and in all the fulness of the blessing of Christ, the joy of the whole earth! Hence, at this very hour, the outcasts of Israel and Judah, amidst their wanderings through this world's waste and howling wilderness, are cherishing the expectation of such glorious times reserved for them in their own land; and, under all their sorrows, the fruit of the imprecation of their fathers, they cherish this belief, that "Thou, Lord, shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place which thou hast made for thee to dwell in: in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established." 1 CHAPTER IV. An enquiry after the time at which the Prophetic Dates lead us to expect the Second Coming of the Lord, with some observations on the principle of calculating the same. THAT there shall be such a happy period as the Millennium; that "the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High," Dan. vii. 27; that Christ shall have "the heathen for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession,” Psalm ii. 8.; that "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea," Is. xi. 9; "that the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved," Rom. xi. 25, 26; in a word, that the kingdom of heaven shall be established upon earth, is the plain and express doctrine of Daniel and all the Prophets, as well as of St. John; and we daily pray for the accomplishment of it in praying, “Thy kingdom come." But of all the prophets, St. John 1 Exodus xv. 17. is the only one who hath declared particularly, and in express terms that the martyrs* shall rise to Though it becomes me to bow with much humility before the opinion of Bishop Newton, and I fully agree with that learned man in the general theory here advanced, yet, I think, he is not borne out by Scripture in confining the First Resurrection to "the Martyrs." It rather appears to extend to "the Prophets, and to the Saints, and them that fear God's name, small and great," Rev. xi. 18., who shall have lived before that "glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." In support of this opinion I cannot refrain from adding the testimony of one whose name has been before mentioned, and which harmonizes so entirely with the Scripture view of this matter, that, I feel assured, none can complain of the length of the following extract.-"There is some question whether or no all believers shall share in the glorious salvation at Christ's next coming. For they who hold a coming of Christ distinct from that unto judgment general, they incline to think, that as many of the good and godly Israelites fell short of and did not enjoy Canaan, who were yet saved; so many of those who are truly godly, albeit there is no question nor doubt of their eternal salvation, yet they question whether or no they may not come short of, and have no share in the salvation of Christ's second coming. And that no believers shall partake of that, but only such as believe and expect, or look for him, as they are characterized here, Heb. ix. 28. And this they think was pointed at in the type. of the land of Canaan, and aimed at in that place, Heb. iii. 11, and iv. 1. "But, because I think that all that fear God, even all both small and great,' all saints, though in a different degree and measure, shall share in the glory of the salvation at Christ's next coming, I say, because of this, I do not think, neither can I urge any such thing as intended here. For I conceive by this phrase, 'them that look for him,' we are to understand believers in truth, such as upon whom the word and work of the Gospel is come in power and full efficacy. For where the Gospel so works, it raiseth up souls to expect or look for the coming again of Christ, because the grace of God, in the Gospel appearing, 'teacheth not only to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, but to look for the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ,' Tit. ii. 11-13. Hence it was, that Paul doth by this very thing demonstrate the truth of the Gospel's coming and working upon the Thessalonians in power, and in the Holy Ghost, because it shewed this as the manner of its entrance or reception among them, that it made them not only turn from idols to serve the living and true God, but also it made them to wait, or as it is here, to look for Christ from heaven, 1 Thess. i. 5, 9, 10. And indeed souls sincerely, savingly, spiritually wrought upon, are raised up to this, as to a principal part of that work, (which therefore may well be put for partake of the felicities of this Kingdom, and that it should continue upon earth a thousand years; and the Jewish Church before him, and the Christian Church after him, have further believed and taught, that these thousand years will be the seventh Millenary of the world.* A pompous heap of quotations might be produced to this purpose both from Jewish and Christian writers; but I choose to select only a few of the most material of each sort. Of the Jewish writers, Rabbi Ketina, as cited in the Gemara or gloss of their Talmud, said, that "the world endures six thousand years, and one thousand it shall be laid waste, (that is, the enemies of God shall be destroyed,) whereof it is said, 'The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,' Is. ii. 11. Tradition assents to Rabbi Ketina; as out of seven years, every seventh is the year of remission, so out of the seven thousand years of the world, the seventh Millenary shall be the Millenary of remission, that "God alone shall be the whole, as denominations and descriptions often are by the chief parts,) viz. to long and expect, and therefore to eye and observe the coming again of the Lord Jesus, to instate them in the full, and pure, and immediate enjoyment of that salvation, which he hath purchased, and called them unto the participation of." Christ's appearance the second time for the Salvation of Believers, by John Durant, 1653, page 29-31. From 1 Cor. xv. 23. it is clear, that the First Resurrection cannot be confined to the Martyrs. The Apostle says, "But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits: afterward, they that are Christ's, at his coming." Are "the Martyrs," alone, they that are Christ's? Are not rather all the saints? If so, the inference is clear, all the dead saints shall rise at his coming. "Thus in the creation of the world seven days were spent, and in these seven days seven thousand years were figuratively included." Cyprian's Exhort. to Martyrdom, A. D. 252. sect. ii. p. 179. exalted in that day." It was the tradition of the house of Elias, who lived two hundred years, or thereabouts, before Christ, and the tradition might, perhaps, be derived from Elias the Tishbite, that "the world endures six thousand years, two thousand before the Law, two thousand under the Law, and two thousand under the Messiah." It was also the tradition of the house of Elias, that "the just whom God shall raise up, (meaning at the first resurrection,) shall not be turned again into dust."1 Of this period of six thousand years, five thousand eight hundred and thirty-three have passed away, according to the commonly received chronology, leaving one hundred and sixty-seven years, from this present time, [A. D. 1829,] to complete the sixth Millenary, that is, to the commencement of the seventh, or "Millenary of remission," in which "the kingdom shall be established upon earth." That the sixth Millenary shall not be permitted to run to its close, but shall be an imperfect period, is, I conceive, a divine truth; for, according to the testimony of our blessed Lord and his holy prophets, a period preceding the seventh Millenary shall be marked by unexampled trouble; and, when our Lord revealed this fact, he added, for the consolation of his church under the prospect, that, 66 except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but, for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened." 2* 1 Newton's Dissertations on the Prophecies, p. 668, 669. "The world was ordained of God to endure, as Scripture and all learned men agree, six thousand years: now of this |