Tappan Presbyterian Association
LIBRARY.
Presented by HON. D. BETHUNE DUFFIELD.
From Library of Rev. Geo. Duffield, D.D.
DEO REIPUBLICA ET AMICTS
ESTO SEMPER FIDELIS.
GeoDuffield
QOTOGINISTRY
Section
Ne
The

SA
wo
BT
890
P95
1828

.......
2

the Millennium, till the conflagration of the Solar Sytem,
.-Rev. xx, 3, 7. During which Gog and Magog will come
P
(praterangan pertan
MEGA JE P
HEYWEND 1
LEDGE)
LTTI parar $ 'yar szPPONE & PRO TRONER
ANN HET NI
PREP RESER
TIR WE LO
奥阿
​L
gainst the Saints, but fire from God out of Heaven, will de-
9. Then will come the general judgment, and the final end.
C
O
口
​O
O
ㅁ
​D
O
D
D
A
VIEW
OF THE EXPECTED
2363
CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM
1
WHICH IS PROMISED IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES,
SCRIP
ED TO BE NIGH ITS COMMENCEMENT,
TRANSPIRE BEFORE THE CONFLAGRATION
OF THE HEAVENS AND THE
EARTH
}
EMBELLISHED WITH A CHART, OF THE
DISPENSATIONS FROM ABRAHAM
TO THE END OF TIME.
Temat skapa nikad tai –
And they lived and reign'd with Christ a thousand years.--Rev. xx.
Fourth Edition,
AND IS BELIEV、
AND MUST
"The time of rest, the promis'd Sabbath comes-
Six thousand years of sorrow have well nigh
Fulfill'd their tardy and disastrous course.”—Couper.
1829.
BY JOSIAH PRIEST.
ALBANY
PUBLISHED FOR SUBSCRIBERS
Loomis' Press.
1
{
}**
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW-YORK, TO WIT:
r
BE it remembered, that on the twenty-fifth day of June, in the
fifty-first year of the Independence of the United States of Ameri-
ca, A. D. 1827, Josiah Priest of the said district, hath deposited
in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as
author in the words following, to wit: "A view of the expected.
Christian Millennium, which is promised in the Holy Scriptures,
and is believed to be nigh its commencement, and must transpire before the
ronflagration of the heavens and the earth; embellished with a chart of the dis-
pensations from Abraham to the end of time. And they lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years.—Rev. xx. 4.
<
1

The time of rest, the promis'd Sabbath comes-
Six thousand years of sorrow have well nigh
Hilfiled their tardy and disastrous course."-Couper
1
Jevantan)
""
BY JOSIAH PRIEST.
In conformity to the act of the congress of the United States, entitled "An
act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts
and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times there-
in mentioned ;" and also, to the act entitled "An act supplementary to an act
entitled 'An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of
maps, charts and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the
times therein mentioned,' and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of de-
signing, engraving and etching historical and other prints."
R. R. LANSING, Clerk of the district court
of the United States for the northern district of New-York:
I
?
gift
A po pran
1-11-1932
Fresh Clas
INDEX.
Page
1st. An account of the term Millennium, its import and
meaning,
2d. Shall show that such a period was expected, by the pro-
pnets, the Jewish Rabbins, and doctors, as the grand ultimo
of the Messiah's reign on earth-and is now in expectan-
cy, by the churches, according to the scripture promises,
3d. Shall give a view of the wonderful signs of the times
which preceded the great deluge and the birth of Christ :
a curious and interesting account of Herod the Great, who
put to death the infants of Jerusalem. Also a minute de-
scription of the Ark, and of the animals saved in it-prov-
ing it amply sufficient to contain all the scriptures state it did, 53
4th. Shall exhibit the signs of our own times which clearly'
indicate the Millennium nigh at hand, but must be prece-
ded, by one of its effects, of the power of the great God;
such as man has not witnessed since the world began,
5th. Shall represent the probable state of the wicked part of
mankind, just previous to the Millennium; in which divi-
sion will be given an account of Rome pagan and Rome
papal, which subjects are signified in the 13th and 17th
chapters of Revelations,
79
6th. The way and manner considered, in which God will pro-
bably remove the wicked from the earth, that the Millenni-
um may commence, for they shall not see that glorious sun
arise, nor enter that land of promise,
7th. Will show when the Millennium will come, by a view of
the ancient Jewish Sabbaths, an exhibition of which is ex-
ceedingly interesting, in reference to that day. And as
analagous to the same point, shall present a view of natural
and supernatural periodical recurrences. And shall give an
illustration of the three visions in the book of Daniel as far
as they refer to the time when the sanctuary shall be clean-
sed, or when the Millennium shall arrive,
13
16
8'7
16.2
181
1
1
IV
INDEX.
J
8th. An account of the first resurrection, and the subsequent
happiness of all people; with which will be connected ar-
guments to prove that all moral and natural evil shall cease
a thousand years from the earth; and that it was the origi-
nal intention of the Creator to clothe our first parents,
whether they stood or fell,
250
287
9th Division embraces a position that man when he fell, lost
his extraordinary power or government over the animal
kingdom, and became exposed to their natural fury, but in
the Millennium shall recover his government again,
10th Division` contains arguments to prove, that neither the
disposition nor death of the animal creation was affected
by man's fall into sin, as is believed by many, but the truc
reason of their death is assigned,
11th. The sentiment which embraces the opinion, that all the
animal creation shall arise from the dead, to be remunera-
ted for their suffernigs, which by some is said to be occa-
sioned by the sin of man, refuted,
305
12th Division exhibits a view of the vast multiplication of
mankind during the Millennium, and of their political state:
also who they are who will attempt to make war upon the
camp of the saints, called Gog and Magog; and why Sa-
tan must be loosed for a little season after the Millennium
is passed by and in what manner it is likely they will at-
tempt their attack of the saints,
316
18th Division embraces a view of the resurrection of the
wicked dead after the Millennium, and their miserable con-
dition; and endeavours a description of the earth's dissolu-
tion, and in what manner the elements will operate on
each other, so that a general conflagration may take place,
and what shall be its final end,
14th Division embraces a view of the promised new creation,
which is to succeed the destruction of this system. "And
ho that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things
new." Rev. xxi. 5,
Page
ព
299
343
366
}
#
INTRODUCTION,
A knowledge of the opinions the ancient fathers entertained
upon the subject of a Millennium, is highly interesting, and are
presented here as proof that the subject is by no means the growth
of the present times. It is pleasing to find our own deductions
from the Sacred Volume agree, in any sense, with the writings of
the primitive fathers, and of those who have been distinguished
upon this subject in modern times. As the ancients of the Chris-
tian church believed in the final arrival of a thousand years Mil-
lennium, when the religion of the Messiah shall wholly triumph in
all the carth, so the humble author of this book most cordially
and devoutly espouses the doctrine, because supported by the
Scriptures. There has been no age of the Christian church, ini
which the expectation of the Millennium was not admitted by
many divines of the first eminence, though never embraced in
any creed as an article of faith essential to salvation. But the
captivating hope has ever possessed the bosom of the militant
church, before and since the advent of Christ, that his sceptre
shall, in the seventh Millennary of time, be swayed in its gentle
influences over all the earth.
About the middle of the fourth century, says Mr. Buck, the
Millennians held the following tenets: 1. That the city of Jeru-
salem shall be rebuilt; and that the land of Judah shall be the
habitation of those, who are to reign on the earth a thousand years.
2. That Christ shall then come down from heaven, and be seen
on earth, and reign here with his servants. 3. That during that
period the saints are to enjoy all the delights of the first terrestial
paradise.
These opinions were founded upon the 20th chapter of Reve-
lation, from the first to the sixth verse inclusive, and were under-
stood by the ancient Millonnarians in the literal sense, who taught,
that during the Millennium, the saints on the earth were to enjoy
every bodily delight, consistent with innocence and holiness. This
opinion is undoubtedly correct, but that Christ will personally dwell
on the earth with his saints, who are to remain after the first resur-
rection a thousand years, is not promised; therefore, in that ex-
A
VI
INTRODUCTION.
1
{
I
e
}
་་
pectation they were not correct. Though the promise in the
sixth verse of the 20th chapter of Revelation, is, that the saints
"shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him
a thousand years," yet I do not understand thereby, that the per-
son of Christ must necessarily become visible on the earth during
the thousand years. If Christ is the only wise God, and has all
power, consequently he reigns in an omniscient sense, not only
here, but in all worlds; therefore, when his gospel in our earth
shall have gotten the victory, it will not be required, in order that
the promise in the sixth verse may be fulfilled, that Christ must
be personally with his saints on the earth, but in his spiritual pre-
sence only the saints being in perfect agreement with his holi-
ness and government, are therefore said, by the spirit of prophecy,
to reign with Christ during that peculiar term, a thousand years.
The opinion of the fathers, both Jewish and Christian, and oth-
ers, that Jerusalem is again to be rebuilt in the time of the Millen-
nium, for the comfort and glory of the saints, is founded doubt-
less on the 48th chapter of Ezekiel's prophecy, to which the rea-
der can refer. But this opinion will not bear the test of the most
inferior criticism; because the saints, during the Millennium, will
have corporeal bodies as well as now, and therefore must occupy
space. From which it is at once evident, that if the whole land
of Palestine shall become one continued city for the accommo-
dation of the saints, it will be found insufficient to contain them.
The whole land of Judea, embracing the ancient grant of that
country to Abraham, does not encompass a greater space than
two hundred and fifty miles in length by one hundred and fifty in
width, which space, if occupied as closely as the city of New-
York, would not be capable of containing a greater population
than about five hundred and one millions. Ancient Palestine, if
it were one continued city, would be only about three thousand
Limes as large as Now-York, which is but a little short of three
miles by six, if it were thrown into a parallelogram form; conse→
quently would be as incapable of containing all the saints in the
Millennium as the city of London would be of accommodating
the population of the globe at the present time.
If, then, so great a city will be too small to contain the saints
how will the ancient city of Jerusalem, even if it should be re-
built, contain them? Besides, how are they to be supported if all
J
$
I
60
yad
་
1
7
INTRODUCTION.
vii
1
•
I
are assembled at one place? who shall till the earth? But in re-
ference to the meaning of that chapter, to which the reader is re-
ferred, as above, it is more rational to suppose, with Dr. Clark,
and others of great eminence, who have written upon this subject
before his time, that the whole description given by Ezekiel
should be understood as signifying the most glorious state of the
Christian church over the inferior glory and darker dispensation of
the Old Testainent times. This sentiment certainly agrees better
with the remark of Christ to the Samaritan woman at the well of
Jacob, "Woman, believe me, the hour comneth when ye shall nei-
ther in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father."
St. John. iv. 21. All that was embraced in the Mosaic sacrifices,
the temple of Solomon, with its ceremonies, were only descrip-
tive of some good thing to coine in the dispensations of the ex·
pocted Messiah. If the Jews are to be brought in with the ful-
ness of the Gentiles, what, therefore, can a Jew promise himself
by returning to Jerusalem? I confess I cannot see any ostensible
reason. If the Mosaic dispensation be again restored, then there
would be a reason for their return; but it is a well known fact, that
Jesus Christ has made an end of all that first system of worship,
which related wholly to the higher revelation of the gospel.
This the Jews will understand-why, then, return to Jerusalera ?
They will at once percieve, that to be a true Jew, or Israelite, is
to possess faith in Christ, and not because they are of a lineage of
Abraham. If, then, they become Christian before they go, and
acquiesce in the doctrine that Jesus of Nazareth was the true
Messiah foretold by the prophets, what value, therefore, can they
set upon the land of Canaan above any other country? At onec
they will percieve, that in this faith they have found Him of whom
Moses and the prophets did write, which will answer every purpose
far better than to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. It is, indeed
true, that the Jews shall be brought in with the fulness of the Gen-
tiles; but where, or into what, shall they be brought? Why inte
the faith of the gospel, and nothing else?
Again-if there is a time coming when Christ, the true David,
of whom David, the father of Solomon, was a type, shall reign
king of nations in that peculiar sense that he does king of saints ;
then all the earth may be reckoned as the land of Israel, and the
inhabitants, the true Israelites (for then there will be none other)
<
}
ኣ
1
ļ
سم
!
INTRODUCTION.
viit
shall in spirit and in truth worship the Father in every place--so
shall his will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. If any can
prove that there is a necessity that the Mosaic economy must be
revived, that the Messiah's kingdom may be facilitated on the
earth, then we might, yea, ought to believe, that the Jews shall
again rebuild their ancient cities, and dwell in the mountains of
Israel. But as we know that system, once glorious in its place,
shall never be revived, so neither is there any reason why the Jews
nitust again be restored to their country rather than to any other
on the globe. There is, however, a degree of probability, that
if the Ottoman power shall be broken, and such government as
may stand in their place should not oppose them, the Jews who
dwell in the Turkish countries, may go to Jerusalem, because it is
the land of their fathers. But if such shall be their disposition,
and it is even accomplished, how is this to further their conver
sion to Christianity? It would, in my opinion, rather retard than
hasten it; because a revival of the Mosaic laws, with all its cere-
monics, is the highest aim of the Jews in all the world. But if
they recieve the gospel, and accept of the Messiah of Nazareth
in those countries where they now are dwelling, their restoration
will in this way be accomplished, and the prophecies fulfillea,
which respect their return in a spiritual sense, when both Jew and
Gentile shall by the gospel be changed to what the Saviour and St.
Paul designated as the constituent qualifications of a real Israel-
ite, or Jew.
↓
4th. Some Millennarians have supposed, because Christ said on
a certain occasion to his twelve disciples, that they should sit on
twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel, that the Apos-
tles shall thus sit judging the twelve tribes of Israel during the Mil-
lennium. See Matth. 19, 28. "And Jesus said unto them, Ve-
rily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regene-
ration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory,
ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel."
God
Their arguments are, that the Apostles never on the earth en-
joyed that promise, and must, therefore, sit on those thrones in
the Millennium. But this surely is easily otherwise interpreted;
for observe, this was to take place when the Son of Man should
sit in the throne of his glory. When, therefore, did he com-
$
Wha
INTRODUCTION.
IX
mence this sitting in the throne of his glory? I answer, imme-
diately after his ascension from earth to heaven. A few days on-
ly, therefore, had elapsed, when, after that event, the twelve
Apostles ascended their promised thrones. But how? I answer, in
the following manner: After the resurrection of our Lord, (see
Luke 24, 49) he said to the twelve, "But tarry ye in the city of
Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." This
very power with which they were to be endowed, was accom-
plished on them, when, on the day of Pentecost, after his ascen-
sion, the Holy Ghost descended and sat on them in the form of
cloven tongues of fire. This was their exaltation to the promised
thrones, when they recieved power to preach the gospel under-
standingly, which, till then, they had not fully comprehended.
This was their exaltation to the thrones of the Apostolic power,
to preach the gospel to every creature, to heal the sick, to raise the
dead, in confirmation of it, and to establish a new system instead
of the old. This was their exaltation to the twelve promised
thrones, to have power to pull down the old system of Mosaic sa-
crifices, and now useless observances; to confound the Jews in
argument, as did St. Stephen, and to denounce judgment against
them-thus judging the twelve tribes of Israel, because they re-
jected the true Messiah.
5th. Some have thought that the judgment day is to take place
at the end of the next century, or when the earth shall be 6000
years old from the creation, and that afterwards the Millennium is
to succeed. But certainly neither of these positions can be true;
because we have no warrant, either in reason or from the Scrip-
tures, to belicvo, that Satan is to be loosed from his prison, and to
trouble the saints after the judgment day. But that the Millenni-
um shall transpire before the general judgment, there is abundant
proof. See Rev. 20.
6th. Others have supposed that all the righteous Jews, patriarchs
and prophets, are to possess the land of Canaan after their resur-
rection from the dead. They alledge, as a reason, that the ex
tont of the promised land was never possessed by them, and,
therefore, must yet be literally fulfilled in the Millonnium. But
it appears to me, that land is of little worth to such as have tasted
of the higher bliss of a heavenly state; and further, the senti-
ment would seem to compel the spirits of just men made perfect
}
1
1
*
p de tag
INTRODUCTION.
to an alarming retrograde of being, from a heavenly state back to
an earthly one.
fol
↑
7th. Some Millennarians have imagined that Elijah the pro-
phet is yet to come, as a forerunner of the Messiah's second ad-
vent. They disallow that John the Baptist was Elijah, because,
say they, he did not do the work foretold of him by Malachi,
*which was to turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and
the heart of the children to their fathers." Mal. iv. 6. This work
is supposed by them will be accomplished by the real Elijah, when
he comes as a forerunner of the second advent of Christ. But
that opinion has its refutation in the assertion of Christ, who well
knew whether John the Baptist was Elias or not. "But I say unto
you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have
done unto him whatsoever they listed." Matth. xvii. 13.
8th. It has been supposed by some, that when the judgment day
shall arrive, that it will continue a thousand years, and at the same
time the Millennium is to commence, and also to continue the
same length of time. But how can these two amazing eras in the
destinies of the living and the dead, the holy and the unholy, be
blended together? It appears to me that such an arrangement
would destroy the perfection of both a judgment day and a Mil-
lennium-for the latter would necessarily be mingled with the ter-
rors and horrors of the former; and, consequently, would have a
mitigating effect, while the former would distress and disturb the
mild influences of the latter; so that each would act on the other
in a paralyzing manner, and render them totally nugatory as to
effecting the purposes for which both are appointed, and in their
proper and distinct places will surely take place.
9th. An opinion has been entertained, that the symbolical ri-
ver which Ezekiel saw in a vision issuing out from under the eas-
tern gate of the temple, shall be fulfilled by the breaking forth of
a literal river of very salubrious water in the country of Palestine,
after the temple is rebuilt; and is to have its commencement at
that temple, and is to flow down through the desert country into
the sea. This river, says that opinion, is to furnish the inhabi-
tants with fishes of the most excellent kinds, by its healing the
ocean wherever it shall mix with that of the seas. But I believe
the text, which is Ezekiel, chap. 47, verse 9, furnishes no ground
for the supposition, that the fishes there alluded to are are such as
2
1
↑
紧
​INTRODUCTION.
xi
a literal ocean produces; but as the ocean, or vast bodies of wa-
ter, are taken to represent multitudes, nations and people, en-
masse, so the mention of fishes in that verse signify individual per-
sons, and the river itself represents the light of revelation from
heaven during the four great dispensations, from Abraham till the
end of the next century, which is four thousand years. See the
Chart, and also the Second Division of this book, for a more en-
larged view of that significant river.
10. Some Millennarians have thought that the saints and mar-
tyrs, at the time of the first resurrection, will arise from the dead
and remain on the earth, for no higher purpose than to possess and
exercise a secular dominion over the nations. I know of no
Scripture which favours such an opinion, except the following:
Rev. 5, 10. "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests ;
and we shall reign on the earth." But this I understand as spo-
ken by way of anticipation, and contains a prophecy, that finally
the Christian cause should triumph on the earth. And further, it
Inay signify that which every Christian knows to be a fact, namely,
that when Christ has set up his kingdom in the heart of a believer,
that he is at once free from the reigning power of sin, and where-
as he once was a slave to this monster, he now has the victory,
through the power of Him in whom he has believed; therefore,
of such an one it may be said, he reigns on the earth. But, I
conclude, the verse alludes to the Millennial state, as anticipating
its glories, but not as retaining the righteous dead after their re
surrection, to share in a state of things, though glorious for the
time being, but infinitely short of the undescribed glory the saints
shall possess after their resurrection, which will certainly unfit
them for any degree of bliss this side of heaven itself; but the
saints, who, at the time of the first resurrection, are alive, are
they who shall have this victory, and shall reign on the earth.
There is another verse, which, at first sight, perhaps, might sug-
gest the foregoing idea, namely, a reign of the righteous dead on
The earth. See Rev. 20, latter clause of verse 4. "Neither had
received his mark upon their forehead, or in their hands; and
they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." But in this.
we observe there is no promise that the righteous dead, of whom
it is spoken, are to reign on the earth at all; but simply are to
reign with Christ a thousand years and signifies, that while the li-
Tag
Xii
INTRODUCTION.
ving saints on the earth are reigning in the Millennial state a thoaề
sand
years, so they in heaven shall reign with Christ till the thou-
sand years are finished, at which time the church below and above
shall be for ever united in glory.
Having given a variety of opinions concerning the Christian
Millennium, of both ancient and modern times, I proceed to pre-
sent the humble views of the author of this book. He does not
attempt any explication of the prophecies, farther than such por-
tions of the sacred word as strictly relate to the Millennium, and
the period of its commencement, the manner of its introduc-
tion, the consequences which will follow both its approach and
consummation, as well as the glories and happiness of the saints
during the interim of a thousand years.
As I have said nothing particularly in this work respecting the
great battle of Armageddon, as hinted at in .Rev. 16, 16, “ And
he gathered them together into `a place, called, in the Hebrew
tongue, Armageddon"-I will just observe, that it will probably
consist of an universal civil war, occasioned by the diffusion of rc-
publican politics. The charms of popular government have smi-
led from the face of America as from the face of an angel, and
filled many countries with an unextinguishable desire to shake off
all monarchical authority. Two vast parties already exist, and
their interests consist in the one upholding the fancied rights of
kings, while the other more righteously aims at revolution-which
will not be brought about but by the pouring out of blood. The
word "Armageddon" or "chormahgedehon," signifies a great
destruction of armies gathered together for battle; and when it
shall be fought, it is not unreasonable to suppose truth will be the
victor, when the subject shall be for ever at rest.
There are some however, who believe that this great battle will
be realized not many years hence, occasioned by a collision of
religious sectarian interests. But the present charitable conduct.
of the different churches toward cach other, argues a vastly dif-
ferent consequence. Others suppose that infidelity under various
forms of profession, will league together for the destruction of all
real Christianity;-this is even possible, and while civil war on
the subject of government may be prosecuting, infidelity may
then endeavour a destruction of religion. See Appendix, page
406.
I
!
THE EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
FIRST DIVISION.
The word Millennium-its meaning and sanctity..
1
1
Hom
The thousand promised years we soon shall see,
When earth in righteousness shall whelmed be-
And men with heaven shall then familiar grow,
When sighs and cries shall ever cease to flow.
THE word Millennium is descriptive of a lapse of
centuries, consisting of ten, and is derived from its an-
tecedent Millenary, or a thousand years. The word
is not found in the Scriptures, but seems, by a unani-
mous consent of the Churches from early ages, to have
been, by way of anticipation, applied to that thousand
years in which it is believed the Christ of God shall re-
ally and positively be believed in by all nations of the
carth. And that he shall reign triumphant, having sub-
dued all opposition to His government, and destroyed
all the works of the devil, a jubilee shall succeed, a
holy sabbath, a rest of the globe, which has these thou-
sands of years been torn in the tumultuous sea of the
corruptions and depravity of men. Its sanctity shall
consist in the total absence of all evil, both moral and
natural. The evils which now afllict, shall not then be
known at all. There shall not then be any wars;
}
B
1
J
I
******
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
14
་
***
strife among nations shall cease a thousand years. All
evil passions, coveteousness, cruelty, luxury, ambition,
pride, vanity, wrath, self-will, haughtiness, treachery,
conceitedness, hatred, malice, envy-these shall not
then exist. There shall be none poor, nor rich; none
sick, nor in affliction of any kind. There shall be no
crying nor sighing, nor death, nor any that lack
knowledge, such as heaven approves. The knowledge
of this world, which is now mixed, in many instances,
with much imperfection, yet is come at by intense ap-
plication and slow degrees, which, however useful at
the present time, are but so many proofs, that man is
fallen, and benumbed by the paralyzing power of sin
But then he shall awake, shall be recovered from this
opiate delirium, and shall possess knowledge by intui-
tion, as Adam unquestionably did before his fall. A
necessity for the administration of human government
will be totally superseded by the effects of righteous-
ness, which shall then cover the earth" as the waters
cover the face of the great deep." Such, then, the sancti-
ty of that day; the great jubilee of heaven on earth; the
expectation of the Church, which is founded in the
Scriptures of truth. In that inimitable prayer which
God our Saviour taught his disciples, this expectation
is plainly recognized, inasmuch as he said, when ye
pray, say "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed
be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy WILL be done on
EARTH as it is done in Heaven." Who will dispute
but his will is done in heaven by every individual; so
we should pray, expect and believe it will be done on
earth. If then it is possible, in the economy of grace,
→
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
15
•
N
that God's will shall be done on earth as it is done in
heaven, what may we not expect that is not glorious,
happifying and divine? If there is no sin in heaven,
neither shall there then be sin on earth-is there no
death there, neither on earth-is there no poverty nor
imbecility of intellect in heaven, then on earth there
shall be none, for these things are the effects of sin.
Victory shall be obtained on the very ground where
the adversary, for so many ages, has triumphed over
the once perfect man. He shall be restored, there-
fore, to his primitive happiness, in respect to the pres-
ence or the approach of any evil.
Anciently, before the time of the Messiah, the doc-
trine of a resurrection of the human body was but ob-
scurely understood or believed: a few only seem to
have had a tolerable idea of such a thing; but the Sar-
iour demonstrated the fact.
So in reference to a Millennium, as yet many see this
thing as it were through a glass darkly; but the power of
Christ can, and will demonstrate, that he is able to
accomplish it, as well as a resurrection of the human
body. And there is not a doubt to be indulged, but
he will commence the Millennium by a resurrection of
all the dead in Christ, for it is written, they "shall rise
first," and also, "blessed and holy is he that hath part in
the first resurrection." But I forbear, at this stage of
the subject, to enter farther into a view of the glories
of that day, but shall, in the proper place, attempt to
do so, which will more fully establish the expected
sanctity and effects of that emancipating jubilee.
MARAT
"
SECOND DIVISION,
Will show, that such a period was expected by the Prophets, the
Jewish Rabbins and Doctors, as the grand ultimo of the Messi-
ah's reign on earth, and in all ages has been the expectation of
the Christian Churches, as well as of Christendom at the pres-
ent time, according to the Scripture promises.
Ment
1
J
***@00+1-
As from the bubbling fount on Eden's plains,
Four rivers pour'd their floods to the four winds-
So once the Prophet saw, beneath the temple's door,
A broader river flow, and sweeter waters pour.
1
a
3
Tins glorious and eventful day has been expected,
noth of Jews and Christians, in every age since the
days of Abraham, to whom was made a promise, that
in his seed all the families of the earth should be
blessed.
There cannot well arise a doubt, but the prophet
Ezekiel had a view of the increase of the MESSIAH'S
kingdom, and of the Millennium, in his notable vision
of the temple, which he saw an angel measure, who
has marked with great precision the progress of the
knowledge of God in the earth, by the description he
has given of it, under the similitude of water, or a
great and flowing river, to which the grace of salva-
tion is often compared in the Scriptures of truth. See
Rev. xxii. 1, 2. where the same idea is corroborated,
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life,
clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God
17
F
1
1
F
· EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.`
17
*
and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and
on either side of the river, was there the tree of life,
which bare twelve manner of fruits, and which yielded
her fruit every month and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations." This last idea of the
verse (the healing of the nations) establishes the fact,
that this river relates to the carth, and not to eternity,
as some suppose.
I will give the quotation verbatim, from Ezekiel
47th Chap. from the 1st to the 8th verse inclusive,
upon which I build the sentiment, that this view which
he had in the vision, of the waters coming out from
under the eastern gate of the temple, has a definite
allusion to the kingdom of the Messiah, and the pro-
gress of a knowledge of his salvation, in both the Jew-
ish and Christian Churches.
Verse 1st. Afterward he brought me again un-
to the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued
out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for
the fore-front of the house stood toward the east, and
the waters came down from under, from the right side
of the house, at the south side of the altar.
Verse 2d." Then brought he me out of the way
of the gate northward, and led me about the way
without unto the outer gate by the way that looketh
eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the
´right side.
I
L
ITUNE
Verse 3d." And when the man that had the line
in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thou-
sand cubits, and he brought me through the waters;
he waters were to the ancles.
**
B*
1
44
*
1
}
18
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Verse 4th." Again he measured a thousand, and
brought me through the waters; the waters were to
the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought
me through; the waters were to the loins.
Verse 5th," Afterward he measured a thousand
and it was a river that I could not pass over; for the
waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that
could not be passed over.
Verse 6th." And he said unto me, Son of man
hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caus
ed me to return to the brink of the river.
.66
Verse 7th. Now, when I had returned, behold,
at the bank of the river were very many trees on the
one side and on the other.
Verse 8th." Then said he unto me, These waters
issue out toward the east country, and go down into
the desert, and go into the sea; which being brought
forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed."
The first discovery of these waters by the prophet
was under the threshold of the eastern gate of the tem-
ple, from whence they gently issued, which are to be
understood as referring to what God revealed to Abra-
ham concerning the way of salvation, when he thrust
him out from the house of his father, Terah, the Syr-
ian, to go, he knew not whither.
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee
out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from
thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee:
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will
bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt
be a blessing."-Gen. xi, 1. 2.
A
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
19
*
J.
To these, promises, therefore, the issuing of this
gentle stream of water from under the gate of the
temple refers; and also to the promise made to the
woman, that of her seed there should arise one who
would bruise the serpent's head, which promise is now
renewed to Abraham, that in him shall all the families
of the earth be blessed.
The vision of this temple and waters, is a symbol of
the plan of salvation, which none but God could sug
gest; and comprehends at a glance, the law, the sac-
rifices, and the Gospel, with its concomitant glory and
final spread over the globe.
The angel, therefore, when he began his measure-
ment, had his eye fixed on Abraham, and those promi-
ses of God, as being the threshold, or door of hope,
from whence he began to measure this river of life.
The angel who showed these things to the prophet,
had in his hand a measuring line, and measured from
the threshold of the gate, along the course of the stream
a thousand cubits, at the end of which the waters were
found as deep as to the ancles.
From this place he again measured a thousand cu
bits, at the end of which, the waters were as deep as to
the knees.
From thence, he again measured a thousand cubits,
and the waters were as deep as to the loins.
And from this he continued to measure another thou~
sand cubits, at the end of which the waters had be-
come a great river, in which one might swim, but too
wide to pass over.
From this place the river continued its course, and
20
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
$
passed down in the desert, and from thence into the
sea, whose waters shall be healed, thereby causing a
great multitude of fish to be brought forth.
The sea here mentioned, is a symbol of nations,
multitudes, and tongues.
1
See Revelations, chapter xvii. verse 15.-And
he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, are
peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues;'
who shall be the subjects of the healing power of these
waters, whose numbers and extent of country are com-
pared to a sea or an ocean, covering the whole earth;
for, observe, it is too great, and too wide, and too
deep, to be passed over at all.
In attempting to give an exposition of those verses,
which inform us of the conduct of the angel, who
measured with a line this river, by cubits, a thousand
at a time, I shall assume the positions of adapting
the measurement of this river to the measurement of
time, as referring to distinct dispensations of God's
providence, in revealing, from time to time, and from
age to age, to the Patriarchs, Prophets and Apostles,
and to his Church, in every age, his purposes of grace
in the earth.
磁
​Muncă
My desire in so doing is, to trace these waters, or
this river, through the various periods of its measure-
ment, to where they are represented by the prophet, so
enlarged and extended, as to present to the view of
such as look for the coming of Christ on earth spiritu-
ally, one universal ocean of His glory and holiness
among men, which, when accomplished, is called the
Millennium.
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
21
From sacred chronology, it appears that Abraham,
the great Patriarch of the tribes of Judah and Is-
rael, was born two thousand years (lacking four) be-
fore Christ, and two thousand and eight years after the
creation, (three hundred and fifty-two after the flood)
which brings the life of Abraham half way between
the creation and the advent of Jesus Christ.
Inasmuch, therefore, as God begins with Abraham
more fully to disclose his good purpose towards man
than he had previously done, it becomes the prophet
to view Abraham as the threshold of the gate of that
temple, from under which the fountain of this river
proceeds, and accordingly the angel commences to
measure the river at that place, in company with the
prophet.
The method pursued to measure this very extraor-
dinary river, which is noticed in many other parts of
the Scriptures, is singular and interesting. It would
seèm this glorious angel laboured to impress the mind
of the prophet, that as he had measured this river by
cubits, so must be measured the several dispensations
of the increase of the knowledge of God in the earth,
till it shall become embosomed in the great sea of uni-
versal holiness. These cubits cannot be understood
to signify any thing else but years; a thousand cubits,
therefore, mean a thousand years. And as illustrative
of this opinion, we will notice, that the present mode
of measuring latitudes and longitudes on the surface
of the earth, to ascertain degrees and distances, is very
similar to the way the angel adopted to measure that
river. His cubits were the symbols of years, as our
1
"
(16)
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
minutes are the symbols of miles and as seconds are
the integral parts of a minute, which by the astronomer
is used as a symbol for a mile, so are inches the inte-
gral parts of a cubit, which by the prophet is here
used as a symbol for a year.
The first measurement, therefore, of the first thou-
sand cubits, is considered a grand symbol of a thou-
sand years, and extends from Abraham to the building
of the first temple at Jerusalem by Solomon, which
was finished exactly at the end of three thousand years
from the creation; and is, therefore, a thousand years,
lacking a mere fraction, from the birth of Abraham
till this house was finished.
106
1
During this thousand cubits or years, God gave to
Abraham several glorious and gracious promises re-
specting the Messiah, who should come into the world.
through his lineage. These promises were made to
him by the everlasting God, through the medium ot
supernatural vision. See Gen. xv. 12. "And when
the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abra-
ham; and, lo, a horror of great darkness fell upon
him." And also at verses 17 and 18 it is said, "And
it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it
was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning
lamp that passed between those pieces. In that same
day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham.'
رو
The Lord also, in a supernatural way, gave to Abra-
ham a son, when both he and his wife were past the
time of life, and also supernaturally preserved that son
from death by the intervention of an angel's voice, who
cried from the air just above where he was bound on
Mount Moriah to be slain and sacrificed.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
23
And to Isaac, Jacob was given, to whom God also
conversed in vision. See Gen. xxviii. 12, 13, 14. “ And
he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth,'
and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the
angels of God ascending and descending on it. And,
behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the
Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of
Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give
it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust
of the earth; and in thy seed shall all the families of
the earth be blessed."
1
And to Jacob was given the twelve patriarchs who
went down into Egypt where Moses was born, and
from thence the whole nation of the Jews, consisting
of about three millions of souls, journeyed towards the
country of the Canaanites.
During this journey, the whole nation were carried
as it were upon the wings of a great eagle; for God
divided the Red Sea and let them pass over safe to the
other shore.
At this place also, the angel of the covenant stood
between the two hosts in the form of a pillar of cloud.
That side which looked towards the Egyptians, had the
appearance of blackness or darkness, which involved
their whole army in the shades of night. But that side
which looked toward hus people, the Jews, shone with
the brilliancy of a lambent flame, and gave them light
till the morning rose, when it again assumed its cloudy
aspect.
From this sea, in the process of years they came to
Mount Horeb, at which place the angel of the cove
24
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
"}}{209) B=PLATE",
nant, who is Christ, came down on that Mount in great
glory and with terrible thunderings, and gave his peo-
ple a law of righteousness.
A lapse of not many years after the giving of the
law, Moses stood on the top of Mount Pisgah, and
from thence he saw the promised land, the land of his
forefathers. At this place he died, and was hid in a
valley of the mountain.
To him succeeded the government of Joshua, who
led the armies of Israel from conquering to conquest,
till all Canaan was subjected to his arms.
To Joshua succeeded the government of the elders,
who had known him, and to them that of the judges,
till the time of Samuel, the prophet, who anointed
Saul, a Benjamite, to be king over Israel.
And next to Saul came David, the king, to whose
throne Solomon was exalted: who built the first tem-
ple, which Ezekiel in his vision saw spiritualized, when
the angel measured the temple, and showed him the
waters of salvation, which come out from under its
eastern gate.
1
Thus far has this descriptive and supernatural riv-
er of revelation flowed, whose waters are found at the
temple as deep as to the ancles.
}
If the disciples of Christ, who, after being a long
time with Him, who spake as never man spake, and
had seen that he was raised from the dead after his cru-
cifixion, and had heard the Saviour say, "My kingdom
is not of this world," yet could say after all this, to
their risen Lord, "Wilt thou not at this time restore
the kingdom?" Which question evinced extreme
J
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
25
ignorance of the nature of the Messiah's kingdom. 1
say, if such ignorance was manifest, even among the
Saviour's disciples, at that time, it may, therefore,
with great propriety be said, that a knowledge of this
river of life was only as deep as to the ancles, in the
days of Solomon.
产
​3
Here, then, at Jerusalem, by the means of Solo-
mon, did God build a house of prayer for his saints,
and in the midst of opposing nations, establish the
worship of himself; and here is finished the first meas-
urement of the first thousand cubits or years.
From this house and downward, these waters became
more profluent; for, from the mouths of prophets and
kings, flowed abundance of these healing waters of
revelation, who spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost.
Thus by the angel is measured a second thousand
cubits, or years, which, from the finishing of the tem-
ple, brings this river to the advent of Christ, in the
year of the world 4000, at which place, according to
the prophet, the waters were only as deep as to the
knees of a man.
But some have-supposed, that at this place, it should
be considered, that this river of healing acquired its
greatest magnitude and width.
But not so; because its effects, as relates to the
whole world, were then but partially commenced, nor
were the days of miracles yet ceased, but continued
three hundred years after, till the time that the Roman
emperor, Constantine, became converted from heathen-
ism to the Gospel.
C
Ma
1
k
1
1
な
​26
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
The history of the Church from Christ till Constan-
tine, furnishes many wonderful accounts of miracles
being granted to confirm the character of Christianity
in the view of a heathen world. On these accounts
therefore, this river cannot be contemplated at the birth
of Christ, such as Ezekiel saw it, in his vision, which
was, at the time of the fourth measurement of the cu-
bits, a great river, which could not be passed over, se
wide it had spread its waters, in his view, through the
nations of fallen men.
But from the birth of Christ, at Bethlehem of Judea,
these waters became more redundant; for, the minis-
try of the Messiah, the calling of his disciples, his
death, and resurrection from the dead, and ascension
to glory, the gift of the Holy Ghost on the day o.
Pentecost, and the subsequent preaching and success
of the Gospel, by the Apostles, greatly enlarged the
glory of this river of life.
But its waters are now more frequently stained with
the blood of martyrs; the Jews persecuted Christ, in
his disciples, till God, in his holy wrath, cut them off
by the Romans, and destroyed them, as a government,
from among the nations.
But from a knowledge obtained, that, in the siege
of Jerusalem, by Titus, not one Christian lost his life;
on this account, the Gospel became more popular,
and less persecuted, for a while, by which means it
was preached in many countries with power and great
success, and thus became a river as deep as to the
loins of a man, and poured itself over many parts of
the Gentile nations. Asia Minor and Greece, the
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Syrg
4
continent and Isles of Europe, became its recipients,
till the times of the dark ages, when the Roman Cath-
olic superstitions covered and obscured the face of this
river, as with Egytian darkness, for the space of a lit-
tle more than four hundred years. In the days of Con-
stantine the great, Emperor of Rome, and his immedi-
ate successors, the Pagan religion of the Romish em-
pire was abolished, and Christianity took its place.
From those times, and downward, the system of Chris-
tianity was more and more corrupted by the fooleries
of a papal domination, till the year one thousand,
at which time a total darkness, a universal eclipse of
Gospel knowledge pervaded all countries. However,
there were undoubtedly many who feared God in hum-
ble life, such as the Moravians, and all along these
ages, though but little known.
From the time Constantine, the Roman Emperor,
became a Christian, which was in the year A. D. 306,
or a little before, we number a succession from Pope
Marcellus till Pope Sylvester II. in the year A. D.
1000, of one hundred and six Popes; among whom,
in the year A. D. 851 was the famous female Pope,
Joan, who filled the papal chair two years. Here,
then, is a most frightful chasm in this rope of sand,
which the spiders of the Roman Catholic Church
have spun, called a legal succession, which they are ve-
ry fond of climbing: and holding fast to this, they
dangle about in the
light of the strange fire of their
own kindling.
Also, from the year 1000, till 1460, there are num-
bered down to Pope Pious II. seventy-two. And from
28
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
:
wide
him, till 1824, when the last Pope was elected, are for-
ty-two more, making in all, from Constantine, two
hundred and twenty Popes.
From the birth of Christ, therefore, till the time of
the commencement of that great darkness, was the
third thousand cubits, or years, according to the meas-
urement of the angel, in Ezekiel's vision."
But as soon as these years of darkness were passed
by, and the mist and smoke of the bottomless pit were
blown away by the winds of Heaven, this glorious riv-
er was again seen to disembogue, from beneath those
mountains of error and wickedness, with augmented
force and majesty.
About this time, (before the time of Luther) the
Beghards and Lollards, of glorious memory, began
to stir up some of the remaining sparks of the hallow-
ed fire; and travelling over several countries, discipled
many to their opinions, sowing the good seed, which
finally eventuated in the great reformation. This re-
formation, to truth, under God, was first promo-
ted by the following illustrious and ever memorable
ministers of the new covenant. METHODIUS and
CYRIL, two Monks, or Ministers of the Greek Church
or, as it is expressed in the history, two Greek Monks.
These were the founders of the Moravian Churches in
Bohemia and Moravia, but were afterwards associated
with the followers of John Huss. History gives the
account, that this people and Church in Bohemia, in the
year 1459, made a settlement, at a certain place near
Celesia, a hilly, and undoubtedly wilderness country;
and that they there cast off all superstitious ceremo,
nies, and worshipped God in primitive simplicity,
►
}
L
1
ر
47
1
$
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
29
"But the historian states, that the beginning of
this Church displeased the devil. They were, conse-
quently, persecuted by the Romanists, and were com-
pelled to disperse among the mountains, in the depths
of winter. And in order to prevent themselves from
peing tracked in the snow by their persecutors, they
used to walk one behind the other, and the hindermost
of them to haul the bough of a tree along to obscure
their track. It appears that this people were horribly
persecuted and destroyed, and all their ministers taken
away, so that they were, in this respect, destitute. But
they assembled at a place in the mountains, and there
chose, by common. suffrage, certain persons whom
they called elders. This thing being done at the sev-
eral places, those persons so elected formed a synod,
at a place in the wilderness, where they ordained eccle-
siastical laws, by which they were to be governed.
>
But the question arose, what shall we do for minis-
ters? but after debate it was resolved that they would
inquire of the Lord, by casting the lot, whether a
presbyter could ordain a presbyter without a bishop.
And after seeking to the Lord, by prayer, fasting, and
tears, they obtained, as they supposed, from Him, by
scrutiny of the lot, a decision that it was lawful for a
presbyter to ordain presbyters, and thus secure to the
next generation a Gospel ministry. Thus did the Mo-
ravians, whose conduct proves, that their idea of suc-
cession was not by them esteemed as absolutely es-
sential to constitute a legal ministry.
It appears that these Moravians were a similar kind
of Christians with the Waldenses; for at this time,
C**
1
#
{
{
>
-30%
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM..
-
.
they had in common council agreed to become joined
with each other, and so become one Church; but
were, by the papist's persecutions, prevented at that
time. The premeditated union appears to have been
amicably desired by both the Moravians and Wal-
denses.
↓
1
I
After these, came the famous Wickliffe, and next to
him came Jerome of Prague, in 1414, and these, not
long after, were followed by Martin Luther, who was
aided by the amiable and able Melancthon. And in
1525, a Lutheran establishment was erected through-
out a greater part of the German Empire, and the yoke
of Rome, broken off.
I
M
But to these were added, in following years, Calvin,
Erasmus, Cranmer, Lambert, Coverdale, Hooper, Ro-
gers, and a host of others, who are now in the heavens
above, who aided in shaking off from the consciences
of deceived men, the chains of hell, which had been
imposed by mercenary wretches, in the form of coun-
cils, conclaves, and conventions.
But by the labours, preaching, sufferings, and mar-
tyrdoms of many, a great and effectual door was open-
ed, through which this healing and saving river, pour-
ed again its glorious and widening flood upon the na-
tions.
These, as so many commanders of as many fleets,
rode sublimely upon the pelucid waters of this river of
life, which was now become a river, in which thou-
sands might swim; waters which could not be passed;
which is, in fact, the very river that is now pouring its
healing flood over all countries, at the present time,
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
31
and is carrying its light, life and health, to these very
desert places, seen of Ezekiel, in the vision, and heal-
ing them of their vanities, and will eventually flow in-
to the great sea of the Millennium, when righteousness
shall cover the earth, as the waters do the great deep,
and all the fishes, i. e. all the inhabitants of the earth
shall be righteous.
Here, the multitudes of the deep, their different spe-
cies and kinds, are used by the prophet as symbols to
represent the different kinds of men, who are distin-
guished from each other by their stature, shape, com-
plexion, language and manners. And as the great·
sea is the habitation of the former, according to their
kinds, so is the dry land that of the latter, according
to their kinds. Now, as an immense river, possessing
salubrious qualities, of the highest possible degree, is
here supposed as flowing into a vast ocean of stagnant
and unhealthy waters, which is thereby healed and
made more prolific, and the fishes of that ocean become
better in consequence; therefore, such a supposed
river is taken by the prophet as a symbol of the river
of life, which he saw had begun to flow at Abraham,
and from thence was enlarging, and would continue to
enlarge, till its golden waves should finally dash over
all the face of the globe, as once the great deluge over-
whelmed it, and was, probably, a type of that event.
Thus shall be healed, (agreeing with the symbol) all
nations whom these waters shall finally embrace, as the
ocean does its fishes. To this sense, agrees the 10th
verse of the 47th Chapter of Ezekiel, latter clause.
Their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the
t
▸
1
f
32
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
:
fish of the great sea, exceeding many;" so that what-
ever description of men, with respect to stature, lan-
guage, or manners, who may then exist, are eligible.
to the sanctifying effects of this water of salvation. So
cried the Lord Jesus, when once at a feast of the Jews,
"If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink,"
and again, "The water that I shall give him, shall be
in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting
life." Thus we argue, that if a portion of this river
shall be in the soul of each saint, "a well of water
springing up into everlasting life," then indeed, there
will exist the integral parts of a sea of righteousness,
in all such as have part in the Millennium. And as
particles of water are the integral parts of an ocean,
when amalgamated together, so will be each individual
saint, at that day, an integral part of that sea of right-
eousness, which is to cover the globe, as the waters do
the great deep.
+1
"And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liv-
eth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come,
shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude
of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for
they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whith-
er the river cometh.". -Ez xlvii. 9.
}
And thus was finished the fourth measurement of the
river, which was, from the beginning of those years of
darkness above noticed, and was found to be a thou-
sand cubits, or years, from thence, to where these wa-
ters became spread into many rivers, encompassing the
whole earth with their glorious flood, as once the gener-
al deluge covered the globe fifteen cubits and upwards
above all hills
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
33
We have now followed the angel, and the prophet
who saw this river measured, from the fountain to the
sea, and believe it applies with great beauty and fit-
ness to the four dispensations; namely, from Abraham
to the finishing of the first temple by Solomon; from
'thence to the birth of Christ; from Christ to the be-
ginning of the dark ages; and from that period to the
end of the next century, when the Millennium will com-
mence; which will exactly accomplish the four dispen-
sations from Abraham till that time, so distinctly shown
to the prophet, as comprehending four thousand cu-
bits, or years.
Having now presented the reader with the prophet's
views, which I presume to call his expectations of the
universal glory and knowledge of the Messiah's king-
dom, I shall next proceed to adduce other evidence,
that the Jews expected such a day, found in the wri-
tings of their Rabbins, whose expectations of it seem
very clear.
€
But before I proceed with these, I shall notice the
eleventh verse of the same Chapter, where the prophet
Ezekiel has given his account of the above noticed riv-
cr. The verse is as follows: "But the miry places
thereof, and the marshes thereof, shall not be healed,
they shall be given to salt." From which it is evident
that Ezekiel saw, in his vision, that there would be
some places whither this great river should not flow,
called marshes and miry places. This, at first sight,
would seem an objection to the doctrine intended to
be promulged in this work, namely, that the water of
the river of gospel life shall flow over the whole earth.
This difficulty we proceed to remove.
I
4
34
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
The promise is, that whithersoever the waters of
this river shall come, every thing that liveth shall be
healed: but where they do not flow, they will not heal.
It is a well known fact, that Papal Rome is now, and
has ever been, more impervious to the rays of true gos-
pel light, than even the veriest heathen who have yet
been visited. It is not contained in the promise of the
healing effects of this river, that it shall at all flow over
the miry and marshy places, but it shall heal only where
it shall come, and is received and believed in; for faith
is the only condition of salvation which is ever accom-
panied with works corresponding.
It is no argument that Papal Rome has at all receiv-
ed the Gospel, because they are numbered among
Christian nations, and the reason why is, because they
have perverted its truths, and turned the grace of God
into lasciviousness, by the numerous idle and abomina-
ble inventions of that deluded people.
Papal Rome, then, and its vile sanctuaries, are the
miry and marshy places which shall not be healed, be-
cause they do now steadfastly resist the light, by pre-
venting the Scriptures having a free circulation among
them; except in their own mutilated manner, and
those in Latin.
Heathen countries are found by the Scriptures, poor,
blind, naked, and ignorant; therefore, they are eligi-
ble to its teachings.
But the Roman Catholics it finds already wise in
their own conceits; therefore, they remain blind and
unhealed, because they say they see, and are in no
need of additional light, nor of a physician.
$
ملے
A
미마
​t
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
35
But if this river of life is to envelope the whole
earth, and to extend its influence to all people, why
then shall not these marshy places be healed? how can
this thing be, if all people are to be righteous?
The mystery of these marshy places being given to
salt, is to be explained as follows:
In all ages, or rather in ancient times, it was a cus-
tom with conquerors, when they had razed a city to the
ground, to sow it with salt, as a token of total and
everlasting ruin. This custom is undoubtedly alluded
to by the prophet, in this place, when he saw, in vision,
these miry places given to salt. Papal Rome, must
therefore be destroyed by the direct power of God,
before the time of the Millennium shall come, which
he shall cause to be effected by the agency of fire.
Papal Rome, which has ever been a sink of sin and a
place of mire to all such as put their trust in her creeds
and counsels, a place of stagnant marshes, diseased
doctrines, and traditions of men.
The celebrated Calmet, a Roman Catholic commen-
tator on the Scriptures, makes this same verse to point
out the Protestant cause, as the miry places foreseen
of Ezekiel. But this all Protestants know is false, be
cause by the fruit the tree is known.
It is perfectly natural, therefore, to apply them to
Papal Rome, because they suit the symbol, which is
mire and marshy places, in a striking manner.
But they shall be given to salt, and never be healed,
but destroyed.
What else can be the meaning of the following Scrip
tures, which by all protestant theologians are made to
1
30
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
:
apply to Papal Rome. See Rev. xviii. 5, 6, 7, 8, and
9.e
"For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God
hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as
she rewarded you, and double unto her double accor-
ding to her works in the cup which she hath filled, fill
to her double. How much she hath glorified herself,
and lived deliciously, so much, torment and sorrow
give her. Therefore shall her plagues come in one
day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall
be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God
who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who
have committed fornication and lived deliciously with
her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they
shall see the smoke of her burning."
From which we may plainly understand, that the
overthrow of the country where the Roman beast has
his seat and throne, shall be burned with fire, after the
manner of Sodom and Gomorrah.
And as Abraham stood afar off and beheld the
smoke of the whole country ascend up, so shall many
at that day, stand afar off and lament the overthrow of
that great city and country.
This is also the sentiment of that truly great and
good man, the Rev. David Simson, M. A. See his
plea for religion, the new edition, printed 1812, page
160, as follows: It is remarkable, that all the coun-
try about the city of Rome, is a kind of bitumen, or
pitchy substance. And in the year of our Lord 80,
a fire burst out from beneath the ground, in the middle
of the city, and burnt four of the principal temples,
with the sacred buildings of the capitol. Italy is in-
。.
1
{
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
37
deed a store-house of fire. And when the 1260 years
spoken of by St. John (see Rev. xi. 2d* and 3d.) shall
be accomplished, Romé itself, with all its magnificence,
will be absorbed into a lake of fire, and sink into the
sea, to rise no more for ever." Here, then, instead of
healing those marshy places, which for ages have poi-
soned, with their noxious vapours, the atmosphere o.
common sense, and the more glorious atmosphere of a
revelation from heaven, they are to be destroyed by
fire at an earlier stage of time than the general judg
ment. But my reader may here inquire, if such shall
be the fact, how then are these miry and marshy places
to be given to salt in token of their everlasting ruin.
Thus I answer, a city among men, is generally a depot
and repository of arms, and is called a strong hold on
that account. Therefore, when the besiegers had over-
come any such place, they anciently did, at some par-
ticular times, sow the place of its foundation with salt.
See Judges ix. 45.-" And Abimelech fought against ·
the city all that day, and he took the city, and slew the
people that were therein, and beat down the city and
sowed it with salt.'
1
From this custom, the prophet has borrowed the idea
of those marshy and miry places being given to salt,
but of a vastly different kind of salt from that used by
men on any such occasion, which shall consist of litera.
fire.
Now, as those marshy places are supposed to be em-
braced in the dark arcanum of the papal machinations
*The Jews reckoned invariably, 30 days to a month; the 12 months, there-
fore, multiplied by 80, will produce 1260 days or years,
D
38
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
甲
​at Rome, they are considered the city and strong hold
of devils. And since it is the great God who shall
then fight against them, and overthrow their city by
fire, after the manner of Sodom, it was proper for the
prophet to say, those marshy places shall be given to
salt, and I will add, the salt of fire, because it is God,
and not man, who shall be their conqueror.
This sentiment is supported by our Lord.
See
Mark ix. 49.—"For every one shall be salted with
fire." Upon these words, I have read the following
comment: "Here may be seen the greatness, mul-
tiplicity, and eternity of the pains of the damned.
They suffer without being able to die; they are burn-
ed without being consumed; they are sacrificed with-
out being sanctified; are salted with the fire of hell
as eternal victims of Divine Justice. We must of
necessity be sacrificed to God, after one way or other,
in eternity; and we have now the choice, either of
the unquenchable fire of his justice, or of the ever-
lasting flame of his love."-Clark, copied from Quen-
sel.
This I believe a just interpretation of the miry and
marshy places, which shall not be healed, but shall
be destroyed before the Millennium commences; and
can therefore be no objection to the universality of the
waters of life, which the prophet saw flowing over the
whole globe.
But I resume the subject of proof, that the ancient
Jews expected the Millennium.
The following is an extract from the Rabbinical
writings of the Jews, among which are found their
+
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
39
account of the prophecies of Eldad, and Medad, two of
the seventy elders, who prophesied in the camp of Is-
rael, in the presence of Moses. But of those two it
is said, that they continued to prophesy when the oth-
ers had ceased, which occasioned one of the young
men to run to Moses and complain of what he thought
was indecorous; but was reproved by Moses, who
said to the young man, "Enviest thou for my sake?
Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets."
Num. xi. 29.
The Jewish Rabbin who has noticed the prophecies
of Eldad and Medad, is Jonathan Ben Uziel, whose
account is found in an ancient Jewish book, called the
Jerusalem Targum. I will give his account at full
length as follows:
"And there were two men left in the camp, the name
of one was Eldad, the name of the other was Medad;
on them the spirit of prophecy rested.”
Eldad prophesied and said, "Behold Moses the
pro-
phet, the scribe of Israel, shall be taken from this
world, and Joshua the son of Nun, captain of the host,
shall succeed him.”
Medad prophesied and said, "Behold quails shall
arise out of the sea, and become a stumbling block
to Israel."
Then they both prophesied together, and said, "In
the very end of time, Gog and Magog, and their
army shall come up against Jerusalem, and they shall
full by the hand of king Messiah. Behold a king
shall come up from the land of Magog, in the last
days, and shall gather the kings together, and leaders
•
1
40
EXPECTED CIIRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
£
44
↓
clothed with armour, and all people shall obey
them, and they shall wage war in the land of Israel
against the children of the captivity; but the hour of
lamentation has been long prepared for them, for they
shall be slain by the flame of fire which proceedeth
from under the throne of glory, and their dead car-
cassés shall fall on the mountains of the land of Israel,
and all the wild beasts of the field, and the wild fowls
of heaven, shall come and devour their carcasses; and
afterwards, all the dead of Israel shall rise again to
life, and shall enjoy the delights prepared for them
from the beginning, and shall receive the reward of
their works."
*
The conjoint prophecy of these two prophets, in
reference to Gog and Magog, and their armies, who
in the last days were to invade the country of Jerusa-
lem, refers to the same thing with Ezekiel, though de-
livered many hundred years before his time.
before his time. This in-
vasion was by Antiochus, about three hundred years af
ter Ezekiel had prophesied of him. This prophet,
and the two others, Eldad and Medad, agree almost
exactly about the manner of their destruction. The
two conjoint prophets state, that they shall fall by the
hand of king Messiah. This should be understood of
Christ, who by St. Paul is said to follow the Jews,
(Cor. x. 4.) and guided them, and breathed upon them
the spirit of courage in battle, as in the case of Judas
Macabeus, who terribly overthrew the armics of Antio-
chus; and hence, by the spirit of prophecy they said
they shall fall by the hand of king Messiah. And fur-
ther, they stated that they should be destroyed and
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
41
slain by a flame of fire, which should proceed from un-
der the throne of glory. This was said in reference
to the signal manner in which they were destroyed.
See Ezekiel xxxviii. 22.-" And I will plead against
him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain
upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many peo-
ple that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great
hail stones, fire and brimstone." Thunder with light-
ning, mingled with the rain and great hail, is meant,
undoubtedly, such as fell upon the Egyptians in their
plagues, which ran along on the ground. And their
carcasses were to fall on the mountains of Israel, and
all the wild fowls of heaven, with the wild beasts of the
field, shall devour them. This was all literally fulfilled
in the destruction of Antiochus, who attempted to de-
stroy, root and branch, the Jews. He was called Gog,
and his country Magog, and they fell on the mountains
of Israel, by the hand of king Messiah, who employ-
ed Judas Macabeus as the terrible instrument of the
ruin of Gog and Magog. [Sce 1st. Macc 1st. chap.]
But these prophets extended their views further than
this event, even till the time when all the dead of Israel
shall rise again to life. Although the Jews have, at
several times in the process of ages, been recovered
from a captive state, from among their enemies, yet
they have never had a time of peace and prosperity, of
sufficient universality and duration, to warrant so strong
a figure as the resurrection from the dead of all Israel.
This view, therefore, extends to the time of the first
resurrection spoken of by St. Paul and by St. John.
See 1 Cor. xv. 23; Thess. iv. 16; and Rev. xx. 5.-
D*
42
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
1
This first resurrection I apprehend, as spoken of by
those two prophets, and the thousand years of his (that
is Christ's) subsequent reign on the earth, as spoken of
by St. John, should be considered, in a more emphatic
sense, to be the days of the Messiah, than any other
time since his advent. Because then this government
will be universal and particular, and without any oppo-
sition, for a thousand years. To this opinion, Rabbin
Eliezer, one of the ancient Jewish doctors, agrees, by
saying that in the house of Elias, the prophet, there
was a tradition, that the righteous whom the holy bles-
sed God should raise from the dead, should not return
again unto the dust but for the space of a thousand
years. And again, when the question was proposed
among the Jewish Rabbins, how many the days of the
Messiah should be, they answer, the days of the Mes-
siah are a thousand years, and unquestionably refer to
the same thousand years with St. John after the first
resurrection, and agrees with the view of those two
prophets.
As to the validity of those prophets, I think there
can be no doubt; for the scriptures bear ample testi-
nony to their veracity. We see that in the eleventh
chapter of Numbers, their names are mentioned, and
associated with the seventy elders who prophesied on
that memorable occasion, and that the spirit of prophe-
cy rested on those two in a remarkable manner, for
they were more zealous than their fellows, and continu-
ed to speak when the others had ceased.
We see that Eldad's prophecy was fulfilled, which
was, that Joshua should succeed Moses in the govern-
ment of Israel.-Deut. xxxiv. 9.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
43
Medad's prophecy was also fulfilled, which was, that
quails should arise out of the sea, and bé a stumbling
block to Israel.-Num. xi. 31, 32, 33.
The reader will perceive, that the use I wish to make
of Jonathan Ben Uziel's account of Eldad and Me-
dad's prophecy, is to establish the fact, that the latter
prophecies of those two prophets relate to king Messi-
ah's kingdom, or to the Millennium, and to the resur-
rection of the just, at its commencement, and will as
surely be fulfilled in their time, as were their prophe-
cies respecting the exaltation of Joshua, and of the
quails which became a stumbling block to Israel.
We will now bring forward the testimony of another
Jewish Rabbin, by whom we shall prove that the Mil-
lennium was expected by the Jewish Church.
This Rabbin's name is Eliezer, the son of R. Jose,"
of Galilee, and his remarks are found in a Sanhedrim
folio book, in which a question is found proposed,
saying, how many are the days of the Messiah? The
answer is-There is, in the house of Elias, a tradition
(and Paul says to Timothy, Keep the traditions) that
the righteous whom the holy blessed God 'shall raise
from the dead, shall not return again to dust but for
the space of a THOUSAND YEARS, in which the holy
blessed God shall renew the world. A plain intima-
tion this, that the waters which Ezekiel saw in his vision
shall not only heal all nations of their depraved na-
tures, who are alive at the commencement of the Mil-
lennium, but that also the world shall be renewed, i. e.
shall be delivered from all natural and moral evil, as it
respects the saints during the thousand years of the
Sve
+
+
wh
44
{
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
days of the Messiah. But when all Israel shall arise,
their tradition goes on to say, that they shall have wings
like the wings of eagles, and shall fly above the waters.
This view of the Targum, respecting all Israel, who
shall arise from the dead, and are to be capacitated
with wings, and shall fly above the waters, is to be un-
derstood of their belief in the resurrection of the right-
eous, to which St. Paul agrees, when he says to the
Thess. iv. 16. "For the Lord himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-
angel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in
Christ shall rise first."
But they shall not return again to dust, but for the
space of a thousand years; not that the Targum
means that when the thousand years are finished they
shall again return to dust, but that during that thou-
sand years the earth shall be renewed to its original
blessedness, and its inhabitants to original holiness.
Indeed many of the prophets bear their testimony,
some in a greater, and some in a less degree, to the
same expectation.
Thus we see Moses recording, from the very mouth.
of the holy blessed God, "But as truly as I live,
all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the
Lord."-Num xiv. 21.
1
How plainly does this signify, that, in the view of
Him who sees all things at a glance, a time should
come, when a disordered earth should be filled with
the healing healthful glory of the Lord.
David, the sweet Psalmist king, seems frequently to
anticipate the final universality of the Messiah's king→
€
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
45
dom on the earth. "Ask of me, and I shall give thee
the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost
parts of the earth for thy possession."-Psalms ii. 8.
"Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth
is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the
great king."-Psalms xlviii. 2.
"Then shall the earth yield her increase, and God,"
even our God, shall bless us : God shall bless us, and
all the ends of the earth shall fear him."-Psalms
lxvii. 6, 7.
"Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all na-
tions shall serve him."-Psalms lxxii. 11.
"And blessed be his glorious name forever, and let
the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen, and
amen."-Psalms lxxii. 19.
To Isaiah the prophet, the Lord has spoken plainly
of the kingdom of his son. Many places in the book
of his prophecy, declare that his government shall be
from the rivers to the ends of the earth, and that all
souls then on the earth shall come to have a saving
knowledge of his grace.
"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the
mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in
the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above
all hills, and all nations shall flow unto it."-Isa. ii. 2.
From which nothing can be clearer, than that a time
must arrive, as the zenith of what the Saviour began
to do (when he made to the woman her first promise,
that her seed should bruise the serpent's head, this
shall be done,) when Satan shall be shut up in the
bottomless pit, and a knowledge of the Lord conse
I
MA
46
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM
I
t
quently shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the
face of the sea. At that time they shall have "beat
their swords into plough-shares, and their spears into
pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
This
then is the expectation of Isaiah, and should be the
firm and certain expectation of all saints, who shall ne
»
then be disappointed; for then "Violence shall no more
be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy
borders, but thou shalt call thy walls salvation, and
thy gates praise. Thy people also, shall be all right-
eous; they shall inherit the land for ever. A little
one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong
nation: I the Lord will hasten it in his time."-Isa.
1x. 18, 21, 221.
J
By the spirit of inspiration, the prophet Jeremiah
looked beyond the sorrows of his countrymen, to whous
was committed the oracles of truth, the first testamemy
and after whose name all saints are called Israelites,
not because they are descended from the lineage of
Abraham, but because they are the household of faith.
The prophet, therefore, looks through the long vista.
of ages, to the time when Jerusalem, spirtual Jerusa-
lem, Mount Zion, shall be built in the tops of the moun
tains, and all nations shall flow to it, which shall no
like the temple, its glorious type, "be plucked up,
nor thrown down any more forever."-Jer. xxxi. 40.
"Therefore, they shall come and sing in the height of
Zion, and shall flow together to the gooduess of the
Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the
young of the flock, and of the herd; and their soul
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
4**
shall be as a watered garden, and they shall not sorrow
any more at all."-Jer. xxxi. 12.
Ja
The Jews, nor their country, nor yet their city, for
glory and strength excelling all others, have ever yet
arrived to any such state of happiness as spoken ok
above, by the prophet Jeremiah; it is therefore un-
doubtedly spoken of the times of the Millennium,
when Jerusalem, in the spiritual sense, shall be built,
and is called the New Jerusalem, which cannot be
pulled down or overthrown, nor its inhabitants sorrow
any more at all, strongly intimating that its citizens
shall not suffer either from natural or moral evil, any
more, as they formerly had, in the days of probation.
{
9
The prophet Daniel is declared, in the scriptures, to
be a man greatly beloved of heaven; this was said to
him by the angel Gabriel, at a time when he prayed
and made his confession to God. And because he was
beloved of the Most High, he was pleased to make
known to him, in a vision of his sleep, the times which
should pass over the nations of the globe, and also
over the saints, how they must suffer from the tyranny
of the beasts which he saw arise out of the sea, and
strove together, which has actually come to pass in the'
several eras of time. But beyond all these, he saw a
more glorious vision, which cannot be understood oth-
erwise than of the Millennium. "I saw in the night
visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came
with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of
days, and they brought him near before him. And
there was given him dominion, and glory, and a king-
dom, that all people, nations, and languages, should
165,
*
48
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
夏
​!
serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which
shall not be destroyed. But the saints of the Most
High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom
for ever; even for ever and ever. And 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. 13, 14, 18, 27.
It is evident that this kingdom shall be on the earth
in the latter days, (which are even at the door) because
in the last quoted verse, are the words, "under the
whole heaven," and therefore, is qualified as belonging
to the earth.
}
From what has been advanced on the preceding pa-
ges of the second division, I feel justified in believing,
that the ancient Jewish Church did expect, that when
the Messiah should come, he would finally involve
the whole earth in his kingdom, and that peace and
great glory should be the concomitants of his reign for
one thousand years. But why the idea should obtain
of so definite a term of years, in the early age of the
Church, is deeply interesting; but we see the same
doctrine taught by the holy St. John, who wrote as he
received it from the angel of Jesus Christ.
I shall next proceed to prove, under the same divis-
ion, that the Christian Church have eyer taught the
expectation of a Millennium.
St John, the Revelator, speaks of that great day, as
a day in which Christ shall come to be admired of his
saints, who shall then take the kingdom, and possess it
for ever.
#
W
t
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
49
In order to prove that the Christian Churches, in the
days of St. John, believed that a Millennium should
come in the latter days, I have only to transcribe the
seven first verses of the 20th Chapter of Revelation,
which I proceed to do.
?
Verse 1st." And I saw an angel come down from
heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a
great chain in his hand.
}
Verse 2d." And he laid hold on the dragon, that
old serpent, which is the devil and satan, and bound
him a thousand years.
Verse 3d." And cast him into the bottomless pit,
and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he
should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand
years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be
loosed for a little season.
!
Verse 4th." And I saw thrones, and they that sat
upon them; and judgment was given unto them; and
I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the
witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which
had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither
had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thou-
sand years.
Verse 5th. But the rest of the dead lived not
again until the thousand years were finished. This is
the first resurrection."
Who can speak plainer than St. John does in those
two last quoted verses? stating, explicitly, that between.
the resurrection of the righteous dead, and the resur-
rection of the wicked dead, shall be a lapse of a thou-
E
50
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Tadas.
44
$
1
sand years, which is the Millennium contended for in
these pages.
}
Verse 6th." Blessed and holy is he that hath part
in the first resurrection, for on such the second death
hath no power; but they shall be priests of God, and
of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Verse 7th. "And when the thousand years are ex-
HOME
pired, satan shall be loosed out of his prison."
It is thought that these scriptures show, as clearly
and as definitely as can be desired, that the primitive
Church did expect the Millennium.
Six times in the course of seven verses, has the Evan-
gelist, in the most plain and emphatic manner, declar-
ed that a certain thousand years shall come, when the
great Shepherd of the sheep shall walk in their midst,
and that his spiritual presence shall be with them a
thousand years. This, therefore, is the Millennium
which is to come.
1
“This doctrine of the reign of the saints after the de-
struction of Antichrist, was the opinion of the whole
orthodox Christian Church in the age immediately fol-
lowing the death of St. John, when Polycarp, and ma-
ny
of St. John's disciples, were yet living, as is ex-
pressly stated by Justin Martyr; and is a testimony of
sufficient strength to convince any who rely at all on
the authority of antiquity, that this doctrine was believ-
ed by the primitive Church, who unquestionably found-
ed it upon Rev. xx. from the 1st verse to the 7th, inclu-
sive."-Second Advent, page 503.
The Christian Churches have, in succeeding ages,
held the doctrine; many able theologians and fathers
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
51
1
1
have maintained the opinion; and at the present time
the expectation pervades Christendom; and every in-
dividual bosom possessing any share of scripture know-
ledge, and regarding it as truth, expects the promised
Millennium.
纂
​The heathen also, of many countries, anciently en-
tertained opinions equivalent to this, who were doubt-
less indebted to the Patriarchs and Prophets from Noah
and downward, for their ideas, though vastly adultera-
ted with their own fancies by some of them.
A description of the changes which await the earth,
are very clearly hinted at by Plato. In the end, he
states, the world shall be plunged into an eternal abyss
of confusion, but God, he says, will again appear, and
resume the reins of the empire, and restore order. Is
not the new creation here hinted at, though obscurely,
by this great philosopher? See Rev. xxi. 5. "Behold
I make all things new."
Somet
Virgil has expressed an opinion, which, in the ag-
gregate, agrees with the opinion of this book as it re-
spects the Millennium. He says, A child of a supe-
rior order is soon to descend from heaven to earth ;
and at his birth the iron age will cease, and the golden
age be restored; crimes will be banished, and the
world shall be delivered from all its fears, and become.
fruitful as at first, and produce every thing every where.
Seneca declares a sentiment, which seems to favour
the opinion, that before the Millennium, (as contended
in this work) all sinners shall be destroyed, to prepare
its way.
He says,
"Haste and come, last and great
day, when the heavens shall fall into confusion, and
1
52
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
W
}
}
their ruins crush the impious set of men, so that a bet-
ter race may arise; such as they were heretofore, when
Saturn reigned over the beginning of the world."
Here is a hint at the state in which our first parents
existed, before they fell by sin, and were banished
from Eden.
The Chinese ancient books have an account, that an
extraordinary person, called by them the Saint, or sec-
and person in the trinity, is to reign, and in his king-
dom he will not allow any wicked men to be there,
but they must be banished into the dark abodes of
beasts and monsters, leaving none to be the subjects
of his kingdom but heavenly, and upright people.
Plutarch says, that the Persian Magi hold, that
there will come a time when Arimanius, the evil spirit,
or satan, will be banished from the earth, when it
shall, therefore, become beautiful, when men shall be
happy and their abodes become transparent, and shall
all have the same life, language and government.
Thus it is plain, that from very early ages, the expecta-
tion prevailed, that a better state of things was finally
to succeed this bad state, so acknowledged to be by all,
Yes, even Infidels.
Having shown that the Prophets, the Jewish Rab-
bins and Doctors, the ancient Christian Church and
fathers, and even the very heathen, have expected the
Millennium, I now proceed to exhibit the signs of
the times which went before the flood, and before the
coming of Christ, and also the signs of our own times,
which denote the Millennium nigh its commencement.
!
普
​3
"="
THIRD DIVISION.
Our next endeavour shall be, to give a view of the signs of the
tines which preceded the great deluge and the birth of Christ-
and an account of Herod the great, who put to death the in-
fants of Jerusalem. Also, a minute description of the Ark, and
the animals saved in it-proving it amply sufficient to contain
all the Scriptures state it did.
1
8 ཝཱརན༠
Before the whelming flood, when Enoch liv'd,
God signifi'd by signs, his 'spirit griev'd→→
So from his glorious Heav'n where now he reigns,
He show'd the coming Christ by mystic signs.
4
#
THE reason why a view of those times are present-
ed to the reader, is to prepare the nind for a view of
the signs of our own times, which signify the Millen-
nium nigh its coming.
The signs of the times, which weré eminently calcu-
lated to arouse the antediluvians to the expectation of
severe judgments, to be poured out upon them, was, in
the first place, their own great wickedness, corruption
and violence. Of these things they were reproved and
threatened by Enoch, the first prophet, who was the
seventh from Adam, and was translated from carth to
heaven by the miraculous power of God. We have in
St. Jude, an account of his manner of reproof, which
strongly indicates that those times were highly fraught
with fearful forebodings, that great wrath was in wait-
ing for those abominable nations who had so tho-
roughly corrupted their ways in the earth.
E*
1
++
14
Japan
t
--
}
养
​{
54
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
The manner in which he communicated his reproofs
of their doings, was, no doubt, at their public assem-
blies of riot, confusion and idolatrous worship; where
he, in some commanding situation, harangued and
fore-warned them of impending judgments, and said,
"The Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints,
to execute judgment upon all, for their ungodly
speeches, which they have spoken against Him:"name-
ly, against the Lord God of Adam. For there is
scarcely a doubt, but they constantly reproached and
reviled his name, for what they might erroniously
esteem severe in his conduct toward Adam and Eve,
because he drove them out from Eden, for their sin.
The local situation of Eden, was, most certainly,
well known to the antediluvians, for they must have
frequently conversed with their great progenitor, Adam,
concerning it, who had informed them of its delights;
which might have inflamed them with a spirit of cov-
etousness to possess it again; but this being impossible,
they raged against the Lord, and spake injurious
words against him on that account.
→
Of their works, therefore, the holy Enoch reproved
them, and perhaps told them, that if God had so se-
verely judged Adam, they might not expect to escape
some signal punishment.
At which rebukes they were, unquestionably, enra-
ged, and no doubt proceeded to lay violent hands upon
him, to take away his life; but in the midst of their
fury, God caught him up from their sight.
/
·
sv]
He was a man in the prime of life, being three hun-
dred and sixty-five years old when he was translated;
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
56
"
but had walked with God three hundred years, conse-
quently, was born again at the age of sixty-five.
• This holy man, who had been among them a preach-
er of righteousness, as Noah was, in after years, was
no doubt translated in open sight, as was Elijah, near
the fords of Jordan.
This circumstance should therefore have been recei-
ved of them, as an evident sign, that God sanctioned
Enoch, and consequently condemned them.
But what avails the signs of Heaven with the un-
godly-the translation of Enoch should have been to
them as a voice from the ETERNAL, informing them
that they were in imminent danger, since God had so
suddenly and miraculously removed that good man
from among them.
Not many years after the translation of Enoch, there
was given to the antediluvians another sign from Hea-
ven, which was the preaching of Noah, who declared
to them that God had determined to destroy the earth
by water; for God had said to Noah, "The end of all
flesh is come before me, for the earth is filled with
violence; and, behold, I will destroy them with the
earth."
This surely was a novel doctrine, which was by no
means worthy of the attention of the wise ones of that
day, who, probably, began to philosophize upon the
subject, and to say, how can this thing be, since the
waters every where cleave to the lower parts of the
earth, and cannot, therefore, climb the hills, and from
thence overflow the globe.
ན
Neither is there water sufficient in the clouds of hea-
+
*
56
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
with one
ven, if every drop were drained, to flood a globe like.
this: they were not willing to suppose, that God, who
out of nothing made the globe with all its seas, could
as easily create an addition of water, sufficient to drown
the world.
And again, why should he do so? they might say;
surely we have done nothing to offend him-he is far
from us, and cares not what we do-it is beneath the
notice of a God. But if he does, how can he find
fault? are we not as he would have us? did he not
create us? we have done only as we listed, and acted
in accordance with the passions he implanted in us him-
self-therefore, he must be pleased, instead of being
offended with us, when we live as we list.
There are many of the same sect at the present day,
who do not wish to confess that they are fallen from
original innocence, who will, if they continue in that
fatal error, fall into, not a flood of water, but of fire,'
according to the Scriptures.
Therefore, Noah and his preaching were rejected,'
who no doubt, notwithstanding, took all opportunities
to reform them, and to bring them to repentance, as,
Enoch had done before him, but without success.
I
The people of that age, are they to whom Christ
preached by Noah, in spirit, while they were in prison;
which prison is to be understood as relating to the fact,
that they were under condemnation; for God had said,
"The end of all flesh is come before me." And the one
hundred and twenty years in which Noah was building
the Ark, is to be considered only as a respite of their
lives from immediate death; therefore, during this time,
"
ܐ
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
57
they are spoken of as prisoners, or spirits in prison, and
under the divine arrest. This idea is beautifully cor-
roborated in Genesis, where it is written "My spirit
shall not always strive with man, for as much as he is
flesh, yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty
years.' -Gen. vi. 3, in which Christ, by his spirit, in
Noah preached repentence to those nations, precisely
as Christ, by his spirit, preaches to the people by his
ministers at the present day,
""
The strange news, concerning a man, whose name
was Noah, had probably spread far and near, that he
was, in fact, building a large vessel upon dry land, to
save himself and family from drowning, excited, no
doubt, a general curiosity to visit so strange a person,
and to see his vessel, and to converse with him about
it, and to ridicule his work of needless precaution.
Upon this principle, it is reasonable to suppose, that
immense assemblies, from time to time, visited him du.
ring the one hundred and twenty years, at which op-
portunities this great preacher of righteousness endea-
voured to convince them of their sins, and assured them
that he was not building this vast vessel but at the ex-
press command of God, for the saving of his house
and every species of beasts, that the earth should not
be desolated when the flood should be dried up.
In this way, therefore, they were all warned of their
danger, for God is just, and gives to every soul time
and opportunity, according to his day and ability, to
secure a place at his right hand.
i
!
But suppose the antideluvians had all repented, or a
half of them only, at the preaching of Noah, then
مهر
58
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
}
1
God would not have drowned the world, but would
have saved them from that destruction, as he did the
great city of Nineveh, when they repented at the preach-
ing of Jonah, though he had said, in an unqualified
manner, "Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be over-
thrown :" the threatenings and promises of God, rela-
ting to men, are always to be understood as condition-
al, while man is a probationer.
But the building of the Ark continued to progress,
and the time drew nigh when the prophecies of this
singular character were to be fulfilled, to his honour
and everlasting renown; or to fall to the ground, to his
great shame and confusion.
1
J
No doubt, he had suffered abundance of ridicule,
for his strange preaching and his stranger work, and
perhaps, added to that, persecution, for they of his ge-
neration were a violent race of rebels against God;
and had not his special providence protected the Ark,
it is very probable they would have burned it, as often
as Noah, with all his power, could have built it.
The Ark at length was finished, and six days were
allowed to Noah and his family to remove into it, and
to bring the several kinds of animals, and put them in
their places, and to store away food for man and beast,
for on the seventh, God would pour out his rains from
Heaven, for God had said, "Yet seven days, and I
will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and for-
ty nights, and every living substance that I have made
will I destroy from off the face of the earth."-Gen.
vii. 3.
How wonderful a sign was this the huge vehicle
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
59
?
stood finished in their sight, when from the hills and
fields came all beasts with fowls, by sevens and by pairs,
male and female, voluntarily to the Ark, and went in
last of all, Noah and his family went in, and God, by
his invisible hand, shut and fastened the door!
Perhaps at this juncture, there were gathered to-
gether immense multitudes, to see the strange spectacle
of a man's shutting himself up on dry land, to keep
from drowning.
But while they mocking and wondering stood, to
see from whence a food should come, far in the south
black clouds began to rise and scud along the heavens
in frightful haste.
↓
From the north, and from every point of the four
winds, it was evident a dreadful storm was gathering
unusual thunders began to rive the heavens, and terri
fying lightnings to flash around; anon, the rains began.
to pour, the earth to tremble, the sea to spout its wa-
ters in tall cataracts to the stormy skies, through the
opening fissures of regions sinking to the depths be-
neath.
But it is probable, the millions of those countries.
thought this storin of no long continuance, but would
be soon assuaged, as other storms had always been.
But after several days of continual storm, and anxious
expectation that the rain would cease, their hopes be-
gan to fail them, and horrors, instead of hope, pos-
sessed their souls, lest the fatal prophecy of the vener-
able Noah was indeed fulfilling. But there stood the
steadfast Ark in its place-the waters already risen
and involved its keel-every where the flood increased
$
}
60
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
F
with hastening fury-the vallies, it was evident, were
fast filling-from the hills, whole rivers began to pour,
bearing the earth, in many places, with trees and all
their load, with roaring fury, to the vales beneath.
Now, terrors began to seize their unbelieving souls,
and fearful forebodings to shake their self-begotten
confidence, while they fled from their houses, or their
tents, in all the country where they dwelt, to the near-
est hills or mountains. But still the flood pursued,
and in awful haste climbed up their sides, enveloping.
the tallest trees beneath in a deep of dreary waters.
As far as the eye could reach, nothing but one extend-
ed inundation could be seen: houses, with all the
works of man, lay floating on its rippling tide, with
beasts of every kind struggling in the waves with
mighty death.
Far from the former haunts of man, on the moun-
tains rough and rugged sides, were seen crowds of
men, with feeble women and children, climbing up,
disputing as they scrambled through the tangled woods;
whole droves of fleeing beasts, that bit and tore them
as they fled, each aiming at the highest point of land,
to save the precious life.
Oh, what a sight was this to pitying angels, and to
suffering men, that while they climbed, the weaker fell
behind, worn down with the descending storm, they
fall and roll downward to the black waves beneath, or
sit in dead despair, till the unpitying flood engulfs
them in its foam. But here, there is none should
doubt, though mercy was denied the body, yet to the
soul that sweetest balm was given, to all that mercy
1
·
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.”
610
sought, and bewailed their sins. But soon the highest
hills were sunk beneath the flood; the race of man was'
extinct, except the eight who now outrode the prevail-'
ing waters, safe in the wondrous ark, the labour of
more than a hundred years, and perhaps of more than
a hundred men; a history of which we shall now give.
See Clarke's Commentary.
Ja
學
​When God said to Noah, make thee an Ark of go-
pher wood. And this is the fashion which thou shalt
make it of. The length of the Ark shall be three hun-
dred cubits, which is five hundred and forty-seven feet:
let it be remembered that the ancient cubit was nearly
twenty-two inches, which was ascertained by Mr.
Greaves, who travelled into Greece, Palestine and
Egypt, in order to be able to ascertain the weights
monies and measures of antiquity.
$
Its length, therefore, was five hundred and forty
seven feet. The breadth of it fifty cubits, which is
ninety-one feet two inches. And the height of it thir-
ty cubits, which is fifty-four feet eight inches.
J
It is plain enough, therefore, that this vast vessel was
amply large to contain all beasts and men, said to have
been in it; and also, to contain food for them in abur-
dance for more than twelve months.
-
$
Dr. Arbuthnot computes this vessel at eighty-one
thousand and sixty-two tons burthen.*
A history of the Ark, as given in the Scriptures,
of its containing every thing of all desh, two of every
sort, and food sufficient for their subsistence for a year,
has been made an objection to the truth of the Mosaic
history.-Gen. vi. 19. But to obviate this objection,
* Which is equal to a fleet of 81 ships of one thousand tons burdon cach.
P
,
{
蠢
​62
ܗ
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
4
perhaps I cannot do better than to introduce, in this
place, the following observations on the subject.
At the first view, the number of animals may appear
so immense, that no place but the forest could be
thought large enough to contain them. If, however,
we come to a close calculation, the number of the dif
ferent kinds of animals will be found much less than is
generally imagined.
Naturalists have divided the whole system of zoology
into classes and orders, containing genera and species.
There are six classes thus denominated. 1. Mam-
malia. 2. Aves. 3. Amphibia. 4. Piccs. 5. Ia-
sectæ; and 6. Vermes. With the three last of these,
viz. fishes, insects and worms, the question can have
nothing to do.
The first class, Mammalia, or animals with teats,
contain seven orders, and only forty-three genera, ᎥᏝ
we except the seventh order, i. c. all the whale kind,
which certainly need not come into this account. The
different species in this class amount (the whale kind
excluded) to five hundred and forty-three.
The second class, Aves, or birds, contains six orders,
and only seventy-four genera, if we exclude the third
order, Anseres, or web-footed fowls, all of which
could very well live in the water. The different spe-
cies in this class, the Anseres excepted, amount to two
thousand three hundred and seventy-two.
The third, Amphibia, are only two orders, reptiles.
and serpents. These comprehend only ten gencra,
and three hundred and sixty-six species; but of rep-
tiles, many could live in the water, such as the tortoise,
ས་
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
63
J
frog, &c. Of the former, there are thirty-three sper
cies; of the latter seventy.
The whole of these, therefore, of such as were sa
ved in the Ark, would occupy but little room in that
huge vessel a small portion of earth, in the hold,
would be quite sufficient for their accommodation.
Bishop Wilkins, who has written largely, and with
his usual accuracy on this subject, supposes that quad-
rupeds do not amount to one hundred different kinds,
nor birds which could not live in the water, to two hun-
dred. Of quadrupeds, he shows that only seventy-
two species needed a place in the Ark, and the birds
he divides into nine classes, including in the whole one
hundred and ninety-five kinds, from which all the web-
footed should be deducted, as these could live in the
water. He computes all the carniverous animals equiv-
alent, as to the bulk of their bodies and food, to twen-
ty-seven wolves; and all the rest to one hundred and
eighty oxen.
For the former he allows one thousand
eight hundred and twenty-five sheep for their annual
consumption; and for the latter, one hundred and
nine thousand five hundred cubits of hay. These an-
imals and their food will be easily contained in the
two first stories, and much room to spare. As to the
third story, no person can doubt of its being sufficient
for the fowls, and Noah, with his family. One sheep
a day, he judges will be sufficient for six wolves; and
one square cubit of hay, which contains forty-one
pounds, as ordinarily pressed in our ricks, will be am-
ply sufficient for one ox a day.
When the quantity of room which animals and their
1
04
{
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
*
food required for one year, is compared with the ca
pacity of the Ark, we should be led to conclude, with
the learned Bishop, that of the two it is more difficult
to assign a number and bulk of necessary things to an
swer the capacity of the Ark, than to find sufficient
room for the several species of animals and food al-
ready known to have been there. But there is no
doubt there was more than sufficient room, which con-
duced to health by a free circulation of air through the
several apartments of the Ark. The most expert math-
ematicians of the day, and the Bishop was one of the
first in Europe, could not assign the proportion of a
vessel better accommodated to the purpose, than is here
done.
The capacity of the Ark, which has been made an
objection against Scripture, ought to be esteemed a
confirmation of its divine authority. Since in those
rude ages, men being less versed in arts and philosophy,
were more abnoxious to vulgar prejudices than now
so, that had the Ark been contrived by human inven-
tion, it would have been made according to the will
and apprehensions which arise from a confused and
general view of things, and is probable would have
been made as much too big as it has been represented
too little,
72
Having now passed through my views of the signs
of the times which went before the flood, I shall next
attempt an exhibition of the signs of the times prece
ding the advent of the Messiah, with which will be
found many strong intimations of the Millennium to
come in the latter days,
1
!
1
#
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
6.5
!
I conceive that this field of research is more abun-
dantly supplied with prophecies, forerunners and signs
than the other; and therefore, shall only notice some
of the most obvious, relating to my purpose. All the
prophecies of the Messiah, and all the supernutural ap-
pearances of angels, previous to his coming in the flesh,
should be considered as the signs of the times, deno-
ting that he was making haste and would not tarry.
}
Our first instance of the appearance of Christ in
the likeness of the human form, is that of his sociable
conversation with Abraham, in company with two of
his angels, under the oak trees of Abraham's grove
at Mamre.
"And the Lord appeared unto him in the
plains of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat
of the day."
But Abraham knew not that it was the second per-
son in the Trinity, for he was in the likeness of a man ;
therefore, as soon as he saw the approach of these
strangers, arose and made them welcome to his lowly
tent. Therefore, he said to the men, "Let a little
water I pray you be fetched, and wash your feet, and
rest yourselves under the tree."-Gen. xviii. 4. But they
had not been long there before he found that his guests
were from heaven, and that one of them was the very
same who had appeared to him before. See Gen. xvii.
1. "And when Abraham was ninety-nine years old,
the Lord appeared to Abraham, and said, I am the
Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect."
3d. verse.--“ And Abraham fell on his face, and God
talked with him.”
It is very likely he discovered him first in the affair
F*
*
06
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
~
d
:
•
ן.
i
I
i
\
1
of Sarah, when he asked him "Where is Sarah, thy
wife ?" and added, "I will certainly return unto thee
according to the time of life; and lo! Sarah thy
wife shall have a son." Then he knew it was the Lord,
for he had talked with him upon the same subject be-
fore, when he fell on his face and laughed, and said in
his heart, "Shall a child be born unto him that is an
hundred years old, in whom all the families of the
earth shall be blessed ?"*
}
1
Here, then, is a remarkable forerunner of the Mes-
siah who should come of the lineage of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob; which to the Jews, in after ages, was
a sure sign, that king Messiah was to arise out of their
nation. And to a Christian, his appearance to Abra-.
ham may be an early token that his delight was with
the sons of men, who at that time, in the human form,
stood on the plains of Mamre, as in after ages on the
hill of Calvary.
The Patriarch Jacob also saw him and wrestled
with him all night; and Jacob called the place Peniel,
or the face of God; for he said, "I have seen God
face to face, and my life is preserved,”.
1
*« In whom all the fumilies of the carth shall be blessed." Would it be
putting a forced meaning upon the above promise, if we consider it as relating,
finally, to the universal knowledge and effects of the Gospel on the earth, in
the days of the Millennium? If it does not, why then is the blessedness of the
promise put in the future? We know very well, that Jesus Christ is the true
light, that lighteth every man who is born into the world, and that this light had
gone into effect long before that promise to Abraham, and in this sense, not only
all the families of the earth are blessed, but all individuals also, It would
scom, therefore, to extend with a peculiar reference to the time, when all the
families, then on the earth, shall be blessed, at one and the same time, with a
definite knowledge of Christ, which was never yet the fact,
·
1
V
}
1
!
•
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
67
And Moses, at Mount Horeb, saw him; for their
peared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai the
angel of the Lord, in a flame of fire, in a bush; and
when Moses saw it he drew near, and the voice of the
Lord came unto him, saying, "I am the God of thy
fathers." This was he who was with the Church in
the wilderness, who was called a rock, and St. Paul
says that rock was Christ. See I. Cor. x. 4.
At another time, Moses, with many of the elders of
Israel, went up into the mount and saw the God of Is-
rael;
"and there was under his feet as it were a paved
work of sapphire stone, and as it were, the body of
heaven in his clearness."
Let no one stumble at this, although it is written in
the Scriptures, that no man ever saw God and lived;
for it is not possible for mortal eyes to behold him, and
perhaps it is to be doubted whether even angels ever
saw him as he is, and was from eternity: but they
have seen him only through some medium which he
has assumed, and thus descended to be seen of angels,
as he has descended still lower in the form of man to
be seen of men.
Joshua, the successor of Moses, saw him when he
was by the river Jericho. "And he lifted up his eyes
and looked, and behold there stood a man over against
him, with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua
went unto him: Art thou for us, or for our adversa-
ries? And he said nay, but as Captain of the host of
the Lord am I come. And Joshua fell on his face to
the earth and did worship, and said unto him, what
saith my Lord unto his servant."
M
69
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
This was the Captain of the armies of Israel, who'
was with them for their salvation; and is it not writ-
ten of Christ that he is the Captain of our salvation,
the good shepherd of the sheep, and head of all prin-
cipality and power?
Again he appeared the same mysterious angel, who
is again and again called Jehovah, and sat under an
oak in Ophra, and appeared to Gideon and said, "The
Lord is with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites
as one man; and the Lord looked upon him and said,
Go in this thy might, have I not sent thee?"
Some years after, he again appeared to the wife of
Manoah, the mother of Sampson, and promised her
a son; but Manoah not being present at the time,
prayed that he would come again. God heard his
prayer, and the angel again visited them, at which time
Manoah asked his name, not knowing that he was an
angel, but probably thinking him a prophet; but the
answer was, Why askest thou after my name, seeing
it is a secret ;” as if he fain would say, I am not yet
called Jesus the Christ. But Manoah being directed
to offer a sacrifice to God upon the rock which was at
hand, at which it is written, the angel did wonderous-
ly, and ascended in the flame of the burnt sacrifice, for
it was the angel Jehovah.
t
Many wonderful manifestations had David, Solo-
mon and Elijah, especially the latter, in the cave of the
mountain, when the Lord passed by in an earthquake,
and in a strong and mighty wind, which brake in pie-
ces the rocks before the Lord, and in a fire, and next
a still small voice, at the sound of which Elijah cover-
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
69
ed his face in his mantle, for then he knew it was the
Lord.
St. John informs us that Isaiah saw Christ's glory
and spake of him. "I saw the Lord, says he, sitting
upon his throne, high and lifted up; his train filled
the temple. The seraphim covering their faces with
their wings, and cried one to another, saying, Holy,
Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts."
Thus far we see, that from Abraham as well as be-
fore his time, until that very remarkable view of Isaiah,
there were many signs of his coming. But we will
now pass over subsequent ages, and come nigher to
the time when he who was and is the desire of nations,
the great antetype of all the old testament types,
sacrifices and signs, was to be disclosed to human
view in Bethlehem of Judea.
F
--
J
The signs of those times, it appears were very close-
ly observed by the wise men of the east. They no
doubt were Jews, or men who possessed a knowledge
of Jewish tradition, or else had the Jewish Scriptures,
though living a great distance east of Jerusalem.
**
The fact that Isaiah had foretold the miraculous birth
of the Messiah, who should be the offspring of a vir-
gin, and that his name would be called Immanuel, was
known to them, and also the information of the angel
to Daniel, the prophet, which was given him when he
so fervently prayed that God would again restore the
captive Jews to their country and beloved city; and
it is probable that he at that time also prayed, that the
Messiah might then appear for their relief and emanci
pation from captivity,
$49
幾
​70
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
But to this prayer the angel Gabriel seems to reply,
by saying, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgress-
ion, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconcil-
iation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting right-
cousness, and to scal up the vision and prophecy, and
to anoint the Most Holy."-Dan. ix. 24. Which in-
forms, in the most emphatic manner, that the Messialt
would not come sooner than seventy weeks, or four
hundred and ninety years, reckoning each week to
be seven years, which was the fact.
Relative to this verse, Dr. Clark states that the se-
venty weeks here mentioned amount to four hundred
and ninety years, and are divided into three distinct
periods.
First period embraces from the going forth of the
commandment to rebuild Jerusalem, which command-
ment was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus, and giv-
en to Ezra, the prophet, and comprehends seven weeks,
or forty-nine years, till Jerusalem was repaired, her sa-
cred constitutions and civil establishments again brought
into effect by Ezra and Nehemiah.
Second period consists of sixty-two weeks, or four
hundred and thirty-four years, and extends from the
above mentioned repairs of Jerusalem, till the com-
mencement of the preaching of John the Baptist,
which was probably several years before Christ entered
on his public ministry.
1
Third period embraces one week, or seven years,
and comprehends all that time in which the Messiah
was to confirm the covenant with many, and extends
*
t
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
POLSKA
71
from the commencement of John the Baptist's preach-
ing till the out-pouring of the holy Ghost on the day
of Pentecost, which three periods will make seventy
weeks, or 490 years.
The propriety of adapting the last week, or seven.
years, to John the Baptist's preaching, appears from
the words of Christ, who says, "The Law was un-
til John: with John's ministry and his own, till Pen-
tecost, the new and better covenant was confirmed,
which is the last of the seventy weeks, and was fulfill-
ed to the letter.
D
And that these years were nearly accomplished was
undoubtedly known to those Eastern Magi, or wise
men, and the place foretold by the prophets of his
birth was a subject to which they were no strangers,
else why should they seek him at Jerusalem.
And while they were in the way to that City, a
meteor or star appeared in the air, not very high from
the earth. The appearance of this star, was to those
wise men a very joyful coincidence, for it is likely they
might then recollect that it was said by Balaam, "I
shall see him but not now, I shall behold him but not
nigh; there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a
sceptre shall arise out of Israel."-Num. xxiv. 17.
This star, therefore, might be thought a symbol of the
true star that was to arise out of Jacob. As soon,
therefore, as they had come to the city, they inquired
for Him who was born king of the Jews, and added,
for we have seen his star. Although they were cer-
tain that this was the country where he must be born,
yet the particular place was to them an object of in-
Wang
Co
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
畜
​}
quiry; but of this they could not be informed; for
when Herod, at their instigation, had assembled the
Sanhedrin to inquire for himself, where this king should
be born, they could only tell him, in Bethlehem of Ju-
dea, for thus it is written by the prophet: "And thou
Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, art not the leas
among the princes; for out of thee shall come a Go-
vernor that shall rule my people Israel."-Math. ii. 6
Herod, therefore, as soon as he had finished the inqui-
ry, dismissed the Sanhedrin, and privately said to these
wise men,
"As soon as ye find the young child bring
me word that I may worship him.”
1
$1
These wise men having obtained information where
that section of the country called Bethlehem was situ-
ated, went from the presence of Herod, to seek in that
place the particular dwelling of his parents, or house
of his abode, which was about six miles from Jerusa-
lem. And while musing and conversing upon the pro-
phecies and signs of his birth, saw suddenly and not
very high from the earth, the same meteoric star,
which they had seen in the way when coming to Jeru-
salem. At which sight they greatly rejoiced, and fol-
lowed its course until it came and stood over the place
and humble dwelling of God manifest in the flesh.
There is scarcely a doubt but this bright luminous me-
teor, after standing over the place where the child lay,
came and encompassed the head of the infant; else
how should these wise men know certainly that this
was the very child, the subject of prophesy, and was
born a king, to whom they presented gifts. The fact
that the Saviour was always represented with a glory
1
دار
ܝܕ ܀
IF Y
A
api
I
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
73
I
about his head by the ancient painters, is a corrobo-
rative proof that the meteor did rest upon his brow at
that time.
But the wise men, after they had bestowed their
gifts, and bowed and worshipped their Maker in the
person of this child, returned to their country another
way, which is supposed to be in the kingdom or coun-
try of the Sabeans or Saba, and also Arabia Felix,
who are supposed to be the descendants of Abraham,
by his wife Keturah, who received their portion of their
father, and departed for a country lying east from Abra-
ham. See Gen. xxv. 6. "But unto the sons of the
concubines which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts,
and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet
lived eastward in the east country."
ľ
Perhaps in this place, though it be a digression from
our subject, it would not be unacceptable to the curi-
ous, if I give an account of Herod the great, whose
son beheaded John the Baptist.
\
Herod the great, the son of Antipater, reigned thir-
ty seven years in Judea, reckoning from the time he
was created king of that country by the Romans.
Our blessed Lord was born in the last year of his'
reign, and at this time the sceptre had literally depart-
ed from Judea, a foreigner being now on the throne.
As there are several princes of this name mentioned
in the New Testament, it may be well to give a list of
them here, together with their genealogy
Herod the great, married ten wives, by whom he had
several children. The first was Doris, thought to be,
an Idumean, whom he married when but a private in-
G
•
1
74
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
dividual. By her, he had Antipater, the eldest of all
his sons, whom he caused to be executed five days
before his own death. Another of his sons was
slain when the infants at Bethlehem were destroyed,
which caused a certain writer of the day to say, "It is
better to be Herod's hog than his son." The point in
this saying, consists in this: that Herod, professing
Judaism for his religion, forbade his killing swine, or
having any thing to do with their flesh; therefore, his
hog would have been safe where his son lost his life.
His second wife was Mariamne, daughter of Hirca-
nus, the sole surviving person of the Asmonean, or
Maccabean race. Herod put her to death. She was
the mother of Alexander and Aristobulous, whom Her-
od had executed at Selastia, on accusation of having
entered into a conspiracy against him. Aristobulous
left three children, whom I shall notice hereafter:
"
His third wife was Mariamne, the daughter of Si-
mon, a person of some note in Jerusalem, whom Her-
od made high priest, in order to obtain his daughter.
She was the mother of Herod Philippus, or Herod
Philip, and Salome. Herod, or Philip, married Hero-
dius, mother to Salome, the famous dancer, who de-
manded the head of John the Baptist.-Mark vi. 22.
Salome had been placed, in the will of Herod the
great, as second heir after Antipater; but her name
was erased, when it was discovered that Mariamne, her
mother, was an accomplice in the crimes of Antipater,
son of Herod the great.
His fourth wife was Malthake, a Samaritan, whose
sons were Archelaus and Philip. The first enjoyed
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
75
half of his father's kingdom under the name of te-
trarch. He reigned nine years; but being accused and,
arraigned before the Emperor Augustus, he was ban-
ished to Vienna, where he died. This is the Archelaus
mentioned in verse 22. His brother Philip married
Salome, the famous dancer, the daughter of Herodius.
He died without children, and she was afterwards mar-
ried to Aristobulous.
The fifth wife of Herod the great, was Cleopatra, of
Jerusalem. She was the mother of Herod, surnamed
Antipas, who married Herodius, the wife of his brother
Philip, while he was still living. Being reproved for
this act by John the Baptist, he caused him to be im-
prisoned, and afterwards, to be beheaded, agreeably
to the promise he had rashly made to the daughter of
his wife Herodius, who had pleased him with her dan-
cing. He attempted to seize the person of Jesus.
Christ, and to put him to death. It was to this Prince
that Pilate sent our Lord.-Luke xiii. 31, 32. Hẻ
was banished to Lyons, and then to Spain, where both
he and his wife Herodius died.
The sixth wife of Herod the great was Palas, by
whom he had Phasaelus. His history is in no way
connected with the New Testament.
The seventh was named Phædra, the mother of
Roxana, who married the son of Pheroras.
The eighth was Elpida, mother of Salome, who
married another son of Pheroras. With the names of
two other wives of Herod, we are not acquainted, but
they are not connected with our history any more than
are Palcs, Phædra and Elpida, whose names I merely
76
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.`
notice, to avoid the accusation of historical inaccuracy
with reference to the Herod family.
Aristobulous, the son of Herod the great, by Mari-
amne, a descendant of the Asmoneans, left two sons
and a daughter, viz. Agrippa, Herod, and Herodius,
so famous for her incestuous marriage with Antipas, in
the life time of his brother Philip.
"
Agrippa, otherwise named Herod, who was impris-
oned by Tiberius for something he had said against
him, was released from prison by Caligula, who made
him king of Judea. It was this Prince who put St
James to death, and imprisoned Peter, as mentioned in
xii. of Acts. He died at Cesarea, in the way men-
tioned in the Acts, as well as by Josephus. He left a
son named Agrippa, who is mentioned below.
Herod, the second son of Aristobulous, was king of
Chalcis, and after the death of his brother, obtained
permission of the emperor to keep the ornaments be-
longing to the high priest, and to nominate whom he
pleased to that office. He had a son named Aristobu-
lous, to whom Nero gave Armenia the lesser, and who
married Salome, the famous dancer, daughter to Hc-
rodius.
Agrippa, son of Herod Agrippa, king of Judea,
and grandson to Aristobulous and Mariamue; he was,
at first king of Chalcis, and afterward tetrarch of Gal-
ilee, in the room of his uncle Philip. It was before
him, his sister Berenice, and Felix, who had married
Drusilla, Agrippa's second daughter, that St. Paul
pleaded his cause, as mentioned Acts xxvi.
*
Herodius, the daughter of Mariamne and Aristobu-
2
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
my hand
lous, is the person of whom we have already spoken,'
who married successively the two brothers, Philip and
Antipas, her uncles, and who occasioned the death of
John the Baptist. By her first husband, she had Sa--
lome, the dancer, who was married to Philip, tetrarch
of the Trachonitis, and son of Herod the great. Sa-
lome having had no children by him, she was married
to Aristobulous, her cousin-german, son of Herod,
king of Chalcis, and brother to Agrippa and Herodi-
us she had by this husband several children.
This is nearly all that is necessary to be known rel-
ative to the race of the Herods, in order to distinguish
the particular persons of this family mentioned in the
New Testament. See Dr. Clark.
1
But to return. The last sign which I shall notice
of the coming of the Messiah, is, that while some
shepherds were guarding their flocks, in the country
not far from Bethlehem, there appeared, in the night
season, just in the heaven above them, a company of
celestial beings; their glory, it is probable, was as
if a sun had suddenly burst upon the gloom of night
and shot his bright light all around them. But the
glorious sight was not sooner scen, than music, such
as earth cannot afford, swelled its loud and thrilling
sounds upon the charmed skies, but mixed with the
overwhelming song, was distinctly heard the gladden-
ing news, that in the city of David, Christ the Lord
was born, and laid in the manger of a stable. But to
their song, around the dreadful throne of God in Hea-
ven, was heard the deep unutțerable response of " Glo-
ry to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will to-
G*
#2
را
18.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
یہ
men." This song the angels sung, then vanished
from their sight; but the shepherd's hastened to see if the
thing was true, and found him lying in the predicted
manger, wrapped in swadling bands, A. M. 4000.
At this time there was a universal peace; for we
have the fact of history, that Cæsar Augustus, the Ro-
man Emperor, had shut the temple of Janus, as a to-
ken that then there was a universal peace.
+9
T
I
1
Earth and her powers stood still, and kings with awful eye,
Sit as if they knew their sovereign Lord was by.-MILTON,
1
1
{
I
FOURTH DIVISION.
Having now passed through some of the signs which went before
the flood, and before the advent of Christ, I shall, therefore,
next attempt to show the signs of our own times, which indi-
cate the Millennium not very remote ; but must be preceded by
an effect of the power of the great God, such as man has not
witnessed since the world began.
ི�མ་
Roll onward earth, and sparkle in thine orb,
Till the six number'd days are quite absorb'd-
Till the great week of time, six thousand years,
Shall waft us from this soil of groans and tears.
Then multiply ye signs of millennial days,
Till earth's in glory rob'd and songs of praise.
1
It is hoped that the reader is now, in a measure, pre-
pared to view the subject in a more propitious light,
having seen that God does afford signs and forerun-
ners that men should be admonished of the things
which he intends to accomplish on the earth. Which
signs we now shall bring forward, as being more inti-
mately connected with the present age, and past ages
of the Christian Church.
The great success which has marked the progress of
the gospel, from its author to the present day, is a sign
which may be seen of all people; though its way has
been opposed by kings and emperors, and the great
ones of the earth; though the depravity of the whole
race of men, has lifted up a standard against it, yet
has it through seas of blood, oceans of flame, forests
J
}
P
80
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM."
of swords, gulfs and dungeons, a world of deceit and
wickedness, urged its gentle way: though enemies
more to be dreaded than these, and of a subtlier kind,
have assailed the blessed Gospel, yet have they not pre-
vailed. Though a Voltaire has said that he was wea-
ry of hearing that twelve men had propagated the Gos-
pel, yet he presumptuously and arrogantly boasted,
that he would show to the world that he could destroy
the whole alone. But his death was marked with
dreadful horrors; his pitiful cryings and cowardly be-
haviour at that extremity, showed him but poorly qual-
ified to conquer the Son of God, or to put to flight the
least of his disciples. Though with him a host of in-
fidels, in every age, have assailed the Gospel with all
the powers of their pandæmonian compact, and have
poured upon it a flood of scorn and contempt, yet
the Gospel shines in all its glory of simplicity and
truth.
th
Ka
Although a Constantine thought to add to its strength
by his feeble prop of law, because he knew not its na-
ture, yet it stood on its own foundation, gloriously in-
dependent.
Gand
mach
I would here remark, that the manner of Constan-
tine's conversion to Christianity, does not carry with it,
any convincing proof, that he was regenerated by the
grace of God, at that time.
.
The manner of his conversion was as follows: When
Constantine the great was in Gaul, A. D. 312, there
appeared in the sky, a little after noon day, above the
sun, a splendid luminous cross, with this inscription
on it: "By this conquer;" in consequence of which,
1
10
•
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
81
he was convinced that if he espoused the Christian
cause, he should conquer his enemies, and win the
whole empire to himself.
Accordingly, in A. D. 324, he totally defeated Li-
cinus, who had shared the empire with him, and be-
came sole emperor, which was the summit of his am-
bition. See Clark, on Daniel.
S
Though the Popes of the Roman Church have
wrested, from age to age, the salutary words of the
Gospel, and have, since the time they became anti-
christian, supported their doctrines and power, by
keeping their adherents in total ignorance the most
pitiful, and by coersion the most cruel; yet there has
been, and still are millions who dare confess Him, in
the face of death, "of whom Moses and the pro-
very
phets did write."
Papalettes
NỀNÍ S
But the preaching and writings of eminent and holy
men, in various nations, from the time of the great re-
formation in the days of Luther till now, have, by the
providence of God, been sapping the foundation of
that enormous BOHON UPAS, the Roman Papal Church
in Italy and ere long its trunk will fall, and the re-
gion where it grows, and has for ages poisoned with its
effluvia distant nations, shall be destroyed and not
healed, but shall be given to salt, the salt of eternal
burning.
Ma
:
The great means by which God has, and is effecting
the emancipation of those who are bound in darkness
and ignorance, is by the scriptures of truth being put
into the hands of every man. Yet many have been
the attempts to suppress this most holy book, but still
82
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
3
[
it prevails, and will prevail. The union and zeal which
is now manifest among all the evangelical sects, to
send this book to all nations, is a notable sign, in this
our day, that the time is not very far off, when a uni-
versal and individual knowledge, of the Bible shall
be possessed by every bosom.
The monsters, bigotry and prejudice, are passing
away like the shades of night before the rising sun,
and a union of energy among the Churches is taking
their place, of whom there is forming a vast army, who
shall press onward to certain victory. Worldly gran-
deur and a religious monopoly is not their object but
to send the Scriptures to all nations, tongues and lan-
guages, and to instruct the ignorant, are their highest
and only aim.
There are, at the present time, three thousand Bible
Societies in the world, and all formed within twenty
years. The annual income of these is about four mill-
ions five hundred thousand dollars, which will naturally
increase from year to year. This vast annual sum, with-
out any additional increase, will amount, in twenty years
more, to the immense sum of ninety millions of dol-
dars. It is easy, therefore, to see, that in a hundred
years, if God continues to bless this means, there
will be put into the hands of all heathen nations, the
holy Scriptures, the words of life; yes, and it is pro-
bable this will be done much sooner than a hundred
}
years.
More than three millions of Bibles have already
been distributed among these nations, who are the ob-
jects of commiseration, and are read in a hundred and
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
83
1
forty different languages, at the present time. And in
addition to this, the Missionaries of all the evangelical
Churches, are flying upon the wings of the wind, to
the very ends of creation, not to build up sectarianism,
but to inform them of the way of life and salvation, in
the most simple and easy manner. This is benevolence
indeed.
Already the following countries are visited by the
angel, whom John saw flying through the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to
them that dwell on the earth :-Western Africa, South
Africa, African Islands, Mediterranean, Black and
Caspian seas, Siberia, China, India beyond the Gan-
ges, and India within the Ganges; Ceylon, Indian
Archipelago, Australasia, Asia and Polynesia; South
American States, Guiana, West Indies, North Ameri-
can Indians, Labrador and Greenland. In those
countries, in 1825, there were 283 stations, 585 Mis-
sionaries, 394 native assistants, and 37,919 communi-
cants; all snatched from the gulf of heathenism, by
that angel of mercy and light, the Gospel.
Sunday Schools, too, follow in the hallowed train,
which gracious and glorious plan strikes at the root of
the matter, takes the infant from the parents' heathen
bosom, and informs the tender mind, and rears it up
for God.
The tract societies too, for the distribution of
free and candid thoughts upon all sorts of vice, and
the easy way of reformation and happiness pointed
out, and the horrors which absolutely await the im-
penitent, in a future life, plainly shown.
84
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
The Bible in its free circulation-the Missionary to
inforce and explain it-the Sunday Schools and Tract
Societies, are the mighty bolts of Heaven, with which he
is smiting the nations, and breaking in pieces all the
strong holds of Satan-all combinations of wicked
men, till all enemies shall be subdued and saved by
grace, or destroyed from the earth by judgments from
Heaven.
Such then, are the signs of our own times, which
streak the horizon of our world with spiritual light,
like the bright lights of the night that illume the
northern skies, when the Aurora Borealis flashes there;
or such light as the sun affords before his rising, when
his beams shoot athwart the Atlantic sea, and tip with
gold the Rocky Mountains. Such are the certain to-
kens, that a brighter sun will soon arise to set no more,
till a thousand years of holy rest to the saints shall
complete the great week of time.
·
But we are too apt to let pass the notable signs of
Heaven, without bestowing upon them that pious at-
tention they demand. The antediluvians thought no-
thing of the signs of their times, but were heedless, un-
til the flood came and took them all away.
}
The signs of the times which went before the birth
of Christ, were not sufficiently looked into; otherwise.
the Jews would have known the Messiah, by the tokens
foretold by the prophets.
But let it not be the guilt of this nation, to be blind
to the signs of the times, nor of the Churches; but to
look, expect and pray, for the coming in of the great
sabbatical year and jubilee of Heaven, the Millennium
.
?
ها
1
[85
**
TE
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
→
Was there ever a time when the different sects have
been so united as at the present, to promote the same
cause. Of them it may now be said with great propriety,
see how these brethren love one another. Is this not a
token that the watchmen shall soon see eye to eye?
1
Was there ever a time when benevolent combina-
tions of talent, and appropriations of money, (having
for their ostensible object, the amelioration of suffer-
ing humanity) so pervaded all Christian sècts, all refi--
ned society, all Christendom, as at the present ?—nev-
er. Witness the struggles of philanthropy in the
Court of St. James, with the powers of avarice, for the
emancipation of slaves. Witness the arm of pity in
this country, which is bared to the shoulder, to snatch
from the bloody lash, and from ignorance the most hor-
rible, the groaning African. That arm is the growing
energies of the Colonization Societies. Angel of
mercy! brood over its being, and say, be strong! Tar-
ry not in all the plains of the Northern and Southern
States, till thou hast whispered in the heart of all
slave holders,
Let all flesh that's human from thy grasp be free,
Nor speak the name of slave in North America.
Then fly thee to the Isles of the Atlantic sea,
There wave thy wand of love-ye slaves, be free!
Then hasten from that clime, O 'tis mercy speaks,
O'erwhelm the Ottoman power, but save the Greeks.
1
1
S
O, the glory of that day, when Slavery, the foulest
blot on the politics of men, shall be wiped off; and
where the fatal stain was recorded, there write the ra-
dient word, Liberty.
But the signs of Heaven, that the Millennium is
H
{
86
*:
貫
​EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
窟
​nigh, may be expected to be multiplied with the pass
ing years; what will not the present growing, though
infant ameliorating energies of a gracious philanthropy
not effect in a hundred years, and even in fifty, if God
continues to bless their efforts? The means now in op-
eration to spread the Gospel, in a short time will ef-
fect wonders not yet conceived of, in reference to a
preparation for the introduction of the seventh Chiliad
of the world. The Lord hasten it in his time, the
time to cleanse the sanctuary, the time to give to the
saints the kingdom, the great jubilee, the Sabbath of
creation, the victory of Christ, the time to bind Satan
a thousand years, the renewal of the paradistical state,
the glory of Messiah's kingdom on earth, which will
afford undescribed happiness and assurance for a thou-
sand years.
辈
​卓
​1
1
1
FIPTH DIVISION,
1
Will represent the probable state of the incorrigible and wicked
part of mankind, just previous to the commencement of the
Millennium. In this division will be given an account of Pa-
gan Rome and of Papal Rome, which subjects are hinted at.
by the Revelator, in his 13th and 17th Chapters.
*@@****
When Noah built the Ark, in the first age,
Men gloried in their crimes and in their rage-
So they in after times, when Jesus came,
Were impudent and bold in heathen shame:
Much the same plight the world will then be in,
When Christ from Heav'n shall come to end its sin.
304
Ir is probable that the most popular idea about the
commencement of the Millennium, is, that there will be
a gradual reformation, from year to year, until the
whole of mankind, generally speaking, shall be fa-
vourably disposed towards religion; when a general
morality shall prevail throughout the world. Such a
state as this, is also supposed by many, will be the con-
dition of the world during the Millennium. But if
Christ, relative to the Church, in the days of St John,
expressed himself as abominating all luke warm souls,
and threatened to spue them out of his mouth, or cast
them down to hell, as I understand it to mean; how,
then, in the Millennium, when it is expressly stated that
all shall be holy, can it be consistent that there then
shall be any mere moralists to nauseate the bosom of
!
*
88
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
{
the millennial Church? Again, if it is at all scriptu-
ral to expect there will arrive a time, when the sanctua-
ry, which is nothing else but the Church of God on
the earth, shall be cleansed, then we may calculate from
this, as from an immoveable data, that all such as are
merèly moral only, shall be cast out at the time of that
cleansing. If this shall not be the fact, how is it that
Mount Zion is to become finally the joy of all the
earth? How is it that this Zion, which is the king's
daughter, is to be all glorious within, if there shall, in
the Millennium, be any sinners at all? The very gen-
ius and nature of salvation, commenced by a compe-
tent Saviour, contemplates such an effect over his ene-
mies. If such shall not be the fact, how then are the
saints to take the kingdom, if a part of the inhabitants,
at that time, belong to the kingdom of Satan.
But we resume the other idea, which is, that it is not
probable the millennial state is to be brought on by the
slow advances which real piety is supposed will make,
so as to overcome all opposition. Far enough from
this, it is to be feared, will be the horrible fact.
Man is a free agent, and we have no precedent, in
the dealings of God with man, to fix upon, as data,
from which to calculate a suspension of that free agen ·
cy, so that he should become incapacitated thereby, to
follow the will of his own mind. Hence, we con-
clude, that such shall not be the fact therefore, man
shall continue to exercise this power, (given) till the
final period arrives, when all free agents, who are sin-
ners, shall have that gracious, yet wonderful gift ta-
ken away. See Matt. xxv. 28, 30.
?
•
Kad
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
$9
1
Therefore, I perceive no peculiar reason, why the
whole world shall absolutely become more religious
this side the Millennium, than at any period which is
past. But that while the Gospel shall pour itself like
a river, over all heathen countries, and lift them up
from their low and degraded state, it is much to be
feared, that infidelity will follow hard after, to subvert
the gracious designs of the Gospel.
1
This has been the constant procedure of Satan, the
destroyer, ever since the promise to the woman was
made, that of her seed a Redeemer should arise. Of
this John, (Rev. xii. 12.) had a view, when he cri-
ed, Wo to the inhabitants of the earth, and of the
sea, for the devil is come down unto you, having great
wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short
time; who will not cease his opposition till he is shut
up in the bottomless pit.-See Rev. xx. 3. Of this
spirit, who had passed from a holy and happy nature,
to a vile and sinful one, it is said, that when he saw
he was cast out in the earth, he persecuted the woman
who brought forth the man child. This man child by
some is supposed to mean the Christian Emperors, be-
ginning with Constantine the Great, who espoused the
Gospel, and were caught up to God and his throne;
i. e. caught up to sit on the throne of the Roman Em-
pire, and from thence to rule the nations with a rod of
iron: this, say they, the Christian Roman Emperors have
done. Others suppose the child to mean Jesus Christ,
who would have been devoured by the dragon, Herod,
when an infant, but was finally caught up to God and
his throne at his resurrection, and from thence rules the
H*
90
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
wicked nations with a rod of iron, or signal judg
pents. But the vile spirit called Satan, soon seduced
to his purposes the whole race of man, with but few ex-
ceptions, which is evident when we examine the history
and end of the nations before the flood.
Ka
at your of
'ક
And afterward, when the race of man was renewed
from the family of Noah, the same wicked spirit all
along till Christ, by corruptions and abominations
among the people, manifested himself to be the enemy
of God and his Church in the earth.
He prevailed among the nations to adopt the vile
and unnatural service of dumb idols; and animals,
with many kinds of reptiles, the sun, moon and stars,
and herbs of the field were the objects of their adora-
tion and mingled with these, in their assemblies,
were the abominable rites of of obscenity.
But notwithstanding all the opposition of a combi-
ned world, the promised sccd of the woman, step by
step, came on, conquering and to conquer, till he stood,
finally, on Mount Calvary and made expiation for sin.
Since that time, the modes of attack practiced by Sa-
tan, have been extremely various; among the Jews he
has ever been malicious and cruel towards this sced
of the woman; among the heathen he has been the
blackness of darkness, confusion and error, that they
should not see this seed, who is the desire of all na-
tions; for such is the fact, there has been no nation.
but in some way have looked for a Mediator. Some-
times he has been seen upon the throne of nations
with sceptre and crown, as in the person of Constan-
tine the Great, who espoused the Christian cause, from
ما.
*
}
91
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
C
}
no other design than to increase his popularity and
་
power, which saved the shedding of much Christian
blood at that time. Here, no doubt, was manifest the
extreme subtlety of the devil, who, when he saw that
the gospel of the Son of God was becoming popular,
thought it a good expedient, in order to counteract its
holy healing influence upon the souls of men, if he
could get its support incorporated with the affairs of
state, and its ministers recognized among the great
ones of the earth; when thus corrupted with ambitious
desires of riches and worldly glory, its holy convert-
ing designs would be frustrated. Because when once
the corruption is fastened on so firm a rock as the sec-
ular government, its ministers no longer under the sal-
utary discipline of exposure to persecution, become
idle and wicked; consequently, could not teach the
truth, and did not hesitate to supply its place with fa-
bles. Such is the fatal tendency of privileged orders.
Such has been, and is the fact in many countries where
the abominable power of a clerical monopoly has ob-
tained; in whose gripe the consciences of men are so
firmly holden, that nothing less than the arm of God
can break the chain.
1
f
1
-
tida
A history of which we shall now exhibit as given by
Dr. Clark, which will not fail to strike the mind with
wonder, when we contemplate this monster in its con-
volutions, rolling its snaky folds in undescribed pos-
tures of horror, and is called a beast rising out of the
sea. Rev. xiii. 1.
✰
Verse 1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and
saw a beast rise up out of the sea] Before we can pro-
92
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
{£
4
t
ceed in the interpretation of this chapter, it will be
highly necessary to ascertain the meaning of the pro-
phetic symbol beast, as the want of a proper under-
standing of this term has probably been one reason
why so many discordant hypotheses have been publish-
ed to the world. In this investigation, it is impossible
to resort to a higher authority than Scripture; for the
Holy Ghost is His own interpreter. What is, there-
fore, meant by the term beast in any one prophetic vis-
ion, the same species of thing must be represented by
the term whenever it is used in a similar manner in any
other part of the Sacred Oracles. Having, therefore,
laid this foundation, the angel's interpretation of the
last of Daniel's four beasts need only be produced, an
account of which is given in the 7th chapter of this
prophet. Daniel being very desirous to "know the
truth of the fourth beast which was diverse from all the
others, exceeding dreadful, and the ten horns that
were on his head," the angel thus interprets the vis-
ion" The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom
upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms,
and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it
down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns.
out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise," &c.
In this Scripture it is plainly declared that the fourth
beast should be the fourth kingdom upon earth; conse-
quently, the four beasts seen by Daniel are four king-
doms hence the term beast is the prophetic symbol
for a kingdom.
As to the nature of the kingdom which is represent-
ed by the term beast; we shall obtain no inconsiderable.
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
93
1
fight in examining the most proper meaning of the
original word chaiyah, which signifies what we term a
wild beast; and is thus used by St. John in the Apoc-
alypse. In this sense, it is fully evident, if a power be
represented in the prophetical writings under the notion
of a wild beast, that the power so represented must
partake of the nature of a wild beast.
Hence an
earthly belligerent power is evidently designed. And
the comparison is peculiarly appropriate; for, as sev-
éral species of wild beasts carry on perpetual warfare
with the animal world; so most governments, influen-
ced by ambition, promote discord and depopulation.
And, also, as the carniverous wild beast acquires its
strength and magnitude by preying upon the feebler
animals: so most earthly monarchies are raised up by
the sword, and derive their political consequence from '
the unsuccessful resistance of the contending nations.
The kingdom of God, on the other hand, is represent-
ed as
a stone cut out of the mountain without hands;"
and is never likened to a beast, because it is not raised
up by the sword, as all other secular powers are; but
sanctifies the persons under its subjection, in which
last particular it essentially differs from all other domi-
C6
}
nations.
This beast is said to rise up out of the sea, in which
particular it corresponds with the four beasts of Dan-
iel; the sea is, therefore, the symbol of a great multi-
tude of nations, as has already been proved; and the
meaning is, that every mighty empire is raised upon
the ruins of a great number of nations, against which
it has successfully contended, and incorporated with itë
by
1
1
ond
1
Į
94
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
I
W
t
dominions. The sea, here, is doubtless the same,
against the inhabiters of which a wo was denounced,
chap. xii. 12. for St. John was standing upon the sand of
the sea, when the vision changed from the woman and
the dragon to that recorded in this chapter. It there-
fore follows that the kingdom or empire here represent-
ed by the beast, is that which sprung up out of the ru-
ins of the Western Roman Empire.
what
Having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his
horns ten crowns-The beast here described is the Lat-
in Empire, which supported the Romish or Latim
church; for it has upon his horns ten crowns; i. e. is
an empire composed of ten distinct monarchies in the
interest of the Latin church.-See the heads and horns,
fully explained in the notes on chapter xvii. 10, 12, 16.
1
KỪN
W
As the phrases Latin church, Latin empire, &c.
are not very generally understood at present, and will
occur frequently in the course of the notes on this and
the 17th chapter, it will not be improper here to ex-
plain them.-During the period from the division of
the Roman empire into those of the east and west, till
the final dissolution of the western empire; the sub-
jects of both empires were equally known by the name
of Romans. Soon after this event the people of the
west lost almost entirely the name of Romans, and
were denominated after their respective kingdoms
which were established upon the ruins of the western
empire. But as the eastern empire escaped the ruin
which fell upon the western; the subjects of the former
still retained the name of Romans, and called their do-
minion the Roman empire; by which name this mon-
1
I
!
4
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
95
archy was known among them till its final dissolution'
in 1453, by Mahomed II. the Turkish sultan. But the
subjects of the eastern emperor, ever since the time of
Charlemagne, or before, (and more particularly in the
time of the crusades, and subsequently,) called the
western people, or those under the influence of the Ro-
mish Church, Latins; and their church, the Latin
church. And the western people, in return, denomina-
ted the eastern church the Greek church, and the mem-
bers of it Greeks. Hence the division of the Christian
church into those of the Greek and Latin. For a
confirmation of what has just been said, the reader may
consult the Byzantine writers, where he will find the
appellations Romans and Latins, used in the sense
The
here mentioned in very numerous instances.
members of the Romish church have not been named
Latins by the Greeks alone: this term is also used in
the public instruments drawn up by the general popish
councils, as may be instanced in the following words,
which is a part of a decree of the council of Basil, da-
ted Sept. 26, 1437, "copiosissimam subventionem pro
unione GRÆCORUM cum LATINIS," a very great con-
vention for the union of the Greeks with the Latins.
Even in the very papal bulls this appellation has been
acknowledged, as may be seen in the edict of Pope
Eugenius IV. dated Sept. 17, 1437, where in one
place mention is made of "Ecclesiae LATINORUM-
quasita unio," the desired union of the church of the
Latins and in another place we read, "Nec superesse
modum alium prosequendi operis tam pii, et servandi
LATINÆ ECCLESIÆ honoris," that no means might be
1
J
#
يمتها
96
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
3
1
1
left untried of prosecuting so pious a work, and of
preserving the honour of the Latin church.-See Corps
Diplomatique, Tom. III. pp. 32, 35. In a bull of the
same pontiff, dated Sept. 1439, we have Sanctissima
LATINORUM et GRÆCORUM unio," the most holy union
of Greeks with the Latins.-See Bail's Summa Con-
ciliorum, in loc. By the Latin empire is meant the
whole of the powers which support the Latin church.
And upon his heads the name of blasphemy,-This
has been variously understood: Jerome and Prosper
give it as their opinion that the name of blasphemy
consists in the appellation urbs æterna, eternal city,
applied to Rome; and modern commentators refer it
to the idolatrous worship of the Romans and papists.
Before we attempt to ascertain the meaning of this
passage, it must be first defined what the Holy Spirit
means by a name of blasphemy. Blasphemy, in Scrip-
ture, signifies impious speaking, when applied to God;
and injurious speaking, when directed against our
neighbour. A name of blasphemy is the prostitution
of a sacred name to an unholy purpose. This is evi-
dent from the 9th verse of the second chapter of the
Apocalypse, where God says,. "I know the blasphemy
of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are
the synagogue of Satan."
These wicked men, by
calling themselves Jews, blasphemed the name, i. e.
used it in an injurious sense; for he ONLY is a Jew who
is one inwardly. Hence the term Jews applied to the
synagogue of Satan, is a name of blasphemy, i. e. a
sacred name blasphemed. A name of blasphemy, or
a blasphemous appellation, is said to be upon all the
1
}
!
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
97
}
seven heads of the beast. To determine what this
name is, the meaning of the seven heads in this place
must be ascertained. If the reader refer to the notes
on chap. xvii. 9, 10, 11. he will find that the heads are
explained to have, a double meaning, viz. that they
signify the seven electorates of the German empire, and
also seven forms of Latin government. As this is the
first place in which the heads of the beasts are men-
tioned with any description; it is reasonable to expect
that this signification of the heads which is first in
order in the angel's interpretation, chap. xvii. 9. must
be what is here intended. That is, "the seven heads
are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth:"
the name of blasphemy will, consequently, be found
upon the seven electorates of Germany. This, there-
fore, can be no other than that which was common not
only to the electorates, but also to the whole empire of
Germany, or that well known one of SACRUM Imperi-
um Romanum, "The SACRED (or HOLY) Roman em-
pire." Here is a sacred appellation blasphemed by its
application to the principal power of the beast. No
kingdom can properly be called holy but that of Jesus ;
therefore it would be blasphemy to unite this epithet
with any other power. But it must be horribly blas-
phemous to apply it to the German empire, the grand
supporter of antichrist from his very rise to temporal
authority. Can that empire be holy which has killed
the saints, which has professed and supported with all
its might an idolatrous system of worship? It is impos-,
sible. Therefore its assumption of sacred, or holy,
(which appellation was originally given to the empire
1.
1
Gar
Je
1
162
1
98
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.'
1
}
Yo
from its being the main support of what is termed the
holy Catholic church, the emperor being styled, on
this account, Christ's temporal vicar upon earth see
Casarini Furstenerii Tractatus De Suprematu Princi-
pum Germaniæ, cc. 31, 32.) is, in the highest sense
the words can be taken, a name of blasphemy. The
name of blasphemy is very properly said to be upon
the seven heads of the beasts, or seven electorates of the
German empire, because the electors are styled SACRI
Imperii Principes Electores, Princes, Electors of the
Holy empire; SACRI Romani Imperii Electores, Elec
tors of the Holy Roman empire.
Verse 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a
leopard-This similitude of the beast to a leopard ap-
pears to be an allusion to the third beast of Daniel,
which is well known to represent the empire of the
Grecks. The Latin empire greatly resembled the mod-
ern empire of the Greeks; for, that the power of the
Greeks was still said to be like a leopard, even after
its subjugation by the Romans, is evident from the 12th
verse of the seventh chapter of Daniel, "As concern-
ing the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion ta-
ken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season
and time." The Latin empire was, in the first place,
like to its contemporary, because both adhered to au
idolatrous system of worship, professedly Christian,
but really antichristian; and it is well known that the
Greek and Latin churches abound in monstrous absur-
dities. Secondly, both empires were similar in their
opposition to the spread of pure Christianity; though
it must be allowed that the Latins far outstripped the
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
99
>
Maď
Grecks in this particular. Thirdly, both empires were
similar in respect to the civil authority being powerful-
ly depressed by the ecclesiastical; though it must be
granted the authority of the Latin church was more
strongly marked, and of much longer continuance.
The excommunication of the Greek emperor by the
patriarch Arsenius, and the consequences of that ex-
communication, afford a remarkable example of the
great power of the Greek clergy. But the beast of
Saint John, though in general appearance it resembles
a leopard, yet differs from it in having feet like those of
a bear. The second beast of Daniel was likened to a
bear, and there can be no doubt that the kingdom of
the Medes and Persians was intended; and it is very
properly likened to this animal, because it was one of
the most inhuman governments that ever existed; and
a bear is the well known Scripture emblem of cruelty.-
See 2. Sam. xvii. 8. and Hos. xiii. 8. Is not cruelty
a striking characteristic of the papal Latin empire ?
Have not the subjects of this empire literally trampled
to death all those in their power, who would not obey
their idolatrous requisitions?
+
l In Fox's Book of Martyrs, and other works which'
treat upon this subject, will be found a melancholy cat-
alogue of the horrid tortures and most lingering
deaths which they have obliged great numbers of
Christians to suffer. In this sense, the feet of the beast
avere as the feet of a bear. Another particular in which
the beast differed from a leopard, was in having a´
mouth like a lion. "It is," says Dr. More, "like the
Babylonish kingdom (the first beast of Daniel, which
100
EXPECTED. CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
is likened to a lion,) in its cruel decrees against such
as will not obey their idolatrous edicts, nor worship
the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Their stubbornness must be punished by a hot fiery
furnace; fire and fagot must be prepared for them that
will not submit to this New Roman idolatry."
}
+
F
蓄
​And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat,
and great authority.It was said of the dragon in
chap. xii. 8. that his place was found no more in heav-
eu; the dragon here cannot, therefore, be the heathen
Roman empire, as this was abolished previously to the
rising up of the beast. It must then allude to the res-
toration of one of the DRACONIC heads of the beast, as
will be seen in the explanation of the following verse,
and more fully in the notes on chap. xvii
+
Verse 3. And I saw one of his heads as it were
wounded to death-This is the second and last place
where the heads of the beast are mentioned with any
description; and, therefore, the meaning here must be
forms of government, as these were noticed last in the
angel's double explanation. The head that was woun-
ded to death can be no other than the seventh draconic.
head, which was the sixth head of the beast, viz., the im-
perial power; for "this head," as Bishop Newton ob-
serves, was, as it were, wounded to death, when the
Roman empire was overturned by the northern nations,
and an end was put to the very name of emperor in
Momyllus Augustulus." It was so wounded that it
was wholly improbable that it could ever rise again to
considerable power; for the western empire came into
the possession of several barbarious nations of indepen-
dent interests.
66
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
101
And his deadly wound was healed-This was effec-
ted by Charlemagne, who, with his successors, assum-
ed all the marks of the ancient emperors of the west,
with the titles of Semper Augustus, Sacred Majesty,
First Prince of the Christian world, Temporal Chief
of the Christian people, and Rector or Temporal Chief
of the Faithful in Germany: Mod. Universal History,
Vol. XXXII. p. 79. But it is said in ver. 9, that
the dragon gave the beast his power, his armies, or mil-
itary strength; i. e. he employed all his imperial pow-
er in defence of the Latin empire, which supported the
Latin church. He also gave his seat, literally, his
throne, to him; that is, his whole empire formed an in-
tegral part of the Latin empire, by its conversion to
the Roman Catholic faith. He also gave him great
authority. This is literally true of the Roman empire
of Germany, which, by its grcat power and influence
in the politics of Europe, extended the religion of the
empire over the various states and monarchies of Eu-
rope; thus incorporating them, as it were, in one vast
empire, by uniting them in one common faith.
And all the world wondered after the beast.-As
the original word signifies earth, and not world as in
our translation, the Latin world, which is the earth of
the beast, is here intended; and the meaning of the
passage consequently is, that the whole body of the
Roman Catholics were affected with great astonish-
ment at the mighty sway of the Latin empire, consid-
ering it as a great and holy power.
Verse 4. And they worshipped the dragon-Wor-
shipping the dragon here evidently means the volun-
I*
་
A
=-100
P
102
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
tary religious subjection of the members of the Latin
church to the revived western empire, because of the
eminent part it has taken in the support of their faith.
And they worshipped the beast-Not only the drag-
on or revived western empire was worshipped; the
beast, the whole Latin empire, is a partaker in the ado-
ration. The manner in which it is worshipped con-
sists in the subjects of it-
་
Saying, Who is like unto the beast? Is it not the
only holy power in the universe? Is it possible for
any person not a subject of it to be saved?
Who is able to make war with him ?-Can any na-
tion successfully fight with it? Is not the Roman em-
pire, which is its most principal bulwark, invictissimum,
most invincible? Invictissimus, most invincible, was
the peculiar attribute of the emperors of Germany.
See Modern Universal History, Vol. XXXII. p, 197.
}
Verse 5. And there was given unto him a mouth
speaking great things-That is, there was given to the
rulers of the Latin empire, who are the mouth of the
beast, (and particularly the Roman emperors of Ger-
many,) power to assume great and pompous titles, in-
dicative of their mighty sway over many subjugated
countries, (see the imperial instruments of the middle.
centuries in the Corps Diplomatique :) and also to utter
against their opponents the most terrible edicts.
And blasphemies-The system of worship supported
by the beast is a system of blasphemy; as there will be
occasion to show presently.
And power was given unto him to continue forty and
two months-As these forty-two months are prophetic,
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
103
they must mean so many years as there are days con-
tained in them, viz. 1260, each month containing 30
days. The beast, therefore, will continue in existence at
least 1260 years.” And I will add, the termination of this
period will doubtless be accomplished at the end of the
next century, having commenced his existence A.D.740.
Verse 6. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy
against God, to blaspheme his name--The Latin em-
pire is here represented as a blasphemous power in
three respects: first, he blasphemes the name of God.
This has been most notoriously the case with the differ-
ent popish princes, who continually blaspheme the sa-
cred names of God, by using them in their idolatrous
worship. The mouth of blasphemy against God can-
not be more evident than in the following impious words
which form a part of the Golden Bull published by
Charles IV. in January, 1356: 'But thou, envy, how
often hast thou attempted to ruin by division the Chris-
tian empire, which God hath founded upon the three
cardinal virtues, faith, hope, and charity, as upon a
holy and indivisible Trinity; vomiting the old venom
of discord among the seven electors, who are the pil-
lars and seven principal members of the holy empire;
by the brightness of whom the holy empire ought to
be illuminated as by seven torches, the light of which
is reinforced by the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.'
And his tabernacle-Tabernacle is any kind of
dwelling-place; and, in an eminent sense among the
Jews, was a kind of tent to take up and down, as occa-
sion required; which was, as it were, the palace of the
Most High, the dwelling of the God of Israel. It was
}
*
។
104
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
divided into two partitions, one called The Holy Place,
and the other. The Most Holy Place; in the latter of
which, before the building of the temple, the ark of the
covenant was kept, which was a symbol of God's gra-
cious presence with the Jewish church. All this the
author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, in the eighth and
ninth chapters, explains to prefigure the human nature
of Christ. The beast's blasphemy of the tabernacle of
God is, therefore, as Dr. More and others properly ob
serve, his impious doctrine of transubstantiation, in
which it is most blasphemously asserted that the sub-
stance of the bread and wine in the sacrament, is liter-
ally converted by the consecration of the priest, into
the very body and blood of Jesus Christ! This doc-
trine was first advanced among the Latins, in the tenth
century; and in 1215 fully received as an article of
the Roman Catholic faith. It is for the pages of ec-
clesiastical history to record the incredible numbers
which have been martyred by the papists for their non-
reception of this most unscriptural and antichristian
doctrine.
And them that dwell in heaven.-By heaven is here
meant the throne of God, and not the throne of the
beast, because it is against God the beast blasphemes.
This must, therefore, allude to his impious adoration
of the saints and angels, whose residence is in heaven.
He blasphemes against God, by paying that adoration
to the celestial inhabitants, which belongs to God alone.
That this sort of worship has been, and still is, kept
up among the Roman Catholics, their mass-book is a
sufficient evidence.
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
. 105
Verse 7. And it was given unto him to make war
with the saints, and to overcome them-"Who can
make any computation," says Bishop Newton, "or
even frame any conception, of the numbers of pious
Christians who have fallen a sacrifice to the bigotry
and cruelty of Rome? Mede upon the place hath ob
served, from good authorities, that in the war with the
Albigenses and Waldenses, there perished of these poor
creatures, in France alone, a million. From the first
institution of the Jesuits, to the year 1580, that is, in
little more than thirty years, nine hundred thousand
orthodox Christians were slain, and these all by the
common executioner. In the space of scarce thirty
years, the inquisition destroyed, by various kinds of
torture, a hundred and fifty thousand Christians. San-
ders himself confesses, that an innumerable multitude.
of Lollards and Sacramentarians were burnt through-
out all Europe; who, yet, he says, were not put to
death by the pope and bishops, but by the civil magis-
trates." The dragon, in a new shape, or Roman em-
pire of Germany, acted a very conspicuous part in this
nefarious warfare against the remnant of the woman's
seed, who kept the commandments of God, and had the
testimony of Jesus Christ. See the imperial edict of
Frederic II. against heretics, in Limborch's History of
the Inquisition.
1
And power was given him over all kindreds, and
tongues, and nations.-As the book of the Revelation
s a prophecy of all that should come upon the Chris-
tian world till the end of time; all kindreds, and
fongues, and nations, must imply the whole Christian
1
106
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
()
world. That the Latin empire, in the course of its
reign, has had the extensive power here spoken of, is
evident from history. It is well known that the pro-
fession of Christianity was chiefly confined within the
limits of the Greek and Latin empires, till the period of
the Reformation. By means of the Crusades, the Lat-
ins extended their empire over several provinces of the
Greeks. In 1097, Baldwin extende his conquest over
the hills of Armenia, and the plain of Mesopotamia,
and founded the first principality of the Franks, or
Latins; which subsisted fifty-four years, beyond the
Euphrates. In 1204 the Greeks were expelled Con-
stantinople by the Latins, who set up an empire there
which continued about fifty-seven years. The total
overthrow of the Latin states in the East soon follow-
ed the recovery of Constantinople by the Greeks: and
in 1291 the Latin empire in the East was entirely dis-
solved. Thus the Latins have had power over the
whole world professedly Christian: but it is not said
that the whole world was in utter subjection to him;
for we read in the following verse-
Verse 8. And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the book
of life of the Lamb The earth here is the Latin
world, as has been observed before in similar cases.
The meaning, therefore, is, that all the corrupt part of
mankind, who are inhabitants of the Latin world, shall
submit to the religion of the empire, except, as Bishop
Newton expresses it, "those faithful few, whose names,
as citizens of heaven, were enrolled in the registers of
life."
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
10%
Slain from the foundation of the world-That is,
of the Christian world; for this has been shown to be
the meaning of all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
The year
of the crucifixion is properly the commence-
ment of Christianity, as the apostles then first began
to promulgate the religion of Christ with the Holy
Ghost sent down from heaven. But as Jesus Christ
was in the Divine purpose appointed from the founda-
tion of the world to redeem man by His blood, He
therefore is, in a very eminent sense, the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world, i. e. from the cre-
ation.
Verse 9. If any man have an ear, let him hear.
These words are evidently introduced to impress the
reader with the awfulness of what has just been spo-
ken, all shall worship him whose names are not written
in the book of life; as well as to fix his attention upon
the following words :-
Verse 10. He that leadeth into captivity, shall go
into captivity-The Latin empire here spoken of must
go into captivity, because it has led into captivity, by
not only propagating among the various nations its
abominable antichristian system, but also in compelling
them to embrace it under penalty of forfeiting the pro-
tection of the empire.
He that killeth with the sword must be killed by the
sword-The Latin empire must be also broken to
pieces by the sword, because it has killed the saints of
God. This prophecy will not receive its full accom-
plishment till the kingdoms of this world become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.
108
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
By these words, as Dr. Mitchell observes, "God calls
upon His saints to keep in view, under all their perse-
cutions, His retributive justice: there is no violence
that has been exercised upon them but what shall be re-
taliated upon the cruel and persecuting government
and governors of the Latin empire."
{
Į
Verse 11. And 1 beheld another beast coming up
out of the earth-As a beast has already been shown
to be the symbol of a kingdom or empire, the rising up
of this second beast must, consequently, represent the
rising up of another empire. This beast comes up out
of the earth; therefore it is totally different from the
preceding, which rose up out of the sea. Earth here
means the Latin world, for this word has been shown
to import this already in several instances; the rising
up of the beast out of this earth must, consequently,
represent the springing up of some power out of a
state of subjection to the Latin empire: therefore the
beast, here called another beast, is another LATIN em-
pire. This beast is the spiritual Latin empire, or, in
other words, the Romish hierarchy; for with no other
power can the prophetic description, yet to be exam-
ined, be shown to accord. In the time of Charlemagne,
the ecclesiastical power was in subjection to the civil;
and it continued to be so for a long time after his death;
therefore the beast, whose deadly wound was healed,
ruled over the whole Latin world, both clergy and
laity; these, consequently, constituted but one beast or
empire. But the Latin clergy kept continually gain-
ing more and more influence in the civil affairs of the
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
109
1
empire; and in the tenth century their authority was
greatly increased. In the subsequent centuries the
power of the Romish hierarchy ascended even above
that of the emperors; and led into captivity the kings
of the whole Latin world, as there will be occasion to
show in commenting upon the following verses. Thus
the Romish hierarchy was at length entirely exempted
from the civil power, and constituted another beast, as
it became entirely independent of the secular Latin em-
pire. And this beast came up out of the earth; that
is, the Latin clergy, which composed a part of the
earth, or Latin world, raised their authority against
that of the secular powers; and, in process of time,
wrested the superintendence of ecclesiastical affairs
from the secular princes.
And he had two horns-As the seven-headed beast
is represented as having ten horns, which signifies so
many kingdoms leagued together to support the Latin'
church, so the beast which rises out of the earth has'
also two horns, which must, consequently, represent
two kingdoms; for, if horns of a beast mean kingdoms,
in one part of the Apocalypse, kingdoms must be in-
tended by this symbol whenever it is used in a similar
way in any other part of this book. As the second
beast is the spiritual Latin empire, the two horns of
this beast denote that the empire thus represented is
composed of two distinct spiritual powers. These,
therefore, can be no other, as Bishop Newton and Fa-
ber properly observe, than the two grand independent
branches of the Romish hierarchy, viz. the Latin
clergy, regular and secular. "The first of these
K
mod
1
110
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
comprehends all the various monastic orders; the
second comprehends the whole body of parochial
clergy." These two grand branches of the hierarchy
originally constituted but one dominion, as the monks,
as well as the other clergy, were in subjection to the
Bishops but the subjection of the monks to their di-
ocesans became by degrees less apparent; and in pro
cess of time, through the influence and authority of
the Roman pontiffs, they were entirely exempted from
all episcopal jurisdiction, and thus became a spiritual
power cntirely independent of that of the secular
elergy.
1
Like a lamb-As, lamb, in other parts of the Apoca-
lypse, evidently means Christ, who is, the Lamb o
God which taketh away the sin of the world, it must
have a similiar import in this passage: therefore the
meaning here is evidently that the two horns of the
beast, or the regular and secular clergy, profess to be
the ministers of Christ; to be like him in meekness and
humility; and to teach nothing that is contrary to god-
liness. The two-horned beast, or spiritual Latin em-
pire, has in reality the name, and in the eyes of the Lat-
in world the appearance, of a CHRISTIAN power. But
he is only so in appearance, and that alone among his
deluded votaries; for when he spake,
A
I
/
He spake as a dragon-The doctrines of the Rom-
ish hierarchy are very similar to those contained in the
old heathen worship; for he has introduced "a new
species of idolatry nominally different, but essentially
the same, the worship of angels and saints, instead of
the gods and demigods of antiquity."
→
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
111
Verse 12. And he exerciseth all the power of the
first beast before him-In the preceding verse the two-
horned beast was represented as rising out of the earth,
that is, obtaining gradually more and more influence
in the civil affairs of the Latin world. Here he is rep-
resented as having obtained the direction and manage-
ment of all the power of the first beast, or secular Lat-
in empire, before him. That the Romish hierarchy
has had the extensive power here spoken of, is evident
from history for the civil power was in subjection to
the ecclesiastical. The parochial clergy, one of the
horns of the second beast, have had great secular juris-
diction over the whole Latin world. Two-thirds of
the estates of Germany were given by the three Othos,
who succeeded each other, to ecclesiastics; and in the
other Latin monarchies the parochial clergy possessed
great temporal power. Yet, extraordinary as the pow-
er of the secular clergy was in all parts of the Latin
world, it was but feeble when compared with that of
the monastic orders, which constituted another horn of
the beast. The Mendicant Friars, the most considera
ble of the regular clergy, first made their appearance
in the early part of the thirteenth century. These fri-
ars were divided by Gregory X. in a general council
which he assembled at Lyons in 1272, into the four
following societies or denominations, viz. the Domini-
cans, the Franciscans, the Carmelites, and the Hermits
of St. Augustine. "As the pontiffs," obseryes Mo-
sheim, "allowed these four mendicant orders the liber-
ty of travelling wherever they thought proper, of con-
versing with persons of all ranks, of instructing the
1
\ {
-
112
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
youth and the multitude wherever they went; and as
these monks exhibited, in their outward appearance
and manner of life, more striking marks of gravity
and holiness than were observable in the other monas-
tic societies, they arose all at once to the very summit
of fame, and were regarded with the utmost esteem
and veneration throughout all the countries of Eu-
rope. The enthusiastic attachment to these sanctimo-
nious beggars went so far, that, as we learn from the
most authentic records, several cities were divided, or
cantoned out, into four parts, with a view to these four
orders; the first part was assigned to the Dominicans,
the second to the Franciscans, the third to the Carmel-
ites, and the fourth to the Augustinians. The people
were unwilling to receive the sacraments from any oth-
er hands than those of the Mendicants, to whose
churches they crowded to perform their devotions, while
living; and were extremely desirous to deposit there
also their remains after death; all which occasioned
grievous complaints among the ordinary priests, to
whom the cure of souls was committed, and who con-
sidered themselves as the spiritual guides of the multi-
tude. Nor did the influence and credit of the Mendi-
cants end here; for we find in the history of this (13th
century) and the succeeding ages, that they were em-
ployed not only in spiritual matters, but also in tempo-
ral and political affairs of the greatest consequence ;
in composing the differences of princes, concluding
treaties of peace, concerting alliances, presiding in
cabinet councils, governing courts, levying taxes, and
other occupations, not only remote from, but absolutely
7
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
113
+
inconsistent with, the monastic character and profes-
sion. We must not, however, imagine that all the
Mendicant Friars attained to the same degree of repu-
tation and authority; for the power of the Dominicans
and Franciscans surpassed greatly that of the two oth
er orders, and rendered them singularly conspicuous
in the eyes of the world. During three centuries these
two fraternities governed, with an almost universal and
absolute sway, both state and church; filled the most
eminent posts, ecclesiastical and civil; taught in the
universities and churches with an authority before
which all opposition was silent; and maintained the
pretended majesty and prerogatives of the Roman
pontiffs against kings, princes, bishops and heretics,
with incredible ardour and equal success. The Do-
minicans and Franciscans were, before the Reforma-
tion, what the Jesuits have been since that happy and
glorious period, the very soul of the hierarchy, the en-
gines of state, the secret springs of all the motions of
the one and the other, and the authors and directors of
every great and important event in the religious and
political world." Thus the Romish hierarchy has ex-
ercised all the power of the first beast in his sight, both
temporal and spiritual; and, therefore, with such asto-
nishing influence as this over secular princes, it was no
difficult matter for him to cause-
The earth, and them that dwell therein, to worship
the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.-That
is, he causes the whole Latin world to submit to the
authority of the Latin empire, with the revived western
empire at its head; persuading them that such submis
K*
!
An
114
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
sion is beneficial to their spiritual interests, and abso-
lutely necessary for their salvation. Here it is observ-
able that both beasts have dominion over the same
earth; for it is expressly said, that the second beast
causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship
the first beast: therefore it is, as Bishop Newton and
others have observed, imperium in imperio," an em-
pire within an empire." We have, consequently, the
fullest evidence that the two beasts consist in the divis-
ion of the great Latin empire, by the usurpation of the
Latin clergy, into two distinct empires, the one secular,
the other spiritual; and both united in one antichristian
design, viz. to diffuse their most abominable system of
idolatry, over the whole earth, and to extend the sphere
of their domination. Here we have also an illustration
of that remarkable passage in chap. xvi. 10. the king-
dom of the beast, i. e. the kingdom of the Latin king-
dom; which is apparently a solecism, but in reality ex-
pressed with wonderful precision. The fifth vial is
poured out upon the throne of the beast, and HIS KING-
DOM is darkened, i. c. the Latin kingdom, in subjection
to the Latin kingdom, or the secular Latin empire.
Verse 13. And he doeth great wonders-That we
may have the greatest assurance possible that the two-
horned beast is the Latin empire, it is called, in chap.
xix. 20. a passage illustrative of the one now under
consideration, the false prophet, "than which," as
Bishop Newton observes, "there cannot be a stronger
or plainer argument to prove that false doctors or teach-
ers were particularly designed;" for prophet, in the
Scripture style, is not unfrequently used for a preacher
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
115
or expounder of God's word. See 1. Cor. xiv. It
hence follows that the two-horned beast is an empire
of false doctors or teachers.
In order to establish the Latin church upon a founda-
tion that can never fail, the false prophet doeth great
wonders; he attempts the most wonderful and prodi-
gious exploits, and is crowned with incredible success.
He has the art to persuade his followers that the clergy
of the church of Rome are the only true ministers of
Christ; that they have such great influence in the
court of heaven as to be able not only to forgive sins,
but also to grant indulgences in sin, by paying certain
stipulated sums. He persuades them too that they can
do works of supererogation. He pretends that an in-
credible number of miracles have been wrought, and
are still working, by the Almighty, as so many evi-
dences of the great sanctity of the Latin church; and
the false prophet has such an astonishing influence over
his flock, as to cause them to believe all his fabulous
legends and lying wonders. He pretends also (and is
believed!) that his power is not confined to this world;
that he is able by his prayers to deliver the souls of the
deceased from what he calls purgatory, a place which
he has fabled to exist for the purification of sinful souls
after their departure from this world. His wonderful
exploits in being able to induce men, possessed of rea-
sonable faculties, to believe his monstrous absurdities,
do not end here; he even
Maketh fire come down from heaven-in the sight of
men-Fire, in Scripture, when it signifies wrath, re-
presents that species of indignation which is attended
116
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
with the destruction of whatever is the cause of it.
Thus the wrath of God is likened to fire, Psa. xviii.
7, 8. Jer. iv. 4.-Therefore the fire which the false
prophet bringeth down from heaven upon the earth, is
the fiery indignation which he causes to come down
from the heaven or throne of the Latin empire upon all
those of the earth or Latin world who rebel against
his authority. All this has been fulfilled in the Romish
hierarchy the Latin clergy have denominated all
those that oppose their authority, heretics; they have
instituted tribunals to try the cause of heresy; and all
those that would not submit to their idolatry, they have
condemned to various kinds of tortures and deaths.
It is said of the false prophet that he bringeth fire from
heaven upon the earth; that is to say, he will only try
the cause of heresy, and pass the sentence of condem-
nation; he will not suffer an ecclesiastic to execute the
sentence of the court; the destroying fire he causeth to
come down from the heaven or throne of the Latin em-
pire; secular princes and magistrates must execute the
sentence of death upon all that are capitally condemned
by the spiritual power. He maketh fire come down
from heaven; he compels secular princes to assist him
against heretics; and if any rebel against his authori-
ty, he immediately puts them under the bond of the
anathema, so that they are deprived of their offices,
and exposed to the insults and persecution of their
brethren. Thus the false prophet deceives the Latin
world by the means of those miracles which he had pow-
er to do in the sight of the beast. Under the appear-
ance of great sanctity, he persuades men to believe all
1
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
117
his lying doctrines; and enforces his canons and de-
cretals with the sword of the civil magistrate.
Verse 14. Saying to them that dwell on the earth,
that they should make an image to the beast which har
a wound by the sword and did live.-The image of the
beast must designate a person who represents in him-
self the whole power of the Latin empire: therefore
it cannot be the emperor; for though he was, accor-
ding to his own account, supremum caput Christianita-
tis, the supreme head of Christendom, yet he was only
the chief of the Germanic confederation; and, conse-
quently, was only sovereign of the principal power of
the Latin empire. The image of the beast must be
the supreme ruler of the Latin empire; and as it is
through the influence of the false prophet that this im-
age is made for the first beast, this great chief must he
an ecclesiastic. Who this is has been ably shown by
Bishop Newton, in his comment on the following
verse:
Verse 15. And he had power to give life unto the
image of the beast, that the image of the beast should
both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship
the image of the beast should be killed. The influence
of the two-horned beast, or corrupted clergy, is further
seen in persuading and inducing mankind to make an
image to the beast which had the wound by a sword and
did live. This image and representative of the beast
is the pope. He is properly the idol of the church.
He represents in himself the whole power of the beast,
and is the head of all authority, temporal as well as
spiritual. He is nothing more than a private person,
i
BA
Mak
118
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
without power and without authority; till the two-horn-
ed beast, or corrupted clergy, by choosing him pope,
give life unto him, and enable him to speak and utter
his decrees, and to persecute even to death as many as
refuse to submit to him, and to worship him. As soon
as he is chosen pope he is clothed with the pontifical
robes and crowned and placed upon the altar, and the
cardinals come and kiss his feet, which ceremony is
called adoration. They first elect, and then they wor-
ship him; as in the medals of Martin V. where two are
represented crowning the pope, and two kneeling bc-
fore him with this inscription, Quem creant adorant,
Whom they create they adore. He is the principle of
unity to the ten kingdoms of the beast; and causeth,
as far as he is able, all who will not acknowledge his
supremacy to be put to death. The great ascend-
ancy which the popes have obtained over the kings of
the Latin world by means of the Romish hierarchy, is
sufficiently marked in the history of Europe. As long
as the great body of the people were devoted to the Ro-
man Catholic idolatry, it was in vain for the kings of
the different Roman Catholic countries to oppose the
increasing usurpations of the popes. They ascended,
in spite of all opposition, to the highest pinnacle of hu-
man greatness; for even the authority of the emperors
themselves was established or annulled at their pleasure.
The high-sounding tone of the popes commenced in
Gregory VII. A. D. 1078, commonly known by the
name of Hildebrand, who aimed at nothing less than
universal empire. He published an anathema against
all who received the investiture of a bishopric or ab»
Th
"
.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
119
bacy from the hands of a layman; as also against those
by whom the investiture should be performed. This
measure being opposed by Henry IV. emperor of Ger
many, the pope deposed him from all power and digni-
ty, regal or imperial. See Corps Diplomatique, Tom.
I. page 53.
Great numbers of German princes siding
with the pope, the emperor found himself under the ne-
cessity of going (in January, 1077) to the bishop of
Rome to implore his forgiveness, which was not grant-
ed him till he had fasted three days, standing from
morning to evening barefooted, and exposed to the in-
clemency of the weather! In the following century
the power of the popes was still further increased; for
on the 23d of September, 1122, the emperor Henry V.
gave up all right of conferring the regalia by the cere
mony of the ring and crosier, and that the chapters and
communities should be at liberty to fill up their own
vacancies. In this century the election of the Roman
pontiffs was confined by Alexander III. to the college
of cardinals. In the thirteenth century the popes (Dr.
Mosheim observes) "inculcated that pernicious maxim,
that the bishop of Rome is the supreme lord of the uni-
verse; and that neither princes nor bishops, civil gov-
ernors nor ecclesiastical rulers, have any lawful power
in church or state but what they derive from him. To
establish their authority, both in civil and ecclesiastical
matters, upon the firmest foundation, they assumed to
themselves the power of disposing of the various offices.
of the church, whether of a higher or more subordinate
nature, and of creating bishops, abbots, and canons,
according to their fancy. The first of the pontiffs who
}
120
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
usurped such an extravagant extent of authority was
Innocent III. (A. D. 1198-1216.) whose example
was followed by Honorius III. (A. D. 1216,) Gregory
IX. (A. D. 1227.) and several of their successors."
Thus the plenitude of the papal power, (as it is term-
ed,) was not confined to what was spiritual; the Rom-
ish bishops "dethroned monarchs, disposed of crowns,
absolved subjects from the obedience due to their sove-
reigns, and laid kingdoms under interdicts. There
was not a state in Europe which had not been disquiet-
ed by their ambition. There was not a throne which
they had not shaken, nor a prince who did not trem-
ble at their presence." The point of time in which the
Romish bishops attained their highest elevation of au-
thority was about the commencement of the 14th cen-
tury. Boniface VIII. who was pope at this time, out-
stripped all his predecessors in the high-sounding tone
of his public decrees. According to his famous bull,
Unam Sanctam, published Nov. 16, 1302, "the secu-
lar power is but a simple emanation from the ecclesias-
tical; and the double power of the pope, founded upon
Holy scripture, is even an article of faith. "God,"
said he, has confided to Saint Peter, and to his suc-
cessors, two swords, the one spiritual, the other tem-
poral. The first ought to be exercised by the church
itself, and the other by secular powers for the service
of the church, and according to the will of the pope.
The latter, that is to say, the temporal sword, is in sub-
jection to the former; and the temporal authority de-
pends indispensably on the spiritual power. Finally,
he adds, it is necessary to the salvation of every human
(6
By
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
121
creature to be in subjection to the Roman pontiff."
The false prophet SAID "to them that dwell upon the
earth, that they should make an image to the beast that
had the wound by a sword and did live" that is the
Romish priesthood preached up the pope's supremacy
over temporal princes; and through their astonishing
influence on the minds of the people, the bishop of
Rome, at last, became the supreme sovereign of the
secular Latin empire; and thus was at the head of all
authority, temporal and spiritual.
The papists have, in their various superstitions, pro-
fessed to worship God. But they are said, in the uner-
ring words of prophecy, to worship the dragon, beast,
and image of the beast; and to blaspheme God: for
they received as holy those commandments of men that
stand in direct opposition to the Sacred Scriptures, and
which have been imposed on them by the Romish bish-
ops, aided by the secular powers.
"God is a Spirit,
and they who worship Him must
SPIRIT and in TRUTH.'
worship Him in
""
Verse 16. And he causeth all, both small and great,
rich and poor, free and bond to receive a mark-To
ascertain the meaning of the mark which the two-horn-
ed beast causes all orders and degrees of men in the
Latin world to receive, we need only refer to chap. xiv.
11. where the mark imposed by the two-horned beast
is called the mark of his name. The name of the
beast is the Latin empire; the mark of his name must,
therefore, be his LATIN worship; for this very reason,
that it is the two-horned beast, or false prophet, who
causes all descriptions of persons to receive it. Now it
L
T U
E
122
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
is well known that the continual employment of the
Latin clergy is to enforce the Latin idolatry upon their
flocks. The mass and offices of the church, which are
in Latin, and contain the sum and substance of their
idolatrous worship, are of different kinds, and abound
in impious prayers to the Virgin Mary, and the saints
and angels. In a word, the LATIN worship is the uni-
versal badge of distinction of the LATIN church, from
all other churches on the face of the earth; and is,
therefore, the only infallible MARK by which a genuine
papist can be distinguished from the rest of mankind.
But the two-horned beast causes all to receive this
mark-
}
In their right hand, or in their foreheads-Right
hand, in Scripture language, when used figuratively,
represents the physical power of the person of whom it
is spoken; and, when applied to God, designates a
signal manifestation of Divine power against His ene-
mies, and in behalf of His people. See Psa. xvii. 7.
xx. 6. xxi. 8. xlv. 3, 4, &c. The reception of the
mark in the right hand must, therefore, mean that all,
so receiving it, devote the whole power of their minds
and body for the propagation of the Latin worship,
and in the eradication of all they denominate heresies
out of their church. But some receive the mark in
their foreheads. By any thing being impressed upon
the forehead, is meant the public profession of what-
ever is inscribed or marked upon it: sce Rev. ix. 4.
xiv. 1. xxii. 4, &c. The mark of the beast being re-
ocived on the forehead, therefore, means that all those
so marked make a public profession of the Latin wor-
1
↓
kand
d
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
123
ship; whereby it is evident to all that they form a part
of the Latin church. Many may be marked in the
right hand, who are also marked on their foreheads;
but it does not follow that those marked on their fore-
heads are also marked in their right hand; that is to
say, it is not every individual that complies with the
Latin worship, who, to the utmost of his power, en-
deavours to propagate his religious system. Hence the
propriety of the words. "He causeth all-to receive
a mark in their right hand, OR in their foreheads."
Verse 17. And that no man might buy or sell, save
he that had the mark-"If any," observes Bishop
Newton, "dissent from the stated and authorised forms,
they are condemned and excommunicated as heretics;
and in consequence of that, they are no longer suffer-
ed to buy or sell; they are interdicted from traffic and
commerce, and all the benefit of civil society. So Ro-
ger Hoveden relates of William the Conqueror, that he
was so dutiful to the pope that he would not permit
any one in his power to buy or sell any thing whom
So the can-
he found disobedient to the apostolic see.
on of the council of Lateran, under pope Alexander
III. made against the Waldenses and Albigenses, en-
joins, upon pain of anathema, that no man presume to
entertain or cherish them in his house or land, or exer
cise traffic with them. The synod of Tours in France,
under the same pope, orders, under the like intermina-
tion, that no man should presume to receive or assist
them, no not so much as to hold any communion with
them in selling or buying; that, being deprived of the
comfort of humanity, they may be compelled to repent
هم
Bulg
12
124
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
喜
​{
La
of the error of their way." In the tenth and eleventh
centuries, the severity against the excommunicated was
carried to so high a pitch, that nobody might come
near them, not even their own wives, children, or ser-
vants; they forfeited all their natural legal rights and
privileges, and were excluded from all kinds of offices.
The form of excommunication in the Romish church
is to take lighted torches, throw them upon the ground
with curses and anathemas, and trample them out under
feet to the ringing of the bells. It is in this, and simi-
lar ways, that the false prophet has terrified the Latin
world, and kept it in subjection to the secular and
spiritual powers. Those interdicted by the two-horn-
ed beast from all offices of civil life, are also such as
have not the name of the beast, or the number of his
name.
1
Having thus far described the beast rising out of the
sea with seven heads, ten horns and ten crowns, and
the beast coming out of the earth with two horns, we
proceed to give an account of the great whore which
sat upon many waters; her description, name and con-
duct, as signified by the Revelator, Chap. xvii.--Sec
Dr. Clark.
kávů
}
C
Verse 1. And there came one of the seven angels
which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying
unto me, Come hither, I will show unto thee the judg-
ment of the great whore that sitteth upon many wa-
ters. That idolatrous worship is frequently represent-
ed in Scripture under the character of a whore or whor¬
dom, is evident from numerous passages which it is
annecessary to quote.--See 1 Chron. v. 25. Ezek. xvi.
}
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
125
xxiii. &c. The woman mentioned nere is called a
great whore, to denote her excessive depravity, and
the awful nature of her idolatry. She is also represen-
ted as sitting upon many waters, to show the vast extent
of her influence.-See on ver. 13.
Verse 2. With whom the kings of the earth have
committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth
have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.-
What an awful picture this is of the state of the reli-
gion of the world, in subjection to this whore. Kings
have committed spiritual fornication with her, and their
subjects have drunk deep, dreadfully deep, into the doc-..
trine of her abominable errors.
Verse 3. So he carried me away in the spirit into
the wilderness-This wilderness into which the apostle
was carried, is the desolate state of the true church of
Christ, in one of the wings of the once mighty Roman
empire. It was a truly awful sight, a terrible desert, a
waste-howling wilderness; for when he came thith
er, he-
Saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast, full of
names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
No doubt can now be entertained, that this woman is
the Latin church; for she sits upon the beast with sev-
en heads and ten horns, which has been already proved
to be the Latin empire, because this empire alune con-
tains the number 666.-See on chap. xiii. This is a
representation of the Latin church in her highest state
of antichristian prosperity; for she SITS UPON the scar-
let-coloured beast, a striking emblem of her complete
domination over the secular Latin empire. The state
*L
{
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
126
of the Latin church from the commencement of the
fourteenth century to the time of the Reformation, may
be considered that which corresponds to this prophet-
ic description in the literal and extensive sense of the
words for during this period she was at her highest
pitch of worldly grandeur and temporal authority.
The beast is full of names of blasphemy; and it is well
known that the nations, in support of the Latin or Ro-
mish church, have abounded in blasphemous appella-
tions, and have not blushed to attribute to themselves
and to their church the most sacred titles; not only
blaspheming by the improper use of sacred names, but
even by applying to its bishops those names which
alone belong to God; for God hath expressly declar-
ed that He will not give his glory to another, neither
his praise to graven images.
Verse 4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and
scarlet colour, and decked with gold, and precious stones,
and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of
abominations and filthiness of her fornications-This
strikingly represents the most pompous and costly man-
ner in which the Latin church has held forth to the na-
tions the rites and ceremonies of its idolatrous and cor-
rupt worship.
Verse 5. And upon her forehead was a name writ-
ton, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Har-
lots, and Abominations of the Earth. This inscrip-
tion being written upon her forehead is intended to show
that she is not ashamed of her doctrines, but publicly
professes and glories in them before the nations: she
has, indeed, a whore's forehead; she has refused to be
1
*!!!
"
"
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
127
ashamed. The inscription on her forehead is exactly
the portraiture of the Latin church. This church is
as Bishop Newton well expresses it, a mystery of ini-
quity. This woman is also called Babylon the Great,
she is the exact antetype of the ancient Babylon in her
idolatry and cruelty; but the ancient city called Bab-
ylon is only a drawing of her in miniature. This is,
indeed, Babylon the Great. "She affects the style and
title of our Holy Mother the Church; but she is, in
trnth, the mother of harlots and abominations of the
earth."
Verse 6. And I saw the woman drunken with the
blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of
Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great ad-
miration.-How exactly the cruelties exercised by the
Latin church against all it has denominated heritics
correspond with this description, the reader need not
be informed.
Verse 7. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore
didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the
woman, and of the beast which carrieth her, which hath
the seven heads and ten horns.-The apostle was great-
ly astonished, as well he might, at the woman's being
drunk with the blood of the saints, when the beast
which carried her abounded with sacred appellations,
such as, holy, most holy, most Christian, sacred, most
sacred. The angel undertakes to explain to St. Jolm
the vision, which had excited in him so great astonish-
ment; and the explication is of such great importance,
that, had it not been given, the mystery of the dragon
and the beast could never have been satisfactorily ex-
128
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
plained in all its particulars. The angel begins with
saying
1
Verse 8. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not';
and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into
perdition-The beast is the Latin kingdom, conse-
quently the beast was, that is, was in existence previ-
ously to the time of St. John, for Latinus was the first
king of the Latins, and Namitor the last; is not now,
because the Latin nation has ceased long ago to be an
independent power, and is now under the dominion of
the Romans; but shall ascend out of the bottomless
pit, that is, the Latin kingdom, the antichristian power,
or that which ascendeth out of the abyss, or bottomless
pit, is yet in futurity. But it is added-
D
And they that dwell on the earth shall wonder (whose
names were not written in the book of life from the
foundation of the world,) when they behold the beast
that was, and is not, and yet is.-By the earth is here
meant the Latin world; therefore the meaning is, that
all who dwell in the Latin world shall adhere to the
idolatrous and blasphemous religion of the Latin
church, which is supported by the Latin empire, ex-
cept those who abide by the Sacred Scriptures, receiv-
ing them as the only rule of faith and practice. These
believe in the true Sacrifice, and keep themselves un-
spotted from the corruption that is in the world. But
the inhabitants of the Latin world, under the dominion
of the Romish religion, shall wonder when they behold
the beast, or Latin empire; that is, as Lord Napier
remarks, shall have in great admiration, reverence,
and estimation, this great monarchie." They shall
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
129
wonder at it, by considering it the most sacred empire
in the world, that in which God peculiarly delights:
but those that so wonder have not their names written
in the book of life, but are such as prefer councils to
Divine revelation, and take their religion from mis-
sals, and rituals, and legends, instead of the Sacred
Oracles; hence they are corrupt and idolatrous, and
no idolater hath inheritance in the kingdom of God.
In the preceding part of the verse, the beast is con-
sidered in three states, as that which was, and is not,
and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit; here a
fourth is introduced, and yet is. This is added to show
that, though the Latins were subjugated by the Ro-.
mans, nevertheless the Romans themselves were Lat-
ins; for Romulus, the founder of their monarchy, was
a Latin; consequently that denominated in St. John's
days the Roman empire, was, in reality, the Latin
kingdom, for the very language of the empire was the
Latin; and the Greek writers, who lived in the time of
the Roman empire, expressly tell us that those former-
ly called Latins are now named Romans. The mean-
ing of the whole verse is, therefore, as follows: the
corrupt part of mankind shall have in great admiration
the Latin empire yet in futurity, which has already
been, but is now extinct, the Romans having conquered
it; and yet is still in being, for though the Latin na-
tion has been subjugated, its conquerors are themselves
Latins. But it may be objected against the interpreta-
tion here given, that, these phrases are spoken of the
heast upon which the apostle saw the woman, or Latin
church, sit; for the angel says, the beast that thou saw
}
amp
130
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
YA
est, was and is not, &c.; what reference, therefore,
can the Latin empire, which supports the Latin church,
have to the Latin kingdom which subsisted before St.
John's time, or to the Roman empire, which might
properly be so denominated? This objection has
very great weight at first sight; and cannot be answer-
ed satisfactorily till the angel's explanation of the
heads and horns of the beast have been examined;
therefore it is added-
}
Verse 9. Here is the mind 'which hath wisdom-It
was said before, chap. xiii. 18. Here is wisdom; let
him that hath a mind or understanding, count the num-
ber of the beast. Wisdom, therefore, here means a cor-
rect view of what is intended by the number 666; con-
sequently, the parallel passage, Here is the mind which
hath wisdom, is a declaration that the number of the
beast must first be understood, before the angel's in-
terpretation of the vision concerning the whore and
the beast can admit of a satisfactory explanation.
1
}
The seven heads are seven mountains on which the
woman sitteth. This verse has been almost universal-
ly considered to allude to the seven hills upon which
Rome originally stood. But it has been objected that
modern Rome is not thus situated; and that, conse-
quently, pagan Rome is intended in the prophecy,
This is certainly a very formidable objection against
the generally received opinion among Protestants, that
papal Rome is the city meant by the woman sitting
upon seven mountains. It has been already shown
that the woman here mentioned is an emblem of the
Latin Church in her highest state of antichristian pros
*
Malalamik
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
131
perity; and, therefore, the city of Rome, seated upon
seven mountains, is not at all designed in the prophecy.
In order to understand this Seripture aright, the word
mountains must be taken in a figurative and not a lite-
ral sense, as in chap. vi. 14. and xvi. 20. See also Isa.
ii. 2, 14. Jer. li. 25. Dan. ii. 35, &c. In which it is
unequivocally the emblem of great and mighty power.
The mountains upon which the woman sitteth, must be
therefore, seven great powers; and as the mountains
are heads of the beast, they must be the seven greatest
eminences of the Latin world. As no other power was
acknowledged at the head of the Latin empire but that
of Germany, how can it be said that the beast has seven
heads? This question can only be solved by the feudal
constitution of the late Germanic league; the history
of which is briefly as follows:-At first kings alone
granted fiefs. They granted them to laymen only,
and to such only who were free; and the vassal had
no power to alienate them. Every freeman, and par-
ticularly the feudal tenants, were subject to the obliga-
tion of military duty, and appointed to guard their
sovereign's life, member, mind, and right honour.
Soon after, or perhaps a little before the extinction of
the Carlovingian dynasty in France, by the accession
of the Capetian line, and in Germany by the accession
of the house of Saxony, fiefs, which had been entirely
at the disposal of the sovereigu, became hereditary.
Even the offices of duke, count, margrave, &c. were
transmitted in the course of hereditary descent; and
mot long after the right of primogeniture was univer-
sally established. The crown-vassals usurped the
تو
132 EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
sovereign property of the land, with civil and military
authority over the inhabitants. The possession thus
usurped they granted out to their immediate tenants;
and these granted them over to others, in like manner.
Thus the principal vassals gradually obtained every
royal prerogative: they promulgated laws, exercised
the power of life and death, coined money, fixed the
standard of weights and measures, granted safe-guards,
entertained a military force, and imposed taxes, with
every right supposed to be annexed to royalty. In
their titles they styled themselves dukes, &c. Dei gra-
tia, by the grace of God, a prerogative avowedly con-
fined to sovereign power. It was even admitted, that,
if the king refused to do the lord justice, the lord might
make war upon him. The tenants, in their turn, made
themselves independant of their vassal-lords, by which
was introduced an ulterior state of vassallage. The
king was called the sovereign lord, his immediate vas-
sal was called the suzereign, and the tenants holding of
him were called the arrere vassals. (See Butler's Re-
volutions of the Germanic empire, pp. 54-66.) Thus
the power of the emperors of Germany, which was so
very considerable in the ninth century, was gradually
diminished by the means of the feudal system; and,
during the anarchy of the long interregnum, occasion-
ed by the interference of the popes in the election of
the emperors (from 1256 to 1273,) the imperial power
was reduced almost to nothing. Rudolph of Haps-
burgh, the founder of the house of Austria, was at
length elected emperor, because his territories and in-
fluence were so inconsiderable as to excite no jealousy
Jak
A
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
133
in the German princes, who were willing to preserve the
forms of constitution, the power and vigour of which
they had destroyed.-See Robertson's Introduction
to his History of Charles V. Before the dissolution
of the empire, in 1806, Germany "presented a com-
plex association of principalities, more or less power-
ful, and more or less connected, with a nominal sove-
reignty in the emperor, as its supreme feudal chief."
There were about three hundred princes of the empire,
each sovereign in his own country, and might enter
into alliances, and pursue, by all political measures,
his own private interest, as other sovereigns do; for,
if even an imperial war were declared, he might
remain neuter, if the safety of the empire were not
at stake.
1
Here then was an empire of a construction, without
exception, the most singular and intricate that ever
appeared in the world; for the emperor was only the
chief of the Germanic confederation. Germany was,
therefore, speaking in the figurative language of Scrip-
ture, a country abounding in hills, or containing an
immense number of distinct principalities. But the
different German States, (as has been before observed,)
did not each possess an equal share of power and in-
fluence; some were more eminent than others. Among
them there were also a few which might, with the
greatest propriety, be denominated mountains, or states
possessing a very high degree of political importance.
But the seven mountains on which the woman sits must
have their elevations above all the other eminences in
the whole Latin world; consequently, they can be no
RF
M
134
The
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
other than the seven electorates of the German empire.
These were, indeed, mountains of vast eminence; for
in their sovereigns was vested the sole power of electing
the head of the empire. But this was not all; for,
besides the power of electing an emperor, the electors
had a right to capitulate with the new head of the cm-
pire, to dictate the conditions on which he was to reign,
and to depose him if he broke those conditions. They
actually deposed Adolphus of Nassau in 1298, and
Wenceslaus in 1400. They were sovereign and inde-
pendent princes in their respective dominions, had the
´privilegium de non appellando illimitatum, that of ma-
king war, coining, and exercising every act of sove-
reignty; they formed a separate college in the diet of
the empire, and had among themselves a particular co--
venant; or league, called Kur verein; they had prece-
dence of all the other princes of the empire, and even
ranked with kings. The head of the beast, understood
in this way, is one of the finest emblems of the Ger-
man constitution which can possibly be conceived; for
as the Roman empire of Germany had the precedence
of all the other monarchies of which the Latin empire
was composed, the seven mountains very fitly denote
the seven PRINCIPAL powers of what has been named
the Holy Roman empire. And, also, as each electo-
rate, by virtue of its union with the Germanic body,
was more powerful than any other Roman Catholic
state of Europe, not so united; so was each electorate,
in the most proper sense of the word, one of the high-
est elevations in the Latin world. The time when the
seven electorates of the empire were first instituted, is
་
M
wat
EXPECTED GTIRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
135
very uncertain. The most probable opinion appears
to be that which places their origin sometime in the
thirteenth century. The uncertainty, however, in this
respect, does not in the least weaken the evidence of
the mountains being the seven clectorates, but rather
confirms it; for, as we have already observed, the rep-
resentation of the woman sitting upon the beast, is a
figure of the Latin church in the period of her greatest
authority, spiritual and temporal; this we know did
not take place before the commencement of the four-
teenth century, a period subsequent to the institution of
the seven electorates. Therefore the woman sits upon
the seven mountains, or the German empire in its elec-
tive aristocratical state: she is said to sit upon them, to
denote that she has the whole German empire under her
direction and authority, and also that it is her chict
support and strength. Supported by Germany, she is
under no apprehension of being successfully opposed
by any other power: she sits upon the seven mountains,
therefore she is higher than the seven highest eminen-
ces of the Latin world; she must therefore, have the
secular Latin empire under her complete subjection.
But this state of eminence did not continue above two
or three centuries: the visible declension of the papal
power in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries occa-
sioned partly by the removal of the papal see from
Rome to Avignon, and more particularly by the great
schism from 1377 to 1417, though considered one of
the remote causes of the Reformation, was at first the
means of merely transferring the supreme power from
the pope to a general council, while the dominion of
<
J
#t
130
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
the Latin church remained much the same. At the
Council of Constance, March 30, 1415, it was de-
creed that the synod being lawfully assembled in the
name of the Holy Ghost, which constituted the general
council, and represented the whole Catholic church mil-
itant, had its power immediately from Jesus Christ;
and that every person, of whatsoever state or dignity,'
even the pope himself, is obliged to obey it in what con-
cerns the faith, the extirpation of schism, and the gen-
eral reformation of the church in its head and mem-
bers." The council of Basil, of 1432, decreed, "that
every one of whatever dignity or condition, not except-
ing the pope himself, who shall refuse to obey the or-
dinances and decrees of this general council, or any
other, shall be put under penance, and punished. It
is also declared that the pope has no power to dissolve
the general council without the consent and decree of
the assembly."-See the third Tome of Du, Pin's Ec-
clesiastical History. But what gave the death-blow
to the temporal sovereignty of the Latin church was
the light of the glorious Reformation, which first broke
"out in Germany in 1517; and in a very few years
gained its way not only over several of the great princi-
palities of Germany, but was also made the established re-
ligion of other popish countries. Consequently, in the
sixteenth century the woman no longer sat upon the
seven mountains, the electorates not only having refu-
sed to be ruled. by her, but some of them having also
despised and abandoned her doctrines. The changes,
therefore, which were made in the seventeenth, eigh
teenth, and nineteenth centuries in the number of the
7
}
moder
•W
1
养
​1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN •
137
MILLENNIUM.
!
electorates, will not affect in the least the interpreta-
tion of the seven mountains already given. The seven
electors were the archbishops of Mentz, Cologne, and
Triers, the count palatine of the Rhine, the duke of
Saxony, the marquis of Brandenburgh, and the king
of Bohemia. But the heads of the beast have a
double signification, for the angel says,
Verse 10. And there are seven kings-Before it was
said, they are seven mountains; here, they are also seven
kings, which is a demonstration 'that kingdoms are "not
here meant by mountains; and this is a further argu-
ment that the seven electorates are represented by
seven mountains, for though the sovereigns of these
states ranked with kings, they were not kings; that is
to say, they were not absolute and solc lords of the ter-
ritories they possessed, independently of the emperor;
for their states formed a part of the Germanic body.
But the seven heads of the beast are also seven kings;
that is to say, the Latin empire has had seven supreme-
forms of government; for king is used in the prophet-
ical writings for any supreme governor of a state or
people, as is evident from Deut. xxxiii. 5. where Moses
is called a king. Of these seven kings, or supreme
forms of Latin government, the angel informs St
John.
Five are fallen and one is-It is well known that the
first form of Latin government was that of kings, which
continued after the death of Latinus 428 years, till the
building of Rome, B. C. 758. After Numitor's de-
cease, the Albans or Latins, instituted the form of a
republic, and were governed by dictators. We have
M*
138
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
!
1
1
only the names of two, viz. Cluilius and Meteus, Fu-
fetius or Suffetius; but as the dictatorship continued
at least eighty-eight years, there might have been
others, though their names and actions are unknown.
In the year before Christ 665, Alba, the metropolis of
the Latin nation, was destroyed by Tullus Hostilius,
the third king of the Romans, and the inhabitants car-
ried to Rome. This put an end to the monarchical
republic of the Latins: and the Latins elected two an-
nual magistrates, whom Licinius calls dictators, but
who are called prætors by other writers. This form
of government continued till the time of P. Decius
Mus, the Roman consul; for Festus, in his fourteenth
book, informs us, "that the Albans enjoyed prosperity
till the time of king Tullus; but that Alba being then
destroyed, the consuls, till the time of P. Decius Mus,
held a consultation with the Latins at the head of Fe-
rentina, and the empire was governed by the council of
both nations." The Latin nation was entirely subju-
gated by the Romans B. C. 336, which put an end to
the government by prætors, after it had continued up-
wards of three hundred years. The Latins from this
time ceased to be a nation, as it respects the name;
therefore the three forms of government already men-
tioned were those which the Latins had during that
period which the angel speaks of, when he says, the
beast which thou sawest WAS.
But as five heads, or forms of government, had fallen
before St. John's time, it is evident that the two other
forms of government which had fallen, must be among
those of the Romans; first, because though the Latin
+
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
135
[T
nation so called was deprived of all authority by the
Romans, yet the Latin power continued to exist, for
the very conquerors of the Latin nation were Latins ;
and, consequently, the Latins, though a conquered
people, continued to have a LATIN government. Sec-
ondly, the angel expressly says, when speaking to St.
John, that one is, that is, the sixth head, or Latin form
of government, was then in existence, which could be
no other than the imperial power, this being the only
independent form of Latin government in the apos-
tolic age. It therefore necessarily follows, that the
Roman forms of government by which Latium was
ruled, must be the remaining heads of the beast.
Be-
fore the subjugation of the Latins by the Romans,
four of the Roman or Draconic forms of government
had fallen, the regal power, the dictatorship, the de-
cemvirate, and the consular power of the military tri-
bunes; the last of which was abolished about 366
years before the commencement of the Christian æra;
none of these, therefore, ruled over the whole Latin
nation. But as the Latins were finally subdued about
336 years B. C. the consular government of the Ro-
mans, which was then the supreme power in the state,
must be the fourth head of the beast. This form of
government continued, with very little interruption, till
the rising up of the triumvirate, the fifth head of the
beast, B. C. 43. The dictatorship of Sylla and Ju-
lius Cæsar could not be considered a new head of the
beast, as the Latins had already been ruled by it in the
persons of Cluilius and Fufetius. The sixth head of
the beast, or that which existed in the time of St. John,
140
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
was, consequently, as we have already proved, the im-
perial power of the heathen Cæsars, or the seventh
draconic form of government.
*
And the other is not yet come-Bishop Newton con-
siders the Roman duchy, under the eastern emperor's
lieutenant, the exarch of Ravenna, the seventh head of
the beast. But this cannot be the form of government
signified by the seventh head, for a head of the beast, as
we have already shown, is a supreme independent form
of Latin government; consequently, the Roman duchy
cannot be the seventh head, as it was dependent upon.
the exarchate of Ravenna: and the exarchate cannot
be the head, as itself was in subjection to the Greek em-
pire. The Rev. G. Faber has ascertained the truth
exactly, in denominating the Carlovingian patriciate
the seventh head of the beast. That this was a su-
preme independent form of government is evident from
history. Gibbon, in speaking of the patriciate, ob-
serves, that "the decrees of the senate and people
successively invested Charles Martel and his posterity
with the honours of patrician of Rome. The lead-
ers of a powerful nation would have disdained a ser-
vile title and subordinate office; but the reign of the
Greek emperors was suspended: and, in the vacancy
of the empire, they derived a more glorious commission
from the pope and the republic. The Roman ambas-
sadors présented these patricians with the keys of the
shrine of St. Peter, as a pledge and symbol of sove-
reignty; and with a holy banner, which it was their
duty to unfurl in defence of the church and city. In
the time of Charles Martel, and of Pepin, the interpo-
Madag
ہی
C
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
141
}
sition of the Lombard kingdom covered the freedom,
while it threatened the safety, of Rome; and the patri-
ciate represented only the title, the service, the alli-
ance, of these distant protectors. The power and
policy of Charlemagne annihilated an enemy and im-
posed a master. In his first visit to the capital, he was
received with all the honours which had formerly been
paid to the exarch, the representative of the emperor;
and these honours obtained some new decorations from
the joy and gratitude of Pope Adrian I.-In the por-
tico Adrian expected him at the head of his clergy;
they embraced as friends and equals: but, in their
march to the altar, the king, or patrician assumed the
right hand of the pope. Nor was the Frank content
with these vain and empty demonstrations of respect.
In the twenty-six years that elapsed between the con-
quest of Lombardy and his imperial coronation, Rome,
which had been delivered by the sword, was subjec-
ted, as his own, to the sceptre of Charlemagne. The
people swore allegiance to his person and family; in
his name money was coined, and justice was adminis¬
tered; and the election of the popes was examined and
confirmed by his authority. Except an original and
self-inherent claim of sovereignty, there was not any
prerogative remaining which the title of emperor
could add to the patrician of Rome," The seven
heads of the beast are, therefore, the following: The
Regal power, The Dictatorship, The power of the
Prætors, The Consulate, The Triumvirate, The Im
perial power, and The Patriciate,
And when he cometh, he must continue a short space-
1
+
1
142
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNÍUM.
$
The seventh form of government was only to remain
a short time, which was actually the case; for from its
first rise to independent power to its utter extinction,
there passed only about forty-five years, a short time
in comparison to the duration of several of the prece-
ding forms of government; for the primitive regal go-
vernment continued at least four hundred and twenty-
eight years; the dictatorship was in power about eigh-
ty-eight years; the power of the prætors was in being
for upwards of three hundred years; the consulate
lasted about two hundred and eighty years; and the
imperial power continued upwards of five hundred
years.
Het
Verse 11. And the beast that was, and is not, even
he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into
perdition. That is to say, the Latin kingdom that has
already been, but is now no longer nominally in exis-
tence, shall immediately follow the dissolution of the
seventh form of Latin government; and this dominion
is called an eighth, because it succeeds to the seventh.
Yet it is not an eighth head of the beast, because the
beast has only seven heads; for, to constitute a new
head of the beast, the form of government must not
only differ in nature, but also in name. This head of
the beast is, therefore, one of the seven.
ly, the form of government represented by this head is
the restoration of one of the preceding seven. The
restored head can be, therefore, no other than the regal
state of the Latins, or, in other words, the Latin king-
dom, which followed the patriciate, or seventh head of
Latin government. But the beast, in his eighth state,
Consequent-
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
143
or under his first head restored, goeth into perdition. No
other form of Latin government shall succeed; but the
beast, in his last or antichristian condition, shall be ta-
ken, together with the false prophet that wrought mira-
cles in his sight, "and cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone."
It is observable, that the eighth Latin power is call-
ed by the angel the beast, and also one of his heads.
This apparent discordance arises from the double sig-
nification of the heads; for if we take the beast upon
which the woman sits to be merely a representation of
that secular power which supports the Latin church,
then the seven heads will represent the seven electo-
rates of the Germanic empire; but if by the beast we
understand the general Latin empire from first to last,
then what is, according to the angel's first interpreta-
tion of the heads, called the beast, is, in this case, only
one of his heads. See on ver. 18.
Verse 12. And the ten horns which thou sawest are
ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet, but
receive power as kings one hour with the beast.-The
meaning of horns has already been defined when speak-
ing of those of the dragon. The meaning is, there-
fore, as follows: though the Latin empire be now in
existence, the ten horns refer to ten Latin kingdoms
yet in futurity, and consequently they have received no
dominion as yet, for that part of the Latin domina-
tion now in power is the sixth head, or imperial go-
vernment of the heathen Cæsars. But the ten statęs
of the Latins receive dominion as monarchies, at the
same time, with the beast, or that which ascendeth out
144
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
51
of the bottomless pit; consequently, the Latin empire
here intended, is the one which was in futurity in the
apostolic age.
Verse 13. These have one mind, and shall give their
power and strength unto the beast.-Therefore the ten
horns must constitute the principal strength of the Lat-
in empire; that is to say, this empire is to be composed
of the dominions of ten monarchs, independent of
each other in every other sense, except in their implicit
obedience to the Latin church. The beast, in this and
the preceding verse, is distinguished from its horns, as
the whole Latin empire is distinguished in history from
its constituent powers. See on ver. 16.
Yan
Verse 14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and
the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is the Lord of
lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him
are called, and chosen, and faithful.-The ten powers
of the beast must compose the secular kingdom of an-
tichrist; for they make war with the Lamb, who is
Christ Jesus. This is perfectly true of all popish
states; for they have constantly opposed as long as they
have had any secular power, the progress of pure
Christianity. They make war with the Lamb by per-
secuting His followers; but the Lamb shall overcome
them, for he is the Lord of lords, and King of kings;
all lords have their authority from Him and no king
can reign without Him; therefore the ten Latin kings
are God's ministers, to execute His vengeance upon
the idolatrous nations. But when these antichristian
monarchies have executed the Divine purpose, those
that are with the Lamb, the called, the chosen, and the
¿
41
ti
S
!
:
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM
145
7
?
faithful, those who have kept the truth in the love of it,
shall prevail against all their adversaries, because their
battles are fought by the Lamb, who is their God and
their Deliverer.See chap. xix. 19, 20.
Verse 15. And he saith unto me, The waters which
thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues." So many
words," Bishop Newton observes, "in the plural num-
ber, fitly denote the great extensiveness of her power
and jurisdiction:-She herself glories in the title of the
Catholic church, and exults in the number of her vo-
taries as a certain proof of the true religion. Cardi-
nal Bellarmin's first note of the true church is, the very
name of the Catholic church: and his fourth note is,
amplitude, or multitude, and variéty of believers, for
the truly Catholic church, says he, ought not only to
comprehend all ages, but likewise all places, all nations,
all kinds of men.
FORES
Verse 16. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon
the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make
her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and
burn her with fire.-Here is a clue to lead us to
the right interpretation of the horns of the beast. It
is said the ten horns shall hate the whore; by which is
evidently meant, when connected with what follows,
that the whole of the ten kingdoms in the interest of
the Latin church, shall finally despise her doctrines, be
reformed from popery, assist in depriving her of all in-
fluence, and in exposing her follies; and in the end
consign her to utter destruction. From this it follows
that no Roman Catholic power which did not exist se
N
146
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
late as the Reformation, can be numbered among the
horns of the beast; the horns must, therefore, be found
among the great states of Europe at the commence-
ment of the Reformation. These were exactly tem,
viz. France, Spain, England, Scotland, The Empire,
Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Ilungary, and Portugal.
In these were comprehended most of the minor states,
not styled monarchies; and which, from their first risc
to the period of the Reformation, had been subdued by
one or more of the ten grand Roman Catholic powers
already named. Consequently, these ten constituted
the power and strength of the beast; and each minor
state is considered a part of that monarchy under the
authority of which it was finally reduced, previously to
the Reformation.
1
But, it may he asked, how could the empire, which
was the revived head of the beast, have been at the
same time one of its horns? The answer is as fol-
lows: horns of an animal, in the language of prophe-
cy, represent the powers of which that empire or king-
dom symbolized by the animal is composed. Thus
the angel, in his interpretation of Daniel's vision of the
ram and he-goat, expressly informs us, that "the ram
with two horns are the kings of Media and Persia."
One of the horns of the ram, therefore, represented
the kingdom of Media, and the other the kingdom of
Persia; and their union in one animal denoted the
united kingdom of Media and Persia, viz. the Medo-
Persian empire. In like manner the beast with ten
horns denotes that the empire represented by the beast
as composed of ten distinct powers; and the ten horns.
1
喜
​}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
147
L
being united in one beast, very appropriately show that
the monarchies symbolized by these horns are united
together to form one empire; for we have already
shown, in the notes on chap. xiii. ver. 1. that a beast is
the symbol of an empire. Therefore, as the horns of
an animal, agrecably to the angel's explanation, (and
we can give no higher authority) represent all the pow-
ers of which that domination symbolized by the ani-
mal is composed, the Roman empire of Germany, as
one of those monarchies which gave their power and
strength to the Latin empire, must, consequently, have
been A HORN of the beast. But the Germanic empire
was not only a LATIN power, but at the same time was
acknowledged by all Europe to have precedency of all
the others. Therefore, as it is not possible to express
these two circumstances by one symbol, it necessarily
follows, from the nature of symbolical language, that
what has been named the Holy Roman empire must
have a double representation. Hence the empire, as
one of the powers of the Latin monarchy, was a horn
of the beast, and, in having precedency of all the oth-
ers, was its revived head.
1
Verse 17. For God hath put in their hearts to ful-
fil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto
the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.-
Let no one imagine that these ten Latin kingdoms, be-
cause they support an idolatrous worship, have been
raised up merely by the power of man, or the chances
of war. No kingdom or state can exist without the
will of God; therefore let the inhabitants of the world
tremble, when they see a wicked monarchy rise to pow
¿
C
148
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
¿
er; and let them consider that it is raised up by the
Lord to execute His vengeance upon the idola-
tries and profligacies of the times. It is said of the
kings in communion with the church of Rome, that
God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will. How is
this divine will accomplished? In the most awful and
aflictive manner! In causing ten Latin kings to unite
their dominions into one mighty empire for the defence
of the Latin church. Here is a dreadful dispensation
of Jehovah; but it is such as the nations have most
righteously deserved, because when they had the truth,
they lived not according to its most holy requisitions,
but loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. Therefore hath "the Lord sent them
strong delusion that they should believe a lie, that they
night all be damned who believe not the truth, but
have pleasure in unrighteousness." But this deplora-.
ble state of the world is not perpetual; it can only
continue till every word of God is fulfilled upon his
enemies; and when this time arrives, (which will be
that of Christ's second advent,) then shall the son of
God slay that wicked "with the spirit of His mouth,
and shall consume him with the brightness of His
COMING."
Sā.
Verse 18. And the woman which thou sawest is that
great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.-
It has already been shown that the woman sitting upon
the seven-headed beast is a representation of the Latin
church; here we have the greatest assurance that it is
80, because the woman is called a city, which is a much
plainer emblem of a church, as the word is used un-
Anglernagingpinn
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
149
}
f
ces.
equivocally in this sense in so many parts of Scripture
that we cannot well mistake its meaning.-See chap.
iii. 12. xi. 2. xxi. 10. xxii. 19. and also Psa. xlvi. 4.
lxxxvii. 3. Heb. xii. 22, &c. The woman, therefore,
must be the Latin church; and as the apostle saw her
sitting upon the beast, this must signify that she hath a
KINGDOM Over the kings of the earth, i. e. over the
kings of the Latin world, for that this is the meaning
of earth, has been shown before in numerous instan-
That KINGDOM which the woman has over the
kings of the Latin world, or secular Latin empire, or
in other words, the kingdom of the Latin church, is
the numbered Latin kingdom, or, Romish hierarchy.-
See on chap. xiii. 18. The woman is called a great
city, to denote the very great extent of her jurisdiction;
for she has comprehended within her walls the subjects
of the mighty dominations of France, Spain, England,
Scotland, The Empire, Sweden, Denmark, Poland,
Hungary, and Portugal. What an extensive city was
this! Surely such as to justify the prophetic denomi-
nation that great city.
The
sedi,
bgenang dig
Having now gone through the whole of the angel's
interpretation of St. John's vision of a whore sitting
upon the seven-headed and ten-horned beast, it will be
essentially necessary to examine a little more attentive-
ly the eighth verse of this chapter. It has already been .
shown that the phrases was, is not, shall ascend out of
the bottomless pit, and yet is, refer to the Latin king-
dom which existed before the building of Rome; to
the Roman empire in the time of St. John; and to the
Latin empire which was in futurity in the apostolic age.
N*
150
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
But as the words was, is not, &c. are spoken of the
beast upon which the apostle saw the woman, or Latin
church, sit; how can it be said of this beast that it had
an existence before the date of the Apocalypse, when
the woman, whom it carried, was not in being till long
after this period? And what connexion has the Latin
empire of the middle ages with that which derived its
name from Latinus, king of the Aborigines, and was
subjugated by the ancient Romans; or even with that
which existed in the time of the apostle? The answer
is as follows:-St John saw the beast upon which the
woman sat, with all his seven heads and ten horns.
Consequently, as the angel expressly says, that five of
these seven heads had already fallen in the time of the
vision, it therefore necessarily follows, that the apostle
must have seen that part of the Latin empire represen-
ted by the seven headed beast, which had already been
under the emblem of five heads. Therefore, the wo-
man sat upon the beast that WAS. But it is plain,
from the angel's interpretation, that the whole of the
seven heads fell, before the beast upon which the wo-
man sat, arose; and yet, the woman is represented as
sitting upon the seven-headed beast, to denote, as we
have before observed, that it is the Latin kingdom in
its last estate, or under one of its heads restored, which
is the secular kingdom of antichrist. The beast is al-
so said not to have any existence in the time of the vis-
ion; from which it is evident that the monarchy of the
Latins, and not that of the Romans is here intended:
because the latter was in the time of the vision. Again,
the beast which St. John saw had not ascended out of
}
{
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
151
the bottomless pit in his time; consequently, the whole
seven heads and ten horns were in futurity; for all these
heads and horns rose up out of the abyss at the same
time with the beast. How is this apparent contradic-
tion reconciled? In the most plain and satisfactory
manner, by means of the angel's double interpretation
of the heads. For if the seven heads be taken in the
sense of seven mountains, (head, in the Scripture style,
being a symbol of precedency as well as supremacy,)
then the beast with all his heads and horns was alto-
gether in futurity in the apostle's time, for the seven
heads are the seven electorates of the German empire,
and the ten horns the ten monarchies in the interest of the
Latin church. Finally, the beast is said to exist in the
time of the vision; therefore, the Roman empire, which
governed the world, must be here alluded to; and,
consequently, the phrase and yet is, is a proof that as
the beast is the Latin kingdom, and this beast is said to
have an existence in the time of the apostle, that the
empire of the Cæsars, though generally known by
the name of the Roman, is in a very proper sense the
Latin kingdom, as the Latin was the language which
prevailed in it. Hence the seven-headed and ten-
horned-beast is at once the representation of the an-
cient Latin power; of the Roman empire which suc-
ceeded it; and of the Latin empire which supports the
Latin church. Here is then the connexion of the an-
cient Latin and Roman powers with that upon which
the woman sits. She sits upon the beast that was and
is not, because three of his heads represent the three
forms of government which the ancient Latins had be
162*
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
fore they were subjugated by the Romans, viz. The Re-
gal Power, The Dictatorship, and the Power of the
Prætors. She sits upon the beast which shall ascend
out of the bottomless pit, because all his seven heads,
taken in the sense of mountains, were in futurity in the
apostolic age. She sits upon the beast that yet is, be-
cause four of his heads represent four forms of go-
vernment of the Roman or Latin empire now in exis-
tence, viz. The Consulate, The Triumvirate, The Im-
perial power, and the Patriciate. It is hence evident
that the beast, in the largest acceptation of this term, ist
a symbol of the Latin power in general from its com-
mencement in Latinus, to the end of time; its seven
heads denoting seven kings, or supreme forms of Latin
government, during this period, king or kingdom, as
we have already observed, being a general term in the
prophetical writings for any kind of supreme governor
or government, no matter by what particular name such
may have been designated among men. Thus the
Latin power, from the time of Latinus to the death of
Numitor, was the beast under the dominion of his first
head; from the death of Numitor to the destruction of
Alba, it was the beast under the dominion of his sec-
ond head; from the destruction of Alba to the final
subjugation of the Latins by the Romans, it was the
beast under the dominion of his third head. And as
the four Roman forms of government which were sub-
sequent to the final conquests of the Latins, were also
Latin dominations, the Latin power under these forms
of government was the beast under the dominion of his
fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh heads. The beast of
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
153
the bottomless pit which followed the fall of all the
heads of the sea-beast, or general Latin empire, is, ac-
cording to the angel's interpretation, an eighth king,
¿. e. an eighth species of Latin power, or, in other
words, a supreme form of Latin government essentially
differing from all the foregoing: yet as it is nominally
the same with one of the preceding seven, it is not ac-
counted an eighth head of the beast. The first beast of
chap. xiii. is a description of the eighth or last condi-
tion of the general Latin empire, and is said to arise
out of the sea, because the heads are there taken in a
double sense, sea being a general term to express the
origin of every great empire which is raised up by the
sword; but when (as in verse 11.) one of the heads of
the sea-beast (viz. that secular power which is still in
being, and has supported the Latin church for more
than a thousand years) is peculiarly styled the beast,
the Holy Ghost, speaking of this secular Latin empire,
exclusively declares it to be FROM the bottomless pit.
S
But when the light of the great Reformation had
began to shine, and, in the progress of ages, to detect
the errors and expose the labarynths and ramifications.
of the above described Pagan and Papal powers, it
would seem the arch seducer had in reserve another ex-
pedient of opposition to the Gospel. For when, in
the process of a few centuries after the aggrandizement
of the Roman Church, after it had thrown its spells of
darkness and clouds of superstition over many coun- .
tries, their arose from their midst and out of their
own filth, a monster, the direct effect of their own
errors, and which fell upon their own mother like
C
154
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Milton's hell-hounds, and destroyed her for the time.
being in that place. This was done when the Atheists
destroyed all the clergy of France in the time of their
revolution. Here again is evident the depths of satan,
in the upraising of this infidel beast, who, notwith-
standing it hated the whore the Roman church; it laid
a foundation for heresy, which may exist when its
own parent has lost her power among the nations ;
which probably will not be till after Italy is destroyed
by fire. This heresy is atheism, and has been, and
will be propagated in four different ways, or rather by
the means of four certain sects, which I forbear to name,
These sentiments in their effects respecting the true
character of Christ, have been, and will continue to
be, in their teachings, the same that Mahomet taught.
of Him, namely, that he was only a finite being. But
undoubtedly it is all one with satan whether the great
red dragon, the ancient heathen Roman power, or the
scarlet coloured beast of Papal Rome, or the atheisti-
cal beast of France, or the scintillations of that last
meteor of hell rule among the nations; any thing with
satan is equal; if the direct effect of the true faith be
prevented. These errors which I call the scintillations
of that last meteor of hell, are they which are now
spreading to an alarming extent, in a very secret way,
and will probably be the last distinguishing marks of
the wicked before the second Advent of Christ.
ļ
147
VRİ
}
Atheists deny the being of a God, Deists deny the
Son of God, and some there are who deny the Divin-
ity of the Son of God; and others, who, while they al-
low Him to be Divine, deny his equality with the God-
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
155
Head; others again lower the standard of penal law
against sin, and say, the good and the bad shall all
finally be happy in heaven together. Atheists have a
thought very similar to this; they say there is no real
difference between good and bad actions, but are only
relatively so. From which it appears to me that there
is but little difference, whether a man denies the being
of God, or denies the Son of God, or denies the true
character of the Son of God, or denies the penal laws
of God, or denies their being any real difference be-
tween what is called good or bad actions; for all
these streams flow finally into that dead sea of error,
some how or at some period (so pertended) get rid
of the eternal punishment threatened against finally im-
penitent sinners, in the Scriptures.
Back
At the head of all infidelity stands the horrible Vol-
taire, who is justly considered the great chief of all
false theology; and on the account of his unparallel-
led industry and struggles to destroy Christianity,
should be considered as the head, under satan, of all
infidels, of every shade whether before his time or
since; and till time shall end. He was always urging
his adherents to strike, and to strike deep, but conceal
the band; i. e. in their writings and labours to stab
the cause of the Son of God; but keep themselves hid
from the public, lest their books should be undervalued,
and their invectives lose their force.
In the time of the French revolution in 1790, it is
probable that this sect of infidels arrived to their ze-
nith, at which time they usurped the reins of govern
ment, and abolished all religion that had any relation
'
156
ì
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
to a Supreme Being, and murdered by tens of thou-
sands its adherents, and abolished the Sabbath, created
a new week consisting of ten days, and thus endea-
voured to change the times which was established from
the beginning.
1
This body of self-styled philosophers, in common
council decreed that there is no God, and that death is
an eternal sleep, and endeavoured to revive the Pagan
worship, by actually dressing in a fantastical manner,
an infamous woman kept by Herbert the Atheist, by
the name of Mormoro, whom they inaugurated the
Goddess of Reason, and was led at the head of a grand
procession to the church of Notredame, the Cathedral
of Paris, where she was solemnly placed on a throne of
turf and flowers, to whom the atheist multitude burnt
incense on an altar before her.
Y lag
Voltaire, towards the end of his time, made in wri-
ting to a friend of his the following remark: "You
bury your talents; you only contemn whilst you should
abhor and destroy the monster;" meaning Christ,
and then calls upon him to comfort him in his old age
by so doing. Notwithstanding Voltaire so violently
opposed the Christian religion, he was a great friend
to the Socinian church as well as all the French infidels,
for in their war against Christianity, they "considered
the Socinians their worthy allies :" they knew the sen-
timent would lead directly to deism; hence Voltaire ex-
pressed himself to the king of Prussia, persuading him
to patronise that church; which leads me to suspect
that he belonged to that communion. Under such a
cloak, as being most congenial-he might shoot out
his envenomed shafts of infidelity, which continue to cor-
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
157
}
fupt to the present day; for it is a fact, however in-
credible it may appear, that now there are many Athe-
ists who are as sanguine as any other grade of infidels
are of their opinions. *
This same spirit of infidelity, such as was propaga-
ted by Voltaire and his coadjutors before that tremen-
dous explosion, the French revolution, from bad to
worse, has continued to foment and insinuate itself into
the hearts of many countries; and will finally, some
time in the next century, become the direct cause of
wars and persecutions the most horrible against Chris-
tianity. This power will probably act in unison with
the great Roman monster, (as once Pilate and Herod
became friends to kill Christ) who about that time will
be occupied in its last struggle for power, when Italy
shall be sunk into the depths beneath and "utterly
burned with fire."
If in the times of Voltaire, Atheism taught that there
is no moral difference between the actions of men, it
teaches the same now: this I have learned from per-
sonal debates with Atheists to be the fact. As they
taught then, that God is nothing, that government is a
curse, and authority is a usurpation, that civil society is
the only apostacy of man, that the possession of prop-
erty is robbery, that chastity and natural affection are
mere prejudices; and that adultery, assassination, poi-
soning, and other crimes of a similar nature, are law-
ful, and even virtuous: abstractly considered from all re-
lation to political society; so they teach now. This doc-
trine has been propagated under the auspices of a cer
tain society, styled the Illumiati, which originated in
✓
* Witness the present publication of. Voltaire's atheistical pamphlets at
New York.
Q
Wat
یلم
158
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
France in the days of Jacobinism, and has, in the
most secret and subtle manner, accomplished the crea-
tion of many societies of the same kind in several
countries, and even in America, covering themselves
with the sacred cloak of Free-Masonry. See Smith
on the prophecies, page 174. And it is greatly to be
feared, that even now, Atheism, with its accompanying
satellites, is rapidly increasing, especially in Christen-
dom, under the specious titles chosen by certain sects,
who ascribe to the Son of God all honor, except that
which is wholly his due, which is, that men should honour
the Son even as the Father; but by not so doing, they
bring Him down as equal only with the finite which he
created. This is unquestionably a continuation and
kindred of that mystery of iniquity, which was foretold
by St. Paul should arise; and, as I have before obser-
ved, it is quite equal, with Satan, what errors men em-
brace, so that Christ is not so believed on, as to save
the soul by faith. So I say again: it is equal with Sa-
tan, whether, in Pagan countries, idolatry prevails, or
in other countries, if the woman, sitting on the scarlet.
coloured beast, prevails; or in others, if barefaced
atheism prevails, as once in France; or if any other
doctrine prevails, which does not exalt Jesus Christ to
the throne of Omnipotence, and equality with the Fa-
ther, with whom he existed from everlasting, but be-
came incarnate, and shall exist to everlasting, one indi-
visible God, Father, Word, and Holy Ghost.
Arianism, which is justly considered a heresy, had
an early commencement, and came to its greatest
strength and popularity about the year, A. D. 600. It
{
س
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
159
had spread into many countries. Emperors and kings
embraced the scheme, and became its furious advo-
cates, and enforced their doctrine by the arms of Goths
and Vandals, and persecuted the church in opposition
to them with great severity. Smith on the Prophecies,
page 449. This monster has, from time to time, lifted
its gorgon head since the days of Arius, for acceptance
among men; and it is a fearful fact, that even now that
sentiment - poisons all ranks of irreligious men to an
alarming degree. Notwithstanding it has been from
age to age refuted as unsound, yet it lives, and will
live, deceiving and being deceived, till the time arrives
when God shall arise in his might, and destroy infidelity
in all its ramifications, by a destruction of its adherents
before the time of the Millennium. But in the midst of
all this increase of wickedness, the gospel will also
prevail, and be carried into all heathen nations of the
earth; but the numbers who shall be saved thereby, it
is feared, will be small in comparison of the immense
numbers of sinners, who will reject it or neglect it ; for
while thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of
thousands, will be converted by the gospel all along
till the Millennium, there will be found millions who
will despise it.
But a small minority of mankind, since the first pro-
mise of a Saviour, has accepted of him, there were but
few who were ready to enter into the ark when the
flood came, and but few received and believed in the
Messiah when he appeared at Jerusalem; and but few,
in comparison of the great mass of men who will be on
the earth when the Millennium shall have nearly arrived,
160
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN, MILLENNIUM.
will be ready to enter into its joys and immunities when
the trumpet shall sound. The days of the trial of the
inhabitants of earth is now drawing to a close, for God
has said that his spirit shall not always strive with man.
The time will soon come, when God will say, All the
the day long I have stretched out my arm, but no man
regardeth it. Ye have set at nought all my counsels,
and would none of my reproofs. I also will laugh at
your calamity, and mock when your fear cometh. Wher
your fear cometh as a desolation, and your destruction
as a whirlwind, then shall they call upon me, but I will
not answer.
In the beginning, God was six days in making the
solar system, but he rested on the seventh: wherefore
it is said, six days shalt thou labour, but the seventh is
the Sabbath. Now God has labored, when the Millen-
nium shall have come, six thousand years with the great
family of man, rising up early, and crying, O, do not
this abominable thing that I hate-offering to all the
race of inan grace and mercy, in the dispensation of
his wisdom and providence,
}
From the view I have given of my fellow man, I
am led to believe that they will increase in wickedness,
as the years draw nigh to the close of the great week.
It is probable that before that time arrives, there will
be a tremenduous and dreadful persecution, which will
arise in every part of the world nearly at the same
time, as the allied powers of Satan have once before
arose, for the Mahomedans, Arians and Roman Cath
olics came into being about the same period of time.
It will be needful, therefore, in order that the Mil-
A
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
161
lennium may sustain the character of rest, peace and ho-
liness, for God to remove all the wicked from the face
of the earth, at the same time when Satan shall be
bound and shut up.
For if the father of sinners is
taken away, why shall not his children share a similar
fate? And that this shall be the doom of Satan is cer-
tain, because the evangelist John has said, And I saw
an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. This
chain should be considered only as descripuve of the
power of God to bind or curtail, effectually and totally,
the evil influence and power of Satan, who will be un-
doubtedly confined and located to the place which was
prepared, (and therefore created) for the devil and his
angels, when first they fell from heaven, or from their
first estate, and is situate somewhere in the great field
of space, where he, with all his demoniac companions,
who fell from heaven with him, shall be confined. See
Rev. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old ser-
pent, which is the devil and satan, and bound him a
thousand years
pal
"
0*
}
SIXTH DIVISION.
Considers the way and manner in which it is probable God will
remove the wicked from among the living, for they shall not en-
ter into that land of promise.
17
1
I
Twelve million men, or more, in the deep flood
Were drown'd, because they sinn'd against their God;
And when the Egyptian king, and tawny host,
The Jews pursa'd, were in the Red Sea lost :
So in the last great war, through all the world,
From life to death the wicked shall be hurl'd.
i
? ༽
F
1
1
+
THE dealings of God with notorious sinners in for
mer ages, is a criterion by which we can be guided to a
tolerable degree of certainty, relating to the above sup-
posed total destruction of all the wicked just previous
to the Millennium.
Our first instance shall be the case of the antedelu-
vians, of whom it is stated in the Scriptures, that they
had wholly corrupted their way before God-their
crimes and abominations cried to the very heavens, and
howled through all the habitations of men. Violence,
bloodshed, rapine and plunder, was doubtless their uni-
versal character: Therefore, God said concerning
them, The end of all flesh is come before me. Conse
quently, he brought the flood upon the whole earth, im
IN
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.,
163
·
the year of the world 1656, in which perished all the
race of men, Noah excepted, and his family.
A second public testimony, which God has exhibited
against sinners, though not so fatally accompanied as
to produce death among the offenders, was the case of
the builders of the tower and city of Babel.
The particular sin of which this great compact were
guilty, was, their intention of placing, at the very pin-
nacle of their tower when finished, an idol, with a
sword, which idol was to be to them a talisman, to
whom they intended to look for protection and success
in war.
See Clark on Genesis.
This great tower stood on the river Euphrates, in
the country where was built the city of Babylon in af-
ter times on the plains of Shinar, and is spoken of by
several historians. It is stated that Nebuchadnezzar
beautified and adorned it for idolatrous purposes, an
account of which, and of the confusion of tongues, is
given by several ancient authors. Herodotus şṣaw and
described it. A Sybil, whose oracle is yet extant,
spoke both of it and the confusion of tongues. A his-
tory of this tower, and of many remains of ancient
facts respecting it, is found in the Chaldean writings
and records.
But for building this tower God was displeased, and
manifested his displeasure by confounding their lan-
guage, and scattering them abroad in the earth. I
shall here insert an extract from the Chaldean history,
(copied from Clark) concerning this tower, by Bo-
CHART, who observes, that these things are taken from
the Chaldeans, who preserved many remains of ancient
}
164
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLEN NIUM.
t
A
facts, and though they often add circumstances, yet
they are, in general, in some sort dependent on the
text. 1. They say, Babel was builded by the giants,
because Nimrod, one of the builders, is called in. the
Hebrew text gibbor, a mighty man, or, as the Septua-
gint has it, a giant. 2. These giants, they say, sprang
from the earth, because in Genesis 10, 11, it is said, he
went minhaarets hahie, i. e. out of that earth; but in
the English translation it is, Out of that land went
forth Ashur; but this is rather spoken of Ashur, who
was another of the Babel builders. 3. These giants
are said to have waged war with the Gods, because it
is said of Nimrod, Genesis 10, 9, he was a mighty hun-
ter before the Lord; or, as others have rendered it, a
warrior and a rebel against the Lord. These giants
are said to have raised a tower up to heaven, as if they
had intended to have ascended thither. This appears
to have been founded on, and its top shall reach to hea-
ven. 4. It is said that the Gods sent strong winds
against them, which dispersed both them and their work.
This appears to have been taken from the Chaldean
history, in which it is said their dispersion was made to
The four winds of heaven, be arba ruchey schemyia, i.
e. to the four winds of the world. 5. And because
the verb phuts or naphats, used by Moses in the origi-
nal, signifies not only to scatter, but also to break to
pieces, whence thunder. Isa. 30, 30, is called nephets
in the original, a breaking to pieces; hence, they sup-
posed the whole work was broken to pieces, and over-
turned. It is probable, from this disguised representa-
tion of the Hebrew text, that the Greek and Roman
2
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
165
I
poets took their fable of the giants waging war with
the Gods, and piling mountain upon mountain in order
to scale heaven.
%
Concerning their language, which was spoken at the"
building of Babel, it is likely it was one, and was com-
posed of monosyllables-that each had a distinct ideal
meaning, and only one meaning; as different accepta-
tions of the same word would undoubtedly arise, either
from compounding terms, or when there were but few
words in a language, using them by a different mode of
'pronunciation to express a variety of things. Where
this simple monosyllabic language prevailed, and it
must have prevailed in the first ages of the world, men
would necessarily have simple ideas, and a correspon-
ding simplicity of manners. The Chinese language is
exactly such as this; and the Hebrew, if stripped of its
vowel points, and its prefixes, suffixes, and postfixes,
separated from their combinations so that they might
stand by themselves, it would answer nearly to this cha
rácter, even in its present state. In order, therefore,
to remove this unity of sentiment and design, which I
suppose to be the necessary consequence of such a lan-
guage, caused them to articulate the same word diffe-
rently, to affix different ideas to the same term, and,
perhaps, by transposing of syllables and interchanging
of letters from new terms and compounds, so that the
mind of the speaker was apprehended by the hearer in
a contrary sense to what was intended.
1
A third and more terrible overthrow of sinners is
demonstrated by the destruction of the four cities,
which were in the vale of Sodom and Gomorrah, The
A
166
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
20 A
tract of country called Sodom and Gomorrah, was
eighteen miles wide by seventy long, but is now filled.
with water, and is called the Dead Sea.
From the bottom, it is said by Dr. Clark, arises fre-
quently large lumps of a bitumenous matter, from
which a foetid odour escapes. A phenomenon also of
the same nature, though more surprising, is frequently
seen in these dreary waters, which is, the rising up of
large hemispheres of this bitumen, which, as soon as
they touch the surface, and are acted on by the exter-
nal air, burst at once with a great smoke and noise.
This happens generally near the shore; but farther
out in the deep is as frequently soon large columns of
smoke to suddenly shoot up from the bottom. From
this phenomena, it is supposed that beneath this sea is
still a subterranean fire; hence, some authors have as-
serted, that Sodom still continue to burn, and has
burnt from the day of its ruin till now: From which
circumstance, I should certainly suppose that those ci-
ties, and the territory on which they stood, was de-
stroyed by the eruption of subterranean fire, rather
than by lightning, which some have thought, in glan-
cing along on the surface of the earth, might have
caught accidentally, and fired the bitumenous substance
of this plain, of which it was chiefly composed. But un-
doubtedly it was a storm of fire just then created for that
express purpose; for in that case, it was as easy for
God to pour down from the atmosphere, a shower of fire.
and brimstone, as it was for him, as the request of Eli-
jah the prophet, to send a flash or great flame of fire
from heaven, twice in succession, and destroyed at cach
W
ji
W
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
167
time a captain and his men.
And if we may rely upon
the sacred word, those cities were destroyed in a super-
natural way, for the sins of their inhabitants, who were
equally involved in the tremendous overthrow. Their
numbers were unquestionably very great, for they in-
habited four cities in the vale of Sodom, besides those
who dwelt in villages and country seats. One hundred
thousand persons would be quite as small a number,
as is reasonable to suppose.
A fourth instance of God's severity against flagitious
sinners, was the universal death which was effected at
midnight by the destroying angel in all the families of
the Egyptians--the number of whom, though not spoken
of in the Scriptures, must have been very great, for at
that time the Egyptians were a strong and numerous
people. Also the destruction of Pharaoh's great army
in the Red Sea immediately after.
A fifth, is the case of Korah, Dathan and Abiram,
who conspired against Moses and Aaron about the
priesthood; but God ended the contest by causing the
earth to open and swallow up all that appertained to
them in a moment; and with them there was two hun-
dred and fifty men who had favoured this project, anè
had, according to the desire of Moses, appeared be-
fore the Lord, with ceusers in their hands, in order that
God should decide whether the priesthood should be-
long to the Levites, or should belong to any of the peo-
ple who were capable, which was the thing Korah and
his company had contended for. But against these
there came out a great flame of fire from the Lord, and
destroyed the two hundred and fifty pretenders to the
th
{
168
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
sacred office. But before this thing could terminate,
and the subject be at rest, and the people satisfied that
the priesthood was given to Moses and to Aaron, and
to the seed of Aaron forever, it was necessary that God
should vindicate the fact by further severity, because
on the morrow there arose a great murmuring against
Moses and his brother Aaron, in which they alleged
that they had killed the Lord's people, insinuating that
they had done it of themselves by some art or device of
which they were possessed, more than the people knew
of, thinking probably it was a necromantic power by
which they had effected it. But while this vile slander
and mockery of God's power was fermenting among
them, for they were rising en masse against Moses and
Aaron, there went out from the Lord suddenly a great
plague, for Moses saw that the people at a distance were
melting away, and he hastened Aaron with a censer
and fire in it, to the place where they were dying; and
he stood between the living and the dead, and made
atonement. But before this was accomplished, there
was slain fourteen thousand seven hundred of the
peo-
ple who had thus sinned against God in this matter.
Numbers, 16, 14.
We observe, as the sixth instance, that of the Israel-
ites there twenty-three thousand in the wilderness
at once, by ne bite of fiery serpents, because they sin-
ned by murmuring against God and against Moses, his
servant..
Our seventh instance of God's severity against enor-
mcus sinners, is demonstrated in the discomfiture of the
Assyrian host, who came against the Jews in the reigu
W
}
14
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MI7LENNIUM.
169
of Hezekiah. The Assyrians had for their king Sen-
nacherib, whose palace and city royal was the great
Nineveh of antiquity, to whose inhabitants the pro-
phet Jonah once preached repentance. But this Assy-
rian king, while he, with his immense army, was en-
camped against the city of Jerusalem, boasted that he
and his predecessors, kings of the Assyrians, had de-
stroyed the Gods of all the earth; he, therefore, defied
and reproached the God of the Jews, who is the truc
and only wise God. But God, in order to vindicate
his name, and to impress his fear upon those heathen
nations, and likewise to save Jerusalem, wherein is
Mount Zion, the city of the great king, which is beau-
tiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, sent out
an angel in the night, and slew of the Assyrians, who
had blasphemed his great name, one hundred and eigh-
ty-five thousand men. 2 Kings, 19, 35.
1
Many more instances might be noted, wherein God -
has shown, that if the inhabitants of the earth become
altogether incorrigible, or a portion of them, that'they
stand in imminent danger of being destroyed by the
angel of his power, after the same example.
The character of the era which will be ushered in at
the close of the next century, demand the universal ab-
sence of all sinful persons, because it is to be a holy
Sabbath to the Lord, a rest from the toils and woes oc-
casioned by the introduction of sin-a time when the
unutterable joys of a close fellowship with the Father
of Spirits is to take place. Therefore, the wicked at
that moment must be removed by power divine, after
the same supernatural manner as above recited.
"For
P
Mate
Ja
170
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.`
}
۲
!
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteous...
ness, and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial, or what
part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what
agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye
are the temple of the living God, as God hath said, I
will dwell with them and walk in them, and I will be
their God, and they shall be my people." 2d Corin.
6, 14, 15, 16. Wherefore it is evident a separation
must then take place, of a more decisive character than
could well be accomplished at the time when Paul wrote
to the Corinthians; but, as it is written, the tares must
grow with the wheat till the time of the harvest-which-
harvest will then have arrived in the most sublime and
essential manner, for then will be fulfilled these words
of Christ, And then shall appear the sign of the Son
of Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the.
earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming
in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
These are the wicked who then shall mourn, not with
a godly sorrow for their sins, but with horror and de-
spair at the approach of their Judge, though at that
time, when He shall thus come, we may not look for
the general judgment, that cannot arrive till after the
Millennium; but at that time also shall be fulfilled
another communication the Saviour made to his disci-
ples, which was, that at that time, when all the wicked
tribes of men shall mourn, when they see the Son of
Man coming, &c. that He will send his' angels with a
great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather toge-
ther his elect from the four winds, from one end of hea-
}
→
ì
D
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILlennium.
171´
ven to the other. Matth. 24, 31. This then is the first
resurrection.
The prophet Isaiah has spoken very similar to the
view given by St. Matthew. Ilear the word of the
Lord, ye that tremble at his word. Your brethren that
hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said,
Let the Lord be glorified; but he shall appear to your
joy, and they shall be ashamed. Isaiah 66, 5. But
the momentous period is rapidly hastening, it is even at
the door, when God will arise to shake terribly the
earth; and after the former examples of severity
against incorrigible sinners, he will begin to do, but
immensely more terrible and general, for now the glit
tering sword of his wrathful power shall be unsheathed,
and the adversaries cut asunder. For the Lord shall
go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy
like a man of war, he shall cry, yea roar, he shall pre-
vail against his enemies. Isaiah 42, 13. And it shall
come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two
parts therein shall be cut off and die, but the third shall-
be left therein. Zech. 13, 8 "A whirlwind shall be
raised up from the ends of the earth. The evil shall
run from nation to nation. The whole earth shall be
devoured by the fire of my jealousy. He shall de-
stroy the sinners thereof out of it. And the slain of
"
the Lord shall be many, from one end of the earth even
to the other end of the earth. According to their deeds
accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, re-
compense to his enemies." For behold the day cometh
that shall burn as an oven, and all the proud, yea, and
all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble; and the day
Past
↑
172
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts
that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. Mal.
4, 1. Upon which I remark, that this verse of Mala-
chi clearly contemplates a time when the wicked shall
have no abiding place on the whole globe. The only
and proper place for men who are bad, to have root
and branch in, is the earth; therefore from the earth,
where they root their affections, and branch out their
plans of happiness, they must be finally rooted out.
But respecting the righteous, it is said, and very perti-
nently too, as I apprehend, respecting the Millennium,
So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west,
and his glory from the rising of the sun. And they
shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men
that have transgressed against me, for their worm shall
not die, neither shall their fire be quenched. Isa. 60, 24.
This last verse by Isaiah as clearly points out the de-
struction of the wicked from among the righteous, as
does Malachi; because he says they, referring to those
who shall worship Him, in verse 23, shall look upon the
carcases of the men who have transgressed against
Him; from which it is evident, that both conditions are
to be accomplished on the earth, Again, from the
following remark of Isaiah, we gather, that the right-
eous are to have a twofold cause of rejoicing, namely,
because He shall then sever between the good and the
had; and that it is not in relation to the great and last
judgment day that the prophet speaks, we instance the
qualification of his words, namely, that then their bones
shall flourish, which idea may be considered as illustra
tive, both of the resurrection of the righteous dead,
p
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
173
and the great change which at that time will doubtless
be effected in the constitutions and longevity of the
saints, who shall then be alive on the earth, who had
not died. The verse is as follows: And when ye shall
see this your heart shall rejoice, and your boncs shall
fourish like an herb; and the hand of the Lord shall
be known towards his servants, and his indignation to-
wards his enemies. Isaiah 66, 14. The manner, there
fore, in which God will destroy the wicked from the
earth, if we are correct in supposing that his former
destructions of them are to be relied on as precedents,
will also be chiefly by supernatural means, at that day,
carried into effect by the agency of angels commission-
ed to destroy, who will slay with au invisible sword:
such as king David saw in the hand of an angel, who
stood between the heavens and the earth, just over the
threshing floor of Ornon the Jebusite-which angel
had slain at that time of the Jews, for a great sin they
had committed, seventy thousand men. 2.Samuel 24,
15.
The pestilence God may employ as a vengeful min-
ister of his wrath among them, and in divers places
great earthquakes, and at sea by terrible tornadoes,
the waves roaring, and men's hearts failing them, for
fear of the things that are now coming upon the carth
These things will come suddenly upon the wicked, in
a day and an hour when they think not, in the midst of
buying and selling, feasting and mirth, marrying and
giving in marriage when in the midst of pursuits of
honour and ambitious designs, and oppressions of the
poor-when in the height of impious glorying in their
*P
>
ANYT
1
174
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
f
shame, saying, Where is the promise of his coming, for
since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they
were from the beginning of the creation. 2 Peter 3, 4.
Such is the language of infidelity in all ages, and in all
countries. But here, at this stage of the argument, I
shall introduce what I conccive to be a decision, that'
mankind will not by slow degrees, as is supposed by
many, become conformed to holiness, so that religion
shall have no opposition in the earth, and in that way
finally introduce the Millennium, but shall show the
contrary will be the fact; though, as I have said else
where in this work, the gospel will spread over the
whole earth, (Italy excepted) and that very speedily,
because the exertions of the times strongly denote it.
Yet this is no argument by which to prove all souls
will become its recipients, for in our own country,
where the gospel is universally known and respected in
the general sense, how many are not saved by it! That
the Millennium shall not be introduced in such a way,
I prove by the remarks of St. Paul to the Thessaloni
ans, 5th chapter, 1st, 2d and 3d verses. "But of the
times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I
write unto you. . For yourselves know perfectly, that
the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
For when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden
destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a wo-
man with child, and they shall not escape."
•
This day of the Lord which is to come, cannot be
understood of the final judgment, because in the 4th
chapter of the same letter to the Thessalonians, the
chapter preceding the one from which I have made the
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM..
175
quotation of the above three verses, it is announced by
the Apostle, that that day of the Lord is the day in
which he will descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God,
and that then the dead in Christ shall arise-which
cannot, therefore, allude to the general judgment, but
to the first resurrection only. In order, therefore, to
prove, that at the commencement of the. Millennium,
there will be many wicked on the earth, we have only
to notice the third verse of the fifth of Thessalonians,
which declares the fact by saying, For when they shall
say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh
upon them, &c. It is, therefore, clear, that as destruc-
tion cometh not upon the righteous at that day, that it
is upon the sinner, who shall then be cut off. This
view I think corroborates all the other passages which
I have quoted, to prove a general destruction of the
wicked at the time of the first resurrection, when the
Millennium will commence.
From the account St. Paul gives of the first resur-
rection, in his fourth and fifth chapters to the Thessa-
lonians, it is certain there shall be a universal ruin of
all sinners; and it is as certain, that a first resurrection
implies a second, and the lapse of time between will as
certainly consist of one thousand natural years, for
thus it is stated by St. John, Rev. 20, 5. But the rest
of the dead lived not again until the thousand years
were finished. But when the time shall have nearly
arrived for the glorious Millennium to commence, sud-
denly there shall be felt a trembling, for God will shake
terribly the earth, till the wicked are shaken out of it.
t
176
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
A dismal sound shall go forth, such as will wither the
soul with terrors, such as once chased the Assyrian ar
my, who had closely besieged the city of Samaria in
the days of the prophet Elisha. 2 Kings 7, 6. For
now the globe shall be encompassed by the destroying
angels, such as were seen by king David standing be-
tween the earth and the heaven, over the place of the
threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, having a drawn
sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalein. 1
Chron. 21, 16. But while this trembling is felt, and
this heart withering sound is heard, the wicked on all
hands shall be suddenly seen, falling to the ground,
smote with the pestilence and by the destroying minis-
ters, so that perhaps in one short day the work shall be
done by earthquakes, by volcanoes, by storms at sea,
by pestilence, and the invisible sword.
In this place, I cannot refrain from doing myself the
pleasure, and also the reader, of introducing an extract
from the Rev. David Simpson's Plea for Religion,
upon the subject of the destruction of Rome, (though
partially introduced before on page 36) at the end of
Daniel's time, times, and a half time, which he makes
to consist of 1260 years. His method of arriving at
such a result is, that a time is a prophetic year, a Jew-
ish year consisting of 360 days only; and that times
signify two of those prophetic days, amounting to 720
natural days or years-a time to 360 natural days or
years, and a half time to 180 natural days or years--
amounting in all to 1260 days or years, at the end of
which Rome papal shall be literally destroyed, which
he supposes will not be far from the year A. D. 2000..
1
$
f
+
}
لمسه
jak
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
177.
This highly esteemed author, after having examined
the prophecies relative to Christ, declares that the evi-
dence is sufficient to establish Him the predicted Mes-
siah. He then by a fair, and, indeed, irresistible, con-
clusion, infers, that if the prophets have pointed out
Christ so definitely, that they have therefore as definite-
ly pointed out what shall befal the church, and also the
great man of sin in the latter ages. He then notices
the visions of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel, which point
out kingdoms, monarchies, and empires, which were to
arise in the earth, and traces their rise and fall along
the downward stream of time till the uprising of the
little horn, which should so exalt itself against the Jews,
and in after years against the Christian church, and
makes them apply to the papal powers, which is the
fact. He then observes, in reference to his destruction,
that not only shall Antichrist be overthrown, but even
Rome itself the place and city where he hath carried
on his abominations for so many ages, shall be ever-
lastingly destroyed "The language of Scripture is
extremely strong, and is sufficiently clear and precise.
Thus Daniel: I beheld then, because of the voice of
the great words which the horn spake. I beheld even
till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and gi-
ven to the burning flame. Thus, too, St. Paul, where
he is probably speaking of Antichrist: The Lord Je-
sus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty an-
gels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlas
ting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and
$19
178
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
5
from the glory of his power. And again, in another
place in the same epistle, where he is certainly and
professedly speaking of Antichrist, he saith: And then
shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall
destroy with the brightness of his coming. Thus, too,
St. John: The beast goeth into perdition. Again:
Her plagues shall come in one day, and she shall be
utterly burnt with fire. The kings of the earth shall
bewail her, and lament for her when they see the
smoke of her burning standing afar off, for fear of her
torment, saying, Alas! alas! that great city Babylon,
that mighty city, for in one hour is thy judgment come
-in one hour so great riches are come to nought. They
shall see the smoke of her burning: And a mighty
angel took up a stone, like a great millstone, and cast
it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that
great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found
no more at all. And immediately after this, the inha-
bitants of heaven rejoice, saying, Hallelujah, and her
smoke rose up forever and ever. It must be allowed.
these are very strong expressions, and imply a punish-
ment extremely severe. It is as remarkable also, that
all the country about the city of Rome is a kind of bi-
tumen, or pitchy substance. And in the year of our
Lord 80, a fire burst out from beneath the ground in
the middle of the city, and burnt four of the principal
heathen temples, with the sacred buildings of the Capi-
tol. Italy, indeed, is a store house of fire. And when
the 1260 years, or time, times, and a half time, shall
have elapsed, and the time to cleanse the sanctuary
come, Rome itself, imperial Rome, with all its magni
*
1
}
1
\
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
179
$
ficence, will be absorbed in a lake of fire, and sink into
the sea, to rise no more at all forever." Thus far the
opinion of Mr. Simpson, which is an awful but rational
conclusion.
I would here remark, with humble confidence,
that when Babylon is thus destroyed, the period
will not be the general judgment; because the kings
and merchants of the earth are represented as standing
far off, and fearing her torments, and bewailing the loss.
of so great riches, which, it is not reasonable to sup-
pose, they would do, if the judgment were passed by.
It is probable this signal mark of vengeance against
Rome, or spiritual Babylon, will take place a little
sooner than the destruction of sinners in other pla-
ces, that she may be distinguished as peculiarly ob-
noxious to the displeasure of the great God above other
sinners; and perhaps, too, that others may improve
this terrible example during the short respite which
may be granted, and repent, for great are the mercies.
of God if they will lay it to heart. But of the saints
in that country, it is said, Come out of her, my peo-
ple, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye
receive not of her plagues. Rev. 18, 14. And now it
may be, that what St. John' saw will be accomplished
literally with all sinners, (as was the fact with the an-
cient Gog and Magog of Syria, the carcases of whose
army was eaten of the fowls and beasts of the moun-
tains of Israel) except such as shall be destroyed by
fire in the country of Rome. And I saw an angel
standing in the sun, and he cried with a loud voice,
saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven,
1
1
180
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
C
come and gather yourselves together unto the supper
of the great God, that ye may eat of the flesh of kings,
and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men,
and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them,
and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small
and great. Rev. 19, 17, 18.
;
But in the midst of all this terror and desolation, the
heart of the Christian shall not be moved, nor one of
their lives shall be lost; for, if at sea, the storm that
whelms the wicked in the deep, shall waft the righteous
to the shore; or, if in sinking cities that go down to
the pit, when the earth opens her mouth to swallow them
up, a way shall be made for their escape; or, if the
volcanoes shoot their cataracts of fire to the clouds over
the heads of the righteous, the same God who was with
the three Hebrews in the seven times heated furnace,
will withhold the flames till they are escaped. Nor the
pestilence, nor the destroying angel's sword, shall hurt
them, for who can prevail against those who have in
them the seal of the living God, which is holiness of
heart.
Thus shall be removed from the earth ali sinners, and
the way prepared for the immediate commencement of
the Millennium, the seventh day of the great week from
the creation, when the whole church shall rest, and shall
take the kingdom and possess it forever. This is the
great antetype of all the other Sabbaths-this is that
good thing which they in the law, and the prophets
shadowed forth.
}
!
1
i
1
SEVENTH DIVISION.
Shows when the Millennium may be expected. The method pur-
sued in this division, to ascertain the arrival of that period, will
be, 1st, by a compared and concise view of the several kinds of
ancient Jewish Sabbaths; and, 2d, as analagous to the same
point, will be presented a view of natural and supernatural peri-
odical recurrences. 3d. An illustration of the three visions in
the book of the prophet Daniel, will be given, so far as it is
thought they refer to the Millennium, or to the time when the
sanctuary shall be cleansed.
}
+-
Į
@@+~-
1
The sevenfold Sabbaths, kept by Israel's kings,
Had couch'd beneath those numbers, mystic things!
And nature, from her deeps, her latent periods pour.
Her ceaseless powers move on, her oceans roar;
And heaven its wonders, too, sometimes to men disclose,
As once was shown a Daniel, where Ulai's water flows.
MANY have been the uninspired prophecyings of the
period in which the Millennium is to come. A certain
anxiety for its speedy commencement probably has
driven many, who delight in the joyous anticipation,
beyond the proper boundaries assigned for its com-
mencement by the great chart-book, the Holy Scrip-
tures; for the accomplishment of all those things fore-
told in the Scriptures, must be realized before its glory
can bless the world. The measurement of every thou-
Q
17.
I
182
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
sand cubits, which characterized the length of that ri-
ver which Ezekiel saw measured by an angel, must be
realized in its dispensations before that day shall come.
The account of that symbolical river, which is so mi-
nutely described by Ezekiel, and its final envelopment
in the sea, is precisely what is meant in other places in
the word of God, where the sanctuary is spoken of
prospectively, anticipating a time when it must be
cleansed. I suppose there will be no disagreement
with the following opinion: That the sanctuary, as
spoken of in the Scriptures, is spoken of as being the
visible church, whether under the patronage of Jews
or Christians. This appears to be the meaning in
Daniel, chap. 7, verse 11, By him the daily sacrifice
was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was
cast down. This is spoken of the temple at Jerusalem,
at which place the church was organized; therefore, the
term sanctuary is the church. But this church, this vi-
sible sanctuary, is contemplated as being composed of
good and bad, otherwise a cleansing would not be
contemplated, and agrees with the similitude of our
Lord, who represents the gospel by a fishing net, bring-
ing to the shore both the good and the bad; but the
good are preserved, while the bad are cast away. From
which it is clear, that the sanctuary may be thus con-
taminated, and so continue, till the great era of clean-
sing it shall come.
*
The period for cleansing it is the grand point at
which all books, written upon this subject, have aimed.
Different periods have been fixed upon for its accom-
plishment, and some of these periods have already
F
រ
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
183
1
passed by, and yet the sanctuary is not cleansed-the
watchmen do not yet see eye to eye, foul members yet
stain its lovely whiteness.
I have now before me the opinion of Edward Irving,
that the prophetic time, times and a half time, making
1260 years, as foretold by Daniel, should be consider-
ed as having ended at the era of the French revolu-
tion in 1793. But such cannot be the fact, because
the sanctuary is not cleansed. There are three nota-
ble Scriptural modes of calculation, which must have
their fulfilling at the same period, namely, when the
river, which Ezekiel saw, commenced with Abraham,
flows into the great sea, which is the Millennium-
when the 1260 years of Daniel shall witness the clean-
sing of the sanctuary-when the 2300 days or years of
the same prophet, though commencing at an earlier cra,
shall also have their ending at the cleansing of the
sanctuary. See Ezekiel, 47th chap. from the 1st verse
to the eighth inclusive; Daniel, 7th chap. 25; do. 8,
14. When, therefore, these three are accomplished,
the Millennium will commence.
It appears to me to be the heighth of folly to fix
upon any partial revolution, which has been effected in
favour of religion since the resurrection of Christ, as of
sufficient universality to justify the opinion, that the
sanctuary has been cleansed. Perhaps we cannot fix
upon any era when the church has not been infested,
more or less, with wicked members, and will unques-
tionably continue to be thus afflicted, till the time of its
universal cleansing shall come. This, then, we look
for, with unvarying confidence, to be accomplished
J
184
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
when this river of celestial light, and those two peri-
riods spoken of by the prophet Daniel, shall be com-
pleted at one and the same time. Till that time, it
cannot be said the sanctuary is cleansed-till that time,
the church cannot be called the HOLY CATHOLIC
CHURCH.
I
The following extract from Mr. Carrington's re-
marks, under the head of Holy Catholic Church in the
apostolic creed at evening prayer, corroborates the
above opinion. I am indebted for the extract to a
work entitled "Second Advent," by an American lay-
man, who states that he extracted it from a Mr. Warner,
who, it appears, wrote upon the subject of the com-
mon prayers of the Church of England, who intro-
duced the following remarks from Mr. Carrington,
upon the idea of what constitutes a Holy Catholic
Church.
1. Jo
"Considering the general state of the Christian'
church, from the first hour of its foundation almost to
the present, there doth not appear to have been an in-
terval, when the two affections of Holy and Catholic,
have been fairly compatible; and all attempts to re-
concile those jarring qualities of sanctity and universa-
lity, have only occasioned a constrained and unwar-
rantable interpretation of the terms. It is too evident
that the church in general (much less the holy church)
hath, as yet, been far from being universal. From
hence, expositors have been obliged to recur to partial
and figurative constructions; to distant and even
sometimes to forced interpretations; in order to sup-
port their unnatural solutions with arguments the most
1
4
*
}
4
}
是​我
​EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
185
specious, many of which tend, at best, to prove how
the church may, with some show of probability, rather
than how it necessarily must be termed at once both
holy and catholic. But as in Scripture we ought not
to recede from the letter, without apparent necessity,
so why may not the same rule obtain here? Why should
we quit the full and genuine sense of a word for one
partial and emblematical, when it may with safety and
consistency be adhered to? Suppose, then, we can find
a state or time, when the whole of this article, in the
plain and literal meaning of the words shall be found
to be strictly true; when this complicated affection
shall belong to the church of Christ by a just and un-t
questionable right; when both the holy church shall
become catholic, and the catholic church shall become
holy? Ought we not rather to direct our attention to
that than to any other period wherein we meet with the
least difficulty or obstruction. In a word, the great
mistake seems to lie in referring that to either past or
present which belongs solely and entirely to futurity..
For if there be any force in words; if there is any
dependence to be had on the sacred writers, either un-
der the old or new dispensation; we are certainly to
expect, even on this side Heaven, a state, an age, a pe-
riod in which the church of Christ shall appear in a
form, in all respects greatly transcending any it has hi-
therto enjoyed, when the holy few shall no longer be
hid and obscured amidst a sea of iniquity; no longer.
seem an undistinguished handful in the midst of a
wicked and idolatrous world; no longer be contracted
within so narrow a compass, as that even their existence ·
Q*
Pag
}
}
1
3
L
}
་
}
186
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
shall seem precarious and uncertain, when, in short,
the church of Christ shall become at once so absolute-
ly catholic, that all shall know Him, from the least
even to the greatest; and so universally- holy, that eve-
ry one who is left in Zion, and who remaineth in Je-
rusalem, shall be called HOLY, even every one who is
written among the living. Here then we must seek
that church, which is at once the object of our wishes
and of our faith; and that communion of saints, we
long so ardently to be joined to. But it will be well
worth our while to take a more comprehensive view of
this glorious and remarkable period.
To trace the declaration of it, indeed, through all its
stages, were to go very far back in the Holy Scrip-
tures, since it is certain that it was not absolutely un-
known in the first ages. There are evident footsteps
of this opinion here and there dispersed in the Chaldee
paraphrase, and in the Talmud; and with some few
particularities, it is held by the Jews at this day—And
indeed, as the learned Mede observes, the second and
universal resurrection, with the state of the saints after
it, now so clearly revealed in Christianity, scems to
have been less known to the ancient church of the Jews
than the first résurrection. There are many passages
in the royal Psalmist, which have an evident tendency
this way
and some obscure allusions, some distanţ
liints may be met with, even in the books of Moses;
but the prophets were principally employed in this
great discovery, and it engrosses so large a share in
their writings, as it were almost endless to transcribe.
In short, we can scarcely turn our eye upon any part of
a
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
187
I
them, but it is struck with something which leads us to
the expectation of a state of glory and peace, of right-
eousness and salvation. In a word, a state truly and
entirely corresponding to the venerable and expressive
title of an Holy Catholic Church.
In what light these several passages of the prophets
are to be considered-not to mention the almost unani-
mous interpretation of the primitive fathers-The
Holy Ghost seems himself to have instructed us; for
we, saith the Apostle, according to Ilis promise, look
for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness. From whence it is evident, that those
prophecies received not their full completion, in the
first promulgation of the Gospel, and calling in of the
Gentiles; for both these circumstances were actually
past, and the Gospel dispensation had taken place
when the Apostle wrote. Where then are we to trace
this promise, but in the above recited remarkable pas-
sages? And what are we to conceive by an earth inha-
bited by righteousness, but a church purged from its
present gross and numerous abominations, universally
clear, pious, holy. And in a word, composed of a pure
and entire communion of faith?
That such a périod as this is yet due to the church
of Christ, seems too plain to be denied-But when or
where to take place, is a matter of some dispute even
among those, who are nevertheless agreed, with regard
to the thing in general. But that it certainly will, at
some time or other, is quite sufficient for our purpose;
and when it does, the church of Christ will be strictly
and truly, in the full and genuine scuse of the words,
1
3
188
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
what it hath never been yet, both holy and catholic,
But let us proceed to consider what may give a further
light, both into this, and the remaining part of the ar-
ticle.
St. John, as he was to close the succession of pro-
phets, seems appointed to repeat such of the ancient
predictions as were yet to receive their completion;
with such further illustration as the shorter distance of
their approaching periods rendered necessary. And
this remarkable dispensation so far from being forgot-
ten, is discussed by him with the greatest particularity
and exactness. In a word, what glimmered in the wri-
tings of Moses and David; what we saw as through a
glass darkly, in the prophets, this Apostle seems to
have shown us openly, without a parable, and face to
face.
After a short but clear description of such remarka-
ble particulars as were successively to take place in or-
der to usher in that glorious economy, "I saw," says
he, "an angel come down from heaven, having the
key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his
hand--And he laid hold on the dragon, that old ser-
pent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit,
and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should
deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled. And I saw the souls of those who
were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the
word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast-
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand
years. But the rest of the dead lived not till the thou-
M
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
.189
sand years were finished." At the end of this Millen-
nium succeeds the second and general resurrection;
and the happy interim is evidently the new heavens and
the new earth of Isaiah; the latter days of the pro-
phets; the times of restitution; the times of the re-
freshing of the Gospel; and the golden age of the
heathens. The attendant circumstances are too plain-
ly parallel, the likeness and conformity too strong, for
us not to see that they are one and the same thing-
Behold here then the long promised kingdom of the
son of David; behold his universal dominion in a tru-
ly catholic church. Nor can we turn our eyes on the
companions of that happy reign, the noble army of
those that had been beheaded for the testimony of Je-
sus, and for the word of God; and who had not wor-
shipped the beast, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands, whom the Lamb
shall therefore make kings and priests, and they shall
reign on earth, without exclaiming, here is indeed a
communion of saints-a blessed unmixed society of the
just, enjoying universal harmony, and a free and un-
interrupted intercourse with God, their King and Sa-
viour, the holy angels, and each other. I think it, by
no means, either impossible or improbable, that an opi-
nion which had so long and so universally prevailed in
the church; which had borne so large a share in the
hopes, belief, words, and writings of so many of its
members; and been patronized by apostles, apostolic
men, confessors, and martyrs, should find a place in
some of their confessions of faith-rather very impro-
hable it is, that a point by them esteemed of so much
P
1
190
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
importance should be wholly neglected-not impossi-
ble that such an one may be this very confession be-
fore us; or at least, that this remarkable and mysteri-
ous article (which I think, according to the usual inter-
pretation of it, hardly carries weight. enough to be
made a distinct article of faith) may have been trans-
ferred from such into this creed, at a time when its ge-
nuine intention was not, perhaps, thoroughly under-
stood. Thus far, however, I must think certain, that
by the help of this hypothesis, we have a much less in-
tricate and constrained solution of this article, than any.
of those which are usually given us.
In which opi-
nion I have the satisfaction of finding myself suppor-
ted by the ready concurrence of some persons of dia-
tinguished characters for learuing and judgment, as well
as zealous attachment to the genuine doctrine of sound
and orthodox Christianity?"
mad
,
'
Thus far we have the opinion of Mr. Carrington,
that till the sanctuary is cleansed, or till the Millenni-
um foretold by the Revelator commences, the church
cannot be considered strictly a Holy Catholic Church.
Though I disagree with his opinion, that the Millenni-
um is the new heaven and the new earth, promised in
the Scriptures, because this idea embraces an era which
lies beyond the time in which the sanctuary is to be
cleansed. We are not told by thie Revelator to expect
the creation of a new church at that time, but that the
Lamb shall have the victory over his enemies, which is
the cleansing of the sanctuary, promised by Daniel the
prophet. This glorious time will be the period when
that which St. John saw shall be fulfilled. See Rev.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
191
sam
new.
21, 2, 3, 1. And 1 John saw the holy city, new Jeru-
salem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared
as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a
great voice out of heaven, saying, Behold the taber-
nacle of God is with men. This, then, is the Millen-
nium; but the period for the new creation is yet fu-
ture, because it is stated in the verse following, And he
that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things
And the reason why, I conclude, this new hea-
ven and new earth is to be a real creation, and does
not mean the glory of the church, is because, in versc
Ist of the 21st chap. And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were
passed away, and there was no more sea. The last
clause of this verse qualifies the whole, as not belong-
ing to the church in the Millennium, because the Reve-
lator says, there was no more sea; therefore it is spoken
only of the new creation, which is to be created after
the Millennium is passed, and also after the general
judgment day.
+
I introduced the remarks of Mr. Carrington to show
that I am not alone in the opinion, that all individuals
who then compose the visible church, will absolutely be
holy, else the sanctuary will not be cleansed at all;
and also to show that others have held the opinion, that
there will be two distinct resurrections, one of the righ
teous at the beginning of the Millennium, and the other
of the wicked at its end, or soon after. But I trust I
shall not be charged with egotism when I state, that
this opinion was already penned in the manuscript of
my book, before I saw this opinion of Mr. Carrington,
**
192
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
;
who, I apprehend, speaks the sentiment of the Englisli
church upon that subject, and states that he had the
satisfaction to find himself supported by the ready con-
currence of persons of distinguished characters for
learning and judgment, as well as zealous attachment
to the genuine doctrines of sound and orthodox Chris-
tianity. And further, lest any might suppose that I
have, in the composition of this work, followed only
the beaten track of ages, will state, that when I had
finished the leading positions' of it, I had never seen a
work upon the subject, nor conversed with any but such
as generally contradicted my views.
But I proceed, and by the aid of Scripture and ana-
logy, hope to demonstrate the true time when the Mil-
lennium, so long the subject of the highest hopes of the
church militant, shall arrive.
I
That time has been rightly measured, or reckoned,
from the beginning of the world, there are none who
can successfully dispute; because the Scriptures are
not only the most ancient record of chronology, but
they are the most true. It is said by Adam Clark,
(see his advertisement before Matthew) that Archbishop
Usher has calculated, that Christ was born exactly in
the year of the world 4000, to which his own account
nearly agrees. See his comment on St. Matthew, 3d
chapter, where he states that John the Baptist was born
A. M. 3999, and that Christ was born about six
months afterwards, which very probably might bring
his birth in the year 4000, especially so, if the Baptist
was born at any period of that year subsequent to .
the sixth mouth. Therefore, I do not hesitate to pub-
AN
ست.
.*
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
193'
lish my faith, founded on such evidence as is perfectly
satisfactory to me, that the Millennium will commence
the moment six thousand years are accomplished from
the creation of the earth; and that the period spoken
of is not far hence, is certain, if we trust the chronolo-
gy of Scripture, which none should doubt: From
which it appears, following the Usherian plan of cal-
culation, which is allowed to be the most correct, if not
perfectly such, that Christ was born A. M. 4000.
Since that era, 1827 years have gone by, or if we add
the four years, which, it is said, the common reckoning
falls short, then it is 1831 from the era of the present
year since Christ. Add, therefore, 4000 years B. C.'
to 1831, A. D. and it gives the product of 5831 years
since the creation; then add 169 years to 5931, and it
gives the product of 6000 years.
{
{
One hundred and sixty-nine years from the end of
this year, accordingly, the expected Christian Millen-
nium will commence. There are many things, con-
nected with this view, which corroborate the opinion;
which things I shall make to pass before the reader for
lis inspection and belief.
First, I shall give a concise and compared view of
the various kinds of ancient Jewish Sabbaths, which f
think typical of the Millenniumn.
The appointment of the first Sabbath by the order
of heaven, which occurred the seventh day from the
beginning of creation, was intended as a day of rest
for man, and also for a day of peculiar expressions of
love and worship to the Creator, as well as to aid the
creature in his recollection, that God created the hea-
R
4
}
tend
>
194
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
vens and the earth in six days, but rested on the se-
venth; and He ordained the first seventh day, with all
its succeeding ones, to be observed by all the inhabitants
of the earth as the grand data of their existence, being
commenced the day before the ordination of that day
in the natural, moral and political image of God.
The Creator greatly demonstrated his benevolent
purposes towards our race, when he commanded the
solemn observance of every seventh day. The na-
tions, who, out of regard to God's authority, have re-
verenced that day, have been more or less blessed of
heaven on that account, above other nations who ob-
serve it not. But in the process of ages, God raised
up from among the nations a people, viz. the Jews, to
whom he chose to reveal many things, to whom was
committed the oracles of God, the first Testament.
Among the records of God's good pleasure committed
to this people, are found their obligation to observe
three distinct kinds of Sabbaths, beside the original
The first was a Sabbath of weeks, wherein they
were to number seven Sabbaths, making forty-nine
days; and the fiftieth they were to observe, by offering
a new meat offering to the Lord in the most solemn
manner. Levit. 23, 15, 16.
one.
The second was a Sabbath of years, wherein they
were commanded to number six years from their first
possession of the country, and to keep the seventh for
a Sabbath, in which they were forbidden to labour.
Levit. 25, 4.
The third was a Sabbath of years also, though of
much longer continuation, consisting of seven tines
+
}
2
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
195
seven years, making forty-nine, and the fiftieth to be a
Sabbath hallowed in a solemn manner-a Sabbath in
which a general obliteration of all grievances took
place. It was a jubilee, a year of restoration to all
those that were in bonds, or involved in their estates.
Levit. 25, 8.
Here, then, we find the appointment of three kinds
of Sabbaths, for the use of the Jews, which are embo-
died in the law of Moses, and all that appertained to
that law, its sacrifices and Sabbaths were, besides
their intrinsic worth to the Jews, shadows also of some
good things to come in future ages. For the law, ha-
ving a shadow of good things to come, are not the very
image of the things. Heb. 10, 1. Therefore the
things they symbolize, are the very image or reality
pointed at.
From which it is extremely easy to per-
cieve, that the law of sacrifices, with all its accompany-
ing ceremonies, were but the shadows of the great sa-
crifice of Christ for the sins of the whole world; and
that He, and the gospel which He preached, and its
healing effects, were the good things which it shadow-
ed forth. But what good things, distinctly consider-
ed, do those three kinds of Sabbaths shadow forth?
for they must be considered as shadowing forth some
good thing, as well as the law of sacrifices. We con-
sider, that though there are three kinds of Sabbaths,
yet they are one in their nature, and had their uses
among the Jews, and were ordained wholly for times of
offerings to God, aud for feasts to his honour, and for
rest to the land, and for times of release to the oppres-
sed, and restoration of involved estates, and to keep in
{
196
EXPECTED CIIRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
remembrance the wonderful things God had done for
them as a nation, lest they should forget his name, and
say who is the Lord, and mingle with the surrounding
heathen nations. We, therefore, conclude them as ty-
pically blended together, and pointing to one event
only, which event is no where to be found in the Chris-
tian economy, except it be the expected Millennium.
That great Sabbath of rest, the jubilee of heaven,
wherein the earth shall rest from a weight of wicked-
ness, which has oppressed it six thousand years, when
that time shall have arrived, but then shall rest a thousand
years, which is one seventh part of the time, and in
this respect most strikingly resembles all the former
kinds of Sabbaths, which were its forerunners.
T
1
越​鸿
​The resemblance that all these kinds of Sabbaths,
bear to each other in one respect, we will now endea-
vour to present to the reader, with the desire of im-
pressing upon his mind, that they, on that one account,
point to the Millennium, which particular is, that they
are all governed by the number seven. The first Sab-
bath consisted of one perfect and whole day, which is
the seventh part of seven days, or a week of days, but
the seventh a Sabbath.
The second kind of Sabbath was observed at the
end of seven weeks, or when they had numbered seven
Sabbaths from the day when the sheaf for a wave of
fering had been presented to the priest. From that
day, therefore, they were to number seven weeks, ma-
king forty-nine days, but the fiftieth must be a holy day
this was a week of weeks.
The third kind consisted of seven years, and the se.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
197
•
venth year was a Sabbath-this is a week of years.
The fourth kind consisted of seven times seven years,
and the fiftieth a Sabbath-this was the great week
of years, which embraced in it seven weeks of years,
or seven Sabbaths of years.
The first Sabbath, or every seventh day, which was
given to Adam, was a sanctification of one seventh
part of the time, in reference to rest, and the worship.
of God. The three other kinds of Sabbaths which
were given to the Jews, was a sanctification of certain
periods of time, which, after a septennial manner, re-
ferred to rest for the land, to offerings to God, to re-
lease of the oppressed, and restoration of involved es-
tates, every fiftieth year after seven Sabbaths of years
were accomplished.
So also shall the Millennium, consisting of a thou-
sand years, be the sanctification of one seventh part of
the age of the earth, in reference to the absence of all
moral and natural evil, as those other kinds were for
the purposes for which they were ordained. This
view of the subject exceedingly exalts the propriety of
the expectation.of a thousand years' Sabbath, and will
effect its design with equal certainty.
Now if these resemble each other in the manner of
their constitutions, observing the order of sevens, will
it not be in exact coincidence with these, if we say that
seven thousand years is a week, but the seventh a Sab-
bath, which will be the great week of time.
I believe that each day in the first week of time stood
each the representative of a thousand years; for it is
}
R*
198
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
r
I
1
said of God, that with him a day is as a thousand
years, or a thousand years a day. With this view, in
reference to his saying a thousand years is as a day, I
have concluded, that seven thousand years are but se
ven days, and that the seventh is the Sabbath, which
is the Millennium.
From the beginning, and through all the sacred
book, the number seven appears to be a perfect num-
ber, and is used to denote a perfection belonging to
whatever it illustrates, or which it symbolizes.
In the beginning, seven days was a perfect week.'
God added seven days to his promised patience toward
the old world. Clean beasts were taken into the ark
by sevens. The years of plenty and famine in Egypt,
and their emblems, were marked by sevens.
The days
of feasting, or feast of tabernacles, of unleavened
bread, was observed by sevens. The number of beasts,
in sundry of their oblations, were offered by sevens.
The golden candlesticks had seven branches. Seven
priests, with seven trumpets, went round the wall of
Jericho seven days, and seven times, on the seventh day.
Wisdom had her seven pillars.
▸
In Revelations, there were seven churches, seven
candlesticks, seven spirits, seven stars, seven seals, seven
trumpets, seven thunders, seven vials, seven plagues,
and seven angels to pour them out on the seven headed
monster.
Seven often signifies many, as sevenfold, and is com-
plete in whatever it refers to. And as the first week of
time was not complete nor perfect, without its seventh
day of rest, which was, and is now, emphatically the glory
น
量
​EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
199
•
of the week, so neither shall the great week of seven
thousand years be perfect without its seventh day of
Millennial rest, which will be the glory of the great
week of time.
Seven days for a week, and the seventh a Sabbath;
seven weeks for a week, and the seventh a Sabbath;
seven years for a week, and the seventh for a Sabbath;
seven times seven years for a week, containing seven
Sabbatic years, and the fiftieth for a Sabbath; seven
thousand years for a week, and the seventh a Sabbath
appear to be analagous to each other, and bear the
marks of design, in reference to the Millennium, or the
great Sabbath of rest to a weary world.
1
Having presented the evidence of sacred chronolo-
gy to prove that time has been rightly measured, and
having made a comparison of Sabbaths, I now, in the
third place, proceed to notice the recurrences of re
markable events, as promised in the Seventh Division
of this book, and will, in a certain sense, corroborate
the two former statements, viz. of chronology, and a
comparison of Sabbaths-as follows:
When the recurrence of the same thing is observed
to transpire, from age to age, in a periodical way, it is
natural to expect a return of the same thing, unless
nature be changed in her laws.
The recurrences which I shall notice, and are obvi-
ous to all, are, first, The ebb and flow of the tide wa-
ters every twelve hours-the revolution of the earth on
her axis every twenty-four hours-the change of the
moon from full to full every lunar month-the blowing
of the trade winds six months from north to south, and
200
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
six months from south to north-the annual revolution
of the earth round the sun, producing all the varieties
of the seasons within the compass of twelve months-
and the migration of fowls and fishes from one clime to
another at certain periods of the year. From a know-
ledge, therefore, that these things recur periodically, it
is safely calculated that they will continue to transpire
in their order, till the order of nature which produces
them is changed.
卑
​I
/
If we view the planets, we shall find them exact in
their periods of return: Mercury travels round the sun
in some time less than three months-Mars in some
JADRANK (UC)
time less than two years-Saturn in nearly thirty years,
and Herschel in eighty-three years. And on the ac-
count of their faithful return to the same point in the
heavens in exact periods, have, therefore, become way-
marks to the astronomer.
Now as these things in the natural world are certain
to return at definite periods, and never disappoint ex-
pectation, so neither will the periods that have produ
ced some supernatural event, disappoint the expectation
of a return; or the return of such a period will be ex-
pected to produce some great and supernatural event,
but not of the same kind, though originated by the
same cause, which is God.
}
The events to which I allude, are, first, that series of
events, which took place from the era of the great de-
luge, till the remarkable appearance of the everlasting
God to Abraham, to whom the important promise was
made, that of his seed the Messiah should come, and
en that account all the families of the earth were in him
+
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
201
to be blessed. The flood, the destruction of all man-
kind except eight, the repeopling of the earth from No-
ah's family, the confusion of language at the building
of Babel, the calling of Abraham from his father's
house to go to an unknown land, and the revelation
God made to him there concerning his seed and poste-
rity are the grand events which transpired about the
year of the world 2000, and are considered altogether,
supernatural.
A second series of events, which were also superna-
tural, was the advent of Christ, the incarnation of the
Word-He who was and is the Mighty Counsellor, the
Everlasting Father, the Ancient of days, Creator and
Upholder of universal nature, who then revealed Him-
self in a stable at Jerusalem, to become a sacrifice for
the redemption of men. Thirty-three years of sor-
rows, which marked the humble life of God incarnate,
and his final crucifixion on Mount Calvary, his resurrec-
tion from the dead on the third day after his death, and
glorious ascension from earth to heaven forty days af-
ter, in full view of above five hundred witnesses, all of
which were accomplished about the year of the world
4000.
+
A third series of supernatural events may be expec-
ted to be unfolded, when the third great period of time
shall be accomplished, which is now within one hun-
dred and seventy-three years of that time. The
events which will then take place are, a destruction of
all sinners from among the living righteous-a resur-
rection of all the righteous dead at the sound of the
archangel's voice, "for the trump shall sound, and
I
202
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
the dead in Christ shall rise first"-the real appear-
ance of the Son of Man in his own glory, and that of
his Father and the holy angels, will then take place.
A restoration of all living saints, who have not tasted
death, to the paradistical state, may then be expected
-all natural and moral evil banished from the earth,
and Satan shut up in the bottomless pit for a thousand
years.
There have been two thousand years from the crea-
tion, without any written law from God-this is called
the patriarchal dispensation till Abraham. 2. There
have been two thousand years under the law, where
there has been a written revelation, a succession of
prophets, and a divine ecclesiastical establishment.
This was the dispensation of the law, given to Moses
and the Jews at Horeb, which includes from Abraham
till Christ.
3. Nearly two thousand years have now elapsed
since the era of the nativity of our Lord, when the
Christian dispensation commenced, and will, at the
close of the next century, arrive at the zenith of its
splendour and victories on the earth.
Thus far having presented the recurrences of na-
ture as analagous to the main point, which, as it re-
lates to the unfolding of supernatural events at almost
given periods since the world began, amount to a mo-
ral certainty, in connexion with the typical Sabbaths,
that at the end of the next century the Christian Mil-
lennium will commence.
भ
We shall next, and fourthly, attempt, from a view of
the prophet Daniel's prophecy, to show when the Mil
вот участни
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
203
lennium will come.
The prophecies respecting that
time, are contained in the second, seventh and eighth
chapters of this book. I shall examine them in their
order, in reference to this subject; but shall omit, for
the sake of brevity, the very interesting history of the
incapacity of the wise men of Babylon to interpret the
extraordinary dream of their monarch, Nebuchadnez-
zar; but shall commence with the dream as unfolded to
the king by Daniel. See book of Daniel, chap. 2,
verse 31 to 35 inclusive. Thou, O king, sawest and
behold a great image. This great image, whose bright-
ness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form
thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine
gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly and his
thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron
and part of clay. Thou savest till a stone was cut out
without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that
were of iron and clay, and brake them in pieces. Then
was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the
gold broken to pieces together, and became like the
chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind
carried them away that no place was found for them :
and the stone that smote the image became a great moun-
tain, and filled the whole earth.
1
|
But before we treat upon the subject of the stone
becoming a great mountain and filling the whole earth,
we shall attend to the interpretation of Nebuchadnez-
zar's dream as given by Daniel. ·
It appears this great image, seen by Nebuchadnezzar
in his dream, signified four great monarchies, of which
the Babylonish empire was the first and greatest. This
304
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
}
was the first monarchy imposed on man after the flood,
and was commenced by Nimrod, he who once became
a mighty hunter before the Lord-(See Gen. 10, 8,)-
of whom we have the following account from the an-
cient Jewish writings, given by Dr. Clark. We learn
from verse 10 of chap. 10, that this Nimrod founded
several cities in his time, which were called Babel,
Erech, Achad, and Calen, in the land of Shinar. He
was thought a bad man, which his very name seems to
signify. Nimrod comes from the word marad, which
signifies, he rebelled; and the Targum on 1 Chron. 1,
10, say Nimrod began to be a mighty man in sin, a
murderer of innocent men, and a rebel before the Lord.
He was mighty in hunting, or in prey, and in sin be-
fore God, for he was a hunter of the children of men,
and said to them, depart from the religion of Shem,
and cleave to the institutes of Nimrod. The Targum
of Jonathan ben Uzziel says,
66 From the foundation
of the world, none was ever found like Nimrod, pow-
erful in hunting, (wild beasts of the age, which then
unquestionably abounded) and in rebellions against the
Lord." The Septuagint calls him a surly giant before
the Lord; upon which Dr. Clark remarks, "that
Nimrod having acquired power, used it in tyranny and
oppression; and by rapine and violence, founded that
domination, which was the first distinguished by the
name of kingdom on the face of the earth." This
kingdom, commenced by Nimrod in the year of the
world 1771, was ended with the death of Belshazzar,
in the year of the world 3466; and in the "time of
Nebuchadnezzar it extended over Chaldea, Assyria,
k
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
205
Arabia, Syria, and Palestine. He was the head of
gold."
The second great monarchy, represented by a breast
and arms of silver, "was the Medo Persian empire,
which properly began under Darius the Mede, allowing
him to be the same with Cyaxares, son of Astyages,
and uncle to Cyrus the great, son of Cambyses. He
first fought under his uncle Cyaxares, defeated Nerig-
Assar king of the Assyrians, and Croesus king of the
Lydians; and by the capture of Babylon, B. C. 538,
he terminated the Chaldean empire." "On the death
of his father Cambyses, and his uncle Cyaxares, B.
C. 536, he became sole governor of the Medes and
Persians, and thus established a potent empire on the
ruins of that of the Chaldeans."
P
пориви
The third great empire, represented by a belly and
thighs of brass, was "the Macedonian or Greek em-
pire, founded by Alexander the Great. He subdued
Greece, penetrated into Asia, took Tyre, reduced
Egypt, overthrew Darius Codomanus at Arabela, Oct.
2, in the year of the world 3673, and thus terminated
the Persian monarchy. He crossed the Caucasus,
subdued Hyrcania, and penetrated India as far as the
Ganges; and having conquered all the countries that
lay between the Adriatic sea and this river, the Gan-
ges, he died A M. 3681, and after his death, his em-
pire became divided among his generals, Cassander,
Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. Cassander had
Macedon and Greece; Lysimachus had Thrace, and
those parts of Asia which lay on the Hellespont and
Bosphorus Ptolemy had Egypt, Lybia, Arabia, Pa-
:
S
1
}
206
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
$
ܙ܂
د,
36
t
[
L
}
I
lestine, Persia, Assyria, Bactria, Hyrcania, and all
other provinces, even to the Ganges. Thus this em-
pire, founded on the ruin of that of the Persian, had
rule over all the earth."
"The fourth great empire, represented by legs of
iron, and feet part iron and part clay, was the Roman
government, the same mixed with the barbaric nations,
and divided into ten kingdoms." "I think (says Dr.
Clark) this means, in the first place, the kingdom of
Lagidae, in Egypt, and the kingdom of the Seleuci-
dae, in Syria. And secondly, the Roman empire,
which was properly composed of them.
"First-Ptolemy Lagus, oue of Alexander's gen-
erals, began the new kingdom of Egypt A. M. 3692,
which was continued through a long race of sovereigns.
till A. M. 3974, when Octavius Cæsar took Alexan
dria, having in the preceding year defeated Anthony
and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium, and so Egypt
became a Roman province. Thus ended the kingdom
of the Lagidae, after it had lasted two hundred and
cighty years.
"Second-Seleucus Nicator, another of Alexander's
generals, began the new kingdom of Syria A. M.
3692, which continued through à long race of sove-
reigns till A. M. 3939, when Pompey dethroned Anti-
ochus Asiaticus; and Syria become a Roman pro-
vince after it had lasted two hundred and forty-seven
years.
"That the two legs of iron meant the kingdom of
Lagidae and that of the Seleucidae, seems strongly in-
timated by the character given in the text. And the
}
↓
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
207
Forasmuch
fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron.
as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things;
and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in
meces and bruise. Verse 40. First, the iron bere not
only marks the strength of these kingdoms, but also
their violence and cruelty towards the people of God.
History is full of the miseries which the kings of Egypt
and Syria inflicted on the Jews. Second-it is said
that these legs should break in pieces and bruise. How
many generals and princes were destroyed by Seleucus
Nicator, and by Ptolemy, son of Lagus? Seleucus.
particularly, could not consider himself secure on his
throne till he had destroyed Antigonus, Nicanor, and
Demedrius; and Ptolemy endeavoured to secure him-
self by the ruin of Perdiccos, and the rest of his enc-
mies. Thirdly-the dividing of the kingdom, the iron
and clayey mixture of the feet, point out the continual
divisions which prevailed in those empires, and the
mixture of the good and evil qualities which appeared
in the successors of Seleucus and Ptolemy: none of
them possessing the good qualitics of the founders of
those monarchies; neither their valour, wisdom, nor
prudence. Fourth--the efforts which these princes
made to strengthen their respective governments by al-
liances, which all proved not only useless but injurious,
arc here pointed out by their mingling themselves with
the seed of men. But they shall not cleave one to ɑno-
ther. Verse 43. Antiochus Theos, king of Syria,
married both Laodice and Bernice, daughters of Pto-
lemy Philadelphus, king of Egypt. Antiochus Mag-
mus, king of Syria, gave his daughter Cleopatra to
Gal
44
*
wh
t
3
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
208
!
Ptolemy Epiphanes, king of Egypt; but these mar-
riages, instead of being the means of consolidating the
union between those kingdoms, contributed more than
any thing else to divide them, and excite the most
bloody aud destructive wars. In chap. 7, 7,
In chap. 7, 7, the pro-
phet, having the same subject in view, says, I saw in
the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful
and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great
iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamp-
ed the residue with the feet of it. And in chap. 8, 22,
Now that being broken (the horn of the rough goat,
the Grecian monarchy) whereas four stood up for it,
four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not
in his power. These, and other declarations, point
out those peculiar circumstances that distinctly mark
the kingdom of the Seleucidae, and that of the Lagi-
dae, both of which rose out of the Macedonian or
Grecian empire, and both terminated in that of the
Romans.
¿
Second. Those two legs of iron became absorb,
ed in the Roman government, which also partook of
the iron nature; strong, military, and extensive in its
victories; and, by its conquests, united to and amalga
ted with itself various nations, some strong and some
weak---so as to be fitly represented in the symbolical
image by feet and tocs, partly of iron and partly of
clay. Thus, as the Lagidae and Seleucidae arose out
of the wreck of the Grecian empire, so the Roman
empire arose out of their ruin, But the empire be-
came weakened by its conquests; and although by
mingling themselves with the seed of men, that is, by
}
}
I
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
209
strong leagues and matrimonial alliances, as mentioned
above, they endeavoured to secure a perpetual sove-
reignty, yet they did not cleave to each other; and
they also were finally swallowed up by the barbarous
northern nations; and thus terminated those four most
powerful monarchies."
}
}
Thus far we have attended the interpretation Daniel
gave of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and compre-
hends a lapse of time from Nimrod's founding his
kingdom A. M. 1771, till the Romans, the last of the
four great empires, were swallowed up by the barba-
rous nations about the year after Christ 478-amount-
ing in all, from Nimrod till then, to 2707 years. But
the stone which Nebuchadnezzar saw smite the feet of
the great image, commenced its operations 478 years
before the end of the fourth empire was accomplished.
If this interpretation, given by Daniel,, is correct, in
relation to the four great empires, as above stated, we
look therefore for a fifth kingdom, which he as clearly
foretold should arise in the days of the kings of the
fourth empire, which was the Roman, and at the time
when it was in its greatest strength and glory, did the
predicted kingdom begin to make its appearance.
This stone which Nebuchadnezzar saw smite the feet
of the great image, was Jesus Christ, who was the king
of the fifth kingdom which he came to establish on the
earth, and is the very one intended by Daniel, when.
he says in chap. 2, verse 44, And in the days of these
kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which
shall never be destroyed.
Dr. Clark remarks, first, "That Jesus Christ has
*S
{
210
ƒ
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
靠
​been represented by a stone," and "refcrs chiefly to
J
*
I
His church, which is represented as a spiritual building,
which He supports as a foundation stone, connects and
strengthens as a corner stone, and finishes and adorns
as a top stone. He is called a stone also, in reference
to the prejudice conceived against him by his country
men. Because He did not come in wordly pomp, they
therefore refused to receive him; and to them he is
represented as a stone of stumbling and a rock of of-
fence.
↓
'
}
"Secondly.
He is represented under another no-
tion, viz. that of a stone projected from a catapult, or
some military engine, which smote the image on its
feet; that is, it smote the then existing government at
its foundation, or principles of support; and, by de-
stroying these, brought the whole into ruin.
66
Sakal
Thirdly-By this stroke, the clay, the iron, the
brass, the silver, and the gold, were broken to pieces
and became like chaff which the wind carried away.
Now we have already seen that the Roman empire
which had absorbed the kingdoms of the Lagidae and
Seleucidae, was represented by the legs of iron, and
feet and toes of iron and clay; but as we find that not
only the iron and clay, but also the brass, silver and
gold were confounded and destroyed by that stroke, it
follows that there was then remaining in, and compact-
ed with the Roman government, something of the dis
tinguishing marks and principles of all the preceding
empires, not only as to their territorial possessions, but
also as to their distinctive characteristics. There were
at the time here referred to, in the Roman empire, the
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
211
[
splendour of the Chaldeans, the riches of the Persians,
the discipline of the Greeks, and the strength of the
Egyptian and Syrian governments, mingled with the
incoherence and imbecility of those empires, kingdoms
and states, which the Romans had subdued. In short,
with its political excellencies, it contained the princi-
ples of its own destruction, and its persecution of the
church of Christ accelerated its ruin.
Fourthly. The stone represents Christ and his go-
verning influence. It is here said to be a kingdom,
that is, a state of prevailing rule and government, and
was to arise in the days of those kings or kingdoms.
See verse 44, chap. 2. And this is literally true; for
its rise was when the Roman government partook of all
the characteristics of the preceding empires, was at
its zenith of imperial splendour, military glory, legis-
lative authority, and literary eminence.
6.6
Fifthly. This stone, or government, was cut out
of the mountain; arose in and under the Roman go-
vernment Judea being, at the time of the birth of
Christ, a Roman province. It was cut out without
hands; probably alluding to the miraculous birth of
our Lord; but particularly to the spiritual nature of
his kingdom and government, in which no worldly po-
licy, human maxims, or military force, were employed;
for it was not by might nor power, but by the spirit of
the Lord of hosts."
Thus we have ascertained the commencement, con-
tinuance and present existence of the fifth kingdom
which was to arise, according to the view of Daniel
when he interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.
·
212
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
*
y
1
But there is one qualification foretold of this fifth king·
dom, which no kingdom preceding it was ever endow..
ed with, which was, that it should stand forever, and
never be destroyed, and was destined to become a great
mountain, and to fill the whole earth. But this having
not yet been accomplished, we naturally look for that
period in futurity, which shall now claim our further
attention.
Perhaps it is not possible, in order to arrive at the
desired period, to follow a better guide than Dr.
Clark's explanation of the prophet Daniel's visions,
which is thought he had about forty years after the
time of Nebuchadnezzar's extraordinary dream. The
same paramount empires of the habitable globe that
should succeed each other, are set forth in the vision
of Daniel, which were shown to Nebuchadnezzar,
though by a different kind of symbol, viz. an image
composed of a variety of metallic substances. But
the prophet Daniel had a prospective view of those
four great empires, under the likeness of several mon-
strous wild beasts, such as a lion with the wings of an
eagle, a bear having three ribs of an animal in its
teeth, a leopard with four wings like a fowl, and a fourth
beast dreadful and terrible, and exceeding strong, ha-
ving great iron teeth, devouring and breaking in pie-
ces, and stamping the residue with his feet, being di-
verse from all other beasts before it, having ten horns
upon its head. The first was a lion, with eagle's
wings: This was "the kingdom of the Babylonians,
and the king of Babylon is compared to a lion by Je-
PENYA
{
ENG
L
+
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
213
remiah 5, 6, and by Isa. 5, 29, and is said to fly as an
eagle. Jeremiah 48, 40, and by Ezekiel 17, 3, 7.
"The lion is considered the king of the beasts, and
the eagle the king of the birds; and therefore the
kingdom of Babylon, which was signified by the gol-
den head of the great image, was the first and noblest
of all the kingdoms, and was the greatest then in be--
ing. The wings of the eagle denote the rapidity with
which the lion, Nebuchadnezzar, made his conquests;
for in a few years, by his own arms, he brought his em-
pire to such an extent, and raised it to such a degree of
eminence, as was truly surprising; and all tended to
show with what propriety this eagle-winged lion is here
made his emblem.'
Get
&
""
5
This Babylonish kingdom is the same with that spo-
ken of in Daniel, chap. 2, 38, and was commenced
by Nimrod A. M. 1771, and ended with the death of
Belshazzar A., M. 3466, and was succeeded by the
Medes and Persians.
The second "beast like unto a bear. This was the
Medo Persian empire, represented here under the sym-
bol of the bear, as the largest species of these animals
was found in Media, a mountainous, cold and rough
country, covered with woods. The Medes and Per-
sians are compared to a bear on account of their cru-
elty and thirst after blood; a bear being a most vora-
cious and cruel animal. The bear is termed by Aris-
totle an all-devouring animal; and the Medo Persians
are known to have been great robbers and spoilers,"
maka
This Medo Persian empire, represented in Daniel,
chap. 7, under the emblem of a bear, is the same re-
ہیے
27
9
1
214
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Ł
presented in chap. 2, by a breast and arms of silver,
but is succeeded by the Macedonian or Greek empire.
The third beast like a leopard, having four wings of
a fowl, and four heads. "This was the Macedonian
or Greek empire, and Alexander the Great its 'king.
Alexander and his subjects are fitly compared to a leo-
pard. First, the leopard is remarkable for its swift-
ness. Alexander and the Macedonians were very ra-
pid in their conquests. Second-the leopard is a spot-
ted animal; a proper emblem of the various nations,
with their various customs and languages, which con-
stituted the Macedonian empire. It may refer to the
character of Alexander himself, sometimes mild, at
others cruel; sober, and drunken; continent, and le-
cherous; having a great power of self-government,
and at other times a slave to his passions. Third-
the leopard, though small, is not afraid to attack the
lion.
"Four wings of a fowl. The Babylonish empire
was represented with two wings, and they sufficiently
marked the rapidity of Nebuchadnezzar's conquests;
but the Macedonians have here four wings; for no-
thing, in the history of the world, was equal to the
conquests of Alexander, who ran through all the coun-
tries from Illyricum and the Adriatic sea to the Indian
Ocean and the river Ganges, and in twelve years sub-
dued part of Europe, and all Asia.
"The beast had also four heads: Signifying the
empire after the death of Alexander, divided between
his four generals. Cassander reigning over Macedon
and Greece; Lvsimachus over Thrace and Bethynia
slag
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
215
Ptolemy over Egypt; and Seleucus over Syria."
These were the four notable horns which sprung up
out of the empire of Alexander after his death, and
out of one of these there arose a little horn by itself,
which became exceeding great. This was Antiochus
Epiphanes, who persecuted the Jews, and polluted
their temple and sanctuary, of whom we shall speak
hereafter. He reigned about the year B. C. 300.
But after this, Daniel saw, in vision, a fourth
beast arise, diverse from any that had preceded it.
See chap. 7, 7. After this, I saw in the night vi-
sions, and behold a fourth beast, üreadful and terrible,
and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth:
it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue
with the feet of it; and it was diverse from all the
beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. This
beast, seen by Daniel in his vision, is the same seen by
Nebuchadnezzar in his dream, under the symbol of legs
of iron, and feet part iron, and part clay, and is the
same fourth kingdom, according to Daniel's interpreta-
tion of that dream. See chap. 2, 40. And the fourth
kingdom shall be strong as iron, &c.
This fourth beast, says Dr. Clark, "is allowed, on
all hands, to be the Roman empire. It was dreadful,
terrible, and exceeding strong; it devoured and broke
in pieces, and stamped the residue, that is, the remains
of the former kingdoms, with its feet. It reduced Ma-
eedon into a Roman province about one hundred and
sixty-eight years before Christ; the kingdom of Per-
gamos about one hundred and thirty-three years; Sy-
ria abont sixty-five; and Egypt about thirty years be-
1
216
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
$
饔
​រ
fore Christ. And besides the remains of the Macedo-
nian empire, it subdued many other provinces and
kingdoms, so that it might, by a very usual figure, be
said to devour the whole earth, to tread it down and
break it to pieces; and became, in effect, what the
Roman writers delight to call it, the empire of the
whole world. This beast" was diverse from all the
beasts that were before it, not only in its republican
form of government, but also in power and greatness,
extent of dominion, and length of duration. The ten
horns were ten kingdoms, into which the Roman em-
pire was afterwards divided," and "are reckoned
thus: 1. The Roman senate. 2. The Greeks in Ra-
venna. 3. The Lombards, in Lombardy. 4. The
Huns, in Hungary. 5. The Alemans, in Germany.
6. The Franks, in France. 7. The Burgundians, in
Burgundy. 8. The Saracens, in Africa, and a part of
Spain. 9. The Goths, in other parts of Spain. 10.
And the Saxons, in Britain." These are the ten
kingdoms represented by the ten toes of the great me-
tallic image, and by the ten horns of the fourth beast.
The symbols are dissimilar, but the kingdoms signified
are the same. But while Daniel was considering the
horns of the fourth beast, his attention was arrested by
another, which he calls a little horn, which arose
among the other ten horns.
F
W
半
​. But here let us pause, while we ascend with Daniel
to the top of the Mount of Vision, from whence the
distant empires, kingdoms, and revolutions of future
ages were clearly seen. This vision was shown to
Daniel about A. M. 3444, while he was a captive with
想
​I
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
217
the whole of his nation at Babylon, about 566 years.
B. C.
M
From the glorious height of mental elevation to
which Daniel was exalted in that vision of God, there
were shown to him, as above recounted, fourteen dis-
tinct kingdoms which were to come into being, (except
the one by which he was then a captive.) The first,
therefore, which he notices as being important, with
respect to the welfare of his nation, the Jews, and of the
church and cause of his God in the earth, was the ap-
pearance of a little horn, which arose about the year
B. C. 300; but of this horn we shall speak hereafter,
as before remarked. From thence descending down
the course of time, till after the advent of the Messiah,
about the year A. D. 740, he saw arising from among
the ten horns of the fourth great empire, which was the
Roman,* another little horn, of which the first horn he
saw B. C. 300 years, may be considered only as a pre-
cursor of this last horn, though the first arose 1040 years
It is evident that those two horns occupy two
distinct periods of time, because they were engaged in
effecting two distinct objects, though actuated by the
same spirit of wickedness. The first horn gloried in
the destruction which he poured upon the Jews and
their temple, as it is stated of him, that he waxed great
even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some oj
the host and of the stars to the ground, and relates.
wholly to what he did to the Jews before the time of
sooner.
* Though now divided and absorbed by the overflowing of the
northern nations, yet retaining the name of Roman.
T
{
-
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
215
}
3
{
T
$
I
Christ. But the second horn, instead of rising out of
one of the four horns, arose from the midst of ten, and
aimed at the empire of the whole world, affecting to be
the vicegerent of Christ on earth. This did not the
first horn. By the first horn, the daily sacrifice was
taken away, and the place of the sanctuary cast down.
This was Antiochus Epiphanes. But of the last horn
it is said by Daniel, that he plucked up three of the
ten horns which were round about him; neither was
this done by the first horn: From which it is clear
they are distinct powers, and occupy distinct periods,
though moved by the same spirit of wickedness to mo-
nopolize the empire of the whole globe, by which they
are known as brethren of the same father, who is the
devil.
This last horn, who had eyes like the eyes of a man,
and a mouth speaking great things, is "among Pro-
testant writers considered the popedom." The eyes
in this born are the symbols of oversight, "intimating
cunning and superintendence; for the Pope calls him-
telf Episcopus episcoporum, or the Overseer of Over-
seers."
W
((
JE $
The mouth speaking great things, consists in his
pretending to unlimited jurisdiction, binding and
loosing at pleasure. Proiaising to absolve from all
sins, present, past and future; and threatening to send
to everlasting destruction all kings, kingdoms and in-
dividuals, who dare to dispute his authority. To none
can this apply so well, and so fully, as to the Popes.or
Rome. They have assumed infallibility, which be-
longs only to God. They profess to forgive sins,
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
219
>
which belongs only to God. They profess to opet
and shut heaven, which belongs only to God. They
profess to be higher than all the kings of the earth,
which belongs only to God. And they go beyond
God, in pretending to loose whole nations from their
oath of allegiance to their kings, when such kings do
not please them; and they go against God, when they
give indulgences for sin." This they have done, and
is the worst of all blasphemies. The dreaded, coun-
cils at Rome, under the sole direction of the numerous
Popes since they became antichristian, have endeavour.
ed to wear out the saints," by wars, crusades, massa-
eres, inquisitions and persecutions of all kinds. What,
in this way, have they not done against all those who
have protested against their innovations, and refused to
submit to their idolatrous worship. Witness the exter-
minating crusades published against the Waldenses and
Abbigenses. Witness John Huys, and Jerom of Prague.
Witness the Smithfield fires in England. Witness God
and man against this bloody, persecuting, ruthless and
impure church." They have also thought" to change
times and laws, by appointing fasts and feasts; canoni-
zing persons whom they choose to call saints; grant-
ing pardons and indulgences for sins; instituting new
modes of worship utterly unknown to the Christian
church; new articles of faith; new rules of practice ;
and reversing, at pleasure, the laws both of God and
anan." -Dodd.
Įpotential, ghana
1
This, then, is the beast foreseen by Daniel the pro-
phet, into whose hands the saints were to be given a
time, times and a half time, which term is, by all com-
į
220
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
meutators, allowed to signify 1260 years, reckoning
360 days to the year. A time is computed at one
year, or 360 days-times at two years, or 720 days-
half time at a half a year, or 180 days. These.days
added, give 1200, which are each a symbol of one year.
1260 years is, consequently, the time the saints were
to be given into the hand of this beast, or little horn,
which arose from among the ten other horns; but at
what period of time is it judicious to fix upon as
the time when the saints were given to this horn? This
appears to be the grand difficulty, and as many peri-
ods as writers upon this subject have been hit upon,
and claim to be the true time. But to me it appears
perfectly in vain to expect the saints shall be released
from the grasp of this papal monster, a day sooner
than the time when the sanctuary, which is the visible
church on the earth, is to be cleansed, perfectly clean-
sed, from all things that can offend. This sentiment is
drawn from Dan. 7, 26. But the judgment shall sit,
and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and
to destroy it unto the end. Unto what end? I answer,
to the end of the 1260 years from the time they were
given into his hand. But it is also clear, from the
same verse, that the consumption of this saint-holding
power shall be somewhat gradual, and from time to
time shall be shaken. This, in one instance, has alrea-
dy been done. "In 1798, the French republican ar
my, under General Berthier, took possession of the
city of Rome, and entirely superseded the whole papal
This was a deadly wound, though at present
power.
Magdal
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
221
it appears to be healed: but it is but merely skimmed
over, and a dreadful cicatrice remains."
But there will surely come a time, probably several
years this side the Millennium, when this beast must be
not only shaken, but utterly destroyed at the place
where he now has his seat and throne in Italy. See
Daniel 7, 11. 1 beheld because of the voice of the
great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till
the beast was slain, and his body given to the burning
flame. This statement of Daniel is wonderfully cor-
roborated by St. John. See Rev. 18, 8. Therefore
shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourn-
ing, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with
fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her, i. e.
the little horn, seen by Daniel among the ten, or the
woman sitting on many waters, seen by St. Johu; for it
is both one-the papal power. But when Italy, the
seat of this beast, shall come to be thus destroyed, and
suddenly sunk into the sea, other Catholic countries
will not so much lay it to heart, as immediately to rc-
pent, but will consider it only one of those convulsions
in nature, to which the carth is always subject, and
consequently will remain in their ignorance and bigo-
try, mourning over the sad fate of the seat of the
beast; for who but its friends will mourn over the de-
struction of the great engine of the devil to persecute
the saints. St. John, by the spirit of prophecy, has
minutely pointed out this circumstance, where he repre-
sents those who survive the destruction of Italy, as
saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in
fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with
T
Jen
}
'
↓
222
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
gold, and precious stones, and pearls: for in one hour
so great riches is come to nought. Chap. 18, 16, 17.
From these circumstances, it appears that the church
of God will continue under the power of this same pa-
pal horn, in some sense more or less, till the final de-
struction of all kinds of sinners takes place, as before
argued, just before the resurrection of the righteous
dead, which circumstance shall be the great door of
entrance into the Millennial state. To this view
agrees the fact of history, concerning the time when
the saints were, first given into the hands of that migh- ·
ty horn; the papal power. It is well known, that all
霉
​along from the martyrdom of Stephen, whom Saul of
Tarsus, afterwards St. Paul, aided in putting to death,
there was, till the time of Constantine, a continued per-
secution of the Christians, except a little space after
the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, the Roman em-
peror. This persecution was carried on by Jews,
mostly, till they were disabled to do so by the Ro-
mans; but thereafter by the Roman pagan powers,
which at that time involved the world nearly in their
sway. The blood of Christians flowed freely, begin-
ning with Stephen the first martyr, which, like a small
spring commencing a river, but in its progress enlarges
as it passes through various regions of country, recei-
ving tributary streams and springs till it becomes im-
mense so the blood of Christian martyrs accumula-
ted in depth and in width, as the course of time carried
them along succeeding ages, till great and horrible
was the river of blood shed in support of the sacred
But when, by the immediate and supernatural
cause.
J
L
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
223
}
interposition of a wise providence, Constantine became
changed from a supporter of the old heathen dragon'
worship to a supporter of the Christian, a stop to the
effusion of Christian blood was immediately effected."
It is well known that the emperor Constantine was
changed in his views of the Christian eause, by the ap-
pearance of a bright and luminous cross in the sky, a
little after noon day, with an inscription on it in the
Greek language, BY THIS CONQUER. See
Clark on Dan. who has quoted this fact from Euseb.
De Vit. Const. lib. 1, chap. 28, and states that it was
done while that emperor was in Gaul, A. D. 312,
and
that the prediction of the cross in the skies was fulfil-
led A. D. 331, when he terminated the reign of idola-
try by an edict ordering the destruction of all heathen
temples, when Christianity became the religion of his
whole empire.
But very soon thereafter, the grand though fatal de-
sign of fixing Christianity on a more permanent basis
was conceived, which was to have its support recogni-
zed in the constitution of the laws of the empire, in-
stead of its being supported by the simple yet best of
means, the conversion of sinners to God from the error
of their ways. But this seed of ecclesiastical power
having thus been planted, it soon vegetated beneath the
hot beams of the rising sun of riches, power, and
earthly glory in prospect, which soon began to appear
quite above the horizon, and to glitter gloriously in the
view of the church in those days. Hence the holy
zeal which formerly, like a robe, covered the ecclesias-
tics of the Christian church, became paralyzed by the
}
1
+ f
M
"
224
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
strong desire of clerical empire and jurisdiction; the
genius of which easily invented the imposing title of
Universal Bishop. Hence the age of strife, to climb
up to this seat, commenced, and it was not long ere it
grew to a throne; from whence the appalling thun-
ders of those pigmy gods rolled to distant nations
their supreme commands, as from the throne of the
Highest. As carly as the year A. D. 606, we find an
account of a third universal bishop, viz. Boniface.
This, then, is the apostacy spoken of by St. Paul, the
man of sin which he foretold. This is the beast which
St. John saw rise up out of the sea having seven heads
and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon
his head the name of blasphemy. Is not this the beast.
to whom the dragon gave his power, and his seat, and
great authority? Is not this the horn which Daniel saw
arise, who had a look more stout that his fellows?
This look of his, which was more stout than his fellows,
signified that he would not only lay hold on the secular
concerns of empires, but also extend his pretended-
power even to the invisible world, and controul the
destinies of departed spirits. This no mortal power
before him pretended to do. Into the hands of this
monster, was the saints delivered for a time, times and
a half time, or 1260 natural years. The prediction of
Daniel states, that he was to arise from among ten
other horns. These horns were formed out of the old
Roman empire, by the incursions of the northern na-
tions. "The first of those kingdoms (says Mr. Faber)
which was the Huns, arose A. D. 356, and the last of
them, that of the Lombards, in the north of Germany
1
***
--
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
225
A. D. 483, and about the year 526 in Hungary." This
little horn, therefore, came up as it were by stealth
among these ten kingdoms, but it consisted entirely of
a spiritual nature, or at least professedly such, though
secretly aiming at what he finally accomplished, viz.
the supreme control of all those ten kingdoms, in
both secular and spiritual affairs. Here, then, was ac-
complished in this fact, the prophecy of the Revelator,
that the dragon should give to this beast his seat, and
great authority. The dragon signifies the old pagan
worship of idols, his seat, and great authority, his uni-
versal sway, and claim of adoration: So this last
beast came at length to be adored as a god among the
nations, and is the same who is to continue forty and
two months-(See Rev. 13, 5)-which forty and two
months amount, in the prophetic calculation, to 1260
years; from which it is clear, that the saints are not to
be wholly freed from his power till he is destroyed, for
he is to continue but the forty and two months, there-
fore his power over them shall cease when he ceases to
exist, and not before. The time, therefore, when the
saints were given into his hands, was also the time.
when he began to exist in that peculiar character, in
which Daniel and the Revelator contemplated him.
Those times in which he was foreseen as a little horn,
was while he exercised only in the spiritual concerns of
the church, after he began his antichristian practices,
by substituting, for the truths of the Scriptures, the
wild fancies of mercenary men.
But such as he was foreseen to be, when he began to
his mouth in horrible blasphemies against God,
open
926
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
¿
ver.
and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven, was
such as he was when he finally seized the secular power,
and controlled the councils of empires, and stood upon
them as a vulture on the highest points of the moun-
tains of the globe, tearing the prey and none to deli-
The true token of his becoming such, was when
he should be engaged in tearing up by the roots three
of the ten horns, which were round about him. These
three stood in his way, or opposed his designs of ag-
grandizement and extravagant demands. He, therc-
fore, plucked them up by the roots. See Dan. 7, 8.
This work he commenced before the year A. D. 740,
and finished it some little time after that date. I have,
therefore, chosen to fix upon the year of our Lord 740,
as the true time when this beast had come to the full
stature of what he was apprehended to be by Daniel
and the Revelator, when the saints were given to his
power. This power he exercised, by giving such di-
rection to the secular arm as pleased him. Having
then secured this engine, he thenceforward practised
according to his will, deposing kings and dissolving
subjects from their allegiance, and persecuting the
saints even beyond his own papal dominions. I am
compelled to this conclusion, because I perceive the
length of time which this beast occupies in his peculiar
secular character, (distinguished from the spiritual) is
exactly coeval with the length of time he was to have do-
minion over the saints, both consisting of 1260 years.
If, therefore, it is proper to fix upon the year 740, when
he, by means of the sword in the hand of kings and
emperors, destroyed from age to age millions of the
Di
K
า
1
"
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
227
saints of the Most High. The time, then, when he
shall come to his end, and the saints in all the earth be
delivered from his power, both of the sword and his
false doctrine, will be the year of our Lord 2000.
The three horns which he plucked up by the roots,
were, according to Dr. Clark, "first, the exarchate of
Ravenna; second, the kingdom of the Lombards;
third, the state of Rome."
Į
}
Having now ascertained the time when the 1260 '
years began, and consequently when they shall end, we
proceed to enquire the meaning of another vision
Daniel the prophet had, concerning when the sanctu--
ary shall be cleansed, which will be found exactly to
corroborate, in point of completion, with the 1260
years and forty-two months, which I have contended
will be in the year A. D. 2000. And at the same pe-
riod of time will be finished the one thousand two hun-
dred and threescore days. See Rev. 12, 6, which is
also 1260 years, and is that space of time in which
the woman, who are the saints, is to be fed in the wil-
derness, and commenced at the time when the saints.
begau to bleed and to suffer by the papal secular pow-
er, A. D. 740.
#
}
1
1
King
pdesk
1
Although I admit, as is contended by Mr. Faber,
that "
upon the death of Sabinianus, Boniface the third
ascended the papal throne, in the beginning of the year
A. D. 606," and that one of his first acts that same
year was to procure from the emperor Phocus a grant
of the title of Universal Bishop, and supreme head of
the church; yet, says Mr. Faber, "I mean not indeed
f
to say, that he immediately began to exercise this un-
}
928.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
christian authority." This idea of that admired au-
thor, is one upon which I seize as agreeing with my
view, who contends that the famous 1260 years had
their commencement A. D. 606, and are to end A. D.
1866. But the reason why I lay hold of his acknow
ledgment, that Boniface, who, by the emperor Phocus,
was titled universal bishop, did not immediately com-
mence a persecution against the saints, is to show that
an immediate persecution of the saints was not then an
object with him, nor yet of his predecessors; but a
more definite object was to be finally and firmly sea-
ted on the very pinnacle of earthly power, which was
truly effected in the year of our Lord 606. But I ap-
prehend this period was not so much noticed by Dan-
iel, as the time when the blood of saints began to
be poured out, because of their open opposition to the
wickedness of the pope. There is not a doubt but this
horn, the papal power, came up by slow degrees, and
gradually initiated the multitude of those ten king-
doms round about him into his doctrines and ceremo-
mies; for as early as the fourth century, "the forbid-
ding to marry, the abstaining from meats, the exces-
sive veneration of supposed mediators, saints and an-
gels, began to creep into the church :" By which prac-
tices the church was amused, and more and more
brought on to consent to the imposing titles and usa-
ges assumed by the then corrupted ecclesiastics of the
church of Rome, its members feeling themselves pro-
portionably exalted with their leaders; but while they
were lifted up in view of their church, they were sink-
ing in ignorance, superstition and bigotry, till the title,
Katy
J
I
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
229
with the power, was conferred, which created and per-
fected this idol of papal Rome.
But when thus exalted, when thus endowed, with the
supreme government of that sacerdotal empire, "the
ancient Pantheon, formerly the general sink of all the
abominations of paganism was restored, though under
a different name, to its original destination" of idola-
try. The mediatory images of imagined saints, the
product of corrupted Christianity, occupied the vacant
places of the mediatory demons of the old dragon
Gentiles, which were destroyed by Constantine; and
beside these, instead of Jupiter and the kindred dei-
ties, the virgin mother of Christ, and all his martyred
saints, received the blind adoration of the ten horned
beast. Now when all this was finished in 606, it be-
came apparent to all considerate men, that riches, ho-
nour, glory, power and dominion, was the only object
of this now totally corrupted papal church; therefore
opposition to his schemes and plans of coercion, began
not many years thereafter to be manifested, which led
to a series of wars and bloodshed. Consequently, we
find him about the year 740, plucking up by the roots
three of the kingdoms, which were numbered among
the ten, into which the old Roman empire was divided
by the incursions of the northern barbaric nations. To
this period, therefore, I am inclined to think the pro-
phecy of Daniel referred, when he saw the blood of
saints began its pouring out, in testimony of their faith,
and in opposition to that idolatrous church. But if we
receive the arguments of Mr. Faber, who states that
the 1260 vears had their commencement A. D. 600;
U
}
230
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
then their end will come, as he has stated, in A. D.
1866, leaving but 39 years from 1827 to accomplish the
destruction of the Mahometan religion, to accomplish
the subversion of the papal errors, and to bring to a
final close the time, times, and a half time of Daniel,
and the 2300 prophetic days of the same prophet,
when the sanctuary is to be cleansed, to finish the for-
ty-two months, wherein the Gentiles and the corrupted
Roman church, shall tread the holy city, i. e. the
saints, under foot, to release the woman, i. e. the saints,
from her wilderness state of a thousand two hundred
and threescore days.
Now if all this is to be accomplished in A. D. 1866,
we shall have the Millennium one hundred and four-
teen years too soon. I cannot conceive, therefore, if
all those antichristian powers are to come to their end
114 years sooner than the year of our Lord 2000, when
or how those bloody wars are yet to take place, which,
by many writers and most people, is contended will be
the fact, in the land of Palestine, after the Jews are all
returned to that country, where the last great war is to
take place, called armageddon; because if those anti-
christian powers are to come to their end in 39 years
from the present, who then will be left on the earth to
wage this war with the Jews, unless we suppose a return
of the Jews to that country, and those horrid wars are
all to transpire within the short space of 39 years,
which is not at all probable. But that the Jews are ever
to return from the countries, where they are now dwel-
ling, to Palestine, is altogether an unaccountable fan-
cy, and unfounded in the Scriptures, as I conceive 3
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
231
q
but that they shall be brought, in all countries, to be-
Jieve that Jesus of Nazareth is the true Christ, is not to
be doubted. (See introduction upon this subject.) But
if we fix on the year A. D. 740, and from thence count
downward the vision of 1260 years, when all these
wonders shall be finished, it will bring the time to A.
D. 2000, at which time it is proper to look for the com-
mencement of the Millennial years: For the destruc-
tion of all opposition belongs to God, and he can as
easily effect it in the last year of the next century as in
a thousand; for it will be finally the effect of superna-
tural power.
}
But let us not forget, that we have ascended with
Daniel the Mount of Vision, and have, in the prece-
ding pages, recounted his view of the little horn, that
came up among ten others in the year of our Lord
740, which I have endeavoured to show was when the
spiritual and secular power had formed a junction in the
person of Pope Boniface the Third, i. e. when he was
found putting that power into execution against the
three horns, or governments, which he plucked up by
the roots, which work he commenced before, and fin-
ished soon after the year A. D. 740. Our object,
therefore, is next to attend to his description of a horn
which he saw rise out of one of the four horns or king,
doms that came up and occupied part of the dominions of
Alexander the Great. This horn arose one thousand and
forty years sooner than the one we have seen which
came up among the ten, as early B. C. as 300 years.
And in order to prove that it signifies Antiochas Epi-
phanes, I shall give an account of his predecessors as
ال
282
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
foreseen by Daniel, following the opinion of Dr. Clark,
and others quoted by him, in order to come at the iden~
tity of both time and person. While Daniel was a
captive at Babylon, B. C. 550 years, (and it is thought
he died there) he in a vision was informed by an angel
of God, what should befall his countrymen soon after
their restoration to Jerusalem, and the rebuilding of the
temple by the order of Cyrus, which was accomplish-
ed by the Jews under the conduct of the prophéts
Nehemiah and Ezra; and also what should befall the
sanctuary of the Jewish temple through the wicked-
ness of Antiochus Epiphanes, who would pollute it.
And from a view of the pollation of that sanctuary,
which was a type and figure of the great sanctuary,
the Christian cause, he descends, therefore, in his view
down the course of ages, to the times of the pollution
of the Christian sanctuary by the papal powers, (as we
have already described) till it should finally be cleans-
ed at the end of 2300 years, from the times of the pol-
lution of the temple. In the vision which passed be-
fore him, there was presented to his view a ram, whose
head was adorned with two lofty horns, but one of them
was much higher than the other, and the highest came
up last. These two horns were the kings of Media and
Persia. See Dan. 8, 20, where it is said, The ram
which thou sawest having two horns, are the kings of
Media and Persia. But the ram itself was Cyrus,
who was the founder of that empire.
son of Cambyses, king of Persia,
Astyages, king of Media, by his daughter Mandane,
who had been given in marriage to Cambyses. Cyrus
1
"Cyrus was the
and grandson of
P
wh
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
233
A
1
marrying Roxana, the daughter and only child of his
uncle Cyaxares, called in the Scripture Ahaseurus,
succeeded to both crowns, and thus united Media and
Persia." Respecting this ram with his two horns,
Daniel says, chap. 8, verse 4, I saw the ram pushing
westward, and northward, and southward, so that no
beast might stand before him, neither was there any that
could deliver out of his hand; he did according to his
will, and became great. "The principal theatre of
their wars was against the Scythians, northward ;
against the Greeks, westward; and against the Egyp-
tians, southward." There was no nation at that time
1
{
2
that could stay the progress of the Persian arms.
The prophet Daniel says, verses 5 and 6, And as 1
was considering, behold a he-goat came from the west
on the face of the whole carth, and touched not the
ground; and the he-goat had a notable horn between
his eyes.
And he came to the ram that had two horns,
which I had seen standing before the river, and ran un-
to him in the fury of his power." This he-goat was
the emperor Alexander the Great, who invaded Aa
B. C. 334 years. It may be pleasing to the reader to
learn why in the Scriptures he is called a he-goat. Bi-
shop Newton states that two hundred years before the
time of Daniel, they were called the Egeadae, the
goat's people; the origin of which name is said to be
as follows: Caranus, their Grst king, going with a
multitude of Greeks to seek a new habitation in Mace-
donia, was advised by an oracle to take the goats for
his guides; and afterwards, seeing a herd of goats
flying from a violent storm, he followed them to Edes-
U*
*
*
234
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
!!
&
sa, and there fixed the seat of his empire, and made the
goats his ensign or standard, and called the place
Ege, the goat's town, and the people Ægeadae, the
goat's people. The city Ege, or Egea, was the usuaf
burying place of the Macedonian kings; and in refe-
rence to this origin, Alexander called his son by Rox-
ana, Alexander Ægus, (or, as it is in English, Alexan-
der the Goat.) All of which goes to establish the pro-
priety of Alexander's being in Scripture called, in re-
ference to this origin, a he-goat. This he-goat came
with his forces from the west of Asia. Europe
lies west of that quarter of the globe, and by the time
Alexander was thirty years of age, he had conquered all
Asia; and because of the rapidity of his conquests, he
is represented as a leopard with four wings, in the pre-
ceding vision. This he-goat, it is said by Daniel, came
to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen stand-
ing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his
power. Chap. 8, 6. The conflicts between the Greeks
and the Persians were excessively severe. Alexander'
fast vanquished the generals of Darius at the river
Granicus, in Phrygia; he next attacked and totally
routed Darius at the straits of Issus, in Silicia; and af-
terwards at the plains of Arbela, in Assyria.
"One
can hardly read these words," says Bishop Newton,
"the_ram—which I had seen standing by the river---
ran unto him in the fury of his power, without having
the image of Darius's armiy standing and guarding the
river Granicus; and of Alexander on the other side,
with his forces plunging in, swimming across the
stream, and rushing on the enemy, with all the fire and
་
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
235
fury that can be conceived." He broke the two horns
of the ram when he had subdued Persia and Media,
and had burnt the royal city of Persepolis, the capital.
of the Persian empire; and, even in its ruins, one of the
wonders of the world to the present day. Alexander's
& victories over the Persians were as easy as they were
rapid and decisive. He cast down (the ram) to the
ground, and stamped on him, totally destroyed the fam-
ily, and overturned the whole monarchy. But this he-
goat, when he had conquered nearly the then known
world, died B. C. 323, in the height of his conquests,
at the age of about thirty-three years. After his death,
his natural brother, Philip Aridaeus, and his two sons,
Alexander Ægus and Hercules, kept up the show and
name of the Macedonian kingdom for a time, but they
were all murdered within fifteen years after the death
of Alexander; and thus the great horn, the Macedo-
nian kingdom, was broken, the whole family being now
cut off. But as soon as this was accomplished, the re-
gions subdued by Alexander were divided among four
of his generals, as before stated in this division. These
four generals, who had become governors of provinces,
during the fifteen years in which Alexander's brothers
and two sons held the rule, were the four notable horns
which came up after Alexander, the great Macedonian
horn was broken. But "out of one of them came a
little horn which waxed exceeding great toward the
south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant
land. And it waxed great even to the host of heaven,
and it cast down some of the host, and of the stars, to
the ground, and stamped upon them, which was the
•
S
236 EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
|
>
T
Jewish priesthood. And by him the daily sacrifice
was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was
cast down. And a host was given him against the
daily sacrifice, by reason of transgressions, and it cast
down the truth to the ground, and it practiced and
prospered." See Dan. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
}
Now when Daniel saw in the vision the havoc and
desolation this little horn would make at Jerusalem, by
destroying the Jews and profaning the temple, by put-
ting the abominations of the heathen in the most holy
place, then I heard, said Daniel, one saint speaking to
another saint, (or, as Dr. Clark says, one angel speak-
ing to another angel) how long shall be the vision con-
cerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of de
solation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be
trodden under foot? To which an answer was imme-
diately given, saying, Unto two thousand three hundred
days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
}
Now arises the question to be answered: Who is
this little horn, and when are we to commence the num-
bering of those 2300 days or years, as they are by all
allowed to mean; so that we may know when the
sanctuary, i. e. the church of God, to which Daniel
must have referred, as well as to the sacred altar at Je-
rusalem, evidently connecting them in his view of de-
solations, shall be cleansed. For he very well knew,
as a prophet, that the sanctuary at Jerusalem was to
give place to the greater one to be set up by the Mes-
siah; therefore, in his propecying respecting when the
sanctuary is to be cleansed, he has adverted from the
former to the latter, and foretold when, or, in other
{}}
NË
ht
SEX!
A
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
237
Positi
words, when the Millennium is to commence. Some
have strenuously contended, that this little horn signi-
fies the Romans as a nation; but this cannot be, be-
cause Daniel saw this horn arise at a period future to
the time when he saw the vision, which was while he
was at Babylon, a captive, B. C. 550 years. But the
Romans had their commencement long before Daniel
was born, as early as the year B. C. 753; consequent-
ly, it is morally impossible to allow this horn to be the
Roman government. The vision put the whole tra-
gedy in the ages to come from the time of the vision.
Those who have supposed that this little horn signifies
the Roman government, have accordingly supposed
that Daniel's view of what was done to the sanctuary
and temple by way of polluting it, by setting up the
abomination which maketh desolate, was accomplish-
cd by the Romans under Titus, when it was totally de-
stroyed by that emperor, A. D. 70. But it should be
recollected, that nothing, is more unlikely than that
God would put it into the heart of Daniel to mourn for
the desolation of the temple, after it was of no further
use to his cause and church in the earth, when Christ
had once suffered, and the temple thereby rendered
useless as a place to exhibit types of a coming Messiah,
which was the only design had in view in building it at
first.
{
>
But Daniel certainly foretold the destruction of Je-
rusalem in the ninth and eleventh chapters of his book,.
and speaks of the Romans as being the abomination
of desolation standing in the holy place. See Matth.
24, 15; but by no means conveying the idea, that the
¡*
238
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Romans, at that time and place, was the little horn 2
because we find, after Daniel had finished his account
of the exploits of the little horn, he states concerning
him in chap. 11, 31, that arms should stand on his
part, i. e. the Romans, of whom the little horn had been
always in awe, and had paid taxes to them, and became
finally supplanted by them; but as the Romans pur-
sued the same policy and severity towards the Jews
that the little horn had, it is said, in reference to this
point, by Daniel, that arms stood on his part. The
standing of the Roman arms on the part of the little
horn, did not aid any of his views of glory and ambi-
tion relative to himself, but only accomplished his ha-
tred, though after his death, against the Jews, by finally
destroying them and their whole nation by Titus, A.
D. 70. But he, (the little horn) came finally to his
end, there being none to help him. This was accom
plished upon him when he planted the power of his
arms in the land of Judea, to destroy it; but his ur-
«nies were then defeated by the Jews, under the conduct
of Maccabeus.* See Daniel 11, 45. And he shall plant
the tabernacle of his palaces between the seas (of the
Mediterranean and Asphaltides, north lat. 31 1-2 east,
long. 35 from Lond.) in the glorious holy mountain,
(Jerusalem) yet he shall come to his end, and none shall
help him.
*
>
I feel, therefore, assured, that the period of the ruin
of the temple after Christ is not the period to which
Daniel alludes, when he in vision described what the
little horn would do before he should come to his end,
Nor yet that it was the Romans who represented this
And his successors after the death of Antiochus,
1
**
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
239
Little horn, because they arose 453 years sooner than
the acts prophecied of the little horn took place. But
if we say ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES is the terri-
ble king, or horn, he saw arise, then we find in him a
character which at once realizes all the acts foreseen of
him in the eighth chapter of Daniel. The time also
that he arose to power, (which was 250 years after the
prophecy) will agree with the time set to cleanse the
sanctuary, which was from his rising up, till it should
be cleansed, 2300 years. For it appears from the ac-
count the writer of the book of Maccabees has given
of him, that he existed, and did all the things foretold
of him by Daniel; about the year B. C. 300. A morc
particular account of what he did than is stated by Da-
niel, I now proceed to extract from the first book of
Maccabees, which is allowed, for its historical correet-
ness, to be of great worth, and is found to agree with
Daniel, respecting out of whom this horn should arise.
Daniel states that he arose out of one of the four horns
who succceded Alexander. These were his generals;
and the countries they ruled over have been already
mentioned.
+
It appears from Maccabees, chap. 1, 7, that Alexan-
der reigned twelve years, and then died; consequently
he succeeded his father Philip at the age of twenty-
one, for he was thirty-three years old when he died,
B. C. 323. After his death, his brother and two sons,
as before stated, kept up the appearance of the Mace-
donian empire for 15 years, which brings the date of
their murder, and the assumption of government by
Alexander's generals, over the nations conquered by
<
¦
240
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
him, to the year B. C. 308. Now out of one of these
four horns which sprung up after the death of Alexan
der, arose Antiochus Epiphanes, who, it is supposed,
supplanted Cassander, one of the four generals- of Al-
exander, who had for his part of the conquests of his
royal master, Macedon and Greece. Antiochus Epi-
phanes is the one, therefore, who, according to Daniel,
arose at that time. See chap. 8, verse 9. And out of
one of them, (the four generals of Alexander) came
forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great. This
is the one also described in the first chapter of Macca-
bees. See Apocrypha.
"And there came out of them
a wicked root, Antiochus surnamed Epiphanes. Now
when the kingdóm was established before Antiochus,
he thought to reign over Egypt, that he might have
dominion of two realms. Wherefore he entered into
Egypt with a great multitude, with chariots, and ele-
phants, and horsemen, and a great navy. Ptolemy was
afraid of him, and fled. Thus they got the strong ci-
ties in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils there-
of." That this same Antiochus Epiphanes, spoken of
in the Apocrypha, in the first book of Maccabees and
first chapter, was the little horn prophecied of by Daniel,
we have the comment of Adam Clark upon chap. 11,
verse 25, of that prophecy, as corroborative proof. See
the verse. And he shall stir up his power and his cour-
age against the king of the south with a great army.
"Antiochus marched against Ptolemy, the king of the
i
south (Egypt) with a great army; and the Egyptian
generals had raised mighty forces. The two armies
met between Pelusium and Mount Casius; but he (the
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
241
king of the south) could not stand; the Egyptian ar-
my was defeated."
And further, as corroborative proof that this Anti-
ochus who then invaded Egypt, was Antiochus Epi--
phanes, the horn alluded to by Daniel, I shall give Dr.
Clark's remarks on verse 21, of the 11th chap. And
in his estate (i. e. a former king-Cassander.probably)
shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not
give the honour of the kingdom; but he shall come in
peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries. This
was Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes, or the Illustrious.
by the Syrian court. "They did not give him the
honour of the kingdom. He was at Athens, on his
way to Rome, when his predecessor died, and Heliodo-
rus had declared himself king; so had several others
But Antiochus came in peaceably, for he obtained the
kingdom by flatteries. He flattered Eumenes, king of
Pergamus, and Attalus his brother, and got their assis-
tance. He flattered the Romans, and sent ambassa -
dors to court their favour, and pay them the arrears of
tribute. He flattered the Syrians, and gained their
concurrence; and as he flattered the Syrians, so they
flattered him, giving him the epithet of Epiphanes, the
Illustrious. But that he was what the prophet calls.
him, a vile person, is fully evident, from what Polybius
says of him, from Athenaeus, lib. v. "He was every
man's companion: he resorted to the common shops,
and prattled with the workmen he frequented the
common taverns, and ate and drank with the meanest
fellows, singing debauched songs," &c. From which
it is evident, this person is the same to whom both Da-
W
242
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
niel and the Apocrypha alludes. By the one he is cal-
led Antiochus Epiphanes, plainly; and by the other, a
vile person, who, by Clark, is said to be the same;
and, I add, is the little horn foreseen of Daniel.
**
*
But I resume the account given of him in Macca-
bees. See Apocrypha. "And after that Antiochus
had smitten Egypt, he returned and went up against
Israel and Jerusalem with a great multitude; and en-
tered proudly into the sanctuary, and took away the..
golden altar, and all the vessels thereof. He took also
the silver and the gold, and the precious vessels: also
he took the hidden treasures which he found. And
when he had taken all away, he went unto his own
land, having made a great massacre, and spoke very
proudly." But two years after, it appears that Antio-
chus returned again to Jerusalem, and burnt down a
part of the city, carried many captives away, and pos-
sessed their cattle. And at the same time he built a
strong wall round the city of David, with immense
towers on it, and thereby made it a strong hold for
himself. "And put therein a sinful nation, and forti-
fied themselves therein." It appears that from this
fort which they built, that they harassed and afflicted
the people, who daily came to the temple to sacrifice.
"Thus they shed innocent blood on every side of the
At that time Antiochus
sanctuary, and defiled it.”
wrote letters to his whole kingdom, that in their wor-
ship they should be one people, and also to the Jews,
many of whom consented to the worship of idols. "He
get up groves, and chapels of idols, and sacrificed
swine's flesh and unclean beasts." He also set up an
1
I
$
243
EXPECTED CIIRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
idol upon the very altar of God in the temple, and sa-
crificed to the idol there, and sprinkled the whole tem-
ple and altar with the broth of swine's flesh. See
Clark on Daniel, chap. 11, 28.
P
п
From what I have advanced, it appears evident (at
least to me) that the horn which arose nearest to Da-
niel's time, B. C. 550, was Antiochus Epiphanes, who
commenced his reign about the year B. C. 300; but
soon after his end, the kingdom was lost in that of the
Romans, who commenced their national existence B.
C. 758, but at that time had become exceeding power-
ful. If, therefore, the prophet alluded to the time of
Antiochus, who horribly polluted the Jewish sanctuary,
we see clearly that the time to cleanse it, i. e. the
Christian sanctuary, of which that at Jerusalem was
the type, will be at the end of 2300 natural years, and
will be completed at the end of the next century, in
the year A. D. 2000. At that time also will be finish-
ed the 1260 years of the captive state of the Christian
polluted sanctuary, who went into captivity about the
year A. D. 740. At that period will the woman, who
is the Christian church, now under the power of the
beast, come forth from her hiding place, where she
has been, is now, and will continue to be fed and pre-
served, till the end of 1260 years, from the face of the
scrpent, which is the old heathen worship of idols, from
which she was rescued by the conversion of Constan-
tine, and preserved in the wilderness state of the Ro-
man Catholic church from heathen idolatry, though
nothing more, since that time, than nominally Chris-
1
蹜
​"244 EXPECTED CIIRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
7
tian, which, however, preserves her from the more
horrid face of the serpent, paganism.
At that time shall end the prophecying of the two
witnesses. See Rev. 11, 3. And I will give power to
my two witnesses, and they shall prophecy a thousand
two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sack-
cloth. During which time the Gentiles are to tread un-
der foot the holy city, i. e. the whole community of
saints in those Catholic countries, who would gladly
embrace the opportunity of listening to the voice of
those witnesses, if they were not now shrouded in the
smoke of the bottomless pit. But at the end of the
forty-two months, at the end of the three days and a
half, at the end of the twelve hundred and sixty years,
at the end of a thousand two hundred and threescore
days, at the end of a time, times and a half time, at the
end of Daniel's two thousand three hundred days-
shall the smoke of the bottomless pit be blown quite
from the mental region of man's mind in all the
globe, in the last year of the next century.
But long before that period, the gospel will have
been received among all heathen nations.
Having now presented my reasons for believing the
Millennium will commence at the end of six thousand
years from the beginning of creation, I will sum them
up in brief, and then pass to some remarks on the king-
dom of the mountain, then close this division with a
few reflections. My reasons for expecting it at that
period, have consisted, Ist, in showing the sanctity and
propriety of a Millennium. 2d. By exhibiting proofs.
that the ancient Jews, Rabbins, and prophets, as well
ľ
1
家
​→
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
245
4pin
as the Christian churches in all ages have expected it.
3d. By a compared view of the various kinds of Sab-
baths, which I have shown as typifying a Millennium
at a certain period. 4. By ascertaining the rise and
fall of the papal horn. 5. By showing when and who
it was that polluted the Jewish sanctuary, and when
the time to cleanse it shall come, i. e. the Christian
sanctuary, as I suppose the prophet meant, else he
would not have set the time so distant as 2300 years.
6. That the four grand dispensations from Abraham,
consisting of a thousand years each, shall also end with
the next century; exactly corroborating their sublime
symbol, which was a river, shown to Ezekiel by an
angel, consisting of four equal measurements of a
thousand cubits each, which is descriptive of the in-
crease of a knowledge of God in his church in the
earth, since the birth of Abraham till the Millennium.
7. By showing that at the end of the next century, the
noted 1260 years, in which the saints were given into
the power of the secular Roman church, shall end;
and 8. That then the two witnesses shall finish their
prophecying in sackcloth, and be caught up to heaven in
the midst of a cloud. These are my reasons for believ-
ing the Millennium will commence at that period. There
I see a termination of all those grand symbols upou
which the expectation has been built, by both the an-
cient and modern church. But I will here remark,
that the exaltation of the two witnesses, the Old and
the New Testament, to heaven, may be understood to
signify, that as the Holy Scriptures, the grand medium
through which God has conversed with man, have been
W*
246
EXPECTED CIÍRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
*
despised, ridiculed and rejected by a majority of the
nations, so they shall finally come to be had in aniver-
sal honour, and their precepts to be the Alpha and
Omega of all the nations of the earth during a thou-
sand years, even on the earth where they have been de-
spised. This glory which shall be bestowed upon
them, their enemies shall see; but in that same hour,
when thus exalted, there shall be a great earthquake;
terrible commotions among men; the wicked falling
by the supernatural power which shall then destroy
them. And the seventh angel sounded; (for six had
preceded him) and there were great voices in heaven,
saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the
kingdoms of our Lord, and his Christ; and he shall
reign for ever and ever.
And as if to confirm the faith of the saints, that the
vision shall end, and the, saints take the kingdom at the
termination of 1260 years, from the precise time the
Christian sanctuary was absolutely and totally polluted
by the papists, and the abomination set up, (i. e. the
Popes, as idols) which maketh desolate, of whom An-
tiochus Epiphanes, and his pollutions of the Jewish
sanctuary, was a lively type. It is asked, How long
shall it be to the end of these wonders? See Dan.
chap. 12, 6. The reply was, that it shall be for a
time, times, and a half time; and when he shall have
accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people,
all these things shall be finished.
Thus I understand it: the time allowed to this deso-
lating monster, this abominable idol, which has made.
desolate the saints, is 1260 years, in which time he
$
}
1
Q
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
247
1
M
shall have fully accomplished to scatter the power of the
holy people, the children of God in his dominions,
who receive not the mark of this beast in their fore-
heads, or their hands. The end, or last years of the
next century, shall finish the visions of Daniel and St.
John, in reference to the kingdom of the stone, and
close the grand drama of sufferings with the saints,
and shall usher in, like the breaking forth of the wa-
ters of Paradise in the first Eden, the undescribed glo-
ries of the Millennial state, and kingdom of the moun-
tain, which is Christ in his second coming, filling the
whole earth.
REFLECTIONS.
1 And are we, indeed, so near the time which has been
the subject of hope and prophecy in all ages, of both
the Jewish and Christian churches; so near that period
when the depravity of the heart shall be no more, when
the effects of sin shall cease, and its injuries be repair-
ed by the spirit of the Lord of Host in all the earth,
both of natural and moral evil? Are we indeed, so
near that time, when the holy dead shall rise at the
sound of the voice of the archangel in all the earth?
So near that time, when the sweet fellowship that exis-
ted in Eden between man and the angels of God, shall
be renewed; the lost image of perfect holiness be re-
stored? Yes, O my soul! the time is near. Blessed
be God, who so loved the world as to give his only Son
for a ransom, upon whom, as a foundation, is built, not
only the expectation of the joys of the Millennial state,
✓
248
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
but when that shall end, the more triumphant bliss of
an eternal weight of glory in the heavens. With these
views let us be comforted, and possess our souls in pa-
tience, for behold it hasteneth. Soon the rush of years
will unfold to the astonished sight the joys that have
been bought with a Saviour's blood. The lives of
three persons in succession, from the present year,
1827, of sixty years of age, are more than sufficient to
reach the promised land; the third, if holy, will
plunge in that sea of joy, will be one of those who
shall feel the mighty change from mortal to immortali-
ty, such as the sinless pair possessed before their fall,
and shall become a recipient of the immunities of the
Millennial state.
Having passed through the various periods which
relate to the cleansing of the sanctuary on the earth,
though commencing at different eras, but all manifestly.
ending at one and the same time, viz. at the end of the
next century, or in the year of our Lord 2000, I will
just observe that Daniel the prophet has spoken of an
additional number of years, which seem to reach be-,
yond the completion of the time, times and a half time,
or the 1260 years allotted for the cleansing of the
sanctuary. See Dan. 12, 11, 12. This addition
consists of seventy-five years, and evidently extends
into the Millennial state, and relates to some events in
volved in the blessedness of that time, which it seems
was not God's good pleasure so clearly to reveal to Da-
niel. But it is added, verse 12, Blessed is he that
waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and
five and thirty days. But here conjecture is lost, for
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
249
I consider the signification covered in obscurity, be-
cause those seventy-five days reach beyond the period
of cleansing the sanctuary, which will be effected by
the binding of Satan, by the destruction of all sinners,
by the removal of all natural and moral evil, by the
exaltation of the two witnesses, the Old and New Tes-
tament, up to the heaven of universal acceptance in all
the earth; by the junction of Ezekiel's river of life
with the ocean, the Millennium; by the resurrection of
all the righteous dead, and by the restoration of every
privilege which can possibly be consistent with that
new order of things, and will doubtless be fully equal
with the glories that would have crowned the race of
Adam, if he had not sinned. However, it is not pro-
bable that the same mode of happiness in every respect,
will then succeed, because the constituent qualifica-
tion of their happiness, will differ from what it would
have been in an unfallen state. For in the first or-
der of things, men were to live by obedience to the
law of God, without faith in a Redeemer: but in the
Millennium, they will live by keeping the law of God
through faith in Christ; for that state will be his
reign-his government-his kingdom, and glorious
triumph over all his foes. But as it respects happi-
uess, arising from a local or natural situation while
- subsisting on the earth, it may be expected that the
globe will again be adorned with all its ancient beau-
ty, and paradisical luxuriance.
$
}
¿
}
}
1
F
•
;
EIGHTH DIVISION.
{
}
An account of the first resurrection, and the subsequent happi-
ness of all people; with which is connected arguments to
prove, that all natural and moral evil shall cease a thousend
years; and that it was the intention of the Creator to have
clothed Adam and Eve, and their posterity, whether they should
'stand or fall.
®་བ•
}
;
"
Then shall all sacred dust, whose souls had faith,
Be rescu'd from the power of conquering death,
And instant upward fly, with speed of light,
Far from the changing climes of day and night.
Then they, the saints on earth who yet remain,
A thousand years will wait the trump again ;-
اكر
[
น
This lapse of years shall know no tempting devil,
Nor natural ills, nor power of moral evil.
}
#
}
THIS great and glorious event is intimately con-
nected with the Millennium, inasmuch as it is the very
beginning of that day; for it is written by St. John,
that the rest of the dead live not again until the thou-
sand years are finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev. 20, 5. From this it is evident, that there shall
absolutely be one thousand years between the first re-
•
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
2517
surrection and the second. This is the reason why I
conclude that the resurrection of the righteous must
take place the very moment of the commencement of
the Millennium, in order that a thousand years may
have exactly time enough to transpire before the resur-
rection of the wicked shall take place. And to ascer
tain this as a fact, we have only to recollect the above
quoted remarkable words of St. John upon the sub-
ject. But the rest of the dead live not again until the
thousand years are finished. *
The Evangelist, in order that the churches should
clearly understand him to say, that literally there
should be a lapse of a thousand years between the two
resurrections, and that it shall be the righteous who are
thus to be favoured with the first, he has said, Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection,
on such the second death hath no power. Rev. 20, 6;
which strongly intimates a second resurrection; and
that they who shall compose it, shall be hurt of the
second death; and it is added, And death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
Rev. 20, 14. And to prove that the wicked dead
shall be cast into this lake of fire, which is the second
death, we adduce these words: And whosoever was not
found written in the book of life, was cast into the
lake of fire. Rev. 20, 15. And to show that their
stay in this lake is eternal, we have only to let the Re-
velator decide, who says, And the devil that deceived
them wvs cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormen-
ted day and night for ever and ever. Rev. 20, 18.
• See Appendix (A.) ·
་
→
L
悸
​HOOF
252
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
But that the righteous dead shall arise before the
wicked dead, is confirmed by St. Paul, who says,
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first."
Thes. 4, 16. But the distance of time between the
two resurrections is not mentioned by St. Paul; yet
in Thes. 4, 17, he very plainly intimates, that there
will be a lapse of time between the two resurrections,
when he says, Then we which are alive and remain.
Thus I understand him to mean that when the righ-
teous dead awake at the sound of the archangel's
voice, that they will immediately ascend out of sight to
heaven; but they who are alive and on the earth at
that time, shall remain till after the Millennium, or the
thousand years are accomplished, and then shall be
caught up at the sound of the last trump, to be toge-
ther with them who ascend before and shall meet the
Lord in the air, and so shall we be ever with the Lord.
But if we blend the resurrection of saint and sinner'
together, then we make, between St. Paul and St.
John, an unaccountable disagreement on the subject ;
for while one plainly puts a thousand years between,
the other seems to blend them together.
It will no doubt be allowed, that these two apostles
wrote by the same spirit of inspiration, and that they
equally understood the process of the resurrection.
And although St. Paul never read the book of Revela-
tion, because it was not written till after the death of that
apostle, who was slain with a sword at the command of
Nero, the tyrant, in the year 65; but St. John lived to the
1
<
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
253
1
great age of ninety-eight years, and wrote the book of
Revelation while an exile on the isle of Patmos, in
the Archipelago,-(this island is situate between 35
and 40 deg. north lat. and 25 east long.)-under the
horrid reign of Domitian, but was called from his ex-
ile by Nerva, successor of Domitian, and again fixed
his seat at Ephesus. His book of Revelation, we are
informed, he wrote near the close of Domitian's reign,
which was long after the death of Nero and St. Paul,
and published in the year ninety-six, at which time it
was also dated. See Clark. Yet St. Paul must have
had the same view of the resurrection with St. John.
The following, I think, is a consistent view of the
subject concerning the two resurrections:. That al-
though there shall be many saints alive on the earth,
at the time when the period for the resurrection of the
just shall arrive, yet that circumstance shall not pre-
vent their rising. This appears to be the sense of the
15th verse of the 1st Thes. chap. 4. For this we say
unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall
not prevent them which are asleep; i. e. those who are
asleep in Jesus; for this is determined in the next
verse: For the Lord himself shall descend from hea-
ven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall
gise first-but no intimation that the sinner shall rise
with them, nor immediately after.
If this very idea were not a question among the
saints at Thessalonica, whether the wicked and the
righteous should rise together at the same time, it
X
4
{
254
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
would seem the apostle might not have been so explicit
to tell them that the dead in Christ should rise first.
But if the difference between the resurrection of the
saint and sinner shall be but as a moment, as it wère,
or even the space of a day, or a month, it would seem
such a circumstance could not be a matter of much so-
licitude to be known. But if we believe there shall
transpire a thousand years between, then the thought
swells to a vast consequence to be known of the
churches, as one of those great events connected with
the glory of the Messiah's kingdom on the earth.
In the last line of the 26th verse of the 4th of Thes,
the fact is stated that the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then immediately it is added in the first line of the fol-
lowing verse, Then we which are alive and REMAIN.
Why should this idea of remaining be introduced at
all, if those who then are alive shall ascend instantly
with those who rise then from the dead?
But here arises another argument. What meaneth
St. Paul, 1 Cor. 15, 52, by his mention of the last
trump. 51. Behold I show you a mystery: we shall
not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. In his
conversation upon this subject with the Thessalonians,
chap. 4, 16, there is no mention of the sounding of a
last trump; but the statement is simply, that at the
sound of the archangel's voice, and the trump of God,
the dead in Christ shall rise first. But to the Corin-
thians he taught, 15, 52, there should be a last trump
which must sound; at which time, they who were not
dead or asleep should be changed in the twinkling of
A
S
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
255
an eye. But here it is not mentioned, that this change
shall be effected when the dead in Christ shall rise, but
when the last trump shall sound. It is plain, there-
fore, that the last trump will not sound at the first resur-
rection, but will delay its sounding till the last resur-
rection, or résurrection of the wicked dead ; at which
time the saints who are then on the earth, shall be
changed at the sound of the last trump. But if we
blend' the first sound of the trump with the second, and
blend the first resurrection with the second, there will
remain a palpable darkness upon the face of this most
interesting subject, the resurrection of the saint and
sinner.
tami
We are informed by St. Paul to the Corinthians,
chap. 15, 26, that The last enemy that shall be destroy-
ed is death. This is corroborated by St. John, Rev.
20, 14. And death and hell were cast into the lake of
fire. This is the second death.
In reference to the above verses, I ask the serious
reader, if there ever has yet been a time when Satan,
who has the power of death, has at all been bereft of
his power to tempt the nations to sin? The answer
must be, No. Then there must come a time when this
will be fulfilled. To this, testifies St. John, Rev. 20,
2. And he (the angel) laid hold on the dragon, that
old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound
him a thousand years. When shall this be done? At
the time of the first resurrection, most certainly. Is this
the time when the last enemy is to be destroyed? As
it relates to the saints, it is; but as it relates to the
earth, and to certain apostates after the Millenniam, it
+
256
علم
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
is not; because after the above mentioned bondage, he
must be loosed again a little season. It follows, then,
that the end of all things cannot come at the time of
the first resurrection, as many have supposed. The
time to destroy the last enemy is not till the final judg-
ment; when death, that is, Satan, who has the power
of death, shall be cast into the lake of fire. This is
his death, and is called the second death.
1
If we say his destruction must come at the same time
with the first resurrection, then, indeed, we prevent
forever that happy period of his being bound a thou-
sand years, in reference to the earth, and also contra-
dict the Holy Scriptures, which say it shall be so. But
I feel constrained to pursue the argument a little far-
ther, and to trace the process of the resurrection, as
described by St. Paul to the Corinthians, in another
particular.
The order of the resurrection is, first, Christ himsel
came up from the dead. Second, those that are his at
his coming. See 1 Cor. 15, 23. But every man iss
his own order. Christ the first fruits; afterwards
they that are Christ's at his coming. Now if it be suppo-
sed, that when they that are Christ's shall come forth
from the dead, that then all the wicked dead shall also
rise, it would evidently attach more to be accomplished
by the fulfilment of that verse, than is promised by it,
or implied in it; for the promise is, they that arc
Christ's at his coming, and no other are implied. If,
then, at his coming, the righteous only are to be raised
from the dead, which will be the fact; and if this first
resurrection is also the end of time, or the judgment
1
A
Tag
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
257
}
7738
day, then it must follow, that they who are not the dead
in Christ, will not have any resurrection at all; for we
have no account of any resurrection after the judg-
ment day. But the unholy dead must rise also. This
is declared by Christ the Lord. See John, 5, 28, 29.
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which
all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. And
shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto
the resurrection of damnation. Here, then, is the re-
surrection of both kinds.
But the apostle's account proceeds to inform us, that
when Christ has put down all rule, all authority and
power, that then he shall deliver the kingdom to God,
even the Father. See 1 Cor. 15, 24. Then cometh
the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom,
to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down
all rule, and all authority and power. This rule, this
authority, and this power alluded to, is the dominion of
Satan in the earth, with all his strong holds, which
shall be put down; which fact is also witnessed to by
the Revelator when he said, first, Satan shall be bound
a thousand years; and second, when he said, he shall
be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, which is
the second death: At which times, those infernal pow-
ers shall unloose their grasp of time and things. Then
cometh the end when this is done, and not till then;
which things may not be expected at the time of the first
resurrection, but at the time of the
trump, when death, which is the last
destroyed.
sound of the last
enemy, shall be
X*
1
!
#
فرهم
*
258
{
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Aud further: As decisive proof that the unholy dead
are not to rise when the righteous do, I notice St.
John's particular account, which distinguishes their re-
surrection from that of the righteous, in point of peri-
od when it shall be accomplished. His first description
is contained in Rev. 20, 4, 5. "And I saw thrones,
and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given.
unto them : and I saw the souls of them that were be-
headed for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of
God, and had not worshipped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reign-
ed with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were fin-
ished-this is the first resurrection." But his second
description is contained, Rev. 20, 13.
"And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it: Death and hell,
[that is, the grave, and hades, the place where are con-
fined the souls of the wicked dead] delivered up the
dead which were in them, and they were judged every
man according to their works."
The first description states those who shall rise first,
shall reign with Christ, and consequently their names'
were written in the Lamb's book of life; but the se-
cond description states, Whosoever was not found
written in the book of life, was cast into the lake of
fire. And concerning these last, it is said in verse 5,
that they should not live again till a thousand years
were finished. This is the proof, beyond all contra-
diction, that there will be, between the two resurrec-
tion, one thousand years. See Appendix (B.)
*****.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
259
At the time of the first resurrection, therefore, will
be the moment when the morning of the seventh Mil-
lenniary shall begin to shine from the chambers of its
glory, and shall be ushered in by the archangel's
voice, and the trump of God. Instantly all eyes, all
ears, shall be sweetly arrested; for such will be the
manner of heaven's approach, that every nation and
every individual on the globe will see his glory at once:
as if two suns should approach our earth at two oppo-
site points, the whole would be irradiated with an
ocean of circumambient light-so the Son of Man,
with his hosts of mighty angels, in great glory shall
come in the clouds of heaven. The trump shall sound
with the archangel's voice; they shall sound, and roll
their charming notes all round the globe, like deep and
jarring thunder; but in it the blest sound, a still small
voice shall cry, and pierce the deep, Ye dead, arise!
my sons, arise! come forth, not to judgment, but to
life eternal.
Then shall the prayer of the militant church, which
she hath prayed several thousand years, crying, How
long, O Lord, ere thou shalt take the kingdom and
possess it for ever? be answered; for lo! he cometh
with clouds, with hosts, with millions of spirits made.
perfect, and flaming ministers in his train, to begin the
long predicted reign of righteousness on earth, and in
spirit, and in power, be present with his spouse a thou-
sand years, and to restore the place of her rest to its
ancient splendour and security. Joys unknown before,
then will roll a tide of bliss over the ravished souls of
all his saints all round the globe. At once from every
260
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
clime, from every human tongue, a shout is heard to
rise and float upon the viewless winds, saying, Alleluia
to God in the highest: lo, youder He comes! it is Je-
sus himself! I know it is He-the once buffeted God
in the streets of the Jews!
1
}
But the archangel's voice still pours the redundant
sound; the shrill and piercing cry descends the deep
and hidden tomb, and deeper seas; at once the up-
heaving earth and stormy floods unfold their hidden
guests; immortal vigour sparkles in their eyes, and
beauty's blush crimsons their radiant faces; robes of
glittering white are brought by attendant angels, and,
like the fleecy drapery of the skies, enfold their per
sons fair; round the waist a starry belt is girt, dipt in
the colours of the rainbow; their heads, which once
were gushing fountains of many tears, are now adorn-
ed with unfading crowns, that flash sweet beams of rud-
dy light from every pearl; from underneath this glow-
ing diadem and tiara bright, flow out the tresses fair of
redundant locks, and come mantling down the grace-
ful neck, as white as mountain lilies; wings, such as
angels have, fall graceful from the shoulder down, the
place of strength, and shroud all the liniaments divine
in sparkling light.
They hear, they see, they feel, that now they live
again; and, as Elijah, with his mantle in the en-
trance of the mountain's cave, hid his face, when
the still small voice he heard so these, with glit
tering wings, veil each their face at sight of their Re-
deemer, while deep within burns the musing fire, but
labours to pour forth the angelic song; when lo! ano-
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
261
រ
ther shout, like roaring seas, is heard, saying, Alleluja,
the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
Now from the silent places where they sleep, the
noble army of the martyrs rise to everlasting joys.
The ocean, with every gulf and stream, all battle
grounds, where wars once raged, and every hidden
place, yields up the righteous dead.
Not far from the ancient site of Eden's blissful
groves, sweet orchards of the sun, arises from the long
sleep of five thousand years, Adam, the great proge-
nitor of man, and his consort Eve, with Abel, their
pious son, the first who fell by the javelin of the mon-
ster Death. These, rising from the dead, shout Vic-
tory, through the promised seed!,
And from the mountains of Ararat, or from the
plains of China, as tradition tells the patriarch lived,
Noah shakes off the incumbent dust; and stands ar-
rayed in white, in full view of the great ark of heaven,
and mounts to enter there.
mad
1
AA.
C
P
But who is this that seems a prince, whose radiant
face and crown of light, vies with the morning star,
sweet harbinger of day? Let Mamre's plain and Mac-
pelal's sacred cave, declare it Abraham, from his late
abode; and with him stands the offered victim on Mo-
riah's hill, the lovely Isaac-a lively type of Zion's
king. And from the same sacred cave, Jacob, who, as a
prince, prevailed with God, and who strove with the
angel from evening's twilight until the dawn of inorn-
ing-these three, a triple, flame, burst from the tomb to
meet the great Messiah in the air,
There from the land of Uz, a patient Job awakesy
262
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
and cries, I know that my Redeemer lives; and that
although my skin the worms devoured, yet in my flesh,
though divinely changed, I see my God. Lo, all the
hills and vales of Palestine now flash with light; whole
armies in white robes ascend, while all the nether hea-
vens resound with songs and shouts of joy.
There is a vale not far from Pisgah's top, where Ga-
briel hid the princely form of Moses. So secret was
the place, that Satan's hateful eye could never find it.
But now 'tis known; for lo! a seraph bursts from its
bosom, and like a pyramid of light ascends the hea-
vens, from whence he views, not only the once desired
land of Abraham, from sea to sea, but heaven's own
coast, by far a better Canaan.
Now all the prophets rise to life again, with all the
priests of God's well ordered house. Samuel, the
three times called of God, ere the evening lamp went
out, bursts his clayey barrier. David, sweet Psalmist
of Israel, from the royal tombs, leaps forth to life eter
nal. Daniel, the beloved of God, so Gabriel spoke,
from where he sleeps on Babylon's heathen plains, with
his three companions, steps glorious into life.
But lo! what cherub host is this, the glory of whose
radiant throng lights up a brighter ray upon the face
of morning? The smile of cradled infancy plays sweet
upon their lips, and tempts the kiss of angels. The
lustre of their eyes are innocently gay, as if they had
but lately wept-the tear but half way fallen, or
scarcely yet escaped, still lingering there upon the
lovely cheek. What time the Saviour saw them from
his holy place, a band of angels bright commissioned
t
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
263
flew, who on their plumy vans received them soft, and
bore them to the skies.
52
These were the first martyrs; for Christ, the holy
child, whom Herod slew in the weeping towns of Ra-
ma, with base intent to kill the Prince of Life; and
millions of infants more throng the air from every
clime, where human foot has trod, or infants died. Yes,
the Nile, that river of blood, when once it was smitten
with the rod of heaven, shall, from its murky flood
and dragon shores, give up its infant dead whom Pha-
raoh slow.
Now heaven shouts from all its chrystal walls, from
all its gates of pearl, and from its sea of glass and
mingled fire. Now all the earth, from every coast,
and from the ocean deep, where holy men are found, a
cry of Glory be to God, is heard again. Now all the
clouds of heaven are seized and changed to thrones,
where unnumbered millions stand, and shout the ever-
lasting song.
But now the roar of Gabriel's voice is
heard no more. It is hushed, like the distant thunder
softening its far off solemn sound in the unmeasured
horizon beyond the scas, till the thousand years are
passed by; when Zion's king, with all the partners of
his cross, the ransomed with his blood, who yet remain
on earth, shall then ascend in robes of white, with
crowns of life and palms of victory in their hands,
with joy, with immortality and life.
We will now return to those saints, who will be alive
and on the earth at the sound of the first trump, who
will not then ascend to heaven with those who are just
arisen from the dead, but shall remain, as it is intimated
204
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
by St. Paul to the Thessalonians, 4, 5, saying, Then
we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up to-
gether that is, when the thousand years are expired,
as soon thereafter as God shall please, they shall be
changed in the twinkling of an eye, and caught up to
heaven at the sound of the last trump, to be together
with those who are gone before. But, asks the reader,
does not St. John plainly state, that they who have part
in the first resurrection, shall not be hurt of the second
death? They, therefore, who remain on the earth, ha-
ving had no part in the first resurrection, must conse-
quently be hurt of the second death. This does not
follow; for they shall never have part in any resurrec-
tion, because they are never to die a temporal death,
but at the last trump are to be changed, and caught
up to God. Neither could they have part in the first
resurrection, because they were not dead, but living,
when that event transpired. These are the antetypes
of Enoch and Elijah's translation. But if those who
had part in the first resurrection, are gone away into
the invisible world, how then are they to reign with
Christ on the earth a thousand years, and be priests of
God, &c. as is stated by St. John, Rev. 20, 6, saying,
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first re-
surrection ; on such the second death hath no power: but
they shall be prieste of God and of Christ, and shall-
reign with him a thousand years.
$
Let it be observed, that in this promise it is not said
that they who rise first shall reign on the earth a thou-
sand years, nor that they shall be priests of God and
of Christ on the earth a thousand years.
[
g
JP
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
265
Where, then, shall this reigning and priesthood take
place, which is promised? In heaven unquestionably;
for it is no where stated in the Scriptures that Christ is
to reigu personally on the earth with his saints. But
the location of his throne and person must be in the in-
visible world, while his reigning or government ex-
tends to all worlds and conditions of being, whether
visible or invisible, natural or supernatural.
✔
The reigning, then, of those who first arise from the
dead, as it relates to the thousand years in particular, is
to be understood of their being present where Christ
is in glory; for he said himself to his disciples when
on the earth, I will come again and receive you to my-
self, that where I am there ye may be also. John 14,
3. This, therefore, he will then accomplish by raising
all his disciples who are dead, and taking them up to
the mansions above, which he went to prepare when he
ascended up on high. Here, then, they shall reign à
thousand years with Christ in heaven, before they shal
be joined by the church, who yet remain on the earth,
and must remain a thousand years. Their reigning
then with Christ a thousand years, is spoken only ima
reference to the other part of the same company, who
must in due time also ascend. Then shall his bride be
said to be ready, for the whole church shall be present
and shall enter into the marriage supper with the
bridegroom, who is the Lamb of God, and the church
is his wife, who will make herself ready.
But as it relates to their being priests of God and of
Christ, this also shall be accomplished in the invisible
world, as well as in the visible; and the manner of
Y
266
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
f
譬
​that priesthood will undoubtedly consist both of praise
to God, and of service, in obedience to his commands.
It is argued by Dr. Clark, that the saints on earth are
reckoned a spiritual building, or temple, in which God
is worshipped, and in which he manifests himself as he
did in the temple of old. And that every stone, son
or daughter being a spiritual sacrificer, or priest, is
therefore the priesthood spoken of by the apostle Peter.
1 Peter 2, 5, and by the Revelator, 5, 10. And hast
made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall
reign on the carth. To which I add, that if the saints
on earth are reckoned the lively stones of that spirit-
ual building, in which each saint is a spiritual worship-
per, or sacrificing priest, then indeed those who shall
arise from the dead at the first resurrection, and ascend
to glory, must be reckoned also as kings and priests,
for they shall sit on thrones. See Rev. 20, 4; And I
saw thrones, and they that sat upon them, and they
shall be crowned. See the second epistle of Paul to
Timothy, chap. 2, 8. Henceforth there is laid up for
me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righ-
teous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me
only, but unto ALL them that love his appearing.
For God, who is able to make his angels spirits, and
his ministers a flame of fire, (Heb. 17,) can give to
kal
these, who have come out of great tribulation, a priest-
hood of service and praise, even in glory. We see
that Moses and Elias had the blest employment of ap-
pearing on the Mount when Christ was transfigured,
who were seen of Peter, James and John. Of Daniel,
it is also said by the angel who talked with him, whe
T
·
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
267
said, But go thou thy way till the end be, for thou
shalt rest and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
Dan. 12, 13; which seems to signify, that he should
have an employment, for he should stand in his lot at
the end of the days, which intimates a miniștration or
a priesthood, even for those who have passed in to the
heavens.
Some have supposed that it was the prophet Daniel
who was called an angel, and was sent of Jesus Christ
to signify to his servant John the things which must
shortly come to pass; but if it was not Daniel, it was
assuredly one of the prophets, for this he declares in
the most unequivocal manuer to St. John; when he
would have fallen at his feet to worship the angel, he
sáid, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant,
and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which
Keep the sayings of this book. Rev. 22, 9. If he
was then a fellow servant with John, and claimed a
kindred with the prophets, he was most undoubtedly
the spirit of one of the prophets, who had fallen asleep,
and escaped to glory to possess a better and more exal
ted priesthood in the heavens.
But if those who are alive at the time of the first
resurrection, cannot be said to have part in that event,
what way shall they be benefitted by it? Their benefit
will consist, first, in their being of that number who
are accounted righteous, and who were worthy to be
kept alive when all the wicked were destroyed from the
earth. But secondly, there are other benefits which
they shall become possessed of, which I now procced to
enumerate; but as introductory to those benefits, I
268
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
A
shall return to the period, when, as we have supposed,
all the wicked were cut off by the destroying angels.
This was the last preparatory act for the introduction
of the Millennium, at which time a mighty angel of
God descended from heaven, having a great chain in
his hand, who laid hold on that old serpent, the Devil
and Satan, and bound him and shut him up, and set a
seal upon him, that he should go out no more till the
thousand years are finished.
If Satan, therefore, is so disposed of as to be totally
restrained in his malignant influences upon the earth,
and the matter of which the earth is composed, as well
as upon the hearts and persons of men, it will follow
of necessity that man shall be restored to Adamic in-
nocence and happiness. This great dragon, by most
commentators, is maintained to be the Devil; but there
are others who think that St. John had no allusion to
that fallen spirit. But that in vision was represented to
him, the heathen powers called Rome pagan. Those
powers, they say, was the many headed monster, called
the dragon, who was cast out from heaven. And the
heaven from which he was cast, say they, was their go-
vernment and power to rule the nations, held in sub-
jection. But from that heaven this great dragon was
cast down to the earth, and deprived of his power to
rule. This great revolution of casting down the dra-
gon, it is said, was commenced by "Constantine, and
carried on by his sons Constans and Constantius, and
by others, Jovian, Valentinian and Valens, and was
finally suppressed by the edicts of Gratian, Theodosius
the First, and his successors; when about the year A.
G
ނގ
←
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
269
D. 400, this dragon was totally cast out, and became
subject to the ruling dynasty of Christian emperors.
Clark.
$
<
This argument is founded upon the fact, that the
above described powers of heathen Rome used to paint.
on their standards a monstrous red dragon; hence are
called the great red dragon by St. John: And corro-
borates the prophecy of the Revelator in his 19th
chap. verses 3, 9, as follows: And there appeared ano-
ther wonder in heaven, and behold a great red dragon,
having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon
his head. And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth
the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his
angels were cast out with him. These angels, they
say, were the ministers and officers of state, and were
also deprived with their master, the dragon. All this
is unquestionably true, and should be considered a
just explication of the discomfiture of the great Ro-
man heathen dragon.
}
>>
&
>>
But as Satan, the Devil, must be considered at the
head of all this, spiritually operating in their councils,
and after being cast out into the earth, i. e. down from
the heaven of political power, he went to make war
with and persecute the seed of the woman, whose in-
fluences, through the blood of the Lamb, had thus de-
stroyed him. And on this very account, we ascertain
that this dragon is not bound nor shut up, as we find he
is in chap. 20 Rev. But this is the mystery of it: the
same devil, who operated in the councils of the red
dragon, St. John sees at a more remote period of time,
Y*
yada
A
¿
是
​I
?
;
¿
".
270
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
seized by a mighty angel from heaven, who shall shut
him up, and totally curtail his influences upon the
earth, which was not done when he was cast out from
his heaven of political heathen empire; for we see he
soon corrupted the Christian worship, and reduced it
in the hands of papal power to a situation but little
preferable to the idolatry of the Roman heathen. The
reason of these observations are, because at the present
day some have made the dragon of the 12 chap. of
Rev. verses 3 and 9, synonymous with the dragon of
chap. 20, which is bound by the angel in the latter
case, but not in the former. At the time when the lat-
ter dragon is bound, it is said the first resurrection is to
take place, but not so when the former. At the time
of the casting out of the heathen dragon, Satan does
not cease to deceive the nations, but in the latter he is
compelled to do so for a thousand years. Now if it be
thought that the casting down of the great red heathen.
dragon in chap. 12, is the same thing with the binding
of the dragon in chap. 20, it would be natural to look
for a cessation of his influences among the nations,
which has not been the fact, and also for the resurrec-
tion of the martyrs at that time. But instead of this,
many of the martyrs have fell instead of rising, and
have sealed their testimony with their blood, from
the time of Constantine and his successors till the pa-
pal fires were extinguished in England, and even till
the present time in some places.
The binding, therefore, of the dragon, which is the
Devil, is yet to take place, at the time of the first re-
surrection.
5
K.
271
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
It is well known, that in the beginning an evil spirit
who once had been an holy angel at God's right hand,
did, through the means of a serpent, address himself to
our first-parents, so as to induce an act of disobedience
in them, which produced death temporal, death spiri-
tual, and exposed him to death eternal. And it is
contained in the Scriptures, that by one man sin enter-
ed into the world, and death by sin. Now if Satan
was the originator and cause of the temptation, and
man's own voluntary act the cause and origination of
his own sin, and sin the cause of temporal and spirit-
al death, it will follow, that if Satan be taken away
in his identity and influence, and sin abolished from the
heart and nature of man; that death, and all natural
and moral evil, the legitimate offspring of the Devil
and Sin, must totally cease from the earth during the
Millennium, or the thousand years in which Satan is to
be bound. We cannot admit, that our first-parents
were in the least exposed to any natural or moral evil
while in their sinless and innocent state, but that these
were introduced, as above stated. Their removal,
therefore, must be effected ere innocence and pure hap-
piness can be restored again to man. This should be
expected, because it is said of the lion of the tribe of
Judah, that he has come to destroy the works of the
devil. The Universalians fancy, therefore, that when
the works of the devil are destroyed, all men shall
consequently be happy; but let them recollect that a
sinner is properly a work of the devil, which Christ
came to destroy, either by converting and sanctifying
the sinner, or damning him in hell at the judgment day,.
/
272
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
soul and body, which is the destruction of the second
death. These two destinies God has made dependent
on certain conditions, to be performed by man, in refe-
rence to Christ and his atonement.
Let it be confidently relied on, then, that Christ will
destroy both the devil and his works. The mighty
conqueror will surely effect what he has undertaken to
do; and at that time, when he shall send an angel to
bind Satan, and set a seal upon him, that he shall not
deceive the nations any more during the thousand years.
He will also restore all that sin has spoiled, as it relates
to the dwellers on the earth, whose happiness shall be
perfected and made as complete as it can be this side
of the great change, which they are at length to arrive
at, which shall be effected in the twinkling of an eye,
at the sound of the last trump.
This being the fact, how changed and blessed will
be the race of man, who shall live in the days of the
Millennium! when the tree of life, which was nothing
else but a natural tree, endowed with extraordinary
qualities, for the express purpose of perpetuating man's
natural life, shall again be restored to the earth for the s
same life-sustaining purpose. That the tree of life in the
garden of Eden possessed this amazing quality, is the
opinion of that most learned, man, Adam Clark, who
says the use of this tree was intended as the means of
"preserving the body of man in a state of continual
For
vital energy, and an antidote against death."
most undoubtedly the man Adam, and his consort Eve,
naturally tended to dissolution, as well as all the lower
works of the animal and vegetable creation,
I
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
273
But to counteract this natural tendency in the crea
ture man, God gave him, in his providence, access to
this tree of life, that he by its use might live forever
Or till the time should arrive, when he, with num-
bers infinite, along the flow of ages, ad infinitum,
should be translated to a higher state of being, which
would have been the fact, if he had not sinned; nei-
ther would the earth have fallen under the verdict of
heaven, to be finally destroyed by fire.
But when the man sinned, his Judge took him from
the delectable field, wherein grew life's fair tree, and
fenced up the only way of approach to the blissful
garden with the dreadful sword of the cherubim, and
was thus made inaccessible to the approach of mau, till
the deluge came and destroyed the blissful eminence ;.
so that the precise situation cannot now be ascertained,
yet the region where it probably was, is on the river
Shat al Arab, that is, the river of the Arabs, or the
united streams of the Tigris and Euphrates.
But if our first parents were liable to death, by a
natural tendency to dissolution, how then can it be said
that death was procured by sin? I answer, death was
procured by sin, inasmuch as God judicially withdrew
his providence in this particular, by removing them
from this tree of life, which removal effectually exposed
them to that dissolution, which was perfectly natural
to them at first, and is natural to all life that depends
on the use of food for its continuance.
Į But if this position is correct, what then prevented
the happy pair from a voluntary death, in whatever
manner they choose to effect it, even before they had
&
+374
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
sinned? Nothing at all, indeed, if they would; for
their
persons cannot be considered invulnerable to the
approach of violence, nor yet of starvation, even in the
midst of Eden's plenty, if they refuse to eat.
But as
a sufficient barrier against such a catastrophe, was their
own free will, and natural love of life.
The gift of food, their natural appetite to taste things
pleasant, with every other pleasurable circumstance, are
all resolved in this one idea. It was God's providence
over his creature man to prevent their dissolution. But
when man sinned, that particular providence of access
to the tree of life, was taken away, when he became
exposed therefore to death in every shape. But God,
ever merciful in all his movements towards man while
a probationer, in mercy and wisdom removed him from
the happy garden for no other purpose than lest he
should put forth his hand, and continue to eat of the
tree of life, and live for ever in his horrid fallen state.
Begetting children in his own abominable likeness,
which would soon have filled the earth with a race of
non-descript monsters whose appearance probably would
have been in the form of man, but whose mind must
have been perfect devil, the consequences of which
among themselves, would have been that sort of confu-
sion and perpetual misery, which none but a devil
would rejoice to have effected, and none but a genius
more than mortal could conceive the extent and degree
of misery such a state would have produced. But, it
may be inquired, why the fallen pair were not allowed
to remain in their native Eden, seeing there was found
• ransom for them, and this ransom made known at the
J
*
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
275
instant of the first promise. The reason is plain-if
they had remained, they would have put forth the
hand and eat of the tree of life, and consequently lived
for ever. If this had been permitted, it would, to all
intents and purposes, have defeated the threatened pe-
nalty, which was, In the day thou eatest thereof thou,
shalt surely die-which was accomplished by the fact
of his becoming mortal at the very moment of his dis-
obedience, from which moment he commenced a dying
state, for then was withdrawn that peculiar providence,
which heretofore had set at defiance the approach of
all evil. This death, which was then commenced, was
a temporal death; but if a further use of the tree of
life had been permitted, the death of the body could
never have gone into effect, and the spirit, which was
then morally dead, must have ever existed in this hor-
rid state, even in the still living body. But to prevent
this, God in mercy, and in the greatness of his wis-
dom, removed the man from the tree of life, so that by
faith he might have access to a better Tree of Life,
which is Christ.
+
If this had not been done, an atonement could never
have been effected-a mediator could never have
ap-
peared-no light, which now lighteth every man which
is born into the world, could ever have shined upon-the
wretched heart of man, for we might as well suppose,
that the Word, the second person in the Godhead, could
as easily become joined to the nature of devils in hell
for their salvation, as that he could become incarnate.
with mortal flesh under such circumstances as are above
described; but prevenient grace prepared the way,
, ་
N
4
276
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
which in the other case it could not have done. But
when removed from the tree of life, we see that God's
word could go into the fullest effect, which, if he were
not removed, the threatened death could not have taken
place but in part, and that as it relates to the soul only,
which, as it regards God's veracity, is the same as if no
part of his word had proved true.
}
{
But in anticipation of the man's being removed by
the will of God, it pleased God so to love him as to
give a ransom, that he might himself deliver his crea-
ture man from the blow which his own attribute, jus-
tice, necessitated him to strike.
M
On account, therefore, of this ransom, prevenient
grace was sent abroad in the nature of man, which
some have called initial salvation, which reinstated
man in such a condition, that he can again make use of
free volition to good, and become a proper subject of
offered mercy as it relates to a further salvation; and a
final one in the heavens above, if he lays hold on the
hope set before him. On this account, therefore, it
became possible for God to take upon him the seed
of Abraham, and to become incarnate with man for
his salvation.
But if man had not sinned, and in consequence had
kept possession of that holy mount, and had continued to
nave uninterrupted access to this wonderful tree, would
not the happy fields of Eden, in process of time, have
become too strait for the increase of its inhabitants? for
it must be recollected, that when God first made the
man and the woman, that he blessed them, and 'com-
manded them to multiply and replenish the carth, and
食
​EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
277
subdue it. This command was given before they fell.
Therefore, as soon as they had increased to numbers
more than Eden could sustain, they would have de-
scended from this princely seat down by the way of the
east of Eden to the broad carth below. Eden, the
garden of God, is with great reason believed to have
been vastly elevated from a common level with the
country surrounding it, and inaccessible by perpendi-
cular rocks to a great height on all sides, except
the east, where, to guard the way from the ap-
proach of man after he fell, was placed mysterious
beings, called cherubims, armed with a dreadful
sword, which probably had the appearance of a
perpetual stream of lightning. Now if this were not
the fact, could not those, who, after the fall of man,
might wish to visit this Eden, have easily gone to it on
the west side, or at any other point? I am, therefore,
convinced that it was a mount, with table lands, rich
and fertile, and consisted of quite an extent of coun-
try-thus elevated, overlooking to a vast distance a
surrounding world, so that Adam when he sinned, fell
not only from his moral rectitude, but from the most
glorious location that ever graced this lower world. IL
man had not fallen, his posterity would soon have de-
scended to the surrounding country, which was equally
productive with the soil of Eden, for such would have
been the direction of Providence, to prevent any In-
convenience which otherwise must arise from an in-
crease of numbers.
ratin
But if in Eden men would soon have so increased in
aumbers, as to require more room, consequently the
Z
+
i
278
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
whole earth, in process of years, would have been
found too narrow in its boundaries to sustain their vast
multitudes. And in this very way death must have
been the certain consequence among men. The total
extinction of the whole race would have ensued, even
if they never had sinned at all. Here, then, we see
man in his corporeal state, surrounded by an unavoid-
able necessity of yielding to death whether he sinned
or not, unless some expedient can be found out by
which they could in that case have been delivered. The
reason why I think the whole race would have become
extinct, is because an increase of numbers would soon
have occupied all the space the earth affords; con-
sequently starvation, and the vast crush of human bo-
dies would have ensued, and destroyed the whole. But
God, who is wise as powerful, would, as surely as
he exists, have defended them from this inevitable
fate, and would have delivered them from so tragical
an end.
The method of relief unquestionably would have
been a translation from their corporeal state of exis-
tence to some other and higher state of being, which
would have been effected from time to time, and from
age to age, as should have become necessary, for ever
and ever; for it is not to be supposed, that the earth.
would ever have been doomed to dissolution if man had
not sinned. That translations would have been the fact,
we have the strongest assurance, both from the reasons
above stated, and from the literal instances which we
ind in the Scriptures. For what other reason was a
publicity of Enoch and Elijah's translation permitted,
F
,i
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
279
6
I
}
than to show such would have been the mode of remo-
ving the human race from this location, if they had
kept their fealty to God: And also to signify to the
righteous, that as these were translated and changed in
a moment of time, so shall all the saints be changed at
the sound of the last trump, which heavenly expedi
ent could never have been known to men in its proper
light, had not these instances been permitted.
But if there is to be no death during the Millennium,
(as previously argued) and if there is to be a multipli-
cation of men without any diminution during a thou-
sand years, will not the earth, in consequence, become
overcharged with an immensity of multitudes, as well
in the latter case as in the former, and thus produce
death even during the Millenuium? This will not be
the consequence; and the following reasons are
thought sufficient to obviate such a supposition: First,
it will require many years to retrieve the immense loss
occasioned by the sudden overthrow of all the wicked
just previous to the Millennium, which perhaps will
amount to two thirds of the whole population of the
globe.
A second reason is, at the commencement of the
Millennium there will be, as it is now, vast tracts of
waste land in various parts of the globe, which must.
thereafter be subdued and cultivated. Those coun
tries where the soil is cultivated, in many of them it
is but partially done, and therefore will admit of a much
higher state of husbandry, consequently the more ca-
pable of maintaining an increase of population. But
if need be, God can easily restore and fertilize all bar-
r
280
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
ren lands, even the sandy deserts of Arabia, and all si
milar desolations, and clothe them with the verdure of
the first Eden, as once he healed a tract of barren
country by the means of the prophet Elisha, not far
from the place where Elijah was translated; and thus
an abundance of space shall be prepared for the in-
creasing millions of the Millennial state. Does not
Isaiah allude to changes in the earth like this, as well
as to the effects the gracious gospel should have upon
the morally barren, desolate and unfruitful state of hea-
then nations, when he says, In the wilderness shall wa-
ters break out, and streams in the desert. And the
parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land
springs of water: In the habitation of dragons, where
each lay shall be grass, with reeds and rushes. Chap.
35, 6, 7. See 12th division on this subject.
!
It is presumed entirely inconsistent with the
glory, perfection and happiness of the Millennium, to
admit, that during that great Sabbath of rest, there
shall be any liability to sickness, pain, accidents, or
death. I think it safe and expedient to assert, that
when the original cause of all moral and natural evil
is removed, which is sin, that its effects must of conse-
quence be no more felt or known on the earth, till the
same cause be again permitted to operate. It is im-
possible for the stream to flow if the fountain be dried
up.
p
But, asks an objector, if men during this thousand
years, are to till and subdue the soil of the earth for
the purposes of food, and the innocent pleasures of
life, will they not therefore be liable to accidents of va-
1
मे
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
281
1
A
"
1.
rious kinds, as at the present time, and consequently
to sickness and death? To which I reply, can any
suppose that Adam, to whom the command was
given to till the earth and subdue it before he had sin-
med, was therefore liable to any harm or natural evil ?
By no means; for God, the mighty One, was round
about him, lest he at any time should dash his foot
against a stone, for it is written, that upon all God's
glory there shall be a defence, and therefore could ne-
ver have been injured if he had not sinned.
#
If God in the beginning, while man was yet inno-
cent, commanded him to subdue the earth, we may not
suppose, therefore, that he was necessarily subject to
casualties, and consequently to death on that account;
because, to do the commands of God before the fall,
could never become the source of moral nor natural
evil.
+
Sphe
We have no knowledge that God has ever made any
kind of being exempt from pleasurable labour or
activity, whether of material or immaterial natures;
but we are led, from a consideration of all created ob-
jects, to conclude the contrary: because on all nature,
whether animate or inanimate, the qualification of mo-
tion is stamped; for all that possesses life in any de-
gree beneath man, manifest it according to their various
powers. The whole tribes of the vegetable world
show their motion, either by their constant though si-
lent speed toward perfection, or descent again to the
original soil; and even the stedfast earth has her an-
anal but tremendous journey to perform. All this mo-
ba
Z*
•
[
".
>
-
282
?
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
tion is evidently given to the various grades of crea
tion to facilitate the bliss of being.
That man shall therefore labour, is not at all dero-
gatory to his happiness, unless they are doomed to la-
bour under the consequences of some fatal error, as
was the instance of Adam and his erring progeny. But
most unquestionably, an industrious habit of body or
mind, whether it relates to men, who are material, or
to angels, who are immaterial, it is a grand ingredient
in the composition of blessedness.
From this view of the idea of activity, we may safe-
ly conclude, that although the inhabitants of the earth
during the Millennium shall labour, yet on that ac-
count will not be subject to any inconvenience whatever
more than Adam was in the first Eden.
Therefore men shall labour, as was designed of God
in the beginning, not with unnatural sweat and pain,
tilling the cursed ground, but with pleasure and sweet
employ shall till the restored soil, supplying therefrom
nature's simple wants, till the sign of the great God
shall again appear in the skies.
f
Wants, asks the objector, is it not a natural evil to
want? To this I answer, by no means, where the
power to obtain the thing desired is possessed, and the
will, perfectly free, harmonizing with the desire to
possess the object. Want, in this sense, cannot be
an evil, but gives a relish to existence, where there is
No prevention of the thing desired. Such shall be the
blessed estate of those who shall dwell on the earth in
the days of the Millennium.
But if man, in the Millennium, shall regain his pa-
1.
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
283
:
radistical happiness and innocence, will he therefore
become indifferent to clothing his person? Such a con-
sequence cannot be admitted. I believe, for weigh-
ty reasons, that God never intended Adam and his
posterity should go naked, even if they had not sinned.
The reasons which I oppose to such a position are, first,
the shocking and more than beastly appearance a po-
pulation of naked human beings would present. It
would be excessively unnatural to suppose, that the
Creator intended his most glorious creature man, male
and female, parents and children, strangers and friends,
old and young, should associate together naked under
every possible circumstance; which would have been
the fact, if the position is true, that man was not to be
clothed if he had not sinned.
Such a view is absolutely abhorrent to every delicate
and chaste feeling of the soul, even now in its present
low and depraved state. How much more so, then, if
man had not fallen! Let none imagine that this opi-
nion is irrelevant; because, being now fallen, and
therefore not capacitated to argue upon any position
belonging to a sinless state: but rather let it be recol
lected, that the views of propriety, honour, virtue,
chastity, with all refined sentiments which may now be
possessed by the mind, are the effects of a restoration,
and, in a degree, are an approximation toward that
height from whence we are fallen; and therefore by
this light I argue, that nakedness could not have been
the condition of our race, if we were now in an unfal-
len state. It is my opinion, that if man had been per-
mitted to live on the earth after his fall in an unre-
(
;
284
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
deemed state, that his condition would have been à
horrible delirium, utterly incapable of reasoning at all.
Therefore this good and perfect gift of reasoning pow-
ers came down from the Father of Lights, through the
promised Messiah or Redeemer, so that man was ena-
bled to reason, and to choose between good and evil.
By this gift, therefore, I judge that a world of naked
human beings was not intended by the Creator.
If it is alleged, that in many countries of the torrid
climates of the earth, that even now there are humair
beings who live naked, and in societies; and yet the
fact is not abhorrent to their views of delicacy. But,
it should be remembered, that such human beings are
extremely wretched in other respects, not having suffi-
cient knowledge to use the facilities which nature bas
put in their power for their comfort and well being
But the moment the light of revelation, art and science
shines upon them, they shrink from the gaze of huma
eyes, and seek an instant refuge in the habiliments of
refined society.
{
But ignorance was not the condition of our first pa-
rents, neither ought we to imagine it would have been
the condition of their progeny, if they had never fallen
into sin and consequent wretchedness; because such a
supposition would imply a most flagrant imbecility in
the very constitution of the creature man, and would as
certainly have led to innumerable miseries as ignorance
now leads its victins, and would reflect upon the wis-
dom of the Creator.
1
<
Nakedness, therefore, (excepting the two first, and
even then a short time only) is incompatible with `a
}
}
"
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
285
state of holiness, innocence, and knowledge, whether
before the fall or after, in a restored state; and is re-
pugnant to every primitive virtue and delicacy. possible
to be conceived of.
A second reason is, that we find an abundant pro-
vision, prepared for no other purpose but to clothe the
creature man. Has God stored the great wardrobe of
nature for nought? which must be the fact, if naked-
ness and holiness are inseparably connected; if neither
the two first, nor their children, were to be clothed, as
many suppose.
Neither will it do, in order to show a propriety in
providing the rudiments of clothing, to say, that man
was to fall, in order to be capable of enjoying this
provision, because the object gained is not equivalent
to the loss.
If we believe that God in six days made the earth,
and also clothed it with all green herbs, trees, and eve-
ry plant bearing seed, which now exists-then we sub-
scribe to the opinion, that he at first made provision to
clothe the human race; because among these are found
the rudiments of various kinds of clothing, suited to
the convenience of men. The animal race, with some
insects, minister to the same effect: witness all furred
animals, with sheep, goats, camels, and the skins of
beasts.
A third reason that man was to be clothed, arises
from the fact that he was created naked. But if he
were not to be clothed, then it will follow, that in this
respect he was privileged far beneath the brute crea-
tion; for these have their several vestures, some of fur,
1
Į
朵
​}
286
•
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
smoother than the downy velvet-others of feathers,
with colours as it were dipped in a sunbeam-others,
again, shine in the scaly lustre of gold and silver mail
beneath the waters; but man alone, sole lord of
earth, not clad in any of these, stalks forth in na-
kedness. From which it is evident, that a covering
was designed his noble frame, of a different mode
and manner than that of beasts. But the fact of his
nakedness had not, till he sinned, amounted to an evil;
and before such a consequence could have matured, a
gracious God would have informed them of their situ-
ation, and also have clothed them, as we see he did
when it became necessary.
EX:
But did they not get a knowledge of their unclad
state by means of their sin? It cannot be denied,
but he thereby gained a premature knowledge of it.
But this circumstance does not militate against the idea,
that God would, in his own good time, have informed
him that he and his Eve were naked. For who will
deny that the way of obedience to God is the true
way of knowledge; for it is ordained of heaven, that
men shall get knowledge in the ways of righteous-
ness, and not of disobedience, and by thus doing, shall
know more and more from time to time; which would
have been the case with Adam, besides that which he
already knew by intuition, if he had not fallen; and
would have received a knowledge, not only of his na-
kedness, but of all things else which could consist with
his happiness, as the circumstances of his continuance
might have required, till he would have been transla-
ted.
*Spc Appendix (C.)
i
A
1
}
Embraces a position, that when man fell from original holiness,
he lost his power of governing all wild animals, and became
thenceforward exposed to their natural fury and dispositions;
but in the Millennium shall recover his government again.
NINTH DIVISION.
{
•
•@@®+«*
At first the morning stars, when shouting from the skies,
They saw the dripping globe from out of chaos rise :
"Twas then when all that swims, or flies, or walks the earth,
Had from the wondrous God receiv'd their joyous birth-
That by the Sovereign King dominion then was given,
To Adam's gen'ral rule beneath the bending heaven.
1
J
••✪®«***
An absolute government over all the beasts of the
field, the fowls of heaven, and the fish of the sea, was
given to man as soon as he was created. This dominion,
if Adam had not sinned, would have continued to the
present time, maintained by the superior majesty which
shone out in every word and gesture of the then un-
contaminated man. He, it is said, was created but a
little lower than the angels; consequently, a glorious
majesty sat upon his countenance, which, together with
the subduing power of his voice, ruled at his pleasure
填
​1
288 }
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
{
the whole animal kingdom. If it is said of the angel
who appeared to the wife of Manoah, the father of
Samson, that his countenance was very terrible, so I
conclude was the countenance of Adam, and in no
small degree, because he was but little inferior to the
very angels of heaven. But though terrible, yet glo-
rious and beautiful to look upon, consequently the
most powerful, and most ferocious, as well as the wea-
ker animals of ocean, air, or earth, were, at plea-
sure, awed into submission by this first and holiest of
men. That all manner of wild beasts were perfectly
mild and docile in themselves before.man fell, cannot
be true, for the very idea of government and dominion,
which at first was given to man over them, supposes the
contrary. God blessed him, and said, Have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowls of the air,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Gen. 1, 28. Here, then, is a dominion, a government,
to be exercised over the brute creation; and if, after
the fall, in the days of Noah, a dread of man was to be
on every beast of the mountains, how much more so,
then, before he fell!
But if perfect docility was the primitive character of
every kind of beast, what a stupid position does this.
present them in, as subjects of natural dominion,
The very idea of government, therefore, seems
strongly to allude to the wildness and natural free-
dom of their natures. But notwithstanding any
subjugation to which they may be compelled, there is
in them a natural disposition to their original state of
wildness and ferocity, which is proven if we leave them
#1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
289
!
again to themselves, after having been domesticated.
This principle of wildness and natural timidity is no-
thing else but a principle of self-preservation, which
the Creator at first stamped on all animal nature, which
is evident in a less or greater degree among all beasts,
fowls, fishes and insects.
I
}
TA
It is this principle of self-preservation or instinctive
(though unconscious*) love of life, which God has
breathed into all animals, which gives to them instinc-
tive motives for action, and is that genial fire which im-
pels them to obtain their food, and to flee from real or
imaginary danger. Without this, no beast would have
force enough to get out of the way when threatened.
This principle is marked with deeper or fainter shades,
1
Ph
* Once for all in this place, I will remark, that the word cON-
SCIOUS, OF CONSCIOUSNESS, properly belongs to no species of being
on the earth but the rational. It is defined by all lexicographers
to signify a knowledge of what passes in one's own mind, an in-
ternal sense of guilt or innocence. This qualification is the only
distinguishing mark between the bru.e and the man. The latter
is thereby empowered to revolve subjects in his own mind in such
a manner as to deduce rational conclusions from any premises
conceived of, and is the only reason why he is a subject of law
imposed by the Creator, and is, consequently, rendered accoun-
table.
But the former, not possessing this qualification, are not, there-
fore, rational, and consequently are not conscious of either guilt
or innocence, and therefore are not accountable to the Creator,
as man is. Whatever sagacious qualifications any animal way pos-
sess, they should be ranked under the idea of instinctive powers,
which falls infinitely short of a rational consciousness, and produ-
ces all those actions of which animals are capable, and is the
power which determines the will of brutes, without the aid of rea-
son or consciousness.
aA
1
1
25
:
1
1
I
290
AND
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
Ma
as seemed good to the Creator, from the fierce tiger of
the Bengal woods, downward to the humming bird of
a summer's morning, from thence to where animal life.
is lost in the sensitive plant, or the polypus of the sea.
If, at first, the principle of self-defence, manifested ei-
ther by the sanguine conflict, or by speed of flight,
were not implanted by the Creator, it would follow that
all animals not carnivorous, would soon have become
extinct, by being devoured by such as were of the for-
mer sort; and they also would, in their turn, have died
for lack of proper food. But the defensive as well as
offensive spirit, which prevails through all the ranks of
animation, is nothing else but the play of nature, the
wisdom of God, so that the weaker may save time to
propagate their kinds before they fall a prey to sustain
the other branches of animation. That such was the
original design, I shall attempt to prove, by referring
to the peculiar construction and facilities afforded ani-
mals to procure their food.
There we see the fierce panther, couched in a thick-
et, or hid in the thick boughs of the trees, from whence
to leap upon his victim-there the eagle pursues, on
rapid wings, the pheasant, or pounces, like a bolt from
the clouds, upon the timid hare-the shark rives the
briny waves, and flies, with the speed of an arrow, in
pursuit of his destined food. To the lion
To the lion is given a
mouth armed with canine teeth, and feet with horrible.
claws, to seize and retain his prey; so every creature is
fitted for their several modes of life, from the mam-
moth, hugest of God's works, to the ephemera of a
summer's day,
>
↓
.t
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
291
wage
Kad
Perhaps, in this place, if I give an account of the
mammoth, it will not displease the curious. The ani-
mal is by naturalists named mammoth, or mega-lonyx,
the whole race of which appears to be now wholly ex-
tinct, except a few skeletons which are yet remaining.
The mammoth is undoubtedly a carnivorous animal, as
the structure of the teeth proves, and is of an immense
size. It is stated by Dr. Clark, that from a considera-
ble part of a skeleton which he had seen and examined,
it is computed that the animal to which it belonged
must have been nearly twenty-five feet high, and sixty
in length. The bones of one toe were entire, and up-
wards of three feet in length. It is argued by Dr.
Clark, that the behemoth, or mammoth, was a cruel
and fierce animal, and formed for tyranny and rapacity
-equally lord of the floods and the mountains; its
habits of motion being with fury and speed. Although
naturalists have contended, some, that Job, in the Scrip-
tures, has distinguished, in his description of the Behe-
moth, the Elephant, and others the Hippopotamus ;
but the sacred description does not agree with either,
because the tail of the elephant is small and slender,
and that of the hippopotamus but a foot long. But
the tail of the mammoth is said to be like a cedar tree.
He moveth his tail like a cedar. Job 40, 17. Its teeth
plainly denotes it to have been carnivorous, from the
unevenness of their surface, the processes being an inch
deep, which marks the creature as living on flesh. And
yet it is described as feeding on grass with equal faci-
lity, and probably lived both on animal and vegetable
food.
?
292
UM.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
.
#
It was a many-toed animal, and perhaps of the tiges
family, its strength and agility surpassing all of that
race as far as its immense size seems to denote. No-
thing, by swiftness, could have escaped its pursuit, the
largest, strongest and swiftest quadruped that God had
formed. No power of man, (in his fallen state) or
beast, could stand before him, for he was the chief of
the ways of God. Job 40, 19. Creatures of this kind
must have been living in the days of Job; for the
mammoth, or behemoth, is referred to as if perfectly
and commonly known.
палата
P
This monster, as well as the leviathan, the water
dragon, or crocodile-the hippopotamus-the unicorn,
or rhinoceros-the elephant-the anaconda-the tre-
mendous and horrible lyboya, with all lesser animals,
were at the command of Adam in his innocence, and
under his government, as his pleasure might suggest.
And that all these were thus formed in the begin-
ning, we have only to bring as proof, that God saw that
all he had made was very good. Gen. 1, 25. That
every beast, with its peculiar temper and peculiar con-
formation, adapted to their peculiar modes of subsis-
tence, was very good. But if we admit the notion,
that when man fell from holiness by sin, that the whole
animal creation underwent a change of disposition,
formation and habits, it is the same as to believe that
God, on the account of man's sin, uncreated what he
had but a short time before pronounced very good.
But if we reject this idea, and say, God did not thus
change his perfect work as it respects animals, then we
are driven to believe, that sin acted as a powerful crea
{
I
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
293
·
tor, not only in changing the dispositions of the whole
animal kingdom, but that it really altered, and gave an
entire new modification to the forms of all that class
of animals which are carnivorous-but that it gave them
different appetites from what they had at first, and diffe-
rent teeth to masticate their food with, is altogether a
fancy. If we attach such vast power to sin, as acting
on the very muscles of the brute creation, and totally
subverting their primeval modifications, why not argue
the same subverting effects gencrally, through all the
works of God on the globe? Why not say that ocean
became land, and land became ocean, and that all
trees at first were succulent; but now, by the power
of sin, are hardened to that of timber, as we find
them in the great forests of nature? But that such
was the effect of the fall of man upon animals, or that
such a new modification took place with respect to
them, is no where to be found in profane or sacred his-
tory, nor yet within the circle of human reasoning.
Truly it is written, sce Gèn. 1, 30. And to every beast
of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every
thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life,
I have given every green herb for meat and it was so.
Here it would seem, at first sight, that an impassable
barrier is opposed to my views respecting the primitive
food of animals; but a little attention will give a diffe-
rent view. If all kinds of animals, without any excep-
tion, at first fed on grass, and the herbs of the fields
and mountains, why then did not sin have on all the
same effect, if lions, tigers, eagles, fishes, and all that
are now carnivorous, fed on, herbs before man sinned?
*.A
י
1
{pup
1
204
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
How comes it to pass that cattle, sheep, deer, goats,
I
horses, and all those species of animals that are not
carnivorous, were not also changed by sin's metamor-
phosing power to become carnivorous also? I can see
no reason why any partiality could take place, or why
sin, if it affected any, why it should not equally affect
all? From which it is evident to me, that the verse
quoted signifies, that every herb of the field was given
to be meat for every beast of the earth, and every
creeping thing, which were destined and formed to feed
on them, and to such only.
[
If we believe that God created, in the beginning,
carnivorous animals, as lions, tigers, leopards, pan-
thers, wolves and hyenas, with all fowls that live on
flesh, and all fishes, with all the monsters of the fish
and reptile kinds, which absolutely have nothing else
but flesh for their subsistence-then it will follow, that
a corresponding mode of teeth and claws are necessa-
ry to facilitate their grade in being. This is the proof
they were made as they are in the beginning.
But if all animals were perfectly docile before the
sin of. Adam, then it will follow, that such as were car-
nivorous, and not fitted in their forms or constitutions
to feed on herbs, must have existed in a starving con-
dition, unless it is supposed a miracle was in continual
effect for their support, till such time as the sin of man
should give them licence to seize the delicious repast
prepared for their appetites, teeth and claws-unless
we suppose he animals on which they might prey
would remain passive, and let themselves be devoured.
Thus the tiger may be supposed walking deliberately
*:
기
​1
1
I
-"
1
S
Jud
t
•
EXPECTED CHRISTIÁN MILLENNIUM.
295
+
2.
up, in all the grandeur and amiableness of his docile
nature, to the equally docile stag, and gnaws hins
down, while not a muscle moves in opposition to the ea-
ter. This cannot be. But unless they would thus tame-
ly submit to be devoured, they instantly depart from
the character of their supposed docility. The face of
the argument is, that the first attempt of any of these,
to get their destined food, is a declaration of war:
Hence, in reference to the world of animals, each
stand on the defensive. If this is not so, then we have
only to adopt the above opinion of docility, which is too
inconsistent for belief..
B
If they were not created at first with all this prepa-
ration for a carnivorous mode of living, then, after
man sinned, outsprang the teeth and claws of panthers
and hyenas-outsprang the teeth of all the flesh-eaters
of the deep-out grew the talons and beaks of eagles
and vultures-instantly the vast anaconda received his
constringent bone-breaking power-instantly his
mouth gaped to engulph the passing prey-at once all
these threw themselves into postures of offence, as if
they had eaten nothing from their creation till the sin
of man; which must have been true respecting all
carnivorous animals, if they were not so created in the
beginning, with corresponding appetites, dispositions
and powers.
We should reject it, therefore, and conclude that all
kinds of beasts are as they should be, and were at the
beginning. With this view of them, we see a propri-
ety in the mandate of heaven, when it was said to man,
have dominion over the beasts, the fowls, the fishes, and
1
}
เ
296
"
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
I
subject them to your controul for the purposes of your
happiness while in this corporeal estate.
But as soon as he sinned, he lost this extraordinary
controul of animals, and became exposed to their na-
tural fury; or to those qualifications which are now
called by us, in our weak and feeble state, furious or
savage dispositions, which, in themselves considered,
are as innocent as the turtle dove; and if man was
still in his primitive state of holiness, would be as
harmless as the song of the nightengale. It is man
who is changed in his executive relation to animals-it
is this circumstance which has so clothed the wild
beasts of the wilderness with unapproachable terror-it
is this that has given to many kinds of domesticated
animals the appearance of what is called bad disposi-
tions. But if we had the ancient dominion, these tem-
pers of animals would cease to be known, with respect
to man, as evils, and would be viewed as they are by
angels, or those intelligences who are above a state of
mortality. But man is fallen; consequently the very
things appointed as the means of his happiness have
become his afflictions in many instances. This rule is
observable, even in the effects of the gospel; for it is
a savour of life unto life, or of death unto death,"
according as it is believed or rejected.
It is not possible for the mind to admit for a moment,
that there could arise any trouble to the man Adam, or
to his posterity, if they had not sinned, from any imbe-
cility to govern and manage all kinds of animals with
the utmost facility, in accordence with the dominion
given at first. But it is evidently a natural evil, which
66
1
7
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
29****
'cannot be avoided at the present time, that the human
race cannot without danger and much trouble, govern
many kinds of beasts, which danger and trouble was
not incident to man's pristine state; because we may
not suppose the existence of any thing that could in
any sense mar the perfect composure and happiness of
man, till he had sinned. Sin, therefore, brought into
being this kind of affliction, as well as all other kinds.
If, then, such was the perfection of God's kingdom in
Eden before sin entered there, then it will follow, that
when the Messiah's kingdom shall have become defi-
nitely victorious-when the stone cut out of the moùn-
tain shall fill the whole earth-when righteousness shall
cover the earth as the waters cover the whole face of
the deep; then, and not till then, shall this evil, as well
as all other evils, be destroyed from the whole face of
the globe.
During this glorious Millennial rest, shall undoubt-
edly be accomplished the view Isaiah the prophet had
of the peace and happiness of that day-a. description
of which we find in his eleventh chapter, from the sixth
to the ninth verse inclusive. After having, from the
commencement of the chapter, spoken of the glory,
power, and wisdom of Christ, that he shall smite the
earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of
his lips shall he slay the wicked, the subject of his
final and universal reign is then introduced by the fol-
lowing remarkable account; The wolf also shall dwell
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling
together, and a little child shall lead them. And the
}
I
298
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie
down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the
asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the
cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all
my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
d)
The whole of this quotation from Isaiah may be un-
derstood, in a spiritual sense, to signify, that from the
commencement of a preached gospel until the Millen-
nium, there shall be innumerable instances of the con-
version of lion-like men, cruel sinners, ravening like
the evening wolves for their prey; or as leopards,
fierce and dreadful; or as bears, to devour and break
in pieces; or as serpents, the asp and cockatrice, sym-
bols of deceit and vengeful malice. These are often
the trophies of gospel grace, who, by its power, be-
come as lambs, or as little children, in point of humi-
lity and innocence.
J
-
But the quotation may be also literally understood,
in application to the Millennium; for God will so pro-
tect man, and all that is his, during the Millennium,
that though his flocks and herds, and little children,
were to mingle with all the above named terrors of the
wilderness; yet God, by the restoration of man to his
ancient dominion over the animals, would not suffer any
evil to befal him. Such will be the blessedness and se-
curity of Mount Zion when the Lord shall do this;
when man shall again have, in virtue of the ancient
grant his ancient rights restored, through Jesus Christ..
•
|
More than one
TENTH DIVISION,
Consists of arguments to prove, that neither the dispositions nor
death of the animal creation was occasioned by man's fall into
sin, as is supposed by many.
L
F
1
****☺☺☺ ««««'
Between the beasts that graze, or those that prowl,
Exists no link that claims the human soul;
No bond nor tie by which the fatal sin,
Could reach the brutal state to give them pain;
No change from tame to wild, through all the ranks of brute,
Took place when hell insidious brought the infernal suit.
THAT innumerable evils are consequent upon the
sin of Adam, is evident; and that it extends to all his
posterity with its baleful influences, is but too true;
and that God has pronounced a curse upon the ground
on account of man's sin, and appointed it to be finally
destroyed by fire at the last day, which could never
have been its miserable end if man had not sinned.
Yet the sin of man has not, in its cffects, reached the
animal creation, so as to become the first cause of their
lissolution.
If it is thought the sin of the parent should not be
}
A
<
390
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
I
required at the hand of the child, so as to subject it to
direct punishment, either in this life or the life to come,
wherefore, then, shall the sin of man be required at the
hand of the animal creation, so as to subject them to a
natural death? Surely there is no relation between man
and beasts, by which a communication of the fatal ef-
fects of sin could reach a dumb animal. No man w
will
allow such a relation can exist. But Adam, being the
father of the human race, has therefore communicated
the baleful effects of his sin to his progeny; which
could not possibly be otherwise, on account of the strict
natural relation existing between us.
If our first pa-
rent had not sinned, his children would not have been
depraved. Therefore Adam, not being the father of
the animal world, could not affect their nature by his
sin.
}
We know that God is just, and consequently requires
of his creatures according to the ability bestowed in the
constitution of such creatures as he has made. Upon
this ground, it is evident God requires nothing of the
dumb beasts; for the grade of their free agency does
not ascend high enough to distinguish between the mo-
ral difference of actions. Therefore, because a beast
does not possess a rational soul, God has not subjected
them to any law which can make them accountable;
for the only law that is discoverable in the animal crea-
tion is that of instinct. No beast is at all conscious of
any reason-why he has fled, why he has eat, why he
has drank, why he has been frightened, why he has
been at rest, or even that he exists at all, any more than
does inert matter. See note on page 289.
*
५
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
301
It would, therefore, be unjust to subject the beast of
the field to suffer death, on account of the error of a
dissimilar kind of being, which I consider is as absurd
as to transfer the consequences of Adam's sin to the
inhabitants of some other planet. Their death, there-
fore, must be accounted for on some other principle.
But the folly of supposing them subjected to death for
Adam's sin, shows itself from another view, which is
this: If justice and righteousness are eternal princi-
ples, then, in a strict relation to this subject, it will fol
low, that God would never have slain animals, if it
was wrong, with the skins of which to make coats for
Adam and Eve after their fall, and with whose flesh was
undoubtedly made the first burnt offering to God, in
reference to the promised Messiah. Then it will follow,
that the life of beasts are to be inviolate on that princi-
ple, and no exigence whatever could justify their death.
But that it is not wrong to take the life of animals, God
himself has shown us, by his own example, when first
he slew beasts for the accommodation of the naked
couple.
We find Abel, the second son of Adam, familiar with
this thing when he made his burnt sacrifice, which so
provoked his brother Cain; and I cannot doubt but
flesh was in fact the food of the antedeluvians as much
as in subsequent ages: and that animals was the most
natural food, and the easiest come at in those early
days, is perfectly reasonable. If it was just for Noah
and his posterity to use them as food, then it was as just
and as proper immediately after the fall as at any time
since; and I do not doubt but flesh would have become
Bb
A
4
"
302
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
{
}
•
for
the food of man, even if he had never sinned ;
what other purpose could they have been created?
From these circumstances, therefore, I conclude, that
it is not radically nor relatively wrong to kill an ani-
mal for any good purpose; and that the sin of man
did not procure the death of animals in any sense, is
evident, at least to me, from the above reasons.
1
It has pleased God to introduce his creature mair
into existence, with a corporeal body, and has ap-
pointed food for its subsistence. Now, as God
has diffused throughout all his works the principle of
life, therefore, in the composition of all kinds of fruit,
is contained real animal life, and also in water, or any
substances whether dense or rare. "There is not a drop
of pure and living water but contains not less than
30,000 perfect animals, furnished with the whole appa
ratus of bones, muscles, nerves, heart, arteries, veins,
lungs, viscera, and animal spirits," (Dr. Clark) which
are discoverable by the use of glasses. Death, in re-
lation to these, was therfore in the world before the sin
of man.
I
1
Innumerable deaths must, therefore, have been the
consequence, whenever man put forth the axe or plough,
as was certainly intended he should do in order to sub-
due the earth, forthus he was commanded beforehe fell.
Consequently the passing plowshare would have crushed
the falling forest would have killed-and the consu-
ming fire, for the removal of timber, would have de-
stroyed multitudes of feeble life even if man had never
fallen.
We judge, therefore, that sin has brought death upon,
1
ار
1
EXPECTED CIIRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
303
7
none but offending man, which death was effected by
his removal from the tree of life; for upon him was
death threatened, but not upon any of God's works be-
side-it being perfectly natural to all animal life from
the beginning. Yes, even man had even this mortal
tendency; but the tree of life was the grand preven-
tive till he had sinned.
It is a scriptural fact, that God at first blessed the
animal creation by saying unto them, Multiply, &c.
Upon which principle, therefore, it would not have
been necessary that a great many years should have
passed away, before each particular kind of animal
would, from their perpetual multiplication, have filled
up all the space under the whole heaven-the conse-
quence of which would have been a general and par-
ticular destruction of all land animals, occasioned by
their own numbers. A general crush of all bodies
must have succeeded finally, if starvation and disease,
engendered by the vastness of their numbers, had not
destroyed them sooner.
Next to these, the myriads of the seas, in process of
time, would have thrown their scaly billions from the
ocean's bottom to the skies, and pushed on all the
shores of all the seas, vast banks of putrefying fish!!!
And from aloft, and stretched from pole to pole, the
whole heaven would have swarmed with countless
clouds of fowl, from where the beasts lay crushed to
the highest point where clouds can soar.
From this view we see, if God had not in his wis-
dom appointed from the beginning animal bodies to be
the support of animal life, that the final consequence
+
!
}
The 2
304
3
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
must have been a total extinction of every kind. We
ought, therefore, to believe, that as they were pro-
nounced very good at first, so they are still, and that
the sin of man cannot possibly have affected either
their dispositions or death: And instead of a natural
evil, we ought to consider the dissolution of animals a
natural good of no small magnitude, and was intended
so at first, whether man stood or fell.
f
But if it should be thought impossible that so great
a multiplication of animals could ever have succeeded
as to engross all the space of the globe, even if they
had never died, let it be relied on that the language of
philosophy declares, that from one thistle seed, distin-
guished by its botanical name, Acanthum vulgare, is
competent to produce, in the short space of four years,
a progeny sufficiently numerous, not only to complete-
ly engross all the space of this globe, but also that of
the whole solar system. See Dr. Clark on Gen. 3, 18.
d
I
1
!
1
/
་
3
í
}
ELEVENTH DIVISION,
Presents arguments designed to confute the opinion, that all the
animal creation, nor any part of thein, shall arise from the dead,
at the last day, to be remunerated for their sufferings and death,
suppossd by some to have been occasioned by the sin of Adam.
When from the bursting tombs the righteous dead shall rise,
To meet their coming Lord descending from the skies,
No howling voice of beast shall mix the holy throng,
Nor bleat of gentler flocks disturb the rapturous song ;
For these no blood was shed on Calvary's dreadful cross,
Because when Adam sinn'd they suffer'd then uo loss;
And therefore cannot rise, no more than moulder'd trees.'
To mount the lofty skies and endless glory sicze.
J
There are many who have imagined, on account of
the first transgression, that the whole animal world
have thereby been subjected to death. And that they
may be remunerated for this suffering, it is supposed
they shall be raised from the dead at the resurrection,
but whether at the time of the first resurrection, or the
second. I do not know: the assertors of this doctrine
have not informed us on this point.
Bb*
1
1
306
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
This opinion is founded chiefly on the 8th chapter to
the Romans, from verse 19 to verse 23, inclusive,
where it is stated as follows: For the earnest expecta-
tion of the CREATURE waiteth for the manifesta-
tion of the sons of God. Verse 19.
That any person should ever have supposed this
CREATURE, which waiteth with such anxiety, can
be the animals of creation as well as man, is exceed-
ingly strange; for where is the Scripture, or reason,
which can afford ground for belief, that any beast was
ever yet anxious for the manifestation of the sons of
God, or looked for the coming of Christ as an atone-
ment for sin, or for his kingdom to be set up on earth,
which was the thing looked for, and so strongly desired
should be manifested by the CREATURE, which is
man.
For the CREATURE was made subject to vanity,
not willingly, but by reason of him, who hath subjected
the same in hope. Verse 20. Although the creature
inan has sinned, and thereby became subjected by the
judicial act of God, to the vanity of an evil state, yet
we cannot think that Adam, or any other man ever felt
willing to be under this bondage of vanity and death;
for it is stated that the creature Adam was drove out of
Paradise, which strongly implies his unwillingness to
go; but he was compelled to submit, for it was the
sentence of his God. Thanks be to Him, although
he has wisely made us subject to the consequences of
our own folly in this life, by removing us, in a seminal
scose, from the tree of life, yet hath he subjected the
same creature man in hope, through the promised seed,
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
307
who is Christ, who was in due time to be manifested,
which is the thing spoken of, and is called the mani-
festation of the sons of God in the 19th verse.
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty
of the sons of God. Verse 21. This verse puts the
thing still farther from embracing animals in any sense
relative to the point; because the delivery there spoken
of is to be from the bondage of corruption into the
glorious liberty of the sons of God. What is this lib-
erty of the sons of God, which is said to be from cor-
ruption? Is it not the bringing of the soul from
darkness to light, as well as finally the body from the
grave? Is it not the final sanctification of the soul,
which is its fitness for heaven, and entitles his body also
to a glorious resurrection from the dead? Now what
natural beast was ever brought from darkness to light,
converted and sanctified? If none, then how can they
have a part in this glorious liberty, which is emphati-
cally the privilege of the sons of God, who are finally
to be raised from the dead, and is the delivery of the
creature man from the bondage of his corruption into
life eternal, as it relates both to body and soul.
But if the reader still inclines to believe the animal
creation included with the creature man, let him recol-
lect that such a position will give all the praise for the
resurrection of animals to the devil; because, it will
follow, that if man had not sinned, then beasts, upon,
that supposition, would not have died, and therefore
could not arise from the dead, to be made happy in
another life. This last idea, however, is not applica-
ble to the case of man, because sin nor death do not,
期
​308
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
in any degree, retrench the endless being of man, al-
though it has changed the mode of his egress from
this to another state.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth'
and travaileth in pain together until now. Verse 22.
If this verse is spoken of animals, as well as of man,
the question may be asked, in what way the beasts of
the field groan and travail in pain as well as man? be-
cause the pain and travail appear to be a labour of the
mind, on acccount of the evils entailed upon our race
in consequence of the fall, which is styled vanity-of
which a beast is not at all conscious; for there is not a
shadow of reason to believe any beast ever knew,
or in any sense possessed a knowledge that they even
exist. It must, therefore, be spoken only of the
whole creation of man in every clime, and of every
nation, whether Jew or Gentiles; for the Desire of na-
tions has been looked for by Gentiles as well as Jews ·
therefore this groaning and travail is nothing else but
the motions of that light which lighteth every man who
is born into the world, exciting the soul to feel after the
hecded Deliverance, if happily they may find Him, of
which a beast is not capable.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have
the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves, groan
within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the
redemption of our body. Verse 23. In this verse, the
Apostle has included the whole Christian church which
then existed, as well as the Apostles themselves, who
had received the first fruits, or effects of the gospel
dispensation, by the operation of the Holy Ghost. I
say included them with the rest of mankind in this same
#
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
309
groaning, to be delivered from this present evil world,
and longing for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of
their body and soul from this state of vanity into the
glorious liberty of the sons of God, which they shall
possess after the first resurrection.
"'"
芹
​But if we recieve the sentiment, that animals are in-
cluded in this general desire to be delivered with the
sons of God, then it will follow, that the beasts which
perish (says Solomon) are brought up and put on a
level with the rational part of creation in point of pri-
vilege respecting a resurrection, and stand equally inte-
rested with the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The sentiment is an error, because it implies an ope-
ration of grace to make even a man sensible that his si-
tuation might be bettered by a redemption of his
body from the evils of this life, and froin the dead
through Jesus Christ to eternal glory, of which state a
beast can have no joyous anticipation, for they have not
faith.
Again-if by the term every creature, we are to un-
derstand all kinds of animals, and that they there-
fore must rise from the dead, then we are compelled to
believe, that when our Lord said, Go ye into all the
world, and preach the gospel to every creature, means
that they should preach the gospel to animals as well
as men. This is sufficient to confute the sentiment.
See Mark, 14, 15.
And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature. But if the opin-
ion is admitted, that beasts shall arise from the dead to
life again, then the question may arise, with what body
✔
310
'EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
i
+
and in what form shall they come forth? To solve this
question, we may properly advert to the Scriptures for
counsel, where we are informed, that the creature man,
at death, is sown a corruptible body, but shall be raised
an incorruptible body at the resurrection of the just.
It is presumed none will doubt but this great and glo-
rious event, so advantageous to the creature man, shall
be in consequence of the righteousness, passion, re-
surrection and intercession of the Messiah.
But have we any account that the Messiah ever
wrought a work of righteousness for animals, in the
same sense he has for man? which work consisted in
the honour he bestowed upon the law of God, by per-
fectly keeping its commands; for this law had been
broken by man, and relatively dishonoured, but was
gloriously honoured and magnified by the Messiah;
otherwise the atonement by the voluntary sacrifice of
himself could have availed nothing.
Have we any reason to suppose animals were put
under any law, whereby they were made accountable ? -
1
or that they have in any sense done contrary to the law
that is in them, which is the law of instinct, and is very
good, even at the present time.
Have we any account that beasts have sinned, and
therefore ought to repent? Are there any threatenings
against them, as beings who are capable of doing
wrong, in a sinning sense? Or promises, that if they do
well, that sin shall not lie at their door, in consequence
of which they are to share in the felicities of a future and
supernatural life? To which I reply, that if animals
Hever needed such a work of righteousness done for
+
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
311
200
them by the Messiah as he did for man; and if they
never had any law which has made them at all accoun-
table to God; and if they never sinned, and therefore
ought not to repent, and consequently are not to be
threatened; and if they have done no acts which can
be esteemed moral virtue, as denoting a consciousness
of the existence of a Creator, and of faith in him-
then on what grounds have any a right to expect for
dumb beasts a resurrection, in common with the more
exalted and redeemed creature man?
;
+
}
But some may imagine, however, that there shall be
an animal resurrection upon a different principle than
that obtained by the Messiah for his creature man;
which may be supposed to be the sovereign act of God,
without any respect to the atonement.
. {
That God is a great King, and absolute Monarch'
of all that eternity ever did, does now, or shall contain,
for He doeth whatsoever he will, but nothing but what
is proper to be done; which acts are ever in accord-'
ance with consistency and His holiness. He said, let'
there be light, and there was light. He built the ama-
zing structure of the solar system, with all other sys-
tems, and has established the latent principles of all
effects, which have as yet unfolded themselves in na-
ture's amplitude. These are proofs of his sovereignty.
We are not, however, at liberty to involve the free
agency of man's rational spirit with the results and ef-
fects of latent principles established in nature. That
item among the works of God is above the results of
nature's vast machine, and is endowed with the ama-
zing yet glorious power of electing its own destiny;
2
P
312
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
*
1
་
but beneath this item there is no result, but is the effect
of some latent power, tending to their several ends.
But as a wise sovereign, he does those things only
which are consistent to be done; therefore we conclude,
that He will maintain order in his works; and for this
very reason, also, I reject the idea of an animal resur-
rection.
The first instance of inconsistency, upon the suppo-
'sition that beasts arise from the dead, is, that it will
become absolutely necessary for the Creator to endow
them with a portion of rational understanding; or else
they cannot know that they have had a prior existence,
and that their resurrection is to remunerate them for
their former sorrows, occasioned by the act of anotlier
kind of being, called man.
¡
But if this shall not be the fact, their ignorance of
their former condition will entirely spoil the idea of a
recompense; in which case, it would evidently be as
well for the Creator, (if there must be animals) to make
an entire new creation of dumb beasts, in preference to
raising these of our earth to life again. And if it be
necessary for them to receive a rational understanding,
in order that they may receive information that they
had previously existed in a dumb state, would it be in-
consistent, in connection with this view, to suppose,
that at some future time in the lapse of ages, when the
great wheel of things has made its mystic revolutions,
but they may receive another change for the better?
and so at last arrive at the full stature of intelligent be-
ing and thus corroborate the atheistical notion, that
nature, in her multifarious revolutions, did at length,
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
313
from the womb of everlasting ages, produce, as the
climax of her power, the creature man.
A second instance of inconsistency will appear, when
we examine with what bodies they are to come forth.
If they shall arise with spiritualized bodies, which have
passed from a gross nature to a celestial one, then in-
deed we shall have realized the Indian's fancied heaven,
where he imagines that his native woods, with hills and
vales, and running floods, will again appear, with all
the game of a thousand mountains, to be objects of an
everlasting chase.
But if they are raised up natural animals, they will
again require the pasture of the mountains, with every
kind of food which is natural to their comfort, which
will again produce the procreative power-the multi-
plication of their numbers will of necessity follow;
and in order to this, the earth must remain as it is, time
without end; which idea at once contradicts the doc-
trine of the earth's being destroyed by fire.
But if that prophecy is truth, which states, that there
is coming a day whereon the heavens shall be on fire,
and the elements are to melt with fervent heat-when
the earth, with all its works shall be burnt up-when
every mountain and island shall flee away, and there
shall be no more sea; where then shall the animal
kingdom have a resting place, or where shall the fowls.
winnow the passing winds, or the fish sport among their
accustomed waves? or where shall they be kept in
safety, till the dreadful storm is passed away?
Much learned labour has been bestowed, to render
the subject of an animal resurrection plausible, found- ·
Cc
'
1
}
314.
EXPECTED CIÍRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
$
ed on the supposition, that justice itself is bound to re-
munerate them for supposed sufferings. But it ap
pears to me, that certain proof should first be come at,
before we make such deductions. A consciousness of
suffering is absolutely wanting in the whole animal
world. Their grade in being does not arise high
enough to possess a conscious knowledge of suffering,
so as to deplore and lament it. Here is manifest the
wisdom of God, who, while he made animal natures
capable of feeling, denied the power of rational think-
ing; therefore, are not conscious so as to deplore pain.
when they feel it. This alone is possessed by man—a
consciousness, so as to deplore pain when it is know
ingly felt; but even man is not conscious of pain when
asleep. Some kinds of animals show signs of life even
after their heads are taken off, viz. the tortoise, several.
kinds of fish, and serpents; but there is no knowledge
of pain, though the flesh agonizes. It follows, then,
that if their heads were on, unless endowed with a
consciousness of knowledge, and sense enough to de-
plore such pain, that their suffering is not of that sort
which might expect redress from the Creator. This
.
argument I would apply to all animals, from the
insect up to the most sagacious beasts of the field. But
if animals must arise from the dead, then it will follow,
that no exceptions are to be made, and will extend to
every minutia of animation, embracing every species,
with every particular insect that ever existed, even the
vermes of the human body, as well as of animals,
which loads the opinion with contempt beyond endu
rance.
+
$
$
M
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
315
1
Finally that doctrine which pleads a resurrection of
animals to a future state, plainly charges the Creator
with folly; inasmuch as that work which he pronoun-
ced very good, is so constituted, as finally to be redu--
ced to calamity necessarily, (not by choice, as was the
case with nan) so as to justify a démand even on the
justice of the Creator of a remaneration. But I think
I liave proven in the preceding pages, that animals
were created subject to death, without any reference to
the sin of man; and therefore, it being an appoint-
ment of the Creator, no remuneration should be ex-
pected for animals, any more than for vegetation,
which also is appointed to die annually. The death
which was brought into the world by sin, falls on man's
body and soul, but not on beast. These effects, which
are similar in appearance, are the result of dissimilar
causes. The first came by sin, but the latter by the
appointment of the Creator.
}
{
*
1
脊
​1
$1
P
&
¿
}
}
J
TWELFTH DIVISION;
11
resents a view of the vast natiplication of mankind during the
Millennium, and of the happiness of their political state ;" and
who they are that will attempt to make war upon the camp of
the saints, called Gog and Magog; and why Satan must be
loosed out of his prison a little season, after the Millennium
and in what manner they will attempt an attack upon the camp
of the saints, and of their Gnal end.
2
T
***
J
LINY Q
If God at first ordain'd the procreative birth,
That men should multiply on all the new made earth
If marriage then was holy, then was bless'd of heav'n,
When first the only two were to each other giv'n:
So when Millennial years shall all that's evil hide,
The human race restor'd, shall then be multipli'd
✪4**
143
That the multiplication of the human race will be
immensely great during the Millennium, there cannot
be a doubt. This the Revelator seems strongly to in-
timate, when he speaks of the army of Gog and Ma-
gog, which will begin to exalt itself against the camp
of the saints in the four quarters of the earth, whoso
J
"
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
317
1
⭑
numbers (of the apostates only) shall be as the sand of
the sea for multitude. Rev. 20, 8.
!
And further, it is evident, there will be a multiplica-
tion of mankind during those years of holiness and
innocence, for we find à qualification of this kind ex-
isted in the composition of the blessing which God
pronounced upon the venerable ancestors of our race,
when first they came in all the glory of perfection from
the hand of their Creator.
The qualification contained in that first of blessings
pronounced on man, was, Multiply and replenish the
earth. If, then, it was consistent to ordain the propa-
gation of our species in that holy and sinless state,
most certainly it will be equally consistent in the Mil-
lennium; because the ordinances of heaven are founded
upon the eternal principles of righteousness, and the
propagation of human beings is well pleasing in the
sight of God-provided always that the bond of mat-
rimony and reciprocal affection, be the only cause of
such propagation. Every deviation, therefore, from
this rule, is open war with the wisdom and order of“
heaven. And all pretences to holiness and sanctity, of
such as despise the marriage bond, and boast their abi-
lity to live above it, are generally the authors of much
secret confusion and wickedness, and would do well to
notice the caution of Solomon, Be not overmuch righ-
teous-why shouldst thou destroy thyself? Eccle. 7, 16.
If the marriage bond, that obvious wisdom and ordi-
nance of heaven, which at first was established in the
paradistical state, was holy, just and good-then equal-
ly so when the earth shall be restored, when man shall
Cc*
น
*
✩
318
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
I
become universally innocent. Consequently, the race
of man will be exceeding numerous; for, during the
lapse of a thousand years, there shall be no diminution
of their numbers by death, for then shall be waged no
wars. The instruments of death, that once made hor-
rible the field of battle, shall then become instruments
of husbandry. No inordinate appetite, the fruitful pa-
rent of disease, shall then possess the souls of any, but
simple, innocent, restored nature shall only crave her
support, which shall ever be at hand by the attending
providence of God, so that they will be as far removed
from natural evil as Adam was before he fell.
If it be needful to restore again the tree of life, it
will be in sufficient numbers to supply every individual
with its life-preserving fruit, so that death, produced by
a natural tendency to dissolution, (as I believe was the
condition of man before he sinned) will not be permit-
ted to approach the human race.
This being their condition, the increase of his num-
bors baffles all calculation; but undoubtedly the whole
earth will become as a well tilled garden in all the acces-
sible climes, in order to afford habitations for the Mil-
lennial population. It cannot be reasonably doubted
but the earth affords land enough to accommodate all
that can be expected to come into being during the Mil-
lennium, besides the saints who will be alive at its com-
mencement, in which time the human race will suffer
no loss by death. If all the race were now living that
have existed from the beginning, there would be more
than twenty-six persons to each square foot of land.
This calculation is deduced from the two following da
ليه
1;
Ja
Aras
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
319
tas: First, the inhabitants of the earth who have exis-
ted since Adam till the year 1818, are computed at the
incomprehensible number of thirty-six thousand six
hundred and twenty-seven billions, eight hundred
and forty-three thousand two hundred and seventy-five
millions, seventy-five thousand eight hundred and forty
six. The second data is, the earth affords fifty mil-
lions of square miles of land. This, reduced to square
feet, amounts to one thousand three hundred and nine-
ty-three billions, nine hundred and twenty thousand
millions. The larger number, which consists of inha-
bitants, is divided by the lesser number, which consists
of square feet of earth, which produces the distracting
product of twenty-six persons to each square foot.
From which it is evident, that long ere this time, death
would have been in the world if man had not sinned,
unless God had, from time to time, removed them by
translation to a higher and more refined mode of exis-
J
tence.
But after the Millennium shall have commenced, in
order that all may be sustained, as population shall in-
crease, the habitations of men will gradually become.
more and more compact; consequently, by the provi-
dence of God, the whole earth to whom it belongs,,will
be divided into small possessions, sufficient for the per-
fect comfort of their occupants. A deed, which is now
the legal security for landed possessions, with a place
for record to guard against the invasion of rights, as
at the present time, will then be useless among men.
A simple line, marked and known as the boundaries of
the dweller thereon, will be all that will then be need-
320
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNÍUM.
ful. All legal officers shall then become useless; there
shall be no such thing as the administration of laws by
man; all precautions against villainy, such as penal
laws now exhibit and inflicts; locks, bolts, bars, aud
prisons, shall for ever cease, for God, the holy one,
shall rule in the hearts of men; consequently there
will not exist a desire contrary to pure righteousness:
And wisdom shall not then be far off but in all hearts,
leading all souls, in all cases, to the best possible con-
clusions, which will effectually evade every misunder-
standing which now often afflicts the hearts of the most
At that day, will totally cease all kinds of use-
pure.
less business, and nothing be retained among men but
those pursuits, as mechanics and merchants, who shall
make and trade in those articles which shall be for their
1
simple comfort-nothing for luxury, nothing for pride.
Money will probably cease to be a circulating medi-
nu-an exchange of commodities will take its place;
but even this will not occupy one ambitious thought, for
no desire to lay up against an evil day can then possess
the mind. Having food and raiment, house and home,
they have all that heaven ever designed man could in-
nocently possess, and their security will be the provi-
dence of God, who shall lead them and feed them con-,
tinually.
If any shall cnoose to pass to other countries, there
shall nothing prevent; for most certainly the facilities
of intercourse, both by sea and land, will then be in
usc, and a perfection of safety shall accompany all, in-
fallible safety, such as now cannot be expected, while
Satan is permitted to wander up and down in the earth.
1
!
?
£
1
C
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
321
The passing stranger will need no money; no one will
say, this or that is my possession; but all is the Lord's.
One vast commonwealth of kindness shall then envelop
the globe.
а
A desire of different religious sectarians to disciple
others to their peculiar doctrines, will then for ever
cease; and the missionary labours to counteract the
baleful effects of error and sin, will then also be at
an eud; for all shall then know the Lord, and feel
salvation in their heart, from the least to the greatest,
But, asks the reader, does not such a view of the Mil-
lennial state present the human race in `a condition too
inactive relative to society, and the employments of life,
the glory of which is activity, when directed to worthy
ends? Let Adam, and his progeny, answer this, if
they were not fallen.
Was there not a work appoint-
ed for them to do? To Adam it was said, Dress the
garden; and to his seed, then in a seminal state, sub-
due the earth. Stupidity, therefore, during the Mi
lennium, will not be man's character, no more than if
they had never fallen. With the gentle labours of the
day, shall be blended the joys of holiness, and to re-
count with wonder the works and ways of God in his
providence and grace since the world began, which
will be a constant and great resource of mental and
social employment.
I
To look forward for the accomplishment of the things
yet to take place, when the Messiah shall come with
clouds and great glory, to raise the wicked dead, and
to be avenged on his enemies, when themselves shall be
changed in the twinkling of an eye, from a corporeal
322
J
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
}
1
to a celestial state, and be caught up into the air to
be for ever with the Lord.
The anticipation, too, that they shall be present whẹn
God shall make all things new; when in the great space,
where now is situate the amazing fabric of the solar
system, which was created in six natural days, but
after the judgment that space shall be blank, and void,.
and dark again-He shall fix in the centre of this deep
the foundation of a more glorious systeni; a world,
wherein shall dwell righteousness. And who knows
but that new creation is to be the glorious residence
and future heaven of the saints of this globe, and of
the others? Did not the Saviour say to his disciples, I
go to prepare a place for you?.
ક
Such thoughts as these shall be the sweet employ-
ment of the saints; but are not these the thoughts and
joys of the saints now? Yes-but in a very limited
sense, compared with the more enlarged and glorious
views of the saints then; for doubtless there will then
exist, as with Adam before he fell, a sociable and fa-`
V
1
miliar acquaintance with angelic beings and spirits of
glory, who will often and visibly mingle with the assem-
blies of the saints then on earth, telling wonders from
the skies, which now it would not be lawful for them
1
to utter.
¿ja
But shall they, in the Millennium, assemble as now
to worship God? Most certainly; and in those days
there will be no loiterers-all will be fervent, and full
of the spirit of praise-there will then be no need of
ministers to call to repentance, for all shall know the
Lord-nor to expound the Word, for all shall unders
*
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.`
323
}
stand the watchmen shall see eye to eye; and the
spirit of grace and of glory shall be upon all, for the
very thing which Moses, so vehemently desired, viz.
that all the Lord's people were prophets, shall then be
universally accomplished; for the fire of the Lord
shall be upon them, to fill them with the spirit of power,
to give him glory. Such joy, and much more abun-
dant and lasting, will fall upon them than fell upon the
Israelites, when they saw the nimble glances of the
holy celestial fire kindling upon the sacrifice, which
laid upon the altar; for when Moses and Aaron had
blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared.
And there came out a fire from before the Lord, and
consumed upon the altar the burnt offering, which, when
the people saw, they shouted and fell apon their faces.
Levit. 9, 24. "This celestial fire was carefully pre-
served amongst the Israelites, till the time of Solomon,
when it was renewed and continued amongst them till
the Babylonish captivity." Dr. Clark.
So, doubtless, the glory of the Supreme Being will
often be seen among the saints in the Millennium, in
whatever ways shall please him. Sometimes as the
meek and sociable God, such as he appeared to Abra-
ham under the oak tree in the plains of Mamre. Gen.
18, 1. Sometimes as a pillar of fire shrouded round
with thick darkness, through which his glory may be
seen flashing terrible brightness, such as he appeared to
the camp of Israel in the wilderness. Exod. 16, 10.
At other times such as he appeared to Moses and Aa-
ron, and the seventy elders, who saw the God of Israel;
and there was under his fect, as it were, a paved work
2
324
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven
in its clearness. Exod. 24, 10.
Isaiah also saw him in a vision, sitting upon a throne
high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above
it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with
twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered
his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried to
another and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts,
the whole earth is full of his glory. Isa. 6, 1, 2, 3,. 4.
St. John had a view of heaven's glorious king when
he in spirit saw him, having heard behind him a great
voice as of a trumpet; and being turned, he saw one
like unto the Son of Man, clothed with a garment
down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a gol-
den girdle. His head and his hairs were white like
wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame
of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass, as if they
burned in a furnace, and his voice as the sound of many
waters. Rev. 1, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15. St. John saw him
again, after another manner, in the same vision. Be-
hold a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the
throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jas-
per and a sardine stone; and there was a rainbow roun el
about the throne in sight like unto an emerald. Rev.
4, 2, 3.
T
ཡ
M
From what I have quoted from the sacred text, I fecl
Justified in believing, that God having both in the old
and New Testament times, suffered holy men to see his
glory, both in vision and open sight, and also the lite-
ral appearance of angelic beings at various times and
places, that he will much more abundantly rejoice the
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
32.5
souls of his saints in the days of the Millennium, with
sights of heaven's glory and heaven's inhabitants. The
Millennium will be God's great Sabbath, when he will
be with his saints, and his glory will fill this temple, the
earth, so that no evil thing shall in no wise enter to
stain the lovely whiteness of the garments of the saints.
No doubt the songs of angels will be often heard in
the surrounding heaven. Bright flashes of glory will
often streak the skies-glorious sights, such as Elisha
saw on the mountains of Jerusalem, will then be often
seen.
There can be no doubt but at the present time there
are myriads of spiritual beings hovering all round, to
whose view we are ever exposed, both when we sleep
and when we wake; but in the Millennium our eyes
shall be purged from this dimness of vision, which sin
has caused, when there shall exist unnumbered and
unknown resources of extatic joys, of which this sinful
estate cannot admit.
A second idea of this division is, to ascertain the rea-
son why Satan shall be loosed from his prison a little
season after the thousand years of his confinement
shall have passed by. That he will be loosed again
after his imprisonment is evident from Rev. 20, 7, 8;
where it is stated, And when the thousand years are
expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison; and
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four
quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them
to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
But what can Satan have to do on the earth at that pe-
riod of time, after having been banished a thousand
Dd
326
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
I
years? His business undoubtedly will be of the same
nature it was before man fell, which was to tempt man
to sin, and to destroy him. We are informed that God
suffered the loyalty of -Adam to be tested by the temp-
tation of the devil, for the purpose of his trial, but not
for his ruin; for if we say his ruin was intended, then
trial on the part of man is out of the question. Be-
cause an agent, possessing mental rational ability, is
always supposed possessed of power to obey or diso-
bey. If this is not so, then man was never an agent,
only as the several elements are agents, entirely uncon-
scious of what they are propelled to do.'
}
But I consider free agency the very qualification of
man's rational nature, and that it is morally impossible
for him to be possessed of the one without the other;
therefore, if he were not rational, he could not be an
accountable free agent; and if he were not a free agent,
he could not be liable, and therefore could not have
fallen; for he, instead of being a rational accountable.
man, must necessarily have been a dumb beast. Ra-
tional free agency, therefore, is that degree of being
which exalts man to a capability of distinguishing be-
tween good and evil, whether before his fall or since, in
a restored state, and also makes him liable. Liability,
therefore, to fall, or power to stand, is man's original
character, or he would have been but a mere ani-
mal.
1
<<]
But since it is the way of heaven to try the fealty of
all intelligent agents, both of men and angels, we may
not question its propriety, but rather rejoice, that out of
unert matter, God has raised up man to a consciousness
1
""
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
327
of rationable being, endowed with a capacity of giving
testimony of consent to his government. But those
who are accounted worthy to bear the insignia of
saints, when the Millennium commences, having had
their trial. Satan, therefore, to these can have no fur-
ther temptations to offer, because they have passed the
ordeal of heaven, and are for ever safe. What pur-
pose, then, is to be effected by his being loosed a little
season? This question we shall defer answering till we
have examined two positions, which have not unfre-
quently occupied the thoughts of the wise and the lear-
ned, in reference to who those can be whom Satan will
gather together, called Gog and Magog, to make war
upon the saints.
Some have supposed that this great
army, called Gog and Magog, will be composed of
devils or spirits, who are subordinate to Satan, the
prince of devils, who, being released at the same time
when Satan shall be loosed, will pour forth upon the
earth from their place, by millions, and at once attempt
an attack upon the camp of the saints.
of the saints. But this can-
not be true, because we find Satan deceiving the na-
tions which are in the four quarters of the earth. The
thing; therefore, is plain, that they whom he will then
deceive are human beings, and dwelling on the earth.
No man will suppose that Satan can deceive devils.
An army of devils, therefore, it cannot be who shall
make this literal attack upon the camp of the saints.
Neither should it be supposed, that it will consist of
persons who, during the Millennium, were all that
time sinners; but on the account of religion being ex-
ceeding popular in the earth at that time, choose to
T
328
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM."
give place to it out of policy. Whatever character
such persons might assume during that glorious victo-
ry of the church, whether of moralists or of professing
Christians, or of open sinners, it is perfectly equal;
because if they are sinners, they are already deceived
of the devil; and with no propriety whatever can it be
said, that Satan shall go out into the four quarters of
the earth to deceive those who are already deceived to
all intents and purposes.
1
The case of Eve will illustrate this point. Of her
it is said, that she was deceived of the serpent; but to
establish her innocence and righteousness previous to
her being deceived, needs no argument. It is evident,
therefore, that those who are decieved of the devil at
that time are not sinners, previous to their being thus
deceived. Therefore if this army of Gog and Ma-
gog is not to be composed of the saints, who were
counted worthy to be called such at the time of the
commencement of the Millennium, nor of devils under
the 'conduct of Satan, their head; nor of sinners, as
such, previous to the temptation being proposed, who,
then, are they?
This question I now proceed to answer. I said
above, that it is the way of heaven that all free
agents should have a trial, or state of probation; but
this trial, the millions who shall be born during the.
Millennium, will not have had at that time.
But I will here observe, that two qualifications must
absolutely be accomplished respecting man, before he
can possibly commence a probationer. The first is, the
the terms, or law, by which he is. to be tried, must be
1
着
​▸
;
}
3
1
•
2
7.
EXPECTED CHIRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
329
made known to him. The second is, a seeming in-
ducement must be presented, by way of temptation, to
break those terms or law, so that a field of action may
be presented, wherein the voluntary choice of the free
intelligent agent may prove to himself and others, that
he is able to distinguish between good and evil by
choosing the one or the other, which is the test of
fealty God requires. Hence it will follow, that if
Satan had not been permitted to tempt Eve, and
through Eve to tempt Adam, that they would never
have been, in the direct sense, probationers, unless some
other way had been permitted to try them. Adam and
Eve being perfectly holy, could have no disposition to
violate God's law given them; accordingly, they ne-
ver would have violated it, which, as it regards them,
is equivalent to there being no law at all: because, we
may not suppose a knowledge of this law could raise.
in their minds a desire to break it. Such a thought
would make God the tempter, by giving them a law."
St. James says, Let no man say when he is tempted, I
am templed of God; for God cannot be tempted with
evil, neither tempteth he any man-either directly or
remotely to sin.
From which I conclude, that the circumstance of
God's giving a law to our first parents, was not, in the
remotest sense accessory to the breach of that law, of
which they were finally guilty. Was it necessary, then,
that there must be a devil before man could be tempted
or tried, or commençe his probationary state? I an-
swer, by no means; for if the angels who kept not
their first estate, were tempted or tried without a deyil,
Dd*
1
{
J
3
330
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
(for we cannot suppose the existence of any till those'
angels fell) then it might have been the same with
Adam. Some other mode, as I have before remarked,
would certainly have tried him; because I dare not
suppose any latent tendency, couched in the qualifica-
tion of the law, which was given him to seduce him to
a breach of it. Neither dare I say there must be a
devil called for, to help forward the trial of man, in
order to qualify him a probationer; but there being a
devil, he was permitted to be their trier or tempter. But
if there had been no such fallen evil being, a mode of
trial in some other manner must have ensued, or man
could never have manifested a voluntary choice of ci-
ther good or evil; and consequently a probationary
state could never have called into action that glorious
power, viz. rational free agency
From which it is evident, that the trial of no intel-
ligent being can commence until such time as is pre-
sented, after some sort or manner, a seeming induce-
ment to break over the prohibition.
If, then, the above position is true, it will follow,
that our first parents were not on trial till the moment
they were tempted ; neither are infants on trial till such
time as they arrive to know good from evil, and are
tempted to do that which they know is wrong; and, for
the same reasons, neither can the nations who shall be
born during that thousand years,. in which Satan shall
be taken away, both in identity and influence, be con-
sidered as probationers, till the time arrives when he
shall be loosed a little season to tempt them, when their
trial shall properly commence, and not before.
i)
#
1
**T
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
331
We are bound to believe every infant which has been
born into life, recieved that blessing through Jesus
Christ. Had it not been for him, there could never
have existed an infant child; because, when our first
parents had sinned, they on that account, and in that
fact, fell from the image and favour of God, and be-
came thereby exposed to instant damnation, which the
very nature of justice required should be executed with-
out any mixture of mercy or delay. But the reason
why they were not cut off in that moment, was, because
the second person in the adorable Trinity, styled in the
Scriptures the WORD, had, from the foundation of the
world, determined that if man should sin in the hour of
his trial, He would instantly espouse man's cause, as
a Redeemer, and, in the fulness of time, would assume
his very nature, such as Adam was before he fell, and
come into the world to be the victim of relentless yet
holy justice, and thereby rescue the ruined couple, and
with them seminally the whole race. On his account,
therefore, their natural lives were spared, execution
was stayed from eternal death of body and soul; for
the very moment the crime of disobedience was con-
summated, justice knew where to point its vengeful ar-
rows. For this very reason, it is written in the book
of God, that Christ is a Lamb, slain from the founda-
tion of the world. Rev. 13, 8.
Band
The salvation, therefore, of the natural lives of our
first parents, by the prospective sacrifice of Jesus
Christ, was also the true and radical cause of the nà-
tural life of every infant that is born into the world.
When Satan tempted the woman to sin, it is evident
↑
$
7
332
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
he intended to lay his blasting hand of ruin to eternity
upon the very principles which were to usher into be-
ing the whole human family, by destroying the only
two in whom was deposited the sacred fire of procrc-
ative life.
But from that contemplated dungeon of oblivion
and nonentity into which the progeny of man was plun-
ged, in the loins of Adam, the blessed Saviour redeem-
ed us, and opened wide the gate of life in his pierced
side, through which the millions of our race have rush-
ed into being. We conclude, therefore, the position of
Christ's being the radical cause of the natural life of all
infants a truth, which none but an infidel would wish
to contradict. If, then, be, by the sacrifice of himself,
has become the author of natural life to all infants;
aud being the pure fountain of life itself, cannot,
therefore, produce an unholy work. He was also
the author of the being of the two first, who are said
to come pure from his hand. So all his works are pure
and holy.
I have made the foregoing remarks to establish the
doctrine, that infants are pure and holy through Jesus
Christ, though descended of fallen parents—which
circumstance does not invalidate the idea of the rela-
tive, positive, and passive holiness of a child; because
direct unholiness is constituted by the direct and volun-
tary act of an informed free agent against light, which
is not the case of an infant; for sin is the transgression
of a known law, either expressed or written on the heart.
It is, therefore, said by Him who cannot err, that of
such is the kingdom of heaven. Mark 10, 13, 14, 16.
;"
#
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
333
If children, then, at the present time are born into
life, under such favourable circumstances, as to be
beloved in a very tender sense by the Son of God,
and are by him, and through him, pronounced fit sub-
jects for the kingdom of heaven, even now when the
world is full of sin and sinners-even now, when they
are conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity,
though not absolutely their own, but Adam's, and their
parents; how much more, then, shall they be holy
in the Millennium, when it cannot be said they are fal-
len or conceived in sin, and brought forth in iniquity,
judge ye.
But a question now arises, will those children whe
are born of holy parents in the Millennium, need to be
converted and regenerated, as children now absolutely
need when they come to know good from evil, or ar-
rive at the line of accountability? for although infants
are not sinners, yet they are fallen.
!
I shall answer it by referring to the case of Adam,
and shall say, if he had not fallen by his own act of
sin, and had continued holy as he was created, and had
in pursuance of the holy injunction, multiplied his spe-
cics, can we suppose his offspring would have been oth-
erwise than holy, and consequently stood in no need
of a change of heart? Then it will follow, that if all
the saints who are living at the time of the first resur-
rection, do then experience a divine change, which
shall be equivalent to the state in which Adam stood in
his innocency, when he had access to the tree of life;
then their offspring shall be also holy, and shall need
no change of heart to fit them for heavenly enjoyments,
ana)
334
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
which I sincerely believe will be the happy state of both
the parents and their children.
If, then, this shall be the happy lot of the genera-
tions of the Millennium, we see at once all these, who
doubtless will swell in numbers to many millions, shall
not have any trial or probation during that thousaud
years; because they will be in the same situation that
Adam and Eve were in during that space of time which
must have elapsed between the moment he was created
and the moment he fell. But how long that time was
no mortal can determine. It is not reasonable to sup-
pose he fell immediately, for we see he performed se
veral things before the unhappy moment arrived. The
things he performed were, first, as soon as he was cre-
ated, he was put into the garden to dress and to keep
it. A second thing to which he was called to attend,
was the law given him concerning the tree of know-
ledge, and the dreadful penalty if he should disobey
the prohibition.
1
Pi
katal
A third business which his Creator required his ob-
servance of, was to name every living creature that mo-
ved upon the earth. And whatsoever Adam called ev-
ery living creature that was the name thereof. Gen. 2,
19. This was a work which would seem to require,
considerable time.
2
A fourth incident of his newly commenced existence.
was, God caused a deep sleep to fall upon him, during
which time He took from his side a portion of his
body, and therewith made he the woman. How much
time was consumed to do all these things, we cannot
tell; but I think it not unreasonable to suppose he was
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
335
$
occupied in these several particulars less time than one
week. One day must have passed by before he was
called to any of them, which was the seventh or Sab-
bath day, because we see Adam was created on the
sixth day from the first, and the next being the Sabbath,
we may not suppose any of those things, except the gi-
ving of the law, were attended to on that day, which
would be in harmony with its sanctity.
1
I consider it extremely absurd to suppose either
Adam, or his wife, experienced any desire to break the
holy law given unto them, respecting the tree of know-
ledge, as it is termed, before they were tempted to do
SO. Such a position would prove them already cor-
rupt, even before a law was given, or a temptation
presented to break that law; and would prove, beyond
dispute, that man was originally far enough from being
pure and holy. If, then, their probation did not com-
mence till the tempter came, then they were not proba-
tioners before. The same is the case of infants now.
They are not probationers until they have matured to
a knowledge of good and evil, or in the estimation of
God have come to the line of accountability.
+
The reader will perceive I have called to view the
case of Adam before he fell, and have endeavoured to
establish that he was not a probationer until the temp-
tation came, for the purpose of laying a foundation,
whereby to maintain, that none of the persons born
during the Mellennium will be probationers, though
free agents until their trial shall also come.
}
100
That they shall not have any trial during the Millen-
nium, is provable from the following: First-Satan
336
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM,
who has been allowed to be the tempter of all our race,
shall, at the beginning of the Millennium, be shut up.
So testifies the beloved St. John, that he shall be chain-
ed and cast into the bottomless pit, and sealed, so that
he cannot escape from thence. If so, then he cannot
tempt the souls of men during that thousand years.
Secondly, if all persons are holy during the Millennium,
then children, as they come to years of understanding,
will not be exposed to any evil examples, as they are
now.
I
i
Upon these grounds, therefore, the multitudes who
shall be born during the Millennium shall not be tried,
their fealty shall not be put to the test; and the rea-
son why God will not allow their trial then, is because'
this is his great jubilee-his day of release to a world
which has been for six thousand years oppressed with a
weight of sin; but then it shall rest. But if the trial of
men's fealty to God is then permitted to abide the test,
the peace of that Sabbath will doubtless be disturbed,'
and the race of man reduced to the same deplorable
predicament they now are in, which would spoil the
very idea of a Millennium of rest, peace and holiness."
But if all persons who come into being in the Millen-
nium, shall be exempt from trial during that time,
when, therefore, shall they be called to evince their loy-
alty to God, under circumstances of a seeming induce
ment to do otherwise?
v)
This point I proceed to answer. When the thou-
sand years are expired, we are assured by St. John, the
beloved disciple, Satan must be loosed for a little sea-
son; and the verse which informs us that Satan shall
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
337
·
/
be shut up and confined in hell, which is called the bot-
tomless pit, because it is eternal in its duration, also in-
forms us that after the thousand years is fulfilled, "he
must be loosed a little season." The purpose, then,
for which he is loosed is, that he shall become the in-
strument of trial to those who have not had a trial dur-
ing the Millennium. But let none dare to think that
he is loosed for the express purpose that any of them
shall be inevitably and necessarily seduced; for such a
thought will spoil the very idea of trial or probation-
for their act of sin will be properly their own volunta-
ry act, as was the case of Adam when he sinned; for
they shall all have power to resist the tempter as Adam
had, and if they will be wise, and use that power which
is free-will, they cannot be seduced by Satan when he
shall make the attempt upon them, for that power ist
the gift of God for their defence, not for their ruin.-
But, alas! the sequel of the story is, that of these very
ones he will deceive many, who are compared with the
sand of the sea for numbers; and by St. John are
styled Gog and Magog, who will be gathered together
from the four quarters of the earth, and shall go upon
the breadth of it, in order every where to destroy the
saints, who are spoken of as one great family-hence
are called the camp of the saints.
I will here attempt to show the reason why this host
of persecutors are by St. John, the Revelator, called
Gog and Magog.
The ancient Jews were chosen from among the na-
tions by the God of sacred revelation, for the purpose
of committing to them that matchless oracle of truth
Ee
2
Am
4
J
1
th
J
售
​$
3
•
·
"
4
A
*
3
338
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
4
+
"
1
•
and wisdom, the Bible. This nation, it appears, were
in their fulness, embodied under twelve patriarchs, and
were styled the camp of Israel. The title or name of
Israel arose from the circumstance of Jacob's being so
named by the angel at the break of day, when he had
strove with him all the night-which name signifies to
prevail. From the circumstance, therefore, of this
people's being styled the camp of Israel, who were
then the only visible church on earth, St. John has spo-
ken of the saints in the Millennium under the same
idea, and has styled them the camp of the saints. Now
when the Jews, after their return from the Babylonishi
captivity, in which Daniel was a captive, and had en-
joyed the blessings of their country many years, there
came against them in those days, (B. C. 300 years) an
immense army, with the intention of destroying them,
root and branch, from the earth, which army is called,
by the prophet Ezekiel, Gog and Magog.
There is not a doubt but St. John has borrowed the
circumstance of that great armament against the Jews,
as typical, not only of the papal apostacy, in defiling
the Christian sanctuary, but also of that last and great
apostacy at or near the end of time. And as the for-
mer was literally Gog, from the land of Magog, so
the latter are titled after their very name, because of
the unparalleled opposition which, by the spirit of
prophecy, the latter Gog and Magog were foreseen
to make against God and his saints.
That army which came against the Jews, of whom
Ezekiel the prophet has given so grand and animated
account, was the great king Antiochus Epiphanes, who
with an assemblage of nations, took and pillaged their
·
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
339
city and temple of their immense riches. The reason
why this king was called Gog, say commentators, is
because the word Gog signifies, in the Syrian language,
that which is covered or hidden, and applies to the well
known character of Antiochus, whom historians-de-
scribe as an artful, cunning, and dissembling man.→
And Magog appears to be the country where he had
the seat of his doninion, which, in other words, was
called Syria, but by the Syrians Magog. See Pliny,
Hist. Nat. v. ch. 23. (Clark.)
3
So great and terrible was the overthrow of these na-
tions, who came against the Jews, at the instigation of
Antiochus, that the prophet Ezekiel has described their
ruin before hand, as being effected by the sword, by
pestilence, by great rains mingled with hail stones, and
by fire and brimstone. These are his words: And it
shall come to pass, at the same time when Gog shall
come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God,
that my jury shall come up in my face. And I will
call for a sword against him, throughout all my moun-
tains, saith the Lord God. And I will plead against
him with pestilence, and with blood; and I will rain
upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many peo-
ple that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great
hailstones, fire and brimstone. Eze. 38, 18, 21, 22.
Thunder and lightnings were probably meant here ;
such as aided in the destruction of the Egyptians in
the days of Moses, when the fire ran along on the
ground. Exo. 9, 23.
Takah
The vileness, therefore, of the intentions of Antio-
chus, and his auxiliaries, against God's camp, the Jews,
340
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
is the reason why St. John has used them to prefigure
that last onset of wicked men against the camp of the
saints in the very end of time, and has called them after
the name of the former Gog and Magog. And as in
the case of Gog and Magog, who came against the
Tows, who were destroyed in a great measure by the
superintending agencies of supernatural beings under
the direction of God-so shall the latter Gog and Ma-
gog be destroyed by fire from out of heaven. This I
believe to be the true interpretation of Gog and Ma-
gog in both cases, as set forth in Ezekiel's prophecy,
and in St. John's view of the state of men after the Mil-
lennium. But in what way the devil will present his
temptation to those who shall then be tried, is not re-
vealed. *
1
1
Here, then, commences that great and last apostacy,
which, gathering head, becomes popular, and flies for
acceptance upon the wings of devils through all the
carth, whereby many are seduced by the destroyer.-
No doubt but infidelity, in its rankest form, shall be re-
cieved as orthodox'; and the whole story of God's book,
with all the accounts of the first resurrection, of which
they had heard so much during the Millennium, from
those who were living when it happened, will be de-
nied; and forgetting their former feelings of peace and
happiness, will scorn and deride the whole as foolish-
ness and imposition-which impious feelings begin to
be accompanied with the strange and horrid desire of
shedding the blood of the righteous.
Such was the spirit that frowned on the fates of men,
when once in the days of Lewis Capet, the French
* See Appendix (D.)
1
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
341
king, there was formed a community of atheists, who,
to the cunning of the serpent, added his venom, with
the fury of tigers; and when they had destroyed those
they hated for their sentiment's sake, fell with equal fu-
ry upon themselves, for Satan's house is not a house of
peace.
}
Such were the effects which arose from the impious
fancies of a Voltaire-out of whose cogitations came
hosts of murderers, who soon opened the blood sluices
of the French nation; giving to the world an awful
proof, that a community of atheists would not regard
the sacred rights of men. Such will be the spirit of
those apostates at that day, when Satan shall be loosed
a little season, a desire to exterminate the righteous
from the earth, because they testify of sinners that
their deeds are evil.
The manner, therefore, that this apostate host will
adopt to destroy the camp of the saints, will undoubt-
edly be as usual, where Satan reigns, with fire and
sword. Such will be the infatuation of this great and
last sedition, that they will think the lives of the saints.
an easy prey, and their goods for spoil and plunder.
Let it be observed, that now the temptation being
commenced, that the Millennium is passed by. Seven
thousand years from the creation is consummated; and
Satan, therefore, loosed for a little season, a year or
two possibly, in which time they again revive the mu
nitions of war.
At the commencement of the Millennium the saints had
beaten swords and spears into instruments of husbandry;
but now these apostates revive again the instruments.
Ee*
M
342
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
of death. Although they are well acquainted with
what Isaiah had wrote near four thousand years before,
that there should come a time when the nations should
learn war no more, yet, in perfect accordance with their
infidelity about the truth of the Scriptures, attempt the
sanguinary preparations, in open defiance of every bet-
ter feeling, against all mercy, and the interdictions
of heaven, and that, too, against the innocent saints.
But the words of the Lord are sure words, which are
that the nations should learn war no more. For while
they shall be gathering together their forces, with the
view of attacking the saints in all places at once (as
Haman devised to destroy the Jews at Babylon) but
pefore they shall come nigh to the camp, ere they have
felt the horrid pleasure of shedding human blood, or
have learned the art of war, by experience, a blast of fire
from God out ofheaven shall descend with devouring fu-
ry, and destroy them. See Rev. 20, 9. And they went
up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp
of the saints about, and the beloved city; and fire came
down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Thus having passed through the Twelfth Division,
and having endeavoured to show the probable multi-
plication of mankind in the Millennium, and their
great privileges and happiness, and why Satan is to be
loosed a little season, and who they are that will compose
the army of Gog and Magog, and why they are called
so, and in what manner they will probably attempt.
their attack upon the saints, and of the overthrow of his
army, we now pass to give an account of the resurrec-
tion of the wicked dead.
J
"I
i
1
1
1
THIRTEENTH DIVISION,
Embraces a view of the resurrection of the wicked dead after the
Millennium, and endeavours a description of the phenomenon
of the earth's dissolution by fire, and in what way the elements
will probably act upon each other, when the great decomposi-
tion of the solar system shall be compelled to take place at the
command of God.
I
T
But, O my soul, how great the dread display,
Of world's dissolving on that fiery day;
་་་
Of angels flying-and the great white throne,
To judge the wicked dead, comes hastening down ;
And on the amazing pile of dazzling light,
Will sit the glorious Three in holy might
But more apparent, Christ, in hunan form,
{
Shall in its centre rule the fiery storm;
And from the dreadful height, like ocean's roar,
His voice will sound,-I live for ever more!
*
Now has arrived that day and hour, of which it is
said, No man knoweth, no not the angels in heaven,
neither the Son, but the Father. Mark 13, 32. The
true meaning of which is, the Son, separate from the
M
190
搏
​1
1
}
>
,༔rŁ༨-ཕ{,
15
* 4
+
***
X
344 EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM
↓
Father, knoweth not the day nor the hour no more
than any other mere man ; but, in union with his Fa-
ther, he knoweth both the day and the hour.
The Saviour often said, in the days of his flesh,
of myself (abstract from God as mere man) I can do
nothing. This remark was intended as an argument
to show the Jews, that because he could do nothing of
himself, as a mere man, that therefore the works he
did showed him to be one with the Father, as he said,
I and my Father are one-which fact he desired to im-
press strongly upon the mind of the Jews; and so they
understood him, for they said to him, Thou being a
man makest thyself God, for he said he is the Son of
God.
Pr
He, therefore, as God, the Word being one with God,
the Father, knoweth all things, and needeth not that
any man shall tell him what is in man. He, therefore,
as God, not as mere man like one of us, knoweth both
the day and the hour when the judgment day shall
come; for he himself is the mighty Counsellor, the
Everlasting Father, whose mystic union with the bu-
man nature surpasses the comprehension of all finite
miuds; but such is the fact, which challenges our faith
and adoration.
I
Let those who will not recieve him as such, stumble
on that stone, and be broken, and on whomsoever that
stone shall fall shall be ground to powder, by the eter-
ual pressure of his wrath; for it is written, Kiss the
Son lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way when
his wrath is kindled but a little. Psalms 2, 12.
But who among mortal men, whose powers are frail,
ܚ
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
345
1
shall be able to describe the terrible approaches of the
great God, and our Saviour, to judge the world? So
glorious and dreadful will be the appearance of his
great white throne, and so fearful the phenomena that
will begin to appear in the heavens, the earth and the
sea, that all description must fall infinitely short of per-
fection.
Previous to the eruption of some great volcano,
whose neighbour is the sea, the earth is felt to tremble,
and the ocean is heard to roar, though there be no
winds to move its bosom. A fearful stillness pervades
the air-the fowls of heaven mark their flight with he-
sitancy, and the beasts roar for very fear-the sun is but
dimly seen through the hazy sky, and meteors glare
along the frighted concave, ere yet the twilight has
clad the sunny beams with night's approach.
But now shall appear the sign of the Son of Man
in heaven. Matth. 24, 30; for lo! the planets will be-
gin to wander from their orbs, and dash one against
the other; for now is lost the latent principle of the
centrifugal power, which operates on all planets, and
inclines them to fly off in straight lines into intermi-
nable space, which necessarily will give them a
tremendous centripetal force towards the sun. That
body being the centre or lowest point in the system, is
therefore the centre of attraction to all the planets.
Here, then, in their descent toward the sun, will be a
horrible realization of the stars falling from heaven,
and of the powers of the heavens being shaken; and
long before they reach the sun, will dash one against
wa min
346
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
the other, which, indeed, will be a wreck of matter and
a crush of worlds on fire.
But now, ye saints, look up, for your redemption
from earth draws nigh, when you shall feel the mighty
change from terrestrial to celestial life, which, in the
twinkling of an eye, shall translate you from a corpo-
real being to that of a heavenly and more glorious
state.
Hark! what sound is that which rolls along the ama-
zed heavens, from Saturn's ring to where Mercury wel-
ters in the sunny beam? but scarce the sullen roar has
died away, when louder still a dreadful thunder smites.
where hangs our earth amid the trembling air. 'Tis
Gabriel's voice-the archangel gives the alarm, when
lo! as if the treasured thunders of ten thousand years
were bursting from their iron vaults, and bellowing
through all the works of God, the dread command,
Awake, ye dead, and come to judgment.
Oh! how unlike is this to the first resurrection of
the righteous dead, whose opening eyes were greeted
with the blest vision of eternal day-whose cars were
saluted with the sweet songs of angels, and whose per-
sons were robed in radiant light, and shall shine like
stars in the firmament for ever and ever.
But these awake to all the borrors of a lost estate.
Their glaring eye-balls catch the doleful view on every
hand, of wretches like themselves-their cars the ap-
palling sound of the trump of God-their persons
naked, and exposed to shame and everlasting contempt
-áll pale with horror, who fain would hide beneath
some towering Alps.
F
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
347
↑
There on a bleak and trembling space stand the
whole fraternity of infidels, with Voltaire as chief-
dismay and malice mark the strong agonies of their
countenance, when they see afar off the dreadful Son
of God. Then will gnaw the wreathing worm of fell
despair within-then, with gnashing teeth, they'll bite
their tongues for pain, and with timorous voices cry,
with all sinners, Mountains and rocks fall on us, and
hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne,
and from the wrath of the Lamb. Rev. 6, 16.
Now great Babylon shall come into remembrance
before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the
fierceness of his wrath. Rev. 16, 19. Here is a strong
intimation that Papal Rome had, before this period,
been destroyed, which, in the verse above quoted, is
called Babylon, and in other places, Mystery—Baby-
lon-the Mother of Harlots, and Abominations of the
Earth. But in the judgment she is brought into re-
membrance, as if she had been forgotten awhile,
which seems to agree with our former idea advanced in
the Seventh Division, that sometime during the next
century, Rome will be sunk, after the example of Sodom
and Gomorrah. But if there shall be no Millennium,
and the judgment day is to come at the end of six
thousand years from creation, or at the end of the next
century, as some believe; and Rome Papal in Italy,
all this while situated in the midst of the nations prac-
tising her errors, in greater or less degrees, how, then,
can the language of St. John be applicable to the case,
of Rome, to bring her to remembrance in particular,
more than other sinners, if she had not been de-
348
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
J
stroyed, and cast out of sight before that time, and,
in a relative sense, forgotten?
But now, when death and hell shall give up their
dead, she shall be brought to remembrance, to be ex-
posed, and her works made known to an assembled
world, and her final doom pronounced. For in her
was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of
all that were slain on the earth. Rev. 18, 24.
But still the dreadful trump blows its shrill blast
throughout the globe, and awakes the dead in every
clime. There, from the sea of Sodom, many thou-
sands rise from underneath the stagnant lake, who of
fered violence to the wayfaring angels in the days of
Lot, but now are suffering the vengeance of eternal
fire. Jude, 7. There, from the Red Sea of the Egyp-
tians, come forth to hateful life Pharaoh's tawny host,
whose trust was in the gods of the Nile. The Jews at
Jerusalem, and in all other countries who partake of
their character, of whom the Saviour said, If ye be-
lieve not that I am He, ge shall die in your sins, (John
8, 28) and, Whither I go ye cannot come-shall rise
to see Him they hated, and hung on a tree, God over
all, blessed for ever more, coming in the splendour of
his meek and eternal kingdom.
Ah! what a host shall now come forth from all saint
butchering countries, to feel the eternal smart inflicted
by a holier inquisition from above; for God hath said,
Vengeance is mine, I will repay it, saith the Lord.
Rom. 12, 19.
And the sea gave up their dead, which were in it,
and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in
Į
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM
349
1
{
them. Rev. 20, 13. This verse should be understood,
that the sea and the earth is here personified by the
word death, who holds the bodies of the wicked dead
under his power in the grave; and the word hell, or
hades, personifies the place where are confined the souls
of those wicked dead till the final judgment, which is
unquestionably in the subterranean fires of the earth,'
the volcanos and burning mountains. This idea ga-
thers strength from the recollection, that it is said in
Revelation 20, 14. And Death and Hell were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death. From
which it is abundantly certain, that the first death and
first hell spoken of appertain to this earth, else how
can they be taken and cast into a lake of fire, which St,
John says is the second death, and is that hell or lake
of fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels,
into which the first death and first hell, which appertain
to this earth, shall be cast at the day of judgment; else
how can the Revelator say, that death and hell were
cast into the lake of fire, if they are not considered
two separate places. The place, therefore, of depart
ed spirits, who have died in their sins, is in the subter-
terranean fires of this globe. There, in those flames,
in the literal sense, did the soul of the rich man spoken
of by St. Luke, 16, 24, lift up his eyes, being tormen-
ted.
·
{
{
It is supposed by philosophers, " Boerhaave, Boyle,
and various others, who devote their lives to the study
of nature, that the centre of the earth contains a mass
of lava in a state of perpetual fusion. This ocean of
flame they call a second sun. Various observations
Ff
350
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
}
<
tend to support this idea. In the first place, the rays
of the sun have scarcely any power ten feet beneath
the surface of the earth. Secondly; M. de Luc, on
the fifth of June, 1778, descended the mines of Hartz
to the depth of 1359 feet, where he found the air some-
what warmer than on the surface. But in the mines of
Hungary, which are 3000 feet deep, the heat becomes
very great, and almost insupportable. If the sun is
not the cause of this heat, it must arise from internal
fires.
But to return to our subject. The terrors of that
day proceed, for now reigns confusion and dismay
throughout all the earth, except in the camp of the
saints; for behold the ancient of days is coming nigh
to this devoted earth, though seen only in the person of
the glorious son of God. The prophet Daniel had a
view of the glory and majesty of his appearing when
he shall come in the clouds of heaven, with all his
mighty angels, to be admired of his saints, and to
judge the dead. I beheld, said Daniel, till the thrones
were cast down, i. e. he had, in the vision of God, seen
the end of all earthly glory, thrones, kingdoms, họ-
nours and riches, and found they were counted as the
small dust of the balance in the sight of him whose
throne is now set in the top of the heavens, the splen-
dour of which will hide the sun as a taper lost. I be-
held till the thrones were cast down, and the ancient of
days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the
hair of his head like pure wool: his throne was like the
fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery
stream issued and came forth from before him; thou-
I
A
I
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
35.1
sands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before him. Dan. 7, 9, 10.
C
This is the great white throne which was seen in the
vision of St. John, the description of which surpasses
all human effort. And I saw a great white throne, and
him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away, and there was found no place for
them. Rev. 20, 11. This is that Jesus who suffered
such contradiction of sinners among the Jews, and was
insulted, scourged, buffeted and spit upon in the judg-
ment hall of Pilate, and mocked, even after he was
nailed to the tormenting cross; but now is revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire,
taking vengeance on them that know'not God, and that
obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thes.
1,8. This is that crucified one, who was dead, but iş
alive for ever more; who, during many ages, has been
the taunt of infidels, but now is known to be Him who
holds in his hands the destinies of all beings. At this
moment he gives in charge to bis angels to gather bis
elect from the four winds of heaven. Swift as the
fierce lightnings they fly at his command, who maketh
his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire, to
bring his sons from far, and his daughters from the ends
of the earth. Sudden as the flash of nitrous grain when
touched with the etherial spark, they feel the immortal
change, such as Elijah felt when from the earth he
sprang into Israel's fiery chariot, and soared to heaven.
So these shall clap their wings of fire, and be caught up
to meet the Lord in the air, and to join the spirits of
1
its
5
1
KA
352
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
just men made perfect, who had ascended a thousand
years before.
But now the end of all things is come relative to the
solar system only, of which it is said, the heavens shall
pass away; and means, as I apprehend, the heaven of
each particular planet and comet in the system, shall
pass away with a great noise, and the clements (of each)
shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the
works that are therein, shall be burned up. 2 Peter,
3, 10.
I would here notice three reasons which argue in fa-
vour of the destruction of the whole system. The
first is the word heavens shall pass away. See Gen. 1,
8. And God called the firmament heaven. Observe,
it is in the singular; but the former is in the plural,
heavens. The other argument is, the words, the carth
also shall be burnt up, which seems to signify a sepa-
rate destruction.
It is very plain that there is but one firmament or
heaven, which encompasses the globe. Therefore, in
Gen. 1, 8, it is said, And God called the firmament
heaven ; but St. Peter says, the heavens shall be ou
fire and be dissolved. From which it is evident, that
other worlds shall be dissolved as well as this.
Another and third argument that the whole system
shall fall to ruin, is, that the sun shall be darkened,
which will at once introduce perfect confusion; because
if the light of the sun be blotted out, what assurance
have we that any of the planets can keep their course;
for if that luminous body of light which surrounds the
opake part of the sun be destroyed, it is an argument
th
•
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
353
of ru-
that the very nature of the sun is on the verge
in ;
and unless it is the purpose of the Creator to de-
stroy both the sun and all the planets in the solar sys-
tem, why should he be darkened at all?
That the sun will be darkened, we find the Saviour
affirms to his disciples, when they went to him on the
Mount of Olives, and asked him privately, when those
things relative to the destruction of Jerusalem and the
end of the world should be. Matth. 24. To the first
part of their question, which relates to the destruction
of the Jews and the temple, he answered by foretelling
many things, which plainly refer to all the horrible ca-
lamities that came on that nation soon after his death
and resurrection, and continued to come till the Ro-
mans finished the dreadful tragedy. See Josephus.
But to the latter question, which was, And what
shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the
world? he answered them in the same 24th chapter,
at verses 29, 30, 31, by saying, "Immediately after
the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven shall
be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the Son
of Man in heaven: and then shall the tribes of the
earth mourn; and they shall see the Son of Man com-
ing in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glo-
ry. And he shall send his angels with a great sound
of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the
other." Which answer of the Saviour I understand
refers to the destruction of the whole system at the
Ff*
:
Pod
354
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
judgment day; but this interpretation, which is the
one commonly affixed to this place, some commen-
tators seriously disallow, and contend, that the whole
chapter alludes to the ruin of the Jewish nation, as de-
stroyed by the Romans under Titus. But how this
can be, I cannot discern. They say, the darkening of
the sun and moon signifies that the Jewish heaven was
to perish, and the sun and the moon of its glory and
happiness shall be darkened, and so brought to noth-
ing. The sun, say they, is the religion of their church
-the moon is the government of the state; and the
stars are the judges and doctors of both.
But in order to demonstrate that opinion erroneous,
I shall examine the Saviour's reply to his disciples,
when they had asked him privately, (for he had just
finished a discourse to the Jews, containing calamitous
denunciations against them) a twofold question respec-
ting the time when those denunciations against the
Jews and their city should take place, also when the.
end of the world should be. Tell us (said they) when
shall these things be; (the destruction of the Jews),
and what shall be the sign of thy coming, (to judg-
ment) and of the end of the world. Verse 3. The
reason why they asked him about his coming, and the
end of the world, was, because he had said to the Jews
in his discourse, see chap. 23, 39, For I say unto you,
ye shall not see me henceforth (i. e. after his crucifix-
ion) till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord. This, it seems, they understood
to refer to the end of the world. To which the Sa
viour as evidently and distinctly answered both ques-
$
1
•
-*
"
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
355
+
tions; for it is written, And Jesus answered and said
unto them, Take heed that no man decieve you, con-
cerning his being the true Messiah; from which he
proceeds to relate, item by item, what should befall
them, from verse 4 to, verse 28, inclusive, to which I
refer the reader; but at verse 29 commences the an-
swer to the other question, which relates to the end of
the world, and tells them that " Immediately after the
tribulation of those days (referring to the calamities of
the Jews) shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken." But
if the disciples had asked him an improper question, or
even asked the question improperly, he would have
corrected them; but instead of doing so, he definitely
answered both questions, and therefore sanctions their
correctness in this particular.
If the distresses and tribulation which came upon
the Jews as a nation, was the identical darkening of
the sun and moon, and the destruction of the stars, as
some have supposerl, how, then, could the Saviour say,
that after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, &c. if the above tribulation was the real
darkening, and their government a real heaven, inten-
ded by the Saviour? How, then, was it darkened a se-
cond time afterwards?
A second idea, that the Saviour meant the judgment
day, and the worlds contained in the great solar vor-
tex, when he spoke of the darkening of the sun and
moon, is, that he has said in the same 29th verse, that
the powers of the heavens shall be shaken at the same
356
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
#
time; but those commentators have not attached to the
Jewish polity and government but one heaven, which
they say was darkened when it was destroyed; but
the Saviour has certainly spoken of more heavens than
one, which he said should be shaken after those days
of Jewish tribulation; therefore, he does not mean
the Jewish government.
sket
That the firmament, or atmosphere, which surrounds
this globe, is but one heaven, is proven Gen. 1, 8.
And God called the firmament heaven. That most
learned man, Dr. Clark, bas, in his commentary upon
that very word, heavens, contended that it relates to
each heaven, or firmament, which surrounds each world
of the solar system, and that in that word is really em-
braced the whole solar fabric. The first place where
it occurs in the sacred volume, is the second chapter
of Genesis, first verse. "Thus the heavens and the
earth were finished." And upon this word, heavens,
Mr. Clark builds his belief, that it embraces the whole
system-to which opinion it is judicious to subscribe.
I will give his words upon it, contained in his com-
ment: The heavens and the earth. "As the word (hea-
vens) is plural, we may rest assured that it means more
than the atmosphere. The word heavens must, there-
fore, comprehend the whole solar system, as it is very
likely the whole of this was created in six days: for
unless the earth had been the centre of a system, the
reverse of which is sufficiently demonstrated, it would
be unphilosophic to suppose it was created indepen-
dently of the other parts of the system. But as the
design of the inspired penman was to relate what es-
--
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
357
pecially belonged to our world and its inhabitants,
therefore he passes by the rest of the planetary system,
leaving it simply included in the plural word hea-
vens."
I therefore conclude, that the view of those commen-
tators who affix it to the Jewish heaven, is wrong,
be-
cause Christ said in the same verse, where he says the
sun shall be darkened, that the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken, which is the plural, as Clark contends,
and cannot be the Jewish heaven, which is in the sin-
gular.
-
A third argument which goes to disprove that our
Lord meant the Jewish government, or heaven, when
he said the sun shall be darkened, and the powers of
the heavens shall be shaken, is, that at that time they
had no government of their own, but were then under
the Roman yoke.
Sixty-six years before the time when our Lord
spoke those words to his disciples, the Romans had ta
ken away their government, and created a king of their
Herod was his name, an Idumean by nativity,
who conspired against the infant life of Jesus Christ;
but he died that same year.
own.
This dominion the Romans continued to hold, till,
being provoked by the Jewish contentions and sedi-
tions, they came under Titus, and cut them off. If,
therefore, the Jews had no political heaven, as is by
some supposed, our Lord, therefore, could not mean
them in his answer to disciples, when they asked him of
his coming, and of the end of the world.
But here may arise a query with the reader, who may
}
358
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
wish to know how these words can refer to the judg
ment day; because our Lord said the sun should be
darkened immediately after those days of Jewish tribu-
lation.
Vaca
智
​To which I reply, it should be remembered,
that the tribulations of the Jews is not yet passed by s
for they are a people scattered over the whole carth,
and have never recovered their manner of government
since the Romans put their first king over them. Tak-
ing this view of the subject, much of the seeming diffi-
culty disappears, for the Jews will never recover their
peculiar laws nor mode of government again.
t
But relative to the accomplishment of both predic-
tions contained in this chapter, first, to the destruction
of Jerusalem, and second, to the end of the world, the
Saviour has clearly stated in verse 34, that the genera-
tion of the Jews should not pass till all his word should
be fulfilled. Verily I say unto you, this generation
shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. The
meaning of which, I apprehend, is, that the very gen-,
eration of Jews then living at the time of the Saviour,
should not pass, i. e. should not die till Jerusalem
should be destroyed, which was realized about forty
years after his crucifixion; consequently a great part
of that generation lived to experience a literal fulfil-
ment. But respecting that part of the prediction
which relates to the end of the world, it may with equal
propriety apply; because the generation of Jews, as a
nation, will not pass, i. e. become extinct, but shall re-
main a people, and a distinct people, till the end of the.
world-till all these things be fulfilled,
1
W
A
pl
}
!
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
359
We see, therefore, with great propriety, the Lord
could say immediately after those days of tribulation,
passing over the interim of the Millennium as but a
day. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of
Man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn when they shall see the Son of Man com-
ing in the clouds of heaven with power and great glo-
ry. The circumstance connected with the darkening
of the sun, &c. as mentioned above, viz. that all the
tribes of the earth shall mourn, accords but poorly with
the time of the destruction of Jerusalem; because we
cannot suppose but all the nations. (and they were ma-
ny) in the interest of Titus; and the Roman empire
rejoiced, instead of mourning, when the Jews were de-
stroyed. Therefore, if the Saviour did not refer to
that time, it follows, that he spoke in reply to his disci-
ple's question of the end of the world, the general
judgment.
But in this place I will just remark, that the darken-
ing of the sun in Matth. 24, 29, and the darkening of
the sun in Rev. 6, 12, are by no means coincident, and
the reason is plain. At the time when the Saviour's
prediction shall be fulfilled, it is said the Son of Man
"shall send his angels with a great sound of a trum-
pet, and they shall gather together his elect (living
saints) from the four winds, (the whole earth) from
one end of heaven to the other." And why shall this
be done at any period previous to the end of time. But
in Rev. 6, 12, it is not stated, nor even intimated, that
it should be a time of gathering the saints, but refers
exclusively to the subversion of the Roman pagan em-
1
محموسو
360
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
ment.
pire by Christianity, through Constantine as an instru
The sun, which was then darkened, and the
moon, which became as blood, and the stars, which
fell from heaven, and the great earthquake mentioned,
were, first, the sun, the secular government-second,
the moon, their ecclesiastical government, or idolatrous
priesthood and third, their "gods, goddesses, demi-
gods, and deified heroes, of the poetical and mytholo-
gical heaven." Clark. The whole of which, when
considered together, are majestically signified by the
word earthquake, as a figure of that revolution. But
neither St. Matthew nor St. Mark give any account of
the Saviour's saying that there should be an earthquake
at the time when the sun should be darkened immedi-
ately after the tribulation of the Jews. In the same
chapter, however, there is mention made that there
should be earthquakes, meaning, doubtless, as is meant
in Rev. 6, 12, to signify commotions and revolutions of
kingdoms and states, &c. ; but is exclusively connect-
ed with the signs of the coming destruction of the
Jews, and not with the judgment or end of the world.
The things foretold to take place at those times of
darkening the sun, are totally dissimilar, and therefore
allude to different periods, viz. the time of Constan-
tine, and the judgment day.
The latitude of the language in St. Matthew is too
great and general, to be restricted to that small portion
of the globe called Palestine, and evidently refers to
the time when the saints are to be changed in the twink-
ling of an eye, at the sound of the last trump. At which
time the wicked shall stand to be judged, every man
+
1
L
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
361
according to the deeds they have done in the body,
from the least of them to the greatest, from the horrid
infidel to the least unregenerated one among them;
and their sentence shall be written on the heart, and
the date thereof eternity, put in characters of unspeak-
able despair.
But now the-great assize is past. At this moment
the energies of nature are let loose, and all the great
solar vortex breaks forth in flames of fire, for now is
come the day of God, wherein the heavens. (of the
whole solar system) being on fire, shall be dissolved,
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The
earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be
burned up. 2 Pet. 3, 12, 20.
A philosophical description, by Dr. Clark, of the
probable operation of the elements upon each other at
that day, is highly interesting. See 2 Pet. 3, 10, and
the comment.
The heavens shall pass away with a great noise.--
"As the heavens in this place mean the whole atmos-
phere, in which all terrestrial vapours are lodged; and
as water itself is composed of two gases, eighty-five
parts in weight of oxygen, and fifteen of hydrogen, or
two parts in volume of the latter, and one of the for-
mer (for if these quantities be put together, and sey..
eral electric sparks passed through them, a chemical
union takes place, and water is the product; and, vice
versa, if the galvanic spark be made to pass through
water, a portion of fluid is immediately decomposed
into its two constituent gases, oxygen and hydrogen)
and as the electric or etherial fire is that which, in all
tig
362
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM
likelihood, God will use in the general conflagration,
the noise occasioned by the application of this fire to
such an immense congeries of aqueous particles as float
in the atmosphere, must be terrible in the extreme.
When, therefore, the whole strength of those opposite.
agents is brought together into a state of conflict, the
noise, the thunderings, the innumerable explosions (till
every particle of water on the earth, and in the atmos-
phere, is, by the action of fire, reduced into its compo-
nent gaseous parts) will be frequent, loud, confounding,
and terrific, beyond every comprehension but that of
God himself. The elements shall melt with fervent
heat. When the fire has conquered and decomposed
the water, the elements, the hydrogen and oxygen airs
or gases (the former of which is most highly inflamma-
ble, and the latter an eminent supporter of all combus-
tion) will occupy distinct regions of the atmosphere-
the hydrogen, by its very great levity, ascending to
the top, while the oxygen, from its superior specific
gravity, will keep upon or near the surface of the earth,
and thus, if different substances be once ignited, the
fire which is supported in this case, not only by the ox
ygen, which is one of the constituents of atmospheric
air, but, also by a great additional quantity of oxygen
obtained from the decomposition of all aqueous va
pours, will rapidly seize on all other substances, on all
terrestrial particles, and the whole frame of nature will
necessarily be torn in pieces, and thus the earth, and its
works, be burnt up."
"It was an ancient opinion among the heathens,
1
•
La
}
1
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
363
I
that the earth should be burnt up with fire. So Ovid
has expressed himself. Meta. lib. iv. 256.
1
Remembering in the fates a time, when firc
Should to the battlements of heaven aspire;
And all his blazing world above should burn,
And all the inferior globe to cinders turn."
"Minucius Felix tells us, xxxiv. 2 Dryden, that it
was a common opinion of the Stoics, that the moisture
of the earth being consumed, the whole world would
catch fire. The Epicureans held the same sentiment;
and indeed it appears in various authors, which proves
that a tradition of this kind has pretty generally pre-
vailed in the world. But it is remarkable that none
have fancied that it will be destroyed by water. The
tradition, founded on the declaration of God, was
against this therefore it was not received." Dr.
Clark.
"Thunder and earthquake are the sons of fire, and
we know nothing in all nature more impetuous, or
more irresistibly destructive than these two; and ac-
cordingly in this last war of the elements, we may be
sure they will bear their parts, and do great execution
in the several regions of the earth. Earthquakes and
subterraneous eruptions, will tear the body and bowels
of the earth, and thunders and convulsive motions of the
air, the skies. The waters of the sea will boil and
struggle with streams of lava that run into them,
which will make them fume, and smoke, and roar, be-
yond all storms and tempests, and these noises of the
sea will be answered again from the land by falling
{
364
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
rocks and mountains." Sinner! this is your house,
your future home-it is the wages of your sins-it is
the palace of devils-the repository of all that is bad-
the great cauldron of eternal death-and is soon to be
thrown from its orb into its congenial hell of fire and
brimstone, prepared for the devil and his angels.
Here are lakes of fire, rivers of melted glowing
matter, ten thousand volcanos vomiting flames all at
once, thick darkness, and pillars of smoke, twisted
about with wreaths of flame like fiery snakes-moun-
tains of earth thrown into the air, and the heavens
dropping down in lumps of fire.
"But now the storm subsides; for the fire has sub-
dued all bodies, all combustibles, to itself; and those
tall flames which pierced the skies, are fallen to an even
surface, and present the earth as a molten sea of fire;
for when the exterior region of the earth is melted into
a liquid state, it will, according to the nature of all
other fluids, fill all vacuities and depressions, and fall
into a regular surface at an equal distance every where
from its centre. In this condition, the earth, with all
its sinners, who have persevered to the end in evil do-
ings, shall be thrown from its orb, to where a hell of
fire, in the deep recess of eternal night, hath its place"
-which is that very lake of fire into which the devil,
who decieved all sinners, shall finally with them be
thrown, together with the earth, at the judgment day;
for thus saith the Lord, (see Rev. 20, 10.) And the
devil that decieved them, was cast into the lake of fire,
and brimstone.
Such shall be the end of this poor world-the god
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
365
of millions-the place where death now reigns over the
body, and the hell, wherein now are confined the de-
parted spirits of the ungodly; but these shall be cast,
* together with the earth, into a lake of fire; for it is
written, Death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. Rev. 20, 14.
I
1
But, reader, you may escape it-the way is open
and plain-cease to do evil, and learn to do well-
have faith in the Son of God, working by love, and
persevere in this to the end; so you shall be happy,
shall be honourable, shall be glorious, shall be immor-
tal, shall be as the angels of God at the resurrection of
the just; for such is the promise of Him who was
dead; but, behold! he is alive for ever more!
Iv
$
1
Gg*
FOURTEENTH DIVISION,
Embraces a view of the new creation, which is to succeed the de-
struction of this system, in which I shall contend that a new
creation shall be the result, but not a modulation of the former
matter which is to be destroyed by fire, but a new creation out
of nothing, as it was in the beginning,
C
1
88……..'
From the great vault, where flies in open sight,
The solar system's worlds of borrow'd light;
When they have pass'd away, and earth and skies,
The new creation fair will then arise-
To which no tempter foul, with blasting breath,
Shall e'er come nigh to kill with pains and death;
But there the saints shall reign immortal kings,
Far off from time and sublunary things.
90 04.
That there shall be a new creation brought into be-
ing, after the destruction of the heavens and earth, is
established by the Scriptures; for it is written, And
he that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all
things new. And he said unto me, Write, for these
words are true and faithful. Rev. 21, 5.
Here the spirit evidently lays important stress upon
the great and sublime work of a new creation, by say-
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
367
ing, These words are true and faithful. Therefore,
they shall certainly be accomplished. This very thing
was expected by the ancient Jews, as constituting much
of the bliss of a future state; for thus they understood
their prophet Isaiah to mean, when he says, For be-
hold I create new heavens and a new earth; and the
former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
Isa. 65, 17. Now if the new creation is to be made
out of the old one, how, then, can it with any propriety.
be said by Isaiah, that it shall not come into mind,
when the remembrance must necessarily continue, that
out of the old system's materials the new creation
was made? But respecting the time when this shall be
accomplished: The ancient Jews believed that God
would bring into being this new creation at the end of
seven thousand years. This opinion of theirs, I con-
sider both interesting and singular, and goes to esta-
blish the sentiment, that they considered the age of this
world limited to seven thousand years, which agrees
with the opinions advanced in the Seventh Division.
Some who are learned, of our own times, have
strangely hesitated upon the subject of this new crea-
tion, and have considered it vastly presumptuous to
venture a thought definitely upon it, or pretending to
say what is meant by it, and in what it shall consist.
But in order to pass clear of the charge of presump-
tion, I shall here introduce St. John, as qualifying the
nature of its consistency. And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth
were passed away, and there was no more sea. Rev. 21,
1. If the first earth and first heaven are properly so
1
200
368
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
designated, because they consist of the four elements,
earth, fire, air and water, then we have a clue whereby
to find out of what the new, heaven and new earth
shall consist. We see that God, in the beginning, cal-
led the dry land earth. Gen. 1, 10; and that he called
the firmament heaven. Gen. 1, 8. Therefore, these
being thus named in the first instance, it is hence per-
fectly reasonable to believe, that the new heaven and
new earth, in the second instance, shall consist of like
materials with this-otherwise we understand nothing
by the communication by St. John. But undoubtedly
the beauty and glory of the new creation will greatly
exceed that part of the present system in which we
live; for this, by the great deluge, and many other
convulsions in nature, has become defaced, and chan-
ged from what it was at first. The reason why this
earth is to be destroyed, is, unquestionably because it
is polluted; and God, to signify to man his exceeding
hatred to sin, has determined to destroy it by fire. A
signification something like this, though effected by the
agency of a different element, is apparent in the ruin
it once sustained by the deluge; for God could as ea-
sily have destroyed these antedeluvian nations in any
other way as by a general flood. But why the other
globes of the system are to be removed, is doubtless to
give place to the new creation. Their number, it seems,
besides the comets, is 30; but the number of comets,
perhaps, is as yet unknown. 450 have been discover-
ed, and the elements of 103 have been calculated; but
whether the comets properly belong to the solar system,
gr are a system of themselves, or whether they connect
Al
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
369
systems, is perhaps a question. But if they do not be-
long to this system, then they were not created at the
same time with this; and therefore will not be involved
in the consequences of the judgment day.
There is good reason to believe, that all the planets,
with all their satellites, all comets and systems, together
with their respective suns, be their numbers greater or
smaller, are inhabited by intelligent beings. It is im-
probable that either the sun to this, or the suns to other
systems, or even the comets, are fire, as has been sup-
posed. "On the nature of the sun there have been
various conjectures. It was long thought that he was
a vast globe of fire, 1,384,462 times larger than the
earth, and that he was continually emitting from his
body inuumerable millions of fiery particles, which, be-
ing extremely divided, answered the purpose of light
and heat, without occasioning any ignition, or burning,
except when collected in the focus of a convex lens, or
burning glass. Against this opinion, however, many
serious and weighty objections have been made; and
it has been so pressed with difficulties, that philosophers
have been obliged to look for a theory less repugnant
to nature and probability. Dr. Herschel's discoveries
by means of his immensely magnifying telescopes,
have, by the general consent of philosophers, added a
new habitable world to our system, which is the sun.
Without stopping to enter into a detail of the proprie-
ty of the position, it is sufficient to say, that these dis-
coveries tend to prove, that what we call the sun is only
the atmosphere of that globe, and that this atmosphere
consists of various elastic fluids, that are more or less
1
1
370
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
P
lucid and transparent; that as the clouds belonging to
our earth are probably decompositions of some of the
elastic fluids belonging to the atmosphere itself, so we
may suppose that in the vast atmosphere of the sun, si-
milar decompositions may take place-but with this
difference, that the decomposition of the elastic fluids.
of the sun are of a phosphoric nature, and are attended
by lucid appearances, by giving out light. The real
opake body of the sun be considers as hidden general-
ly from us, by means of this luminous atmosphere;
but what are called the maculæ, or spots on the sun,
and have frequently been seen with the naked eye, are
real openings in this atmosphere, through which the
opake body of the sun becomes visible-that this at-
mosphere itself is not fiery or hot, but is the instru-
ment which God designed to act on the caloric or la-
tent heat, and that heat is only produced by the solar
light acting upon and combining with the caloric, or
matter of pure virgin fire, contained in the air, and
other substances which are heated by it.
"Where the stars are in great abundance, Dr. Her-
schel supposes they form primaries and secondaries, i.
e. suns revolving about suns, as planets revolve about
the sun in our system. He considers that this must be
the case in what is called the milky way-the stars be
ing there in prodigious numbers. Of this he gives the
following proof: On August 22, 1792, he found that
in 41 minutes of time, not less than 258,000 stars had
passed through the field of view in his telescope."-
Clark on Gen. 1, 16.
Oh! what a view is this of the great God, who has
"reated countless systems of matter, and are all the
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
371.
1
i
abodes of intelligent beings, whose numbers swell be-
yond the reach of all finite computation. Well might
the Evangelist say, And I heard, as it were, the voice
of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters,
and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alle-
luia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Rev. 19,
6. This earth, I have endeavoured to prove, shall be
cast into the great lake of fire at the judgment day ;
but what shall become of the other globes of the sys-
tem, after having been dissolved by fire, we cannot tell.
It is the opinion of Dr. Clark, that at the judgment
day they will be decomposed, but not destroyed; con-
sequently, he thinks they may enter again into the com-
position of a new system. See comment on 2 Pet. 3, 11.
The globes of this system may indeed (except the
earth) be arranged, and newly modified into another
system, and be placed somewhere in the field of inter-
minable space, which now is void; but the space which
they now occupy must be the site of a new creation.
Annihilation is abhorrent to the views of many re-
lative to matter, who contend that it is altogether inde-
structible; from which the conclusion is drawn, that
the earth, and all the other globes, shall only be refined
by fire, and shall then be renewed again, and thus they
make out the new creation. But to me, this opinion
appears opposed to the very idea of a new creation,
by substituting in its place a renovation, or a new mo-
dulation, which cannot, with the proper and original
sense of the word, be made to agree.
•
If we believe that God at first created the worlds out
of nothing, then we may not suppose the pre-existence
of any particles of matter. out of which he might have
}
Val
S
'
372
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
formed them. This is what we understand by crea
tion, when we apply it to the making of the worlds in
the first instance; and therefore, by the strictest rules
of reasoning, ought to adopt the same sentiment in
reference to the new creation.
I know of no data whereon to build the supposition,
that God cannot, or that he will not annihilate matter,
if he please. The fact that he can bring entity out of
nonentity, is sufficient proof that he can, if he please,
annihilate the same; for it is equally above our reason
to have any conceptions of a power sufficient to make
something out of nothing, as it is to conceive how
something can be changed to nothing. If the globes
of the system, except the earth, are not to be annihila-
ted, it follows that they must be removed to some place
in the great field of interminable space, where God has
not yet built a system of worlds, to make room for the
promised new creation; for it is reasonable to suppose,
the same space which now embraces the location of this
system, shall also embrace the new creation; because
if the first is to be removed, that a second'may arise, it
strongly implies that the latter shall occupy the place
of the former. This new creation, which is prophe-
sied of by the evangelist, (see Rev. xxi. 1,) "And I
saw a new HEAVEN and a new EARTH, for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away, and there
was NO MORE SEA," is not to take place till after the
great and last judgment, when and where, a general
and particular exhibition of the conduct of both the
righteous and the wicked, will take place. We ascer-
tain that this very earth, and this very heaven or at-
mosphere which now surrounds the globe, are to pass.
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
373
F
away, by the evangelist's remarkably qualifying words,
"AND THERE WAS NO MORE SEA.” And farther,
we learn from the following words, in the 15th verse
of the same chapter, And he that sat upon the throne
said, Behold, I make all things new, that not only
the earth, its heaven and the seas, are to pass away,
but also the whole solar system, which is the family of
the sun.
For one earth, and its waters, or sea, is not
sufficient in numbers, being expressed in the singular
only, to answer the full import of these remarkable
words, ALL THINGS,' which allude, therefore to more
than one earth and its sea; for the water of the whole
earth may very properly be resolved into one idea, a
८
SEA.
The reason, then, why God has said, by St. John,
Behold, I make all things new, is, because all things
which are referred to in that prophecy, are to be dc-
stroyed, and extend to no more nor less, than simply
the solar system. It cannot be reasonably doubted,
but that the whole system of planets was made, during
the same six days in which the earth on which we
dwell, was in progress. And although it is stated in
Gen. i. 1, "In the beginning God created the heaven
and the earth; and also in Exod. xx. 11, "For in six
days the Lord made heaven and earth;" which relates
to but one; yet in Gen. ii. 1, it is stated, "Thus the
heavens," &c. (which being in the plural, signifies many,
and relates to the several atmospheres which surround
the planets of the solar system,)" and the earth were
finished, and all the hosts of them" i. e. were finished
within the six days' work recorded in Genesis, by Mo-
Hb
The con
374
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM..
ses.
The words 'HOSTS OF THEM,' not only relate
to numbers of worlds made in six days, and to their
respective heavens, but also, doubtless, to their inlia-
bitants. That the Creator, Jesus, has made more
worlds than one, is clearly stated, (see Heb. i. 2,) there
the majesty of God in Christ is spoken of by the apos-
tle, who
66
says, by whom also he made the worlds."
And again, Heb. iii. 11, "We understand the WORLDS
were framed by the word of God," which word is
Christ; consequently, having made more worlds than
one, they are, doubtless, also inhabited; and to these
no doubt, the words "IIOSTS OF THEM" allude, and
comprehend both the brute and the rational.
Although it is said in Rev. xxi. 5, "Behold, I make
all things new," because, as before remarked, all
things are to be destroyed, yet we do not infer from the
words 'ALL THINGS,' that any more is to be destroy-
ed at the time of the general conflagration, than was
made during the six day's creation spoken of in Gene-
sis; and even from this, intelligencies must be except-
ed. If we subscribe to the idea, that all things what-
ever, and wherever, are absolutely to be destroyed,
on account of the words, "Behold, I make all things
new," (which truly do signify a destruction,) then it
must follow, that even the angels of heaven, the souls
of men, with all the vast variety of intelligencies who
people the Universe of God, are finally to become ex-
tinct. But such an inference cannot be true, because
all intelligencies are necessarily immortal; for God is
the father of all spirits that are rational, but in a dif-
ferent sense from what he is the author of mere matter
哺
​:
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
375
because the former possesses, in certain degrees, a
portion of his likeness, in the fact of intelligence, and
therefore cannot cease to be; but the latter is a mere
unreflecting exhibition of his power, and coincident
convenience of the former, and embraces with it also,
all degrees of brute animation, and therefore may
cease to be. If then we may except angels, the spi-
rits of men, with every other degree of rational intel-
ligence, from what is embraced in the words "ALI.
THINGS," then it will follow, that we may also restrict
them from comprehending any thing, but those things
of brute and inert matter, which were created in the
six days, comprehended only in the solar system.
But some have doubted whether angels were crea-
ted prior to the time of the creation of this system;
but to me it appears that they must have existed be-
fore, else how could there have been those who by
Job are styled the sons of God, who, when the work
of the six days' creation was finished, shouted for joy?
See Job xxxviii. 7; "When the morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”-
This undoubtedly alludes to angelic beings, who
existed long before the time of this creation. Doct.
Clark remarks, in his notes on that verse in Job, that
those morning stars, or sons of God, "must refer to
some intelligent beings, who existed before the crea-
tion of the visible heavens and earth."
If, then, there were angelic beings before the time
of the creation of this system, of a spiritual order, why
not also of a material order, such as suns, and their
respective systems revolving about them, and adapted
1
376
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
to the support of those who might have been placed
upon them, however different their natures, or modes
of existence, might have been from ours.
To me it appears unreasonable. to suppose, that
there was nothing of either spirit or matter created
from ages everlasting, or from ages without begin-
ning, till about six thousand years ago, or a little short
of that. The very fact of God's creating this system,
argues the reasonableness of the position; for if at one
time it was proper to do so, why not at another? If
at one period in the flow of endless ages, it was con-
sistent to create, as in the case of this, a tremendous
exhibition of his multifarious power, through which,
in the view of intelligences, he is glorified, why not
at another ?·
Indeed, there appears to be a sort of necessity, that
a lower order of things, that is, the material, should
be created for a theatre of action, whereon the higher
order, that is, the intelligent, might be occupied in
their several grades of probationary endurance. For
it appears that the angels of heaven and hell had once
a state of probation, as well as the race of man at the
present time. See St. Jude 6 v. "And the angels
which kept not their first estate, but left their own hab-
itation;" consequently, they who kept their first es-
tate, and they who kept it not, had both a time of pro-
bation, and were all created holy at first as was Adam.!
If then, there were intelligent existences before the
time of this creation, and these intelligences were also
probationers for a time, who can gainsay the idea of
the propriety of the existence of a lower order of things
1
\:
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
377
even, before the creation of the solar system, for the
same purpose. We have no account in the book of
Genesis, where we find the history of the order of cre-
ation, as it relates to the solar system, that there was
more than one Sun, or one great and general source
of light created. See Gen. i. 16, “ And God made two
great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the
lesser light to rule the night;" by which is understood
the sun and moon. The rays of the sun do not ex-
tend to all the works of God, because the eye of as-
tronomy, as well as of philosophy, and even our natu-
ral eyes, take cognizance of miriads of suns that shine
to their respective systems, whose distances from where
our sun is situated, is so great, that his rays can never
reach them, nor were ever designed to do so. But we
discover them by their own light, which always have a
twinkling appearance, but the planets which revolve
about them are not discoverable even with glasses, the
distance is too great. Now, as the book of God gives
no account of the creation of but one sun, which was
to rule the day," it follows, of necessity, that at that
time there was but one created, which was to be the
center of "ALL THINGS" in this system, and is the very
things which are to be destroyed at the judgment day,
so that the word of God may go into effect. BEHOLD
I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW. If, then, we have no au-
thority to believe, that there was more than one sun
made when the solar system was created, aud seeing
there are other suns, innumerable, the quere arises,
when were they made? before the time of this creation,
or since ?
H*
2
378
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
PROBABILITY, in several particulars, would deter
mine they were created before. First, we have proven
from scripture, Job xxxviii. 7, that there were angel-
ic beings in existence, at the time when this system
was created, who had been probationers before that
time, and have predicated upon that idea, that there
must have been, or might have been, therefore, a low-
cr order of things, namely: globes of matter, wheth~
er constituted as this is or not, is not material. But
before we pass farther in the argument, it may be re-
marked, that the proof of the angels probationary state
having been past before the time of this creation, is,
that as soon as the work was finished, and man had re-
ceived his help mate, and the divine law of prohibition
respecting the forbidden tree, that there was found a
devil to tempt our fore parents. His subtelty and
management in the seduction of the sinless pair, plain-
ly argue him to be one of those fallen intelligencies
who had his probation before the creation of this world.
Now, if the angels who kept not their first estate, and
the devil, who was one of them who tempted Eve, was
created at the same time when this earth was created,
it will follow, that they enjoyed their first estate but a
very short time at most, which to me appears not to
agree with the fitness of things belonging to this sub-
ject. For if the angels were all created at the time
this system was made, then it will follow, that Satan,
with all the companions of his fall, shouted praises to
God on account of the greatness of the work; for it is
said by Job, that all the sons of God shouted for
joy." And immediately thereafter, we find him at-
Ja
*
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
379
E
i
Le
1
tempting to destroy the works of God in his seduction
of the only two of the human kind. On account there-
fore of the shortness of the time between his creation,
and the time he is found the enemy of God, and his
works, is it not probable, that his probation must have
transpired before the time of the creation of this system.
But to return to the argument respecting the pro-
bability of there being a lower order of things created,
before this was, to which we belong; we will say in
addition to what has already been advanced, that in
all ages of time there is no astronomical record, that
the heavenly bodies which are situated beyond the
great circle of the solar system, have at all altered in
their positions, but have remained invariably the same;
which is an additional reason why we ought to believe
them created before the time at which this world and
its heaven, together with all the planets and their sat-
telites which belong to the solar system and their hea-
vens, were created.
1
}
And as a sufficient reason that all the planets which
revolve around the sun were created at the same time
with this carth, it may be noticed, that if they were
not, that consequently, they must have together with
their inhabitants, wandered in total darkness, from the
time of their creation till the sun, which now enlight-
ens them was created, for they have no light in
themselves. For it is a fact, that no part of the solar
system, receives either light or other influence from
other suns, situated beyond the great circle of the so-
lar concave. Therefore, to suppose the planets were
created at any other time, whether before or since the
*
380
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
time the sun which now shines to enlighten them was
created, is a glaring incongruity. Because if they
were created before, then they had wandered in dark-
ness, and without a center of general gravitation to
revolve about, which is the sun; and consequently
had existed to no good purpose, the same incongruity
follows, if we imagine them created since that time;
for then the sun must have shone in vain in every point
of compass except toward this little easth till they
were created. But that the planets were made with-
in the six days of creation, we prove by Gen. i. 16, 17,
"He made the stars also," (which are the planets,)
"And God set them in the firmament of the heavens,"
(which means the great solar heaven where all the
planets roll,) to give light upon the earth and to give
light to each other, and to receive light from the earth
as well as from the rest in time of night.
Mad
If, then, we have succeeded at all in the foregoing po-
sitions and arguments, that at the time of the creation
of the sun that enlightens this system, there was no oth-
ers made which have any connection with this; then I
conclude it a fair result, to say that at the judgment day
no others are to suffer a dissolution, and therefore, that
the words, "Behold I make all things new," relate to
no more than was made during the six days of creation,
which must be destroyed as stated in the scriptures.
See 2d Peter, iii. 12, at which time the sun itself must
be dissolved. See Math. xxiv. 29, and my remarks on
pages 352 to 359, inclusive.
Now after the removal of all which now occupies
the vast concave of the solar system, a new order or a
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
381
new constitution of things shall arise, which, as stated
before, cannot take place till after the judgment day,
and is spoken of as the new creation. See Rev. xxi.
5, "And he that sat upon the throne said; Behold I
make all things new.”
That the heavens and the earth are to be destroyed
by fire at a certain time, which is called the day of
judgment, we prove from 2d St. Peter ii. 7, 10, 11,
“But the heavens, (which is the plural) and the earth,
which are now by the same word kept in store, (that is
since the deluge till that time) reserved unto fire
against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly
men. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief'
in the night, in which the heavens, (which is the plu-
raly shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele-
ments shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, (as
well as the elements, or the several heavens which sur-
round the several globes of the system) and the works
that are therein, shall be burned up. 12, Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,
wherein the heavens, (which is in the plural being on
fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. 13, Nevertheless (says the Apostle) we,
according to his promise (which promise is found in
Isaiah lxv. 17,) look for new heavens, (which is in the
plural), and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteous-
ness," Which precisely agrees with the expression of
St. John, Behold I make all things new,"
If at first, when the great deep of total darkness,
which reigned through all that space which is now
circumscribed by the revolutions of the planet Her-
{
682 1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
schel, which is farther from the sun than any other
planet yet discovered, and describes a circle, or orb,
round him, which is eleven thousand three hundred
and thirty three millions of miles.
Now, if the planet Herschel, were to move only at
the rate of five hundred miles an hour, it would take
it two thousand five hundred and eighty five years
eight months and thirteen hours, to pass once around
the sun. We repeat it. If at first this amazing concave,
in which is now situated the solar system, was void,
so it shall be again after the judgment day; for all
the globes with their respective elements, or heavens,
which float in this space, must pass away by the ope-
ration of fire, with a great noise.
If, then, at first, when God began the creation of
this vast system, the heavenly intelligencies, called
morning stars and sons of God, were permitted to at-
tend him, and to admire with shouts of joy its tremen-
dous consummation; so then, also, doubtless, will not
only the angelic hosts who have kept their first estate
be again permitted to witness this new creation, but
also the whole glorified company, who shall have been
redeemed from the earth. But it is not probable, that
this new creation will consist of precisely the same
minutia of things that it does now; for if it does, then
, an Adam, and an Eve, with all their race as it is now ;
and also just as many planets in the system, of the
same magnitudes and qualifications, which would be
but a repetition of works, instead of a new order of
things, or a new creation.
The words," Behold I make all things new,”,
I
t
1
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
383
K
should be understood, doubtless, to signify, that God
will make a new order of things which will consist of
earth, as a general foundation, for we must not forget
that the evangelist has said, relative to this new crea-
tion, "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for
the first heaven and the first earth were passed away;"
which plainly qualify its originality of matter, or foun-
dation, to be of earth. But because it shall consist
of earth, it does not follow that it must necessarily
bring forth the same products that this does now; for
God can order the glory of its surface, and produc-
tions according to his will; and as the constitutions,
and modes of existence, with which its inhabitants
may be enducd, shall require.
From the manner in which the Revelator has spo-
ken of the new creation, we may infer, that but one
heaven and´onc earth shall compose it, "And I saw a
new heaven and a new earth," (which is the singular.)
But when we find St. Math. xxiv. 29; St. Mark xiii.
25; St. Luke xxi. 25, and 2d St. Peter iii. 10, speaking
of the destruction of the worlds at the judgment day,
that they speak of them in the plural numbers unani-
mously. Wherefore, it may be supposed, that but one
earth, and but one hevaen to encompass it, shall com-
pose the new creation, which will be an immense
globe, filling the whole space which is now encircled
by the orb of the planet Herschel, and on account of
its vastness, and the still more immense heaven or at-
mosphere that will encompass it, is doubtless the rea-
son why the Lord, by the prophet Isaiah, Chap. lxv.
17, has said. "For behold I create new heavens and
384
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
a new earth," from which (2d) St. Peter (iii. 13,) took
occasion to remark, as follows "Nevertheless, we ac-
cording to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth." Butthe reason, as above remarked, why the
word heavens instead of heaven is used by the prophet,
andthe apostle, is probably because they foresaw that it
would be more spacious and enlarged, than what is now
required to surround all the planets of the system put
together, and have accordingly contemplated it, as be-
ing encompassed by its heavens, opposite its different
sides.
Andr
This is apparently the only way in which we are
able to reconcile Isaiah and St. Peter's seeming dis-
crepency with the revelator, respecting the words, hea-
ven, and heavens; for while the former spoke respect-
ing the new creation, they mention heavens as belong-
ing to it; but the latter, "I saw a new heaven," (which
is but one) and a new earth. Here, then, is a globe
of sufficient immensity, to contain all the glorified be-
ings after the judgmeut day, that have, or may hereaf
ter commence their being, whether on this earth, or on
any of the globes of the solar system, for it may be
that even the inhabitants of the planets at that time,
may also, if holy, pass from their present mode of be-
ing to some other.
!
But it may be enquired, if this new creation is to
fill up the whole space which is now occupied by the
sun, and the planets, from whence is it to receive.
light? Since as before stated, the suns of other sys-
tems cannot afford it any, on account of their distances.
We will let Philosophy, answer this question. How
WON
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
385
Fo
I
MOJSTRZA ČE
do we suppose the inhabitants of the sun are enlight-
ened? Doubtless, in no other way but by a reflection of
its own rays, shining towards its own opaque surface,
as well as from that direction to the planets. That it
is an inhabited globe is now the universal opinion of
'philosophers. See page 369, of the 14th division of
this work, where I have inserted some remarks from
Dr. Clark, taken from his comment on Genesis 1st on
that subject. And this new heaven, which shall sur-
round the new earth, may possess the same qualifica-
tions to enlighten itself, and consequently there can
be no night there. But without resorting to philoso-
phy, to know how it is to be enlightened. St. John
states, (Rev. xxi, 23,) that "the city had no need of the
sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the GLORY oj
God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."
Such light as is now emitted from the natural sun, will
fall infinitely short of the splendor which he who made
the sun shall give to that city, and new heaven and
earth which is to be created for the saints.
“The na-
tions of them which are SAVED, shall walk in the light
of it. And so glorious will this new principality, this
immensity of mansions, this glorious city of the new
Jerusalem, this final and eternal rest of the saints, ap-
pear that a new splendor shall be lighted up upon the
face of the great deep, vastly exceeding that which en-
lightens it now, but not discernable by any except such
as have in them the seal of the living God, which is
holiness, without which none shall see the Lord nor
the glory of his power."
Kanal
I
1
li
386
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
}
Tumbl
It may be, that this new heaven, and earth, is what
the Saviour referred to when he said, (See John xiv.
2, 3, "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go
and prepare a place for you, I will come again and re-.
ceive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may
be also. Some are of opinion, that this city described
by St. John, Rev. xxi. 16, will be fifteen hundred miles
square,, being equal in height, width, and length, be-
cause twelve thousand furlongs are equal to fifteen
hundred miles, and the statement respecting its di-
mentions, is, that it shall be four square; the length, the
breadth, and the heigth of it are equal, to be compo-
sed of gold and a variety of diamonds and its streets of
pure gold, as it were transparent glass. Is not this
the place described by the revelator. See chap. xxi.
from the 9th to the 21st verse inclusive, to which the
reader is referred. From the scripture to which we
have just referred, the account of the revelator pro-
ceeds, till in the 22d chapter, at the 3d and 4th verses,
he states that his servants should serve him, and that
they shall SEE HIS FACE.
From which we ascertain,
that the whole account must allude to the eternal state,
and cannot belong to no period of the church on the
earth, for it is said they shall SEE HIS FACE; which
cannot be enjoyed short of the great change to take
place at the sound of the last trump, when the saints.
shall see him as he is, (1st John, iii. 2,) and not before.
It is not probable, even if Adam had not departed from
his original perfection, such as it was before he sinued,
and had, agreeable to the injunction of heaven, mul-
tiplied his likeness on the earth and even these.
I
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
387
the moral likeness of their father, that they could
have seen the face of God, short of the change de-
signed for them to pass through, which would have
been a translation to a higher and more spiritu-
al mode of being.
That man, in no state of corporal being, whether
fallen or not, can see the face of God and live, is sup-
ported by the following scriptures. When Moses re-
quested to see God he replied, "Thou cannot see my
face, for there shall no man see me and live, Exod.
xxxiii. 20. And St. Paul, 1st Timothy vi. 16, speak-
ing of God, says, "Who only hath immortality
dwelling in light which no man can approach unto,
whom no man hath seen nor can see :" Also, 1st John
iv. 12, "No man hath seen God at any time," couse-
quently, even Adam is here excluded in his sinless state,
from being capacitated so as to see the face of God in
a corporal or unspiritualized mode of being.
w
No not even in the days of the Millennium can it
be expected, that men, though as holy as Adam be-
fore he fell, shall be privileged with a sight of the in-
visible God.
J
Wherefore, it is concluded, from the above scrip-
tures, which speak of the impossibility of mans seeing
the face of God as he is, unless he condescend to put
on the form of an angel or of a man as he has some-
times done; that the whole account of the new crea-
tion, the new Jerusalem, the city of fifteen hundred
miles square, and equally high; and of its inhabitants,
who there shall see the face of God, wholly belongs to
a mode of being, beyond that of time and sense.
1
tedd
·
t
}
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
388
Though the special enjoyment of God, is in the soul,
filling it with unspeakable raptures, which every one
knows, who have tasted the powers of the world to
comc, in the facts of regeneration and sanctification;
yet it does not appear at all unreasonable to suppose,
that in addition to this enjoyment, God will institute
or create an order of things beyond this life, through
which he will still, in the view of spiritual beings con-
tinue to be glorified, as well as now. Hence the pro-
phets have described the luminous appearances of the
hosts of heaven; hence the Evangelist has spoken of
the place of their abode, the new Jerusalem, as exceed-
ingly resplendant, "Having the glory of God; and her
light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a
jasper stone, clear as chrystal.
!
If then the saints are to be refulgent in their ap-
pearances, shining like the stars of the firmament for-
ever and ever; if the new Jerusalem, so great and so
high, the palace of the new creation, is to be resplen-
dant to look upon; if God, who is the author of all
this, and is doubtless ten thousand times more glorious,
who shall be with them, and lead them and feed them;
then with what propriety, it is said, a weight of glory
is the inheritance of the saints. How wonderful a
state of things is this. Here will be found those
pleasures which are laid up at God's right hand, for
those who love him, and shall love him to the end.-
This is the place referred to when the Revelator ex-
claimed, "And I heard a great voice out of heaven,
saying, behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and
he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
→
p
by
Stratenkabelgad
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
389
and God HIMSELF shall be with them, and be their
God." "And God shall wipe away all tears from
their eyes, and there shall be no more death neither
shall there be any more pain ;" for the former things
(which related to this system,) are passed away, Rev.
xxi. 3, 4; and a more permanent state of never ending
bliss will succeed it. Here in the fadeless splendor of
the mansions of the new Jerusalem, was the revelator
invited by an angel to come and see, who said, “Come
hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife,'
" And he carried me away in the spirit, and showed
me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out
of heaven from God."
Here in this city will be situated the bride, the Lamb's
wife, who will make herself ready, and passing through
much tribulation, will rest forever there. And being'
the children of the resurrection they are to be equal with
the angels of God, which is the statement of him who is
the resurrection and the life. See Luke xx, 36; if so,
then indeed those abodes of the righteous shall be very
glorious. It is said they shall have bodies like the
glorified body of our Lord; and it may be that at the
time of his transfiguration on the mount, was an exhi-
bition of that body as it is now in glory. (See Mark
ix. 3.) And his raiment became shining, exceeding whate
as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.-
Again the appearance of angels at the tomb of the
risen saviour, is an exhibition of the glory of the
heavenly hosts, (Luke xxiv. 4,) two men stood by them
in shining garments. Also, the angel who rolled away
Ii*
">
390
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
1
1
the stone from the tomb where they had laid the body
of our Lord, was glorious to look upon. His counte-
nance was like lightning, and his raiment as white as
snow, Math. xxviii. 3.
}
If, then, the saints are to be equal with the angels
of God, will they not also, be like them in appearance.
Of this fact, prophesied Daniel, who foresaw the glory
of the saints, says, "And they that be wise shall shine
as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn
many to righteousness, as the stats, for ever and ever.
Dan. xii. 3.
{
'
The period of the general judgment according to
scripture, may be expected to take place not far from
cleven hundred and seventy six years from the present,
reckoning as follows, from the 1827, till the year
of our Lord, 2000, will be 173 years, when the millen-
nium will commence; at which time will be the resur-
rection of all the "dead in Christ" from whence a
thousand years múst elapse, which is the term of the
millennium, immediately after, Satan is to be loosed,
but is to continue "a little season only," suppose
three years, when this is accomplished, the last
trump shall sound, when all the living saints on
carth will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and
be caught up to God, when the wicked dead will rise,
and the judgment set ; instantly thereafter, the whole
solar system will burst into flames of fire and pass a-
way with a great noise, when the new creation will
doubtless immediately succeed, and the righteous en-
ter there, to reign with Christ, and to enjoy an eter-
nal weight of glory.
And as descriptive of the cease-
20
點​:
0
P
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
391
f
less flowing and perpetuity of their happiness, the Re-
velator, says, that the angel, who had showed him the
great city, the holy new Jerusalem, (chap xxi. verse 10.
11.) also showed him a river, (chap. xxii. 1,)proceeding
from the throne of God and the Lamb, clear as crys-
tal. We find Ezekiel, chap. xlvii, has also described
a river proceeding from underneath the threshold of
the temple, and on its banks we observe, (verse 7,) there
were very many trees on the one side, and on the other;
which trees doubtless, signify the Patriarchs, Prophets,
Apostles and Preachers of the Gospel. But the difference
in those rivers, is, the first belongs to time, and the mi-
litant state of the church, but the latter, to glory, and
the triumphant state of the church. This latter river-
-proceeding from such a fountain can never cease to
flow; it will therefore pour its redundant floods,
through all the new creation, without end. God and
the Lamb, will never suffer any evil to approach those
blessed mansions-will never suffer trial or temptation,
again to prove the fealty of his bride. Having recei-
ved sufficient proof of her affections while she was in
her probationary state in the days of mortality, will
establish her there in a ceaseless and infallible state of
perfection. Round about the throne which the Evangel-
ist saw, (See chap. iv. 3.) there was a glorious rainbow,
the token of eternal peace and blessedness towards the
saints, "And he that sat upon it, was to look upon,
like a jasper and a Sardine stone';" a beautiful mix-
ture of sea green, with blood red. "And before the
throne there was à sea of glass like unto crystal" (Rev.
iv. 6—also, xv. 2, " And I saw a sea of glass as it were
C
1
P
utahi
392
EXPECTED CHRISTIAN MILLENNIUM.
mingled with fire, and they that had gotten the victory,
having the harps of God" called golden harps in other
places. This sea, or ocean of glass clear as crystal may
signify the whole universe of God's works, suspended
in the open regions of interminable space.
Here in the new creation, from all its parts, from the
tall spires and battlements of the new Jerusalem, the
triumphal palace of endless rest-the golden city with
gates, and walls, and streets, of precious stones; and
from the sea of glass, did the evangelist John, in his
vision on Patmos, hear those shoutings and loud.
Hallelujahıs, which he has compared to roaring seas
and to mighty thunderings, saying with loud acclam-
ations, and the voice of triumph, singing the song
of Moses and the Lamb, "Great and marvelous are
thy works Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy
ways thou king of saints."
}
Then when that glorious frame shall into being rise
Adorn'd with more than fill'd earth's ancient Paradise;
Then in those world's of love, O! let my spirit rest,
Among the righteous there-among the blest.
For this who would not strive, in works of faith and love,
To reign with these in heaven and shout with these above;
And as the stars forever, shine in glory there,
To see the face of God, and his image bear.,
FINIS.
1
>
}
APPENDIX.
}
&
(A.)
[Referred from page 251.J
It was an ancient opinion among Christian theologians, that at
the time of the first resurrection, there shall none arise from the
dead, but such as had actually suffered a violent death as witness-
cs for the gospel of Christ, and is called the resurrection of the
martyrs.
This opinion is founded on Rev. xx. 4; "And I saw thrones,
and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and
I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped
the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned
with Christ a thousand years."
But it appears from examination, that this verse does not justi-
fy the opinion, because every description of saints are as clearly
spoken of, as those who suffer a violent death on account of the
true religion. We will review the verse according to its own order.
First, And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment
was given unto them. Here in the first clause of the verse, is an
account, of the final glorification of all saints, both before, and
after, the Christian dispensation was made known. The thrones
upon which the evangelist saw them sitting, signifies the excess of
glory and happiness to which the saints shall be exalted in heaven,
and is also expressive of their final victory over all their enemies,
death, sin, and the devil. This is implied in the following words :
and judgment was given unto them; i. e. judgment was given
in their favour, but against their enemies. After this first general
remark, which relates to all saints, the Revelator proceeds to
particularize them according to the several characters or parts
which they had sustained, while probationers in a state of suffer-
ing. Second, And I saw the souls of them that had been be-
headed for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God. The
word "beheaded," should be understood as expressive, or as
394
APPENDIX.
implying all kinds, of violent deaths which the inartyrs suffered,
because no other kind of suffering is here spoken of. In this
part of the verse, all are included who had suffered, either as wit-
nesses for Jesus, after his advent, or for the word of God, before
his incarnation; for many, from the martyrdom of Abel, the son
of Adam, till the time of Christ, had suffered death for the word
of God. The Revelator is very clear in stating, that he saw the
souls of such as had not worshipped the beast, neither his image,
neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands, scated upon thrones; consequently, such saints as had
lived before the time of the beast alluded to, as well as after, are
included; for what Christian since the time of Christ, or wor-
shipper of the true God before Christ, ever received those macks?
Wherefore, all saints, in every age of the world, till the time of
the general judgment, are included among the saints seated upon
thrones, as spoken of by St. John. From which we learn, that
not only those saints who are martyrs, in the violent sense of the
word, are to be privileged in the first resurrection, but all others
also, except such as shall be alive when the event arrives, and
such as shall be born during the time of the Millennium, who will
not fall away in the time of Gog and Magog. But even those
saints are also included in the Revelator's view, among those
seated on the thrones, because neither had these received the
abominable mark.
But if any still incline to imagine that the Christian martyrs
only are meant in the verse, they would do well to recollect, that
all saints, in all ages, are truly martyrs, inasmuch as they par-
take of the spirit of the martyrs, and would as certainly have
sealed their testimony with their blood, if called to it, as those
who did.
The words of Christ favour this opinion, when he said, "they
who will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution ;”
and are consequently martyrs if not in the violent sense of the
term, they are in spirit, and must therefore have part in the first
resurrection, except those before excepted. Although these aro
spoken of as reigning, scated upon thrones, a thousand years on-
ly, yet when that time expires, we may not suppose that they are
then to come down from them, but shall still be privileged with
them, together with all those other saints who had not died at the
Ency
APPENDIX.
395
time of the first resurrection, and all such as shall not fall away in
the time of Gog and Magog. On these accounts, therefore, I
cannot receive the opinion, that so partial a resurrection as that
of the martyrs who died violent deaths, is only embraced in the
4th verse of the 20th chapter of Revelations. [Referred from
page 251.]
(B.)
Referred from page 258.]
Upon the most prominent subject of this extraordinary chapter,
(Rev. xx.) SCEPTICISM, from a quarter least to have been sus-
pected, seems to treat the subject, namely, that of understanding
the thousand years there spoken of in a literal sense, as uncertain.
This scepticism consists in the supposition, that the thousand
years there spoken of so frequently, should be understood as pro-
phetic years, instead of natural. Consequently, have imagined
that those years, which, together with other Scriptures, are the
foundation of the doctrine of a Millennium, should be multiplied
by the number 360, as that is the number which comprehends a
Jewish year and have therefore multiplied the thousand years
of that chapter by the above number, which produces a three
hundred and sixty thousand years' Millennium, instead of the
simple one thousand. But I do not know of any passage in the
Holy Scriptures, upon which to seize as a precedent to justify
such an opinion: I do not recollect any portion of holy writ in
any of the prophets, nor in the New Testament, where years are
spoken of, which will bear such an interpretation: and it would
be singular indeed, if the years so frequently mentioned in that
chapter, are alone, in all the book of God, to bear such an expli-
cation.
*
There are accounts in the sacred volume, of days, of weeks,
and of months, which may be understood as prophetic. For in-
stance, in the book of Daniel's prophecy, (see chap. 8, verse 14,)
where it is stated, that after two thousand three hundred days,
the sanctuary should be cleansed. Those days, beyond all doubt,
signify as many natural years, which is agreed to by all who be-
stow any attention upon the subject. In the same prophet, there
is an account of a certain number of weeks, which are also pro-
phetic, and signify as many years as there are amount of days in
-390
APPENDIX.
the number of weeks mentioned. See Daniel ix. 24. Seventy
wecks are determined upon thy people, &c. These weeks are
clearly prophetic, and related to the coming of the Messiah; and
embraced in their meaning as many years as there are days in
seventy natural weeks, reckoning as the Jews do-30 days to a
month, and 360 days to a year. These prophetic weeks amount,
consequently, to four hundred and ninety years, and extend from
the time of the vision of Daniel, to the advent of Christ. This is
also agreed to on all hands.
L
*
years.
We have also an account of prophetic months. See Rev. ix. 5.
And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but
they should be tormented five months; which, according to the
rule of prophecy, amount to as many years as there are days in
five months, and therefore signify one hundred and fifty natural
The tormentors here alluded to, were, doubtless, the
Mahommedan soldiers, who were permitted to continue their
ravages, for the establishment of their religion and empire, one
hundred and fifty years. This is an historical fact; and compre~.
hends the time of the Saracen incursions, to which, no doubt,
the Revelator prophetically alluded.
:
Other instances from the Scriptures, of prophetic days, weeks,
and months, might be enumerated; but we find no account of
years, which signify a prophetical multiplication after the same
manner, or that bear any resemblance to such a calculation.-.
Consequently there exists no data in scripture, to justify any such
interpretation of the thousand years spoken of in the 20th of
Revelations and how this chimera ever possessed the mind of
any person, is to me quite unaccountable. The thousand years,
therefore, so frequently and plainly stated in that chapter, which
relate to the binding of Satan, and to the reigning of those who
shall be counted saints at the time of the first resurrection, should
be understood in the literal sense. But if any are still disposed
to consider those passages which relate to the thousand years, in
a prophetic sense, perhaps the following method of interpreting
scripture, according to such a rule, will convince them. For I
consider it equally warrantable, to make the application of the
same mode of reasoning to any other account of YEARS mention-
ed in the Scriptures, as to that.
Our first instance shall be the case of Abrahum, when GOU
{
APPENDIX
397
1
Mag
Jag
said to him, (see Gen. xv. 13,) "Know of a surety, that thy seed
shall be a stranger in a strange land, that is not theirs, and shall
serve them; and they shall afflict them roUR HUNDRED YEARS.”
Now if the one thousand years spoken of in Rev. xx. are to be
understood as prophetical, and therefore signify, instead of 1000
natural years, three hundred and sixty thousand; then by the un-
erring rule of arithmetical calculations, the four hundred years,
mentioned by the God of Abraham, which foretold the Egyp-
tian bondage of his seed, the Jews, must mean one hundred and
forty-four thousand years, instead of four hundred; because ac-
cording to the rule with which we are finding fault, we are to mul-
tiply the 400 years by 360, which are the number of days in a Jew-
ish year. Again, Methuselah is said to have lived nine hundred and
sixty-nine years, (see Gen. v. 27,) now multiply these according to
the rule which we oppose, and we have the amazing product of
348,840, instead of the simple nine hundred and sixty-nine
natural years. Again, St. Paul states, (see 2d Cor. xii. 2,)
that he had known a man "in Christ about fourteen years ago,"
caught up to the third heaven," and doubtless, meant himself.
Now if this rule be applied, to interpret this account of St. Pauls,
it will follow, that instead of fourteen natural years, we shall have
to believe that it was five thousand and forty years, which would
carry us back from the time in which Paul made this statement,
beyond the time in which the world was made, in the beginning.
Perhaps these three instances are sufficient to show the absur--
dity of such a calculation, or manner of interpreting the term,
years, when mentioned in the sacred writings, whatever they
may relate to, or whenever they may occur; for from a course like
this, the whole book of God is thrown into obscurity, darkness, con-
fusion and falsehood the most palpable. Let us therefore receive
St. John's account as it is, respecting the thousand years, and not
undertake to add to them without some data, and authority from
the scriptures. Notwithstanding St. John spoke as a prophet, when
he foretold the binding of Satan, and the reign of the saints, that
the term should be a thousand years, yet that circumstance by
no means justifies the idea that a thousand years signifying a lon-
ger time than is simply expressed in the text, any more than the
years mentioned to Abraham, respecting the slavery of his seed
Kk
/
41
398
APPENDIX
i
(
in Egypt, could signify a longer time than is simply stated, which
was four hundred years. The prophet Jeremiah, plainly foretold
that his countrymen, the Jews, should "serve the king of Baby-
lon seventy years," (sce Jer. xxv. 11.) This kind of expression
by this prophet which relates to futurity, is no more nor less de-
finite with respect to the term years, than St. John is, where he
foretells that, a thousand years, shall be the term of the reigning
of the saints on earth. But if we are to understand the Revelator
as some would incline to do, then it must follow, that instead of
the people of the Jews, serving that identical king of Babylon
seventy years, as foretold by their prophet, they should serve him
twenty-five thousand two hundred years.
ន
From these instances, it is plain therefore, that wherever the
term years occur in the sacred volume, we should understand it
in its most literal sense. Consequently, the thousand years so
often repeated by the Revelator, significs simply what it states, no
more nor less. Which establishes the doctrine that between the
first and second resurrections, there shall be literally one thou-
sand years, as argued in the eighth division of this book, and was
also held in the primitive church, in the time of Polycarp, who
had been a pupil of the Revelator himself. [Referred from
page 258.)
(C.) `.
[Referred from page 286.]
There are other reasons that heaven designed to clothe our fore
parents, than those which I have stated on that subject, in the
eighth division of this work. For it is evident that every grade of
animal being, from the equinox to the poles, arc fitted in their
constitutions, mode of living, and manner of defence, whether
against heat or cold, wet or dry, to suit the climate where they
exist. But man in his primeval state of nakedness, was not suited
to any climate, for if he had even in Eden been exposed to the
down pouring rays of a vertical sun. the fair and delicate surface
of his person would doubtless have suffered by the scorching heat;
for we may not suppose him, even in the garden of Eden, insensible
to feeling. But from this inconvenience, their Croator had un-
doubtedly shrowded them beneath the shading branches of the
groves of paradise. But however accommodating this circum-
B
1
APPENDIX.
399
1
4.
t
M
stance, or providence of God, might have been to them for a
time, yet we are not to suppose, that to their descendants this
convenience could have always been afforded them with equal fe-
cility, that it was to the two first in the bowers of Eden. Because
in a short time, their offsprings must of necessity, from an increase
of numbers have gone down from the garden to people the wide
spread earth, in other regions, and to be employed according to
one of the first, and great injunctions, laid on man, which was to
SUBDUE THE EARTH, and therefore while thus subduing it must be-
come wholly exposed, which could not have been beneath the
foliage of the woods.
The animals of every kind, with but few exceptions, are more
local than men are, and do not wander so far from their native
habitations. But men were designed to people all the approach-
able climates of the earth, however variable, with the self same
race. It was therefore truly philosophical in the Creator, to bring
men into being, dissimilar from all other animals with respect to
their nakedness, for the express purpose of defending him from
earths varying temperatures, in some other way, than by feathers,
hair, fur, scales, shell, and wool, as animals are. And that way
is, artificial clothing; a way which God himself designed, and
also prepared in the first instance, and put them upon the only
two in human kind, which was inade of the skins of beasts, (sec
Gen. iii. 21.)
5
1
If, therefore, men were not at first created with the local hab-
its that animals are, how then could it be expected, that he should
explore and dwell with comfort in the whole earth, from the tor-
rid zone to the higher and colder regions of both northern and
southern latitudes, unless they were to be defended against the
varying temperature of the elements, in some other way than
by sheer nakedness.
There is no mode of defence against the elements to be con-
ceived of, which could be adapted to the circumstances, and hab-
its of men, that can answer so good a purpose, as a kind of clothing
or dafence, that may be put off and on at the pleasure of the
wearer. Animals are not capacitated thus, they are not designed
to change climates as men were, and therefore are suited to the
respective places which they inhabit, whether of heat or cold,
land or water. ` If the northern bear of Greenland, with his thick
{
2
{
(
>
A
܀
Af
My
1
7
}
**2
0
400
and cumbrous load of hair and fur were suddenly transported
from his snowy woods, to the hot and sultry regions beneath the
equinox, he would faint, and probably expire with suffocation.-
Or if the unwieldly elephant, naked as he is, though fitted in this
way to enjoy the intensity of the heat of his natural woods and
bowers in Africa, were suddenly plunged among the snow of
Greenland, he too must soon expire.
!
APPENDIX.
T
w
But men are not so exposed when they change climates, be-
cause they can manage and accommodate their kinds of gar-
iments of defence, to suit all exigencies whatever. But if men
were to have remained naked, if they had not sinned, they would
not have been as well fitted to their destinations as the beasts
ނ
真
​}
But Co
are.
How is it possible that man, who at first as well as now, was
formed of flesh and blood, and therefore as keenly sensible of the
effects of either heat or cold, wet or dry, as at the present time,
could have navigated the seas, naked, and exposed to the
burning rays of the sun, or have explored either earth or seas in
the northern latitudes, without clothing suited to his employment.
It is impossible consistently to imagine such a thing, unless withs
this imagination we connect the idea, that in the hot climates, he'
would have soon acquired a skin as thick as an Elephant, or a
scaly hide like the Rhinoseros or Crockadile, to defend him from
the heat. Or if in the colder regions, we suppose that soon a de-
fence of hair or fur, like the bears and wolves of the mountains
would have been caused to cover him for his defence. But how
much more agreeable to reason, is it to suppose, that artificial gar-
ments were at first intended by the Creator, to defend the crea-
ture man, to enable him to pass with comfort from one part of
the earth to an other.
But a quere may arise here: If man in an unfallen, or sin-
less state, was not liable to death, in any possible way, how then
could the operation of the elements, either of heat or cold, have
at all endangered his life, or even discommoded him, so as to
have amounted to a natural evil. I answer, in the first place, that
one mode of defence against such an event, would have been the
clothing of their persons, as before argued. But socond: Men
would have been more prudent, more discreet, would have pos-
sessed a higher degree of discretion, and knowledge, and conse-
quently, would never have fallen into the error of over acts-acts
Į
A
APPENDIX.
401
P
14
of imprudence and presumption as they do now, and therefore
could have come into no danger, through this beaten highway tó
the grave. Neither would they have been at all liable to acci-
dents, as men are at the present time, for this part of the econ-
omy of God's providence would have been exercised over them,
in an arbitrary sense. Third: It is very possible, that neither
the heat, nor the cold, might not have been so intense, in either
the torrid or the frigid zones, as it now is. For these two effects
may have been increased by the operations of the great deluge
upon the atmosphere of the globe, the surface of which was dread-
fully broken up by its waters. See Gen. vii. 11, where it is stated
that on the same day of the commencement of the flood, that
"all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the
windows of heaven were opened," Which strongly implies, that
the hidden waters, beneath the surface of the carth were then
caused to spout their floods towards the skies, occasioned by the
sinking of immense tracts of country, which would naturally have
that effect. It is supposed therefore, that immense oceans are
now exposed to open sight, that would have remained forever hid-
den, and were then, and would continue to have been the subte-
ranean sources of innumerable springs and rivers, which before
the flood, beautified the earth, for what else can be meant by the
expression, fountains of the great deep, as in the verse quoted
above.
The exposure then of these immense waters, may now have an
unhealthy effect upon the atmosphere, by increasing in the warm-
er climates contiguous to seas, an unhealthy humidity, which would'
not have been the case if they never had been thus broken up..
Also, in the higher latitudes approaching either of the poles; water
being more retentive of the frigoriphic principle than earth, wonid
naturally expel from these regions the latent principle of fire,
which is caloric, or is that principle with which the rays of the sun
mix, from which arises the effect called warmth or heat. If then
by the presence of these waters, an increase of cold is occasioned,
consequently, an expulsion of the coloric female, or virgin fire,
takes place, and is compelled to mix in the regions nearer the
equinox, and thereby occasions an increase of heat as well
as an increase of cold in the regions from where it is expelled,
and in this way that charming equilibrium of a healthy atmos
Kl
402
APPENDIX.
phere, which existed before the flood is destroyed. This equill
Tibrium of the temperature which doubtless prevailed in all the
earth, except near the poles, might have been one of the cause.
why men lived in those times to a greater age than they do now.
But however these thoughts may appear, in mitigating the sever-
ity of either heat or cold, yet we are not at liberty to conclude,
that there was no such quality as cold or frost in the atmosphere
before the fall. For with equal propriety it might also be imagin-
ed that at that time, there was no such thing as heat or warmth.
The two principles of heat or cold are necessary to each other
in producing a temperament of climate, suited to the existen-
cies of the carth, for if either of those principles were to prevail
exclusive of the other, who could point us to the boundaries of
their intensity.
That some climates of the earth, were cold, and even frozen,
and not suited to become the habitations of men, even if they
had never sinned, is proveable from the situation of the earth in
reference to the sup. For it would be an error of the most mon-
strous kind, to suppose that the planets, and the earth among the
rest, had on the account of Adam's sin, altered their positions in
reference to that luminary. Indeed the thing is impossible, be-
cause the sun at first was set in the heavens to be a source of light
as well as of heat, and of producing by their motions on their
own axis, and around the sun, all the variety of seasons, and cli
mate, that succeed in one year. Consequently such a thing as
the frozen poles of the north and south did as surely exist bc-
fore the fall of man, as that they now exist. Wherefore it was
highly necessary, that man, who is the general tenant of this
globe should be clothed, whether fallen or not, in order to be.
able to explore it, and thus by becoming acquainted with the
wonderful works of God, could glorify him the more.
L
EK
Taking this view of the whole subject, with respect, first, to the
creation of the rudiments of man's clothing. Second-Man's
original nakedness, exactly corresponding, with such a provision.
Third-The more than beastly appearance-a world of naked
hunian beings would make even in their own sight. Fourth-
The fact of a variety of seasons before the fall, to which man's
naked person was not adapted without the addition of artificial
clothing; and fifth, the evident intentions of the creator,that man
S
ง
!
{
}
APPENDIX.
✔
403
1
+
was to be the only general inhabitant of the whole earth, the poles
and the severe cold regions round at out them excepted, are con-
vincing proofs that it was the intention of the Creator to clothe
mankind whether 4 damn should stand or fall. [Referred from
page 286.]
(D.)
[Referred from page 340.]
However, the following may be supposed, will be the manner
of seduction, practised upon them at that time. When Satanı
sball again have, after the Millennium is passed by, that kind
of approach to the human soul, which will expose it to sinful in-
fluence, he may begin their trial, by a suggestion to their minds
that possibly the history of God's Grace, and plan of salvation, as
stated in the scriptures may not be true, and is an imposition.-
For not having seen nor felt the influence of sin, upon others,
themselves, nor yet upon the earth, aud only having heard of
these things, may be through the suggestion of the devil, inclined
to doubt whether such a principle as sin could have existed at all ;
and may begin to suppose that some how or other, the history of
sin and its effects are but a fable, not perceiving at the same time
that even on this ground the fact of sin is admitted, to have once
existed; for ifthe account of it is but a fable, why then the ac-
`count is a desception, and.desception is sin. But having never seen
noi felt its effects, as before observed, they will be wholly unpre-
pared to argue or meditate upon the subject, but exactly, prepar-
ed to trust the word of God, (for if we do not understand it, it is
best to trust it,) and in this way maintain their innocence against
the wiles of the devil.
"
J
It was after this manner Satan commenced the seduction of
Eve, by suggesting to her mind, that she was imposed upon by
her Creator, because he kept her in ignorance of the astonishing
influence, the fruit of the tree of knowledge, would have, in ex-
alting her, to become equal with the Gods, if she should but taste
it. For God doth know (said Salan.) that in the day ye eat
thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods.
Eve did not perceive, that to imagine herself imposed upon, was
equivaleut to charging her Creator with duplicity, which is sin it-
self, so deceitful were the machinations of Satan, in the guise of
Sand
ཇ
404
APPENDIX.
a serpent, and so hidden were his approaches to her ruin. Eve
knew nothing of sin nor of its consequences, having never felt its
influence nor seen its effects, and therefore, was not prepared to
argue or meditate the point, with respect to an act of disobedience,
but was exactly prepared to trust what God had said to her upon
the subject of eating the fruit of the tree, and if she had but trust-
ed, she would not have been deceived by the Devil.
So those persons who shall be born during the millennial state
having never seen the effect of sin in any sense, may doubt
whether in reality, the account of mans original fall, and of his
restoration by one called Jesus Christ, is true, consequently a
spirit of curiosity and disputation, accompanied with many vain
surinises, about the nature of sin, and what a state of trial can sig-
nify, will prevail.
Was it not after this manner, that Satan began his temptation
of the Mesiah, by endeavoring to suggest to his mind, doubts re-
specting the care and providence of God had over him, else how
should he now be found in a desolate wilderness, exposed to, and
really feeling the pangs of hunger. From which circumstance,
Satan immediately moved him to take care of himself out of the
appointed way of providence, as he did Eve, or rather to do an act,
as being independent of God's general Providence. Hence the
Devil said to him, "If thou be the son of God, command that
these stones be made bread, (Math. iv. 3.) He also tempted him
to an act of presumption by way of showing himself to be the
Son of God, when he said, If thou be the son of God, (which im-
plied a feigned doubt) cast thyself down, that is from the pinna-
cle of the temple, or from the top of a gallery which was erected
by Herod, who was a king set over the people of the Jews, by the
Romans, the height of this gallery was so great that the eye of
any one standing upon it, could scarcely fathom the depth be-
neath.
Satan tempted him to covetousness and worldly ambition, when
he said, all this will I give thee, referring to the kingdoms of this
world which he had just then presented to his view. Also, to idol-
atry, when he said, if thou wilt fall down and worship me, but
in all this it was not possible for Christ to be overcome of the
Devil, although he had voluntarily put himself within his power
to be tempted, so that in the view of all who come to God by him,
F
APPENDIX.
405
:
may be accepted as a faithful high priest. After much the same
manner, we find Satan proceeded with Eve, but with greater suc-
cess, for he commenced with her about eating, as he did with
Christ about making the stone into bread. But when Eve had
suffered her mind to be led at all from the letter of the command
given to her by the Creator, the first thing remarked of her in the
sacred volume, is, "And the woman saw that the tree was good
for food. Here, doubtless, first arose in her mind the thought that
God did not deal liberally with her, else he would not have deni-
ed me the fruit of this tree, herein she doubted her Makers provi-
dence over her. Second-She was tempted to presumption when
she saw the tree was good for food, and consummated that pre-
sumption by eating of its fruit. Third-She was tempted to am-
bition and overcome from the idea that it was a tree to make one
wise, for it appears Satan had succeeded to promote in her mind
a desire to become as the gods. Fourthly-She was tempted to
idolatry, and consummated that crime when she had rejected the
command of her God, who had said, ye shall not eat of it, and
accepted of the council of the Devil who had otherwise advised
her, herein she became an idolater.
I
From which we discover a similarity in essence between the
temptation of Eve and Christ, wherefore, I think it not unreason-
able to suppose that after a similar manner, Satan will advance his
temptation to those who are to be tried after the Millennium.-
In those four points of temptation, as recounted above, namely:
Distrust, Presumption, Ambition, and Idolatry, with which the
Saviour was tempted, are summed up the whole catalogue of temp-
tation, which are felt by men, and are reducible in essence, to
one or the other of these four points. Hence it is said he was
tempted in all points as we are. See Clark on Math. iv. upon
this subject.
First-A general distrust, or doubt concerning the truth of
God's grace toward a lost world, and plan of salvation as reveal-
ed in thescriptures may be the first suggestions of Satan to their
minds, consequently a denial of his Providence must follow.
i
من
Second-To tempt them to acts of presumption will probably be
the next expedient of Satan, which will consist in his secret ope-
iations on their minds, urging them to the dreadful resolve of acı-
ing according to their notions of unbelief and distrust of the di-
406
APPENDIX.
T
vine providence. Third-Their heart being now prepared by
doubts and presumptious resolves, ambition will next urge them
to desire the possession of more than the simple comforts of life,
to which they had been so long accustomed, during the Millenni-
um; hence an effort will be made to seize upon the effects of
the saints. Fourth-Having now forsaken the law of God with
which they had been so long acquainted, during the Millennium ;
and accepted in its stead the council of the Devil, are therein
guilty of Idolatry. The operations of these principles, and progress
of the temptation, will be observed by the saints, who according-
ly will not fail to warn them, (for they will be their sons and daugh-
ters,) that this is the very time, when the prophecy of the Reve-
lator is to be fulfilled, and that this is the very time in which Satan
is to be loosed for a little season, and to go out into the four quar-
ters of the globe to deceive them, and to gather them to battle a-
gainst the saints, the numbers of whom are to be as the sand of the
sea. They will tell them that this is the great army of Gog and Ma-
gog, upon whom God will pour down fire out of Heaven, to de-
stroy. But for this very reproof, their anger will rise to a more ve-
hement flame considering it mere fanaticism, and determine them
at once to destroy the whole camp of the saints in all parts of the
earth and to possess their effects. But in the midst of the uproar
and, din of war-like preparations to compass the camp of the
saints about, and the beloved city; fire from God out of heaven
will descend and devour them. Rev. xx. 9. [Referred from
page 340.]
1.
I
A
A
[Referred from the Introduction, page 12.]
"
INFIDELITY, is a term, expressive of all those principles, which
draw off the adoration and service of the souls of men, from the
Creator to some other object; or, as in the case of Atheists, to
no object at all, which renders the heart unfilial to God: this is
Infidelity.
Of these there are many kinds and sects, some of whom rever-
ence or adore images, as of saints and martyrs-others, gods of
wood, stone, iron, copper, brass, silver and gold-others, the ele-
ments, as water, earth, fire and the heavenly bodies-others, ani-
mals, as fishes, birds, beasts, serpents and the persons of men, as
Heroes, Popes, grand Lamas and Mahomet. All of whom,
more or less, in their progress and attempts at celebrity, havo
$,"
*
407
APPENDIX.
1
}
marked their way with blood shed; some of whom continue to do
so, till the present time, as in the case of the Turks, who of all
others seem to have inbibed principles the most sanguinary and
immoveable, received from their imposter prophet, Mahomet.-
These infidels have continued their ravages, and slaughter of
mankind, more or less, for about twelve hundred years; and at
this time hold a most fearful eminence among the nations of the
earth. Their empire embraces a portion of ASIA, EUROPE, and
AFRICA, whose numbers amount to many millions.
But against Christian nations and individuals, their most vehe-
ment rancour and malice. seems to be aimed; indeed with them
it is a virtue of the first order to afflict and destroy all such as are
not Musselmen; and to die in battle is a sure passport to Mahom-
ets paradise.
វ
From this evil root, has arisen, the excessive cruelties practised
by the Turks. But perhaps the period for this infidel power-this
Tyger among the nations is now come, when he shall begin to
be broken, to be shorn of his strength, and terrors.
F
Perhaps the late successful attack of the three combined pow-
crs, Russia, France and ENGLAND upon the Turks in Europe is
the prelude to the fullfilment of the Revelators prophecy respect-
ing the great battle of Armageddon. See Rev. xvi.16, "And he
gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue,
Armageddon,'
"And the seventh Angel poured out his vial in-
to the air, and there came a great voice out of the temple of
Heaven, from the throne saying it is done," "And there was
voices and thunderings and lightnings, and there was a great
earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth; so
mighty an earthquake and so great," Which doubtless signifies
convulsions, revolutions, and changes among the nations of the
earth, greater than has ever yet been effected, which will follow
in the consequences of this war. “And the great city was di-
vided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.”
Observe the surprising agreement which exists between this
prophecy, (* And the great city was divided into three parts,)
and the fact which has recently transpired respecting the war com-
menced upon the Turks, by the three above noticed powers, who
have destroyed the whole Turkish fleet, and have doubtless agreed
to conquer and to divide the empire among themselves; which
408
APPENDIX.
if effected, will be dividing the great city, or empire of the
Turks into three parts, to which I am much inclined to think
the prophecy refers; for this is the period for the commence-
ment of the outpouring of the seventh vial of plagues.
But great and long will be the struggle. The Infidel powers,
whether of Turks or others, may all finally be drawn into this
great and last battle; that of Armageddon, which is to take place
before the Millennium, when the "cities of the nations shall
fall," and the Christian cause prevail, and the powers of despo-
tism and infidelity come down to rise no more.
1
MA

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
K
}
ARTES
LIBRARY
3 9015 06363 8830
1837
VERITAS
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
ZA MEURTRUMUNICATA
TUBBOR
SCIENTIA
OF THE
WAVAGANZA MUNCAQMINOAS
SI QUÆRIS PENINSULAM·AMŲ NAMU
CIRCUMSPICE
WIES
THE
DUFFIELD
LIBRARY
THE GIFT OF
THE TAPPAN PRESBY-
TERIAN ASSOCLATIOY
A 549502
༤ པ

E