be remembered, nor come into mind. But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for behold, I create Jerufalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerufalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying." If God would rejoice in the new Jerufalem which he should create; and joy in his people there; and if no more weeping nor crying should be heard in her; with great propriety is the Jewish church exhorted to be glad and rejoice in that which God would create, and not to suffer the former Jerufalem to be fondly remembered, nor come upon_their beart; as the Hebrew expression signifies.

Here God, by the prophet, promises to create a new heaven and earth; that it should be called Jerufalem; that He would rejoice in that new Jerufalem, and in his people there; and that there should be no weeping nor crying in the new Jerufalem. Now let us compare this with St. John's vision. Chap. xxi. 1, 2, 3, 4. "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 fea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

" And I heard a great voice out of heaven, say. ing, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be

their

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their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither forrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are paffed away"

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The hypothefis, that the earth, in her regenerated state, will be the future refidence of the virtuous, is thus shown to be very agreeable with the analogy of prophetic (cripture,

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And how easy will it be with God, in the future conflagration, to fit up and prepare a part of this earth for the dwelling place of his faints, in their in corruptible and glorified bodies: whilst the other part should be permitted so to suffer by the conflagration, as to become a very disagreeable habitation for the ungodly and finners.

Thus we may have fome intelligible idea of heaven and hell; whereas, according to the common representation, we can obtain no adequate conception of either.

2. Who were they whom St. John saw fitting on thrones, and who were the beheaded ?

I think the original words are well rendered, and - they fat upon them, and judgment was given to them. By consulting the language of the new Testament, we shall be fatisfied who these were, who sat on thrones, and had judicial power given to them. Our bleffed Saviour says to his diseiples, Matt. xxv. "Well done, good and faithful fervant, thou haft been faithful over a few things; I will make

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thee ruler over many things: Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." Looking forward to the resur. rection and retribution day, our Saviour says to the apostles, Matt. xix. 28. "Ye, which have followed me, even ye, in the regeneration;" or new earth; "shall fit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael." And St. Paul, speaking to the Corinthians, says, 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3.

"Do ye not know that the faints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters ? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" And in this book of St. John, Jesus is represented as saying, Chap. iii. 21.

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"To him that overcometh will I grant to fit with me on my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father on his throne." From all which, it clearly appears, that the faints will be highly promoted by Christ, and admitted to some fort of affefforship with him in the judgment of the great day.

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When, therefore, St. John says, "And I faw thrones, and they fat upon them, and judgment was given unto them"; the meaning is, that he law faints, those whose names were written in the Lamb's book of life, fitting on thrones with fome kind of judiciary power, according to our Saviour's promise to his disciples, to those who should overcome, and to his faints"

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By the beheaded, or the souls of those who were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, martyrs are intended; all who died in the cause of Christ and of bis religion, by the hands of their enemies.

St. John faw all the faints, both martyrs and others, fitting on thrones as assessors with Christ.

3. What is meant by the thousand years, in which the saints and martyrs reign with Christ? and where are we to place them, before or after, the general refurrection and judgment?

The restraint laid on satan was for a thousand years; and during that term, he should not deceive the nations, or the wicked among mankind, nor dif. turb the peace of the faints. For this term of fatan's reftraint, the saints should reign with Christ in undisturbed repose; or without any attempts from satan, or from wicked men, to molest or annoy them. And this, I imagine, may be the reason why the term, a thousand years, is mentioned. It is worthy of notice, that, immediately after the expiration of the thousand years, satan is released from confinement, and enters readily upon his beloved employment, of deceiving the wicked and troubling the faints. "And when the thousand years," of the saint's reign and his confinement, "are expired, satan shall be loosed out of his prison."

After the thousand years of undisturbed tranquillity, the faints shall still go on to reign, forever and ever. Rev. xxi. 5. "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light

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of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall reign forever and ever.''

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As to

the situation of th this thousand years, I am fully of opinion with Dr. Chauncy, that it ought to be placed after the general refurrection and judgment. If it be placed, as commentators and divines have generally placed it, immediately after the destruction of antichrist, and before the coming of Chrift, all those difficulties come into view, which Dr. Chauncy mentions, and which every attentive reader must see to be insurmountable.

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How can we account for the rise of that infinitude of wicked men, like the fand of the sea for multitude, called Gog and Magog, immediately after a thouf

and years of profound peace, and a universal reign of righteousness over all the Jewish and Gentile world? It appears to me absolutely impoffible to account for it, on this hypothesis of the fituation of the thousand years,

Gog and Magog were ancient enemies of the Jewish church and nation. And it is remarkable that they were threatened with the same destruction, by fire, which St. John tells us will destroy the Gog and Magog who shall endeavor to disturb the chriftian church in the paradifaic earth.

Ezek. xxxviii. 18. "And it shall come to pass at the same time, when Gog shall come against the land of Ifrael, that my fury shall come up in my face." Chap. xxxix. 6. "And I will send a fire

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