defcription of this great event. Rev. xx. 7. "And when the thoufand years are expired, "Satan fhall be loofed out of his prifon, and "fhall go out to deceive the nations, which "are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog

and Magog, to gather them together to "battle: the number of whom is as the "fand of the fea. And they went up on "the breadth of the earth, and compaffed "the camp of the faints about, and the be"loved city and fire came down from God "out of heaven, and devoured them. And "the devil that deceived them was caft into "the lake of fire and brimstone, where the "beaft and the falfe prophet are, and fhall "be tormented day and night for ever and

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ever. And I faw a great white throne, "and him that fat on it, from whofe face "the earth and the heaven fled away, and "there was found no place for them. And "I faw the dead, fmall and great, stand be"fore God; and the books were opened: "and another book was opened, which is “the book of life: and the dead were judged

• out

"out of thofe things which were written "in the books, according to their works. "And the fea gave up the dead which were " in it; and death, and the grave delivered up "the dead which were in them: and they "were judged every man according to their "works.---And I faw a new heaven and a "new earth: for the firft heaven and the "firft earth were paffed away."

APPENDIX.

APPENDIX.

SECTION i.

Of other intelligent beings befides man.

WR

E learn from the fcriptures, that other intelligent beings, befides men, have had occafional intercourfe with this world. Angels are particularly spoken of as the meffengers of God to the patriarchs and prophets, and are alfo faid to have been the inftruments which he has employed in the diftribution of his blefings or judgments. Thus, an angel was fent to rescue Lot, Gen. xix. and to announce the birth of Sampson, Jud. xiii. One whose name we are told is Michael, is faid, Dan. x. 13. to be "one of the chief princes ;" and,

ch. xii. 1. " the great prince who standeth

I.

"for the children of Ifrael." The fame is

called

called the archangel, Jude ix. Another, whofe name is called Gabriel, interpreted two vifions to the prophet Daniel, ch. viii. 16. ix. 21. The fame alfo appeared to Mary, to announce to her the conception of Jefus.

What rank these beings hold with refpect to intellectual power, is altogether unknown to us; for we can by no means infer, from their being immediately employed by God, that they are naturally endued with any extraordinary fhare of understanding. This, at leaft, we are not led to infer, from the choice which God has thought proper to make of prophets of the human race. Indeed, his own wifdom was often rendered the more confpicuous by their weakness. Nor is their employment an abfolute proof of fuperior goodness.

It must be allowed, however, that, confidering angels as being in a higher, and ourfelves in a lower station, it was not unnatural to imagine, that they were much

fuperior

fuperior to us in power, wifdom, virtue, and happiness. Accordingly, we find the woman who applied to Joab, 2 Sam. xiv. 17. 20. fpeaking of angels as poffeffed of extraordinary wifdom, " knowing all things "that are in the earth;" and having the most perfect difcernment of characters; and Achifh, a king of the Philiftines, 1 Sam. xxix. 9. compares the innocence of David to that of an angel. Alfo David himself fpeaks of the angels as excelling in ftrength,

Pf. ciii. 20.

If it be true, that fome of thefe angels have finned, fo as to have been caft out of heaven, and to continue ftill abandoned to impiety," making it their business to feduce mankind, and taking pleasure in doing them all kinds of injury (though, not knowing their fituation, we cannot judge completely of their temptation, yet) we can hardly imagine, that they could have had much greater ftrength of mind than men are generally poffeffed of, or have had originally a difpofition more favourable to virtue.