judgment was given unto them and I faw the fouls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jefus, 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 Chrift a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead

lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Bleffed and holy is he that hath part in the first refurrection: on fuch the fecond death hath no pow. er, 'but they fhall be pricfts of God and of Christ, and fhall reign with him a thoufand years.

After the deftruction of the beast and of the falfe prophet, there still remains the dragon,' who had delegated his power to them, that old ferpent, which is the devil and Satan: but he is bound by an angel,' an especial, minifter of providence; and the famous millennium commences, or the reign of the faints upon earth for a thousand years, ver. 1-6. Binding him with a great chain, cafting him into the bottomlefs pit, fhutting him up, and fealing a feal upon him,' are ftrong figures to fhow the ftrict and fevere restraint which he fhould be laid under, that he might deceive the nations no more,' during this whole period. Wickednefs being reftrained, the reign of righteoufnefs fucceeds, and the administration of justice and judgment is given to the faints of the moft High; and the martyrs and confeffors of Jesus, not only those who were beheaded,' or suffered any kind of death under the heathen emperors, but also those who refused to comply with the idolatrous worship of the beast and of his image,' are raised from the dead, and have the principal fhare in the felicities of Chrift's kingdom upon earth. But the reft of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished ;' fo that it was a peculiar prerogative of the martyrs and confeffors above the reft of mankind. This is the first resurrection,' a particular refurrection preceding the general one at least a thousand years. Bleffed and holy' too 'is he who hath part in the first refurrection; he is holy in all the fenfes of the word, holy as feparated from the common lot of mankind,

mankind, holy as indowed with all virtuous qualifications, and none but fuch are admitted to partake of this bleffed ftate. 'On fuch the fecond death hath no power.' 'The fecond death' is a Jewish phrafe for the punishment of the wicked after death. So the Chaldee paraphrase of Onkelos upon that text in Deuteronomy, xxxiii. 6. ‹ Let Reuben live, and not die, bath Let him not die the fecond death;' and the other paraphrafes of Jonathan Ben Uziel and of Jerufalem have "Let him not die the second death by which the wicked die in the world to come." It is a familiar phrafe in the Chaldee paraphrafes and Jewish writings, and in this very book, xx. 14. xxi. 8. it is declared to be the fame as the lake burning with fire and brimftone.' The fons of the refurrection therefore fhall not die again, but fhall live in eternal blifs, as well as enjoy all the glories of the millennium, 'be priests of God and of Christ, and reign with him a thousand years.'

Nothing is more evident than that this prophecy of the millennium, and of the first refurrection, hath not yet been fulfilled, even though the refurrection be taken in a figurative fenfe. For reckon the thousand years with Usher from the time of Chrift, or reckon them with Grotius from the time of Conftantine, yet neither of these periods, nor indeed any other, will anfwer the defcription and character of the millennium, the purity and peace, the holiness and happiness of that bleffed ftate. Before Conftantine indeed the church was in greater purity ; but was groaning under the perfecutions of the heathen emAfter Conftantine the church was in greater perors. profperity, but was foon fhaken and disturbed by herefies and fchifms, by the incurfions and devastations of the northern nations, by the conquering arms and prevailing imposture of the Saracens and afterwards of the Turks, by the corruption, idolatry, and wickedness, the ufurpation, tyranny, and cruelty of the church of Rome. Satan was then bound, when can he be faid to be loofed? Or how could the faints and the beast,' Chrift and Antichrift, reign at the fame period? This prophecy therefore

If

k Non moriatur morte fecunda. Onk. Nec moriatur morte qua morientur improbi in futuro feculo Jonath. Neque moriatur morte fecunda qua moriuntur improbi in futuro feculo. Hierof.

fore remains yet to be fulfilled, even though the refur rection be taken only for an allegory, which yet the text cannot admit without the greatest torture and violence. For with what propriety can it be faid, that fome of the dead who were beheaded lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years, but the reft of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finifhed,' unless the dying and living again be the fame in both places, a proper death. and refurrection? Indeed the death and refurrection of the witnesses before mentioned, Chap. xi. appears from the concurrent circumftances of the vifion to be figurative, but the death and refurrection here mentioned mult for the very fame reasons be concluded to be real. If the martyrs rife only in a spiritual fenfe, then the rest of the dead,' rife only in a spiritual fenfe; but if the rest of the dead' really rife, the martyrs rife in the fame manner. There is no difference between them; and we fhould be cautious and tender of making the first resurrection an allegory, left others fhould reduce the fecond into an allegory too, like those whom St Paul mentions, 2 Tim. ii. 17, 18. Hymeneus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred, faying that the refurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of fome." It is to this first refurrection that St Paul alludes, when he affirms, -1 Thef. iv. 16. that'the dead in Christ shall rise first,' and, 1 Cor. xv. 23. that every man fhall be made alive in his own order, Chrift the first fruits, afterward they that are Chrift's at his coming, and then cometh the end,' after the general refurrection.

6

J

In the general that there fhall be such a happy period as the millennium, that the kingdom and dominion, and the greatnefs of the kingdom under the whole heaven, fhall be given to the people of the faints of the most High,' Dan. vii. 27. that Christ shall have the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his poffeffion,' Pfal. ii. 8. that the earth fhall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the fea,' If. xi. 9. that the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Ifrael fhall be faved,' Rom. xi. 25, 26. in a word that the kingdom of heaven fhall be eftablished upon earth, is the plain and exprefs doctrine of Daniel and all the prophets as well as of St John: and we daily pray VOL. II.

Ff

for

for the accomplishment of it in praying, Thy kingdom come.' But of all the prophets St John is the only one who hath declared particularly and in exprefs terms, that the martyrs fhall rife to partake of the felicities of this kingdom, and that it fhall continue upon earth a thoufand years and the Jewish church before him, and the Chriftian church after him, have farther believed and taught, that these thousand years will be the feventh millennary of the world. A pompous heap of quotations might be produced to this purpose both from Jewish and Chriftian writers: but I choose to select only a few of the moft material of each fort; you may find a great numberlin Dr Burnet and other authors who have treated of this fubject.

Of the Jewish writers m Rabbi Ketina, as cited in the Gemara or glofs of their Talmud, faid that " the world endures fix thousand years, and one thousand it shall be laid waste, (that is the enemies of God fhall be destroyed) whereof it is faid, If. ii. 11. The Lord alone fhall be xalted in that day. Tradition affents to Rabbi Ketina; As out of feven years every feventh is the year of remiffion, fo out of the feven thousand years of the world the feventh millennary fhall be the millennary of remiffion, that God alone may be exalted in that day." It was " the tradition of the houfe of Elias, who lived two hundred years or thereabouts, before Chrift, and the tradition might perhaps be derived from Elias the Tifhbite, that "the world endures fix thousand years, two thousand before the Law, two thousand under the Law, and two thousand

1 Burnet's Theory. B. 3. Ch. 5. B. 4. Ch. 6. Mede Placita Doctorum Hebræorum de Magno die Judicii. p. 535. B. 5. Ch. 3. page 892, &c. &c.

m Dixit Rabbi Ketina, Sex annorum millibus ftat mundus, et uno (millenario) vaftabitur; de quo dicitur, Et exaltabitur Dominus folus die illo. Traditio adftipulatur R. Ketina: Sicut ex feptenis annis feptimus quifque annus remiffionis eft, ita ex feptem millibus annorum mundi feptimus millenarius millenarius remiffionis erit, ut Dominus folus exaltetur in die illo. In Gemara Shanhedrim, apud Mede P. 535. et p. 893.

n Traditio domus Eliæ: Sex mille annos durat mundus: bis mille annis inanitas; bis mille annis Lex; denique bis mille annis dies Chrifti. apud Mede. p. 536, et p. 894. Burnet's Theory. B. 3. Chap.

thousand under the Meffiah." It was alfo the tradition of the house of Elias, that "the juft whom God fhall raife up (meaning in the firit refurrection) thall not be turned again into duft. Now it you inquire, how it shall be with the juft in those thousand years wherein the holy bleffed God fhall renew his world, whereof it is faid, And the Lord alone fhall be exalted in that day; you mult know that the holy bleifed God will give them the wings as it were of eagles, that they may fly upon the face of the waters; whence it is said, Pal xlvi. 2. Therefore will we not fear, when the earth shall be changed. But per haps you will fay, it shall be a pain an affliction to them. Not at all, for it is faid, If. xl. 31. They that wait upon the Lord fhall renew their firength, they fail mount up with wings as eagles."

. Of the Chriftian writers St Barnabas in the first century P thus comments upon those words of Mofes, " And God made in fix days the works of his hands, and he finished

Ff2

them

o Traditio domus Eliæ : Justi quos refufcitabit Deus non redigentur iterum in pulverem Si quæras autem, Mille annis iftis quibus De us fanctus benedi&us renovaturus eft mundum fuum, de quibus dicitur Et exaltabitur 1 cminus folus in die illo, quid juftis futurum fit; fciendum, quod Deus fanctus benedictus dabit illis alas quafi aquilarum, ut volent fuper facie aquarum; unde dicitur Pfal. xlvi. 2. Propterea non timebimus, cum mutabitur terra. At forte (inquies) erit ipfis dolori feu afflictioni. Sed occurrit illad If. xl. 31. Expectantibus Dominum innovabuntur vires, efferentur alta inflar aquilarum. apud Mede, p. 776.

P. Και εποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἐξ' ἡμέραις τω έργα των χειρών αυτό, και συνετές Λεσεν εν τη ημέρα τη έβδομη, και κατέπαυσιν εν αυτή, και ἡγίασεν αυτήν Προσέχετε, τέκνα, τε λέγει, το συνετέλεσεν εν ἓξ ἡμεραις· τέτο λέγει, ότι συντελει ὁ Θεός κύριος εν εξακισχιλίους επισι τα πάντα. Η γαρ ημέρα παρ Αυτῳ χίλια έτη, αυτός δε μαρτυρεί, λέγων, ιδιως σήμερον ημέρα εσαι ως χιλιά, Στην Ουκεν, τέκνα, ἐν ἐξ ἡμέραις εν τοις εξακισχιλίοις ετέσι συντελεσθήσεται TH WAITA. Και κατέπαυσε τη ήμερα τη εβδομη τέτο λέγει, όταν ελθὼν ὁ ὑια αυτό, και καταργησει τον καιρον ανομς, και κρίνος της ανεβείς, και αλλα ξει τον ήλιον, και την σελήνην, και της αγέρας, τους καλως καταπαύσεται εν In husga en eldoμn. Fecitque Deus in fex diebus opera manuum fuarum, et confummavit in die feptima, et in ea requievit, et fanctificavit eam. Advertite, filii, quid dicat; confummavit in fex diebus: id ait; omnia confummabit Dominus Deus in fex millibus annorum. Nam apud illum dies æquiparatur mille annis, ut ipfemet teftatur dicens. Ecce hodiernus dies erit tanquam mille anni. Itaque, filii in fex diebus, hoc eft, in fex annorum millibus confummabuntur univerfo. Et requievit die feptima : hoc ait; quando veniens ejus filius tempus Iniqui abolebit, ac judicabit impios, et mutabit folem ac lunam, ftellafque, tunc pulchre requi-' efcet in die feptima. S. Barnabæ Epift. Cap. 15. Edit. Coteleri, et Clerici.