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days, and twelve hundred and sixty days, in the prophetic style, are one thousand two hundred and sixty years. From all these cases and characters it may be fairly concluded that the time of the Church's great affliction, and of the reign of Antichrist, will be a period of one thousand two hundred and sixty years.

§ 5. "To fix the time exactly when these twelve hundred and sixty years begin, and consequently when they will end, is a matter of some niceness and difficulty; and perhaps we must see their conclusion before we can possibly ascertain their beginning. It is plain, however, that these twelve hundred and sixty years of the reign of Anti christ are not to be computed from his birth, or infancy, or youth; but from his coming to maturity, from his coming to the throne: and in my opinion the beginning cannot be fixed consistent with the truth of history, either sooner or later than the eighth century. Several memorable events happened in that century. In the year 727, the pope and people of Rome revolted from the exarch of Ravenna, and shook off their allegiance to the Greek emperor. In the year 755, the pope obtained the exarchate of Ravenna for himself, and thenceforwards acted as an absolute temporal prince. In the year 774, the pope, by the assistance of Charles the Great, became possessed of the kingdom of the Lombards. In the year 787, the worship of images was fully established, and the supremacy of the pope acknowledged by the second council of Nice. From one or the other of these transactions it is probable that the beginning of the reign of Antichrist is to be dated. What appears to be most probable is, that it is to be dated from the year 727, when Rome and the Roman dukedom came from the Greeks to the Roman pontiff. Hereby he became, in some measure, a horn or temporal prince; though his power was not fully established till some years afterwards; and before he was a horn at all, he could not answer the character of

the little horn. If, then, the beginning of the 1260 years of the reign of Antichrist is to be dated from the year 727, their end will fall near the year 2000 after Christ; and at the end of the six thousandth year of the world, according to a very early tradition of the Jews and Christians, and even of heathens, great change and revolutions are expected, both in the natural and moral world; and 'there remaineth,' according to the words of the apostle, ‘a Sabbatism, or holy rest for the people of God.' Heb. 4:9."

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6.. On Revelation, 19: 11-21, he says, "In a word, the design of this sublime and figurative description is to show the downfall of popery and the triumph of Christianity; the true word of God will prevail over superstition and idolatry; all the powers of Antichrist shall be completely subdued; and the religion of Rome, as well as Rome herself, shall be destroyed." Again he says, "After the destruction of the beast and the false prophet, there still remains the dragon,' who had delegated his power to them, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, he that is bound by an angel,' an especial minister of Providence; and the famous millennium commences, or the reign of saints upon earth for a thousand years. Wickedness being restrained, the reign of righteousness succeeds, and the administration of justice and judgment is given to the saints of the Most High; and the martyrs and confessors 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 share in the felicity of Christ's kingdom upon earth. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished; so that it was a peculiar prerogative of the martyrs and confessors above the rest of mankind. This is the first resurrection, a particular resurrection preceding the general one at least a thousand years.

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Blessed and holy, too, is he who hath part in the first resurrection;' he is holy in all the senses of the word, holy as separated from the common lot of mankind, holy as endowed with all virtuous qualifications, and none but such are permitted to partake of this blessed state; on such the second death hath no power." Again he says, "Nothing is more evident than that this prophecy of the millennium, and of the first resurrection, has not yet been fulfilled, even though the resurrection be taken in a figurative sense. For, reckon the thousand years, with Usher, from the time of Christ, or reckon them, with Grotius, from the time of Constantine, yet neither of these periods, nor indeed any other, will answer the description and character of the millennium, the purity and peace, the holiness and happiness of that blessed state. That there shall be such a happy period as the millennium; that the kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; Dan. 7:27, that Christ shall have the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession, Ps. 2:8; that the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea, Isa. 11:9; 'that the fullness of the Gentiles shall come in, and all Israel shall be saved.' Rom. 11:25, 26; in a word, that the kingdom of heaven shall be established upon earth is the plain and express doctrine of Daniel and all the prophets, as well as of St. John; and we daily pray for the accomplishment of it in praying, 'Thy kingdom come.' But of all the prophets, St. John is the only one who hath declared particularly, and in express terms, that the martyrs shall rise to partake of the felicities of this kingdom, and that it shall continue upon earth a thousand years: and the Jewish Church before him, and the Christian Church after him, have farther believed and taught, that these thousand years will be the seventh millenary of the world.

7. "Of the Jewish writers, Rabbi Ketiner, as cited in the Gemera, or gloss of their Talmud, said that 'the world endures six thousand years, and one thousand it shall be laid waste, (that is, the enemies of God shall be destroyed ;) whereof it is said, Isa. 3: 11, The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.' Tradition asserts to Rabbi Kenina; as out of seven years, every seventh is the year of remission, so out of the seven thousand years of the world, the seventh millenary shall be the millenary of remission, that God alone may be exalted in that day. It was the tradition of the house of Elias, who lived two hundred years, or thereabouts, before Christ; and the tradition might perhaps be derived from Elias the Tishbite, that the world endures six thousand years, two thousand before the law, two thousand under the law, and two thousand under the Messiah. It is also the tradition of the house of Elias, that the just, whom God shall raise up, (meaning the first resurrection,) shall not be turned again into the dust. Now if you inquire how it shall be with the just in those thousand years, wherein the holy blessed God shall renew his world, whereof it is said, 'and the Lord shall be exalted in that day;' you must know that the holy blessed God will give them the wings, as it were, of eagles, that they may fly upon the face of the waters; when it is said in Psa. 44: 2, Therefore we will not fear when the earth shall be changed. But perhaps you will say, it shall be a pain and affliction to them. Not at all, for it is said, Isa. 40: 31, They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles.'

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8. "Of the Christian writers, St. Barnabas, in the first century, thus comments upon those words of Moses: And God made in six days the works of his hands, and he finished them on the seventh day, and he rested in it, and sanctified it. Consider, children, what that signifies, that the Lord God will finish all things in six thousand years.

For a day with him is a thousand years; as he himself testified saying, 'Behold, this day shall be as a thousand years.' Therefore, children, in six days, that is in six thousand years, shall all things be consummated. And he rested the seventh day: this signifies that when his Son shall come, and shall abolish the season of the wicked ones, and shall judge the ungodly, and shall change the sun, and the moon, and the stars, then he shall rest gloriously that seventh day. St. Barnabas, Epist. chap. 15.

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"Justin Martyr, in the second century, declares the millennium to be the catholic doctrine of his time. I, and as many as are orthodox Christians in all respects, do acknowledge that there shall be a resurrection of the flesh, (meaning the first resurrection,) and in a thousand years Jerusalem rebuilt, and adorned and enlarged, (that is in the new Jerusalem,) as the prophets Ezekiel, and Isaiah, and others unanimously attest.' Afterwards he subjoins, 'A certain man among us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, in a revelation made to him, did prophecy that the faithful believers in Christ should live a thousand years in the new Jerusalem; and after these, should be the general resurrection and judgment.' Just. Mart. Dial. cum Tryphone. Pars Secunda, p. 301 et 308, Ed. par. Par. p. 313 et 315, Ed. Therbii.

"Tertullian, at the beginning of the third century, professeth his opinion of the kingdom promised to the saints on earth, of their resurrection for a thousand years, of their living in the new Jerusalem, and therein enjoying all spiritual delights, and of the destruction of the world and the general judgment after the thousand years. Tertul. Advers Marcion. Lib. 5, chap. 24.

"Lactantius, at the beginning of the fourth century, is very copious upon this subject, in the seventh book of his divine institutions. He saith, 'Because all the works of God were finished in six days, it is necessary that the world should

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