to have power? Tell me that, and I will tell you where to find Gog and Magog."* It is easy asking questions. I have often been asked questions about Gog and Magog, and now in my turn will ask one: Where is that place called (Rev. 22d chapter) without; and who are the vile carcasses of Isaiah, and the dogs of John, that inhabit it? Whoever will answer me this, . to him will I stand engaged to answer expressly the question, Whence, and who, are Gog and Magog? But you will say, perhaps, the part we have taken requires us to answer, rather than question; and this we are free to do, whenever an answer is seriously and candidly asked. Gog and Magog come from their own place-the place of graves. I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel," Ezek. xxxix. 11, and the place there of graves is tophet; and " tophet is ordained of old yea, for the king it is prepared, he hath made it deep and large. The pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it." And this place, called by the Hebrews the place of graves, or hades, we call hell. Our answer to : *Though the modern doctrine of the millennium had become very popular before Dr. Mather's death, yet he saw cause to renounce it. A little before his death, he wrote his sentiments upon this subject, in a book entitled Triparadisus; which was sent to London to be published, and was unfortunately lost. I can easily conjecture, from some strange reports that have circulated concerning my own sentiments upon this subject, that, if the Doctor's Triparadisus had been published to the world, we should have had, in some respects, a different report of his sentiments upon the subject. the question, Whence comes Gog after the millennium? is, He comes from the place given to him before the millennium, tophet, the place of graves. And as tophet was within sight of old Jerusalem, so likewise it will be within sight of the new Jerusalem. "They shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." "The same shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb." This is the Scripture account of the place of Gog; and though a veil and shadow of darkness overspread the place of graves-the valley and region of death, we are satisfied with the account; for wiser concerning a future state than what is written we wish not to be, till we reach the other world.* From a view of these things, you will judge if Dr. Burnet's observation be not just, that the Scripture doctrine of Gog and Magog does as much embarrass the modern plan of the millennium as it does ours. But there are many other difficulties in the way of the modern plan *The valley of the giants (a part of which, the part contiguous to Jerusalem, was called tophet, or the valley of the son of Hinnom) extended far and wide, beyond the borders of Judea and shores of the Dead sea. Here, (according to the epitaph in Ezek. 39th chap.) in this vast burying-ground and region of death, before the millennium, will be laid the carcasses of Hamon-Gog. And it is not, perhaps, mere conjecture, that Gog was the proper name of the son of Hinnom, whose place was tophet: but, whose son soever he be, we are sure he is not of the natural seed of Israel. in this very place, and peculiar to it; one or two of which we will mention. According to the modern doctrine of the millennium, the coming of Christ will be at the time of the destruction of the Gog and Magog army; but the circumstances of things, both within and without, at that time, compare not with the prophecies of his coming. At the coming of Christ, according to the prophecies, the people of God will be found dispersed abroad, and scattered over the earth, as they are now; and they are then to be gathered together. "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 :" but. at the date of Gog and Magog, they appear already gathered together-compact as a camp or city. Also, the prophecies represent that at the coming of Christ the wise and foolish-the saints and sinners-will, as now, be intermixed, and all slumbering and sleeping together: but, at the time of Gog and Magog, there is a very different representation; they will then be separateencamped on different ground, and so far from all slumbering and sleeping, that they will be all up in arms, host against host. Again. The prophecies represent the coming of Christ to be at a time of great tranquillity and worldly rest-all slumbered and slept. "As in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage ;" and "as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;" even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. All shall be quiet and still, like the unwatched house at the hour the thief cometh; even the servant-the ruler over Christ's household-at so tranquil a moment may begin to say, My Lord delayeth his coming, and to eat and drink with the drunken. But is it at such a time that the judgment will commence upon Gog and Magog? The holy city, new Jerusalem, we doubt not, will then be peaceful and tranquil enough; but its peace and tranquillity will not be such as is described in the church at the coming of Christ: and as for the surrounding army, it will be all in motion upon the breadth of the earth. Perhaps, to search the Bible through, two periods could not be found more unlike, than that when Christ will come, and that when the fire of heaven will fall upon Gog and Magog. We shall now leave this objection of Gog and Magog for your consideration; who will judge if we have not removed it from us, as far at least as those who oppose it to us can do from themselves; and proceed to make some general observations upon the great and interesting subject of these Lectures. Our blessed Lord spake of it as a great calamity -a thing much to be dreaded indeed-not to know the signs of the last times, and so not to be apprized of his coming. Luke xxi. 34: "And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares." And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? And Jesus an swered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you." Matt. xxiv. 3, 4. And this solemn discourse concerning his coming he concluded, as in Mark, chap. xiii.: "Take ye heed, watch and pray; for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore, lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, watch." How affecting was the circumstance respecting the old world and Sodom, that they were unapprized-they knew not until the storm came, and took them all away: we feel at the recollection of this. And that mankind will generally be deceived as to the great event of the coming of Christ, is often told us in the Scriptures: we are plainly told that, "as in the days that were before the flood, they knew not until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be." Strange! that it should be said of them destroyed by the flood, they knew not-they were ignorant of the matter-when they had been plainly told of it so often; and no less strange that this should be exactly the case at the coming of the Son of God, when the approaching event shall be made certain, and plainly marked out, by infallible signs in the earth, and by wonders in the heavens! But such is the blindness, unbelief, and stupidity of man! Faith will then be most rare; scarce one Noah preparing for it will then be found on the earth; of the few wise-the few people of God-many will |