Sin and death, then, must be deftroyed, before Chrift delivers up his kingdom.

The only objection, that I cân fee, against my paraphrase of St. Paul's language, above cited, or to the subsequent observations, is this, Chrift may reduce devils and wicked men under his authority and control, and yet not totally rid the univerfe of fin and death. This objection takes its rife from the kind of fubjection or reduction that is intended. few reflections muft entirely remove this difficulty, and lead us to a clear difcernment of the kind of reduction intended.

A

God's government is both natural and moral. His natural government, is conducted by power, and is a government of power. His moral government is a government of laws, founded on eternal reason' and rectitude, and fanctioned by promises and threatenings, rewards and punishments.

No created being ever thought of oppofing or refifting the natural government of God. "Sin," the catechism informs us, "is a want of conformity unto, or tranfgreffion of, the law of God." I wish to know how fin can be reduced under fubje&tion to Chrift, or to the moral government of God, whilft it remains? So long as it hath a being, it will remain to be, in conformity to the law of God, or difobedience. Can a wicked man be juftly faid to be reduced under the moral government of God, whilst he continues a wicked man? There is no other way. of fubduing fin but to deftroy is exiftence. No

other

other way of fubduing a wicked man, but to convince and convert him. The finner is as much under the natural government of God, as the faint; and fatan, as gabriel. Chrift came not to reduce men; nor devils, under the natural government of God. He came to destroy rebellion against God's moral government; and he must reign till he does it.

Thus it appears, I think, undeniably plain, that Chrift's work as Mediator will not terminate, at the refurrection and general judgment; but that he will go on ftill conquering and to conquer, till he shall have deftroyed both fin death.

To give the reader, if poffible; a clearer idea of the process of mediatorial work, in raising the dead both good and bad;-in rewarding the righteous, reigning with them, making a new heaven and earth for them;

in punishing the wicked with a second death;and opening the profpect of their final reduction and restoration, &c. I beg leave to recite, and to attempt to explain, a paffage in St. John's revelation.

The paffage, which I propofe to recite, is the xx. and a part of the xxi. chapter. I will recite a verfe, and then immediately give its meaning.

Rev. xx. 1. "And I faw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomlefs pit, and a great chain in his hand."

And I saw an angel defcend from heaven, and he seemed to hold in his hand the key of the bottomles pit, and a great chain.

2. "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old fer

pent,

pent, which is the devil, and bound him a thousand years.

1

And the angel appeared to take hold on the dragon, that old ferpent, who is the devil, and put a restraint upon him for the term of a thousand years.

3. "And caft him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years fhould be fulfilled: and after that he must be loofed a little feafon."

And the angel feemed to caft the old ferpent into the bottomless pit, to fhut him up, and effectually to forbid his deceiving mankind, till the expiration of 'the thousand years then, he will be released from confinement for a season.

4. And I faw thrones, and they fat upon them and judgment was given unto them; and I faw the fouls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, 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.'

And I faw thrones, and thofe who fat upon them, and judicial power was given to them; I faw allo the fouls of those who were beheaded for the witness

they bore to Jefus and to the word of God; and who had not worshipped the beaft, nor received his image, or mark, upon their foreheads, or in their hands and all thefe, both martyrs and others, lived.

and reigned with Chrift, in their bodies a thousand years, and fuffered no difturbance or moleftation from the devil, or from wicked men, by his influence.

5. "But the reft of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."

But the wicked, who were dying the fecond death, did not live again, and enjoy such a life as the martyrs, and other faints, enjoyed, till the expiration of the thousand years.

6. "Bleffed and holy is he that hath part in the first refurrection; on fuch the fecond death hath no power; but they fhall be priests of God and of Christ, and fhall reign with him a thousand years.??

Bléffed and holy, or feparated, is he who enjoys a part in the first refurrection to a happy life; for the fecond death fhall have no power over fuch perfons and they fhall live a happy life with Christ, illuftrioully diftinguished from the reft of mankind, for a thousand years of perfect peace.

16 ~.. 7. “And when the thousand years fhall be expir ed, fatan fhall be loofed out of his prison."

And when these thousand years shall expire, fatan fhall again be permitted to use his arts of deception and diforder among the wicked, and to attempt disturbance of the peace of the world.

the

8. "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 fatan fhall go out into the four quarters of

the

the earth, to gather the enemies of the faints, like Gog and Magog, mentioned by the prophet Ezekiel, to battle against the faints: the number of these enemies of the faints is as the fand of the fea.

9. "And they went up on the breadth of the earth and compaffed the camp of the faints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven and deftroyed them."

And these multitades went up from all parts of the earth, and furrounded the camp of the faints, and even the beloved city New Jerufalem; but they did not fucceed against the faints, for fire from God, out of heaven, destroyed them.

10.

"And the devil that deceived them was caft into the lake of fire and brimftone, where the beaft and the false prophet are, and fhall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."

And the devil, who excited all this enmity, and collected all this multitude, against the faints, was caft into the lake of fire and brimftone, with the beast and false prophet, where they are perpetually tormented for ages of ages.

11. "And I saw 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."

To refume the feries and order of events, at the fame time that I faw fatan reftrained, as mentioned above, I saw a great white throne, and upon it a glorious perfonage, from the brightness of whofe

face,