Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

The fervice of God performed among them shall be spiritual, quite diftinct from their for mer manner of ferving him'.

[ocr errors]

The nations fhall flow into them", and they fhall propagate the truth among the nations3. Their temporal happiness shall be great and permanent*.

RULE IV.

The Millennium.

THE Millennium is a period which the prophets introduce frequently, and defcribe largely. The peculiarity of their description and phrafeology, when they mention this subject, will enable the attentive reader to recognise it, wherever it is introduced. The circumstances of the description can fuit no other time....

They

(1) Jer. iii. 15, 16. Jer. xxxi. 31-34. Jer. 1. 5. Ezek. xvi. 62, and xxxvi. 26, 27., (2) Jer. iii. 17. Ifa. lx. 3-16 (3) Ifa. ii. 3. Ifa. Ixvi. 19. Jer. iv. 2.

(4) Ifa. xxx. 23, 24. 26, 27. Amos ix. 13.

Zech. viii. 22.

Jer. xxxi. 12.
Zech. viii. 12.

Mic. v. 7.

Ezek. xxxiv.

From thefe quotations, and many others which might be added, we fee that feveral paffages refer to the fu ture, which inattentive readers apply to the past.

They defcribe it as a period in which Jews and Gentiles fhall be united as members of the church, and admitted as joint worshippers into the house of God. Before the Christian difpenfation, the Jews only were admitted. By the promulgation of the Gofpel, the middle wall of partition was broken down, and the Gentiles were introduced. The admiffion of the Gentiles was from the beginning of the Gospel the great ftumbling-block to the Jews, who have ever fince been aliens from the household of faith, and, according to the prophets, they shall continue in that ftate until the Millennium.

They describe it as a period of much outward glory to the church, by her extending her dominion over all nations, as well as by the regularity and stability of her government and difcipline. Now, previous to the Christian difpenfation, fhe was confined to one nation. In the beginning of the Chriftian difpenfation, fhe was for fome time without the fupport of civil government, and fubject to perfecution. When fhe received a legal establishment, fhe began to be corrupted, and in process of time, instead of the chafte spouse of Chrift, appeared to be "the "mother of harlots." From that period, the has ceafed to appear as one great united body. Notwithstanding the purity of individuals, and of fome public establishments fince the Reformamation,

mation, there is no union betwixt the feveral national churches in their outward polity, neither will there be any until the Millennium.

The prophets represent it as a period of fuperior grace, holiness and happiness.

These circumstances, peculiar in themselves, are set forth in uncommon language. The outward glory of the church is represented by a temple regularly built', and a city reared of precious ftones'. The abundance of grace beftowed at that period, is compared to a copious river ifsuing from the temple3, or running through the street of the city. The moral change wrought by it, on the temper and behaviour of men, is fet forth by a renovation of the natural world', or by taming the fierceft animals, as wolves and lions". The happiness of that period is represented by giving additional light

(1) Ezek. xl. xli. xlii. '

(2) Ifa. liv. 11, 12. Rev. xxi. 10-21.

(3) Ezek. xlvii. 1-12. Joel iii. 18.

(4) Pfal. xlvi. 4. Rev. xxii. 1, 2.

(5) Ifa. lxv. 17. Ifa. Ixvi. 22. Rev. xxi. 1.'

(6) Ifa. xi. 6—9. Ifa. xxxv. 9. Ifa. lxv. 25.

light to the heavens', and greater fertility to the earth.

When. we learn by any of these circumftances, that the prophet has the Millennium in view, as the place of the Millennium in the feries of events is known from the Apocalypse, it will prove a key to open up the meaning of the other events connected with it, in the fame fection of prophecy; for their relation to each other, and their place in the general order of events are known, from their relation to the Millennium.

RULE V.

The Connection.

IN judging of the fentiments of any writer, it is neceffary to confider the connection of his discourse. An expreffion by itself may appear ambiguous, which, from the connection with what precedes or follows it, may have an obvious and determined meaning. This rule is applicable to the prophets. Their meaning appears obvious; at any rate the mind. refts

(1) Ifa. xxx. 26. Ifa.lx. 19. Rev. xxi. 23. Rev. xxii. 5. (2) Ezek. xxxiv. 26, 27.

refts in it as highly probable, when the connection can be traced, through a whole dif course or section of prophecy. But it is more difficult to trace the connection in them, than in any other writers, facred or profane. The difficulty arifes partly from the nature of the subject. When they treat of events still fu ture to us, they are wrapt up in a venerable gloom, and of them it may be faid, That

[ocr errors]

we know but in part, and fee darkly as "through a glass." It cannot be expected, that we should trace the connection as clearly as when the Providence of God has already proved the comment on the prophecy. But much of the difficulty arifes from the peculiar manner of the prophets. I fhall therefore note fome of their peculiarities of method and expreffion, which I hope will leffen the difficulty, and cable the attentive reader to trace the connection, when otherwise he would have loft it.

1. THE prophets give several parallel views of the same period of time; that is, they run over the fame events, yet so as to obferve the fame order of events in each view, and to enlarge in one view on events flightly touched in another. Mede' has demonftrated that there are fuch pa

E

(1) In his Clavis Apocalyptica.

rallel

« AnteriorContinuar »