tween the refurrection of the one and of the other; hence the refurrection of the juft, (Luke xiv. 14.) as that is named in diftinction from that of the unjuft, is called the firft refurrection, Rev. xx. 5, 6.

"This refurrection will be a very glorious one; it will not only be by the power of CHRIST, and in virtue of union with him, but in entire conformity to him; as by him will be the relurrection of the dead, and every one will rife in his order, and they that are his at his coming, and because they are his; fo they will be fashioned like unto his glorious body, Phil. iii. 21. though they are aid vile bodies in the grave, they will rife glorious ones; the body that is fown in corruption, will be raised in incorruption; and though fan in difhonour, will be raised in glory; being fown in weakness it will be raijed in power; and from a natural body will be raised a fpiritualone, 1 Cor. xv. 42, 43, 44. and the righteous, in foul and body, jhall fhine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their father, Matt. xiii. 44.

Thirdly, The next thing will be the change of living Saints: this is the mystery the apoftie fays he would fhew the Carin thians; and perhaps he was the first man that was led into it, or however, the first that fhewed it to others; that we shall not all fleep, or die, but we shall all be changed, 1 Cor. xv. 51, even thole that die: fuch as will be alive at the coming of CHRIST, fhall undergo a change equivalent to death; their bodies shall be changed from mortal to immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible ones; and their fouls fhall become at once perfectly pure and holy. I have fometimes thought, that that change which pafles upon the hearts of the people of GoD at the in fant of death, or will pafs upon living Saints at the time I speak of, when hearts fo full of finful luft, pollution, and wickednefs, will be at once cleared of all, is a greater evidence and difplay of the power of GOD, than the change that paffes upon their bodies, either at the refurrection, or at this time. This being done, thefe living Saints changed, fball be caught up together with the railed ones, to meet the Lord in the air, (1 Theff. iv. 17.) where it feems as if he and they should ftop a-while, until an after event is accomplished.

"Fourthly, The precious duft of the Saints being collected out of the earth, and their bodies raifed and united to their fouls, and living ones changed, and both taken up from hence, and with the LORD, the general conflagration will begin; the beavens fhall pass away with a great noife, and the clements jail melt with fervent beat, the earth also, and the works that art therein, shall be burnt up, with all the wicked in it; for the

heavens and the earth that now are, that is, the earth with its furrounding atmosphere, are kept in ftore, referved unto fire, for the perdition of ungodly men, 2 Pet. iii. 7, 10. when,

"Fifthly, There will fucceed new heavens, and a new earth, which God has promised; and which, the apostle Peter fays, Saints look for according to his promife; and which the apostle John had a vision of, 2 Pet. iii. 13. Rev. xxi. 1. In this new earth CHRIST will defcend and dwell; here the tabernacle of God will be with men, and he fall dwell with them, Rev. xxi. 3. this will be the feat of CHRIST's perfonal reign; here he will have his ancients gloriously; here he will have his palace, and keep his court, and difplay his glory, and the greatnefs of his majefty; and here his people will dwell with him, who will now be all righteous, perfectly fo, even righteoufnefs itself; for in thefe new heavens and new earth will dwell righteousness, Ifa., lx. 21. 2 Pet. iii. 13. Rev. xxi. 27. Nothing fhall enter into this glorious new Jerufalem-ftate, that makes an abomination or a lie; it will be perfectly an holy city, confifting wholly of holy perfons; wherefore bleffed and holy is he that hath part in the first refurrection, Rev. xx. 6. nor will there be an enemy to annoy the Saints in this state; the wicked will be all burnt and deftroyed at the general conflagration; the beaft and falfe prophet before this will be caft alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone; Satan will be bound by CHRIST, and caft into the bottomlefs pit, where he will remain till the thousand years are fulfilled: for fo long will this ftate continue; fo long Satan will be bound; fo long the Saints will live and reign with CHRIST; (Rev. xx. 1-6.) this will be the day of the LORD, which is as a thousand years, and which thoufand years will be as one day, 2 Pet. iii. 8. At the clofe of thefe years Satan will be loofed again, and the wicked dead will be raised *; which, with the whole poffe of devils, will make the Gog and Magogarmy, who fhall be in the four quarters of the world, and go upon the breadth of the earth; and whofe numbers fhall be as the fand of the fea, being all the wicked that have been from the beginning of the world; a large army indeed, fuch an one

*As I do not suppose that the earth, at the conflagration, will be annihilated, or be destroyed, as to the substance of it; only purified by fire, refined and cleared of all noxious qualities, and therefore called a new earth; so, (considering the omnipotence of God) there can be no difficulty about the repositories of the ashes of the wicked, or the place from whence they will be raised, any, more than about the place where the dust of Adam, and of all from the Beginning of the world, is laid up.

as never was before, confifting of enraged devils, and of men raised with all that malice and wickedness they died in, with fatan at the head of them; by whom they will be animated to make this laft feeble and foolish effort, for their recovery and liberty; in order to which they will compass the camp of the faints about, the beloved city; who will be in no manner of pain and uneafinefs at the appearance of this feemingly formidable army; being cloathed with immortality, fecured by the power of GOD, and CHRIST being in perfon with them; when fire fhall come down from heaven and devour the wicked; the wrath of God shall seize them, diftrefs and terrify them, divert them from their purpose, and throw them into the utmost confternation and confufion; and when they fhall be dragged to the tribunal of CHRIST, and stand before him, small and great, and be judged according to their works, and caft into the lake of fire; where they will be in company with the devil, the beast, and falfe prophet, and be tormented with them for ever and ever, Rev. xx. 7.-15.

"This will iffue in the ultimate glory; when the faints shall be for ever with the LORD; fhall fee him as he is; enjoy uninterrupted communion with FATHER, SON, and SPIRIT; have the company of angels, and be in poffeffion of those things which eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to conceive of. But my intention being only to give you an account of the glorious things that fhall be in the fpiritual and perfonal reign of CHRIST; here I ftop, and clofe all with a word or two.

"1. All this fhews and proves, that the church and people of GOD are the objects of his love; that he loves the gates of Zion indeed; the church is his Hephzibah, in whom he delights, and to whom he is married; and therefore has he faid thefe glorious things of her, and therefore will he make thenf good: and if the faints have an intereft in the love of God, they need not care what the world fay or think of, or what they can do to them; though they are with them the offscouring of all things, they are precious in the fight of God.

"2. It is evident from hence, that the church of CHRIST is lafting and durable, and cannot be destroyed; its foundation is in the holy mountains; it is built on a rock, the gates of hell cannot prevail againft; its walls, in the fpiritual reign, are falvation, and its gates praife: and what a description have we of it, of its wall, foundation, fecurity, and glory, in the perfonal reign, under the name of the new Jerufalem? It will continue

through every age, and come into every ftate it is faid it fhould, and will endure to all eternity.

"3. Seeing fuch glorious things are spoken of it, and that by the LORD, we need not doubt, but fhould believe, there will be a performance of, and fhould be looking for them, and at the worst fhould lift up our heads with joy, fince our redemption draws near.

Happy are thofe who belong to this city, who are fellowcitizens with the faints, and of the houshold of God; whose citizenship is in heaven, and who have a right to enter in through the gates into the holy city."

Friendly. Have the faints any internal evidence of this glorious enjoyment by the Spirit of God?

Truth. Yes, this appears by their earnest groanings and breathings after the full enjoyment, which comprehends a full perfection of liberty, felicity and blifs, both in foul and body, which are contained in thofe words we have in Rom. viii. from ver. 17, to 28, where the Apoftle mentions the glory of our heirfhip, the fettlement of our inheritance, the expectation of the faints after the enjoyment, and their longing for the glorious liberty of the fons of GOD; nay, even groaning and travelling in pain within themfelves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body. If it will not be painful to my Friendly, I will give him a few opening remarks upon the words, viz. That there is a future glorious reigning 'ftate of believers yet to come, which they fhall enjoy with and under CHRIST here on earth.' The footing of the thefis is clearly fixed on the express words of the text; only that ftate to be on earth, is but intimated by irrefragable confequence, thus: that ftate which the creature shall have fome kind of benefit and fhare in, muft needs be on earth: but the creature fhall have fome kind of benefit and fhare in the said glorious ftate of believers: for the creature itself alfo (faith the text) fhall be delivered from corruption, into the glorious liberty of the children of God; therefore the faid glorious eftate fhall be on earth. Here I would obferve,

ift, It is an inheritance; we come to it as heirs. 2. A glorifying of us together with CHRIST. 3. A glory which fhall be revealed in us. 4. The manifeftation of the fons of GOD. 5. The glorious liberty of the children of GoD. 6. Their adoption. 7. The redemption of their bodies.

The first defcription of it, viz. an inheritance to be poffeffed by us as heirs, reflects three beams of glory upon it and us, VOL. III.

R

viz, as juft heirs, we come fairly by it; as heirs apparent, we certainly attain it ; as our inheritance, we cannot but fingularly love and defire it. God forbid (faid Naboth, 1 Kings xxi. 3.) that I fhould part with mine inheritance.

1. We are heirs (faith the text) of GOD. His heirs we are, whofe fons we are, and whofe is all the eftate and goods to be poffeffed by us. If fons then heirs, heirs of God. GOD is the Father of Mercies, and of eve: y good and perfect gift, 2 Cor. i. 3. James i. 17. So that CHRIST himself in relation to God's giving him to us, Rom. viii. 32. is part of the inheritance, the fum of our inheritance, 1 Cor. iii. 21, &c. All your's, becaufe Chrift is your's.

2. We are (faith the text) co-heirs, joint-heirs with Christ. CHRIST, as the Son of Gon, is the only heir.. And so he had eternal glory with the father before the world was, John xvii. 5. as his own proper eftate, natural'y (as we may fay) defcending to him. But CHRIST, as MEDIATOR, hath a purchased pl feffion, Eph. i. 14. which is the future glorious state we speak af; which we fhall enjoy with him, whilft he holds his mediatorship, be it for a thousand years; and on earth, Reu. v. 10. and xx. 4. Of this eftate more peculiarly we are faid to be heirs with CHRIST, viz. as CHRIST; becaufe we are adopted to be children by Jefus Chrift, Eph. i. 5. and faid to be joint-heirs with Chrift, because the whole inheritance was conveyed firft to him, as having the immediate titl to all; and next by faith he admits us to be fons of God, brethren to, and fharers with him, John i. 12. chap. xvii. 2. Heb. ii. 11, 12, So that as CHRIST is MEDIATOR, we partake of his purchafed poffeffion, through the redemption that is in him, Eph. i. 14. Which poffeffion hath two parts.

1. Dominion, Matt. xix. 28. Ye which have followed me in the regeneration, or rather renovation, when the Son of Man fhall fit in the throne of his glory, ye alfs fhall fit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Ifrael: and 1 Cor. vi. 2. Do ye not know that the Saints fhall judge the world: and Rev. iii. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to fit with me in my throne, even as I allo overcame, and am fat down with my Father in his throne. So that this dominion fhall not be given to the Apostles only, but to all believers.

2. Glory. Phil. iii. 20, 21. CHRIST fhall come from heaven, and change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like w bis glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to fubdue all things to himfelf. And after this mediatorial kingdom is ended, CHRIST ftill being GOD, we, being heirs of GOD, fhall partake of his natural inheritance, eternal glory in