and reprove with equity, for the meek of the earth: And he thall fmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips fhall he flay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together,, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones fhall lie down together: And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The fucking child fhall play on the hole. of the afp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."* This is evidently a prophecy of Chrift, and his kingdom on earth. He fhall judge and reprove for the meek of the earth, and flay all the wicked on earth, that the meek may inherit it; which is exactly agreeable to the forementioned prophecy, in the thirty feventh Pfalm. "Evil doers fhail be cut off, and yet a little while. and the wicked fhall not be ; but the meek fhall inherit the earth; and delight themselves in the abundance of peace." And this univerfal peace and harmony among men, which shall take place at that time, is expreffed in the prophecy before us, in very strong, figurative language; by the wolf dwelling with the lamb, &c.And the ground and reafon of this is given. "For the earth. shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the fea." By the knowledge of the Lord is meant true religion, or real christianity, which consists most effentially in benevolence and goodness, as has been shown. So far as this takes place, love, peace, and the moft happy concord and union, are promoted; and every thing contrary to this fuppreffed and banished. Therefore, when this thall take place universally among men, and fill the earth, as the waters cover the sea, there will be nothing to deftroy or hurt, but univerfal fafety, peace and love. No fuch time has ever been yet known. The true knowledge of God has been fo far from filling the earth; that grofs darkness has covered much the greatest part of it; and real chriftianity has been confined to narrow bounds; and but very few of mankind have attained to the character of true chriftians, even where the gospel has been published, And a horrible scene of oppreffion, cruelty, war and murder, has fpread C • Chap. xi. 1-9. fpread all over the earth; and will continue to do fo, until Chrift fhall arife and fmite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and flay the wicked with the breath of his lips; and cause the earth to be filled with the knowledge of God. Such a happy time is yer future, and will certainly come. The twenty fifth chapter contains a prophecy of the fame event, fome of which is worthy to be tranfcribed. "And in this mountain, shall the Lord of hofts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will deftroy in this mountain the face of the covering caft over all people, and the vail that is fpread over all nations. He will fwallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people fhall he take away from off all the earth; for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him, and he will fave us: This is the Lord, we have waited for him, we will be glad, and rejoice in his falvation." The gospel is here reprefented by a rich feaft; and it is promised that all people and nations fhall have their eyes opened to fee it; and all reproach, and oppofition to the church of Chrift, shall be taken away from off all the earth; and there fhall be univerfal joy in the falvation, for which the church has long waited, and which shall come in the last day. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, faith your God. Speak comfortably to Jerufalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: For the hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her fins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make ftraight in the defert a high way for our God. Every valley fhall be exalted, and every mountain and hill fhall be made low; and the crooked shall be made ftraight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the Lord fhall be revealed, and all flesh fhall fee it together: For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”* This is a prophecy of the times of the gospel, as it is thus applied in the New Teftament. It does refer to the first introduction and the coming of Chrift into the world; but is not confined to this: It gives a comprehenfive view of this great falvation, and the favour and glory which is to come to the church of Chrift in this world, and looks forward to the day, when the glory of the Lord fhall be fo revealed that all flesh, that is, all nations, all mankind, fhall fee it together. This has not yet been fulfilled; but is to be accomplished in a time yet to come, when "The earth fhall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the fea."* All that precedes this day is preparatory to it, as the ministry of John the baptift, was an introdution to it, and more immediately prepared the way for Chrift. From the beginning of the fortieth chapter of Ifaiah, to the end of the fixty fixth chapter, with which his prophecy clofes, there is almoft one continued feries of predictions and promises of good, falvation, happiness and glory to the church of Chrift, which have principal reference to the latter day when the Millennium fhall take place; and when they will have their chief accomplishment. It will be fufficient to answer the end now propofed, to mention the following paffages. Salvation by Chrift, is frequently represented as actually extend. ed to the ends of the earth, which has not yet been accomplished. “Look unto me, and be ye faved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none elfe. And he faid, It is a light thing that thou shouldeft be my fervant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preferved of Ifrael: I will alfo give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayft be my falvation unto the end of the earth. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all nations, and all the ends of the carth fhall fee the falvation of our God." The fame phrafe is ufed by the prophet Micah. "And he shall ftand and feed in the ftrength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God, and they fhall abide : For now fhall he be great unto the ends of the earth.”‡ The fixtieth chapter of Ifaiah, is filled with comfort and promifes to the church, as alfo are the preceding chapters. The following expreffions may be particularly noted. "Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee. For behold the darkness fhall cover the earth, and grofs darkness the people; but the Lord fhall arife upon thee, and his glory fhall be feen upon thee. The Gentiles fhall come to thy light, and kings to thy rifing. Therefore, thy gates fhall be open continually, they fhall not be fhut day nor night, that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may he B 2 * Hab. ii. 14. ↑ Ifai. xlv. 22. xlix. 6. lii, 10. brought. Chap. v. 4. brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee fhall perish: Yea, those nations fhall be utterly wafted." No fuch event has been yet. When this shall take place, all nations, all mankind, muft belong to the church; for all others fhall be utterly wafted. 'The fame thing is foretold by the Prophet Zechariah.* The fixty first chapter of Isaiah, is on the fame fubject, and the fixty fecond throughout. Upon fuch promises made to the church, The breaks forth into joy and praise, in the prospect of the good that is coming to her. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my foul fhall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of falvation; ke hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels. For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden caufeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; fo the Lord God will caufe righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations." "For Zion's fake, I will not hold my peace, and for Jerufalem's fake, I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles fhall fee thy righteoufnefs, and all kings thy glory: And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord fhall name. I have fet watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerufalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night. Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not filence, and give him no reft, till he establish, and till he make Jerufalem a praise in the earth. Go through, go through the gates; propare you the way of the people; caft up, caft up the highway, gather out the ftones, lift up a ftandard for the people. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy- falvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they fhall call them, The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord: And thou fhalt be called, Sought out, A city not forfaken."+ "Who hath heard fuch a thing? Who hath feen fuch things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? For as foon as Zion travailed, fhe brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? faith the Lord. Shall I caufe to bring forth, and fhut the womb ? faith thy God. Rejoice ye with Jerufalem, and be glad with her, Chap. iii. 14-29. + Chap. Ixii. 1, 2, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12. all all ye that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: That ye may fuck, and be fatisfied with the breafts of her confolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus faith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.”* In the prophecy of Jeremiah, the following paffages are found, which predict the utter abolition of idolatry on earth, and the converfion of all nations to chriftianity, which events have not yet come to pass. "At that time they fhall call Jerusalem (i. e. the church) the throne of the Lord (i. e. The Lord fhall reign in and by it.) And all nations fhall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerufalem; (i. e. fhall become members of the church.) Neither fhall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart." They fhall wholly renounce their idolatry, and all their wickedness. "Thus fhall ye fay unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under those heavens. They are vanity, and the work of errors. In the time of their visitation they fhall perish." According to this prophecy, this will take place while this earth and the heavens remain, and therefore before the day of judgment. This fubject is set in a very clear light in the book of Daniel the Prophet. It is there repeatedly declared that the church, or kingdom of Christ, shall be the last kingdom on earth; that it shall fucceed four preceding monarchies, become great, and fill the world, and exist in a very happy and glorious state on earth. By the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and the interpretation of it in the fecond chapter of Daniel, the kingdom of Chrift is fet in this light. The image which Nebuchadnezzar faw, represents four kingdoms or monarchies, viz. 1. The Babylonian. 2. The Medo Perfian, or that of the Medes and Perfians. 3. The Macedonian or Grecian. 4. The Roman. These are all to pass away and be destroyed, to make way for a fifth kingdom, which shall be great, and fill the world; which is described in the dream, by the following words: "Thou fawest till a ftone was cut out without hands, which fmote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and break them in pieces. Then were the iron, the clay, the Chap. Ixvi, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13. ↑ Chap. iii. 17. Chap. x. 11, 158 |