of 6000 years, during which the church was to continue in a state of imperfection; so the seventh day, or sabbath, was an emblem of a seventh millennium, which the raised saints should enjoy with Christ in the new heavens and new earth.

I. The great difficulty here, before this argument can be of service, is to make it, at least, probable, that there is this proportion or analogy between the things above mentioned; that is to say, that the six first days of the world and the sabbath ensuing answer to the continuance of the church for 6000 years in this world, and a seventh in the world to come," or resurrection state. In order to this I offer the following considerations :

1st. That it is not unusual to find the different postures of the church of Christ, both with respect to worship and circumstance in the world, represented in Scripture by different similitudes and dispensations of providence. Who does not know that Hagar, the servant of Sarah, and Sinai, a mountain in Arabia, were types of the legal institution? Again, is it not equally certain that Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and Sion, a mountain in Jerusalem, were typical of the gospel state or covenant of grace a Nay, we are told that the whole Levitical institution was made up of shadows, the substance of which are to be found in Christ only. So if we come to the different dispensations of divine providence towards the church, we shall easily believe that they also have a typical reference. Thus the captivity and bondage of the Israelites in Egypt was certainly a type of that bondage which the church was to groan under during the reign of antichrist for which reason the antichristian empire is called by the name of Egypt. The same may be observed a Gal. Iv. 24, &c. b Col. II. 17.

with respect to their captivity in Babylon; which likewise was a figure of the captivity of the church under the man of sin ;" and therefore the papacy is called "the city of Babylon." So on the contrary, the deliverance of the children of Israel from both these places of servitude, and their entering into the land of Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, are undoubtedly types of the peace, prosperity and glory of the church, first in the spiritual, and then in the personal branch of Christ's reign.

What I have above observed, will, I hope, have this good effect upon the Reader; that it will remove any prejudices he will have contracted against types in general, and make him willing to receive what may be pretended in this way from the creation. As it is certain there is a variety of types up and down in the Scriptures, how are we sure that something of this kind may not be designed in the works of the six days and the sabbath ensuing? At least, is it not worth our while, when any thing of that nature is proposed, to attend to the subject, and examine the argument with candor? If some particulars, some individuals of creation as well as providence, (which none dispute,) are singled out and made typical, who knows but, upon a nicer disquisition, the whole of it may be found of that kind likewise.

2ndly. Especially may there be reason for such a supposition, when I shall have added, that it is not with God, the creator and disposer of all things, as it is with us poor finite creatures. We know only

what is before us, or, at most, what is past; whereas it is said of the Lord, that he "declares the end from the beginning."d His infinite all-comprehensive mind called every c Rev. XIV. 8, &c. d Isa. XLVI. 10.

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thing up, and presented the things that should be, as well as all possible things, at once to his view; and therefore, we may suppose, it could not be difficult with the divine majesty, to make his first works a model or platform of all that should succeed. How easy must it have been with the all-wise and all-p erful Being, he who knows all things from the end to the beginning, to make the natural or sensible world an emblem of the rational or intellectual; to contrive, both for matter and time, his first works in such a way, as that they should exhibit in miniature the several grand events relating to the world and church, together with the several periods in which they should turn up. Nay, give me leave to ask yet further, whether is not such a design, such a view of the creation, perfectly worthy the divine Being, and every way suited to the glory of his unsearchable wisdom?

3rdly. It is generally allowed, that there is something mysterious and sacred in the number seven. It is confessed on all hands to be an emblem or figure of perfection; which is, very probably, the reason why we meet with it so often in Scripture: as in the five books of Moses, where we read, that the seventh day is holy, and the seventh was the year of rest, and that seven times seven was the great jubilee; that the living creatures entered into the ark by sevens, that the first born of every beast remained seven days with its dam, that the male children were to be seven days old before they were circumcised, that the candlestick of the tabernacle had seven lamps, that a woman after her uncleanness, and a leper after his being cured, were to be purified for seven days. But I should recite to you not only a great part of the Pentateuch, but indeed of the Old Testa

ment, were I to give you all the examples of this kind that are to be met with. Look we into the New Testament, and we shall find the use of it almost as common, especially in the Revelation. How frequently does this number occur there? We read of seven churches, seven stars, seven candlesticks, seven spirits, seven lamps, seven eyes, seven horns of the lamb, seven seals, seven plagues, seven trumpets, seven thunders and seven vials. Now, why is all this? What can we suppose the reason of it? Who is not convinced from hence that the number seven signifies completion and perfection ? And of what can it signify the completion, if not of the greatest of God's works, for which all his other were wrought; I mean, THE CHURCH? If then the number seven be every where sacred, why not the seventh period of the world, reckoning from the creation? Is it said the number seven is sacred because the seventh day was consecrated to the service of God? The demand will then be, but why has God chosen the seventh day to be holy, and a day of rest for man? Is it not plainly to signify, that the seventh day, or seventh period of the church, shall be a time of perfect holiness and peace?

To this it will be returned,-the seventh day was consecrated to rest and holiness, because God created the world in six days and rested upon the seventh. Nothing could be more to the purpose; this indeed is the spring head; higher than this we cannot go. But here also an excellent type of the seventh period presents itself. For now the question is, wherefore did God create the world in six days and rest upon the seventh? Why did he not employ five, eight, ten, or twelve days upon this account, but precisely seven? Certainly the Lord had some admirable design in this: He who is

able to the five days on which the fowls and creeping things were created; and the possessing of their kingdoms will be a little within the sixth millennium, answering to the creation of the beasts and cattle which were created at the beginning of the sixth day; and the kingdom of the house of David in the sixth thousand, answerable to the creation of Adam, who knew his creator and ruled over them all and at the end of that thousand will be the day of judgment, answering to Adam's being judged at the end of it, i. e. the sixth day. And the seventh will be the sabbath. This is the beginning of the world to come. And the sabbatical year and the year of jubilee intend the same thing."i Rabbi Gedaliah has these words to our purpose: At the end of 6000 years the world shall return to its old state, without form and void; (which is meant of the conflagration;) and after that it shall wholly become a sabbath.k”

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Rabbi Moses Bar Nachman observes, from a tradition of the ancient Jews, that the present world will conclude with the days of the Messiah; and that at the end of them will be the judgment and resurrection of the dead, which is the world to come." Here, by the days of the Messiah, he means, the spiritual kingdom of the Messiah in the present world under the last two thousand years of it; because he affirms, that the kingdom of the house of David is to conclude with the sixth thousand; that the day of judgment follows thereupon; and that the world to come begins with the seventh millennium.1

If we consult them respecting the days of the Messiah, (i. e. according

to us, the reign of Christ in the new heavens and new earth,) we shall find, that they give into the thousand years, literally understood. This appears not only by what we before observed from Rabbi Elias; but likewise from the marginal gloss upon that passage; and more particularly from Cocceius's edition.m Aruch also mentions it as a matter of unquestionable authority, or as what was generally received and entertained among the Jews." And so says Rabbi Eliezer: The days of the Messiah are a thousand years.'

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It were easy to multiply testimonies of this kind, from the Rabbies; but because I would not burden the Reader, I content myself with transcribing these, and refer the curious this way to Mede P and Whitby q for more.

But though I decline enumerating authorities of this sort, let none think the Jews were singular in their opinions on this head. Several of the primitive fathers, those especially who favoured the Millennium, have delivered it as part of their faith, that the world should continue, and the church labour in it 6000 years, and that the seventh thousand should be the day of judgment and a sabbath, in which the saints should reign with Christ upon earth. Thus Irenæus : In as many days as this world was made, in so many millenniums will it be consummated: for as much therefore as all things were finished in six days; and as a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, so the seventh Millennium will bring the consummation of all things."r

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.צדק .n In voc

4, 9. p. 535.

those words (of St. Peter) a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, point this way."r

Cyprian likewise expresses himself thus: "The first seven days, according to the divine disposal, contain seven thousand years, as the true consummation of all things."s Lactantius is more large upon this subject, having these expressions: "Let the philosophers know, who reckon so many millennary ages from the beginning of the world, that the sixth millennium is not yet concluded. When that is run out, a consummation must necessarily follow, and the world be put into a better condition." Afterwards, arguing upon the same principles as Irenæus, he says: Forasmuch then as the works of God were completed in six days, the world will continue in its present form six ages, (i. e. six millenniums :) for the great day of the Lord is bounded by the revolution of a thousand years.' And again more fully: "As God laboured six days in the production of this wonderful system, so religion and truth will suffer six thousand

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years." Because, having finished his works, he rested on the seventh day, and blessed it, it must needs be, that all malice should be rooted out of the earth upon the close of the sixth millennium, and that righteousness should triumph a thousand years."

We see then from hence, what were the sentiments of the ancients on this head and though there be no absolute proof in authorities of this kind, forasmuch as the wisest and best of men are fallible; yet I believe they challenge so much interest in us, that we dare not hastily recede from them; but observing how much their sentiments comport with facts, or things themselves,

we must allow they have an additional weight in the argument.

III. [The Author then proceeds to argue, that the distinguishing periods of the Church fall under such a division as favours the analogy; to which he considers it no sufficient objection that those periods are of unequal length, and do not correspond by being terms of 1000 years each: as (1) from Adam to Abraham 2009 years; (2) from Abraham to Moses 500 years; (3) from Moses to the perfection of the Levitical state, 500 years; (4) from the height of the Jewish church to the incarnation of Christ, A. M. 4004; (5) from the birth of Christ to the rise of popery and mahometanism, which, he says, falls upon the close of the fifth millennium; (6) thence to the end of the spiritual reign, i. e. to the second coming of Christ, which is to close the sixth millennium; (7) to the end of the millennium. He then concludes,-]

"I shall have done with this head, when I have further observed, that there seems to be something worthy our notice in God's having brought the legal state to perfection upon the close of the third millennium. Lightfoot has this remark upon it:

Now it thus falling out, that Solomon's temple was finished and perfected in the year of the world 3000, this belike hath helped to strengthen that opinion that hath been taken up by some, that as the world was six days in erecting, so it shall be six thousand years in continuance, and then shall come the everlasting sabbath. And indeed (adds he) the observation could not but please those that were pleased with this opinion: For when they found that the first three thousand years of the world did end in the perfecting the earthly temple, it would make them

t Instit. Divinar. lib. 7. c. 14.