difplay of divine fovereignty would not have been made. 5. Another valuable end which is obtained by God, in leaving fome to go on in fin and perith, is the peculiar difplay which this makes of the riches of his grace to those whom he renews, and chooses to be the veffels of his mercy.--If God had renewed and faved the whole of mankind, it might never have been fo ftrongly felt by creatures, that there was no kind of obligation on God to the finner, to convert him; and that he was at perfect liberty, even after an adequate redemption had been provided, either to apply it or not apply it, to the falvation of the finner, as fhould appear good in his fight. Nor could this grace have appeared to fuch advantage, had all been saved, for want of the striking contraft exhibited in the different treatment which the veffels of wrath, and of mercy, refpectvely receive from the hand of God. This idea appears to have deeply impreffed the mind of the apostle Paul, when he said, "What if God, willing to fhew his wrath and make his power known, endued with much long-fuffering the veffels of wrath fitted to deftruction, and that he might make known the riches of his glory on the veffels of his mercy which he had afore prepared unto glory." Ifaiah alfo gives us the fame idea from the mouth of God. "And it fhall come to pafs, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, fhall all flesh come to worship before me, faith the Lord. And they fhall go forth, and look upon the carcafes of the men which have tranfgreffed against me; for their worm fhall not die, neither fhall their fire be quenched, and they fhall be an abhorring unto all flefh."-Thus the diftinguishing exercife of grace makes a peculiar difplay of the riches of divine mercy, towards those who are faved. From the whole it is conceived, that it is made plain, that the atonement is infinitely full-that God in his invitations to finners, and in his folemn declaration, that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live, is confiftent with his leaving fome to go on in fin and perish-And that there are reafons which may be affigned why God does not convert and fave all the human race: Particularly, that the punishment of unbelief, which is a new and peculiar fpecies of wickedness, might be exemplified-the juftice of God be more fully manifefted-that by the exhibition of the unyielding nature of fin, the juftice of God in the endless punifhment of evil men and angels might be seen in its true glorythat the fovereignty of God, and the dignified manner in which he exercifes his grace might be known and that the exceeding riches of his grace towards the redeemed, might appear as they are. In all thefe refpects, God illuftrates his own glorious perfections, in the view of his creatures, and enriches them with the knowledge of himfelf, by leaving fome to go on in fin and perifh; and in proportion as he brings himself into view, he adds to the everlasting blessedness of his whole kingdom. The wifdom and goodness of God are alfo difplayed, in adopting a measure calculated to produce fo many valuable ends, and creatures are effectually taught the firmness and ftability, with which the Moft High proceeds in his administra tions of government.-Thefe are great and valuable ends, which we fee are answered by the fovereign difpenfations of grace and juftice among men. So many way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why: will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael?' reafons for this way of proceed. An explanation of the eleventh chap ing are made known to us; perhaps more may be seen by a sufficient attention to the fubject, and probably many more will be ter of the Revelation, [Continued from page 388.] 'PART II. ROCEEDING to the pro difcovered by the people of God, pofed explanation, and mak ing only thofe very concife and general obfervations which fhall be fuppofed fufficient to illuftrate and confirm the fubjects fuggefted, we have, ver. 1. the direction of the angel, Rife, aud measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.-As the fubjects contained in this chapter, and generally through the whole book are expreffed in figurative terms, it is of peculiar importance juftly to conceive the primary import of them, and then to accommodate this to the fubject propofed, which will communicate to us their true fignification. Is it not well known, that the temple was an edifice erected in Jerufalem for the worship of God according to his own appointment? The altar was an appendage to the temple, and ef fentially neceffary for the performance of the temple fervice. Here the facrifices were offered, and devotional exercifes attended. the temple the priests taught the people out of the book of the law, and Chrift preached the gofpel of the kingdom. The tem in the world to come. But how many reafons God has for thefe proceedings, no finite creature can determine. 'Canft thou by fearching find out God, canít thou find out the Almighty to perfection? Finally; the things which have been noticed, in attending to this important queftion, are calculated to imprefs our minds with the infinite mercy of God, in producing an all-fufficient atonement, and freely offering falvation to us all-with our infinite obligations to Jefus Chrift, for the things he has done and said to purchase mercy for finners-with the awful wickednefs and inexcufableness of the impenitent and unbelieving, whose blood must be upon their own heads-with the mercy of God, in reclaiming any from their obftinate perverfenefs, to himself-with the isdifpenfible duty of all who hear the gofpel, to repent and believe without delay with the reasons which finners have to tremble at their guilt and danger and with the peculiar obligations of thofe whom God has renewed, and adopted into his family, to admire diftinguishing grace, and be conftant and zeal-ple, at the dedication of it, was ous in his fervice. And let the filled with the glory of God. world admire the compaffion, and This was the place of his moft obey the gracious exhortations of gracious refidence. Here he manGod, who fays, As. I live, faith ifefted himself, heard the fupplithe Lord, I have no pleasure in cations and received the praifes the death of the wicked; but of his people. For thefe reafons that the wicked turn from his it was called holy, and mount In Zion on which it was erected was the holy hill, and Jerufalem in which it flood was the holy city. The temple, we are taught in the New Testament, was a type of the church. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God. For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. The building, the church, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord-for a habitation of God thro' the fpirit-Is it not evident from this, that by the temple, the altar, and those who worship therein', we are to understand the church of Chrift Jefus, confifting of the true worshippers of God, who offer fpiritual facrifices acceptable thro' Jefus Chrift?By the meafuring of the temple and altar, we are taught, that the church is precifely circumfcribed and limited, is diftinctly feparated from the world, is peculiarly reserved for God, and the fubject of his conftant protection The Lord knoweth them and care. 6 of God by profeffion, but idolatrous Gentiles in spirit and practice, or antichrift in his whole extent.-This direction of the angel introduces the grand fub. jects of the little book, which may be exhibited in the following order. I. The Gentiles treading the holy city under foot, or the superftitious and idolatrous spirit of Gentilism displaying itself in the visible church. | that are his. Ver. 2. But the court', or yard where the common people affembled. which is without the temple, leave out and meafure it not.' As by the temple,' &c. we are to understand thofe who worship God in fpirit, fo by 'the court' we are to understand fuperficial and formal worshippers before the woman to deftroy her of him; by not measuring this, child as foon as it was born, the it being given to the Gentiles, we exertions of the empire to fupare taught that thofe nominal prefs and prevent the prevalence profeffors were abandoned to the of the Chriftian religion? By the fuperftitious and idolatrous spirit 6 war in heaven, Michael and his of Gentilism, which fhould pre- angels fighting, and the devil and dominate and reign in them. Ac-his angels,' have we not reprefentcording to this explanation, we have the univerfal, vifible Chriftian church divided into two parts; one reprefented by the temple and altar'denoting the true church, confifting of spiritual worfhippers of God-The other by the court,' denoting worshippers ed the fevere conflicts between Chriftian confeffors aided by the power and grace of Chrift, and heathen powers ftimulated by the * Perhaps Conftantine, and his elevation to the imperial diadem, might be particularly intended. on a religious mask to effect it: He enticed Christian profeffors to adopt the fuperftitious customs and idolatrous rites of the new converts to the faith, and actually fucceeded in his enterprise to establish the idolatrous fpirit and religion of heathens in the visible church. Having fortified this acquifition. and being angry with the woman, he went to make war with the remnant of her feed, for the conftancy of their faith and their ftedfast adherence to the religion of Chrift. To give us the most impreffive idea of this engine, this meffenger of Satan, to blafpheme God, and vex and distress his people; the apostle addreffes to us a full portraiture of him, Chap. 13. in the figure of a montrousbeaft rifing up out of the fea, having feven heads and ten horns, opening his mouth in blafphemy against God, his tabernacle and them that dwell in heaven,' or the temple and its worshippers, and making war with the faints.' And to give us a view not only of the horrid impiety and cruelty of the Chriftian religion Gentil old ferpent the devil, one to effect the converfion of the empire to Christianity, the other to obftruct it? By the devil's not prevailing,' have we not fignified the unfuccefsfulness of heathenifh efforts to prevent the prevalence of Chriftianity and the actual converfion of the empire? By his being caft out into the earth,' the humbled and degraded state of heathenifm after this revolution? By the ferpent's cafting out of his mouth water as a flood,' after the woman, that he might caufe her to be carried away of the flood, have we not reprefented the incurfions of the fouthern nations upon the empire, inftigated by Satan, to fubvert the Christian caufe? By the earth's helping the woman, opening her mouth and fwallowing up the flood,' have we not fignified the mild and favorable difpofition of the favages, who inftead of overturning the church as they had overturned the state, were abforbed by the Chriftians, embracing their faith, profeffing their religion and incorporating with them? This brings to the fubject, or period, under confider-ized, but also of the captivating ation. The vifion proceeds, ver. 17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her feed, which kept the word of God, and have the teftimony of Jefus Chrift.' Of this, it is fuppofed, the following fummary contains the true import. The devil, by the fuppreffion of heathenifm or idolatry, being vifibly depofed in the Roman empire, and exiled from court, to the favage nations of the earth, and being difconcerted in his artful ftratagem to fubvert Christianity, by inftigating the barbarous nations, thro' his inftruments, to overturn the empire, turned into an angel of light or put 6 influence of it upon those whose names were not written in the Lamb's book of life, we have it pourtrayed, Chap. 17. in the fig ure of a fafcinating barlot,' gai ly attired, making all nations drink 6 the wine of her fornication,' or fuperftition and idolatry, and herself drunk with the blood of faints and the martyrs of Jesus."Thus we have the Gentiles treading the holy city under foot, or antichriftianifm displaying itself * Though heathenifh cuftoms had been adopted by the church before the rians, yet did not an idolatrous fpirit fubverfion of the empire by the barba obtain much greater influence by that event? in the visible church.-Let us now confider, II. The witnesses prophefying in fackcloth. to bear testimony against him at the commencement of his blafphemy, and fhall continue their teftimony through the whole term of his ufurpation and influence, twelve hundred fixty days, or years. But this never was, nor will it ever be, applicable to any two individuals of the human race. Who are these two witnees? is a question which hath often been propofed, and to which various anfwers have been given. The two teftaments, fay fome. Two of the ancient prophets, fay-This compels us not only to others. Some fay, two eminent admit that the two witnesses are martyrs; and others, the two not any two individual perfons, great reformers, Luther and Cal- but fuggefts to us who they are, vin. But will not an examina- The worshippers in the templetion of the paffage itfelf demon- Thofe who embrace the genuine frate, not only that no one of doctrines of the gospel, and atthese is the true anfwer, but what tend its holy inftitutions.-Unless the true answer is? The charac- we view them in connection with ter of witnefs or witneffes, relates the context, they are introduced to doubt or controverfy, and it is in an unusual manner, very abruptthe office of witneffes to exhibitly, and without any prognostics the truth and reality of fact. They exist, confequently, only where controverfy fubfifts. Thefe are Chrift's witneffes, and the cone teft is about the queftion, What is truth? or, Who is king and head of the church? Chrift claims the office, and antichrift, as God, will fit in the temple of God. It is the province of the witneffes to teftify in favor of the fupremacy of Chrift, and against antichriftian ufurpation. The text accordingly reprefents them as appearing at the fame time. When the Gentiles began to tread the holy city under foot, or antichrift to arrogate the prerogatives of Jefus Chrift to himself, the witneffes bare teftimony againft it. They continue for the fame term, forty and two months, or twelve hundred and fixty days, or years. When antichrift fhall ceafe to blafpheme, the witneffes will ceafe to prophefy. The witneffes cannot confequently be understood of any who lived before antichrift exifted, nor after he fhall expire. Nor of any, unless they appeared by which they might be known. But the text speaks of them as already produced and exhibited; and where is this unless in the temple, the altar, and thofe who worship therein? Do not thefe remarks fufficiently evince, that by the two witneffes we are not to understand any two diftinct perfons, but that church of the liv ing God, against which the gates of hell fhall never prevail, and which is the pillar and ground of the truth. As by the Gentiles, the beaft, the man of fin, or by whatever name antichrift is defignated, we are not to understand any one particular perfon, but a certain. character continued through many fucceffive generations, fo by the witneffes we are to understand a defcriptive body or fociety, compofed of many individuals and continuing from age to age thro' the appointed time of their teftimony. Some of thefe from their diftinguished ability, fortitude, zeal, and the energy of their tef timony, may now more eminently be called the witnesses than thole |