was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him." (276)

If St. John had meant to apply this description of Daniel to his raised martyrs, he could not fail to have taken in so remarkable a part of it as "the fiery stream" and "the burning flame," and he certainly would (according to his usual manner) have dropped by the way some tokens of his meaning, which in the fulness of prophetical time might lead us to the right application of it. But as he has not done thus, but passing by this, has adopted a different figure from Ezekiel, we needs must understand him as the resurrection of dry bones has always been understood, and as it explains itself, ver. 11, to signify a spiritual resurrection of the whole house of Israel. The Jews have been always witnesses, and in these last times have afforded a constant and power

(276) See similar figurative descriptions of the celestial court and its scenery, Ezekiel ch. i,-and x. 13.—Isaiah. vi. 1,-Rev, iv 2.-i. 13, 14.-Dan, x. 6.

ful evidence even to Christianity; and have been truly (μapruges) martyrs unto God on account of Christ, to whom they have been of fered a living sacrifice in the flames of popish persecution, and have been cut off in frequent and extensive massacres for their fidelity to their religion. (277) But besides this, which is a material objection against the admission of “the fiery stream" as a prophetical repre

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among

(277) To this is the allusion of David in the xliv Psalm v. "Thou lettest us be eaten up like sheep, and hast scattered us the heathen. For THY SAKE are we killed all the day long; and are counted as sheep appointed to be slain."-They were truly so considered by the papists of the dark ages, See Basnage's History of the Jews. Of their persecutions the authors of the Universal History vol. xiii p. 389. Mod. part, say "we hope our readers will gladly permit us to be more brief than we have been with respect to the sufferings and horrid persecutions they have been forced to undergo, especially during the 15th and 16th centuries, and beyond, on false accusations of crucifying christian children, stealing consecrated wafers to use them in their conju rations, and the various miracles by which their pretended crimes have been brought to light, and exposed them to the barbarous fury of a zealous populace, and subjected them to such dreadful punishments, as can hardly be read without horror. These we say, have been so frequent and in so many parts of Eu rope, during this epocha, that a bare narrative of them would more than fill one of these volumes; for which reason we shall content ourselves with mentioning some of the most considerable instances of this zealous cruelty."

sentation of the raised bodies of dead saints and martyrs, that figure seems in much want of confirmation by some proofs of the scripture use of it in such a sense, which I think cannot easily be shewn. (278)

(278) The manner in which Mr Sharp applies this to the saints of the first resurrection is in imitation of St. John,"for as rivers and streams of water represent multitudes of men in their mortal state, so ‘a fiery stream' is a similar emblem of the raised saints." (See Remarks on the R. C. Catechism, by G. Sharp) It might have been so interpreted, if it had ever been so applied by any inspired writer. The emblem of water for people is of notorious frequency. But fire is used in the language of prophecy in every other emblematical application almost except that. 1. To denote punishment and torment to the wicked.-Matt. xviii. 8.-Mark ix. 43, 46. 2. Anguish and sorrow to the just by persecution.-Isaiah ix, 5.-Zech. xiii. 9.-Luke xii. 49. 3. Peril and difficulty of escape.—Jude. xxiii.-1. Cor, iii. 15.-Amos. iv. 11. 4. Zeal true or false -Isai, 1. 11.-Ezek. xxxvi, 5.-xxxviii, 19.-Rev. xv, 2. 5. Trial.-Isai. lxvi. 15. 6. Wrath and contention.-Prov. xvi, 27,-James iii. 5, and it is often indicative of the presence of the divine Being himself, but of inferior, created beings, I think, it is not so used.

St. John in applying the emblem of waters, to signify people, has adopted it, as he has most or all of his figures from other sacred authors, which have so used it before him; and he has also strictly confined himself to their manner of applying their own symbolical imagery. Rev. xii. 15;-xvi. 12;-xvii. 15;

Numb, xxiv. 7;-Isai. viii. 7;-xxviii. 17;-xliii. 2;Eccles. xi. 1;-Jer. li. 13,

II. The arguments upon which the proof of the first resurrection, as a literal fact, seem chiefly to depend, are drawn from those passages of scripture which Mr. Sharp considers as express promises of God" to that effect. The express words of Daniel xii. 1, 2, 3, are cited in proof." At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to everlasting shame and contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness, as the stars for ever and ever."

The force of this text to the purpose of proving a first resurrection, must lie in the words " many of them which sleep," which seems to imply a partial awakening; but the context shews evidently that is not the sense intended; because here the wicked rise to punishment as well as the good to glory, expressly contrary to St. John's account of the first resurrection-and both of them rise to an everlasting retribution, which restricts the

whole to the only resurrection mentioned in any part of the doctrinal scriptures, that at the last day. St. Paul uses the word many for all, very frequently, (279) and it is so to be taken here. This text of Daniel does, therefore, rather tend to prove that St. John (as being the only sacred author who has mentioned a double resurrection,) is to be understood in that place (Rev. xx. 4) in a sense consistent with the general tenor of his book, that is to say, in a figurative sense. (280)

(279) Romans v. 15, 19;-1, Cor. x. 17;-Heb, ix. 28. (280) But these three verses of Daniel in context contain two widely different subjects. The first relates to the restoration "And it of the Jews, and corresponds with Isaiah iv. 3, 4. shall come to pass, that he that is left in ZION, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy (a clear allusion to the state of the converted Jews, in the millennium,) even every one, that is written among the living in Jerusalem, when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning." It is entirely a figure of the remnant or election of grace, to whom (above twenty-three centuries ago) God pledges his sacred word that he will take as much care of them and restore them individually to a man, at the end of the indignation, as if they had A most wonderful instance of the been all registered in a book.

magnificence of the divine power,-wisdom,—and grace!

The second and third verses are as clearly prophetic of the general resurrection and day of judgment.