bees, forced into an almost hopeless and desperate resistance, by the imprudent excess of a too confident and secure tyranny. In such circumstances, these saints, forced to have recourse to the sword in defence of their lives, will perform more than was expected from them. Under the auspices of a favoring providence, they will eventually succeed in the full vindication of their liberty and rights, but not without previous suffering, and exhibiting perhaps many glorious examples of fortitude and even patience of martyrdom for that faith which once they despised. (338) Stimulated

Mr Sharp of the saints of Daniel vii, and Rev. xx. 4, which are not only like a stream of fire, but possess also its caustic and destructive properties. This, if really so, may perhaps qualify them for fighting saints better than my fighting Jews and Protestants, Vol. i. p. 175.-vol. ii. p. 128.-vol. iii. p 269, 275. -Yet one difficulty will remain, viz. by what inducements moved, any hostile powers can be drawn together of sufficient hardihood to encounter them in arms, seeing they cannot but expect instantaneous and total destruction from an army of immortals in bodies of fire!

(338) See the analogy between the conversion of St. Paul and this of the whole Hebrew nation, supposed by Mr Mead in his answer to Dr. Twiss, vol. ii. lib. iv. Ep. 14. That the Jews may be again employed as the instrument of divine vengeance, in an age of increasing bloodshed and augmented pe VOL. III. 3 S

by the Spirit of God, as their fathers were in the days of old, to throw off the Egyptian bondage, the Jews will now break from off their necks the yoke of the spiritual Pharoah, (Isai. x. 27. xlvii. 6,) and inflict the predicted vengeance of heaven upon of heaven upon the tyrant of the world. Thus appearing as the prophets of God, (Psalm cv. 15,) at a time when religion is almost universally overthrown, and as "the people of the saints of the Most High," at the very period of which Daniel speaks, (vii. 27,) they will finish the prophecy of the

rils, (as their fathers were in exterminating the wicked Canaanites,) is nothing out of nature or surpassing the limits of possibility; and may, under such circumstances as are supposed, be done without any forfeiture of their title of saints, unless they embrace QUAKERISM for christianity; a question which will admit of some discussion.

'There are two seasons of peculiar vengeance upon popery declared; the HARVEST and the VINTAGE, (Rev, xiv.)— the latter the most dreadful of the two, and a double fall is predicted. The first fall is past, and the French revolution, or opening of the bottomless pit, may correspond to the HARVEST,— but the other catastrophe is yet future. The third beast has not reached his utmost daring, and the false prophet has not yet commenced his predicted activity. The dark clouds of concealed futurity still hang heavy over the years of the SECOND

PROPHETICAL PERIOD.

witnesses, and deserve, and possess the kingdom for ever and ever.

Antichrist indeed is virtually to be consumed by the two edged sword of the word of God, but not extirpated without violent struggles of another nature co-operating with it. The circumstances enumerated in this Psalm (cxlix) as, the execution of a divine vengeance by the sword (Micah iv. 12, 13), the conquest and taking captive of the bestial kings, the former captors of Israel-(which are the two judgments particularly denounced against mystic Babylon, Isai. xiv. 2. Rev. xiii. 10,) and the exultation of the conquerors after the victory is achieved, (Psalm lxviii. 22, 23,) are much too strong to be attributed to an army of saints raised from the dead, and too much appropriate to be given to any other saints than an army of Jews raised from spiritual death, and acting in this mission under the special guidance of heaven, "as in the days of old according to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt (says God), will I shew unto him marvellous things." (Micah vii. 15.) The saints of the first ree

surrection, setting all other wonders and incongruities aside, never can correspond to the character of the saints here described, however they may shine in other departments, in the dexterous management of the necessary business of life, or political ability in conducting the government of their respective kingdoms. (339)

In Psalm lxxix. 2, 3, the title of saints is applied to martyrs, but apparently not to those martyrs against whom the papal little born waged his long wars, and not connected with any prophecy or promise to them of a reward in this world. "The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of heaven, and the flesh of thy SAINTS unto the beasts of the earth. Their blood have they shed like water round about

(339) In his "remarks on the R. C. Catechism." p. 99. Note Mr Sharp applies this Psalm to the raised martyrs. But to that exposition an insurmountable objection arises from the single circumstance of the tyranny of Gog, and the inva sion by the countless host of the Gogian infidels. That a miraculous interposition should be necessary to resist it, betrays a decay of talents and want of foresight and vigor of govern ment, of which a raised ministry must be incapable.

JERUSALEM. And there was none to bury them." This is perhaps the only allusion to the martyrs that is to be met with in the Psalms, and seems to apply to the Maccabees slain by Antiochus, or if Jerusalem be taken figuratively for the church of God in all ages, and the martyrs are both christian and jewish sufferers, yet in neither case can any foundation be laid upon this tender ground for the support of a first resurrection, and reign of martyrs for 1000 years.

In the Psalms then, I do not find any passage which holds forth such a promise to "the saints persecuted by the little horn," as Mr. Sharp speaks of, nor can I perceive any such in any other part of scripture, except Rev. xx. 4. which I consider as out of the question, for the reasons assigned. The total silence of our Saviour and all the apostles, even when speaking upon topics where the direct mention of a first resurrection reserved for the saints could not have been avoided, if they had known of any such thing, is a conclusive argument with me against it. text of Zechariah xiv. 5, "the Lord

That

my God