feverer operation must therefore be performed upon it, before its cure can be completed. It muft undergo a fecond luftration by fire, to purge away all its dross; and refine it, fo as to come up to its ori ginal standard. So great is the malignity of that evil, which requires fuch severe, and repeated, and continued remedies, in order to the entire cure and removal of it. We have grounds from fcripture to believe, that natural and moral evil will, in a great measure, yet not totally, be removed and overcome, before the confummation of all things; and that the latter ages of the world, next preceding its final diffolution by fire, will, in general, be the best and happiest; and will approach the nearest to the innocence and perfection of the paradifiacal ftate. On the other hand, there is reafon to apprehend, there will ftill be in it some feeds of evil of both kinds; lurking unperceived for a time, but which will at length break out, and grow to a great head. The The world will then be divided into two oppofite parties, of righteous and wicked men; each of which shall prevail in their turns. Righteousness shall at first flourish, and the faints fhall reign a thousand years; at the expiration of which term Satan fhall be loofed out of his prison : And fhall go out to deceive the nations, which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle. This is described as a very formidable host; the number as the fand of the fea, covering the breadth of the earth, and compaffing the camp of the faints about, and the beloved city *. Ezekiel likewife prophefies against these terrible powers, Gog and Magog, by name; and foretels their coming up againft God's people of Ifrael, and his land, in the latter years, and latter days. He enumerates the several nations of which they fhould confift. He compares them to a * Rev. xx. 6-gi ftorm, ftorm, for the fury of their onfet; and for their overfpreading multitude, to a cloud that covered the land. He farther resembles them to young lions, for their devouring rage; and, which renders them ftill the more dangerous enemy, he represents them as falling by furprise upon a defenceless people that dwelt in fecurity. Notwithstanding all this, it is faid, that God would magnify and fanctify himself upon them; that both the house of Ifrael, and the heathen might know that he was the Lord that he would turn them back, and put hooks into their jaws: And fo great would the fury and fire of his wrath and jealoufy be, that it would, as ufual in fuch vifitations, be attended with a great fhaking, or earthquake; which would affect every part of the creation-That the mountains would be thrown down, and the steep places fall, and every wall should fall unto the ground *That he would * This will complete the leveling of the mountains. call F f call for a fword against them, and would plead against them with peftilence and blood; and would rain upon them overflowing rain, and great hail-ftones, fire, and brimftone. He then proceeds to defcribe their overthrow; and fo great would their flaughter be, that their weapons of war would be found in fuch abundance, as to take up no less than seven years in burning, and to fave the ufe of all other fuel. The multitude of their dead carcafes would caft fuch a stench, as would be highly offenfive; and the burying of them would be a work of feven months. And when the bulk of them fhould be committed to the earth, yet it would be neceffary to have men of continual employment fevered for burying the remainder of the dead, and to cleanfe the land: And yet, there would be fo great a facrifice from the flesh of the mighty, and the blood of princes, for the ravenous birds, and beafts of of the field to devour, as would quite. gorge and furfeit them *. A carnage fo great as to exceed all parallel must be productive of much corruption in the earth; which, together with the diforder which nature would be fuffered to run into, and the ravages and defolations which would be made by this monftrous race of men, would be a great check and draw-back upon the improvements which will have been made, and may defeat and fpoil all the efforts of man's industry to fertilize and meliorate the earth, together with the concurrence and co-operation of nature to overcome the curfe, and restore itself; infomuch, that it is poffible every thing may run back as fast, if not faster, into ruin, than things were going forward before towards an amendment and recovery, and may even reduce the earth to fuch a ftate of wildness and barrennefs, as to render it * Ezekiel xxxviii, xxxix. quite |