6

heaven, Rev. xi. 13. The tenth part of the city fell, viz. the great city fpiritually called Sodom and Egypt, on whose street the dead bodies of the witneffes lay. Rome, fays one, is but the tenth part in greatness now of what it was anciently †.' However we understand this fall, it certainly fignifies fome great deftruction to Popish powers, which shall immediately fucceed the 1260 years of the beaft's reign, and of the witneffes prophecying in fackcloth, (Guyfe). And to me it feems the fame with what is elsewhere faid of the effects of the feventh vial, That there was a great earthquake; and the great city was divided into three parts, and

10. Then, then the Hallelujah high,

Shall ever dwell upon our tongue:
No more we'll fin, no more we'll figh,
But fhout an everlasting song.

Rev. iv. 10. v.9, 10.

11. To him who tore from death it's fting,
It's vict'ry from the cruel grave;
In ceafelefs fongs we'll ever fing;
In him alone we vict'ry have.

12. In vict'ry, death is fwallow'd up,

Of life we now have reach'd the fhore,
Accomplish'd is our every hope,
The monster death is known no more,

I Cor. xv.

55-57% Ifa. xxv. 8.

the cities of the nations fell; and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath, Rev. xvi. 19. What is meant by the feven thousand men flain in the earthquake, which followed the afcenfion of the witneffes, is hard to fay. As in the hiftory of the witneffes, there is an evident allufion to Elijah's times, Rev. xi. 6. So poffibly the seven thousand enemies flain, may allude to the feven thoufand hidden ones in Elijah's day, who had not bowed the knee to Baal, nor kiffed his image. In the one cafe, seven thousand witneffes were politically flain; and here feven thousand of the enemy are flain in the earthquake: taking however the definite number for an indefinite, and as implying the total overthrow of the Popish adverfary. In the former cafe, the caufe of God was brought very low; and, in the latter, that of Antichrift fhall. The witneffes were fmothered in the one cafe; the pillars of Popery fhall fall in the other. Babylon the great fall fall, fhall fall, and fhall rife no more.

2. The calling of the Jews fhall follow the refurrection of the witneffes. As the deftruction of the Babylonish monarchy by the Perfians, iffued in the deliverance of the Jews from their caprivity; fo I humbly judge the destruction of myftical Babylon, will foon be fucceeded with the calling, the effectual calling of the Jews *. On the burning of Babylon,

We have an ample promise to this purpose, Ifa.xi. 11,-16. where we read, That God fhall fet his hand the fecond time to recover the remnant of his people, &c. Which promife remains yet to be fulfilled; for it has an exprefs reference to Meffiah's times. It is mentioned after his saying the wicked one with the

the inhabitants of heaven are represented as raifing the high hallelujah, `afcribing falvation, and glory, and honour, and power unto the Lord. And again they faid, ALLELUIA; and her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And, adds John, I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, Saying, ALLELUIA: For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready, Rev. xix. 1,-7. The learned More and Mede think, that this marriage of the Lamb, refers to the converfion of the Jews, who, when formerly invited to the marriage of the king's fon, rejected the invitation; but now, being ready, they fhall make hafte to come. When invited at firft, they made light of it, and fpitefully treated the fervants who were honoured with the meffage; upon which the Gentiles were bidden to the fupper, Matth. xxii. 2,-10. Luke xiv. 16,-23. Since that time, the Jews have been broken off from the Abrahamic covenant, Their boufe left

Spirit of his mouth, ver. 4. which is yet to come, 2 Theff. ii. 8. It mentions the affembling of the outcafts of Ifrael, as well as the gathering together the difperfed of Judah; and the mutual love betwixt the two tribes and the ten all which evinces, that it's accomplishment is yet future. The deftroying the tongue of the Egyptian fea, and fmiting the river, viz. Euphrates, into feven ftreams, that there may be a high way for the remnant of God's people, intimates the removal of every thing that should obftruct their converfion, and in particular the destruction of Popish and of Turkish powers. We have the fame promise, chap. xxvii. 12, 13.; and in Zech. x. 10, 11, 12. See Witfius, De Decem. Trib. Cap. viii. fect. ult. Cap. xi. fect. 1,—5.

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unto them defolate; and a bill of divorce put into their hand.

Jerufalem had her day, but not attending to the things which belonged unto her peace, they have been for many ages hid from her eyes. Blindnefs has feized Ifrael; but not for ever. That vail now upon their hearts, fhall in God's appointed time be taken away, Rom. xi. 25. 2 Cor. iii. 16. Such a defirable æra, is in holy scripture connected with the fall of Antichrift. Our text, compared with the following verfe, indicates fo much: for, the prophet having said, When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord fhall lift up a ftandard against him; immediately adds, And the Redeemer fball come to Zion, and unto them that turn from tranfgreffion in Jacob, faith the Lord: Or, as the apostle reads it, There fhall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and fhall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their fins, Rom. xi. 26, 27. The ancient prayer shall be fully anfwered, The falvation of Ifrael fball come out of Zion, Pfal. xiv. 7. The Redeemer, coming in his Spirit from thence, fhall turn away ungodlinefs from Jacob. According to the full import of that promise, Zech. xii. 10. He will upon the Jews the Spirit of grace and of fupplications; and they shall look upon him whom they pierced; and they fhall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only fon, and fhall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first born. No more fhall they ftumble at the doctrine of the crofs, having the fulleft perfuafion, that he, whom their fathers nailed to it, was indeed the Son of God, the Meffiah pro

pour

mifed to Ifrael. The Redeemer having by converting grace, turned away ungodlinefs from Jacob, fhall come with ftrong confolation to Zion's converts. The Jews fhall be no more a hiffing, a taunt, and a proverb; but an honour in the eyes of the nations. Temporary bleffings fhall tread as on the heels of fpiritual; and very poffibly they fhall be gathered to their own, to their ancient land. So, many excellent divines have thought †.

3. The converfion of the Gentiles, fhall follow the refurrection of the witneffes. They having afcended, The kingdoms of this world fhall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, to fuch a degree as they never were; and he fhall reign for ever and ever, Rev. xi. 15. As the fall of Antichrift paved the way to the converfion of the Jews, fo fhall their converfion to that of the nations: For, as argues the apoftle; If the fall of them be the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness? For, if the cafting away of them be the reconciling of the world; what fhall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? Rom. xi. 12, 15. Ifrael shall be a bleffing in the midst of the earth, Ifa. xix. 24. As a fountain bubbling up in the midst of a garden or field, it fhall water the whole, and fend it's ftreams afar. (Vitringa). As the root was a bleffing, Gen. xii. 2. fo fhall alfo the branches.

The converfion of the Jews, fhall ftrike the na

† Doddridge's Lectures, p. 385. Fulfilling of the Scriptures, p. 203. Willifon's Balm of Gilead, p. 144. Dr. Newton on Prophecy, Vol. III. p. 405.