It has been a frequent error to look for rest short of God's rest. Good Zacharias and his brethren fondly looked for a rest in this life; that, being delivered out of the hands of their enemies, they might serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of their life. This appears to have been an error among the tribes that entered into Canaan, which Joshua endeavored to remove, by speaking of another day-that is, the rest of God, which is rest indeed; all short of which is labor and war.

People, therefore, in the present expectation of a millennium, are looking for either too much, or not enough. To be consistent, they must give up the idea either of its being a sabbath—a rest, or of its being probation time; for these ideas will never harmonize. There remaineth a rest to the people of God; but he that enters into it ceases from his labors.

I know such arguments as these will be little felt by them that are at ease in Zion, whose condition I pray I may never envy; but they that endure hardness as good soldiers will think more of them.

The doctrine of the millennium is truth; and the prevailing expectation, that it is fast approaching, and is now very near, is doubtless rational. And is the millennial state of the church the new Jerusalem-the blessed and holy Jezreel? Is it a dowry for the faithful, of such richness-a promised reward for the prophets and saints, small and great, so truly estimable-wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God? Is the millennium the day of marriage-the day of the consummation of redeeming love? Is it the

day of the joy of the Lord-the day of the gladness of his heart? Is it the day when his espoused, blessed of the Father, shall enter into his joy, and when the righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father? Ye that love the appearing of Christ, lift up your heads, and rejoice; your redemption draweth nigh. Comfort one another with these words. Antichrist, that is now pining away with the spirit of his mouth, shall soon be destroyed with the brightness of his coming. And when ye shall see this, though now ye are so dispirited, ye shall rise and shout; your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish. These heavens and this earth must pass away. Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new-behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be you glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping shall no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. Therefore, rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her; rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her; for ye shall be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations, and shall be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

"Lo, what a glorious sight appears

To our believing eyes!

The earth and seas are passed away,
And the old rolling skies.

From the third heaven, where God resides,

That holy, happy place,

The new Jerusalem comes down,

Adorned with shining grace.

Attending angels shout for joy,
And the bright armies sing,
Mortals, behold the sacred seat
Of your descending King.

The God of glory down to men
Removes his blessed abode;
Men, the dear objects of his grace,
And he the loving God.

His own soft hand shall wipe the tears
From every weeping eye;

And pains, and groans, and griefs, and fears,
And death itself, shall die.

LECTURE IX.

GOG AND MAGOG.

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison; and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, GOG and MAGOG, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.-REVELATION XX. 7, 8.

THE objections against what has been advanced in these Lectures have chiefly been brought into view as we have proceeded; but there remains one, and the principal one, yet to be considered.

The Gog and Magog army is thought to be formidable to our doctrine of the millennium, and is often set in battle array against our beloved city. And although for its defence we marshal host on host, under the banners of the prophets and apostles, yet at the very mention of Gog and Magog our opponents shout for victory, like the Philistines at the appearance of the giant of Gath.

The objection is this: If the judgment of the great day to come before the millennium shall burn

as an oven, and the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble, and that day shall burn them up, and leave them neither root nor branch; and if the kingdom of God shall then come on earth, in which the church of Christ shall shine forth in all the perfection and glory foretold of the new Jerusalem; whence comes Gog and Magog?

As Gog appears to be the champion of the modern millenists, I have let him stand by for a single combat; which will be our principal task in this lecture. And as it will become a stripling like me to encounter this old warrior with great caution, and guard my first approaches, you will give me time to fortify my posts, and cover as I advance.

Our surest knowledge of the Scriptures is obtained by comparing spiritual things with spiritual. The Scriptures themselves afford the best interpretations of the Scriptures. The Gog and Magog of the Revelation is, perhaps, almost the only passage of Scripture that stands singly and alone, and that has no spiritual things to compare with; therefore we cannot be so sure that we understand it as we may be of other parts of Scripture, of which the sense is cleared by being expressed in different connections and

words.

Some, indeed, have supposed that the Gog and Magog of the New Testament must be the same as the Gog and Magog of the Old; but upon this supposition it is not at all in the way of our millennium, for the Gog and Magog of Ezekiel are to be dead and buried, every bone of them, before the millennium. The last work done