I could easily enumerate hundreds of such instances, as they are very common, both in the scriptures, and in common language; and indeed I have been a little more particular on this point, because it is to be feared, that many texts of scripture are entirely misunderstood by divines, and commentators, through inattention to this important circumstance.

We now return to the subject of God's promise to Abraham. Christ will be a blessing to all the families and nations of the earth. This must be true, as a general rule; and the exception must be comparatively so small, that it will not affect the truth of such a general promise to all the race of Adam. The truth is, we have a right to admit the exception stated in the first original promise, on which this, and all the other promises are founded; and according to the statement in the first promise, as we have already seen, none but the seed of the Serpent can be excepted, and this is so trifling, that it is compared to a slight bruise on the heel. Therefore, excepting this, (for we dare go no farther) Christ will be a blessing to the whole race of Adam.

But Satan has been reigning now nearly six thousand years, and all the vastly numerous generations of the world are lost, of course, excepting only the little flock of Christ, the scattering few who have travelled the narrow way, and have found the strait gate. This is an undoubted fact. Consequently this very circumstance, awful as it is, does, when taken in connection with these promises of God, most effectually demonstrate and establish the truth of the Millennium. This Millennium must come so soon, and last so long, and be so universally glorious, as to save so many of mankind that all the loss that has yet been sustained, or that ever will be sustained, shall be no more than bruising the heel, when compared with breaking the head. It also clearly shows us what the Millennium must be. It must, by a necessary consequence, be a glorious time of saving innumerable multitudes of sinners; otherwise there would be more sinners lost than saved, and this circumstance could never fulfil these promises of God. God cannot be true, unless Christ will bruise the head of the Serpent, and this is not done by dying on the cross, but. by applying the merits of his death to the salvation of sinners, and that not to a few sinners; but to so many as to dethrone

Satan, and take his kingdom from him. God cannot be true, unless Christ becomes a blessing to all the families of the earth, excepting only the seed of the Serpent, to bruise his heel. But how can Christ become a blessing to sinners? Not by killing them and sending them to hell; but by saving them from hell and taking them to heaven. Christ came not to destroy men's lives, but to save them; he did not come to judge the world, or to condemn the world, but to save the world. For him to destroy men's lives, for him to judge, and condemn the world, would not be a blessing to the families of the earth, but a curse; and consequently, by being a curse, instead of a blessing, he would contradict instead of fulfil his promise to Abraham. Therefore the Millennium must be a most glorious time of the gospel proclaiming salvation to the ends of the earth, and extending the kingdom of Christ all over the habitable globe.

In John xii. 32. Christ said "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth. will draw all men unto me." The evident sense is this; the death of Christ is the only ground of the salvation of mankind. Therefore, in consequence of the death that he was about to suffer for sinners, he said that he would by the influences of his gospel, draw the world of sinners (except as above, for that is as far as we dare go) to believe on him to the saving of their souls. We, therefore, see that this declaration of our Lord is predicated exactly on the very ground of the original promise to Adam, and the promise to Abraham. And we are obliged, on the veracity of God's word, to say, that the whole world of mankind, generally speaking, with a comparatively small exception, will be drawn to Christ, and partake of the benefits of his death.

The apostle John says, (1 John iii. 8.) on this same principle, and alluding to these original promises, "The Son of God was manifested, for this purpose, that he might destroy the works of the Devil." What was the special design of Christ's coming into the world, and dying on the cross? It was to destroy, dissolve, nullify, or bring to nought, the works of the Devil; to wit, to bruise the Serpent's head; to turn the curse into a blessing on all the families of the earth; to draw all men from under the dominion of Satan, to God, that they might obtain salvation by faith in him. What are the works of the Devil? The fall of Adam, and all the dismal con

sequences of the fall; the seduction of all mankind from the government of God, their bondage to sin and Satan, guilt, pollution and eternal ruin and misery, are all the works of the Devil. Jesus, the Son of God, came to destroy and counteract them, and deliver mankind from these horrible effects of the intrigues and delusions of the wicked one. This must be done, or St. John is a liar, (as he says) and Christ will fail in effecting the grand object of his coming into the world. But this has never yet been done; for the whole world, to this day, lieth in wickedness, excepting only a comparative few, who have been prevailed upon by the power of divine grace to embrace the gospel.

The commission of the apostles has been fulfilling ever since the day of Pentecost; but it has never yet been fulfilled, but in a very trifling degree. Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. "Go ye, therefore, teach all nations;" [MATHETEUSATE PANTA TA ETHNE] bring all the nations into a church state; or into theological societies, "Baptizing them," &c. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you." Mark xvi. 15. “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." PASE TE KTISEI; to the whole creation, or to the whole world. Paul's commission to the Gentiles was very grand and explicit. Acts xxvi. 18. "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; that they may receive forgivenness of sins, and an inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith that is in me." These commands were given to the apostles and their successors to the end of the world, and Christ promised to be with them [EOS TES SUNTELEIAS TOU AIONOS,] even to the consummation of time. The apostles began their career on the day of Pentecost, and spared neither expense, labor, trouble, danger, persecution, nor even the shedding of their blood, in fulfilling their important commission. Nearly eighteen hundred years have been spent in preaching the gospel, since Christ ascended to glory, and yet nothing like the one quarter of the world is christianized to this day. It is supposed that there are nearly eight hundred millions of people on the earth at the present time, and the one half of them are Pagans; the rest are Mahometans, Jews, and Christians. The Mahometans are worshippers of the imposfor Mahomet, and are upwards of a hundred millions in

number. The Jews are violent enemies to Christ and the gospel, and are very numerous; and even counting Papists who are worshippers of the Virgin Mary, and the images of angels, and canonized saints; and counting the Greek churches in Asia, who are very little better, there are but two hundred millions of christians in the world. But when we deduct the Roman Catholicks, and the Greek churches, and all formal professors among the Protestants, from the number of the disciples of Christ, the number will be reduced to a little flock indeed, when compared to Satan's kingdom.

But according to the commission of our Lord, the whole world is to be evangelized, and brought into a church state. This has never been done, nor any thing like it. Yet it must be done, or the apostles, and ministers of Christ, even with Christ with them to the end of the world, must fail of fulfilling their commission. What is the matter? Is Christ, who has the hearts of all flesh in his hand, not able to conquer Satan, and convert the world? It is plain that the only reason why the whole world is not converted to christianity is, the time is not yet come. But it must come, and it will come, or Christ's commission to evangelize the world will be a mere bravado, and would bring to our recollection the man who began to build, and was not able to finish. But it may be said, that the gospel has been preached in all the different quarters of the earth. So it has; but what great things has it done, comparatively speaking? A number of churches have been planted, and a number of souls saved, it is true; but has all Asia, Africa, Europe, and America been converted to God? Has the gospel converted the Jews? Has it converted the Pagans? No; not the twentieth man of them! Has it converted the Mahometans? No; but the Mahometans have, in a great degree, converted the Christian church, and turned their temples into Mahometan Mosques! Has it converted the Papists? A few of them were converted in the time of the reformation. Has it converted the American Indians? Has it converted many of the one million five hundred thousand slaves in America? Alas! how little has the gospel done in the world, these eighteen hundred years; and is this all the ground that true religion has gained on the kingdom of Satan now for nearly six thousand years, and after such pompous promises too? Surely, surely,

there must be a Millennium coming, and a glorious one for the salvation of poor miserable sinners! The miserable state of the world calls for it, if God has any compassion in him for helpless sinners; the state of the church calls for it, if Christ has merit enough in his blood to save a guilty world; the promises of God call for it, if there is truth and power enough in him to fulfil his word; yea, the dignity of the cross, the honor of Christ, and the glory of God, all require it. Therefore we may with confidence rely upon it, that the time is fast approaching when Christ will completely bruise the Serpent's head, and overturn his whole kingdom, and set up his gospel kingdom, and extend his dominion over the whole world, and proclaim salvation to the ends of the earth; and when in him, according to his promise, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

SECTION II.

Commentators have given us different opinions about the Millenium. Dr. Burnet, Bishop Thomas Newton, Mr. Spalden, and some others, say, that Christ, at the commencement of the Millennium, will literally descend from heaven, and dwell with his church personally on earth, and that he will raise the bodies of all the martyrs and saints from the dead, who, with the saints that will be found alive, will constitute the kingdom of Christ during the thousand years of his reign here below. They also think that the wicked will not then be raised, and that all the wicked on earth shall be slain, to make room for the righteous, who will be raised from the dead. The resurrection of the martyrs they call the first resurrection. The second resurrection, they say, will be the resurrection of the wicked, when the thousand years will be finished, and Satan will be loosed out of his prison; and some of them also say that the gospel will cease, and all the means of grace, and offers of salvation will be at an end, at the commencement of the Millennium. Dr. Whytby, Mr. Lawman, Dr. Scott, Dr. Doddridge, and many others, are of a different opinion. They think