name, small and great; and shouldst destroy them who destroyed the earth."

All those Scriptures which describe the destruction of the world, yet to occur, as to be effected by fire, specially, harmonize in representing that event, not only as contemporaneous with the final judgment, but as preceding the full, peaceful reign of the Redeemer, as preparatory and introductory to its consummate and eternal establishment. Thus we have seen, in the pas sage we have noticed in Daniel, in 2d Thessalonians, and in 2d Peter. Ezekiel speaks of fiery storm which should fall upon the unrighteous combination, the hosts of Gog and Magog, assembled against the people of God. Ezek. 38: 22. Isaiah, in the last chapter of his prophecy, evidently having the same combination in view, says: Behold, the Lord will come with fire, with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebukes with flames of fire, for by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh." And what other than the same period and event are described, Rev, 20th chapter, where it is said of Gog and Magog, with their assembled multitudes, combined and marshalled for the destruction of God's people, that "fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them ?" In the 97th Psalm, we meet with this declaration : "A fire goeth before Him, and burneth up his enemies." In this and in the preceding and the following Psalms, the writer, under the spirit of inspiration, describes a coming of the Lord to reign on the earth, and to fill it

with blessedness. How can we account for this description of a destruction by fiery wrath, in connection with that government of His, which is represented as being so benign as to make the whole earth so joyful, that all things animate and inanimate, are by figure described as singing and shouting in praise and transport? Regarding it as a description of the world's final judgment, and the peaceful, happy and unending reign of Christ over the whole and entire earth succeeding it, it appears altogether natural, consistent and lucid.

In Zechariah, 14: 5, it is prophecied, "The Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee." It seems the Prophet is speaking of the time when the present evil state of the world shall end, and a happy one commence. For what does the Lord come with all his saints, at that epoch, but to judge the world and enter upon his own everlasting kingdom on earth?

Another passage of this kind, is 2d Timothy, 4: 1-"I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom."Here, the second advent of our Lord, the universal, final judgment of the whole world, and the full institution of Christ's kingdom, are conjoined in a manner that places their connection beyond question.

One more passage to this point we will notice, Hebrews 10: 12, 13-" But this man, (Christ Jesus,) after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his

footstool." What "expectation" is this, and what subjection of his enemies, with which the fulfilment of that expectation is connected, is this, but the expectation of receiving his own proper and everlasting kingdom over all the earth, when all who shall have resisted his authority, obeyed not his gospel, shall have been removed from it? all opposition forever subdued, and his kingdom established forever.

NOTE.-I am aware that an objection will arise in the minds of some against the idea that the world during the reign of the Messiah, will be perfectly sinless and blessed, from the manner in which a certain class of Scripture passages speak respecting that period; but the individuals who may entertain this objection, will upon examination, find those passages as much in their own way as mine. They hold to a Millennial state almost sinless and nearly free from evil, but those passages seem to intimate, that during the age of rest there will be a good deal of sinful disorder, with trouble. They so dispose of them as to have them out of their own way. I think they will be out of mine likewise,

CHAPTER II.

THE MILLENNIUM,

IN the twentieth chapter of Revelations, a peculiar period of a thousand years' duration (hence termed the Millennium,) is described. "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.

And

I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and who had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 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. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city : and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them."

In the Church, in both ancient and modern days, the opinion (founded on this Scripture) has prevailed, that, somewhere in the course of time, there is to be a period remarkable for the cessation of wickedness, the reign of righteousness, and great blessedness to the people of God, and of great glory to his cause. In thus much there has been a general agreement; but a division of sentiment has prevailed as to the manner and particular circumstances of this reigning of Christ and blessedness of his people. By some it is regarded as a spiritual reign of Christ with his people on the earth, for the space of a thousand years. But this class, considering this Apocalyptical Millennium as the identical kingdom promised the Messiah, and feeling the force of the many passages which speak of the great duration of that kingdom, are rapidly taking the ground, that this Millennium is to continue some hundreds of thousands of years. By others, it is believed that at the commencement of that period, the Lord himself will descend, personally, from heaven, raise the dead bodies of his people, who had lived and died on earth, making them immortal, crowning them with blessings and honors, he remaining

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