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ment prophecies concerning the preservation and salvation of the church by the Messiah. Isai. xxxii., at the beginning. man shall be a hiding place from the wind, a covert from the tempest." Isa. iv. 6. Isa. iv. 6. And there shall be a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm, and from rain." Isa. xxv. 4. "Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm-when the blast of the terrible ones is as the storm against the wall." Psa. xlvi. 1, 2, 3. "God is our refuge and strength, we will not fear though the earth be removed, though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea," (as they in a sense were in the flood. They were in the midst of the sea; the sea surrounded and overwhelmed them.) "Though the waters thereof roar and are troubled; though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." Isai. xliii. 2. “When thou passeth through the waters, I will be with thee:" compare these texts with Psalm xxxii. 6. "Surely in the flood of great waters, they shall not come nigh thee," and Psalın xci. 7. "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thouand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh thee." We may suppose that there was a resorting and flocking of animals from all parts of the world, such as are proper to hot countries, from the south; and such as dwell in colder climates from the north. And as there are many countries that have their peculiar kinds of animals; so we may suppose there was a resorting from every quarter. A resorting of beasts and a flocking of birds, which is a lively resemblance of what is often foretold of the gathering of God's people into his church from all quarters in the Messiah's days, and coming to him for salvation when all the ends of the earth should look to him to be saved. Isaiah xlv. 22. When God should bring the seed of his church from the east, and gather them from the west, and would say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Keep not back. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth. Isaiah xliii. 6, 7, and many other parallel places. And God would gather his people from all countries, agreeably to many prophecies, and it shall be said, Who are those that fly as a cloud and as doves to their windows? The gathering of all kinds of creatures to the ark, clean and unclean, tame and wild, gentle and rapacious, innocent and venomous; tygers, wolves, bears, lions, leopards, serpents, vipers, dragons; and the door of the ark standing open to them, and their all dwelling there peaceably together under one head, even Noah, who kindly received them and took care of them, fed and saved them, and to whom they tamely submitted, is a lively representation of what is often foretold concerning the Messiah's days, when it is foretold, that not only the Jews should be saved

but unclean Gentile nations, when the gates of God's church should be open to all sorts of people, (Isai. Ix. 11, with the context,) when proclamation should be made to every one to come freely. Isai. lv. 1-9. And God would abundantly pardon the wicked and unrighteous, ver. 6, 7, 8, 9, and would bring again even the captivity of Sodom and her daughters. Ezek. xvi. 53. And those nations should be gathered to God's church, to be one holy society with Israel that were wont to be their most cruel and inveterate enemies; such as the Egyptians; Psalm lxxxvii. 4, and lxviii. 31. Isai. xix. 18, to the end, and xlv. 14. The Philistines; Psa. lx. 8, and lxxxvii. 4. Zech. ix. 6, 7. The Chaldeans; Psa. lxxxvii. 4, and Assyrians; Isai. xix. 23, 24, 25; and the most wild and barbarous nations, Tabor and Hermon, that were noted haunts of wild beasts; Psa. lxxxvii. 12; Cant. iv. 8; Psa. xlii. 6. Hos. v. 1, and the nations of Arabia and Ethiopia, (in many places see fulfilment of prophecies of Messiah 160,) countries that abounded with the most rapacious, venomous and terrible animals. When it is foretold that the beasts of the field should honour God, and the dragons and 'the owls, Isa. xliii. 19, 20; and when it is foretold "that the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them; and the cow and the bear shall feed, and their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den, and they shall not hurt nor destroy in all God's holy mountain," Isai. xi. 6-9, and chap. lxv. 25, events under the Messiah's kingdom are intended. The ark was a great while tossed to and fro on the face of the flood, ready to be overwhelmed; but at last rested on a high mountain or rock, and the company in it had enlargement and liberty, and were brought into a new world. So the church in the Messiah's days is long in a state of affliction, tossed with tempest and not comforted. Isai. liv. 11. But when she is ready to be overwhelmed, God will lead her to the rock that is higher than she, Psa. Ixi. 2, and she shall be brought out of her affliction into a new world, Isa. lxv. 17, 18, and shall dwell in God's holy mountain, as is often foretold.

Another historical event, between which and the Old Testament representations of spiritual things, and particular things appertaining to the Messiah's kingdom, there is a great resemblance in the destruction of Sodom and the neighbouring cities. There is a great resemblance between this and the future punishment of the wicked in general, as represented in the Old Testament. Fire and brimstone were poured out from God out of heaven, and rained down on these cities: so the wrath of God is often in the

Old Testament compared to fire, and is represented as poured out from heaven on the ungodly, and particularly to be poured out like fire. Nahum i. 6. Isai. xlii. 25. Jer. xliv. 6. Lam. ii. 4. and iv. 11. Ezek. xxii. 21, 22. 31. So it is threatened in allusion to the manner of Sodom's destruction, Psa. xi. 6, that upon the wicked God would rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible or burning tempest, (as it is in the margin,) and it is said this should be the portion of their cup. That destruction came on Sodom suddenly and unexpectedly, while the inhabitants were in the midst of their voluptuousness and wickedness, and wholly at ease and quiet, in the morning, when the sun arose pleasantly on the earth, and when the idle and unclean inhabitants were drowned in sloth, sleep, and pleasures; which is agreeable to what is often represented in the Old Testament of the manner of God's bringing destruction on the wicked. It came on Sodom as a snare. So it is said in that xi. Psa. "Snares, fire and brimstone, shall God rain," &c. That while the wicked is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and rain it upon him while he is eating, Job. xx. 23. That God hath set them in slippery places, and that they are cast down to destruction in a moment, and are utterly consumed with terrors. Ps. lxxiii. 18, 19. That their destruction falls suddenly upon them, as the fishes are taken in an evil net, (when sporting securely in the water,) and as birds are caught in the snare (when they are feeding and pleasing themselves with the bait.) Eccl. ix. 12. Particularly this is represented as the manner of destruction's coming on them that harden their necks when often reproved, as the inhabitants of Sodom had been by Lot, as appears by Gen. xix. 9. Prov. xxix. 1. "He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." There is a special resemblance between the destruction of Sodom, and the destruction that is foretold to come on the enemies of God and the Messiah under the Messiah's kingdom, which is often represented as being by fire. Mal. iii. 1. "Who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire." A refiner's fire is a vehement furnace, that burns up the dross. Chap. iv. 1. "For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and the proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts; it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Ps. xxi. 9. "Thou shalt make them as in a fiery oven the day of thine anger. The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them." Dan. vii. 11. "I beheld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame." Yea, that destruction is represented as effected by raining down fire and brimstone upon them. Ezek. xxxviii. 22. "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain

but unclean Gentile nations, when the gates of God's church should be open to all sorts of people, (Isai. lx. 11, with the context,) when proclamation should be made to every one to come freely. Isai. lv. 1-9. And God would abundantly pardon the wicked and unrighteous, ver. 6, 7, 8, 9, and would bring again even the captivity of Sodom and her daughters. Ezek. xvi. 53. And those nations should be gathered to God's church, to be one holy society with Israel that were wont to be their most cruel and inveterate enemies; such as the Egyptians; Psalm lxxxvii. 4, and Ixviii. 31. Isai. xix. 18, to the end, and xlv. 14, The Philistines; Psa. Ix. 8, and lxxxvii. 4. Zech. ix. 6, 7. The Chaldeans; Psa. lxxxvii. 4, and Assyrians; Isai. xix. 23, 24, 25; and the most wild and barbarous nations, Tabor and Hermon, that were noted haunts of wild beasts; Psa. lxxxvii. 12; Cant. iv. 8; Psa. xlii. 6. Hos. v. 1, and the nations of Arabia and Ethiopia, (in many places see fulfilment of prophecies of Messiah 160,) countries that abounded with the most rapacious, venomous and terrible animals. When it is foretold that the beasts of the field should honour God, and the dragons and the owls, Isa. xliii. 19, 20; and when it is foretold "that the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them; and the cow and the bear shall feed, and their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den, and they shall not hurt nor destroy in all God's holy mountain," Isai. xi. 6-9, and chap. lxv. 25, events under the Messiah's kingdom are intended. The ark was a great while tossed to and fro on the face of the flood, ready to be overwhelmed; but at last rested on a high mountain or rock, and the company in it had enlargement and liberty, and were brought into a new world. So the church in the Messiah's days is long in a state of affliction, tossed with tempest and not comforted. Isai. liv. 11. But when she is ready to be overwhelmed, God will lead her to the rock that is higher than she, Psa. Ixi. 2, and she shall be brought out of her affliction into a new world, Isa. lxv. 17, 18, and shall dwell in God's holy mountain, as is often foretold.

Another historical event, between which and the Old Testament representations of spiritual things, and particular things appertaining to the Messiah's kingdom, there is a great resemblance in the destruction of Sodom and the neighbouring cities. There is a great resemblance between this and the future punishment of the wicked in general, as represented in the Old Testament. Fire and brimstone were poured out from God out of heaven, and rained down on these cities: so the wrath of God is often in the

Old Testament compared to fire, and is represented as poured out from heaven on the ungodly, and particularly to be poured out like fire. Nalum i. 6. Isai. xlii. 25. Jer. xliv. 6. Lam. ii. 4. and iv. 11. Ezek. xxii. 21, 22. 31. So it is threatened in allusion to the manner of Sodom's destruction, Psa. xi. 6, that upon the wicked God would rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible or burning tempest, (as it is in the margin,) and it is said this should be the portion of their cup. That destruction came on Sodom suddenly and unexpectedly, while the inhabitants were in the midst of their voluptuousness and wickedness, and wholly at ease and quiet, in the morning, when the sun arose pleasantly on the earth, and when the idle and unclean inhabitants were drowned in sloth, sleep, and pleasures; which is agreeable to what is often represented in the Old Testament of the manner of God's bringing destruction on the wicked. It came on Sodom as a snare. So it is said in that xi. Psa. "Snares, fire and brimstone, shall God rain," &c. That while the wicked is about to fill his belly, God shall cast the fury of his wrath upon him, and rain it upon him while he is eating, Job. xx. 23. That God hath set them in slippery places, and that they are cast down to destruction in a moment, and are utterly consumed with terrors. Ps. lxxiii. 18, 19. That their destruction falls suddenly upon them, as the fishes are taken in an evil net, (when sporting securely in the water,) and as birds are caught in the snare (when they are feeding and pleasing themselves with the bait.) Eccl. ix. 12. Particularly this is represented as the manner of destruction's coming on them that harden their necks when often reproved, as the inhabitants of Sodom had been by Lot, as appears by Gen. xix. 9. Prov. xxix. 1. "He that being often reproved, hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." There is a special resemblance between the destruction of Sodom, and the destruction that is foretold to come on the enemies of God and the Messiah under the Messiah's kingdom, which is often represented as being by fire. Mal. iii. 1. "Who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire." A refiner's fire is a vehement furnace, that burns up the dross. Chap. iv. 1. "For behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, and the proud, yea, all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts; it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Ps. xxi. 9. “Thou shalt make them as in a fiery oven the day of thine anger. The Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them." Dan. vii. 11. "I bebeld till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame." Yea, that destruction is represented as effected by raining down fire and brimstone upon them. Ezek. xxxviii. 22. "And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain