'that when his son shall come, and shall abolish 'the season of the wicked one, and shall judge 'the ungodly, and shall change the fun, and the 'moon, and the stars, then he shall rest glorioufly in that seventh day.' Justin Martyr in the 'second century (4) declares the millennium to be

the catholic doctrin of his time. 'I, and as many 'as are orthodox Christians in all respects, do ' acknowlege that there shall be a refurrection ' of the flesh, (meaning the first refurrection), 'and a thousand years in Jerufalem rebuilt, ' arid adorned, and inlarged, (that is in the ' new Jerufalem) as the prophets Ezekiel, and • Ifaiah, and others unanimously attest.' Afterwards he subjoins, ' A certain man among us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Chrift, in a revelation made to him did • prophefy that the faithful believers in Christ • should live a thousand years in the new Jeru

Χρισε, αποκαλύψει γενομενη αυτῳ χίλια ετη ποιησείν εν Ιερατ σαλημ τες τῳ ἡμετερῳ Χρισῳ πι σευσαντας προεφητευσε, και μετα ταυτα την καθολικήν και, συνε Aεντι φάναι, αιωνίαν ὁμοθυμαδον άμα παντων ανατασιν γενησεσθαι, και κρισιν. Et vir apud nos

'falem, and after these should be the general 'refurrection and judgment:' which is an early attestation to the genuinness and authenticity of the book of the Revelation; for Justin was converted to Chriftianity about thirty years after the death of St. John, at which time probably many were alive, who had known and remembered the apostle. Tertullian at the beginning of the third century (5) professeth his belief of the kingdom promised to the saints upon earth, of their refurrection for a thousand years, of their living in the new Jerufalem, and therein enjoying all spiritual delights, and of the deftruction of the world and the general judgment after the thousand years: and his books of Paradise and of the hope of the faithful, if they had not been loft or fuppreffed, might have afforded ampler proofs of all these particulars. Lactantius at the beginning of the fourth century (6) is very copious

copious upon this subject in the seventh book of his Divine Institutions. He faith, 'Because 'all the works of God were finished in fix

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days, it is necessary that the world should re-• main in this state fix ages, that is fix thou' fand years.' And again, because having finished ' the works he rested on the seventh day, and ' blessed it; it is necessary that at the end of • the fix thousandth year all wickedness should be abolished out of the earth, and justice, ' should reign for a thousand years.' He faith, When the Son of God shall have destroyed • injustice, and shall have restored the just to 'life, he shall be conversant among men a ' thousand years, and shall rule them with ' most just government. At the same time the

prince of devils shall be bound with chains, and • shall be in custody the thousand years of the heavenly kingdom, while justice shall reign in the world, lest he should attempt any evil against the people of God.' He faith, When ' the

necesse est, ut in finesexti millefimianni malitia omnis aboleatur é terra, et regnet per annos mille juftitia. Cap. 14. Verum ille, cum deleverit injuftitiam, --ac justos, qui a principio fuerunt, ad vitam restauraverit, mille annis inter homines versabitur, eosque justissimo imperio reget.-Subidem tempus etiam princeps

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dæmonum-catenis vincietur, et erit in custodia mille annis cæleftis imperii, quo juftitia in orbe regnabit, ne quod malum adversus populum Dei moliatur. Cap. 24. Sed idem, cum mille anni regni, hoc est septem millia cæperint terminari; folvetur denuo, &c. Cum vero completi fuerint mille anni, -fiet, secunda

the thousand years of the kingdom, that is • seven thousand years shall draw towards a 4 conclufion, Satan shall be loosed again: and • when the thousand years shall be completed, then shall be that second and public refurrection of all, wherein the unjust shall be raised ⚫ to everlasting torments.' And having inlarged upon these topics he concludes, 'This is the < doctrin of the holy prophets which we Chriftians follow; this is our wisdom.' In short the doctrin of the millennium was generally believed in the three first and purest ages; and this belief, as the (7) learned Dodwell hath juftly observed, was one principal cause of the fortitude of the primitive Christians; they even coveted martyrdom, in hopes of being partakers of the privileges and glories of the martyrs in the first refurrection.

Afterwards this doctrin grew into disrepute for various reasons. Some both Jewish and Chriftian writers have debased it with a mixture

secunda illa, et publica omnium refurrectio, in qua excitabuntur injufti ad cruciatus fempiternos. Hæc est doctrina sanctorum prophetarum, quam Chriftiani sequimur, hæc noftra sapientia. Cap. 26.

(7) Jam in millennii regno primam fore refurrectionem corporum crediderunt primævi Chrif

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tiani. Et ut juftorum propriam eam crediderunt refurrectionem, ita martyrum in ea portionem longe esse præcipuam. Hæc cum ita crederentur, dici nequit quantum martyres illius ætatis martyrii studio inflammarint. Dodwelli Differt. Cyprian.XII. De Martyrum fortitudine. Sect. 20, 21,

(8) See

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ture of fables; they have described the king dom more like a sensual than a spiritual kingdom, and thereby they have not only exposed themselves, but (what is infinitely worse) the doctrin itself to contempt and ridicule. It hath suffered by the misrepresentations of its enemies, as well as by the indiscretions of its friends; many, like (8) Jerome, have charged the millennarians with absurd and impious opinions which they never held; and rather than they would admit the truth of the doctrin, they have not fcrupled to call in question the genuin• ness of the Revelation. It hath been abused even to worse purposes; it hath been made an engin of faction; and turbulent fanatics, under the pretence of faints, have aspired to dominion, and disturbed the peace of civil society. Befides wherever the influence and authority of the church of Rome have extended, she hath endevored by all means to discredit this doctrin; and indeed not without fufficient reason, this kingdom of Christ being founded on the ruins of the kingdom of Antichrift. No wonder therefore that this doctrin lay depressed for many ages, but it sprang up again at the Reformation, and will florish together with the study of the Revelation. All the danger is,

on

(8) See Mede's Works. B. 5. Chap, 5. D. Hieronymi Pronunciata

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