temple, and was never seen by them. Thus, at the sounding of the seventh angel, when it is proclaimed, "That the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, it is added, that "the temple of God was open. ed in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament." So great shall be the increase of knowledge in this time, that heaven shall be as it were opened to the church of God on earth.

(2) It shall be a time of great holiness. Now vital religion shall every where prevail and reign. Religion shall not be an empty profession, as it now mostly is, but holiness of heart and life shall abundantly prevail. Those times shall be an exception from what Christ says of the ordinary state of the church, viz. that there shall be but few saved; for now holiness shall become general: Isa. lx. 21. "Thy people also shall be all righteous." Not that there will be none remaining in a Christless condition; but that visible wickedness shall be suppressed every where, and true holiness shall become general, though not universal. And it shall be a wonderful time, not only for the multitude of godly men, but for eminency of grace: Isa. lxv. 20. "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: For the child shall die an hundred years old, but the sinner, being an hundred years old, shall be accursed." And Zech. xii. 8. “He that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them." And holiness shall then be as it were inscribed on every thing, on all men's common business and employments, and the common utensils of life : All shall be as it were dedicated to God, and applied to holy purposes: Every thing shall then be done to the glory of God: Isa. xxiii. 18. " And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord." And so Zech. xiv. 20, 21...... And as God's people then shall be eminent in holiness of heart, so they shall be also in holiness of life and practice.

(3) It shall be a time wherein religion'shall in every respect be uppermost in the world. It shall be had in great esteem and honor. The saints have hitherto for the most part

been kept under, and wicked men have governed. But now they will be uppermost. The kingdoms shall be given into the hands of the saints of the "Most High God," Dan. vii. 27. "And they shall reign on earth," Rev. v. 10. "They shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years," Rev. xx. 4. In that day, such persons as are eminent for true piety and religion, shall be chiefly promoted to places of trust and authority. Vital religion shall then take possession of king's palaces and thrones; and those who are in highest advancement shall be holy men: Isa. xlix. 23. “And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers." Kings shall employ all their power, and glory, and riches, for the advancement of the honor and glory of Christ, and the good of his church: Isa. Ix. 16. "Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breasts of kings." And the great men of the world, and the rich merchants, and others who have great wealth and influence, shall devote all to Christ and his church: Psal. xlv. 12. « The daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift, even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favor."

(4) Those will be times of great peace and love. There shall then be universal peace and a good understanding among the nations of the world, instead of such confusion, wars, and bloodshed, as have hitherto been from one age to another: Isa. ii. 4. "And he 'shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people : And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." So it is represented as if all instruments of war should be destroyed, as being become useless: Psal. xlvi. 9. "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth: He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder, he burneth the chariot in the fire." See also Zech. ix. 10. Then shall all nations dwell quietly and safely, without fear of any enemy. Isa. xxxii. 18. And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation. and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." Also Zech. viii. 10, 11.

And then shall malice, and, envy, and wrath, and revenge, be suppressed every where, and peace and love shall prevail between one man and another; which is most elegantly set forth in Isa. xi. 6.....10. Then shall there be peace and love between rulers and ruled. Rulers shall love their people, and with all their might seek their best good; and the people shall love their rulers, and shall joyfully submit to them, and give them that honor which is their due. And so shall there be an happy love between ministers and their people : Mal. iv. 6. " And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers." Then shall flourish in an eminent manner those Christian virtues of meekness, forgiveness, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, brotherly kindness, those excellent fruits of the Spirit. Men, in their temper and disposition, shall then be like the Lamb of God, the lovely Jesus. The body shall be conformed to the head.

Then shall all the world be united in one amiable society. All nations, in all parts of the world, on every side of the globe, shall then be knit together in sweet harmony. All parts of God's church shall assist and promote the spiritual good of one another. A communication shall then be upheld between all parts of the world to that end; and the art of navigation, which is now applied so much to favor men's covetousness and pride, and is used so much by wicked debauched men, shall then be consecrated to God, and applied to holy uses, as we read in Isa. lx. 5....9. And it will then be a time wherein men will be abundant in expressing their love one to another, not only in words, but in deeds of charity, as we learn, Isa. xxxii. 5. "The vile person shall be no more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful ;" and, verse 8. "But the liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand.”

(5) It will be a time of excellent order in the church of Christ. The true government and discipline of the church will then be settled and put into practice. All the world shall then be as one church, one orderly, regular, beautiful society. And as the body shall be one, so the members shall be în

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beautiful proportion to each other. Then shall that be verifi ed in Psal. cxxii. 3. « Jerusalem is builded as a city, that “ is ́ compact together."

(6) The church of God shall then be beautiful and glorious on these accounts; yea, it will appear in perfection of beauty: Isa. Ix. 1. « Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Isa. Ixi. 10. “He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom' decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." On these forementioned accounts, the church will then be the greatest image of heaven itself.

(7) That will be a time of the greatest temporal prósperity. Such a spiritual state as we have just described, has a natural tendency to temporal prosperity : It has a tendency to health and long life; and that this will actually be the case, is evident by Zech. viii. 4. « Thus saith the Lord of hosts, There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age. It has also a natural tendency to procure ease, quietness, pleasantness, and cheerfulness of mind, and also wealth, and great increase of children; as is intimated in Żech. viii. 5. “ And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.".....But further, the temporal prosperity of the people of God will also be promotéd by a remarkable blessing from heaven : Isa. lxv. 21. "They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them." And in Mic, iv. 4. “But they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid." Zech. viii. 12. "For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew, and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things." See also Jer. xxxi. 12, 13, and Amos ix. 13. Yea, then they shall receive all manner of tokens of God's presence, and acceptance and favor: Jer. xxxiii. 9. “And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: And they shall fear and

tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I Even the days of Solomon were but an imas to the temporal prosperity which shall

procure unto it." age of those days, obtain in them.

(8) It will also be a time of great rejoicing : Isa. xxxv. 10. "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads: They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Chap. Iv. 12. "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: The mountains and the hills shall break forth before you." Chap. Ixvi. 11. “That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations : That ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory." Chap. xii. 3. « With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” .......Then will be a time of feasting. That will be the church's glorious wedding day, so far as her wedding with Christ shall ever be upon earth: Rev. xix. 7. « Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." Vers. 9. "Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.".........But I come now,

2dly. To say something of the duration of this state of the church's prosperity. On this I shall be very brief. The scriptures every where represent it to be of long continuance. The former intervals of rest and prosperity, as we before observed, are represented to be' but short; but the representations of this state are quite different: Rev. xx. 4. “ And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus.....and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” · Isa. lx. 15. « Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations."

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This may suffice as to the prosperous state of the church through the greater part of the period from the destruction of Šatan's visible kingdom in the world to Christ's appearing in the clouds of heaven to judgment.