and its Governors, Nobles, Priefts, and Elders, and People, from the Cup of Sorcery described in St. John, Rev. xviii. 12, 13, 14. Will not the Cities of the Nations know their Picture drawn by the Pencil of the Divine Prophet?

24.

As to false Alarms, it is very right to be cautious of listening to them, fince our SAVIOUR declares that falfe Prophets and Matt. xxiv. Teachers fhall go forth, when GOD is fending the true Interpreters to preach and prepare the World, for the greater Manifeftation and coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, to those many Nations of the Earth, which, from Babel to this Day, near 400 Years, have fat in Darkness and in the Shadow of Death. St. John, describes three unclean Spirits like unto Frogs going out of the Mouth of the Dragon, Rev. xvi. 13. and of the Beast, and of the falfe Prophet. Thefe appear to be falfe Teachers and Reprefenters of the Gofpel; among whom can we omit that unclean Lip of Interpretation carrying through the Earth by Zinzendorf? and the increasing Herd of those filthy Beasts, Men and Women, whofe Faces like their great Captain's, are as the Whore's Forehead, and cannot blush at thofe Scenes of Lewdness, worse than any heathen Mysteries, which are practifed within their Adyta, or the fecret Chambers of their Sanctuary? Does religious Toleration open fo wide a Door to fuch Abominations, which even heathen Rome would have cut up by the civil Sword? Let the excellent Writer of the Elements of the civil Law, bear See the Senawitness to what Romans did (though They encouraged all Superftition) to fupprefs Immoralities under the Mask of Religion.

tûs Conful

tum

Marcianum,

in the Ele

The Prophet informs us, that the old Dragon knoweth that he ments of the has but a fhort Time to deceive the Nations; and on this Account, civil Law, p. 546. a Woe is pronounced against the Inhabitants of the Earth. The Rev. xii. 12.. Fruits and Works of the Sons of God, who are led by his HOLY SPIRIT, are wrote down to difcern and try the Spirits of Men; which however do not mean that every good Man is a good Prophet, or Interpreter of the Gofpel; for the Romish Church will produce Men, who have exceeded all our itinerant Ignatiufes in outward Sanctity. Muft then their Piety, real or feigned, fanctify their Errors and falfe Conceptions of the Gospel? Take heed how ye hear and how ye believe. Many will fay I am the true Prophet

and

and Preacher of the Gospel, as it is in JESUS, while they are deceiving the World with the fame erroneous Divinity, about the Merits, Atonement and Satisfaction of CHRIST, which Peter Lombard, from Austin and Aquinas, and Scotus, and the Sons of these Colleges of Prophets, have formed and given to the World again with a new Name, through Luther and Calvin. Both were educated Papists and School Divines, and (though great Lights) compared with the Darkness preceding, they were not able, in one Day, to bring the Church out of the thick Clouds, gathered through fo many Centuries before. This fhameful and prostituted Sense of our bleffed LORD's Love and Crofs, is reviving under Antinomianifm, difguifed with a little falfe Piety, which is always dogmatical, and when oppofed, turns to Cruelty, Perfecution, and Blood.

It seems alfo that fome will affume the Character of the MESSIAH, to deceive the Jews in particular, whose Dispersion Matt. xxiv. is drawing to its Conclufion.

24.

Further, though the Beginning of the great feventh Year of the World be appointed for the first Resurrection of the Martyrs only, it ought not to lose its Force upon those who live in the intervening Time.

Cyprian upon Martyrdom, has justly obferved, that God will reward the Martyrdom of the Heart, as well as the real fhedding of the Blood. Exemplary Goodness in a corrupt World, and a very corrupt Age of it, is a Tryal flower, and perhaps harder than any other Martyrdom. Daniel and John offered their Lives, yet their Blood was not shed. These Inftances fupport Cyprian's Affertion, and might be intended to point out the great Reward of fuch, who are ready to lay down their Lives, and who are burning and fhining Lights, amidst a perverse and wicked Generation. Noah, Abraham, and Mofes, were the Martyrs in Affection and in eminent Holiness, and did not refift unto Blood; fhall we think, that such highly favoured Servants of GOD will not have a Place in the first Gathering of the Saints into the third Heavens, the HOLY of HOLIES from Paradife, which is the Holy Place only, when the great Sabbatic Year of the Restoration shall be completed in the REDEEMER'S

King

Kingdom? We may be well affured, that many eminent Servants of God, who have devoted their Time, Wealth, Power and Influence in a more than common Way, and in a peculiar Regard to promoting the Kingdom of CHRIST among Men, will have their Lot among this first-chofen Number, these first-born Sons of JEHOVAH at this glorious Period. Wherefore, it is most probable, that divine Wisdom, which hides itself in a delicate Manner from the Scorner and Wicked, chofe to distinguish these two Prophets with the Names of beloved, though neither fealed their Faith in their Blood, but only offered themselves to yield that last Testimony of their first Love. Hence we may conclude, that there is an internal Martyrdom of the Heart, which will entitle to the firft Refurrection, over whom the fecond Death can have no Power; because they are Sons of JEHOVAH, FATHER, WORD, and HOLY SPIRIT in the glorious and fpiritual Body, or the full Cherub coupled together, and in a Kingdom, which cannot be fhaken. This fpiritual Martyrdom seems to be infinuated in the Words of not worshipping the Beast nor his Image, and having neither his Mark on their Foreheads, nor in their Heads. Thrice happy they, who shall follow the spiritual JESUS through the inward Leading and small Voice to the daily Mount of Calvary in spiritual Martyrdom and Crucifixion. Some few of such spiritual NAZARITES or MOURNERS; fome fuch fpiritual Eunuchs Matth. v. 4. for the Kingdom of Heaven's Sake are always to be found in Matth. xix. every Church and People of CHRIST upon Earth. These are the Salt of the World, and fhow what the daily Crofs of CHRIST is in Col. iii. 3. us, and what the Life hid with the mediatorial Nature in GOD means in its Strength and Purity. They ferve as Guides to others who follow on, that they may attain more Growth in the myfiic Regeneration, that new Temple and new inner Adam, building in CHRIST, through the overshadowing of the holy Spirit in the Ifrael of GOD. They bear Witness, though cloathed in Sackcloth, against the numerous falfe Prophets, who preach up chiefly the outward Atonement, and Merits, and Cross, and Death, and Refurrection, and Afcenfion of CHRIST, to their blind Multitudes, and deceive them; while the real and fpiritual JESUS, carrying back the fallen Adam

G

through

Rev. xx. iv.

22.

Rev. xi. 3.

through the Procefs of the inward Transfiguration and Regeneration into the two Sanctuaries, that of Paradife first, and into the third Heavens or holiest Place at laft, is quite forgot and despised. Among thefe noble Nazarites (who were equal to Prophets under the Mofaic Difpenfation, and were fpiritual Interpreters of their Figures), let us venture to reckon William Law the greatest Prophet of the Chriftian Church; the finest moral and spiritual Interpreter of this Age. His excellent Writings I will venture to recommend to all, who defire to know where the true Church, Temple, and Kingdom of GOD within us is to be found: where Emanuel, GoD in us, Jehovah the Word or living Light in his Effence, manifefts. himself by the great mysterious Union recorded at the Confecration of his Apostles, his spiritual Levites, in the whole 17th Chapter of St. John. This Commendation may cost me dear, fince if this great Light be flain at one Blow, under the Name of a myftic, a Name which belongs to St. John and St. Paul, I must expect to have my Neck cut off, by the Sentence of the two literary JudiThe Monthly Critical and catures, or rather Star Chambers, when the next monthly Seffions Literary Re- on criminal myftic Authors fhall arrive. I am not afhamed to profess, with Erafmus, that one Page of fuch spiritual Interpretation as Origen, from the Key of St. Paul and St. John, opened unto the Christian Church, is worth ten Pages of Austin.

views.

Erafm. lib. ii. epift. 26.

men.

Nor am I afraid, with the great Henry More, to speak well of the Jacob Beh- Teutonic Theofopher, though a hundred Civilians like Heineccius, or a thousand Scholars full of fuch Pagan Learning as Warburton, deride this Man endued with an Unction from on high, greater than any one, fince the Days of the Apostles. Yet am I far from calling any Man Rabbi, except Moses and his Master JESUS CHRIST; nor will I accept Hay, Wood, and Stubble, with Pearl and fine Gold; or be blind to the Errors of Man, on Account of his Ex-. cellencies. And I think I can point out fome Truths of a most glorious Nature, which have been concealed behind the Shade and Veil of Mofes, and are now manifefted in the Face and Brightness of the great Reconciler of all Things both in Heaven and Earth Col. i. 20. through the Blood of his Crofs.

As

18.

As to a further Objection from the Promife of CHRIST, that the Gates of Hell fhall not prevail against his Church; this will be Matth. xvi. a vain Piece of Flattery: for though the Promise be a most undoubted and comfortable Truth, yet doth not the Chriftian Church expect, and Scripture declare a great Apoftafy from the Faith peculiar to the laft Times? and if divine Wisdom permitted fo long a Reign of Superftition and Darkness in Popery before, what is there inconfiftent in expecting the Cloud to gather again for a little while;, why may not that bloody Hand, which has murdered the Saints and Prophets of the Gospel, lift itself once more, and prepare a Crown of Glory for the noble Army of Martyrs, whofe Reward and Kingdom will be then fo near at Hand.

This is fpoken upon the general Prefumption of Chriftian Writers, that the Church of Rome will rife and triumph fome few Years before it falls; that the two Witneffes and Prophets, mean-Rev. xi. 7. ing the true Gospel, will be flain just at the Expiration of their Teftimony. But it appears more probable, that the greatest Part of the laft Perfecution will be felt within its own Bowels, by killing those of its former Members, who fhall rife up as Witnesses against it; when the Old Ifrael fhall be converted unto CHRIST.

The Spirit of Love and the Zeal of Martyrdom, as Doddridge justly observes, is dead: The Jews will revive it, while the Horns or crowned Heads fhall fight to fupport the Babel of all Impiety, Ignorance, and Superftition, which flatters them, as much as ancient Babylon, and heathen Rome flattered their Kings and Emperors. These Nebuchadnezzars, in their defpotic Governments built on falfe Religion, will heat the Furnace one feven Times more Dan. iii. 19. for the Children of GoD, who among fo many People, Nations, and Languages, falling down and worshipping their golden Image, shall bear Testimony against their Gods of Gold and of Silver, of Brass and of Iron, of Wood and of Stone. But they shall also Dan. v. 4. make a Decree in

at last, like the mighty Monarch of Babylon, Favour of the Worship of the true God: They fhall turn and hate the Whore, and make her defolate and naked, and fhall eat her Rev. xvii. 16. Flesh, and burn her with Fire.