fpiritual fenfe; but if the rest of the dead really rife, the martyrs rife in the fame manner. There is no difference between them; and we should be cautious and tender of making the firft refurrection an allegory, left others fhould reduce the fecond into an allegory too, like those whom St. Paul mentions (2 Tim. II. 17, 18.) Hymeneus and Philetus, who concerning the truth have erred, faying that the refurrection is past already, and overthrow the faith of fome. It is to this firft refurrection that St. Paul alludes, when he affirms (1 Thef. IV. 16.) that the dead in Chrift shall rife firft, and (1 Cor. XV. 23.) that every man fhall be made alive in his own order, Chrift the first fruits, afterward they that are Chrift's at his coming, and then cometh the end, after the general refurrection. In the general that there shall be fuch a happy period as the millennium, that the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, fhall be given to the people of the faints of the moft High (Dan. VII. 27.) that Chrift fhall have the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermoft parts of the earth for his poffefion, (Pfal. II. 8.) that the earth fhall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the fea, (If XI.9.) that the fulness of the Gentiles fhall come in, and all Ifrael fhall be faved, (Rom. XI. 25, 26.) in a word that the kingdom of heaven fhall be established upon earth, is the plain and express doctrin of Daniel and all the prophets as well as of St. John: and we daily pray for the accomplishment of it in praying Thy kingdom come. But of all the prophets St. John is the only one who hath declared particularly and in exprefs terms, that the martyrs fhall rife to partake of the felicities of this kingdom, and that it fhall continue upon earth a thousand years: and the Jewish church before him, and the Chriftian church after him, have farther believed and taught, that thefe thoufand years will be the feventh millennary of the world. A pompous heap of quotations might be produced to this purpose both from Jewish and Chriftian writers: but I choose to felect only a few of the moft material of each fort; you may may find a great number (8) in Dr. Burnet and other authors who have treated of this fubject. Of the Jewish writers (9) Rabbi Ketina, as cited in the Gemara or glofs of their Talmud, faid that the • world endures fix thousand years, and one thousand it 'fhall be laid watte, (that is the enemies of God fhall ⚫ be destroyed) whereof it is faid, (If. II. 11.) The Lord * alone fhall be exalted in that day. Tradition affents to • Rabbi Ketina: As out of feven years every seventh is the year of remiffion, fo out of the feven thoufand years of the world the feventh millennary fhall be the millennary of remiffion, that God alone may be exalted in that day.' It was (1) the tradition of the house of Elias, who lived two hundred years or thereabouts before Chrift, and the tradition might perhaps be derived from Elias the Tifhbite, that the world endures fix thousand years, two thousand before the Law, two thousand under the Law, and two thousand under the Meffiah.' It was alfo (2) the tradition of the houfe of Elias, that'the juft whom God fhall raise up (meaning in the first resurrection) shall not be turned again into duft. Now if you inquire, how it fhall be with the juft in those thousand years wherein the holy bleffed God fhall renew his world, whereof it is faid And the Lord alone Jhall be exalted in that day; you must know that the (8) Burnet's Theory. B. 3. Ch. 5. B. 4. Ch. 6. Mede Placita Doctorum Hebræorum de Magno die Judicii. p. 535. B. 5. Ch. 3. page 892, &c. &c. (9) Dixit Rabbi Ketina, Sex annorum millibus ftat mundus, et uno (millenario) vaftabitur; de quo dicitur, Et exaltabitur Dominus folus die illo. Traditio adftipulatur R. Ketine: Sicut ex feptenis annis feptimus quifque annus remiffionis eft, ita ex feptem millibus annorum mundi feptimus millenarius millenarius remiffionis erit, ut Dominus folus exaltetur in die illo. In Gemara Sanhedrim, apud Mede. p. 535, et p. 893. (1) Traditio domûs Eliæ: Sex mille annos durat mundus: bis mille annis inanitas; bis mille annis Lex; denique bis mille annis dies Chrifti. apud Mede. p. 536, et p. 894. Burnet's Theory. B. 3. Ch. 5. (2) Traditio domûs Eliæ: Justi quos refufcitabit Deus non redigentur iterum in pulverem. Si quæras autem, Mille annis iftis quibus Deus fanctus benedictus renovaturus elt mundum fuum, de quibus dicitur Et exaltabitur Dominus folus in die illo, quid juftis futurum fit; fciendum, quod Deus fanctus benedictus dabit illis alas quafi aquilarum, ut volent fuper facie aquarum; unde dicitur (Pfal. XLVI. 2.) Propterea non timebimus, cum mutabitur terra. At forte (inquies) erit ipfis dolori feu afflictioni. Sed occurrit illud (If. XL. 31.) Exfpectantibus Dominum innovabuntur vires, efferentur altâ inftar aquilarum, apud Mede, p. 776. holy bleffed God will give them the wings as it were of eagles, that they may fly upon the face of the waters; whence it is faid (Pfal. XLVI. 2.) Therefore 'will we not fear, when the earth fhall be changed. But perhaps you will fay, it shall be a pain and affliction to them. Not at all, for it is faid (If. XL. 31.) They that wait upon the Lord fhall renew their strength, they fhall mount up with wings as eagles.' Of the Chriftian writers.St. Barnabas in the first century (3) thus comments upon those words of Mofes, And God made in fix days the works of his hands, and he finished them on the feventh day, and he rested in it, and fanctified it. Confider, children, what that fignifies, he finished them in for days. This it fignifies, that the Lord God will finish all things in fix thoufand years. For a day with him is a thousand years; as he himself teftifieth faying, Behold this day fhall be as a thousand years. Therefore, children, in fix days, that is in fix thousand years, fhall all things be confummated. And he refted the feventh day: this fignifies, that when his fon fhall come, and fhall abolish the feason of the wicked one, and fhall judge the ungodly, and shall change the fun, and the moon, and the ftars, then he fhall reft glorioufly in that feventh day.' Juftin Martyr in the fecond century (4) declares the millennium (3) Και εποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἐξ ἡμέραις τα έργα των χειρών αυλέ, και συνετελεσεν εν τη ήμερα τη έβδομη, και κατεπαυσεν εν αύλη, και ήγίασεν άυλον. Προσεχεε, τεκνά, τε λεγει, το συνελελεσεν ἐν ἑξ ἡμε ραις τελο λέγει. ὅτι συντέλει ὁ Θεος κατ ριος εν ἑξακισχιλίοις έθεσι τα πανία. Η γαρ ήμερα παρ άυλῳ χιλια ετης άυλος δε μαρτύρει, λέγων, ιδε σήμερον ημερα εσαι ὡς χιλία, έτη. Ουκών, τεκνά, εν εξ ήμεραις ἐν τοῖς ἐξακισχίλοις ελεσι συντελεσθης σελας τα πανία. Και καλέπαυσε τη ημέρα τη εβδομη τελο λεγει, όταν ελθών i vios aule, xai xalapynces to paspor ανομε, και κρίνει τις ασεβείς, και άλλάξει τον ήλιον, και την σελήνην, και της ασέρας, τότε καλως καλαπαυσείαι εν τη ημέρα τη εβδόμη. Fecitque Deus in fex diebus opera manuum fuarum, et confummavit in die feptima, et in ea requiVOL. II. A to Advertite, εuit, et fandificavit eam. (4) εγω δε, και ει τινες εισιν ορθογνω μονες καλα παλια χρισιανοι, και σαρκος ανατασιν γενήσεσθαι επισαμεθα, και a χίλια 6 to be the catholic doctrin of his time. I, and as many as are orthodox Chriftians in all refpects, do acknowledge that there fhall be a refurrection of the flefh, (meaning the firft refurrection), and a thousand years in Jerufalem rebuilt, and adorned, and inlarged, (that is in the new Jerufalem) as the prophets Ezekiel, and Ifaiah, and others unanimoufly atteft.' Afterwards he fubjoins, A certain man among us, whose name was John, one of the apoftles of Chrift, in a re⚫ velation made to him did prophecy that the faithful believers in Chrift should live a thousand years in the new Jerufalem, and after thefe fhould be the general refurrection and judgment:' which is an early atteftation to the genuinnefs and authenticity of the book of the Revelation; for Juftin 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 apoftle. Dr. Middleton in his Inquiry into the miraculous powers, &c. has done great injuftice to Juftin Martyr as well as to feveral of the fathers. In treating of the millennium (p. 26.) he reprefents Juftin as faying, "that all the faints fhould be raised in the flesh, and reign with Chrift in Jerufalem, in"larged and beautified in a wonderful manner for their "reception in the enjoyment of all fenfual pleafures, "for a thousand years before the general refurrection. But in the original there is no fuch claufe as that, in the enjoyment of all fenfual pleafures; it is an addition and interpolation of the Doctor's own, in order to depreciate the venerable father: and he could not poffibly have χίλια έτη εν Ιερεσαλήμ, οικοδομηθείσης και κοσμηθείση, και πλατυνθείσα, [ὡς] οἱ προφῆται Ιεζεκιήλ, και Ησαΐας. nar di anno duonyeon. Ego autem, et fi qui recta per omnia fententiæ Chriftiani funt, et carnis refurre&tionem futuram novimus, et mille annos in Hierufalem inftaurata, et exornata, et dilatata, ficut prophetæ, Ezechiel, et Efaias, et alii promulgant. Ka ETTEIn και παρ ημιν ανηρτις, φανομα Ιωαννης, εἷς των αποςόλων το Χρισε, εν αποκα λύψει γενόμενη αύτω χίλια έτη ποιήσειν a leproanny TuS TW METERY Xpos απισεύσαλας προφήτευσε και μετά ταυία την καθολικής και, συνελογία φαναι, αιωνίαν όμοθυμαδόν ἅμα πάν Των αναςασιν γενήσεσθαι και κρισιν. Εt vir apud nos quidam, cui nomen ́erat Joannes, e duodecim apoftolis Chrifti unus, in ea quæ illi exhibita est revelatione Chrifti fideles noftri annos mille Hierofolymis peracturos effe prælocutus eft, et poftea univerfalem et (ut femel dicam) fempiternam omnium unanimiter fimul refurre&tionem et judicium futurum. Juft. Mart. Dial.cum Tryphone Pars Secunda, p. 307 et 308. Edit. Paris. p. 313 et 315. Edit. Thirlbit. made it by mistake, he must have done it defignedly, for he has cited the original as far as to that claufe, and there ftopping fhort has concealed the rest with an &c. If he had fairly cited the whole fentence (as I have done above) he was fenfible that every scholar must have detected the impofition. It is feriously to be lamented, that fo learned and ingenious a man, and fo very fine a writer as Dr. Middleton was, fhould in fupport of any argument have been guilty of fo many falfe quotations as he has been, more than any author I know. Forgery fhould be deemed a capital offenfe in litterary as well as in civil affairs. It has been the fate of Juftin to have his fenfe mifreprefented by others as well as by Dr. Middleton. For he has been made to fay that the doctrin of the millennium had not, even in his time, obtained univerfal reception, but that many Chriftians of pure and pious principles rejected it, it fhould have been faid, did not acknowledge it, τετο μη γνοριζειν. But Juftin could not fo palpably contradict himfelf. The whole context evidently demonftrates, that we should read, with Mede and Tillotson, the paffage with a negative, τns nalagas xa Evσεs that many not of pure and pious principles did· not acknowledge it. For fome, fays he, are called Chriftians, but are atheifical and ungodly heretichs. τες γαρ λεγομενες μεν χρισιανες, οντας δε αθεός και ασέβεις αιρεσιώλας. A manifeft proof that they were men not of pure and godly principles. A little after he fubjoins, that fome are called Chriftians and do not confefs this, and deny the resurreation of the dead ; τισι λεγομενοις χρισιανοις, και τέτο μη ὁμολογεσιν, και λεγεσι μη είναι νεκρών αναςασιν. And then after all follows what was cited before, But I, and as many as are orthodox Chriftians in all refpects. do acknowledge that there fhall be a refurrection of the flesh and a thoufand years in Jerufalem, &c.' He thought the doctrin of the millennium of fuch confequence that he has joined it all along with that of the refurrection of the dead. It is evident therefore that he never meant to fay, that they who rejected this doctrin were Chriftians of pure and pious principles, but the contrary. Tertullian at the beginning of the third cen A a 2 tury |