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shall take place at the general refurrection. Again, it may fignify, that as the firft death is to wicked men an earnest of and a preparatory step to the second death; fo the first resurrection is to good men an earnest of and a preparatory step to the general refurrection. And from the whole tenor of facred writ, it appears, that a figurative, not a literal refurrection, even a renovation of nature, qualifies men for happiness at the fecond refurrection: “If Christ be in you, the spirit is life "because of righteousness, (this is the first refurrection); but if the Spirit of him that rai"fed up Jefus from the dead dwell in you, the

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Spirit fhall also quicken your mortal bodies "(this is the fecond refurrection,)" Rome. viii. 10, II.

Now, what a renovation of nature is to every individual member of the church, the Millennial frate is to the whole church, an earnest of and preparation for the glory of a future state, by a powerful, vital, univerfal influence, of the Spirit of God.

SECTION III.

Characters of the Millennial Church.

When the Millennium is viewed by the light of fcripture, without the colouring of Jewish fables, the dreams of enthufiafts, or the fuppo

fitions

fitions of ingenious men, the happiness of that period appears to confift in the following particulars :

1. An extenfive propagation of the gospel. So that Christianity fhall be the established religion of all the world, or (making some allowance for the highly figurative language of the prophets) at least of the far greater part of it. The Jews fhall be previously converted, as we have already feen: and as the rejection of them, was followed by an extenfive propagation of the gofpel among the Gentiles; fo the receiving them again to be members of the church, fhall be accompanied with a much greater enlargement of the kingdom of Christ. "If the fall

"of them be the riches of the world, and the "diminishing of them the riches of the Gen"tiles, how much more their fulness? If the

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cafting away of them be the reconciling of "the world, what fhall the receiving of them "be but life from the dead?" Rom. xi. 12. 15.

Many are the promises which intimate, that the Meffiah's kingdom fhall extend over all the earth, and these promises point to this particular period. "Afk of me, and I shall give thee the "heathen for thine inheritance, and the utter"most parts of the earth for thy poffeffion," Pfal. ii. 8. "All the ends of the world fhall re"member, and turn unto the Lord: and all the "kindreds

"kindreds of the nations fhall worship before "thee," Pfal. xxii. 27. "God be merciful un"to us, that thy way may be known upon "earth, thy faving health among all nations. "God fhall blefs us: and all the ends of the "earth fhall fear him," Pfal. lxvii. 1, 2. 7. “He "fhall have dominion also from sea to sea, and " from the river unto the ends of the earth.

Yea, all kings fhall fall down before him: all "nations fhall ferve him.-Men fhall be bleffed "in him: all nations fhall call him bleffed,” Pfal. lxxii. 8. 11. 17. "Thou shalt arise, and "have mercy upon Zion ;-fo the heathen fhall "fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings "of the earth thy glory," Pfal. cii. 13. 15. "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that "the mountain of the Lord's house shall be ef "tablished in the top of the mountains, and "shall be exalted above the hills, and all na"tions fhall flow unto it', Ifa. ii. 2. "The Gen❝tiles fhall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rifing.-The abundance of "the fea fhall be converted unto thee, the for"ces of the Gentiles fhall come unto thee," Ifa. 1x. 3. 5. "At that time they fhall call Jerufa"lem the throne of the Lord, and all the na"tions fhall be gathered unto it, to the name of "the Lord, to Jerufalem: neither shall they "walk

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"walk any more after the imagination of their "evil heart," Jer. iii. 17. "The Gentiles fhall "come unto thee from the ends of the earth, "and fhall fay, Surely our fathers have inherit"ed lies, vanity, and things wherein there is no "profit," Jer. xvi. 19. "The ftone that smote "the image became a great mountain, and fill"ed the whole earth," Dan. ii. 35. "I faw "in the night visions, and behold, one like the "Son of man ;-and there was given him do"minion, and glory, and a kingdom,that all

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people, nations, and languages should serve "him: his dominion is an evarlafting dominion, "which shall not pafs away, and his kingdom "that which fhall not be deftroyed;-and the

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kingdom, and dominion, and the greatness of "the kingdom under the whole heaven shall "be given to the people of the faints of the "most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting

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kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and o"bey him," Dan. vii. 13, 14. 27. "The Lord"will famish all the gods of the earth, and men "fhall worship him, every one from his place, "even all the isles of the heathen," Zeph. ii. II. "I will turn to the people a pure language, "that they may all call upon the name of the "Lord, to ferve him with one confent," Zeph. iii. 9. "Thus faith the Lord of hofts, It shall "yet come to pafs, that there fhall come people, " and

and the inhabitants of many cities: And the "inhabitants of one city fhall go to another, "faying, Let us go fpeedily and pray before the "Lord, and to feek the Lord of Hofts: I will

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go alfo. Yea, many people, and ftrong nations "fhall come to feek the Lord of hofts in Jerufalem, and to pray before the Lord," Zech. "And the Lord shall be king; "over all the earth: in that day fhall there be "one Lord, and his name one," Zech. xiv. 9. "From the rifing of the fun, even unto the go

viii. 20, 21, 22.

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ing down of the fame, my Name fhall be great

among the Gentiles, and in every place in"cense shall be offered unto my Name, and a

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pure offering; for my Name fhall be great "among the heathen, faith the Lord of hofts," Mal. i. II. "And there were great voices in "heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world "are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of "his Chrift, and he shall reign for ever and "ever," Rev. xi. 15.

II. The church at this period shall be united in the use of the fame government and ordinances, in doctrine and difcipline, fo as to constitute one body. In proof of this affertion, observe, fuch union actually subfited betwixt the several parts of the primitive church, though extenfively diffused over the earth. In confequence

of

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