End of the thousand Years; but here is a Seafon and Time which very well agrees with thofe many Days in Ijaiah, after which they are to be vifited.. Now however learned and good Men have given a different Interpretation upon thofe Words; yet it evidently appears to me that the Beaft in the eleventh Verfe, that was flain, and his Body deftroyed, and given to the burning Flame, muft be that Antichriftian Beaft fpoke of in the Revelation, which is to be deftroyed by the Breath of Chrift's Mouth, and the Brightness of his Coming. As in 2 Theff. ii. 8. And that then Chrift's Kingdom is to take place; as further appears in the 13th and 14thVerfes: And I faw in the Night-vifion one like the Son of Man (which can be no other than the Lord Jefus Chrift) and came with the Clouds of Heaven. (This must be his fecond Coming in his perfonal Glory.) And there was given him Dominion, and Glory, and a Kingdom, that all People, Nations, and Languages, fhould ferve and obey him. Well! At this time that the other Beafts are deftroyed, in the Beginning of this glorious Reign, the reft of the Beafts are to have their Lives prolonged for a Seafon and a Time, though their Dominion is taken away. Which Seafon and Time I conceive may be as long as Chrifl's Kingdom is to continue upon the Earth, or until the End of the thousand Years, and the Beginning of the laft Judgment; that is, their Lives may be faid to continue fo long fucceffively, or in their Succeffors, even until the End of that Time when the Gog and Magog Army is to appear: And why fhould this feem ftrange any more than God's sparing a wicked Cham from the Deluge of the Flood, which deftroyed the reft of the World (fave thofe who were with

Noab

Noah in the Ark) out of which a numerous (tho' a wicked) Off-fpring was to arife, who were to be deftroyed, when the Children of Ifrael took poffeffion of the Land of Canaan.

But fifthly, If this will not pafs for a fufficient Proof of the Gog and Magog Army, I fhall humbly offer another, which I know is out of the common Road almoft of all Expofitors, and that is that the Gog and Magog who will arife at the End of the thousand Years, through the Delufion of the Devil, to compass the Camp of the Saints, will confift of the Number of all the Wicked, when raifed ut of their Graves. Now this by reafon of its being altogether new, may feem ftrange, found harfh, and appear altogether incredible unto many: But I earneftly intreat the Reader not to be too fudden in condemning, nor too harsh in cenfuring, but ferioufly to read and confider; be like the noble Bereans, Search the Scriptures, and fee from whence this Gog and Magog muft arife: Such a great Army it is cer tain there will be at the End of the thoufand Years: And why fhould this feem incredible? What Abfurdity does there lie in this Expofition? Or what Article of Faith doth this run repugnant to? However I will not pofitively affert this to be the Meaning, only give a few Reafons to fee whether it may not be fo or no.

First, I fhall confider the Time when this Geg and Magog Army is to appear upon the Stage; and that we find is not to be until the End of the thoufand Tears, when Satan is te be let loose, and the rest of the Dead are to be raised: All which feems to agree in making up of this great Army.

Secondly,

Secondly, At the End of the thousand Years, when Satan is let out of Prifon, the rest of the Dead are to live again, that is, to arife out of their Graves, that they may live again in their Bodies, at which time it is that Satan goes out to deceive the Multitude of the Nations which are in the four Quarters of the Earth, by decoying of them into an open Rebellion, in making of them believe that they are now in a capacity, and have a fair Oppor tunity to deftroy the beloved City and Camp of the Saints, who will appear but as a little Handful, or a fmall Remnant, in comparison of them, whom he will head And therefore if the Wicked are to rife, and Satan to be let loose at this time, when the Magog Army is to appear, then this doth look as if the Number of all the Ungodly, when gathered together, must be the Gog and Magog fpoken of.

Thirdly, The Greatness or Numeroufness of this Gog and Magog feems to favour this Opinion. For they are faid to be as the Sand of the Sea, which is innumerable. Bcfides, they went on the Breadth of the Earth, to fignifie that fuch would be the Greatnefs of this Multitude, as if they would cover the Face of the whole Earth; excepting that part of the Ground where the beloved City and Camp of the Saints is. And if fo, where then must this great Multitude arife from, at the End of the thousand Years, as to cover the Face of the Earth and to be as the Sand of the Sea? What Army has there ever been known like this, fince the World began? Nay if we take a whole Generation of Men, Women, and Children, that ever lived at once in the World, they would not be fit to be compared unto this great Army,

Army, which will be feen to go upon the Breadth of the Earth, at the laft Day: And therefore looks as if this Gog and Magog, for the Innumerableness of them, would take in and comprise the whole Number of all the Wicked, when they fhall by the Devil, after the Refurrection, be muftered altogether.

Fourthly, This I think we may be certain of, that at the End of the thoufand Years, it being the Time that the reft of the Dead are to live again, will immediately be the Time of the Judgment among the Wicked; the little Seafon allowed unto Satan, when let loose, will only be to go out into the four Quarters of the Earth, to gather together, and mufter up this Gog and Magog. And if fo, then this feems to run confonant with this Expofition of all the Wicked when raised, to make up fo great an Army. For if we fhould underftand it of Men living in a mortal State, who are, at the End of the thousand Years, to be feduced by the Temptation of Satan, when loofed out of Prifon; and his going into all Parts and Nations of the World, to feduce and deceive them, and after that to gather and mufter them all together out of the four Quarters of the Earth, to Battel; and then Fire to come down from Heaven to destroy them and after this to rife again, feems to take up longer time than there will be allowed, from the Loofing of Satan, the Living again of the rest of the Dead, and the laft Fudgment.

Fifthly, Neither does it seem fo likely that mortal finful Creatures, though never fo wicked and defperate, fhould ever pretend to fuch an Attempt, as to encounter in a way of Battel the Camp of the

Saints,

Saints, who fhall then be in a perfect immortal State. For finful mortal Creatures to attack finless and immortal Perfons, looks with fo much Incon fiftency, that it feems not only unlikely but impoffible, that ever the Devil fhould fo far prevail, by deceiving them into fuch an Encounter, but rather will run away, as being frighted, and not able to behold the Glory which fhall at that time fhine forth from the City of God. Therefore

Sixthly, It feems to be more congruous that this bold Attempt will be made by theNumber of all the Wicked, when raifed, and Satan let loofe among them, at the End of the thoufand Years. This looks to be more likely, that the Devil fhould prevail upon them at the time of their Refurrection, because I do apprehend that when the Ungodly arife, they will arife not only full of Sin, but full of Enmity and Hatred against God, againft Chrift, and all the Saints. Befides, they will foon be made fenfible that they are raised up in order to the Judg ment, and that the righteous Judge will proceed in a way of pure Juftice with them: They cannot have the leaft hope that he will fhew them any Mercy, because they have finned against him; which Sin will lie with no little weight upon their Confciences: And therefore falling into utter De Spair, they may more easily become defperate, being again deceived or deluded by the Devil, to join with him (he being their Captain) to compass the Camp of the Saints, about the beloved City, which will prove a further Aggravation of their Condemnation, and the righteous Proceeding of Chrift in Judgment against them.