this matter; but when I came to fee, the very fame afferted by one Mr. Smith, a'great Man (I fuppofe) in the Church of England, it did a little encourage my thought in this Opinion, and ftrengthened the Apprehenfion which I had, concerning the Gog and Magog Army.

TheBook is intitled the Chriftian Religion's Appeal to the Bar of common Reafon, &c. Dedicated (as you who have it may fee) to the moft Reverend Father in God, Gilbert Lord Archbishop of Canterbury. In his eighth Chapter of the fourth Book. And there you fhall find, how he speaks the very fame in Effect, viz. that the Gog and Magog at the end of the thousand Years, will be made up, and confift of the number of the Wicked when raif ed. Though otherwife no Friend, but an Oppofer of the Millenarian Doctrine.

Yet, as to this, take fome of his own Words, Page the 66. Sect. 1.

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That this loofing of Satan fhall not be till the Dawning of the Day of Judgment, touching which I bumbly fubmit to the candid Cenfure of the Church, thefe my Conjectures, with my Reasons for them.

That Text, Rev. 20. (He fhall gather them together from the four Corners of the Earth) feems to allude to Mat. 24. 31. and to be fubfequent to that gathering of the Elect, (he fhall fend his Angels with a great found of a Trumpet, and they 'fhall gather his Elect from the four Winds, from one end of the Heaven unto the other) touching which firft gathering of the Elect, St. Paul tells us, it fhall be in order to their meeting of Chrift in the Day of Judgment; at the found of which Trumpet the Dead

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Dead in Chrift fhall rise firft, and then those Chriftians whom that Day fhall find alive, fhall, in the twinkling of an Eye be changed into the fame Form and Condition of Body with those that arofe from the Dead, and be caught up in the Air to meet Chrift. They who obtain'd by that short cut of Death cancell'd by Change, have the Privilege to run together with them that rife, to the Place of Judgment. (Tertul. de Refur. Cap.41.)

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Page 67. Sect. 2. This Election I fay_being gathered to the Place of Judgment; the Reprobates (that is all Idolaters, the whole Pagan World, that have lived and died in Gentilifm;) shall be raised, (though he does not tell us here how long the time may be betwixt the Saints being where Chrift is, and the Wicked rifing) and those that are living, (that is of the wicked) fhall be changed; and Satan now let loose (the whole Church waiting in the Air the Judge's coming) will re-enter. upon his old Demefne, and drive all the Cattle he there finds as his own, as Waifs and Strays from the great Shepherd of Souls; and perfuading them perhaps (faith he) that he raised them from the Dead, and would now at last be revenged on Chrift and his Saints, and decoying them into an Opinion that they had a fair Opportunity of making Hanock of the City and People of God altogether, of Swallowing the little Flock of Chrift at one Morfel, now they were all in a Body (and a Body fo contemptible in Comparison of thofe Multitudes which he headed being as the Sand on the Sea Shore; or by whatfoever Infinuations, he will prevail with them to march up under his and bis Angels Conduct, from all Parts of the World, as making up the Gog and·

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Magog Army. The one being in the lower, and the other (as I underftand him) in the upper He mifphere, against the Holy Land and the Camp of the Saints, which while they are encompafing, the Fudge appears, and with that devouring Fire that goes before him, deftroys them in a Moment.

And in Page 69. Sect. 3. That this going out of Satan, to deceive the Nations into an Engagement against the Holy City, will not be till after the ReJurrection of the Juft, (and the Wicked) may be inferr'd from the Numeroufnefs of this Army for Multitude, as the Sand of the Sea; large enough to march upon the Breadth of the Earth; fuch a Mul• titude as (doubtless) fhall never be feen together, but when the Heathen fhall be awaked, and come up to the Valley of Jehofaphat; where God fhall fit to judge all the Heathen round about, even those • Multitudes of Multitudes in the Valley of Decifion, • whether the Heathen are to come, and gather themfelves round about under the Conduct of the mighty ' whom the Lord will caufe thither to come, bring down, and the great Warrior fall be tamed. Joel iii. 11, 12, 13, and 14

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Again in Page the 70th, The Literal Expofition of thefe Words which I give, are out of Danger; for it is poffible enough that at the Refurrection of the Unjuft, when all the Infidels and excommunicate Perfons fhall ftand up out of the Duft together, they will cover the Breadth of the Earth, the Wings of that Army of Aliens from the Covenant of Grace, will reach North and South; and their Files be as deep as from Eaft to Weft; though they stand no greater Diftance one from another, than an Army in Battalia,

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There will be People enough to fill the whole Face of the Earth (in this Gog and Magog Army) faving ' that Part of it that fhall be railed in about the boly Mount. And that is an Argument that the far greatest part of that Army muft rife out of the Earth; (he does fuppofe that fome of the Wicked will be found living at this time, who will immediately be changed, upon the rifing of the reft of the Dead: And fo will both together make up Gog and Magog.) For from whence elfe can fo many be gathered, as to cover the whole Superficies of the Earth? For fo many living together in a mortal State, would put the World into fuch a Crowd, as to be utterly impoffible of living in fuch a Condition. And for that other Expreffion (As the Sand of the Sea for Multitude) he that thinks it an Hyperbole, may think it fo fill for me; all that I need affirm is this, that the Gogick and Magogick Army hall for "Multitude come as near the Sand on the Sea-fhore, as an Army can do that is pitched on the Earth, &c. Thus far the Doctor. And therefore the Number of all the Wicked when raised, muft be understood for the making up of this great Multitude.

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Thus I have been endeavouring to fhew who it is and from whence this Gog and Magog Army is to arife at the End of the thoufand Years. And tho' the Doctor and I do not agree in other Points, yet in his Defcription of Gog and Magog, you may fee how he writes (in Subftance) the very fame thing.

And now I have done in offering my Thoughts, and have given fome Reasons that to me it feems as if it would be fo. Yet as I faid (before) I dare not pofitively affert that it will be thus, becaufe of the Difficulty and Myfterioufnefs which lies in

this

this knotty Text of Scripture, how fuch a vast Army fhould arife, and be deluded by the Devil (after the Time of fuch a glorious Reign of the Saints with Chrift) at the End of the thoufand Years.

But however, one of these two I think it must be, either fome of the Ungodly will be left living in a mortal State, on the Outfide Parts and Borders of the Earth, to increase and multiply into anumerous Off-fpring, which the Devil will detain, and out of which the Gog and Magog is to arife, when the thousand Years are finished: Or else the whole Number of the Wicked, when raised out of their Graves, and muftered all together by the Devil from the four Quarters of the Earth.

And feeing we cannot be certain in this difficult Point, our Duty is to wait with Patience until Time (which is the best Expofitor of fuch Prophetical Texts) fhall make it manifeft. Yet is it our Duty to be like the noble Bereans in fearching of theScriptures. And therefore in giving of my Thoughts, this latter Interpretation feems not to have fo much Difficulty in it as the former. But as long as I do not make it an Article of Faith, only have modeftly fpoke my Apprehenfions about it, I defire that the candid Realer would pardon my Miftake, if he thinks I have miffed it.

But to return to a further Confideration of this Verfe; And hall go out to deceive the Nations (that is the Devil, when let loofe out of his Prifon, with the reft of the Dead raised, at the End of the thoufand Years) which, are in the four Quarters of the Earth (where the Wicked will be at that Time, fuch a Number as will fill all Parts and Places of the World) Gog and Magog, to gather them together to

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