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glorious light of the gofpel, which will be in CHRIST's fpiritual reign, both among minifters and people. When the moon-light of the church, which is often waning and fading, fhall be then like the SUN for clearnefs, light, brightness, and glory; and this light of the fun shall be fo exalted and great, that it fhall be feven-fold; then what a delightful fight will the faints, joined to the churches and the new converts, have of the glory, mystery, depths, and majesty of divine grace contained in the facred word! Likewife they will have interefting views of the death, perfon, blood and fatisfaction of CHRIST blotting out all their fins, healing all their breaches, binding up all their wounds; and for ever fecuring their peace, life, juftification, pardon and falvation. This will be beheld clearly like the light of the fun, which will be feven-fold; and they will fay, This is the Lord; we have waited for him; we will be glad, and rejoice in his falvation, Ifa. xxv. 9.

Friendly. What by Ifa. xxvi. 1. In that day fball this fong be fung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; falvation will God appoint for walls and for bulwarks?

Truth. It is worthy our fingular remark, that the spiritual and glorious reign of CHRIST is frequently fet forth very emphatically by the Holy Ghoft; that day, or in that day, and it fhall come to pafs in that day; denoting it to be a fingular and eminent day of light and glory.-By this fong being fung, it befpeaks the life and rejoicing of the faints.-By the land of Judah may be denoted the preaching of the gospel again in the land of Judea, and the gathering of the Jews to their own land, where they fhall hear the Meffiah preached in his perfon, glory and grace; and they fhall own him as their king, love him as their Lord and GoD, and fing of his falvation.-By God's appointing falvation for walls and for bulwarks, it denotes_the ftrength, fafety and fecurity of the people of GOD-that GOD hath engaged all the perfections of his nature, and the promises of his word as their walls of falvation, it is written, In bis days Judah fhall be faved, and Ifrael fhall dwell fafely, Jer. xxiii. 6.

Friendly. What by Joel iii. 18. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains fhall drop down new wine, and all the bills fhall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah fall flow with waters, and a fountain fhall come forth of the house of the Lord, and fhall water the valley of Shittim?

Truth. By it we are to apprehend the glorious flow of divine grace in CHRIST's fpiritual reign, or the Philadelphian church-ftate; when the knowledge of CHRIST, free grace and falvation, shall flow plentifully and powerfully by the

Holy Ghoft among the people, like rivers, fountains and living Streams to water the valley of Shittim: and as Shittim fignifies Jpreadings-out, it may denote the out-fpreadings of the church in all parts of the world under proper minifters, fpiritual pastors, elaers, guides and officers; and the out-spreadings of the gospel thereby to gather the Lord's fons from far, and his daughters from the ends of the earth; for his kingdom fhall be from sea to fea. As valleys are fruitful pleafant places, the valley may denote the growth and fruitfulness of the church in the perpetual out-pourings of divine favour, in the ingathering of fouls, in the increate of love, in the maintaining of life and liberty, in the purity of the word, in the adminiftration of the ordinances according to the primitive pattern, As ii. 42. as it is written, Ha. liv. 13. All thy children fhall be taught of the Lord; and great fail be the peace of thy children.

Friendly. When will this glorious time, this fpiritual reign

of CHRIST be?

Truth. Here we are not to attempt to be wife above what is written: It is not for us to know the times and feafons which the Father has put in his own power, Acts i. 7. But without affuming a spirit of prophefy, we may venture to say, IT IS NEAR, and the figns of the times are upon us. Though fome apprehend that there will first be a bloody perfecution, and a fpread of Popery over the face of Christendom; and the witnetles, the minifters which prophefy in fackcloth, will be many of them really, and the others myftically flain. But others think that feafon is over, and was accomplished in bloody Mary's eign, and there will be no more violent perfecution upon the churches; or that the reign and dominion of Popery will ever again spread itself over Christendom.

That there will be a flaying of the witneffes, and death and darkness over the churches, is evident; which time, I apprehend, is now upon us: Many of the witneffes are flain in their life, zeal, fpirit and power, and there appears a death upon the very frames of their minds, upon their fermons, their people, and the ways of Zion mourn, and few come to her folemn aflemblies. Others are flain in their understandings, who, though they appear to have fome zeal and life for GOD, yet are as dark as midnight in their understandings, refpecting the glory, majefty and depths of the gofpel, in a free falvation through the perfon, blood and righteoufnefs of the Lord Jefus. This is our Sardinian state, a name to live and yet dead. But there are a few names in Sardis, who are warm in their fouls, zealous for the Lord, fervent in their miniftry, humble in

their walk, and spiritual in their converfation; who are fet for the defence of the gospel, who will not give place, no not for an hour, that the truth of the gospel might continue with you: yet these are daily flain in their names, characters and reputations: the archers fhoot fore at, call them troublers in Ifrael, reprefent them as Heretics, and prejudice weak minds against them.

Thus the witnesses are flain, and our fpiritual death, darknefs and declenfion come on and will increase: For what can be expected? Many of the minifters of the church of Englant having difregarded and omitted the doctrines maintained in their Articles and Homilies, which were the glory of the Reformation, and have done all in their power to difcourage and oppofe fome pious and gracious minifters in the establithment, who preach the truths of the gofpel. And what fhall we fay of the Proteftant diffenters? For their ministers had, for many years, been distinguished for piety and soundness of doctrine; but too many of them have for years paft become dead and lifeless, and even enemies to the doctrines of the gofpel and power of religion. Though a confiderable number of them continue to preach thefe doctrines, and the work of conviction and converfion is, 'in fome measure, yet manifeft in their congregations, but not in fo great a degree as formerly. There are tome denominations among them who, as to the ordinances of God's houfe, feem to fhew great difregard to them. Thus Ichabod may be wrote upon us, The glory is departed frem Ifrael. And the times in which we live is thus defcribed by the prophet, as neither light nor dark, day nor night, see Zech. xiv. 6, 7. which will bring on a greater night and darkness upon the churches; perhaps fo great as that a faithful minifter of CHRIST, one that has, through grace, preached the effential honours of his name, glories of his perfon, blood, righteousness and falvation, and abides by the ordinances and difcipline of GoD's house, fhall hardly find a friend to receive him: And is not this almoft the cafe already? But, bleffed be GOD, this night fhall ufher forth a glorious morning of the Philadelphian church-ftate; as the prophet fpeaks, Zecb. xiv. 7. At evening-time it fhall be light: for then the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who is the light of life, the glorious Bridegroom of his church, will arife and fhine, and deftroy the man of fin with the brightness of his coming. This will give life to the flain witnesses, and they will arife with new life, fpirit and power to preach the gofpel, to establish churches, direct inquiring fouls, receive converts, and adminifter ordinances:

for then a great door fhall be open to them of the Lord, and none fhall be able to fhut it: for the Lord will increase Zion with men like a flock, and converts like the drops of the morning-dew: they fhall proclaim, Babylon is fallen, never to rife any more. Then kings fhall become fubjects to Zion, and queens, her converts, nurfing-fathers and nurfing-mothers to the church; and the nations ball hate Babylon and burn her with fire, Rev. xvii. 16. Then the minifters fhall go forth in the power and Spirit of the Lord GOD of Elijah, and knowledge fhall be increased; for the kingdoms fhall then become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Chrift. Amen. Even fo, come, Lord Jefus: Come quickly.

Friendly. Dear Truth, I acknowledge my foul is richly fed with your views of the fpiritual kingdom of CHRIST, and But as the lxth of the glory that yet awaits for the church.

of Ifaiah feems to be, especially to the 18th verfe, a prophetic defcription of CHRIST's fpiritual reign, and the in-gathering of his people, both Jews and Gentiles; I fhould be glad to have your thoughts thereon: What may I apprehend when the Lord faith, ver. 1. Arife, fhine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee?

Truth. I apprehend it to be a lively prophetic defcription of the brightnefs and glory of CHRIST's kingdom and spiritual reign; and as you have defired me to give my thoughts upon it, I fhall attempt a few concife ftrictures upon each verfe.

The first verfe in the Ixth chapter of the evangelical prophet is, Arife, fhine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is This is Zion, the church of GOD, who is rifen upon thee. called upon to rife. It is the Lord who calls upon her to get up and fhew herfelf; whofe call is powerful and efficacious; who will not only bid her rife, but put ftrength into, yea he himself will raife her up: Obferve, that when the light of divine grace begins to fhine upon the heart of a poor finner, it will foon make that foul rife and fhine forth in CHRIST'S glory this light will make the Jews arise and shine forth at that time which this prophefy hath a relation to; when the light of free pardoning grace, through the blood and righteoulnefs of JESUS CHRIST, begins to fhine upon them: Then in a peculiar respect it shall be faid, Arife, and shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee.

Thou haft

(as if the Lord thould fay) a long time lain in darkness, blindnefs and ignorance of me; but now thy light is come; the light of the glory of God, that always ihone in the face of JESUS CHRIST, is now upon thee; in turning thee from dark

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nefs unto his marvellous light. And the glory of the Lop JESUS CHRIST, of his perfon, his righteoufnefs, life, death, blood, fatisfaction, refurrection, afcenfion, interceffion and exaltation, is now rifen upon thee.' O when the glory of CHRIST thall once begin thus to fhine upon the Jews, they must, not against their wills, but with a willing mind, arife and embrace the LORD JESUS as their Saviour, Lord and King. Thy people shall be a willing people in the day of thy power; in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning theu heft the dew of thy youth, Pfalm cx. 3. Thefe words do fhew, there will not be a few made willing in that day, but multitudes of them brought over to CHRIST, both among the Jews and Gentiles: O now the will arife, can ftay no longer, but up the gets and opens to her Beloved, with her whole mind and foul. Now fhe is made fenfible, to the melting and moving of her bowels, what a long night CHRIST hath stood knocking, until his head is filled with dew, and his locks with the drops of the night.

Friendly. What may I understand by ver 2. For bebold the darkness ball cover the earth, and gross darkness the people?

Truth. This is not spoken of the earth in a general confideration, but of fuch a part as fhall be found inveterate and implacable enemies to CHRIST: Is spoken I humbly conceive, by way of allufion, to that grofs darkness that was upon the Egyptians, fuch as might be felt, when Ifrael had light in all their dwellings, Exod. x. 23. So it will be in the beginning of that great day of the Lord: for when God fhall break forth with the glorious light of his divine grace in the converfion of a great multitude, both of Jews and Gentiles; then will there at the fame time be grofs darkness, like Egypt's darkness, upon the Antichriftian people, or Antichrift's kingdom; which, like Amalek of old, will be doomed to deftruction. To this agree those words in Rev. xvi. 10. and are very full for the proof of the point: And the fifth angel poured out his Vial upon the feat of the beaft, and his kingdom was full of darkness, and they gnawed their tongues for pain: Which will be the lot, end, and portion of all chriftless and graceless fouls at that time.

But the Lord fhall rife, and his glory fhall be seen upon thee. O how comfortable will this be to the faints, after their night of trouble and forrow! For then will the LORD JESUS CHRIST, that glorious Sun of righteousness arife, and thine forth, with healing in his wings, upon his people, Mal. iv. 2. Again, This wonderful glory of the Lord, which at this time hall arife and be feen upon Zion, will not be hidden or con

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