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not be unto the refidue of this people as in the former days, faith the Lord. For the feed fhall be profperous: the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground fhall give her increase, and the heavens fhall give their dew: and I will cause the remnant of this people to poffefs all these things*. Thus fhall the curfe be taken away, and the throne of God and the Lamb shall be erected, and forrow and fighing shall cease +.

6. Ir is very probable that fome may object-all these are figurative expreffions, and, as fuch, are to be understood, and therefore are nothing to the purpose for which they are quoted. I grant, fome of the above quotations. may have a figurative meaning, as the Bible abounds with much of that fort; yet it does not follow that it may not have a literal meaning; nay, it is the opinion of very judicious Divines, that the literal meaning of every text is always first to be understood, unless there be fome very palpable abfurdity in the fame, which I profefs I do not fee in any of the fore-cited paffages. I am thoroughly perfuaded that the creation is not in the fame ftate now which it originally was, when the Divine Creator pronounced it very good. It is now compared to a woman in the pangs of labour, and it is not a hopeless labour. Mark well what the Apostle fays to this very point:-For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifeftation of the fons of God. For the creature was made fubject to vanity; that is, to ficknefs, pain, corruption, and death-not willingly, but by reafon of Him auho hath fubjected the fame in hope: But the creature itself aljo fhall be delivered from the bondage

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bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now *. These verses are a key to all which I have cited before, and plainly evidence the fallen and ruined condition of the creation, and which we fee every day, and not only their fall, but alfo their blessed restoration again.

7. SATAN fhall not always triumph in ruin and defolation; to his unfpeakable rage, when in chains, he fhall fee the Bruifer of his head claiming a ranfomed world for his own, riding his white horfe, and going from conquering and to conquer, and all the ends of the earth rejoicing in his great falvation, while all the creation, like Eden of old, flourishing beneath the Creator's fmile. Then may be fung, in sweet accents,

Lo, for us the whole are glad,
All in chearful green array'd;
Opening fweets they all difclofe,

Bud, and bloffom-as the rofe.

8. Ir may be objected that the axles + of the earth being removed, confequently the pofition of the earth is changed, and

* Rom, viii. 19, 23.

MILTON feems to be entirely of my mind with regard to the state of the creation before the Fall; and fo with regard to the causes which have brought forth fuch dreadful effects, as appears in the following paffage :

Some fay he bid his Angels turn a-scanse

The poles of earth twice ten degrees and more
From the Sun's Axle; they with labour push'd
Oblique the centric Globe, to bring in change
Of feafons to each clime; eife had the Spring

Perpetual

and that the influences of the heavens must be as they are, and, therefore, no fuch change can take place as has been afferted: that ftorms and tempefts, chilling blafts, fcorching heats, and noxious vapours must continue,-I anfwer,

Perpetual fmil'd on earth with verdant flowers,
Equal in days and nights, except to those
Beyond the polar circles; to them day
Had unbenighted fhone, while the low Sun
To recompence his diftance, in their fight
Had wounded still th' horizon, and not known
Or east or weft, which had forbid the fnow
From cold Eftotiland, and south as far.

Thefe changes in the heavens, tho' flow, produc'd
Like change on fea and land, fideral blaft,
Vapour and mift, and exhalation hot,
Corrupt and peftilent. Now from the north
Bursting their brazen dungeon, arm'd with ice,
And fnow, and hail, and stormy guft and flaw,
Boreas, and Cœcias, and Argeftes loud,

And Thracias, rend the woods, and feas upturn.
With adverse blast upturns from the south
Notus and Afer: Thwart of these forth rufh

Eurus and Zephyr, with their lateral noise,

Sirocco and Libecchio-Thus began

Outrage from lifeless things: But difcord, first
Daughter of fin, among th' irrational,
Death introduc'd through fierce antipathy.

Beast now with beast 'gan war, and fowl with fowl,
And fish with fish-to graze the herb, all leaving,
Devour'd each other; nor ftood much in awe
Of Man, but fled him, or with count'nance grim
Glar'd on him paffing.

Paradife Loft.---Book X.

very

anfwer, admitting the axles of the earth may have been removed, and therefore the pofition of the earth may be changed, that was either done by the exprefs command of God, or by his permiffion-whether by the general deluge, or before it but cannot the fame Almighty Hand replace every thing in its priftine and harmonious order? And as he has declared fuch effects fhall take place, we may be well affured he will not be at a lofs to find out caufes. When he refolved upon the redemption of the world, he found out a way which aftonished both heaven and hell; fo, in this momentous affair, he will bring to pass his own gracious purposes, either making fecond caufes fubfervient, or accomplishing his own gracious designs without them, feeing he ruleth in the armies of the heavens above, and doeth what he pleaseth among the inhabitants of the earth, and · there is none can stay his hand, or fay, What dost thou?

9. Ir is very probable, before this great revolution fhall take place, many changes will happen in the earth. Many awful calamities, fuch as wars, peftilences, famines, earthquakes, and the like, by which many of the ungodly will be cut off: for, in the general, it may be observed, that thefe awful judgments fall upon the wicked and incorrigible, who hate to be reformed. Herein God fays, Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and fhut thy doors about thee: hide thyfelf as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpaft. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth alfo fhall difclofe her blood, and shall no more cover her flain*.

10. WE

*Ifa. xxvi. 20, 21.

10. We find, during the calamities in Egypt, God mercifully preferved his own, efpecially in the deftruction of the cattle and firft-born. The deftruation of Sodom and Gomorrah fell upon the ungodly; ever those Ifraelites, who fell in the wilderness, were rebels: and the dreadful carnage made in the land of Canaan, fell upon fuch whofe iniquities were fall. And again, in Ifrael, deftroyers were fent to flay all fuch as had not the mark in their foreheads; and none were marked but fuch as fighed and mourned for the iniquity of the land *. In the general, fuch as are cut off in war are thofe that would be a curfe to the earth, if spared; and, it is very remarkable, in the deftruction of Jerufalem, when fo many thoufands perished, yet it is thought not one Chriftian was flain. The Lord had forewarned them to flee to the mountains, and fo they did; and although the Roman General had actually befieged the city, yet he ftrangely withdrew, and gave the Chriftians an opportunity of efcaping, while the ungodly Jews feemed bent upon their own ruin. So true is it that, He that, being often reproved, and hardeneth his neck (that is, his heart) fball fuddenly be dftreyed, and that without remedy +.

Indeed, it would be endless to cite all the inftances in which the truth of this obfervation is manifefted; fo truly does God distinguish between the righteous and the wicked-between him who ferveth his Maker, and him that ferveth him not.

11. As the generality of the promises in the Old Teftament run in a temporal strain, I make no doubt but they refer to

S

the

* Ezek. ix.

+ Prov. xxix. I.

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