doctrine, which have been, or may be, urged against it and afterwards, to state some important uses to which the doctrine may be shewn to be subservient, and which might prepare us, a priori, to expect some such œconomy and dispensation, as that of the millennium, before the consummation of all things.

In the above distribution of the method of our inquiry, nothing is said of the consideration of any argument in favour of the same conclusions, which might be derived from the prophecies in the Old Testament. My reason for this omission is partly, that I must necessarily be as studious of brevity, on the present occasion, as is consistent with a proper regard to the importance of the subject; partly, because I consider the argument supplied by the prophecies in the New Testament, to be amply sufficient for the triumphant establishment of the belief in question; and therefore, that the further allegation of those of the Old Testament, however satisfactory as tending to shew the harmony both of the Old and of the New Testament, in their disclosures relating to a common topic, is not absolutely necessary to our purpose; that we may take it into account, or we may dispense with it, in either case equally ex abundanti. Perhaps, too, as there may be persons who would not think the argument from the testimony of the Old Testament satisfactory, without the support of the New; the best method of availing ourselves of the former is to call it in, from time to time, as an auxiliary evidence in confirmation of the latter. I shall not, therefore, insist on the argument derivable from the prophecies of the Old Testament, in support of the peculiar doctrines of the millennium, except obiter and pro re nata. These

prophecies, in fact, are so numerous, and so interspersed in every part of the Old Testament, that their complete circumstantial developement would furnish materials for a distinct work.

With regard to the passages of the New Testament, which I propose to consider in detail, the reader will no doubt give me leave to classify and arrange them, in any way that may be most convenient for my purpose: in order to which distribution of them, I shall first state seriatim a number of propositions, all intimately connected together, and embodying collectively what appears to me the substance of an orthodox millennarian's creed; and then proceed to subjoin the scriptural proofs of each. My ideas of this creed are collected from the opinions of the millennarians of ancient times, and not from those of the advocates of the doctrine in modern times. The former in many respects differ from the latter; and having to choose between them, I do not hesitate to prefer the former, believing them to be not simply the more ancient, but withal the more scriptural of the two.

The millennarian then, expects the following events; and as far as he can infer their connexion, in the following order; though that is not, in every instance, a point of paramount importance, or absolute certainty, on which room for the possibility of a different succession of particulars, may not be allowed to exist.

First, a personal reappearance of the prophet Elijah, before any second advent of Jesus Christ. Secondly, a second advent of Jesus Christ in person, before his coming to judgment at the end of the world.

Thirdly, a conversion of the Jews to Christianity, collectively, and as a nation.

Fourthly, a resurrection of part of the dead, such as is called by way of distinction, the resurrection of the just.

Fifthly, the restitution of the kingdom to Israel, including the appearance and manifestation of the Messiah of the Jews, in the character of a temporal monarch.

Sixthly, a conformation of this kingdom to a state or condition of society, of which Christ will be the head, and faithful believers both Jews and Gentiles will be the members.

A distribution of rewards and dignities in it, proportioned to the respective merits or good deserts of the receivers.

A resulting state of things, which though transacted upon earth, and adapted to the nature and conditions of a human society as such, leaves nothing to be desired for its perfection and happiness.

Let us now proceed to inquire on what scriptural foundation the sober-minded millennarian rests his belief in these articles of his creed and first, with regard to a personal reappearance of the prophet Elijah, before any second advent of Jesus Christ.

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Matt. xvii. 10, 11. "And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then do the scribes say that Elias "must come first? And Jesus answered and said "unto them, Elias indeed doth come first, and shall "restore all things.”

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Mark ix. 11, 12. "And they asked him, saying, "Why do the scribes say that Elias must come "first? And he answered and said unto them,

"Elias indeed, having come first, doth restore all things."

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These words are part of the conversation, which passed between our Saviour, and the three disciples who had witnessed the event of his transfiguration, as they were descending from the mountain where it happened, the day after the night of that event b

The immediate cause of the question, and what no doubt suggested even the form of the words in which it was put, according to St. Matthew, (why then,) was the fact that Elijah had just been seen, for the first time; (viz. at the transfiguration, along with Moses;) though the scribes had taught the people to expect to see him, before the appearance of the Messiah, and though the ministry of Jesus Christ himself, whom the apostles certainly believed to be the Messiah, had been going on now two years, and nearly six months.

That the scribes or teachers of the people themselves entertained this expectation of an appearance of Elijah, and taught the people to entertain it too, appears from the question put to John the Baptist by the deputation from the Sanhedrim, the day before our Lord's return to Bethabara from the scene of the temptation, Art thou Elijah ? and from one of the opinions, mentioned as current concerning our Lord himself, after his fame had been noised abroad, so as to reach the ears of Herod the tetrarch, that he also was Elijah d. The same opinion continued to be entertained of him by some, to the end of his

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b Harm. P. iv. 10, 11. c Harm. P. ii. 8. d Mark vi. 15. Luke ix. 8. Harm. P. iii. 27.

ministry; and we see proof that Elijah was still expected to appear, at the time of the crucifixion e.

The continuance of the same expectation of a personal reappearance of Elijah, before the manifestation of the Christ; and even what specific purpose the fact of that appearance was expected to serve, in determining the person, the character, or the functions of the Christ, are plainly asserted by Trypho the Jew, in his Dialogue with Justin Martyr, as articles of his own belief, and of that of his countrymen f. The time of this dialogue was the latter end of the reign of Hadrian, or the beginning of that of Antoninus Pius: about A. D. 136.

The foundation of this belief is doubtless to be traced to Malachi iv. 5, 6: the only passage of the Old Testament, which predicts an appearance of Elijah as the precursor of the Messiah, by name; though there are others, which predict some precursor or harbinger of the Messiah, but without

a name 8.

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet be"fore the coming of the great and dreadful day of "the Lord: and he shall turn the heart of the "fathers to the children, and the heart of the chil"dren to their fathers, lest I come and smite the "earth with a curse."

That the scribes then taught, and that the people believed in, the futurity of an actual personal reappearance of Elijah, before the advent of the Messiah, and that they had scriptural authority for this ex

e Matt. xxvii. 47-49: Mark xv. 35, 36: Harm. P. iv. 101. Cf. Matt. xvi. 14: Mark viii. 28: Luke ix. 19: Harm. P. iv. 8. f Dialog. 153. 26–34. 235. 15–236. 5.

8 Malachi iii. 1: Isaiah xl. 3. 4. 5. 9