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man, that he hath nothing in himself by nature; yet by grace he becomes partaker of the divine nature, and so united to God, as to stand by His power. This union is fully expressed, Col. iii, 3,- Our life is hid with Christ in God;" and in John xvii, 21-23,-"That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in us ;-that they be one, even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one." And the power grounded on this union is fully expressed, 1 Pet. i, 3 to 5,-" Blessed be God, that hath begotten us again to a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God, through faith unto salvation." Thus, upon the ground of union and interest in Christ's resurrection, through faith (a great bond of union,¶) we are kept infallibly, by the power of God, to that inheritance of glory; as that glorious inheritance is kept incorruptibly and unfadingly for us. And then upon that union follows a suitable communion: for as the union is continual, so from thence flows a continued emanation of gra

cious influences from God through Christ into believers, -as a stream from a living fountain, and beams from the sun.

3. The third branch is, that there is a superexcellency of the state under the covenant of grace in Christ, above that under the covenant made with Adam. For by virtue of the Adamic covenant, men shall be restored in soul and body to the natural perfection which Adam had in the state of innocency. But those under the covenant of grace shall have, superadded to this, a spiritual and angelic body, whereby the Spirit, instead of being hindered, shall be aided. And besides the perfection of all their natural faculties, they will have the perfection of all their graces. And whereas those only under the covenant of nature may and will fall; those under the covenant of grace never can again decline. Therefore never rest in any estate but that of the covenant of grace. If you have that, you have the cream of all the covenants perfected and perpetuated in you, and so will continue for everlasting. Neither be confident that thou art really partaker of the covenant of grace, until thou art by it effectually endowed with spiritual light and life to a sincere and inward holiness.

9 Ephes. iii, 17.

No. III.

THE TWO WITNESSES.

REVELATION XI.

Time, the surest interpreter of prophecy next to God himself, has confuted the opinions of many concerning the Two Witnesses, and left others in hopeless darkness. I venture, nevertheless, but with diffidence, to propose another interpretation. I confess it differs from all I ever read or heard of: but on this account I claim the more indulgence, as venturing on so lonely a task to serve others.

I shall first set my view of it before the Reader in the following short thesis, or proposition, which I intend to discuss: viz. That believing Jews, as well as GENTILES, from the time of Christ to his next advent, may be of the Two Witnesses: who shall more especially give their testimony in the troublous times of the last days.

Now, if we mind the definite number two; none can be more distinctly so than believing Jews and Gentiles. And if we rather mind an indefinite (i. e. a sufficient) number; there is no readier way to find such a sufficiency of witnesses, than to look among believing Jews and Gentiles. Yea, even if we hanker after the opinion that the two Witnesses are the Old and New Testaments ;— (though these were rather the matter witnessed, than the Witnesses ;) or that magistrates and ministers are the two Witnesses; still the fullest witnessing to both Testaments, and the most magistrates befriending them, will be soonest found by putting believing Jews and Gen

tiles into the society of the two Witnesses. Thus we see partly already the harmonious convenience of the thesis.

But some will ask, What necessity is there to take in the believing Jews? I shall give three reasons in reply.—

1. First, it would be a wonder, I think, to all intelligent readers of the Scriptures, if the believing Jews, who are brought in, throughout that whole volume, as the PRINCIPAL holy actors, (more especially in that future glorious scene on earth; the Gentiles being mentioned only as accessories,) should not act a part also in the testimony of the two Witnesses. Isaiah xiv, 1—3, sets forth the priority of the Jews before the Gentiles, at the time of the restauration of the Church; inasmuch as the people chosen, are before the strangers adjoined to them. Isaiah xlix, 22, 23, speaks more fully to the same point : Thus saith the 'Lord God, behold I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people, and they shall bring THY Sons in their arms; and THY daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And 'kings shall be THY nursing fathers, ' and their queens THY nursing mothers they shall bow down to thee, ' &c." The apostle Paul tells us plainly,a that we Gentiles are but a subrogated Church, placed for a time in the room of the principal;

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the Jews being the genuine olive tree, and we the wild olive tree;

a Rom. xi, 11-33.

they the natural branches,-we the grafted. "And if the diminishing of the Jews (saith he) be the riches ' of the Gentiles; how much more ' their fulness ?" So that our 'much more' depends on their fulness.'

The notions, types, and allusions of Rev. xi, are not only all Jewish, (as are the symbols and types throughout the book of Revelation;) but they are of such a character as would seem to put the Gentiles to their shifts to prove themselves to be of the two Witnesses, if they deny the Jews to be of them. For here we have the temple, the altar, candlesticks, and olive trees; concerning which latter, St. Paul tells us plainly (as we have just seen,) that we Gentiles are but the wild olive tree, and the Jews the genuine one.b There is also a plain allusion to Elijah and Elisha, (the former more particularly,) inasmuch as both these Witnesses are prophets; they wear sackcloth, or rough garments; fire proceedeth out of their mouths against their enemies ;d they shut and open heaven;e and they ascend up into heaven. The allusion also to Joshua and Zerubbabel is apparent, throughout Zech. iv.

2. Secondly, there is a necessity (I conceive) to take in the believing Jews to be a part of the two witnesses; because THEIR lying dead under the pressure and conflict with the enemies of the truth, and anon THEIR rising again, in the way of conquest over those enemies, is as assuredly prophesied in other Scriptures, as the lying dead and rising again of believing Gentiles is supposed to be prophesied in Rev. xi. For thus

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Isaiah xxvi, 19,-" Thy dead men
shall live; together with my dead
body shall they arise awake and
sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for
thy dew is as the dew of herbs; and
the earth shall cast out her dead."
Ezekiel says; "He said unto me,
prophesy upon these bones, and say
unto them, O ye dry bones hear the
word of the Lord; thus saith the
Lord God, &c. Behold I will cause
breath to enter into you, and ye shall
live."g
Daniel says, And many
that sleep in the dust of the earth
shall awake; some to everlasting
life, and some to everlasting shame
and contempt; and they that be
wise shall shine as the brightness of
the firmament; and they that turn
many to righteousness, as the stars
for ever and ever."h And St. Paul:
"If the casting away of the Jews
be the reconciling of the world,
what shall the receiving of them be
but life from the dead." Surely
these Scriptures cannot mean the
universal resurrection of the bodies
of all men, neither the general re-
surrection of the bodies of all be-
lievers; for they expressly relate
particularly and closely to the Jews.
They signify, that the Jews, living
at the time intended in those Scrip-
tures, being in a dead estate,-that
is to say, some of them dead in un-
belief and sin, and others, though
alive in grace, yet in a state of disper-
sion, affliction and persecution, (of-
ten in the Scriptures compared to
death,* as the rising from it is to
life;)-the latter sort of them shall,
at or before the fulfilment of the
former of these Scriptures, effectu-
ally arise, and stand up out of the

b Rom. xi, 11-33. c 1 Kings xix, 13;
xviii, 38; 2 Kings i, 10-12. e 1 Kings xvii, 1;
f 2 Kings ii, 11. g Ezek. xxxvii, 4, 5. h Dan. xii, 2, 3. i Rom. xi, 15.

Kings ii, 13; Zech. xiii, 4. d 1 Kings xviii, 42;. Jas. v, 17, 18.

* For misery see 2 Cor. i, 10; Hos. xiii, 14; Rev. vi, 8; 2 Cor. xi, 23; 1 Cor. xv, 31; Rom. vii, 24. For deliverance from it see Ps. lxxi, 20; lxxx, 18; lxxxv, 6 ; cxxxviii, 7; Hos. vi, 2, &c.

dust of their death-like miseries, to contend for the corporal and spiritual liberties of the Church, against the enemies of both. In which contest, though they may for a short time be as slain, by new calamities, on that account; yet they shall recover, conquer, and possess that glorious restauration on earth, which is to commence from the resurrection of all believers, both Jews and Gentiles. That this is the main sense of the aforesaid Scriptures, the Reader may easily gather by observing the context, and noting what is put as the antithesis to that rising to life; viz. that state from whence they are said to rise. Thus in Isaiah xxvi, it is from "dominion under other Lords to the ends of the earth," whither the Jews were scattered, without hope or help of deliverance.j In Ezekiel it is from among the heathen whither they were gone into captivity.k In Daniel it is from the invasion and tyranny of the Roman monarchy. In Romans it is from the fall and casting away into spiritual blindness.

3. The third reason I shall urge is, that the crisis or critical days, most nearly relating to the period of that witnessing, have their clearest calculations from the Jews appearing on the theatre, and acting in that wonderful scene which intervenes between the witnesses lying dead and the commencement of the glorious restauration of all things. So that the Gentiles necessarily take their signal and watch-word from the Jews, to march after them, to their assistance; (I mean to further their deliverance and settlement;) as owning them to be the people of God by actual and effectual vocation. For example, to the

j vv. 13-18.

point in hand; it is prophesied by Isaiah, “that the Gentiles shall carry the Jews into their own land, upon horses, and in chariots, and litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, and in their arms, and upon their shoulders, and shall bow down before them, &c."m But how can the Gentiles show the Jews that great favour, till they find them in a posture and forwardness to go? or that high respect, till they see them first respect the Messiah, Christ Jesus?

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Another example we have from Daniel. It being revealed to that Prophet," that at THAT TIME (meaning the most miserable time of the 'Jews' desolation, described, chap. 'xi,) shall Michael stand up, the great Prince, which standeth for the children of thy people; and 'there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was, since there was a nation, even to that same time; and at THAT TIME thy people (Daniel's people) shall be delivered, ' &c. every one that shall be found ‹ written in the book: for* many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; &c."—I say these things being revealed to Daniel, one of two angels standing by asked the Lord, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders ?"—that is, to when the wonderful rising of the Jews, and the wonderful troubles ensuing, shall be on foot and be acted. For the angel does not mean the end also of all the said troubles; (as I shall presently show;) nor does the answer mean so. answer, according to our last English translation, is," that it shall be for a time, and times, and a half (or part, as it is confessed in the margin) when he shall have accomplished to

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k vv. 21 to end. 1 Compare chap. xi, latter part. m Isa. xlix, lxvi. *I have before shewn that the Hebrew is often a causal.

scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be accomplished." We may understand this answer tolerably as above; but better, if we read it thus," That at a time, and times, and part of time, having accomplished the scattering of the power of the holy people, all these things shall be performed." This reading is close to the words and phrase of the original* and in sense is, that at the expiration of the term of many years, consisting of a time, times, &c. wherein the Jews shall have been scattered, their scattering now being accomplished, these things, (viz. their wonderful rising and troubles thereupon) shall be performed; that is, shall be upon the stage of human action. By which it evidently appears to us at this day, that whilst the Jews continue scattered over the whole earth, (as we now see, and they themselves daily confess,) nothing can be determinatively calculated by any, touching the time of their deliverance; nor done by us Gentiles in assistance of their return. But when their scattering is accomplished, (I say not their full deliverance, which follows certain years after,)—and which is accomplished when they arise, and strive against their arch enemy, —there is the first note or mark of time of the glorious restauration approaching.

Daniel hearing all this, but not distinctly understanding hereby the

time of their scattering to that rising, puts this question: "O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?" (v. 8 :) which in effect is the same as "When shall be the end of these things?"—that is, if we may judge of the intent of the question, by the bent of the answer. For the answer is not of the quality of the end, but of the time of the end; and to this effect:-" that at the expiration of 1290 days, (that is, years,) taking their beginning from the ceasing of the daily sacrifice, and the setting up of the abomination that maketh desolate, (all three being to be taken in, to make a sure footing for the account) shall that scattering be finished, and terminate in that wonderful rising and struggle." (v. 11.) This makes the second note, or mark of time, of the glorious restauration approaching.

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And how long, (might Daniel yet inquire,) shall that troublesome time (whose beginning periods the scattering) continue ?" The Lord however prevents this question by himself stating in substance as follows;-" that though the commencement of their rising and struggling shall be with unparalleled troubles, yet they shall not be any thing like so long as their scattering, but shall end in a blessed catastrophe; the interval between both lasting in all but 45 years :"+ for (saith the Lord) "Blessed is he that shall wait and continue after the expiration of

* See the Margin. In the original is no it shall be,' nor when he;' and the word ' and, next before 'when he,' is redundant. We have many examples of the like: as Amos iv, 10, " I have made the stink of your camps to come up [and] into your noses." So the Hebrew of Leviticus vii, 16, and Genesis xxx, 30. Lastly, for the two Infinitive moods () it is a rule, that when is prefixed to the infinitive mood, importat significationem temporis præteriti, (as Ps. xii, 8;) and for the second infinitive, it is oft put for a noun,-dispergere to signify dispersionem. As for the signification of to perform, to be doing of a thing, before it is finished or ended, it is well known to every ordinary Hebraist.

+ Near about the space of time of the building of the second temple, (John ii, 20,) viz. within one day, which may alter one year.

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