to battle, the number of wliom will be as the sand of the sea. And with these he will compass the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city : and fire will come down from God out of heaven to devour them""." Now all this I can understand, on the supposition that there be a succession of saints for a thousand years ; because I can easily conceive that hypocrites and apostates may at last arise from among them, just as they did from among the immediate converts of the Apostles : but I cannot possibly conceive, eitlier that Satan should so prevail over saints that are brought down from heaven ; as to occasion them at last to be cut off by fire from heaven, or that, thougli preserved faithful to their God, they should ever be subjected to such assaults from men and devils. We are told expressly, that " the sun shall not light on them, nor any heat," and that " they shall have no more sorrow, or crying, or pain:" and therefore I cannot but con- clude, that they shall be with Christ in Paradise, till they shall come forth at the last day to be re-united to their bodies, and to possess both in body and soul the inheritance provided for tliem from the foundation of the world.]
With such a view of tlie first resurrection, we are prepared to contemplate,
TI. The blessedness of those that shall have a part in it —
" Blessed and holy" will they all be; and that too in a pre-eminent degree above the saints of other ages :
J , Their views will be more enlarged — [Our hght far surpasses that of the Prophets ; insomuch that the least and meanest of the saints under the Christian dispensation excels in that respect even the Baptist himself, wlio was greater than all the Prophets : and amongst our- selves, some have far deeper and richer views of Divine truth than others. But in that day, the great mystery of Redemption will be exhibited in far brighter colours than it has yet been. Not that any fresh revelation will be vouch- safed to men ; for 1 conceive that the Canon of Scripture is closed: but there Vvill be a more abundant measure of the Spirit poured out upon them, revealing to them the Saviour, in all " the brightness of his glory," and in " the incompre- hensible wonders of his love:" " the light of the moon Mill he as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun seven- fold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound "."]
2. Their
■" ver. 7 — 9. " Isai. xxx. 26.