us, Ifa. Ixiii. 15. to the end, and in chap. Ixiv. The Jews, after this, march up to Judea; and it does not appear, from any paffage that has occurred to me, that their enemies attempt to refift them till they arrive at Jerufalem. There the beaft and his allies make their ftand. Their numbers and eagerness are reprefented by Joel, chap. iii. 9. 11. 14. "Prepare

..

war, wake up the mighty men, let all the ર men of war draw near, let them come up.

Beat your plow-fhares into fwords, and your "pruning-hooks into spears; let the weak fay, Iam ftrong. Affemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about.-Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat.Put ye in the fickle, for the harvest is ripe; ❝come, get you down, for the press is full, the "fats overflow; for their wickedness is great ;

Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decifion." On the other hand, the folemn and majeftic movement of the Jewish armies, advancing to certain victory under the conduct of the Meffiah, is reprefented to the Apostle John. "I faw heaven opened, and behold a white "horfe; and he that fat upon him was called

faithful and true; and in righteoufnefs he "doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no

man

"man knew but he himself.

And he was

"clothed with a vefture dipt in blood; and his "name is called, The Word of God. And the "armies which were in heaven followed him "upon white horfes, cloathed in fine linen, "white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth "a fharp fword, that with it he fhould fmite "the nations, and he fhall rule them with a "rod of iron: And he treadeth the wine-press ❝ of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. "And he hath on his vefture and on his thigh

a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD "OF LORDS. And I faw the beaft and the kings "of the earth, and their armies gathered toge"ther, to make war against him that fat on the "horse, and against his army." Rev. xix. 11.-16. 19.

Before they join battle, the feventh angel pours out his vial into the air, Rev. xvi. 17. The effect of this is, to dispel the delusion occasioned by the "prince of the power of the air," which collected fuch numerous forces together. The motley crew who affift the beaft, fet free from the delufion which gathered them, give place to the animofities naturally arifing from their various forms of government and systems of religion, as well as from their ancient feuds and quarrels. They now turn their fwords with eagerness against each other, as formerly the

children

children of Moab, Ammon, and Mount Seir in the days of Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 23. This is clearly afferted by the prophet Zechariah, chap. xiv. 13. "it fhall come to pass in that day, that a great tumult from the Lord fhall "be among them, and they shall lay hold every

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' one on the hand of his neighbour, and his "hand fhall rife up against the hand of his "neighbour." So God fays by Haggai, chap. ii. 21.-24. "I will fhake the heavens and the "earth, and I will overthrow the throne of

kingdoms, and I will deftroy the strength of "the kingdoms of the heathen, and I will overthrow the chariots and those that ride in them, and the horfes and their riders fhall "come down, every one by the fword of his bro"ther." Their eagerness to deftroy each other is compared to that of a drunkard for guzzling the wine moft agreeable to his palate, "I will "feed them that opprefs thee with their own

..

flesh, and they fhall be drunken with their "own blood as with fweet wine." Ifa. xlix. 26.

Together with their own fwords, God fhall fet the elements in battle array against them, fo as to render his interpofition obvious in their deftruction. "Behold the Name of the Lord "cometh from far, burning with his anger, and "the burden thereof is heavy: His lips are full "of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring

" fire;

fire; and his breath as an overflowing ftream, "fhall reach to the midft of the neck.-And "the Lord fhall caufe his glorious voice (thun"der) to be heard, and fhall fhew the lighting "down of his arm, with the indignation of his

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anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire,

(lightning), with scattering, and tempeft, and "hail-ftones.-For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made " it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and "much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a "ftream of brimftone doth kindle it." Ifa. xxx. 27, 28. 30. 33. "For behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a

whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and "his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire, " and by his fword, will the Lord plead with all "flesh; and the flain of the Lord fhall be many," chap. lxvi. 15, 16. "God came from Teman, " and the holy One from mount Paran. His

cr

glory covered the heavens, and the earth was "full of his praise, and his brightness was as "the light, he had horns coming out of his "hand, and there was the hiding of his power. "Before him went the peftilence, and burn"ing coals went forth at his feet.-Thou didst "march through the land in indignation, thou “didst thresh the heathen in anger. Thou "wenteft forth for the falvation of thy people,

"even for falvation with thine anointed;" Habak. iii. 3, 4, 5. 12, 13 '.

The Jews are then described as descending to the valley of Jehoshaphat, to complete the victory which the swords of their enemies, and the fire of the elements had already obtained for them. "And Judah alfo fhall fight at Jerufa"lem;" Zech. xiv. 14 2.

The remains of thofe forces once fo formidable, now scatter in various directions, and endeavour severally to gain their own countries, (Ifa xiii. 14. Jer. 1. 16.); but the Jews purfue and make an immenfe flaughter all over the land of Palestine. This is that wine-prefs out of which came "blood even unto the horfe"bridles, by the space of a thousand and fix "hundred furlongs ";" Rev. xiv. 20.

3

The complete deftruction of the enemies of religion at Armageddon, is laid before us in various paffages. Take the following as a specimen: "And the deftruction of the tranfgreffors " and

(1) See likewife Ifa. lxiii. 1.-5, 6. and Rev. xiv. 17.20. to clofe.

(2) See the texts quoted, p. 348. and downwards.

(3) For the holy land, according to Jerom, meafures in length 200 Roman or 160 Grecian miles. The Romans computed eight furlongs to a mile, but the Greeks allowed ten, fo that by either computation the extent is just 1600 furlongs; fee Mede's Clavis Apocalyptica.