earlier one. In Matt. xii. 29, it is represented as the peculiar work of Christ to bind Satan: compare Heb. ii. 14; 1 John iii. 8; Col. ii. 15. . . . . . What is said here of the operations of Christ even now repeats itself anew in the case of every individual who stands in faith, watches and prays. 'Resist the devil, and he will flee from you' (James iv. 7). If the earth were to watch and pray for a thousand years, Satan should have nothing on it." [The italics are the author's own].*

What says the Redeemer himself, when the seventy returned to him with joy from "healing the sick, casting out devils, and preaching the kingdom of God," as he commanded them? "Lord," said they, "even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I BEHELD SATAN AS LIGHTNING FALL FROM HEAVEN" (Luke x. 17, 18). Was this a local fall? Nay, but a fall from power. And was it merely so much of his power as he lost by the brief labours of these seventy disciples that the Redeemer saw ?" No, certainly; it was a prospective view of the whole conquests of his people over the enemy, "through his name ;" and if so, it will not be easy to show that the millennial seizure, binding, and imprisonment of the dragon, are any thing else but one great act of this drama performed by the same parties— "the devils subject unto us though His name."

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But what says the Redeemer again? "When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace; but when a stronger than he shall come upon him and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusteth, and divideth his spoils." (Luke xi. 21, 22.) "How can one enter a strong man's house and spoil his goods, except he first BIND the strong man, and then he will spoil his house?" (Matt. xii. 29.) Now, every one admits that this "coming upon," "overcoming," and "binding" of Satan, is not properly a struggle between the persons of Christ and Satan (whatever may pass between them in the unseen world, of

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*On the Revelation, ut supra, ii., pp. 273, 274.

which we know nothing).. It is a conflict of interests upon earth. And as it is by the instrumentality of the truth, and of living Christians, that all the triumphs of Christ over Satan are achieved upon earth, and this is styled by the Lord himself the seizure and binding of Satan, why may not the same symbols, as employed with a little greater fulness by his beloved disciple, signify the same thing? Of course I do not exclude those providential restraints which have in every age concurred with the truth in the triumphs of the cause of God. So far from excluding these, I think it likely that the whole moral, social, and political arrangements by which, under the overmastering influence of religious principle, the millennial era will be distinguished, will present one vast breastwork of providential restraints upon evil, proclaiming to the enemy of souls the utter hopelessness of raising up his fallen kingdom during all that period. All I mean to convey is, that I see no reason to think the restraining power will be put forth miraculously, immediately, or altogether apart from those instrumentalities which God has, in every previous age, employed in "destroying the works of the devil."

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"This binding of Satan," says ANDREAS, one of the earliest commentators, quoted by Paræus, “ is the overthrow of the devil, which is accomplished by the power of the Lord's passion; for by this is the strength of Satan bound."

"The sum of it," says PARÆUS, "is the victory of Christ over Satan, of which it is said, 'Now is the Prince of this world judged ;' 'I saw Satan fall as lightning from heaven;' The Prince of this world shall be cast out.""*

6

"Nothing, therefore," says MARCKIUS, "is denoted by 'the angel's having a great chain in his hand,' but the all-sufficient power of Christ to bridle Satan, and at his pleasure to keep him in, like a captive whom he suffers not to escape or to stir. With this power,

if you choose to join the word and Spirit of Christ, by which he works, we willingly agree; and we think this better than introducing here

* In Apoc. Comment. ad loc. 1612.

[with Paræus and others] the whole passion of Christ, by which he obtained authority over Satan." *

I think it worthy of notice, that President Edwards— whose excellent "History of the Work of Redemption," when it comes to show how the success of Christ's redemption will be carried on from the present time till Antichrist is fallen and Satan's visible kingdom on earth is destroyed," is minute, interesting, and scriptural--takes no notice of the millennial binding and incarceration of Satan, as a distinct and separate exercise of Christ's power, from those other strokes by which his kingdom is to be overthrown.

....

The

"This,” says he, “is a work which will be accomplished by means, by the preaching of the gospel, and the use of the ordinary means of grace, and so shall be gradually brought to pass. Spirit of God shall be gloriously poured out for the wonderful revival and propagation of religion. . . . . This pouring out of the Spirit of God will not effect the overthrow of Satan's kingdom, till there has first been a violent and mighty opposition made. Christ and his Church shall, in the battle of that great day of God Almighty,' obtain a complete and entire victory over their enemies. . . . . . Consequent on this victory, Satan's visible kingdom on earth shall be destroyed. When Satan is conquered in this last battle, the Church of Christ will have easy work of it. When the devil was cast out of the Roman empire, . . . . . it was represented as Satan's being cast out of heaven to the earth (Rev. xii. 9); but it is represented that he shall be cast out of the earth too, and shut up in hell (Rev. xx. 1-3). This is the greatest revolution by far that ever came to pass. This shall put an end to the Church's suffering state," &c. +

.....

Once more:

.....

"With respect," says Mr FABER, "to that binding of Satan which immediately precedes the millennium, it must plainly be

* In Apoc. Comment. ad loc. 1689.

The historical application which these authors make of the prophecy is of no consequence: it is their view of the symbols, and their recognition of the instrumentality of the truth, in the binding of Satan, which I quote them for.

† History of Redemption, Period III., Part 2, Sect. 1.

considered as a transaction not visible to human eyes. The power of the evil spirit being effectually restrained through the wellnigh universal prevalence of true religion, perhaps also his seductive influence being specially coerced by the direct, though unseen interference of the Almighty, he is said, by an easy and natural image, to be chained fast," &c.*

Such are the grounds on which I conceive that this millennial “binding of Satan" is not to be viewed as a miraculous physical removal from the earth of our spiritual adversary, apart altogether from the ordinary instrumentality by which all previous victories over him have been achieved; but, on the contrary, just by a more signal forth-putting of all these instrumentalities than has ever yet been witnessed. And I have added a few extracts that go to show that this conception of the matter is far from being a novelty of my own, as has been represented.

Nevertheless, it may be without sufficient foundation; and I am far from wishing to dogmatize upon it. I leave it for the consideration of those whose familiarity with the symbolic language of prophecy, soundness of judgment, and general accuracy in conceiving of divine things, may enable them to throw further light upon the subject. In sketching the leading features of the millennial period, the practical bearings of this point will come before us in the following chapter, and supersede the necessity of any summary here.

* Sacred Calendar of Prophecy, vol. iii. p. 468.

CHAPTER VIII.

LEADING FEATURES OF THE LATTER DAY-ITS CLOSE, AND THE LITTLE SEASON" TO SUCCEED IT, UP TO THE LORD'S

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PERSONAL APPEARING.

As each of these topics has received more or less illustration in the foregoing chapters, it is but a brief concluding sketch that I intend here.

The burden of Old Testament prophecy is "THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST AND THE FOLLOWING GLORIES” (ràs μerà Taura doğas, 1 Peter i. 11), or the glorious results of these sufferings. Under this comprehensive title may be embraced all the prophetic announcements of Messiah's kingdom, as a kingdom of truth, righteousness, peace, glory. It is seldom lined off into stages of advancement; and only in the chronological prophecies have we any thing like distinct periods in the new economy, marked eras in Christianity, indicated. Messiah's reign is for the most part held forth as one magnificent whole; and though resistance, warfare, corruption, defection, revival, victory, do at times chequer the scene, yet the prevailing aspect in which the kingdom of Christ is hymned in the prophetic scriptures is its fullest state of development upon earth, losing itself in the superior glories of the celestial and eternal state.

This remark will enable us to correct two opposite mistakes. One class of interpreters see scarcely any thing but the millennium in prophecy; another will hardly allow that it is there at all. Professor Alexander, for example, in his admirable critical work on the Prophecies of Isaiah, anxious