A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

Again, as Christ in the last judgement will gloriously manifest himself coming in the glory of his Father, so in each of the th••• foregoing events Christ gloriously manifested himself in sending judgements upon his enemies, and in showing grace and favour to his church; and as the last coming of Christ will be attended with a literal gathering together of the elect from the four winds of heaven, so were each of the preceding attended with a spiritual gathering ⟨p. 178⟩in of the elect. As this gathering together of the elect will be effected by God's angels with a great sound of a trumpet, as in Matth. xxiv.31.; so were each of the preceding spiritual in gatherings effected by the trumpet of the gospel, founded by the ministers of Christ. As there shall precede the last appearance of Christ, a time of great degeneracy and wickedness, so this has been, or will be, the case with each of the other appearances. Before each of them is a time of great opposition to the church: before the fi•st by the Jews, in their persecutions that we read of in the New Testament; before the second, viz in Constantine's time, by the Heathen, in several successive persecutions raised by the Roman emperors against the Christians; before the third, by Antichrist; before the last, by Gog and Magog, as described in the Revelation.

By each of these comings of Christ God works a glorious deliverance for his church. Each of them is accompanied with a glorious advancement of the state of the church. The first, which ended in the destruction of […], was attended with bringing the church into […] gospel, a glorious state of the church very much prophesied of old, whereby the church was advanced into far more glorious circumstances than it was in before under the Jewish dispensation. The second, which was in Constantine's time, was accompanied with an advancement of the church into a state of liberty from persecution, and the countenance of civil authority, and triumph over their Heathen persecutors. The third, which shall be at the downfall of Antichrist, will be accompanied with an advancement of the church into that state of the glorious prevalence of truth, liberty, peace, and joy, that we so often read of in the prophetical parts of scripture. The last will be attended with the advancement of the church to consummate glory in both soul and body in heaven.