(Gen. ix. 9.[[Bible (King James)/Genesis#9:9|]]) Another, covenant was made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their descendants, (Gen. xvii. 7, 19.) of which the laws were given by Moses; and finally, "grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John i. 18.) It is also known, that the three first of these dispensations were entirely corrupted, and the covenants broken, by those to whom they were given, among whom the churches thus formed in consequence perished: and that the case would be the same with the fourth dispensation and covenant, is predicted through a great part of the Apocalypse, and by the Lord in person, in Matt. xxiv., and summarily, in that question of his which supposes a negative answer, "Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? (Luke xviii. 8.)
The language in which the judgment upon the three former of these churches is described, being of the same symbolical kind as that in which the judgment upon the last is predicted, it has not been generally understood to relate to any transaction in the spiritual world, but has been confined to the calamities with which, in the natural world, the apostate members of those churches were at length overtaken; and yet, that the descriptions refer to judgments in the spiritual world also, may easily be inferred. Thus, as has already been seen, the passing away of heaven and earth, and convulsions in the heavenly bodies equivalent thereto, are constantly predicted in reference to the Last Judgment, and to the coming of the Lord for its performance: and these are predicted, not only in reference to the judgment which the Christian world is still expecting, but to the judgments on each of the former churches."The author here refers to the judgment which took place at the end of the Adamic or most Ancient Church, and which is described in the literal sense by a flood of waters: and also to subsequent judgments upon the Noetic Church, and which were also manifested in the natural world by the destruction of Sodom by fire from heaven, and other calamities. He then proceeds:—
