end. His temporal power is already gone, and his ecclesiastical power is scarcely known, or submitted to.What then is the immediate consequence, as expressly declared by unerring wisdom; "I beheld, says Daniel, then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake, I beheld, even till the beast (the Roman government) was slain, and his body (or the city of his throne or seat, meaning Rome) destroyed, and given to the burning flame." It appears from this, that the power of Rome Christian, and all the Papal authority, as a temporal power, (and it may, possibly, also include the

royal horns under the general title of ecclesiastical indemnities; so that as the sign of the approaching vengeance is so notoriously fulfilled, the judgment itself cannot be far distant to punish her apostasy"-" But the time is just at hand when great Babylon must come in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath."* For all the awful signs described in this very text, the 19th verse, though not yet completely fulfilled are most evidently approaching to their completion-The ten great divisions, called horns or kings, of the fourth and last great kingdom, the Roman empire, are now so wounded and subdivided, as to have an apparent tendency to be divided into three parts only, instead of ten parts or horns. And as to the other sign respecting the fall of the cities of the nations, mentioned in the same verse, and necessarily to be understood as an inferior distinction for the lesser governments or states of the empire, which were not regal monarchies or horns of the beast, but were deemed only republics and hanse towns of the empire, therefore properly the cities of the nations, they are surely already fallen-Where now exist the late noble and independent states of Venice, Genoa, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Parma, Florence, Tuscany, or even Ragusa, because none but the piratical states exist, reserved perhaps for a more dreadful vengeance; for even Bremen and Hamburgh have lately been seized, so that the third wo really "cometh quickly."

Rev. ch. 16. v. 19.

power of the Emperor of Germany or France, as the sun of the political Heaven) will be destroyed, by means of his pride and contempt of other powers; or by his self sufficiency, confiding in his great power aud influence, by virtue of old assumed authority, over the consciences of men.

These events are to come on (as have already been observed) very quick, as consequences one from another, but are certain and unavoidable; and will inevitably proceed in regular procession till the pouring out of the seventh vial, and the sounding of the seventh trumpet, when all the nations of the earth, shall become the nations of our Lord, and the knowledge of God shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the seas.

We are satisfied, with bishop Newton, that the best comment upon the unfulfilled prophesies will be their completion; but then, as certain duties are enjoined upon us, to be performed at our peril; and the period for this service is only to be known by the signs of the times, given us in the prophetic declarations in the written word of God, it becomes us, with the faithful Bæreans, approved of by St. Paul," to search the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things are so;"* or to obey the words of our Saviour himself, "search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me:" that is, carefully look into, and attend to the books of the Old Testament, on which you depend for life and happiness, and from thence you will learn that the prophetic declarations therein mentioned, with their types and figures, have their exact fulfilment in me, and by attending to the times and circumstances foretold, as attendant on the coming of the

*Acts, 17th ch. 11th v.

Messiah, you will know the truth of my character, and acknowledge my divine mission, and thereby escape the aggravated destruction that will be the necessary consequence of rejecting me. To the same purport does the apostle speak of the rulers who promoted, and the people who solicited the crucifixion of the Son of God. "Had they known it (that is, had they attended to the prophetic marks of his character) they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory."*

In the like spirit of condescending mercy does our gracious Redeemer address himself to us of this day; "When ye see these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." We are told, in Deuteronomy, that "secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of the Law."‡

*The doctrine of the Millenium steers clear of two extremes. While some imagine that the description of the Messiah's kingdom is to be understood as merely the introduction of the Christian religion, painted in the lofty style and luxuriant imagery of the east; others imagine that the inconceivable joys of Heaven are thus represented in accommodation to our feeble faculties. Whereas the truth appears to be, that the introduction of the Christian religion into the world, and the marvellous work of redemption, by the death of Christ, form the primary subjects of the prophetic writings; and the train of glorious consequences to follow upon this our earth, their secondary signification. For prophesy reaches but to the gates of Heaven. "If I tell you earthly things, and you believe me not; how shall ye believe if I tell you Heavenly things? No man can see or apprehend those things which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, and which hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive of."§

+ Luke, 21st ch. 28th v.

§ 2d vol. Kett. p. 347.

Deut. 29th ch. 29th v.

We have a sure ground of hope, and even certainty, from "the moral attributes of God, as well as from his promises," (as he hath positively assured us by his prophet) that "the judgment shall sit; and they shall take away his (the beasts) dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end."*

The nations of Europe are very particularly interested in these great events, as being the actual theatre of such awful expectations; and they have the utmost reason to be alarmed at, and exceedingly attentive to these signs of the times for the words of Daniel will, most assuredly, be fulfilled. "A stone was cut out without hands," says he," which smote the image upon his feet, that were of iron and clay, (the Roman government) and break them to pieces: then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, (all the kingdoms of Assyria, Persia, Greece, and Rome) broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floor, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." The prophet Jeremiah had previously spoken of this great event in the like prophetic language. "A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh: he will give them who are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth, even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. Howl ye shepherds and cry! and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye

*Daniel, 7th ch. 26th v.

principals of the flock! for the days of your slaughter and your dispersions are accomplished, and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel: and the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape.”*

"And it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined; and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them; I will say, it is my people; and they shall say, the Lord is my God."+

"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress; a day of wasteness and desolation; a day of darkness and gloominess; a day of clouds and thick darkness; a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities and the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung."‡

But God's people are greatly encouraged in this hour of distress. "Seek ye the Lord all ye meek of the earth, who have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness; it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger".§

Are not the events that have already appeared, and are daily appearing, calculated to rouse the friends of Zion, both Christian and Jew, to keep their garments unspotted

* Jerem. 25th ch. 31-35 v.

Zephaniah, 1st. ch. 14-17 v.

† Zach. 13th ch. 8—9 v.

Ibid. 2d ch. 3d v.