THE first place in scripture, where we read of the power which should persecute the saints for the sake of religion (which power is ge­nerally called Antichrist) is in the Prophet Daniel. In his vision of the four beasts, by which he means four great empires that were to be established upon earth (which vision is descanted upon by the learned Isaac Newton, in his commentaries upon that Pro­phet) he says, "Behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly, and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stampt the residue with the feet of it, and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and behold there came up among them another little horn" Daniel vii. 7, 8. And again he says, "These great beasts which are four, are four kings which shall arise out of the earth, verse 17. And again, "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them," verse 21. And again he says, "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall arise after them, and he shall be diverse from the first, and shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion to consume, and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom un­der the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him," verse 24, 25, 26, and 27.

[Page 6] Newton conceives that this fourth kingdom is the Roman empire; but that it does not, in the mind of the Prophet, take in any provinces, excepting such which constitute its own body, that is, the the Roman empire in Europe, or, the western empire. The first kingdom is that of Chaldea and Assyria, the second Media and Persia, the third Greece. The observa­tions of Newton upon this subject, which are inge­nious, would appear perhaps to many a candid mind to be founded on truth, and to be satisfactory to prove that the power of Antichrist is to arise in the western part of the Roman [...]pire, if we were only enlighten­ed by the prophecies of Daniel. St. John however ren­ders it indisputable, that this Antichristian power is to appear in the western part of the Roman empire, for he makes its feat in the very city of Rome itself. He represents this power under the emblem of a beast that hath seven heads, Rev. xvii. 3; and like Daniel, mentions that the beast hath ten horns. The former prophet mentions a little horn which shall arise after the other ten, by which he means the power of Antichrist. The latter prophet represents the same power under the emblem of a harlot, who sits "upon a scarlet-coloured beast, having seven heads and ten horns," Rev. xvii. 3. Soon after he says, "The seven heads are seven mountains ^† on which the woman sitteth," xvii. 9. And then, "And the woman which thou sawest is that great city which reigneth over the kings of the earth," xvii. 18. It has been well observed, that Rome is [Page 7]better and more surely pointed out by being called the great city on seven mountains, which reigneth over the kings of the earth, than if the very name of Rome had been mentioned: For Rome singly might, like Sodom or Babylon, have been the emblem of a wick­ed or idolatrous city; whereas "the great city on on seven mountains which reigneth (that is, at the tsme of St. John which reigned) over the kings of the earth," must be Rome, and nothing else but Rome. It affects us with surprise and horror when we consider the prevalence of such a portentous scourge ^‡ as this persecuting power. We are ready [Page 8]to exclaim, after having seen it in actual existence, in the same manner with the prophet when it was deli­neated to him in vision, "And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration," Rev. xvii. 6. Our grief however is tempered with joy, when we consider that the time appointed for this power is nearly expired. Daniel says that it is to prevail "until a time, and times, and the dividing of time." [Page 9]St. John says of the beast, which is the emblem of Antichrist, "that power was given to him to conti­nue forty and two months, Rev. xiii. 5. Which is the same period of time as the persecuted woman is to be in the wilderness, that is, "a thousand two hundred and threescore days," Rev. xii. 6. These are the same as "a time, and times, and the dividing of time," and they all signify 1260 years. ^*

There are some who imagine that the 1260 years of papal usurpation begin at the close of the sixth century, and that Gregory the First, who was at that time Pope, had some marks of Antichrist. Some conceive they begin at the opening of the seventh century, when the Emperor Pho [...]as made certain concessions to the Pope. Others think they begin at the year 756, or thereabout, when, upon the de­struction of the Exarchate of Ravennah, the Pope became a temporal monarch. Others, among whom are said to be Lowman and the celebrated Isaac New­ton, suppose that the days of papal usurpation begin at the year of our Lord 736, when Pepin of France made a grant to the Pope of the temporal dominion of Rome, upon the destruction of the Exarchate of Ravennah, to which that city for a while belonged. The period of the Pope's continuance then, accord­ing to their suppositions, will end about the year 2016, or if prophetical years be used in the computation, consisting of 300 years, about the year of our Lord 2000, which they suppose will be the beginning of [Page 10]the millennium. The celebrated Mede, whom some conceive to have been at times divinely inspired con­cerning his comments upon the book of Revelation, was of opinion that the ten kingdoms arose in the western part of the Roman empire in the year 476. It is probable that Mede is nearly right in his con­ception upon this matter, and that Antichrist arose not a very long time after the above mentioned year. ^† There is a very forcible argument that I think may be urged to prove that the power of Antichrist will be soon abolished. St. John, after describing the beast with seven heads and ten horns (which we in­terpret to be the papal power) says, "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon: and he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein, to worship the first beast whose deadly wound was healed," Rev. xiii. 11, 12. There are many commentators who interpret (and surely the interpre­tation seems to be just) this ^‡ second beast to be an emblem of the religious orders of the church of Rome, especially of the Jesuits, some of whom have tempo­ral estates and jurisdictions added to their spiritual, by which they have greatly supported the papacy. Now it is certain that the Jesuits who have been called the Janizaries of the See of Rome, have been banished [Page 11]from many kingdoms where they once possessed au­thority. ^§ If therefore, to speak in the prophetical language, the second beast is almost expired which gave life to the first beast "which had the wound by a sword and did live," Rev. xiii. 14; it is rational to conclude that the first beast cannot long remain in existence. ^†

It seems to be expresly foretold that the power of Antichrist is to continue 1260 years, and that at the expiration of this time, the city of Rome, where this power is seated, is to be made a desolation. It is said in the Revelation, chap. xviii. "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightned with his glory. 2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and [Page 12]is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: 5 For her sins have reached heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. 6 Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double, according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double. 7 How much she hath glorified herself, and lived de­liciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no wi­dow, and shall see no sorrow. 8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burnt with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. 9 And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication, and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, 10 Standing afar off for the fear of her tor­ment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. 11 And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth their merchandise any more: 12 The merchandise of gold and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and brass, and iron, and marble, 13 And cinnamon, and odours, and oint­ments, and frankincense, and wine, and oyl, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men. 14 And [Page 13]the fruits that thy soul lusted after, are departed from thee, and all things which are dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all. 15 The merchants of these things which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off, for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, 16 And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls: 17 For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every ship­master, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, 18 And cried, when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city is like unto this great city? 19 And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wail­ing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea, by reason of her costliness: for in one hour is she made desolate. 20 Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her. 21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great milstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. 22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trum­peters, shall be beard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the found of a milstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; 23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee; for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived: 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." The prophet here says, "Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be [...]und no more at all." There [Page 14]are some who take these words in a metaphorical sense, and conceive that the destruction of Babylon here mentioned is nothing more than the extirpation of the doctrines and power of the church of [...]ome. There are some, however, of greater reputation, who conceive that the words are to be taken in a literal sense, and that the living and visible city of Rome is to be utterly destroyed. I conceive that they are in the right who hold the latter opinion. We read in Jeremiah, "And Jeremiah said unto Seraiah when thou comest to Babylon, and shall see and shall read all these words, then thou shalt say, O Lord, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever. And it shall be when thou hast made an end of reading this book, that thou shalt bind a stone to it, and cast it into the midst of Euphrates: and thou shalt say thus shall Babylon fink, and shall not rise from the evil that I will bring upon her," chap. li. verses 61, 62, 63, 64. It is highly probable, as it is reasonable to suppose that the language of the book of Revelation was written to coincide with the language of the antient Jewish prophets, that St. John intentionally borrowed his language from this passage in Jeremiah, and therefore that he meant to declare there would literally the same destruction attend the city of Rome (which is called Babylon from its idolatry) as attended the antient city of Babylon, which we know to have been utterly destroyed, and to be at this very day uninhabited. Ezekiel, speaking of Tyre, which was made desolate according to his prophecy, says, "And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease, and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard. And I will make thee like the top of a rock, thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon, thou shalt be built no more," chap. xxvi. verse 13. Jeremiah says, "Therefore behold the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall be no more [Page 15]called Tophet, nor the valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet till there be no place. And the carcases of people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth: and none shall fray them away. Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall be desolate," chap. vii. ver. 32, 33, 34. And again he says, "Behold I will send and take all the families of the north saith the Lord, and Nebuchad­nezzar the king of Babylon my servant, and will bring them against this land and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the milstones, and the light of the candle. And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years," chap. xxv. ver. 9, 10, 11. Isaiah says, "And Ba­bylon the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of Chaldea's excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation, neither shall the Arabian pitch his tent there, neither shall the shepherds make their hold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall be there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces," chap. xiv. ver. 19, 20, 21, 22. Ezekiel represents a lamen­tation being made at the desolation of Tyre, in the same manner as St. John represents a desolation being [Page 16]made at the desolation of Rome. ^† "Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus, shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee. Then all the princes of the sea shall all come down from their thrones and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments. They shall clothe themselves with trembling, they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee. And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say unto thee, How art thou destroyed that wast inhabited of sea-faring men, the renowned city which wast in the sea!" chap. xxvi. ver. 15, 16, 17. And again he says, "And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for thee and lament over thee, say­ing, What city is like Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea? When thy wares went forth out of the seas thou filledst many people; thou didst en­rich the kings of the earth with the multitude of thy riches and of thy merchandize. In the time when thou shalt be broken by the seas in the depths of the waters, thy merchandise and all thy company in the midst of thee shall fall. All the inhabitants of the isles shall be astonished at thee, and their kings shall be sore afraid, they shall be troubled in their counte­nance. The merchants among the people shall hiss at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt be any more," chap. xxvii. verses 32, 33, 34, 35, 36. If we compare these passages from the antient Jewish prophets with the xviiith chapter of the Revelation, and if we consider that St. John framed his language to coincide with the language of the antient Jewish prophets, we shall, in my opinion, conceive it rational to conclude that the city of Rome will be for ever a desolation. ^‡

[Page 17] The continuance of such a tyrannic power as the Papacy for 1260 years should teach us the submission to the Divine will which is becoming in Christians. It should teach us that prosperity and success are not always in this world the consequences of virtue. The life of a Christian was designed for a certain aera to be greatly a life of tribulation. The prophet in speak­ing of the prevalence of the Papal power, says, "Here is the patience and the faith of the saints," Rev. xiii. 10. And the apostle tells us, "The Cap­tain of our salvation was made perfect through suffer­ings," Heb. ii. 10.

Upon the downfall of Antichrist the Turkish em­pire will be annihilated, which abominable empire Daniel describes. "And the king shall do according to his will, and shall exalt himself, and magnify him­self above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the in­dignation be accomplished: for that that is determin­ed, shall be done. Neither shall he regard the god of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not, shall he honour with gold and silver, and with precious stones, and plea­sant things. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him, and the king of the north shall come [Page 18]against him like a whirlwind with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships, and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand; even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Lybians and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. But tidings out of the east, and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many. And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him," Daniel xi. 36.—45.

Mede and Clarke, and other commentators, have supposed that the words "neither shall he regard the god of his fathers, nor the desire of women," are applicable to Antichrist, as well as the words, "for­bidding to marry," which are used by St. Paul. I conceive that they are mistaken in their suppositions concerning the words of Daniel. The Turks may be said not to regard the desire of women in this sense, that is, they may be said sometimes to forego the de­sire of women to indulge themselves in unnatural lusts. ^† [Page 19]Moreover, it can never be said of the Pope that "he shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt, and the Lybians and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps." The Turks, or the followers of Mahomet, have do­minion over Egypt. The people of Lybia (which is now called Barca) and the people of Ethiopia are at the steps of the Turks. They are not at the steps of the Pope. The vision concerning the Papal power was in the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon. The vision concerning the Turkish power was in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia. (Vide Daniel, chap. vii.—and chap. x, xi, xii.)

The ninth chapter in Revelation appears also to re­fer to the followers of Mahomet. "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bot­tomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were dark­ned, by reason of the smoke of the pit. 3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. 4 And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nei­ther any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. [Page 20]5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. 6 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall de­sire to die, and death shall flee from them. ^* 7 And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepar­ed unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. 8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth was as the teeth of lions. 9 And they had breast-plates, as it were breast-plates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of cha­riots of many horses running to battle. 10 And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. 11 And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. 12 One wo is past, and behold there come two woes more hereafter. 13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is be­fore God, 14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. 15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. 16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. 17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on [Page 21]them, having breast-plates of fire, and of jacinct, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued sire, and smoke, and brimstone. 18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. 19 For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto ser­pents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. 20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: 21 Nei­ther repented they of their murders, nor of their for­ceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."

It is to be observed, when Daniel mentions that they shall take away the dominion of the beast, "to consume and to destroy it unto the end," that then he says, "The kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him," Dan. vii. 26, 27. The conversion and restoration of the Jews, and the annihilation of the Turkish empire, must therefore soon follow the abolition of the Papal power, that "the kingdom under the whole heaven, may be gi­ven to the people of the saints of the Most High."

The events attendant upon the fall of Antichrist will be important and magnificent. In the first place, the desolation of Rome, where God has a sacrifice, as he had aforetime in Bozrah, will be produced. The learned Joseph Mede supposes that the words, "And the wine-press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the wine-press, even unto the horse-bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hun­dred [Page 22]furlongs," Rev. xiv. 20, may be applied to the blood, which will be shed in the ecclesiastical state, which is about 200 Italian miles, or 1600 furlongs, into which the contending parties will be gathered as into a cock-pit. I [...] the next place, after the abo­lition of popery, the people of Christendom will of coarse become more united concerning their sentiments of religion, and will make a league to expel the Turks from the holy land. Our Lord said, "And Jerusa­lem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled," Luke xxi. 24. It is certain therefore, that when the times of the Gen­tiles are fulfilled, the Jews will be restored to the land of their forefathers. We read in Joel, "For behold in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have feattered among the nations, and parted my land," chap. iii. ver. 1, 2. This must refer to the second captivity of the Jews. It is mentioned, "when I shall bring AGAIN the captivity," and again it is said, "whom they have scattered AMONG THE NATIONS." This last phrase cannot by any means refer to the Ba­bylonish captivity. We read in this same chapter of Joel, "Put ye in the sickle, 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 decision, for the day of the Lord is near, in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall with­draw their shining", verses 13, 14. This passage of Joel seems to correspond with the following passage in Revelation. "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat, like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in [Page 23]his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud, thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for the grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine-press of the wrath of God. And the wine-press was trodden," &c. Revelation xiv. verse 14. The passage in Joel corresponds in a great measure with the passage in Revelation, though the annihilation of the Turkish empire will be subsequent to the fall of Antichrist and the desolation of Rome. The Mahometans seem to have been sent as scourges to the followers of Popery. History will tell us that Mahomet arose not a long time after the establishment of the Papal power at Rome.—Immediately following to the annihilation of the Turkish empire will be the restoration of Judea, a resurrection of the dead, the day of judgment, and the personal appearance of our Saviour. We read in Daniel, that after the Turkish empire shall be abolish­ed, when "he shall come to his end, and none shall help him," that "at that time shall Michael sland up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time: and at that time, shall thy people be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the [Page 24]dust of the earth shall awake ^*, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." See Daniel at the conclusion of the 11th and the be­ginning of the 12th chapter. This important pas­sage has not been considered with the attention which it merits. When the Turkish empire is abolished, [Page 25]some will awake "to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." Will not this be the day of judgment? Is there not a distinction made between reward and punishment? Is not this to judge? This passage in Daniel seems to correspond with the following passage in Matthew. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat. I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous an­swer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hun­gered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer, and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, [Page 26]Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre­pared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hun­gred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hun­gred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal," chap. xxv. from the 31st verse to the close. The appearance of our Saviour will be personal, after the annihilation of the Turkish empire and the resto­ration of Judea, because there will then be a resurrec­tion and a judgment. It is said in Acts, "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come, in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," chap. i. ver. 9, 10, 11. It is here said, that our Sa­viour shall come IN LIKE MANNER as he went into heaven. He went into heaven in the form with which he was crucified, and with which he rose again from the dead. Thomas, the doubting disciple, after his resurrection, had examined that form. He found that he could thrust his hand into his side, and put his finger into the print of the nails. He found that it was THE LIVING JESUS whom he had known in person.

It is said in 1st Thessalouians ^†, "For the Lord [Page 27]himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first," chap. iv. verse 16.

The long-wished for day is at hand, when "great Babylon will come in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath," Rev. xvi. 19. "The abomination that maketh desolate," Dan. xi. 31, the standard of Ma­homet, will soon be hurled in indignation from the terri­tory of the holy people. The Lord shall soon "utter his voice before his army," Joel ii. 11. For the day, the white-winged day, is at hand, that day in which there will be joy with the good on earth, as well as with the blest in heaven, when the race of Israel will be brought once more exultant into the land of their forefathers. The time is coming, as the prophet foretold, Ezekiel xxxvii, when the dry bones will shake and come together, bone to his bone, and the sinews and the flesh will come upon them, and the skin will cover them above, and the breath will come into them, and they will live and stand upon their feet an exceeding great army. The grave will soon give up its dead, and soon we may expect in person the awful appearance of our Judge and our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is now therefore that un­appalled by danger, and unseduced by ease and ambi­tion, we should bear the unadulterated gospel of our Saviour in thunder ^† over an astonished world. It is now that God will claim his own over that earth which he hath created. He is a God of justice, as well as [Page 28]of mercy. He will not be trifled with. He will have his laws obeyed. It is nobly said of him by his prophet, "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no God with me: I kill and I make alive: I wound and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. For I lift up my hand to heaven and say, I live for ever. If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment, I will render vengeance to mi [...]e enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood," (Deuteronomy.) It is right and sit that the will of the Almighty should be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Where are the servants of the Lord then? are they afraid? or are they indolent? Do they not know that he has set his King, his King, our Lord and Saviour, upon his holy hill of Zion? In vain shall earth, shall hell oppose. The decree is gone forth, and is now fulfilling, which says, "Ask of me and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession," Psalm ii. The labourers are now comparatively few in regard to the fields which are white unto harvest It is now that the servants of the Lord should peculi­arly exertt hemselves. It is now that his Spirit (which he will give to all who ask it properly) will power­fully attend their well-designed endeavours. They should remember that "they who turn many to righ­teousness, will shine forth as the stars for ever," (Daniel.) And he, who has heaven for his throne and earth for his footstool, will be instant concern­ing them; he will be "a wall or fire round about them, and the glory in the mid [...] of them," (Zecha­riah.)

We read in Revelation, that when the seventh an­gel founds, and "the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever," that then God will "destroy them which destroy the [Page 29]earth," chapter xi. ^‡ It seems then reasonable that Christians should resist evil more at this time, than at the first aera of the gospel dispensation. For if God is desirous that those should be destroyed who destroy the earth, will he not make his servants the instruments of such destruction? To turn the other cheek to him who smites on the right, and to give the cloak where the coat is unlawfully taken away, appear not to be commands which are eternally binding on the servants [Page 30]of the Lord. If God for ever made his sun to rise with the same indulgence on the evil and the good, and for ever sent his rain on the just and the unjust in the same undistinguishing manner, he could not hisself be just, and wise, and good; which it is blasphemous to ima­gine. We should not consider the scripture partially, but generally. We should not attend only to the Gos­pel of St. Matthew, but to the Revelation of St. John. In the Revelation we read, "And I saw hea­ven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness 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 knew but he himself: and he was clothed with a vesture [Page 31]dipt in blood: and his name is called, The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven follow­ed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall 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 vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel stand­ing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, say­ing to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather your selves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together, to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that fat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh," chapter xix, verse 11, to the end.

It is true, that our Saviour before Pilate says, "My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants sight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence," John, chap xviii. ver. 36. At the time of our Saviour's appearance upon earth, it was determined, by Providence, that he should suffer. His [Page 32]kingdom was not at that time of this world; there­fore, there was no occasion for his servants to fight. But when the kingdoms of the world become the king­doms of the Lord and of his Christ, then there will be more occasion for the servants of Christ to fight. In short, I think the temporal sword may be used by Christians, but that we should take care not to use it as the sword of unjust revenge, ambition, or of any bad passion, that we should use it, as we should use every other thing, AGREEABLY TO THE WILL OF THE AL­MIGHTY.