ONE great uſe and intention of prophecy is to keep alive the faith and hope of God's people in times of calamity and diſtreſs. When the city and temple of Jeruſalem had been deſtroyed, and the Jews were carried to Babylon, they had the comfort of the prophecies which had been delivered by Iſaiah and Jeremiah, that the captivity would continue no more than ſeventy years; and that at the expiration of that period, a prince ſhould ariſe, by the name of Cyrus, who would cauſe the people to be reſtored to their own land, and their city and temple to be rebuilt. During this period of the ſeventy years captivity, there was a ſeries of revelations made to Daniel, and by him recorded for the inſtruction and comfort of God's people, in every age of the church; theſe revelations were made to him in viſionary and figurative repreſentations, and the ſubjects of them were the remarkable events which ſhould befal thoſe nations, with whom the church of God ſhould be connected till the ſecond coming of Jeſus Chriſt.

THE words now read are part of one of theſe revelations. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a dream which made an uneaſy impreſſion on his mind, but he had forgotten the particulars, and could by no means recollect it, nor could any of the wiſe men of Babylon aſſiſt him in recovering it. They could indeed, by certain rules, interpret a dream when it was related to them; but it was beyond their art and ſkill, to tell a perſon what he had dreamed, when he himſelf had forgotten it. None could do this but the God "whoſe dwelling was not with fleſh." For this incapacity, the monarch, in a fit of tyrannic paſſion, commanded all the wiſe men in Babylon to be ſlain; and among them, Daniel and his companions were to be put to death; but upon his promiſe to ſhew the king his dream, a ſuſpenſion of the decree was obtained; and after ſolemn prayer to God, the ſecret was revealed to Daniel, who declared it to the king in theſe words. "Thou, O king, ſaweſt, and behold, a great image. This great image, whoſe brightneſs was excellent, ſtood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breaſt and his arms of ſilver, his belly and his thighs of braſs, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou ſaweſt till that a ſtone was cut out without hands, which ſmote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the braſs, the ſilver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the ſummer threſhing-floors; 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. This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and ſtrength, and glory. And whereſoever the children of men dwell, the beaſts of the field and the fowls of the heaven, hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee ſhall ariſe another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of braſs, which ſhall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom ſhall be ſtrong as iron: foraſmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and ſubdueth all things; and as iron that breaketh all theſe, ſhall it break in pieces and bruiſe. And whereas thou ſaweſt the feet and toes part of potters' clay and part of iron; the kingdom ſhall be divided; but there ſhall be in it of the ſtrength of iron, foraſmuch as thou ſaweſt the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay; ſo the kingdom ſhall be partly ſtrong, and partly broken. And whereas thou ſaweſt iron mixed with miry clay, they ſhall mingle themſelves with the ſeed of men; but they ſhall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of theſe kings ſhall the God of Heaven ſet up a kingdom, which ſhall never be deſtroyed: and the kingdom ſhall not be left to other people, but it ſhall break in pieces and conſume all theſe kingdoms, and it ſhall ſtand forever. Foraſmuch as thou ſaweſt that the ſtone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the braſs, the clay, the ſilver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what ſhall come to paſs hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof ſure." The ſame ſeries of events was afterward repreſented to Daniel himſelf, in a viſion of four beaſts, anſwering to the four parts of the image, and ſignifying the ſame four kingdoms, with ſome farther particulars relating to the church of God. This viſion is recorded in the 7th chapter; and there is another viſion repreſenting the ſame events, by the figures of a ram and a goat, in the 8th chapter. Theſe viſions were intended to conduct the mind of devout inquirers, through all the grand events, to the eſtabliſhment of the univerſal kingdom of the Son of God, which will break in pieces and deſtroy all theſe kingdoms, and ſtand forever.

IF it be aſked, In what part of the times, ſignified by this viſion, do we live? or what events, here ſet down, are to us paſt, preſent, and future? To give an anſwer to this queſtion, we muſt conſider how far divine Providence has explained the viſion in its ſeveral parts. The golden head of the image, as Daniel himſelf ſaid, was the Babylonian empire, of which Nebuchadnezzar was the reigning prince; "Thou art this head of gold." It was then in the height of its ſplendor and glory; and the imperial city was emphatically called, the "golden city." The ſame empire was ſignified by the lion with eagle's wings, in the 7th chapter. It was overthrown before Daniel's death, by Cyrus, then general, and afterward king of the Medes and Perſians.

THE ſilver breaſt and arms of the image repreſented the kingdom of the Medes and Perſians; which ſucceeded the Babylonian monarchy. This was ſignified to Daniel, under the figure of a bear, with three ribs in his mouth, in the 7th chapter, and afterward of a ram with two horns, in the 8th chapter.

THE brazen belly and thighs ſignified the Macedonian empire, conducted by Alexander, and continued by his four ſucceſſors. This anſwered to the leopard with four heads and four wings, in the 7th chapter, and to the goat, firſt with one horn, and afterward with four horns, in the 8th chapter.

THESE three empires, the Babylonian, the Medo-Perſian and the Macedonian, have long ſince given place to the fourth, the Roman empire; which is meant by the iron legs and feet of the image, and by its ten toes, which were partly of iron and partly of clay. The ſame power is figured by the beaſt with great iron teeth, in the 7th chapter, and the little horn of the goat, which waxed great, in the 8th chapter. It is alſo repreſented in the Revelation of John by a beaſt with ſeven heads and ten horns. It is obſervable, that this empire is deſcribed in the viſion of Nebuchadnezzar in a three-fold ſtate, 1. by the thighs and legs, which were entirely of iron; 2. by the feet, which were of iron and clay; and, 3. by the toes, which were of the ſame materials; and this three-fold view correſponds exactly with the events which have taken place. For the Roman empire was at firſt ſtrong and terrible. Whilſt the ſpirit of true liberty animated their conſtitution: Whilſt public virtue and genuine patriotiſm were the ruling principles, their councils were firm, and their arms were victorious. They conquered the neighbouring countries, and diffuſed the ſpirit of their conſtitution wherever they made a conqueſt. This was the firſt and beſt ſtate of the Romans. But after a while, they grew intoxicated with ſucceſs, and degenerated from their manly fortitude into luxury and pleaſure. Then the ſpirit of corruption crept into the body politic, and it became, as the prophet repreſents it in its ſecond ſtage, like a mixture of iron and clay. It was divided into two parts, viz. the Eaſtern and Weſtern empire; the ſeat of the former was Conſtantinople, and of the latter, Rome. There was, however, ſomething of the ſtrength of iron. They were ſtill a powerful and formidable people. The northern nations who invaded and incorporated themſelves with the Romans, in the ſecond ſtage of the empire, brought with them a ſpirit of liberty, which the Romans had loſt; but ſo diſtracted were they with inteſtine quarrels and religious controverſies, that, like iron and clay, they never could be thoroughly blended; and theſe cauſes operated to produce the third ſtage of the empire, its diviſion into ten kingdoms; anſwering to the ten toes of the image and the ten horns of John's beaſt.

THIS ſeparation of the empire took place between eight and nine hundred years ago; and though ſome of the kingdoms have in ſome degree been changed, and mixed, yet there has been ever ſince, ſuch a diſtinction kept up, that there has generally been about the number of ten.

IN the days of theſe kings, (as Daniel foretold) i. e. the Roman empire, the God of Heaven did ſet up a fifth kingdom, prefigured by a ſtone, cut out of a mountain, without hands. This was the kingdom of Jeſus Chriſt; and as long as the divided remains of the Roman empire ſhall ſubſiſt, this kingdom will be, as it has hitherto been, in the ſtate repreſented by the prophets, as "a ſtone of ſtumbling and rock of offence"; but in due time it will ſmite the image on its feet and break it to pieces; and will itſelf become a great mountain and fill the whole earth. This grand event was ſignified to Daniel in other viſions, recorded in the 7th and 12th chapters; and it is more particularly deſcribed in the three laſt chapters of the book of John's revelation.

IF it be inquired, why were theſe four empires made the ſubject of divine prophecy in preference to all the other kingdoms of this world? The anſwer is, that all of them were inſtruments, in the hands of God, to carry on the deſigns of his providence toward the Jewiſh people firſt, and ultimately the kingdom of his SON. The viſion is a kind of prophetic chronology, to point out the time when the kingdom of God ſhould come, or be viſibly and permanently eſtabliſhed. The reaſon why theſe four empires only are diſtinguiſhed by the ſpirit of prophecy, was, not becauſe they were greater or more remarkable than ſome others; but, becauſe the courſe of their hiſtory is connected with that of the Jewiſh church, and led in a regular and direct ſucceſſion to the time and reign of Jeſus Chriſt.Hurd's Introduction to the ſtudy of prophecy, p. 80. An anſwer of the ſame kind may be given, if it be aſked, why was this revelation made to a Gentile king? This Gentile king was connected with the Jews, and was obliged to a Jewiſh prophet for recovering and interpreting his dream; and the only record of it is preſerved in the Library of the Jewiſh church, to whom were committed the oracles of God. It is therefore a prophecy which comes to us in the ſame channel with all the other inſpired prophecies, and has the ſame end in view, to teſtify of Jeſus Chriſt; for the teſtimony of or concerning him is the ſpirit of prophecy, and to him give all the prophets witneſs. If the facts recorded correſpond with the things foretold; if the prophecy coincide with the whole ſeries of prophecy, having the ſame object in view, and this object be, what none but God could know, before the event; then it will follow, that the inſpiration is real, and there is a further evidence of the divinity of the revelations contained in the Old and New Teſtaments.

FROM the explication which has now been given of this ſacred prophetic viſion, we may ſee, that the preſent period of time, pointed out by it, is that which was ſignified by the ten toes of the image. The ten kingdoms, into which the Roman empire was divided, are ſtill ſubſiſting, though under different forms of government; and though the diviſion be different from what it was at firſt; and they are all, more or leſs, in the ſtate in which the viſion repreſents them, a mixture of iron and clay, of ſtrength and weakneſs; they are partly ſtrong and partly broken, they do not cleave to one another even as iron is not mixed with clay. None of them ever have been able, though ſome of them have attempted, to render themſelves equally ſtrong and terrible as the ancient Roman empire was in its firſt ſtage.

YOU will pleaſe to take notice, that theſe ten kingdoms comprehend the weſtern part of the continent of Europe, once the weſtern empire of Rome; among theſe, the countries ſubject to the dominion of Britain and France hold a diſtinguiſhed rank; and as theſe are the principal ones, with which we ever had, or now have any political connexion; ſo I ſhall confine my obſervations chiefly to them; though the ſame prophetic characters are equally applicable to Spain, Italy, Germany, and the other diviſions of the weſtern empire. Theſe are the toes of the image; in which may be clearly diſcerned the materials of which they are compoſed, iron and clay, ſtrength and weakneſs, wiſdom and folly; ſometimes the one has prevailed, and ſometimes the other; but there has been no union among them; all the attempts to unite them, ſo as to make a grand, formidable empire, reſembling that of ancient Rome, have hitherto failed of ſucceſs; and from the ſure word of prophecy we have the ſtrongeſt reaſon to conclude, that they will always remain in the ſame divided ſtate, till the kingdom of Jeſus Chriſt ſhall break them all to pieces, and ſhall riſe upon their ruins.

THE iron part of theſe toes, or the ſtrength and power of theſe diviſions of the Roman empire, may be conſidered as conſiſting in the numbers of their people, the vigour, activity and diſcipline of their land and naval forces; their wealth, ariſing from their huſbandry, manufactures, commerce and the management of their finances; the great fertility and high cultivation of their lands, their progreſs in arts and ſciences, their maritime and inſular ſituations, and the great natural advantages which they enjoy, of which their ſagacity and their intereſt lead them to make the moſt rapid and ſucceſsful improvement; to which they are farther urged by the ſpirit of jealouſy and rivalſhip, always attending commercial nations. When theſe powers are put into action by fierce paſſions and by ſkilful leaders, they make a formidable appearance, and threaten one another, or the neighbouring nations, with conqueſt; and it is not ſurpriſing if they are in ſome meaſure ſucceſsful.

BUT if we view the clay part of their character, we ſhall find that they are not quite ſo terrible as ſome are apt to imagine. The great abilities and reſources which they poſſeſs are counterbalanced by the prevalence of corruption, venality and profuſion; by the luxury and effeminacy which commerce generally produces, and the unbounded appetite for pleaſure which pervades all ranks and orders of the people. We ſhall find in ſome of them a ſpirit of faction, a want of firmneſs and conſiſtency, a thirſt for power, and wealth, a revolutionary phrenzy, operating to produce aſſaſſinations, robbery and plunder. Under a pretence of republican liberty, we have ſeen ſome of them exerciſing the moſt boundleſs licentiouſneſs and wanton deſpotiſm, in defiance of juſtice, humanity, policy, morality and religion. The ſame crimes have ſtained their character when profeſſing liberty and equality as when ſounding the praiſes of their kings. The ſame tyranny, the ſame proſcriptions, impriſonments, baniſhments and waſte of human life, have diſgraced the annals of republicaniſm as of monarchy; and their national character, inſtead of being meliorated, is, if poſſible, degenerated by their revolutions; for ſlaves, when made free, are the worſt of tyrants.

THINK not, my Brethren, that what I ſay is dictated by paſſion or party-ſpirit. I ſpeak the words of truth and ſoberneſs. This ſubject has been familiar to me above twenty years. It was in the beginning of the third year of our revolutionary war,May, 1777. when we had no friend nor ally but Heaven, to ſhield us from the vengeance of Britain, and when ſhe was making her greateſt efforts to ſubdue us, that my thoughts were directed to this prophecy; and upon an attentive contemplation of it, with the beſt helpsThe works of Joſeph Mede, Sir Iſaac Newton, and Dr. Thomas Newton. that I could obtain, I found in it, ſufficient encouragement to reſt my hope, that the formidable power, then at war with us, would not prevail. The confidence which I had did not prove to be vain; but as I thought there was ſufficient ground for conſolation in the height of our diſtreſs, and when no human help was engaged on our ſide; ſo the concluſion of the war juſtified the expectation.

THERE was a time, about thirty-five years ago,1763. when Great-Britain had a much fairer proſpect of an extenſive and growing empire, than France has now. Her dominions were then indeed ſcattered over all quarters of the world, but united in allegiance to one ſovereign, the political head of a wealthy, powerful and commercial nation; and had he known how to improve the advantages, which Providence had put into his hands, he might have been one of the richeſt and nobleſt princes on the face of the earth. Had the true ſpirit of liberty and patriotiſm, which made old Rome ſo reſpectable, been the ruling ſpirit of the Britiſh government, it might, according to human probability, have rivalled or exceeded Rome in ſplendor. But Britain, intoxicated with glory and proud of ſucceſs, thinking her triumphant flag ſuperior to all the world, ventured on the mad project of quarrelling with her beſt friends, and enſlaving this country. Inſtead of the ſilken reins, which always moſt effectually govern, becauſe ſcarcely felt, ſhe began to forge iron chains for free Americans. By endeavoring to extend the ſpirit of corruption and ſcatter the ſeeds of deſpotiſm to the remote parts of her dominions, ſhe rouſed in us the ſpirit of genuine liberty, a ſpirit which is always uncontrolable; and then by uſing force to quell it, ſhe effectually weakened her own power, and proved to all the world that ſhe was nothing but a mixture of iron and clay. The ſpirit of liberty and the ſpirit of deſpotiſm can never unite, but will be in perpetual oppoſition; and theſe two principles, after a long and violent ſtruggle, produced a ſeparation, by which the prediction was in one inſtance fulfilled, "they ſhall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." This ſeparation and the eſtabliſhment of our independence, were the reſult of cauſes, foreſeen and foretold by Him, to whom all his works, and all the operations of inferior agents, are perfectly known from the beginning of the world. All the wiſdom of ſtateſmen, all the eloquence of orators, and all the ſtrength and power of fleets and armies could not counteract the decree of Heaven, that America muſt be ſeparated from Britain. From the experience which we have had of her conduct, it is my moſt earneſt wiſh, and from our own increaſing power and reſources and the wiſdom and ſtability of our preſent government, it is my confident expectation, that the ſeparation will ever remain, and that we ſhall be an independent people, fully equal to the buſineſs of governing ourſelves, without any foreign interference whatever. If there be any perſons among us who are for re-uniting us with Great-Britain, I hold their political principles in as much abhorrence as thoſe who are for ſubjecting us to the influence of France; for I deteſt the thought, that any rotten toe of Nebuchadnezzar's image, or any proud horn of the ſeven-headed beaſt, ſhould ever exerciſe dominion over this country.

IT is curious and amuſing, as well as inſtructive, to obſerve, how nearly the conduct of France toward us, in the preſent controverſy, reſembles that of Britain in a former controverſy; and how the ſame kind of language is uſed by the emiſſaries of the one as was then held by the minions of the other. The quarrel between Britain and us was not of our ſeeking, but their own; we were their friends and cuſtomers; and had they let us alone, we ſhould have remained ſo probably to this day. So the controverſy between France and us is not of our ſeeking, but we have been forced into it by themſelves. We have not intended them any injury; we have not invaded their country, nor captured their property, either by ſea or land; we have not intermeddled with their interior government, nor ſought to alienate the people of France from their rulers. We rejoiced in what we ſuppoſed was their emancipation; and we hoped, in the firſt ſtage of their revolution, that they would ſo limit and reſtrain the power of their princes and nobility, and ſo reform the abuſes of their government, as to enjoy a degree of freedom to which they had been ſtrangers, ever ſince the elevation of the Bourbon family. We were as friendly toward the people of France as ever we were toward the people of Britain before they began the quarrel with us. But when it was begun, we were hectored and threatned, by the proud language of affected ſuperiority. In the one caſe, our ears were dinned with the ſupremacy and omnipotence of the Britiſh parliament, with the pompous parade of their former victories, and the triumphant flouriſh of their flag over the four quarters of the world. In the other caſe, we are told that France is generous to her friends, but terrible to her enemies; we hear of the invincible arms of the republic, one and indiviſible; we are pointed to the fate of Venice as an example of republican vengeance; and we are warned by the meditated conqueſt of Switzerland and the invaſion of Britain, what we are to expect, if we do not buy our peace of the terrible republic. So Sennacherib, king of Aſſyria, threatned Jeruſalem in the days of Hezekiah; and ſo Phillip of Spain, with his invincible armada, menaced the iſland of Britain in the days of Elizabeth!

TO ſecure a party in our country, the government of Britain once maintained a ſwarm of crown officers with penſions and places; and tempted our moſt wealthy citizens with the hope of preferment; and then boaſted of the ſtrength of their influence over us. Juſt ſo the French government is boaſting of the influence which they have in this country, and of their power to control our councils, to divide the people from the government, and effect a revolution in their own favor.

TO preſerve our connexion with Great-Britain, and prevent a ſeparation from her, we ſent the moſt reſpectful petitions, which were treated with neglect and contempt by the ſovereign and his miniſters. So the preſent ruling powers of France have refuſed to hear our envoys, when ſoliciting for an audience to repreſent our grievances and loſſes. When we entered into a treaty with France, to aſſiſt us in ſupporting our independence,1778. and would not be diverted from it by the flatteries or intrigues of Britain, they were incenſed againſt us, and made the war more ſanguinary and deſtructive. So, when we had made a treaty with Britain,1795. to recover our property unjuſtly taken away, and the French have found that we will not break our faith, they are come out in vengeance againſt us, and are forcibly taking our property and ruining, as far as they are able, our commerce.

WHEN theſe ſimilar circumſtances are conſidered, muſt we not conclude that both theſe rival and contending nations have no true regard for us; that they have no generous and magnanimous prinples of action; but are both governed by the ſame intereſted, narrow, ſelfiſh policy, and that neither of them deſerve our confidence any farther than the maxims of that kind of policy will permit. There is an old rule of common prudence, which will apply as well to nations as to individuals;

And this very ſentiment, though expreſſed in better language, was the advice of our great and good WASHINGTON, when he retired from office.

"THE great rule of conduct (ſaid he) for us, in regard to foreign nations, is to have as little political connexion with them as poſſible. Europe has a ſet of intereſts, which to us have none, or a very remote relation; it muſt therefore be unwiſe in us to implicate ourſelves in the viciſſitudes of her politics, or the combinations and colliſions of her friendſhips or enmities. It is our true policy to ſteer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world. As far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with good faith. But it is unneceſſary, and would be unwiſe, to extend them."See his Addreſs to the people, p. 35.

THIS is the advice of a man who thoroughly underſtood, and wiſely purſued, the true intereſt of his country. Of his ſucceſſor we ought to have the ſame opinion; for from above thirty years experience he has been known and proved to be one of our moſt enlightened and ſteady friends.

FROM the foregoing obſervations, we clearly ſee what are the prophetic characters of thoſe European nations, which are repreſented by the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image and the ten horns of the apocalyptic beaſt. It is both ſurpriſing and edifying to all ſtudious chriſtians to ſee how plainly and exactly the picture is drawn by the inſpired pen, and how rapidly events are coming on, which bear ſo near a reſemblance to the accompliſhment of the prophecies. It was foretold that an antichriſtian power would ariſe and rule over the nations. This we have been uſed to interpret of the papal ſovereignty; the combination of wealth and power with a corrupt form of Chriſtianity, to enſlave the bodies and ſouls of men; and doubtleſs the interpretation is juſt. But as the Scripture aſſures us "there are many antichriſts," ſo we ſhould extend our idea of this power to comprehend all that oppoſeth and exalteth itſelf againſt the pure religion of Jeſus Chriſt. It is very evident that the French nation was one of the firmeſt ſupporters of the papal uſurpation, and that its former government anſwered to the prophetic character of one of thoſe "kings which gave their power and ſtrength to the beaſt."Rev. xvii.13. But it was alſo foretold, that there very kings, the ſame antichriſtian powers, ſhould "hate the whore, and make her deſolate and naked, and eat her fleſh and burn her with fire;"Verſe 16. and do we not ſee this remarkable prediction in a fair way of being fulfilled? The French power is not the leſs antichriſtian for the revolution. It is, in another ſhape, directly oppoſed to Chriſtianity, as well to the corrupt forms of it as to its purity. The kingdom of Satan, at preſent, appears to be divided againſt itſelf; how then ſhall his kingdom ſtand?

WHEN the ſpirit of God foretels future events, he does not preſcribe what ought to be done, but relates beforehand what will be done. His foreſeeing and foretelling theſe events does not juſtify the means which are to be made uſe of to bring them into effect. Wicked men may do many bad things, which may ſerve to bring on what is foretold in the divinely inſpired writings; and yet theſe very men may be proper ſubjects of puniſhment for theſe actions. An inſtance of this we have in the king of Aſſyria, to whom the prophet Iſaiah makes this memorable addreſs; "O Aſſyrian, the rod of mine anger and the ſtaff in their hand is mine indignation. I will ſend him againſt an hypocritical nation, and will give him a charge to take the ſpoil and the prey and to tread them down as the mire of the ſtreets. Howbeit, he meaneth not ſo, neither doth his heart think ſo; but it is in his heart to deſtroy and cut off nations not a few. Wherefore it ſhall come to paſs, when the Lord hath performed his whole work on Mount Zion, and on Jeruſalem, I will puniſh the ſtout heart of the king of Aſſyria, and the glory of his high looks."Iſaiah x.5—7, 12.

WE muſt not then think it ſtrange or unaccountable that thoſe very men, who are inſtrumental of bringing on revolutions, predicted in the word of God, ſhould themſelves be guilty of the moſt atrocious crimes, and influenced by no motives but thoſe of violence, rapine and deſtruction; that they ſhould caſt off all fear of God, and even deny his exiſtence; for bad as they are, they may be proper inſtruments, in the hand of God, to puniſh other bad men; to pull down thrones of iniquity; to overturn monarchies which have been ſupported by ambition and bloodſhed; to deſtroy hierarchies which have been founded in pride and prieſtcraft, and maintained by ſuperſtition and perſecution. From what other ſort of perſons could ſuch revolutions be expected? People of ſober and rational principles would not be guilty of a violent attack on the eſtabliſhed religions of any nation; they would content themſelves with enjoying the liberty of their own conſciences in peace. But ſuch convulſions are to be expected, only from thoſe who are inflamed by the moſt malignant paſſions, and influenced by the zeal of fanaticiſm, either in religion or politicks, who have a rage for conqueſt and plunder, and who ſet no bounds to their ambition and fury.

WHEN the great deſigns which God has determined to accompliſh, by the inſtrumentality of ſuch agents, ſhall be fulfilled; when things ſhall be prepared, in the courſe of Providence, for the final deſtruction of all that rule, authority and power, which, under whatever name or appearance, hath oppoſed itſelf againſt the kingdom of Chriſt; then ſhall be brought to paſs that great event, which is repreſented in the viſion by the ſtone, ſmiting the image on its feet, and reducing it to duſt. Then all theſe kingdoms, theſe powers, which have ſo diſturbed and diſtreſſed the world, will vaniſh like chaff before the wind, and the gentle, peaceful kingdom of the SON of David will be gradually, but univerſally eſtabliſhed.

THIS kingdom, my brethren, is ſet up among us, and we profeſs to be the ſubjects of it. For its increaſe and enlargement, it is our duty to pray; and one of the petitions in our Lord's admirable form of prayer is, "Thy kingdom come." If we are ſincere in uttering this prayer, we ſhould accompany it with our endeavours to promote it. This will be the beſt way of expreſſing our gratitude to God for ſo diſtinguiſhing a favor.

IF it be aſked, how ſhall we do any thing toward promoting the kingdom of God in the world? I would anſwer, there are many ways in which we may do it, and ſome perſons may be able to do more than others; but there is one way in which we may all do ſomething, and perhaps this is the beſt way in which any of us can promote it; I mean by our example. Let your light ſo ſhine before men that they may ſee your good works, and glorify your Father in Heaven. There is nothing more forcible than example; like the magnet, it draws with a ſecret and ſilent, yet powerful influence. It is often more effectual than poſitive precepts and penal laws. Multitudes are ſwayed by it, who are not to be governed by any other means. It is in every man's power to do good in this way; and therefore it is every man's duty to ſet a good example, to let every perſon with whom he is converſant, ſee that he is under the influence of Chriſtian principles and proſpects; that he is ſincerely ſerving God, and committing the keeping of his ſoul to him in well-doing. It is impoſſible to conceive how much good may be done by our example. It may do good after we are dead. The remembrance of what we have been, and what we have done, may long outlive us, and unborn poſterity may be the better for it. In this reſpect, then, every perſon has a degree of importance annexed to his character, and every perſon ought to uſe that importance and that influence for the nobleſt purpoſe.

AND what nobler purpoſe can we ſerve than that for which Chriſt died? This purpoſe is accompliſhing, though by ſlow degrees; and Chriſtianity, in its whole progreſs, is marked with peace on earth and good will to men. Wherever it is known and practiſed, mankind are the better for it; but wherever it is denied and rejected, they are the worſe. Chriſtianity, when rightly known and regarded, has made men aſhamed of many enormities which they before practiſed. It has abated the horrors of war, and introduced a ſpirit of philanthropy into that deſtructive ſcience. It has reformed the legal and judicial ſyſtems, and taught leſs ſeverity and milder methods of reclaiming offenders, than were before known; it has, in ſome caſes, mitigated, and in others extinguiſhed, the evil of ſervitude, and taught men a ſenſe of equal freedom. It has ſhed its genial influence on government, and taught us, in this highly favored land, how to cruſh rebellions and eſtabliſh conſtitutions, without violence or bloodſhed.

HAPPY influence, bleſſed ſpirit of true religion! This is the way in which the kingdoms of this world will be ſo ſubdued, as to become the kingdoms of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. The conqueſts of the Son of God are effected not by force of the ſword, but by the ſecret energy of truth; not by might nor power, but by the divine ſpirit. By ſuch means, and by none elſe, will true religion prevail, till the kingdom of Chriſt ſhall become univerſal.

MAY we ever be governed by the mild and peaceful dictates of the goſpel! May it go on from conquering to conquer, till it ſhall have eradicated war, ſlavery, oppreſſion, tyranny, ſuperſtition and vice; till antichriſtian power and influence ſhall be aboliſhed; till falſe religion, falſe philoſophy and deſpotic government ſhall be deſtroyed; till love and peace ſhall reign, and truth and righteouſneſs ſhall be eſtabliſhed in the earth.

IF we believe the ſcriptures, we muſt expect, that theſe bleſſings will be beſtowed on the world, before the plan of Divine Providence ſhall be completed; and therefore we may pray in faith, grounded on the divine promiſes, for the accompliſhment of theſe predictions. The proſpect is in the higheſt degree pleaſant to all the ſincere lovers of God and man. Whilſt, therefore, we are looking, praying and waiting for theſe glorious times, let us learn to anticipate them, as far as we are able, by cultivating in our own minds and conduct, thoſe heavenly graces and virtues, which ſhall prove us the true ſubjects of Chriſt, and prepare us for the univerſal reign of the Prince of peace.