"opened his mouth in blafphemy against God: and it was

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given unto him to make war with the faints, and to "overcome them; and power was given him over all kin"dreds and tongues and nations; and all that dwell upon "the earth shall worship him.-And he that exerciseth his power before him-doeth great wonders,—and deceiveth "them that dwell upon the earth, by the means of those "miracles which he had power to do. And he caufeth. "that no man might buy or fell, fave he that had the mark or the name of the beaft;-And the kings of the earth "have one mind, and Jhull give their power and strength "unto the beast;-even peoples and multitudes, and na“tions, and tongues.-For God hath put in their hearts "[in the hearts of the kings] to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beaft, until the "words of God fhall be fulfilled. The name of the perfon, in whofe hands the reins or principal direction of "the exercife of this power is lodged, is Myftery, Babylon the great, the mother of harlots, and abominations "of the earth: with whom the kings of the earth (2) have "committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth "have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication. "And the herfelf is drunken with the blood of the faints, "and with the blood of the martyrs of Jefus: And by "her (3) forceries are all nations deceived: And in her "is found the blood of prophets, and of faints, and of all "that are flain upon the earth. And this perfon [the

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political perfon] to whom thefe titles and characters belong, is that great city (ftanding upon feven mountains) which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

"If in the days of St. Paul and John, there was any footstep of fuch a fort of power as this in the world: Or, if there ever had been any fuch power in "the world: Or, if there was then any appearance of probability, that could make it enter into the heart of man to imagin, that there ever could be any fuch "kind of power in the world, much lefs in the temple or church of God: And, if there be not now such a power actually and confpicuoufly exercised in the

(2) "Have been led into idolatrous "practices."

(3) σε φαρμακεια [σοφοις φαρμάκοις]

"methods of making men religious "without virtue."

"world;

"world: And if any picture of this power, drawn after "the event, can now defcribe it more plainly and exactly than it was originally defcribed in the words of "the prophecy: Then may it with fome degree of plaufiblenefs be fuggefted, that the prophecies are no"thing more than enthufiaftic imaginations."

For these things you have the atteftation of past, and the experience of prefent times: and you cannot well be deceived, if you will only believe your own eyes and obfervation. You actually fee the completion of many of the prophecies in the ftate of men and things around you, and you have the prophecies themselves recorded in books, which books have been read in public affemblies thefe 1700 or 2000 years, have been difperfed into feveral countries, have been tranflated into feveral languages, and quoted and commented upon by different authors of different ages and nations, fo that there is no room to fufpect fo much as a poffibility of forgery or illufion.

The prophecies too, tho' written by different men in different ages, have yet a visible connexion and dependency, an entire harmony and agreement one with another. At the fame time that there is fuch perfect harmony, there is alfo great variety: and the fame things are foretold by different prophets in a different manner and with different circumftances; and the latter ufually improve upon the former. They are all excellent in their different kinds; and you may obferve the beauty and fublimity of the ftile and diction of the prophets even from thefe quotations which have been made from their writings. Indeed they are very well worthy of your ferious perufal and meditation, not only confidered as prophets, but confidered even as authors, for their noble images and defcriptions, their bold tropes and figures, their inftructive precepts, their pathetical exhortations, and other excellencies, which would have been admired in any ancient writers whatever.

Obfcurities there are indeed in the prophetic writings, for which many good reafons may be affigned, and this particularly, because prophecies are the only fpecies of writing, which is defigned more for the inftruction of

future

future ages than of the times wherein they are written. If the prophecies had been delivered in plainer terms, fome perfons might be for haftening their accomplishment as others might attempt to defeat it; men's actings would not appear fo free, nor God's providence fo confpicuous in their completion. But though fome parts are obfcure enough to exercife the church, yet others are fufficiently clear to illuminate it: and the obfcure parts, the more they are fulfilled, the better they are understood. In this refpect as the world groweth older, it groweth wifer. Time, that detracts fomething from the evidence of other writers, is still adding fomething to the credit and authority of the prophets. Future ages will comprehend more than the prefent, as the prefent underftands more than the paft: and the perfect accomplishment will produce a perfect knowledge of all the prophecies.

In any explication of the prophecies you cannot but obferve the fubferviency of human learning to the study of divinity. One thing is particularly requifite, a competent knowledge of hiftory facred and profane, ancient and modern. Prophecy is, as I may fay, hiftory antici-. pated and contracted; hiftory is prophecy accomplished and dilated: and the prophecies of fcripture contain, as you fee, the fate of the moft confiderable nations, and the fubftance of the most memorable tranfactions in the world from the earlieft to the latest times. Daniel and St. John, with regard to thefe later times, are more copious and particular than the other prophets. They exhibit a feries and fucceffion of the most important events from the firft of the four great empires to the confummation of all things. Their prophecies may really be faid to be a fummary of the hiftory of the world, and the hiftory of the world is the beft comment upon their prophecies. I muft confefs it was my application to hiftory, that firft ftruck me, without thinking of it, with the amazing juftnefs of the fcripture-prophecies. I obferved the predictions all along to be verified in the courfe of events: and the more you know of ancient and modern times, and the farther you fearch

into

into the truth of hiftory, the more you will be fatisfied of the truth of prophecy. They are only pretenders to learning and knowledge, who are patrons of infidelity. You have heard, in thefe difcourfes, of the two greatest men, whom this country or perhaps the whole world hath produced, the Lord Bacon and Sir Ifaac Newton, the one wishing for a history of the feveral prophecies of fcripture compared with the events, the other writing Obfervations upon the prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalyps of St. John: and the teftimony of two fuch (not to mention others) is enough to weigh down the authority of all the infidels who ever lived.

You fee what standing monuments the Jews are every where of divine vengeance for their infidelity; and beware therefore of the like crime, left the like punishment fhould follow; for (Rom. XI. 21.) if God spared not the natural branches, take heed left he alfo fpare not thee. Our infidelity would be worfe even than that of the Jews, for they receive and own the prophecies, but do not fee and acknowledge their completion in Jefus, whereas our modern infidels reject both the prophecy and the completion together. But what ftrange difingenuity must it be, when there is all the evidence that hiftory can afford for the prophecy, and in many cafes even ocular demonftration for the completion, to be still obftinate and unbelieving? May we not very properly beftow upon fuch perfons that juft reproach of our Saviour, (Luke XXIV. 25.) O fools, and flow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken? But I have good hope and confidence in God, that (Heb. X. 39.) we are not of them who draw back unto perdition, but of them who believe to the faving of the foul.

Indeed if it was once or twice only that the thing had fucceeded, and the event had fallen out agreeably to the prediction, we fhould not fo much wonder, we should not lay fuch a firefs upon it; it might be afcribed to a lucky contingency, or owing to rational conjecture: but that fo many things, fo very unlikely ever to happen, fhould be fo particularly foretold, and fo many ages afterwards fo punctually fulfilled, tranfcends without doubt

all

all the fkill and power of man, and must be refolved into the omnifcience and omnipotence of God. Nothing certainly can be a ftronger proof of a perfon's acting by divine commiffion, and fpeaking by divine infpiration; and it is affigned in fcripture as the teft and criterion between a true and fare prophet: (Deut. XVIII. 22.) When a prophet fpeakethin the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not nor come to rafs, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but theprophet hath spoken it prefumptuously; and in another race (Jer. XXVIII. 9.) The prophet who prophefieth of pea when the word of the prophet fhall come to pass, then halt he prophet be known that the Lord hath truly fent him. It fo much the pe culiar prerogative of God; or of thofe v are commiffioned by him, certainly to foretel future even that it is made a challenge to all the falfe gods, (If. XLI!

Produce your caufe, faith the Lord; bring forth your 28.). reafons, faith the king of Jacob; Show the things that's to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods. Lying oracles have been in the world; but all the wit and malice of men and devils cannot produce any fuch prophecies as are recorded in fcripture: and what stronger atteftations can you require to the truth and divinity of the doctrin? No man can bring with him more authentic credentials of his coming from God: and the more you fhall confider and understand them, the more you will be convinced, that (Rev. XIX. 10.) the testimony of Jefus is the spirit of prophecy.

If to the prophecies you add the miracles, fo falutary and beneficial, fo publicly wrought and fo credibly attefted, above any other matters of fact whatever, by those who were eye-witneffes of them, and fealed the truth of their teftimony with their blood; if to these external confirmations you add likewise the internal excellence of Chriftianity, the goodness of the doctrin itself, fo moral, fo perfect, fo divine, and the purity and perfec-. tion of its motives and fanctions, above any other fyftem of morality or religion in the world; if you feriously confider and compare all these things together, it is amoft impoffible not to feel conviction and to cry out, as Thomas