before the mystery of God's Providence shall be finished, and flafh conviction on an unbelieving world,

It has been objected, that the fall of the Proteftant powers of Holland and Switzerland, militates against this scheme of Prophecy, which supposes the present tyranny of France defigned to execute the judgments of God upon the kingdom of the Papal Beast. But furely few objections can be more futile. The word of the Lord appears to be exprefs

Apoftolic age; for it were easy to trace the pedigree of French Philofophy, Jacobinism, and Bavarian Illumina,tion, up to the first herefies. But it is now we see the adolefcence of that Man of Sin, or rather of Lawleffness, who is to throw off all the restraints of religion, morality, and custom, and undo the bands of civil fociety. That Son of Perdition, who is to rife out of an apostacy; that Son of Perdition, who fhall be neither a Proteftant, nor a Papist; neither Chriftian, Jew, nor Heathen; who fhall worship neither God, Angel, nor Saint-who will neither fupplicate the invifible Majefty of heaven, nor fall down before an idol: He will magnify himself against every thing that is called God, or is worshipped; and with a bold flight of impiety foaring far above his precurfors and types in the times of Paganism, the Sennacheribs, the Nebuchadnezzars, the Antiochus's, and the Heathen Emperors, will claim divine honours to himself exclufively, and confecrate an IMAGE of himfelf. I doubt not but this Monster will be made an Inftrument of that pruning which the Vine must undergo."

upon

upon this fubject alfo. They" (the falfe teachers)" fhall even allure those who were clean efcaped from them which live in error," and the promise of protection and deliverance is given only to thofe, who "fhall continue faithful unto the end." We have feen, in the former part of this Chapter, that Holland

was the grand afylum of Infidelity in the north, the nursery and chief propagator of its works, by the licentious liberty allowed to the prefs."-We have feen her "fupport its caufe, and bafely yield to the torrent, because the enemy reprefented, that she would be unable to refift it ;" and refign the establishment of that Religion, which preferved her in the purer days of infancy, to the dictates of Diftruft, Avarice, and Indifference to the caufe of Chrift.-Can we fuppofe, that fuch a nation as this, because the enjoyed the light and rational freedom of the Reformed Church, would be saved by a miracle, when she neglected, perverted, nay, threw away these bleffings? It is not the name of Christians, but the Spirit, which will be found a fecurity day of trial, which is come upon

in this

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all the earth."

With refpect to Switzerland, we need not observe that, as a state, the greater number

are

66

are Popish Cantons.-We have feen, that its Proteftant Cantons, particularly that of Berne, and the Pays de Vaud, have been long infected by the poifon of Infidelity, daily iffuing from that polluted Spring, Geneva; which, though Calvin's own town, as D'Alembert triumphantly obferved, long ago, exchanged his principles, for those of the Philofopher of Ferney. And this city muft, perhaps, be allowed the earliest claim to infamy, as a feminary of corruption, from the multitude of pupils and emiffaries educated and fent forth under the immediate influence of Voltaire and Rousseau.

It is impoffible to read "the deftruction of the Helvetic League, and Liberty," without astonishment at the infatuation which palfied their strength, and gave up these Republicans to the horrors of French tyranny. It is evident that, humanly speaking, arms could not have conquered them, had they steadily refifted these invaders of their ancient liberties and independence. But, contaminated in their cities and towns by the principles of Voltaire's system (a fubject paffed over by M. Mallet du Pan), which it is well known had even penetrated into the receffes of their mountains, they fubjected themfelves to the punishment

of

of blindness to the defigns and artifices of their enemy, till treachery baffled their counfels, and energy became ufelefs. became useless. Unhappy People! Could not the fimplicity of your manners, the fuperior purity of your morals, yet but partially injured by the corrofive touch of the Deftroyer-could not these protect you from the general delufion? How loudly then to you proclaim, that A STEDFAST ADHERENCE TO THE RELIGION OF CHRIST, is the " one thing needful" to our pre

fervation!

Liften ye apoftate ftates of Germany! Liften, and be wife in time! Ye feem to have a space allowed you for repentance; reject not the mercy of your God!

Far be it from me to fay that "OUR mountain ftands strong, and shall never be moved.” The ark of the Lord was a fecurity to the Jews, only fo long as they obeyed his commandments. And the Church of England will bę our protection, only fo long as we feel the value of the Gofpel, believe in its doctrines, and obey its precepts. But, confidering the established Church of England as founded upon Apoftolic authority, as containing and teaching the uncorrupted doctrines of the Gospel,

1

Gofpel, and as the pureft church exifting now on earth, I venture to affirm, that to this invaluable bleffing do we primarily owe the fignal marks of Divine favour, by which we are fo peculiarly distinguished .

It

The opinion of the learned and enlightened Grotius, refpecting the Church of England, as it must be allowed to be unbiaffed, will perhaps be allowed to be important. In a letter, dated 1638, to a Dutch divine concerning the Reformation, he fays, "You fee how great a progrefs. they have made in England, in purging out pernicious doctrines; chiefly for this reafon, because they who undertook that holy work, admitted of nothing new, nothing of their own, but had their eyes wholly fixed upon another world." In 1645, he writes, "The English Liturgy was always accounted the beft by all learned men." And in 1638, he profeffed it to be his firm opinion, that "the Church of England was the likelieft to ftand of any Church that day in being." See Clarke's Grotius. It is certain that he esteemed the form of Church, Government in England, as exceeding all others in the Chriftian world in primitive excellence, that is, in other words, Apoftolic authority.

The following extract from a Thanksgiving Sermon, for Victories obtained by the British arms, preached Nov. 9, 1759, by Bishop Warburton, is particularly recommended to the attention of the Reader.

"God, for the great ends of his univerfal Providence, infcrutable to us, was pleafed to ftation his favoured creature man in a world abounding with natural and moral evil.

"But this gracious God, whofe mercies are over all his works, hath, as a curb and check to thefe evils, which