dom. Stand firm in the day of temptation, which-fhall come upon all the earth; and remember, that he who shall endure to the end, the fame shall be faved". Whoever, or whatever church or nation, fhall continue firmly attached to the Lord and Saviour of the world, in an age when he is crucified afresh, and put to open fhame" in the great city, which is fpiritually called Sodom and Egypt," from its dreadful wickednefs, and oppreffive tyranny; whoever fhall refift the enticements of deceit, the sword of terror, and the torpor of indifference, "fhall come forth as filver that is tried in the furnace;" for "HE THAT SHALL ENDURE TO THE END, THE SAME SHALL BE SAVED;"" faved from the panic and fuffering which fhall overspread the kingdom of the first beast, in this time of her plagues"-faved from the tyranny of the fecond, and be preferved as "wheat, to be

See vol. i. p. 215, and p. 95 of this volume, for the fulfilment of this promise, as it respected the first Christians during the fiege of Jerufalem, and the Church of Philadelphia.

i Thus do I beg leave to interpret the angel's intimation, Rev. xi. and therefore confess my fear that the witnesses are yet to be flain in fome way or other, which at present we cannot understand, " in the street of this great city;" by which I understand, the principal feat of the power of the second beaft, wherever that may be.

gathered

gathered into the garner, when the chaff is burnt up before the prefence of the Lord, when he cometh to establish his everlasting kingdom," in happiness and glory, according to the promises of God from the beginning of the world.

CLASS

CLASS II.

CHAPTER THE FOURTH.

PROPHECIES WHICH REMAIN TO BE FULFILLED RECAPITULATION, AND CONCLUSION OF THE WHOLE WORK.

THE comparison of historic facts with Prophecy establishes Revelation, and strengthens Faith. The examination of Prophecies which relate to present times, particularly interest our feelings, and must be allowed to be a proper exercife for our judgment. But the Prophecies which refpect future times, must be confidered as objects of our faith, rather than our understanding. A dark veil hangs before them, which the curiosity of man cannot penetrate, nor his ingenuity wholly remove. But though the precife time, and the manner in which the Divine defigns will be accomplished, may be doubtful, mysterious, and unknown,

unknown, the predictions concerning the events are confpicuous and undeniable, and offer to the pious mind many fubjects of devout contemplation. From meditation arife, almost involuntarily, conjectures concerning their completion; and if these conjectures are accompanied by due humility and caution, they cannot be deemed reprehenfible.

We may then purfue this attempt to show the harmony which pervades the whole of Prophecy, and the poffibility of reconciling most of the various opinions concerning it, into the regions of futurity, provided we confine our steps to the path prescribed by Scripture for the courfe of inquiries to which the ftudy of the Prophetic writings, and the paffing train of events, directly lead; and provided we remember,that the utmost reach of our refearches can only attain to probability. The astonishing çircumstances which have recently and rapidly happened in the European world, would have appeared incredible to the most fagacious fpeculatift, a very few years ago. Changes, now equally unknown, may again come on as fpeedily as thofe have done which now excite our wonder, and again may prove the vanity of human forefight. But "the word of God is fure" and every change will tend to for

ward

ward thofe events which are to precede the coming of that “ kingdom," for which we are directed to offer up our daily prayers. Of this we may be confident, however erroneous may be our opinions concerning the operation of these changes; for "the Lord will haften it in his time." I readily confefs, however, that the extraordinary circumstances of the prefent times indicate, in my judgment, the approach of fome fignal display of Divine power, to justify Divine truth" in the fight of men." And, as we are commanded to "watch the figns of the times," as we are exprefsly told, that "in that day, which fhall be neither light nor dark, in the evening it shall be light,” I trust I shall stand acquitted of prefumption, though I venture to state some conjectures refpecting the probable course of some of thefe great events, which appear to be now fulfilling the regular course of Prophecy".

"The

1:|:ཀུན

a Zech. xiv. 6, 7.

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If a sketch of the present state of Europe, with reference to the fulfilment of Prophecy, were to be drawn by fimply bringing together, and arranging in their proper order acknowledged facts that have happened within the last fifty years, unconnected with political opinions as much as the nature of the fubject will allow, how ftriking would be the effect! Such a collection of indifputable facts, felected

VOL. II.

U