"the fame word, are kept in flore, reserved unto fire "against the day of judgment, and perdition of the "ungodly." If thefe fcoffers at the word of God were to be "willingly ignorant" of thofe truths, they could not act from the want of knowledge of them, but must be well verfed, particularly in the Mosaic hiftory of the creation, as well as in the Gospel of Chrift. They must have read of the deftruction of the old world by the flood, and of the "refervation "of the prefent world, until the day of judgment, "and the perdition of the ungodly." Now to be convinced that fuch wilful and defperate feoffers, and almoft without number, " are come," we have only to peruse the works of the French philofophifts, or, as they craftily but falfely call themselves, philofophers, that is, the revolutionifts of France; and the impreffions made by them on the fentiments of mankind, within the laft few years. In these works we fhall fee that their authors were well versed in the Old and New Teftaments, and had studied them with great affiduity, not as feekers after the truth, but with a determined purpose of mind to deride, oppose, and "crufh" it. This fact they themselves have unwarily confeffed in their fecret correfpondence with one another, now published to the world*.

In their philofophical works they have affirmed, though well acquainted with the Mofaic hiftory of the creation, that the world was formed by the ' neceffary effects of matter, prodigiously diverfified,' and of course could not be "of old by the "word of God;" that the flood was only partial, and not over the whole earth: that the world is 'eter'nal,' and therefore not " kept in ftore, referved un

to fire;" that it is the body, or matter of which man is formed, which thinks, reasons, and deter

* See Abbé Barruel's Memoirs.

• mines,

*

mines, and not the foul or fpirit that inhabits the body; and, as was before obferved, that death is only a perpetuity of fleep,' and, confequently, that there can be no refurrection of the dead; no future rewards and punifhments; no day of judgment, or perdition of the "ungodly." Nor have thefe fcoffers ftopped here; for, to crown their mockery, with horrible blafphemy they affirm, that God is only C a chimera and a phantom,' and Jefus Chrift, the Son of God, an impoftor.' Let me afk, in the next place, what have been the effects of thefe audacious fcoffings? Have we not feen kings, princes, "nations, tongues, and people," rich and poor, great and small, embracing and uniting in one plan, not only to ridicule the word of God, but to efface from the minds of men, all the morality, religion, and truth derived from it? Thus, whether we confider the opinions of the ancient Jews and primitive fathers, or the predictions and defcriptions of " the "laft days and times," by St. Paul, St. Jude, or St. Peter, we find that all of them accurately correfpond with the period of the third and laft woe" of the prophet.

Having thus brought down the paft events foretold, to the prefent times, I might here clofe this fummary view, and proceed to my promised obfervations upon thofe which are immediately to fucceed them; but, as it may be useful to the reader, I fhall first add a general view of the remaining important events, to the end of the Revelation.

St. John, having concluded the particular hiftory of the Eaftern church in the ninth chapter, and that of the Western in the thirteenth, and brought down their respective events to the prefent times, with ftrict propriety, refumes the general history of the church; for the events which he is now about to foretel, under "the feven vials," concern

the univerfal church in both hemifpheres; events by which it is to be affected; and active in oppofing, rejecting, and deftroying atheistical oppofition to it. This general hiftory he begins in the fourteenth chapter, where he takes only a fummary view of the awful tubject of the wrath of God, which is to be poured out upon the wicked oppofers and mockers of his divine word, in the laft days. In the first five verfes he reprefents Chrift, and the faints around him, ready to defcend, and to reign upon earth. In the 6th and 7th verfes he calls aloud to " every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, to FEAR GOD and give him "the GLORY; for the hour of his judgment is come; "and to worship him that made the heavens and "earth, and the sea, and fountains of waters." In verfe 9, 10, 11, he forewarns mankind not to worship the beaft, or his atheistical principles; and denounces the dreadful judgments of God on all that fhall worship them: "they fhall drink," fays he, "of "the wine of the wrath of God, poured out without "mixture, into the cup of his indignation."

In the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, and 16th verfes, he reprefents Chrift as receiving the order of God, to "reap "the earth," that is, to cut off and deftroy the wicked apoftates and atheists, who had feduced and persecuted the western part of his church, referring to the plagues of the first five vials, and in the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th verfes, to the deftruction of the great confederacy of pagans, apoftates, and atheists, which fhall be gathered together on the great day of God Almighty;" that is to fay, to the great events defcribed under the seventh vial.

In chapter XV. the prophet represents the feven angels" having the feven laft plagues," coming

* Rev. xvi. I to II. * Ver. 1-6.

+ Rev. xvi. from 13 to the end. out

out of the temple of heaven, ready to obey the almighty fiat of a long forbearing and offended God. In ver. 2, 3, 4, he declares the happy and bleffed ftate of those who fhall have gained the victory "over the beaft *, and over his image, and over his "mark, and over the number of his name ;" and prepared themselves to meet their Redeemer, when he fhall come. He concludes the chapter by informing us, that "no man" (not even those, as I humbly apprehend, who fhould reign with Chrift upon earth) was able to enter into the temple of God,

till the feven plagues of the feven angels were ful"filled" meaning, till Chrift" fhall have put "down all rule, and all authority, and power, "fhall have put all enemies under his feet, even "death itfelf:" and finally, " fhall have de"livered up the kingdom to God, even the Father," that God may be All in All §."

In chapter XVI. the prophet gives in detail the events of the third and laft wae, under the fymbols of the feven vials, of which he had only drawn the great outlines in the laft chapter. Having before concluded the particular events of the fecond woe, with the establishment of the power of atheism in France in 1791, brought down his hiftory of the church to that epoch, and told us, upon that event being fulfilled," the fecond woe fhould be paft, and, behold, "the third woe cometh quickly" he begins a narration of the events, which were immediately to follow, under the symbol of the firft vial. And here he particularly defcribes the dreadful plagues which fell upon France, and led to the deftruction of the monarchy, the death of the King, and the establish

ment of atheism. Under the fecond vial, he foretels the fall of Papal Rome: under the third, the plagues and ravages lately fuffered by Papal Germany: under the fourth, the final overthrow of the monarchy, the death of the King, the fubfequent reign of terror, and the deftruction of the terrorifts, or principal leaders, and authors of the revolution: under the fifth, the fall of the atheistical and revolutionary power of France: under the fixth, the fall of the Ottoman empire, and the Mohamedan apoftacy: and under the feventh vial, the dreadful plagues of the wrath of a juftly offended and long forbearing God, upon a great confederacy of pagans, apoftates, and atheists, which fhall confpire to make one great effort to deftroy the word of God, and prevent the coming of Chrift; together with the utter deftruction of this confederacy: and all this preparatory to the firft refurrection, and the fecond coming of Chrift to reign upon the earth.

Chapter XVII. contains a minute description of that great confederacy.

Chapter XVIII. announces the decree for the utter deftruction of that grand confederacy.

Chapter XIX. contains a beautiful and fublime defcription of Chrift, of his coming to unite with his church, and to execute the decree paffed against the fatanical confpiracy.

Chapter XX. gives an account of the binding of Satan, and his imprisonment in the bottomlefs pit a thousand years; the reign of Chrift upon earth during that period; of the nature of the firft, and a hint of the fecond refurrection, and of the bleffed ftate of those who fhall reign with Chrift. It further contains an account of the loofing of Satan,

and