expressiv foretold, and the glory that should follow opened to view, by the spirit of prophecy! But in a firm belief that the cause they were engaged in, and for which they spilt their blood, would finally prevail, and prevail in this world, where they then beheld satan reigning and triumphing, I say, in a firm belief of this, the whole army of martyrs could march on to battle courageously, willing to sacrifice their lives in the cause, not doubting of final victory, although they themselves must fall in the field.

Indeed, were the salvation of his own soul the only thing the good man had in view, he would naturally be quite easy, upon a full assurance that this was secured. So, had Moses cared for nothing but the welfare of himself, and of his posterity, he might have been satisfied, while the whole congregation of Israel were destroyed, if he might become a great nation, and that without any solicitude for the honour of the GREAT NAME of the GoD of Israel. Yea, although the idolatrous nations round about were fully established in the belief of the divinity of their idols, and brought to look upon the Gon of the Hebrews with ever so great contempt by the means. But, attached as he was to the honour of the God of Israel, nothing could give him satisfaction, but a prospect that that would be secured. The welfare of himself and of his family was of no importance in his esteem, compared with this. (See Exod. xxxii.)

It must, therefore, be remembered, that, as the Son of God left his Father's bosom, and the realms of light and glory, and expired on the cross in the utmost visible contempt, that he might spoil principalities and powers, bruise the serpent's head, destroy the works of the devil; so his true disciples have imbibed a measure of the same spirit; and, as volunteers enlisted under his banner, have the same thing in view they long for the destruction of satan's kingdom; and these petitions are the genuine language of their hearts, "Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Nor can the salvation of their own souls, although ever so safely secured, satisfy their minds, without a clear view and fair prospect of Christ's final victory over all his enemies. "But if our great GENE63

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RAL, who has sacrificed his life in the cause, may but at last obtain a complete victory, notwithstanding all the present dark appearances; this is enough," says the Christian soldier: "I am willing to risk all in his service, and die in the battle too. But if satan were always to carry the day, Oh who could live under the thought!"

This having been the temper of good men, more or less, even from the early ages of the world, and through all successive generations to this day, they have evidently wanted a peculiar support, which the rest of mankind stood in no need of, to carry them comfortably through such a long scene of darkness; wickedness prevailing, God dishonoured, satan triumphing, the world perishing, the true church of God more generally in sackcloth. And accordingly, the final victory of the cause of truth and virtue was intimated in the very first promise made to fallen man. And from time to time God repeated this comfortable prediction to his church and people; and finally, made it the chief subject of the last book of holy scripture he ordered to be wrote for the use of his church.

Now let us take a brief view of the whole series of these divine predictions, from the beginning of the world, even down to this in our text, contained in one of the last chapters in the bible; that we may see what full evidence there is of this truth; and so what abundant cause for consolation to all the people of God.

I. Immediately after the fall, when the serpent, even that old serpent the devil, had just seduced mankind to revolt from God, and had, to all appearance, laid this whole world in perpetual ruin, even in the depths of this midnight-darkness, a ray of light shone down from heaven. The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. (Gen. iii. 15.) As if God had said, "I see the scheme that satan has laid to ruin the world, and establish his impious, malicious, cause: I see it, and I am determined to defeat it. The feebler woman he has over-matched, but her almighty seed shall conquer him, as effectually subdue him, and prevent all future mischief n, as a serpent is subdued and incapacitated for further f, when his head is crushed to pieces under the indig

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nant heel of one determined on his death." This was a complete doom indeed denounced against satan, at the head of the kingdom of darkness. And it fully implied, that the cause of light, truth, and righteousness, should finally obtain a complete victory.

II. After this gracious and glorious promise had been the chief foundation of all the hopes of God's people for two thousand years, God was pleased to point out the particular family from whence this mighty deliverer should spring, and to intimate what a universal blessing he should be to all the nations of the earth. And in thy SEED shall ALL the families of the earth be blessed, said God to Abraham. (Gen. xii. 3.) Which again plainly supposed, that the cause of truth and righteousness, notwithstanding the dark state the world then was in, all sinking fast into idolatry, and would for many ages be in, buried in heathenish darkness, should yet in due time universally prevail over the whole earth. For in thy seed shall ALL the families of the earth be blessed. This same promise was repeated again and again to Abraham, and afterwards to Isaac and to Jacob.

III. Hitherto God had supported his people's hopes chiefly with promises, with verbal predictions; but from the days of Moses to the days of Solomon, king of Israel, to assist his people's faith, God did, besides repeated promises of the same thing, by a great variety of wonderful works, shadow forth the glorious day and at the same time show, that he had sufficient wisdom and power to accomplish the greatest designs. That his people might be convinced, that he could easily bring to pass, for the good of his church, whatsoever seemed good in his sight.

Israel, in the Egyptian bondage, were a designed type of a fallen world under the dominion and tyranny of satan. Nor was Pharaoh more loath to let Israel go, than satan is to have his subjects desert him, and his kingdom go to ruin. But notwithstanding all the seeming impossibilities in the way of Israel's deliverance, infinite wisdom knew how to accomplish the divine designs. God could even cause a member of Pharaoh's family to educate one to be an instrument of this designed deliverance. And in due time, behold, all the

armies of Israel march forth from the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; and Pharaoh, and his chariots, and all his host, lie buried in the Read sea! So easily can God bring forth his people even out of the anti-christian kingdom, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt. And, if he pleases, raise up the instruments of this glorious work, even in the court of Rome.

And when the name of the true God was almost forgotten through all the earth, and the devil worshipped in his room, in idols of various names, through all the nations, God knew how to make his name known, and to cause his fame to spread abroad, and fill the whole earth with his glory, by wonders wrought in the land of Ham, by descending on Mount Sinai, by leading the armies of Israel forty years in the wilderness, in a pillar of cloud by day, and of fire by night, giving them bread from heaven and water out of the flinty rock, dividing Jordan, delivering up one and thirty idolatrous kings to the sword of Joshua, raising up judges one after another in a miraculous manner to deliver his people, until the days of David and Solomon, types of Christ. Of David, who, Messiah-like, subdued the enemies of Israel all around: of Solomon, who built the holy temple, and filled Jerusalem with riches and glory. He, who hath done all these things, can easily accomplish all the designs of his heart, preserve his church, raise up deliverance, break to pieces the kingdoms of the earth for her sake, make truth victorious, and set up the new Jerusalem in all her spiritual glory, build up his Church as a glorious holy temple, and set the son of David upon the throne; by whose hands, satan and all the powers of darkness shall be subdued, chained, sealed up in the bottomless pit, as much afraid, and as much unable to attempt any mischief, as the subdued nations around Israel were in the very height of David's power.

But when shall the son of David reign, and the church have rest? When shall the cause of truth and righteousness thus prevail? Perhaps the very time was designed to be shadowed forth in the law of Moses, in the institution of their holy days. The seventh day, said God, who always had this glorious season of rest in view," the seventh day shall be a

sabbath of rest, the seventh month shall be full of holy days, the seventh year shall be a year of rest :" so, perhaps, after six thousand years are spent in labour and sorrow by the church of God, the seven thousandth shall be a season of spiritual rest and joy, an holy sabbath to the Lord. And as God the Creator was six days in forming a confused chaos into a beautiful world, and rested the seventh; so God the Redeemer, after six thousand years labour in the work of the new creation, may rest on the seventh; and then proclaim a general liberty to an enslaved world, and grant a general pardon to a guilty race; as in the year of Jubilee, among the Jews, every enslaved Jew was set at liberty, and the debts of all the indebted were cancelled.

IV These things, thus shadowed forth in types, were also expressly declared by the mouths of the ancient prophets, from the days of David, and forward to the end of that dispensation: and the same things are hinted here and there in the New Testament, and largely opened to view in the revelation of St. John. So that both the Old and New Testaments join to raise in us, who live in these ages, the highest assurance, that it is God's design to "give to his Son the heathen for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession. (Psal. ii. 8.) For all kings shall bow down before him, and all nations shall serve him. (Psal. lxxii. 11.) And the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall bè exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. (Isai. ii. 2.) They shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, and learn war no more. (ver. 4.) For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. (Isai. xi. 9.) A nation shall be born in a day. (Isai. lxvi. 8.) All thy people shall be righteous. (Isai. lx. 21.) They shall all know the Lord, from the least to the greatest. (Jer. xxxi. 24.) And holiness to the Lord shall be written on every thing. (Zech. xiv. 20, 21.) Kings shall become nursing fathers, and queens nursing mothers, (Isai. xlix. 23.) and there shall be nothing to hurt or offend. (Isai. xi. 9.) The inhabitants shall not (so much as) say, I am sick. (Jer. xxxiii. 24.) And this kingdom shall fill the whole earth. (Dan. ii. 35.)