"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron

"fhalt dash them in pieces like a potter's veffel. "Be wife now, therefore, O ye kings: be inftruct

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ed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kifs the Son, "left he be angry, and ye perifh from the way, "when his wrath is kindled but a little: Bleffed "are all they who put their trust in him." The reader is defired to perufe with attention the whole of that pfalm, which is a most pointed prophecy of the perfecution of the church of Chrift by the kingdoms of this world, and of that fovereign contempt with which God looks down upon weak mortals attempting to overthrow the kingdom of the Almighty.

The angel affigns two reafons why Chrift shall overcome these kingdoms, and why his kingdom and church fhall at last be victorious in this world, when they and Papal Rome fhall be crushed as a potter's fherd. And they are the real reafons of his fuccefs.

The firft is, that "he is Lord of lords, and King "of kings." He is the omnipotent God. His providence and grace fhall be a fufficient defence and fupport to his people. His throne is the heavens, his footstool is the earth, and his kingdom ruleth over all. He raifes up one king, and puts He fo overrules the events of this

down another.

world, that thefe kingdoms cannot hurt his church

fooner

fooner nor farther than they are permitted by the Lord of lords and King of kings. He who fays to the raging fea, Thus far fhalt thou come, and here fhall thy proud waves be ftayed, with equal effect, and as little perceived by them, ftills the tumults of the people, makes the wrath of man to praise him, and reftrains the remainder of his wrath. The kingdom of truth, righteousness, peace, and joy, fhall come, in fpite of all opposition, from whatever quarter; because it is the kingdom of God, and his is the power which fupports it.

The fecond is, that they that are with him, are called, and chofen, and faithful. Because these three qualities unite in their character, true Chriftians cannot be conquered. They may be killed by their enemies; but they will conquer even in dy ing. He that shall lose his life for my fake, faith Christ, shall fave it. Perfecutions may shake and overcome thofe perfons who have no fixed rule of faith, worship, and obedience, thofe who have not felt the power of divine grace upon their fouls, or those who are hypocritical in their profeffion. But, different is the character of thofe perfons, who, with invincible fortitude and courage, follow the Lamb through good report and through bad report. They are called; they have heard the call of God, by his providence, and by his word; and have been obedient to the heavenly call. In

the facred fcriptures, they have a fixed and uniform ftandard of faith, of worship, and of obedience. They are chofen. "They are chofen veffels to bear the name of God, before the "Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Ifrael. They are a chofen generation, a royal priest, "hood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that they should fhew forth the praises of him who "hath called them out of darknefs into his mar

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vellous light." "They are those whom God "hath from the beginning chofen to falvation, through fanctification of the Spirit and belief of "the truth." They are fuch as God himself hath chofen, and therefore they cannot difappoint the choice of him who cannot be deceived. And they are faithful. They are ftrictly faithful to their profeffion and obligations as Chriftians. No worldly advantages or loffes can fhake their fidelity. Such men cannot be conquered, becaufe no motive to apoftacy can be propofed to their mind fo ftrong as their fense of duty; and no power can be brought against them equal to that omnipotent power which fupports them. He that is with them

greater than all that are against them: Their faithfulness not only renders them invincible, but hath also often proved the means of fubduing their enemies. Their perfecutors often admired and imitated the honefty, the courage, and the faith of thofe upright men, who cheerfully parted with

property,

property, character, liberty, and life itself, rather than prove unfaithful to their Christian profeffion. They are faithful unto the death.

Verfe 15th.-And he faith unto me, The waters which thou faweft where the whore fitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

In the fymbolical language, the earth fignifies the Roman empire, and waters fignify a great collection of men in a fluctuating and unfettled ftate, as was formerly fhewn. Hence, in the ftricteft agreement with that meaning of the term, the angel faith here, "that the waters in which the woman fitteth are peoples, and multitudes, and

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nations, and tongues." That is, the city and church of Rome fits fupreme over those nations and kingdoms into which the Western empire was divided. These are called multitudes, as well on account of the great number of thefe European kingdoms, as on account of the populoufnefs of many of them; peoples and nations, on account of their different forms of civil government, fome of them more free, and others of them more defpotic; and tongues, on account of the great variety of languages which are fpoken in thefe different kingdoms. Like waters made Like waters made up of many drops,

the

the collective body over whom Rome prefides, is made up of many diftin&t kingdoms. Like waters fluctuating and unfettled, thefe different kingdoms are frequently at war with one another; and frequently change their boundaries, either by loofing fome of the territories of their own, or acquiring fome of thofe of their neighbouring kingdoms. Unflable and fluctuating, as they were among themselves, Papal Rome for a long time fat fu-. preme over them, both in temporal and spiritual affairs. Several of thefe kingdoms have indeed at the Reformation, and fince that period, thrown off this haughty miftrefs.. But this alfo was foretoid in the following verfe.

Verse 16th. And the ten horns which thou faweft upon the beaft, these fhall hate the whore, and shall make her defolate, and naked, and fhall eat her flesh, and fhall burn her with fire.

Though the ten kings were to give their trength and authority to Papal Rome for a confiderable time, yet they are not to fupport her always. Thefe kingdoms fhall change their minds and conduct, and fhall exert themfelves with fuccefs in totally deftroying her in a moft violent manner. At the Reformation, feveral of thefe kingdoms turned.

against