be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces, and confume all thefe kingdoms, and it fhall ftand for ever. Forafmuch as thou faweft that the ftone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the filver, and the gold; the great God bath made known to the king what fhall come to pass hereafter and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof fure. Dan. ii. 44, 45.

Thus it is plain that, during the existence of these ten toes, or during the reign of these ten kings, Chrift's kingdom is to be fet up, which is confirmed by John in his Revelation. Chrift ftyles himself the prince of the kings of the earth; Rev. 1. 15. John is fhewn a dragon with ten horns, Rev. xii. 3. These ten horns are faid to be ten kings, Rev. xvii. 12. And the ten horns which thou faweft are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet (that is, they had no kingdoms in John's time), but receive power as kings, one hour with the beaft (that is, the pope and these ten kings fhall receive their power as kings all together, at the fame hour, or about one and the fame time; they fhall all rife up together). Thefe kings have one mind (that is, are of one religion, they were to be all papifts together, as in former times they all have been), and shall give their power and firength unto the beast; fubmit their power to him, and engage their ftrength in behalf of him and his religion, as all of them have done, more or lefs. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb fhall overcome them: they have all in times paft perfecuted

perfecuted the faints, but the faints still continue. And now mind what follows: For God hath put into their hearts to fulfill his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God fhould be fulfilled. And then God will turn their hearts another way. And the ten horns which thou faweft upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and fball make her defolate, and naked, and shall eat ber flesh, and burn her with fire. And the woman which thou faweft is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. Read Rev. xvii. This is the word of the Lord; and as long as his word is true, fo fure fhall these kings and kingdoms ftand, till Babylon is no more. Nor fhall all the wisdom of this age of reason, falsely fo called, ever make void one jot or tittle of God's word: for this age of reafon is God's hour of temptation; and the wisest men in their own conceit in this age are the fastest caught in the devil's trap: they aim at the deftruction of all the higher powers, but God aims at the deftruction of rebels. We are not perfecuted for religion, nor yet for conscience fake. If any are buffetted, it is in ftrict juftice, for their faults. Therefore, reader, cease to hear the inftruction that causeth thee to err from the words and ways of wifdom. Pay no regard to any preacher, either in church or meeting, who kindles the flames of rebellion, and breathes out rage, malice, and flaughter, against the civil rulers of the earth; for as fure as God communicates his fpirit by the preaching of his gofpel, fo fure does the

devil, that old rebel, traitor, and murderer, enter the hearts of men, by the reading of Tom Paine's books, and by the inflammatory difcourfes of fuch preachers. They know not the thoughts of the Lord, nor do they understand his councils.

Befides: what good can be expected from perjured men? Men that can make oath to be true and faithful to their fovereign, and then rebel against him, are in the fame awful ftate of Zedekiah and all his princes, his priefts, and his falfe prophets. What! can they fwear in the presence of God that they will relinquish all claim upon the Bible, if they prove falfe or unfaithful? and can they challenge the omniscience of Heaven to find out the cheat, and defy him to avenge it? Can they bring themselves under every threatening, plague, and curse; under all the wrath, judgments, and indignation of God, and under the damnation of hell, and then ftand up and preach, and call themfelves the fervants of God? The hand of God hath been seen upon fome of these feducers already; and so it is upon fome who are, and have been, feduced by them. You may rage and rail, and curfe me, as long as you please; and you may fend me a few more anonymous fcraps of fcurrility, rebukes, and blafphemy; but I ftill tell that you fhall not escape the judgment of God by these things they that Chrift will keep from the bour of temptation, are those that keep the word of his patience. This is his promife; and we shall fee whofe word shall stand, yours or his. And why is it called

you,

the

the word of his patience? Because he exercifed fo much patience in the preaching of it,-under one of the vileft kings that ever reigned, namely Herod, who flew all the infants in Bethlehem, in hopes of killing him, by whom kings reign; and when the next monarch came to the throne, his enemies cried in ridicule, Go, get thee out, for Herod will kill thee; but he replied, Go tell that fox, that I do cures to-day, and to-morrow, &c. &c. And why did he call him a fox? Because of his cunning; and because of his unjuft cruelty against the Lord's poultry. How often, faith Chrift, would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen doth gather her chickens under ber wings, but ye would not? Two thousand of thefe chickens the former fox, who was of the fame family, had killed, and now fought the life of the hen herfelf; nor could they reft till they had killed both the dam and its young. Deut. xxxii. 11; xxii. 6. It was Herod and his men of war who arrayed Chrift, mocked him, and fet him at nought; and to all this the Lord alludes, when he calls it the word of his patience, and cautions us against being entangled by Satan in this hour of temptation.

Women, too, young and old, are breathing out flaughter against the ruling powers. Tom Paine and Satan have stuffed their heads full of politics. I think thefe had better guide the house, teach their children to read, and take in a little plain work. And old men, alfo, half in the grave and half out, can revile the gods, and speak evil of the rulers of the

people.

people. Thefe feem determined to act like Barabbas, ferment a spirit of infurrection. I believe the two thieves had fome hand in this; and, if they had, they were honeft, especially one of them, for he declared that they fuffered justly, and received the due reward of their deeds. Luke xxiii. 41. But fure 1 am, that the god of this world must be awfully let loose upon us, when fo many are trying to put the foundations of the earth out of course, and to make the dark places of it full of the habitations of cruelty. If civil magistrates are taken up in the lips of talkers, and become the table chat and fcorn of women, the fport of children, and the fung of drunkards, we may fear that God and religion will foon be the fame; for if they honour not the king, they will foon tell us that they fear not God. And not a few, who eat the bread of the governors, are in this fpirit of rebellion. Thefe are like Ahithophel and Judas, eat of their masters bread, and lift up their heels against them. But the deceitful, and him that loveth violence, my God hateth.

Once more. It doth not appear, as fome imagine, that civil magiftracy will be deftroyed when the univerfal kingdom of Chrift is fet up; for although it is faid, that the thrones were caft down, yet it means only the thrones of iniquity, which frame mifchief by a law; these shall have no fellowship with Christ. But the thrones fhall then be established in righteousness, and be upholden by mercy. For the nations and kingdoms that will not ferve Chrift,

shall