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been long enough. Then another voice proclaims, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her fins, and that ye receive not her plagues. Thus he goes on to describe her splendor, pride and stateliness, influence and tyranny, and the astonishment which her fall would occafion to all who had any connection or acquaintance with her, for they should fee that all her gainful traffick and curiofities fhould be no more.

8. AND though her declenfion fhould be gradual, yet her final ruin shall be sudden and awful, for it is faid, in one hour is fhe defolate, yea fhall be thrown down with great violence, as a mill-ftone into the fea, and fhall be found NO MORE AT ALL. This laft expreffion is very emphatical, and is repeated fix times in the space of three verses. Read over the eighteenth chapter of Revelations. Then comes on a sweet song of praise and thanksgiving, and two reafons are affigned for the heavenly melody, one is, the deftruction of the great whore; for which all his fervants are exhorted to fear him, both small and great. Then the multitude like many waters, and like mighty thunders, lift up their voices faying, Alleluia, for the Lord God Omnipotent reigned. Let us be glad and rejoice and give honour to him; for the morriage of the Lamb, is come and his wife has made herself ready.

THUS the great antichrift being removed, a way is made for espousing fouls to Jefus by preaching of the everlasting gospel, which is matter of great joy to

all

all the heavenly inhabitants. But though the feat of the beast is abolished, yet the scattered forces, affisted by infidels either in name or nature, fhould rally again, and make another feeble effort; but it is only to make a final end of them, and the falfe prophet, the mahometans, joined with them all unanimous in their hatred against the lamb; for the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beaft, and them that worshiped his image. These were both caft alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were flain with the fword of him that fat upon the horse, which fword proceeded from his mouth; and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. *

10. THUS, by judgments most awful, of different kinds, by the preaching of the gospel, that being the fword of him who fits upon the white horfe, fhall the pagan, the papist, the turk be subdued either to the obedience of the lamb, or to eternal perdition. What is exprefsly meant by the brighnefs of his coming, we are not told, but undoubtedly it will be fome fingular difplay of his power and glory, either natural or fupernatural, either in the moral or the civil world; and will be marked out with fuch characters as will evidence its divine original. A cloud directed the Ifraelites in their journey from Egypt to the promised Jand, † and a star conducted the wifemen to the new + born faviour, and when that fame faviour is claiming

Rev. xix. 1-8. ver. 19, &c. + Exodus. 14.

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Matt. 2. heathen

the heathen for his inheritence, and the uttermost parts of the earth for his poffeffion, cannot he give some visible token of his power and prefence ftill? If the fun must be arrested in his full career, and the moon must make a folemn pause, * while the sword of justice is avenging the quarrel of incensed majesty, why may not a gracious God give some visible token of his fpecial grace, while the darling fcepter of mercy is reached out to millions, when they shall fly as a cloud, and as doves to the windows. + If it is true, what we read in the Maccabees, of ftrange appearances seen in the heavens before the defolating wars, and by Jofephus before the deftruction of Jerufalem, as well as what our own writers fay, of uncommon fights in Germany, before the breaking out of the war, in the beginning of the laft century; why may not fome ray of heavenly glory beam forth when the banner of the cross is elevated, and all nations fhall flow to it?

11. As the apoftle fays, If the miniftration of death was glorious, how shall not the miniftration of the fpirit be rather glorious? So we may say if the difpenfations of awful juftice were accompanied with fuch manifeft fignals; why may not the glorious reign of Jefus be preceeded by fome visible tokens? when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingof our God and bis Chrift forever. It was an uncommon price which was paid for the redemption of mankind, and the greatest miracle which either man

or

* Joshua x.

+ Ifaiah Ix. 8.

or angel ever did, or ever can behold, is that of God being manifeft in the flesh.* We are expressly told, that God will fhew wonders in heaven above and figns in the earth beneath. + And we may certainly expect, that what God has faid will infallibly come to pass.

12. How very defirable is that bleffed time when thofe grand obftructions to the redeemer's honour fhall ceafe? when thofe impediments to the pure truth fhall be deftroyed? Let fuch as fear the Lord, pray for the accomplishment thereof. Let them lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting, that the delufions of Mahomet may cease, and the fuperftitions of Antichrift may vanish away; that the influence of the one and the other may be speedily ended. That the iron, the clay, the gold and the filver may be broken to pieces together, and may become like the chaff of the fummer threshing floors,and that the wind may carry them away, that no place may be found for them; and the ftone which fmites the image may become a great mountain, and fill the whole earth. ‡

* 1 Tim. iii. 16.

+ Acts ii. 19. + Dan. xi. 35.

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SERMON

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The chaining of the Dragon.

REV. xx. I, 2.

And he laid hold on the Dragon, that old Serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

WE

E have already taken a pleasing view of one bright ray of that glory which shall be in the latter days, viz. the deftruction of Antichrift, the the beast who received his power from the dragon, together with the falfe prophet, the propagator of lies and imposture, namely, the whole ftructure of popery and all the grofs falfhoods of Mahomet. I hope every lover of Jefus and his pure gospel, feels no painful sensations, that these two pillars of the kingdom of the arch rebel fhould fall.

2. Ir is highly probable thefe two general opposers of the pure truth will nearly fall at the fame time. Popery, bleffed be God, has been long upon the decline, and many of its most grofs abfurdities difappear, especially in these parts where the truth bas broke out, and where learning has revived. Nor is

there

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