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thine arrows be sharp in the king's enemies! let the grand Abaddon fall; let the prisoners come forth, and fuch as fit in the prifon-house fhow themselves.

"Where the ancient Dragon lay,

Open to thyself the way;
There let holy tempers rife,
All the fruits of Paradise.
Far from fear, from danger far,
No devouring beast is there;
There the humble walk fecure,

God hath made their footfteps fure."

So Lord God, let thine enemy fall, and let the lawful captives be restored; let thy ransomed prifoners be brought up while every knee fhall bow, and every tongue confefs thee to be Lord for evermore. Amen, even fo Lord Jefus !

SERMON

SERMON

III.

The ceafing of War and Oppreffion.

ISAIAH xi. 4.

Nation fhall not lift up fword against nation, neither fhall they learn war any more.

WE

E have already confidered the deftruction of Antichrift, together with the chaining of the Dragon. Both these being fomenters of difcord, and, in every respect, oppofers to the God of peace and unity. Now God is love, and delights therein; and whatsoever proceeds from him muft lead to him, and bear his resemblance; muft lead to unity, peace, and concord. It is this which makes Heaven that region of delight and happiness, which the fcriptures reprefent it to be. There indeed is fullness of joy; and there are pleasures for evermore. No envy, no ftrife, no fraud, or oppreffion; no violence or fpoil; no complaining is heard in the heavenly streets.

2. As Satan is the prime author of all discord, violence and oppreffion, fo we have obferved, that tyrants

and

and oppreffors have been his grand vicegerents here on earth, and have acted in his intereft as if they had received their commiffions from him; and it appears pretty clear, that, the beaft and the falfe prophet have not been wanting herein; their allegiance herein hath been fully manifefted, and they will certainly be entitled to a full reward; a preeminence in Hell, and that must be a preeminence in mifery, and forrow, and a deeper draught of that cup, the mixture of which God will fully pour out, even the cup of his indignation, which is now already prepared. What is faid of Draco's laws, may be faid of the hiftories of popery and mahometifm, viz. that they are written in blood. Whatever pretends to wear the form of religion, and must be propagated with fword and violence, cannot belong to the prince of peace; can never proceed from him who came not to destroy men's lives, but to fave them. Every thing in his life, doctrine, temper, and coverfation, breathed pity, and good will, to the human kind; and every thing in the world which bears any relation to him must bear his image and fuperfcription. He who made peace by the blood of his crofs, is truly the prince of peace. This little chapter, from whence the text is taken, is a fweet prophecy of the glory of the latter days, and among other excellencies it is faid, they fhall beat their fwords into plough-fhares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation fhall not lift up fword against nation, neither hall they learn war any more. O happy fcene!

bleffed

bleffed feafon! the Lord God haften the blissful

period for his mercies fake!

HERE it may be neceffary first, to take notice of the dire calamities occafioned by war, fecondly, the happy effects of their ceafing.

FIRST, I am to take notice of fome of the calamities occafioned by war.

1. IF man had never finned, but had preferved his original rectitude, he would have loved his neighbour as himself, and therefore would have been content with what he had, would have been fatisfied with his station, and therefore no envy, no covetousness would have corroded his peaceful bofom; but sweet contentment and heavenly tranquility would have taken full poffeffion of his breast, and like a heavenly inhabitant, he would have been pleased and satisfied in his ftation. But alas, this is not the cafe. He is ever defiring that which he hath not; and the tormenting defire is ever spurring him on, to obtain that, which he ought not to have; and if he thinks he hath fufficient power to gratify his ambition or his avarice, he is sure to make the attempt. If this is not a confequence of war, it is a caufe of it, From whence come war and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lufts that war in your members, ye luft and have not; ye kill, and defire to have, and cannot obtain. * ALL hiftory is full of this, and clearly shews, that the fpirit which is in man, lufteth to envy. If we attend

Jam. iv. 1.

attend to the history of the bible, we fee how the luft of wealth and power, fpreads defolation and destruction far and wide. Even the very short account of the antideluvian world is marked out with the fame bloody line. The giants that were in the land, became men of renown, full of rapine and spoil. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. Men would be under no controul, fo that they filled the earth with blood and violence; and, like the fishes, the larger continually preying upon, and devouring the leffer, infomuch that the world was polluted and corrupt before God; fo that there was no cure but that of destroying the whole, making very near an end of the finful race at once.

*

2. No fooner does the new world increase, but a haughty and powerful Nimrod rises to tyranize over mankind. His name fignifies a rebel; † and it seems as if he were the firft rebel against order and harmony, and laid the foundation of thofe oppreffive kingdoms, Babel, Erech, Arcad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar, and from whence originated those oppreffors who took the goods of Sodom, and their victuals, and Lot alfo into captivity; but whom Abram refcued and restored to liberty. §

3. FROM the fame stock proceeded the oppreffing tyrants of Egypt, whofe will was their law, and who made even God's inheritance groan beneath their iron bondage; and carried their barbarity fo far as to deftroy

* Gén. vi. 12.

to rebel.

which fignifies מרר comes from the verb נמרד *

Gen. x. 8, 9, 19. : § Gen. xiv. II.

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