1

utter these ideas, but from the impression that the Holy Ghost doubtless published these numbers and dates to answer some wise purpose in the instruction of the church; and that there is a possibility that glory may hereby be brought to God. For, should we prove right in our conjectures, by what light have we been guided, but by that which shines in his word? Or should events prove that we have been mistaken, such events will illustrate the truth of this word, and if there is any disgrace it will fall where it ought. He that writes on such subjects to please men, and with a cautious solicitude to guard his own credit, whilst he cannot hope to please God, is unlikely to strike out truth.

What is the duty of Christians, particularly, at this eventful period, in prospect of the awful crisis before us? Is it to take the sword, and go on a crusade against the destroyers of the earth, and thus aid the accomplishment of the prophecies? No, the prophecies simply foretel events, and lay no injunctions on us to aid their accomplishment. Our rule is, Follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. The command given to us is, Enter into your chambers, and shut your doors about you; hide yourselves, as it were, for a little moment, till the indignation be overpast. Pray for kings, and all that are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty.

If we are right in our conjectures, respecting the pouring out of the sixth vial, the proof will be, not only that it will be followed by the general excitement to war already noticed, but, that the Ottoman empire be overturned; the Jews restored to their own land, and such a time of trouble (of wars and revolutions) succeed, as never was

the romano-germanic imperial power will in about 14 or 16 years, again emerge from its prison, break its chains, and again act a conspicuous part, previous to the final settlement of things. I may, possibly, be mistaken in the opinion I have formed on this subject: time will determine. But of this I feel assured; as far as things have proceeded, all the main aud leading ideas which I formed on the subject of prophecy at the moment of the French revolution, and which I began to publish fifteen years ago, have been much confirmed by the wonderful events which have been rapidly succeeding each other, every year and every month. But, till the tempest bursts upon our own country, we shall continue to sleep, and dream of exclusive safety. 2d Ed.

since there was a nation.* Soon, it is likely, the seventh angel will pour out his vial into the air, and a great voice out of the temple in heaven will pronounee, with a sound that will shake all the foundations of the earth, IT IS DONE, (Rev. xvi. 17.) and there will be voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and a great earthquake (symbolical) such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.

This expectation is confirmed by other prophecies. In the latter part of the eleventh chapter of Daniel, we have a prophecy which fortels the rise, conquests, and fall of the empire of the Turks. After marking out the conquests of this king of the north (as this monster is called; the Turks coming originally from this quarter, and their empire lying north of the Saracens, before noticed) the prophet goes on to predict his fall. Ver. 44. But tidings out of the east, and out of the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy-yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. And what are the events which are cotemporary with his fall? Chap. xii. 1. And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people, and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time; and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake. There are to be great shakings of nations; and the Jews, who have long been politically dead are to be raised to life. Nor let this be thought either impossible or improbable. Read Ezek. xxxvii. 1,-14. The probability is, unlikely as such an event may appear at present, that the Jews will, by some means, and some nation, or providence, be set in motion, and take a con

* It may be proper just to remind the attentive reader, that, as the Greek word rendered battle (ver. 14.) might have been rendered war, it signifying not only a single fight, but a war from the beginning to end, however long, and that we are not therefore obliged to conclude that the beast and false prophet, &c. are to be gathered together in one field of battle, on the same day, literally; so, though the going forth of the unclean spirits to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, togather them to battle, intimates a very general mustering for war, yet this may not be so formal as some may expect. It may also be proper here to remind the reader of what we have taken notice in the First Part, viz. that the tyrant, or tyranny, called the dragon, will not be among those that are to be destroyed in this conflict. Whether it be the Emperor, or the German empire, time will shew.

spicuous part in those commotions which are to shake to pieces the nations which oppose the providence of God. This is intimated in many prophecies, particularly in that recorded in Zech. xii. which has a special relation to their restoration in the latter days. In that day will I make the governors of Judah like a hearth of fire among the wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people round about, on the right hand and on the left; and Jerusalem shall be inhabited again, in her own place, even Jerusalem.

Were it not for extending these pages beyond due bounds, it would be easy to shew, that the aspect of things, as it relates to the Jews, and the present oppressed, discontented, and enfeebled state of the Turkish empire, strongly indicate the mercy which awaits the former; and the speedy overthrow of the latter; and serve much to corroborate the expectation excited by prophecy.* Providence operates by second causes. Whether the present extraordinary expedition of the French in the east, is im'mediately connected with the future restoration of the Jews, God only knows; but it is highly probable that it is.

There is a prophecy in Isa. xi. which more than intimates the easy conquest of Egypt about the time of the gathering of the Jews, in the latter day. Read the whole chapter-It is said at ver. 12th. And he shall set up an Ensign for the nations; and shall assemble the out-casts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah, from the four corners of the earth.-Verse 14. And they shall fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines, toward the west, and shall spoil them of the east together.And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea, and with his mighty wind shall he shake his hand over the river, and shall smite it in the seven streams, and make men go over dryshod. And there shall be an high way for the remnant of his people, &c. We have seen that the smiting of rivers, &c. signifies the conquest of the countries which they water and defend. To pass them dry-shod intimates the fa

* In my Restoration of the Jews the Crisis of all Nations, I have examined all the most interesting prophecies relative to the future restoration and destiny of the Jews; and to the second edition, lately published, is prefixed a Brief History of that singular people from their first dispersion to the calling of their grand Sanhedrim at Paris, October 6th, 1306, and to which, to avoid enlarging here, either on the prophecies which refer to their restoration, or on the present appearances of things in their favor, I beg leave to refer the reader, 2d. Edit.

cility of the conquest. This easy conquest, has, perhaps, been affected; and if the French should get possession of Syria, nothing is more probable (seeing that they are cut off from all succour and reinforcement from France) than that they will invite the Jews, who abound in all the eastern countries a vast deal more than they do here, to join them, and take possession of their own country. Then would Egypt become a high-way for the remnant of God's ancient people, and they would fly upon the shoulders of the Philistines (the Turks who inhabit old Philistia and Palestine) as an eagle darts on his prey, and as a wrestler seizes his antagonist by the shoulder.

We do not pretend to determine how God will effect the fulfilment of his mercy to the seed of Abraham, but let not these sentiments be thought wild., God works by means, and how are the dispersed, disarmed, and disorganized Jews, so likely to be put in motion, armed and organized, as by being patronized by some powerful nation at war with the Turks. But the vision is for an appointed time. Vait.*

* Since the above was written in 1798, the French have been driven from Syria and Egypt by the arms of Great Britain. But though their progression in this quarter has thus been interrupted, and their plans of conquest in the east for the present counteracted; yet it is certain that they are still directing their attention the same way, and using every means to effectuate their designs; and it seems as if the Chief of this abortive expedition were driven back to Europe for the special purpose of laying that broad foundation of power which might insure irresistable success; for what to us was a temporary triumph, has proved the occasion of exalting a man to uncontroled dominion, who seems, from the success he has hitherto experienced, and the awful judgments he has been made the instrument to inflict, as if he were born to plan and effect, not only the overthrow of every civil and religious establishment in Europe, but an almost universal change in the relations and affairs of the known world. He seems the hammer to break, and the are to shape, all nations. The probability is, at least, that this extraordinary man, who has now the whole power of continental Europe at his command, will soon realize, not only what the ambition of France has long been sighing for, but the still more gigantic schemes conceived and planned by his own vigorous and restless mind; if not by some compromise with the Porte, doubtless by the utter subversion of the Ottoman empire. The more difficult and strange the work, the more congenial to the vast grasp of his fiery ambition, and to that singularity of mind which aspires at the uncommon. And it is likely that both the arrangements of Napoleon with Alexander, and the assembling of the Sanhedrim at Paris, as well as his intercourse with Persia, are intimately connected with his designs on the east. And what power on earth is likely to be able to subvert his plans; not only for getting possessing of Egypt and Syria, but for marching an army to India, to join with the natives there, to attempt

Now observe, reader, the solemn warning which immediately follows the pouring out of the sixth vial, and the going forth of the unclean spirits to gather together the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. BEHOLD, I COME AS A THIEF. BLESSED IS HE THAT WATCHETH, AND KEEPETH HIS GARMENTS, LEST HE WALK NAKED, AND THEY

SEE HIS SHAME. This certainly bespeaks the very near approach of events singularly interesting and awful. That few think of it, and that most ridicule such expectations, only proves that there is more infidelity in the world than is professed, and makes this near approach of the coming of God's judgments the more likely.

I shall solicit the attention of the reader to one more prophecy, which tends to illustrate our subject, and I have done. If we compare, with the vision of the vials, what we find in the latter part of the fourteenth chapter, we shall see, that, under other images, the same calamitous events are represented. In the xi. xii. xiii. and xiy. chapters, we have a distinct set of visions which more immediately relate to the affairs of the church. The former part of the fourteenth chapter discloses the scene of reformation. In the latter part, from ver. 14. we have represented, in two visions, one of the harvest, and the other of the vintage, those judgments of God on the enemies of his church, which are to terminate in their utter destruction. The prophet Joel (chap. iii.) had predicted the same series of calamities, under the same images; but without the division here observed. The reason of this double representation, first under the image of a harvest, and then under that of the vintage, which quickly follows harvest, I suppose to be for the purpose of marking out our expulsion from thence, and thus conquer Great Britain on the plains of Hindoostan? Every post brings us some new Intelligence, which more and more discloses the vast plan which our enemy is pursuing for the agrandizement of France and the ruin of this country: and I may addthough he thinketh not so for the accomplishment of the prophecies, and for effecting the purposes of Providence, relative to the overthrow of the great enemy of christians, and to the fortunes of those countries in the east, which that enemy has so long desolated; and, particularly, to the designs of God, relative to that people whose long degradation appears evidently to be drawing near to a conclusion. Thus, though the first attempt of the French did not succeed to their wishes, yet their plan is still the same, and the final issue, it is likely, will be much the same as we have supposed: Still may Egypt be an easy conquest; and still may it be an high way for the remnant of God's people to return to the land of their fore-fathers. 2d Ed.