Col. iii. 5.

But whether the Romish Church rife, and triumph over all Oppofition, or not, we may be certain, that whatever the subtle and experienced Malice of Satan and his Angels can fuggeft to the human Mind; whatever the most unfeeling and remorseless Cruelty can execute, will be put in Motion by the meek and holy Lambs of the Society of JESUS. These are Wolves in Sheeps Cloathing, Sons of the old Pharifees, (who flew the Prophets, and crucified CHRIST), if ever such walked upon the Face of the Earth; and if any Character deserves the feverest Rebukes, it is the Pharifee fitting in the Temple of GOD; it is their holy Mother Church, the holy Father, and his holy Children, of various holy Titles, even to the holy Knights. O fhameless Blafphemy! who ftain their Hands with Blood for the Defence of the adorable Trinity.

Great will be the Distress of Nations in this laft. Conflict: Let Britain take heed that it may not be given up with its idolatrous Sons and Daughters (whose GoD is Covetousness and the Belly of Phil. iii. 19. pampered Luxury,) as a Prey unto their Teeth; for how does Antichrift in Life and Manners reign throughout the Court and City, Camp and Navy, Town and Village! This Land nourishes a Generation of Vipers, Scotch, Irish, and English Jefuits, who would eat her Bowels through: They are numerous, and daring enough to attempt any horrible Things with which false Zeal, ever fierce for a corrupt Religion, ever cruel as Hell, can infpire the Sons of Ignatius, and their Herds of blind Zealots.

Rev. xiii. 10.

The Churches of Luther and Calvin abroad will be afflicted for the mutual Perfecution and Intolerance of each other, to support the Gospel of fallible Men, who would at this Time be ashamed · to maintain the scholaftic Dignity, which reigned near four Centuries preceding the Reformation. The Church of Rome will prefs them on every Side by a juft Retaliation, or the Lex Talionis, as their Offence comes within the Spirit of that Curse, He that leadeth into Captivity must go into Captivity. Do they not imitate the Beast, and fet up the Image of it, as much as they can, by hating, reviling, and perfecuting one another; fo that a Man can scarce buy or fell, that is, have the common Benefit of civil and focial Life, who has not the Mark of their Churches upon

him?

him? Let the Profelytes of the Gate under the typical Temple,
who were permitted to worship the GOD of Ifrael, in the Court of
the Gentiles, bear Witness against fuch Dogmatifts, who will scarce
fuffer any to live at Peace among them, unless they will worship

the GOD and SAVIOUR of all Nations under the everlasting Gofpel, Rex. xiv. 16. according as the Decrees and Creeds of Men fhall dictate.

Judges i. 7

These Systems have been lengthening from the ancient Brevity of the Creed, commonly called that of the Apostles, to the Nicene, the Athanafian, even unto the Confeffion of Faith of the Affembly of Divines formed after the rigid and bold Decifions of the Synod of Dort. During this latter Period, the grand Prophecies of the Gospel will be fulfilling in the Face of that ungrateful and novel Infidelity, which has risen out of the Bosom of Christianity, and stole all its Light from the Sun of Righteousness. The Judgments of GOD will carry the Law of Retaliation written in their Forehead to the Eyes of Kingdoms, according to Salvian's Obfervation on the Government of GOD; fo that every Nation like Adonibezek fhall read their Sins in the Nature and Greatness of their Calamities. Upon the Suppofition that Rome may perfecute three prophetical Days and an Half, that is, three Years and an Half, when the two Witnesses in Sackcloth are just finishing their Testimony; as on this Paffage the general Opinion is founded, it is probable, that Rev. xi. 9. fome Place will be favoured, while the Slaughter rageth, and the Priests of Baal and Molock are offering their Sacrifices of human Blood to their dumb Idols. But where this Goshen shall be, (if it be) GOD only knows though in my Judgment, Britain will be the Land and City of Refuge: Britain changed in Life and Manners; reformed in Church and State; protected only by the Hand of God, and not her Arm of Flesh: Britain contented with the native Blessings Providence has bestowed on her; Bleffings, as rich and manifold as ever the Land of Canaan was crowned with under the Mofaic Covenant.

I speak not to flatter this corrupt and degenerate Nation; for GOD will send fuch a Series of wholesome Severity, and fo much rough Discipline upon this Land, which fhall cure the spiritual and political Diseases of her Sons and Daughters..

As

Spirit of

As to the Rage, the Fames Canina for Commerce, which feeds the two Gulfs of national Avarice and Luxury; and which is efteemed the fummum bonum, the ultimate Glory of civil Government, I shall venture to pronounce that two great Sources of Voluptuousness to fome, and of a worldly Mindedness to others, will be dried up. The greatest Part of the Islands of East and West Indies, within no long Time, will be funk by Earthquakes as Monuments of the divine Wrath for the most abandoned Manners of their Inhabitants, and as Pledges of Babylon the great, the World, going to give Place to the approaching Millenium.

The Canaanites of London and Amfterdam, and other Marts of thofe very glorious Bleffings, recorded in Rev. xviii. 12, 13. will know how to treat this Prediction, as the Dream of an Enthufiaft, or the Child of melancholy Blood. It will give me noConcern to be looked upon in this Light by the Merchants of the EARTH, fince C. 1, 2. and even the Author of the Spirit of Laws allows Commerce to corrupt Elimate of the Morals of a People: Can the fpiritual Traffickers of Romish of the Times. Superftitions, as Daubuz ftiles them, do worfe? It will be just to

Laws, B. 20.

the Manners

rank me among the false Prophets, who are to go out, in this
Age, if it come not to pass before 1782. However, I hope that
I shall be not angry with GOD for any Mistake of mine, but blame
myself rather for fuffering Satan to caft his Delufion into my Mind.
Still I think I am called upon to declare again, that their Destruction
is fealed, and that they have had their Warnings as well as
many other Places and great Cities of Europe, which will fall before.

The last Objection that occurs to my Thoughts will be, whence
comes it, that a Discovery, which has escaped the Eyes of so many
Inquirers before, should be brought to Light at this Time? To this
I answer, that it might be the Design of Providence, as the Events
were at a Distance, to let these Prophecies lie in greater Obscurity:
Secondly, They must be unravelled at fome Time or other; and
infinite Wisdom seems not to regard the Perfons, who are the In-
ftruments of taking off the Veil. Lightfoot has well distinguished
between the Gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT for the Edification of the
Church, and for the Sanctification of each individual. The Pro-
phecies of Balaam were as noble and true, as those of Daniel :

A

Judas preached the fame Gofpel, as the beloved Disciple: The Numb. xxiii. working of Miracles and the Gift of Tongues were undoubtedly & xxiv. bestowed on some who abused both to their greater Condemnation. Hence the Gospel has removed the fpecious Objections too often formed against Truth from perfonal Character.

Let it be remembered, That I do not affirm this to be the true Key of the prophetic Numbers, but fo firm is my Perfuafion from the Concurrence of fo many important Things, that thrice happy will they be, who are fure of finding a Place in the firft Refurrection from the Kingdom of Paradife to the third Heavens on the seventh great Year of the World, as I am fixed in the Belief of it.

As to any Merit which may refult merely from higher Knowledge in spiritual Things, one must be blinded to the Wish of Satan, not to fee that a Cup of cold Water given in the Name of Matth. x. 42. a Difciple, that is the smallest Act and Office of Kindness or Love done from a grateful Sense of infinitely greater Love shewn to us by CHRIST, will outweigh the Tongues of Angels and their Know- 1 Cor. xiii. ledge, though we understood all Myfteries. If this, however, be the true Key, who fhall fray the Hand of GOD, or reverse his Will Dan. iv. 35. and Decrees? If it be only the Council of Man, as Gamaliel said on another Occafion, it will come to nought.

I, 2.

Acts v. 3, 6,

But if it be otherwife, all the Signs and Calamities will go forth, which attended the Destruction of Jerusalem: In what Order cannot be known, as our SAVIOUR feems to have confounded them on Purpose in the whole 24th Chapter of St. Matthew. Earthquakes in all Appearance are the feven Thunders which Rev. x. iv, come between the Sounding of the fixth, and of the Seventh Trumpet; and which will shake down all the great and wicked Cities of the World, one after another within this Time and the Year 1926.

Two Thunders feem to have fallen already, one on Callao, and the other on Lisbon and Mequinez. Each Thunder will exceed the preceding in Terror and Defolation: These will fhew the Hand of GOD lifted up, and leading all Nations from the double Yoke, and out of the Houfe of Bondage, for the Souls and Bodies

of

Luke ii. 10.

Exod. vi. 3.

Ifa. xxiv. 22.

Rev. xvi.

of Men: GOD will break the Iron Governments of unjust Nim-
rods, who lay heavy Burthens on the Sweat and Toil of their op-
preffed Subjects in Babylon; and the heavier Burthens fhall be
taken which a false Representation of the Gospel (which is
away,
the glad Tidings of Salvation to all People) weighs the Soul down in
the Darkness of eternal Decrees, and of the Wrath of a God, who
shall to all Eternity exercise infinite Power to torment the far, far
greatest Part of his loft Children; no more a Father, no more
the God of Love; no more known by his Name JEHOVAH for
ever and ever.

This Chain of Darkness Mofes will break for the many perished
Sons of his Ifrael; and a greater than Mofes will after many Days
deliver the Prisoners of all Nations, Fathers, Mothers, Sifters,
Brethren, and Children, from the fecond Death.

The seven last Vials also appear connected with the Thunders, and defigned to be poured out between this Age of the World and the millenial Kingdom. None of which feem to my Judgment past, though that judicious Writer Lowman fuppofes even five of the Vials over.

They appear not of Importance fufficient to bear the terrible Name of Vials full of the Wrath of GOD; so that this Period will 'be the greatest Display of the MESSIAH'S Power, and will fee the most momentous Bleffings and Curses going forth together, as in old Time. For when Egypt was ftruck, Ifrael was delivered; when the Vineyard of Jerufalem was laid wafte, the Gentiles were planted in its Room. And now Providence appears ready to Mal. iv. 6. fmite all the Earth with a Curfe, that it may according to its myfterious Wisdom bring good out of evil, even spiritual Life to all the Gentiles, and to the dry Tree of Abraham; fo fhall they fear the Name of the Lord from the West, and his Glory from the Rifing Ifa. lix. 19. of the Sun.

See a Note in

Was I not conscious how little Belief fuch Interpretation is the Theory of like to meet from the purple Robe in royal and in ecclefiaftical Palaces, Religion by I would urge the great Neceffity of reforming at this Time the Law, D. D. civil and spiritual Kingdom of the British Ifrael. It becomes, however, no one but the Sinner and Scorner to mock these

Edmund

P. 229.

Things;