"Dr. Clarke, from whom I received it, that the "overbearing tyranny and perfecuting power of the

antichriftian party, which hath fo long corrupted "Christianity, and enflaved the Chriftian world, "must be put a stop to, and broken to pieces by the "prevalence of infidelity, for some time, before pri"mitive Chriftianity could be reftored; which feems "to be the very means that is now working in Eu

rope, for the fame good and great end of Pro"vidence. Poffibly he might think that our Sa"viour's own words implied it: When the Son of "Man cometh fhall he find faith on the earth? "Luke xviii. 8. See Conftitut. Apoft. vi. 18; "vii. 32; or poffibly he might think no other way "fo likely to do it in human affairs; it being, I " acknowledge, too fadly evident, that there is not " at present religion enough in Christendom, to put ❝ a stop to such antichristian tyranny and persecution, "upon any genuine principles of Christianity."

The concluding observation of Mr. Whiston appears to me to be very juft. It seems probable that no Christians, not even the freeft, and boldeft, would ever have done what was neceffary to be done, to the overturning of these corrupt establishments of Chriftianity, that unbelievers have lately done in France.

This great event of the late revolution in France appears to me, and many others, to be not improbably the accomplishment of the following part of the Revelation,

Revelation, chap. xi. 3. And the fame hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were flain of men (or literally, names of men) feven thousand, and the ⚫ remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to God.'

An earthquake, as I have observed, may signify a great convulfion, and revolution, in ftates; and as the Papal dominions were divided into ten parts, one of which, and one of the principal of them, was France, it is properly called a tenth part of the city, or of the myftical Babylon. And if by names of men, we understand their titles, fuch as thofe of the nobility, and other hereditary diftinctions, all of which are now abolished, the accomplishment of the prediction will appear to be wonderfully exact. It is farther remarkable, that this paffage immediately precedes what I have quoted before concerning the nations being angry, and the wrath of God being come, for the deftruction of those who have destroyed the earth.

It is farther remarkable, that the kings of France were thofe who gave the Popes their temporalities, and the rank they now hold among the princes of the world. And it is foretold, Rev. xvii. 16, that thofe kings who gave their power and strength unto the beaft, thefe fhall hate the whore, and fhall make ⚫ her defolate and naked, and fhall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. For God has put it in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree to give their kingdoms unto the beaft, until the words of God 'fhall be fulfilled.'

May

1

May we not hence conclude it to be highly probable, that what has taken place in France will be done in other countries? But the total deftruction of this great antichriftian power feems to be referved for the second coming of Chrift in perfon, by the brightness of whofe appearance, and not before, he is, according to the apostle Paul, to be completely deftroyed. And with this view, as well as others, every Proteftant Chriftian fhould fay, Come, Lord Jefus, "come quickly.' In the mean time, let us attend to the folemn admonition in the Revelation xviii. 4. 'I heard a voice from heaven, faying, Come out of 'her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her fins, ' and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her 'fins have reached unto heaven, and God hath re'membered her iniquities *."

That the opinion here advanced, concerning the danger of the civil powers of Europe, in confequence of their connexion with antichriftian ecclefiaftical systems, has been long entertained by me, may appear from the following extract from my Hiftory of the Corruptions of Chriflianity, vol. ii. p. 484. "It is nothing but the alliance of the kingdom of Chrift with the king"doms of this world (an alliance which our Lord himself ex"prefsly disclaimed) that fupports the gospel corruptions of "Christianity; and perhaps we must wait for the fall of the civil "powers before this most unnatural alliance be broken. Cala"mitous, no doubt, will that time be. But what convulfion in "the political world ought to be a subject of lamentation, if it "be attended with fo desirable an event? May the kingdom of "God, and of Chrift, (that which I conceive to be intended "in the Lord's Prayer) truly and fully come, though all the "kingdoms of the world be removed in order to make way for " it."

As

As the fecond coming of Chrift will be during the general prevalence of infidelity, so it will be fudden, and most unexpected. This is the language of our Saviour himself, Mat. xxiv. 37. As the days of • Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating, and drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage, unto the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not till the flood came, and took them all away, fo fhall alfo the coming of the Son of Man be. Luke xvii. 28. Likewife, alfo as it was in the days of Lot. They did eat, they drank, they bought, they fold, they planted, they builded. But the fame day that Lot went out of Sodom, he rained fire and brimftone from heaven, and de".ftroyed them all. Even thus fhall it be when the * Son of Man is revealed.' The apostle Paul alfo fays, Thef. v. 2. Yourselves know perfectly, that the day of the Lord fo cometh as a thief in the night. For when they fhall fay peace and fafety, then fudden deftruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall ⚫ not escape.'

But fudden and unexpected as the coming of Chrift will be, it will be moft confpicuous. Speaking of his return, he fays, Mat. xxiv. 26. If they fhall fay unto you, Behold he' (i. e. the Meffiah) is in the defert, go not forth. Behold he is in the secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning & cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the

• weft,

weft, fo fhall alfo the coming of the Son of Man 'be.' As the afcent of Jefus was confpicuous, and probably leifurely, fo will be his descent. While the disciples were viewing him as he afcended, we read, Acts i. 10, 'two men ftood by them in white apparel, who also faid, Ye men of Galilee, why ftand ye gazing up into heaven? This fame Jefus, who is taken from you into heaven, fhall fo come ⚫ in like manner as ye have feen him go into heaven.' Here is no figurative language, no ambiguous expreffion. Neither is there in what the apostle fays concerning the refurrection of the virtuous dead, which will take place at the coming of Chrift, which, in the Revelation is called the first refurrection, I Thef. iv. 14. If we believe that Jefus died, ⚫ and rose again, even fo them also who fleep in Jefus fhall God bring with him. For this we say unto you, by the word of the Lord, that we who < are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, 'fhall have no advantage over those who are afleep.

For the Lord himself fhall defcend from heaven, with a fhout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Chrift fhall rife firft. Then we who are alive, and re'main, fhall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and fo fhall we ever be with the Lord.' Again he fays, 1 Cor. xv. 51. We fhall not all fleep, but we fhall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, ⚫at the last trump. For the trumpet shall found, and

the