Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

The sixth vial will be poured present must be the last, the antiupon the Ottoman empire, to make christian head. way for the Jews, the Christians The ten horns belonging to the from the East; the effect of which last head, are ten kingdoms which will be a most horrible war, . were not in existence in the time

The seventh viał will be poured of St. John. If the Roman emupon the power of Satan, and on pire was not thus divided, when all the enemies of our Lord, who the Cæsars ceased to reign at home, will be utterly destroyed åt Arma- I demand, when will it be so digeddon by the manifestation of vided ? Jesus Christ from heaven.

These ten horns will fight under Chapter xvii. Rome, the me- the false propiret with the Lamb.tropolis of the apostacy, is here This war, though past and precharged with the same unfaithful- sent, still remains to be accomness to God as Jerusalem had plished more signally in future, been, which correspondence is the Of these ten kings, some will hate very scope of tliis prophecy, and the prostituted city, and burn her it must be particularly noticed, with fire; for the same God who that this is the only vision explain-, has put it into their hearts to unita ed to St. John, that we might takel in her support, will as surely put particular heed to it, as containing it into their hearts to unite in dethe grand warning of which we stroying her. These are the words stand in need.

and warnings, not of man, but of Reader, do not scoff nor trifle : the angel himself, who delivered what else but Rome is the city the message of Jesus Christ to the spoken of in verse 18?

Apostle and Prophet St. John; * The beast that carried the wo. and he that despiseth, despiseth man had been seen by St. John, not man, but God. See p. 596, but in another forn). In the form 597. now exhibited, it did not in the Chapter xx. After the battle of time of St. John exist, says: the Armageddon succeeds the great prophecy. But in this second form day, the thousand years of the it was to arise and to perish while reign of Christ, the fifth monarcarrying the prostituted city. But ehy raised up by the blast of the if the woman be Rome, what can seventh and last trumpet. O Lord, the beast that supports her be, but hasten thy kingdom. .. B. the Roman empire ? The seven heads of the beast

ORIGINAL LETTERS FROM PIOV! are a double type, signifying seven mountains and seven successive

CHARACTERS DECEASED. . dynasties of Rome : :

No. LXXI..

From the Rev. John Newton, latt Huc teneas vultus mutantem Protea nodo. Rector of St. Mary Woolroth, Five of the dynasties were past: London, to the Rev. J. N . the sixth, the heathen empire, was, DEAR SIR, at the time of the vision, in exista I BĖG you will never apologize enee. Another dynasty was fu- for writing to me: I receive text ture, that of the Christian Cæsars, letters more suited to do me good which may be considered as the than yours; I shall be glad to hear sixth head continued, or as a se. from you more frequently ; I can venth head.

not promise to write so often as I This is the last head under which wish; but I shall always find time the beast carries the woman. But to read what you send, and now if the sixth head which St. John and then, I hope, to thank you for şaw has long ceased to reign, the them.

We were informed that Lord for you and me. Let us be enB- had promised you a living in couraged by his bounty to others; bis diocese. If he meant what he to open our mouths wide, and ask said at the time, perhaps he has great things for ourselves : let the forgotten it since. I am not sorry, world take the world. May comYou are useful at W-; and if the munion with our great Head, and Lord sees that a living would add communications from hiin, be our to your usefulness and comfort, he aim ; may every taste of the water can provide you one in England, of life we are favoured with, inand in a more pleasing connexion. crease our thirst for more; and I need not inform you that all the may we go thirsting on, till we livings in England are in the gift are removed to drink at the founof the Bishop of Souls ; if he does tain ! not give you one, it is no mark It is as you say ; I believe you of his disapprobation. There are will, by and by, see Jesus as he many faithful ministers whom, ere is : and I humbly trust I shall meet long, he will own and reward, who, you in his presence, to join in your at present, are upon small cura- song, and to share in your joy. cies. He could easily promote There are some whom we once them; but as his Gospel, which loved upon earth in that happy, they preach, is not the road to company; they had their trials and such preferment as the world can their faintings in their day, like us ; give, be appoints them the honour, but they overcame by the blood of of conformity to himself in endur- the Lamb, and the word of his ing poverty and hardships.' I and testimony. Could we see them a few others are called rectors and and all the great cloud of wit, vicars, but we need not pride our: nesses, how would the sight ani. selves upon the honour, at a time mate us! I believe they see us. when iifidels are bishops, and some Believers, like their Lord, though of his most favoured servants are often unnoticed by men, are seen curates. Should you die as you of angels ;, nor do I think the are, it will not grieve you on your members of the church triumphdeath-bed, that the world did not ant, are either strangers or indif. call you Doctor, or My Lord, or ferent to the exercises of their mig Your Grace, while you were living, litant brethren upon earth. Perhaps And when you doubt of the Lord's in our last hour, when the taber. faithfulness to take care of your nacle is taking down, and before family, think of poor W-. If we we quite leave the body, we shall obtain mercy, if he receive us see them coming forth to conduct with á “ Well done, good and faith. us to the heavenly mansions, ful servant,” at last, it will make Tell Mr. J. he has my best love, abundant amends for all that we my best wishes, and prayers. May suffer here.

the good Lord bless you, Mrs. Mr. T. L- is indeed an ex. N-, and your children, and may cellent man; I saw enough of hę make you a blessing in all your him when I was at C- to en- connexions ! gage my, esteem and love. The Your affectionate friend and fountain of grace which has sup- .

brother, plied him and many more, is

John Newton, still full and flowing, and open Oct, 19, 1792.

[blocks in formation]

TILE POOR MAN'S GUIDE TO THE sure come to pass, how obscure SPUNDERSTANDING OF THE PRO- must have been all the particular 18 PHECIES. Sri ils si expressions of the prophecy! For

CHAP. I. In enim why is it said, this enmity shall be • The first prophecy contained in put, not between Adam and the Scriptúre, iso that found in the serpent, and between his seed and third chapter of the book of Ge- the serpent's seed, but between the nësis, as part of the curse: pro- woman and the serpent, and between nounced upon the devil, when, in, her seed and his seed; for so we the formof a serpent, hehad seduced read in the words of the prophecy; our first parents. This prophecy and, moreover, that some particuwill serve as an excellent example lar person is meant by the seed; to St. Peter's rule, of which we and that he, and not the woman, have treated in the introduction: should terminate this enmity or 4 And will put enmity between hostility with the conquest of their thee and the woman, and between great adversary. Now nothing, I thy seed and her seed; it," or hê, say, but other prophecies to be afa " shall bruise thy head, and thou terwards delivered, or the events. shalt bruisė his heel.” This pro- foretold coming to pass, could ex. phecy, now so clearly explained plain these circumstances; but .by other prophecies, and by events these, we shall see, do explain

which have taken place-how ob- them thoroughly. - scure, must it: once have been ! ..First, with respect to the enmity -how little capable of explaining between the woman and the seritself, or of being, to those-to pent. The word we render enmity, whom it was first delivered, its oron does not signify so properly hatred interpreter! It was sufficient, in- or animosity, as hostility-enmity deed, to give them, some distant showing itself by actions, a state hopes that that wicked being who of warfare between the parties. had withdrawn them from their Now, the event has shown, that it obedience to God, would not for would have been untrue to have ever triumph over them and their said there shall be enmity between wretched posterity; that the prince Adam and the serpent, and beof darkness would not hold in un- tween their seeds; for, " Adam disturbed subjection, his usurped and his, seed" would plainly have. kingdom over mankind; that God implied the whole human race ; but would: put; enmity between them, that the whole race, of mankind - enmity that would produce a strug- have never been in a state of en•gle and a contest, and in this strug- .mity or hostility with the devil, is •gle the serpent would fare the but too evident. The greater part

worst; yea, one born of woman have, indeed, in all ages remained & would bruise his head and over- his willing and obedient slaves. throw his power. So far, no doubt, led captive by him at his will”

Adam could make out the prophe- ," the children of the evil one,'' -cy, and it would afford him a ..in whom he was working ;"

ground of hope in HIM THAT WAS "doing his works.". Nay, it is STO COME.: And this, we may sup- plain from Scripture, that the spose, was the immediate, design whole human race, « as naturally cof God, but until other prophe. gendered of Adam,” and before

cies could be compared, and the they are regenerated by the Spirit events foretold, were in some mean of God, are originally all in this

[graphic]

„state: " And you hath he quick- principalities, against powers, ened, who were dead in trespasses agailist the rulers of the darkness and sins; wherein in time past ye of this world, against spiritual wicwalked according to the course of kedness in high places *.” “I have this world, according to the prince given them thy word, and the of the power of the air, the spirit world hath hated them, because that now worketh in the children of they are not of the world, even as disobedience; among whom we all I am not of the world +." " I dehad our conversation in times light in the law of God after the past *," &c. But the reader be- inward man; but I see another law gins to discover the meaning of in my members, warring against the prophecy as shown by the the law of my mind " The event. Let him, however, further event, therefore, has explained iremark, that God says in the pro- what was meant in the prophecy phecy, " I will put enmity;" clear- by the woman--that particular ly foretelling that this hostility and portion of the human race in whose contest against the power of the breasts the infusion of God's spedevil would not arise from man cial grace would create enmity himself in the exercise of his own with sin and Satan. Eve, indeed, natural powers, but from a prin- personally, when we come to reeiple which God would implant in flect, could not have been intended his breast. And every sound by the term woman; for that had Christian will understand, that re- implied, that Eve alone, and not sistance against the devil, and op- Adam, was to be rescued from position to his will, arişe only the dominion of Satan: and if not from a renewed state of heart and Eve personally, then it must have affections, which is the work of meant Eve figuratively, or typicalGod alone, in his regeneration of ly; that is, Eve as the representaethe soul of man. Then "God tive of some other; of the church, gives him repentance to the ac- therefore, according to the manner knowledging of the truth, that he of Scripture in other places. may recover from the snare of the Compare only Gen. ii. 23, 24, with devil;" * translates him from the the latter part of the fifth chapter kingdom of Satan into the king of the Epistle to the Ephesians. dom of his dear Son;" and from And the church is often, in other that moment he is an object of places, represented as a mother of the enmity and hostility of the de- children ; the spouse of Christ.vil and his seed; and he opposes Again: with respect to the seed of them and their works with all his the woman--Him that was to be power ; he enlists under the ban- called so by way of eminence, and ner of Christ to fight against the who, after some injury sustained world, the flesh, and the devil. by himself, was successfully to terAnd here we learn who were in- minate this hostility with the con. tended by the serpent's seed: not quest of the mighty foe. With rę. only evil spirits, " the devil's an- spect to this wonderful Person, gels,” but also wicked men; and subsequent prophecies and events all the corruption that remains in recorded in Scripture have so fully man is also contemplated as fight- explained what was once so doubting on his side : * Put on the ful and obscure, that all can unwhole armour of God, that ye may derstand. Enoch, we are told, be able to stand against the wiles the seventh from Adam, foretold of the devil: for we wrestle not the coming of the Lord as the with flesh and blood, but against avenger of the persecuted children

* Epbes. vi. 11, 12. † John, xvii. 14. "Ephesians, xi. 1, 2, 6.

Rom. viia 22, 23. 1090

of God, the woman's seed. Job ever sat down at the right hand of could say he “ knew that his Re- God; from henceforth expecting deemer lived." It was afterwards till his enemies be made his footknown, that in the family of Abra- stoo!;" controlling by his powerful ham the promised Seed was to be arm the vanquished powers of darklooked for; and after that, that he ness, while for a season they are was to be a sucker from the root permitted « to make war with the of Jesse ; but why he was called woman and the remainder of her the woman's seea, must have been seed ;" and then, as prophecies inexplicable to the ancient believ. yet unfulfilled declare, Satan will ers; until, at length, Isaiah is in- be bound for a thousand years : spired by the Holy Ghost to de- and after that, in à last attempt clare in plain terms, “Behold! a upon the redeemed of the Lord, virgin sliall conceive, and shall will be seized and cast with all his bear a son, and shall call his name powers into the lake of fire that Emanuel.”-“ Nor shall we find in burneth for ever and ever. the whole progeny of Eve, a per- This first prophecy, therefore, son, to whom the character may we see, embraces the whole of belong, but the Child in the man- what is declared in Scripture " conger at Bethlehem--the holy fruit cerning the power and coming of of Mary's unpolluted womb**.". Jesus Christ.” It can be “ no

Andas satisfactorily can we, now, cunningly devised fable:” hitherto trace in the achievements of the not one thing has failed of all the groat “ Captain of our salvation,” word of prophecy did say should how, in the contest, his own heel come to pass; and how can we enwas bruised, but the head of the tertain a doubt respecting what readversary crushed beneath his mains to be fulfilled? Let the

feet. In his lower nature, his troubled, the tempted Christian, * manhood, which the Son of God then, remember, “ Greater is He had taken upon him in the womb that is with you than he which is of the blessed Virgin, our Re. with the world;" 6 the God of deemer was the object of the ne- 'pešce shall bruise Satan under ver-ceasing attacks of Satan; and your feet shortly." . he triumphed in his dying groans and agonizing pains. But short

IMPROMPTU; were the victor-shouts of heil : for Occasioned by reading the Rev. Lexi Rich. " through death he destroys death, anonci's dunaks of the Poor. and him that had the power of Cas they be poor whom God wakes rich? death, that is, the devilt:" “ Hav- Can those ing spoiled principalities and pow. Be poor, for whom a Saviour died and rose ?: ers, he made a show of them open. Of Adam's sons can they be call'd the poor, ly, triumphing over them in” his

nie Wbom sovereign grace bas blest with bea

renly store?,cross f; and" « having obtained What though their namos on earth should eternal redemption for us,” “ for be forgot,

. Their record is on high-give me their lot * Bisbon Horsley. Sermons, vol. li. Then call me rich or poor; I will not heed · page 53.

.. : : Such poverty as this is wealth indeed ! * Heb. xi. ļ4. Col. xi. 15.

MIRIIW

[ocr errors]

CHRIST. GUARD. VOL. VI.

« AnteriorContinuar »