human paffions will recover their power, and the pleafures of the world will become again the common purfuit of men; as we learn from our Saviour's own words: "As in days of Noe," fays he, "fo fhalf alfo 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, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark. And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away: fo alfo fhall the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. xxiv. 37, 38, 39. Thus then the generality of mankind having degenerated into a ftate of forgetfulnefs of God, employed now in indulging themfelves in fenfual gratifications, unmindful of all the ominous alarming figns that had preceded, and the repeated admonitions given them, Behold! The feventh feal is opened. CHAPTER XIII. The History of the feventh Age of the Chriftian Church. The Seventh Seal is opened. The APOC. Chap. VIII. V. I. "And when he, (the Lamb) had opened the feventh feal, there was filence in heaven, as it were for half an hour." Lamb having opened the feventh feal, there follows a filence in heaven for a while, in appearance about half an hour. During this time the Almighty thinks fit to disclose to the whole heavenly court of angels and faints, his eternal and infcrutable decrees refpecting mankind and the exiftence of this world.* The heavenly auditory attend in filence and with profound refpect, while he graciously unfolds to them the whole fyftem of economy, by which he has governed the world ever fince its creation, and the whole courfe of his great and merciful difpenfations D to * This he does, not in words, but by fecret interior communi 1 Chap. ix. v. 13. "Behold the days come, faith the Lord, when the plowman fhall overtake the reaper, and the treader of the grapes of him that foweth feed and the mountains fhall drop fweetness, and every hill fhall be tilled. v. 14. "And I will bring back the captivity of my people Ifrael: and they fhall build the abandoned cities, and inhabit them: and they fhall plant vineyards, and fhall drink the wine of them; and fhall make gardens, and eat the fruits of them. And I will plant them upon their own land: and I will no more pluck them out of their land, which I have given them, faith the Lord thy God." Such is this remarkable æra of peace, profperity, and fpiritual bleffings. One may naturally fuppofe that the Chriftians, at their emerging from the fevere trials they had been fubjected to, were uncommonly full of zeal and religious fervour and fo it feems to be intimated by the above-cited paffages out of the prophets. But the human mind from its native inconftancy foon forgets the greatest troubles, when they are paffed. Profperity alfo is a charm generally productive of inattention and neglect, and contributes much to revive in man his natural propenfity to licentioufnefs. Such will be the cafe of this laft period of time, in which mankind will gradually relax in their fervour, and degenerate in their morals. Our Saviour has told us to beware of the laft day, to watch, and be ready to appear before him at the bar of judgment: "Watch ye," fays he, "becaufe ye know not what hour your Lord will come... Be you ready, because at what hour ye know not, the Son of man will come," Matt. xxiv. 42, 44. And again he speaks in the Apocalypfe: Behold I come as a thief," xvi. 15. St. Peter alfo gives us the fame warning: "The day of the Lord will come as a thief," 2 Pet. iii. 10. But thefe admonitions will by degrees lofe their influence and be forgotten, the human paffions will recover their power, and the pleafures of the world will become again the common purfuit of men; as we learn from our Saviour's own words: "As in days of Noe," fays he, "fo fhall alfo 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, even till that day in which Noe entered into the ark. And they knew not till the flood came, and took them all away: fo alfo fhall the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. xxiv. 37, 38, 39. Thus then the generality of mankind having degenerated into a ftate of forgetfulnefs of God, employed now in indulging themfelves in fenfual gratifications, unmindful of all the ominous alarming figns that had preceded, and the repeated admonitions given them, Behold! The feventh feal is opened. CHAPTER XIII. The Hiftory of the feventh Age of the Chriftian Church. The Seventh Seal is opened. APOC. Chap. VIII. V. I. "And when he, (the The Lamb) had opened the feventh feal, there was filence in heaven, as it were for half an hour." Lamb having opened the feventh feal, there follows a filence in heaven for a while, in appearance about half an hour. During this time the Almighty thinks fit to disclose to the whole heavenly court of angels and faints, his eternal and infcrutable decrees refpecting mankind and the exiftence of this world. heavenly auditory attend in filence and with profound refpect, while he graciously unfolds to them the whole fyftem of economy, by which he has governed the world ever fince its creation, and the whole courfe of his great and merciful difpenfations D The to *This he does, not in words, but by fecret interior communi The Almighty is willing to difplay before them the immenfe and fuperabundant ftore of bleffings, that have flowed from the inexhauftible fource of his paternal affection upon mankind, ever fince the firft moment of their exiftence. He fhews, that his tenderness and bounty towards mankind have been without meafure, and that if a great number of them perish, their perdition is owing to themfelves. He then makes known his intention of ting an immediate ftop to the whole human race, and bringing them to judgment: he fignifies, that the time he had fixed for the exiftence of the world is now expired, and he is now going to put an end to it. Upon which The Seventh Trumpet founds. put Chap. xi. v. 15. "And the feventh angel founded the trumpet: and there were great voices in heaven, faying: the kingdom of this world is become our Lord's and his Chrift's, and he shall reign for ever and ever. Amen. v. 16. "And the four and twenty ancients, who fit on their feats in the fight of God, fell on their faces, and adored God, v. 17. "Saying: We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, who art, and who waft, and who art come because thou haft taken to thee thy great power, and thou haft reigned, v. 18. "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come,, and the time of the dead, that they fhould *That fuch are, in part, the divine intimations on this occafion, may be collected from the applaufes of the heavenly choirs expreffed in the following trumpet As upon the opening of the feventh feal the period of the world finishes, it is juft that at that time the wife and bountiful economy of Chrift through the whole government of his Church fhould be acknowledged. For that reafon benediction or praise was folemnly offered to the Lamb, Apoc. Thould be judged, and that thou shouldft render reward to thy fervants the prophets, and the faints, and to them that fear thy name, little and great, and shouldft deftroy them who have corrupted the earth. * v. 19. "And the temple of God was opened in Heaven and the ark of his Teftament was seen in his temple, and there were lightnings, and voices,t and an earthquake, and great hail." On the founding of the feventh trumpet, which follows on the Almighty concluding the communication of his councils, all the heavenly choirs break out into acclamations and applaufe, faying: "The kingdom of this world is become our Lord's and his Christ's, and he shall reign for ever and ever:" or, praise be to the Lord, because he is going to take poffeffion of all the kingdoms of the earth, &c. Thus they acknowledge, it is time that he should fuffer no longer any human power to reign; but that He, Omnipotent, with his eternal Son, the Chrift, fhould affume all dominion, and fway for ever. Then the four and twenty ancients, v., 16, 17. whom we faw from the beginning fitting round the throne of God, fall down proftrate before the Almighty, and offering their homage, give him thanks alfo for affuming all power into his hands, as belonging folely to himself, who is, who was, and. who is to come, that is, who is the beginning and end of all things, who was the Creator, is the Confervator, and will come prefently as the Judge, of all mankind. The ancients continue to fav: "the nations were angry, v. 18.; mankind in different ages abandoned thee, their God, rebelled against thee, and set up the infamous worship of idols; they endeavoured to exterminate thy holy name from the earth, and they waged war against thy people; but thy wrath is come, and it is juft it should now at Dd 2 * In the Greek," who destroy the earth." laft |