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expedition of the French in the east, is immediately 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 v. 12, "And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts 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, towards 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 highway 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. Το pass them dry-shod, intimates the facility of the conquest. This easy conquest has, perhaps, been effected; 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 highway 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.

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 xiv., 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 verse 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 calami ties, 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 that comparative pause, or cessation from general hostilities, which was to take place in this decisive conflict with the enemies of the church of Christ. Some such pause is discoverable in the pouring out of the seven vials. For what follows on the pouring out of the sixth, on the river Euphrates, viz. "the going forth of the unclean spirits to the kings of the earth, and of the whole (papal antichristian) world, to gather them together to battle," and the warning which is given, "Behold, I come as a thief," &c., supposes a new and more general combination, or, at least, gathering together to battle, than what before existed; a renewal of hostilities: and a distinguished scene of calamitous warfare, which will prove more fatal than any thing before. And seeing that all are pretty well agreed, that the vintage is the representation of that great crush of the enemies of God's church, which is to take place in the latter day, just previous to the coming of Christ; and as no doubt can be made that the wars and revolutions signified by the judgments of the Now, observe reader, the solemn warning sixth and seventh vials, are those which are which immediately follows the pouring out to accomplish the same end; I, therefore, of the sixth vial, and the going forth of the suppose that the visions of the harvest and unclean spirits to gather together "The vintage, and those of the vials, fit as so kings of the earth, and of the whole world, many tallies; the judgments of the harvest to the battle of that great day of God answering to those of the former vials; and Almighty." BEHOLD, I COME AS A the final conflict and crush, signified by the THIEF. BLESSED IS HE THAT WATCHETH, vintage, answering to the general overthrow AND KEEPETH HIS GARMENTS, LEST HE under the latter vials, after the pause intiWALK NAKED, AND THEY SEE HIS SHAME. ."mated in the episode which is introduced at This certainly bespeaks the very near the commencement of the sixth. approach of events singularly interesting But there is one peculiarity in the treading 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

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 patronised by some powerful nation at war with the Turks. But the vision is for an appointed time. Wait.

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of the winepress which ought not to be passed unnoticed. It is said, "the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it

into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and the blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horses' bridle, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs. This vine of the earth which is gathered, and cast into the winepress, is another symbol of the antichristian party, gathered together to the battle of Armageddon. Time must illustrate what is meant by the treading the winepress without the city. But this city, must be the same with what is elsewhere, in this book, denominated the great city, and Babylon the Great; and it is probable that the great crush of God's enemies will be without the bounds of the beast's territory. There are many conjectures on this head; the most probable, perhaps, is, that it will be in Palestine; the length of the holy land answering to a thousand six hundred furlongs, or two

hundred miles, in the text. Mr. Mede's objections to this conjecture, have certainly, at this time, no weight. Things rather looking that way than otherwise. But these conjectures we leave. Events will at once illustrate the prophecy and confirm the truth of divine revelation. Let us watch.

And does the aspect of things indicate an awful crisis to be at hand? and are there any grounds for apprehending that we live the very moment when Jesus Christ utters this warning: "Behold, I come as a thief!" At the moment, when the angel of vengeance, who hath power over fire, cometk forth from the altar, where the saints have been slain, and "crieth with a loud cry tc. him that have the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sickle, and gather the cluster of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe!" How awful the thought!

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Thus the decisive attack upon the errors, usurpations, and tyrannies of the A. D. papal beast, commences in the year 1789

To destroy the papacy, the Turkish power, and other antichristian despotisms, at least so far as to make way for the restitution of the Jews, and to prepare mankind for greater blessings than have ever yet been known upon earth, will take thirty years, the period for executing the judgments predicted in Isa. xxvi. 20, 21; xxvii. 1. Joel iii. 9--15. Zeph. iii. 8, as also for the gathering of the vintage and pouring out of the vials, which are to be the means of cleansing the sanctuary,

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To accomplish some other of the wonderful purposes of God, probably to gather and try the Jews preparatory to their conversion, to destroy the remains of tyranny, (particularly of the dragonic,) and to purify and enlarge the Gentile church, will occupy forty-five years more; at the end of which, it is likely, there will be that glorious appearance of the Lord in favour of his servants, promised in Ezek. xxxviii. xxxix., and Zech. xii. 8--14; xiv., and it is probable, in Rev. xx. 9. Now the Jewish nation is born at once, (Isa. Ixvi. 8,) and the distant heathens are to be converted to Christianity. (Isa. lii. 10-15. Jer. xvi. 19. Ezek. xxxix. 21.) This is the time of which Daniel says, Blessed is he that cometh to it, and which is (if the premises be good,) about the year 1864

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