bode his further exaltation and our humiliation; there is yet a third thing, that I cannot but think upon with dread and trembling of heart, viz. that it is further faid, that while this fun of the popish world is running his fatal and dreadful career, and scorching men with fire, they are fo far from being bettered by thefe judgments, that they go on more and more to blafpheme the name of God, who has power over thefe plagues. And while this continues to be the state of the proteftant world, and while atheism, deism, Socinianifm, irreligion, profaneness, scepticism, formality, hatred of godlinefs, and a bitter perfecuting fpirit continue and increase among us, what can we expect but new and defolating judgments? For while we continue to walk thus contrary to God, we cannot but expect that he should walk contrary to us alfo. It is in vain for us to boast of our privileges, or plead exemption from judgments on this account. For where

there is no national reformation and repentance, national fins are like to pull down miferies upon us, fo much the fooner and more certainly, that we have been fo fingularly and peculiarly privileged. For we may in this cafe expect that God will fay to us, as to the

Ifraelites

But I

Ifraelites of old, You have I specially known and chofen above all the families or nations of the earth, therefore will I punish you more certainly and more feverely than any other kingdom or nation. And therefore if we go on in fin, as we have hitherto done, let us take heed to ourselves, left vengeance be near. I pray God I may be mistaken in my fears. am afraid I have but too just reason to turn prophet here, by applying to ourselves what Peter faid to thofe of his time: The time is come, that judgment must begin at the houfe of God. Though I do alfo conclude with him, that if it begin at us, dreadful will be the end of our enemies at last. And if the righteous fcarcely be faved, where shall the ungodly appear? Wherefore if we be called to suffer for our holy religion, let us do fo according to the will of God, committing the keeping of our fouls to him in well-doing, as to a faithful Creator. And I wish my conjecture be not found to be more than a mere guess, that for about fixteen years our Romish enemies may prevail more and more. Though how far these may be lengthened out or fhortened, we can only conjecturally judge of, from the future carriage of the reformed churches, under the circumstances

5

ftances they may be stated afterwards. If any Jay, that thefe are melancholy conjectures, I muft tell them I cannot help the matter, for I muft follow the thread of the text and the afpect of the times. If they ask, but when will the tide turn for the proteftant church? I answer, when they turn more univerfally to God, and no fooner. But if they enquire further, whe ther the fun of the popish kingdom is not to be eclipfed himself at length? I muft pofitively affert he will; elfe this vial were not a judgment upon him and the Romish party. But if yet again the queflion be, when this is to fall out and how? I must tell you, that I have nothing further to add to what I have said, as to the time. But as to the manner, how this is to be done, our text does lay a foundation of fome more diftinct thoughts. Therefore, in the fourth and laft place, we may justly suppose, that the French monarchy, after it has fcorched others, will itself confume by doing fo; its fire, and that which is the fuel that maintains it, wafting infenfibly, till it be exhaufted at laft towards the end of this century, as the Spanish monarchy did before, towards the end of the fixteenth age. And if we do now heartily and unanimously enter

upon

upon a war against France, with the affiftance
of allies, and be but vigorous and faithful in
the prosecution of it, fecuring the fource of
money and treasure in the heart of America,
and bringing the war into the bowels of a na-
tion, where a young monarch is hardly efta-
blished; I say, if we do this, without lofing
our opportunities, our peace and fecurity may
yet be lengthened out. Whereas if we fuffer
ourselves to be lulled afleep at this time, we
may have cause to lament our not having im-
proved our season. But feeing I am not called
to give my advice one way or other, I fhall
leave the determination of fuch weighty mat-
ters to the wisdom of national councils. How-
ever as my duty is to pray for direction unto
these, so I earnestly wifh, that there may be
nothing to stop the regular and fecure proce-
dure of public matters in this critical juncture;
upon the wife improvement of which our fu-
ture stability and peace does fo much depend.
And now,
after all this, I defire you may con-
fult a book I formerly published, called the

Rod or the Sword, or the prefent Dilemma of
thefe Nations. For you will there see more
fully my thoughts of our times, and how the
moral reafons given there, taken from the

afpect of our age, though preached in 1692, and published the year following, do exactly agree with my prefent apocalyptical thoughts.

One thing only I fhall further take notice of here, upon the occafion of the king of Spain's death, that God feems to mark out great things fometimes by very minute ones, fuch as names, e. g. as the Spanish monarchy began with Charles the Vth. (as to the Austrian family) fo it has now expired in one of the fame name; which I the rather obferve, because of many inftances of the fame kind. Of which number take these following: Darius the Mede, as Daniel calls him, (though Xenophon call him Cyaxares) the uncle of Cyrus, was the firft Medo-Perfian monarch, after the deftruction of the Babylonian; and Darius Codomannus was the laft. lomeus Lagi began the Egyptian kingdom after Alexander's death, and Ptolomeus Dionyfius was the last of that race. Auguftus fixed the Roman empire, and it ended in Auguftulus. The eaftern Roman empire was erected by Conftantine the Great, and expired with Conftantine Paleologus. The Scots race came into England in a James, and has gone out again in another of that name. And whether William the Third,

Pto