ONE great use and intention of prophecy is to keep alive the faith and hope of God's people in times of calamity and distress. When the city and temple of Jerusalem had been de­stroyed, and the Jews were carried to Babylon, they had the comfort of the prophecies which had been delivered by Isaiah and Jeremiah, that the captivity would continue no more than seventy years; and that at the expiration of that period, a prince should arise, by the name of Cyrus, who would cause the people to be restored to their own land, and their city and temple to be rebuilt. Dur­ing this period of the seventy years captivity, there was a series of revelations made to Daniel, and by him recorded for the instruction and comfort of God's people, in every age of the church; these revelations were made to him in visionary and [Page 8] figurative representations, and the subjects of them were the remarkable events which should befal those nations, with whom the church of God should be connected till the second coming of Jesus Christ.

THE words now read are part of one of these revelations. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had a dream which made an uneasy impression on his mind, but he had forgotten the particulars, and could by no means recollect it, nor could any of the wise men of Babylon assist him in recovering it. They could indeed, by certain rules, interpret a dream when it was related to them; but it was beyond their art and skill, to tell a person what he had dreamed, when he himself had forgotten it. None could do this but the God "whose dwelling was not with flesh." For this incapacity, the mon­arch, in a fit of tyrannic passion, commanded all the wise men in Babylon to be slain; and among them, Daniel and his companions were to be put to death; but upon his promise to shew the king his dream, a suspension of the decree was obtain­ed; and after solemn prayer to God, the secret was revealed to Daniel, who declared it to the king in these words. "Thou, O king, sawest, and be­hold, a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee, and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron [Page 9] and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king. Thou, O king, art a king of kings; for the God of Heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven, hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things; and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of potters' clay and part of iron; the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron and part of clay; so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly bro­ken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to an­other, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven [Page 10] set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure." The same series of events was afterward represented to Daniel himself, in a vision of four beasts, answering to the four parts of the image, and signifying the same four kingdoms, with some farther particulars relating to the church of God. This vision is recorded in the 7th chapter; and there is another vision representing the same events, by the figures of a ram and a goat, in the 8th chapter. These visions were intended to conduct the mind of devout inquirers, through all the grand events, to the establishment of the universal kingdom of the Son of God, which will break in pieces and destroy all these kingdoms, and stand forever.

IF it be asked, In what part of the times, signi­fied by this vision, do we live? or what events, here set down, are to us past, present, and future? To give an answer to this question, we must con­sider how far divine Providence has explained the vision in its several parts. The golden head of the image, as Daniel himself said, was the Babylonian empire, of which Nebuchadnezzar was the reign­ing prince; "Thou art this head of gold." It was [Page 11] then in the height of its splendor and glory; and the imperial city was emphatically called, the "golden city." The same empire was signified by the lion with eagle's wings, in the 7th chapter. It was overthrown before Daniel's death, by Cy­rus, then general, and afterward king of the Medes and Persians.

THE silver breast and arms of the image repre­sented the kingdom of the Medes and Persians; which succeeded the Babylonian monarchy. This was signified to Daniel, under the figure of a bear, with three ribs in his mouth, in the 7th chapter, and afterward of a ram with two horns, in the 8th chapter.

THE brazen belly and thighs signified the Mace­donian empire, conducted by Alexander, and con­tinued by his four successors. This answered to the leopard with four heads and four wings, in the 7th chapter, and to the goat, first with one horn, and afterward with four horns, in the 8th chapter.

THESE three empires, the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian and the Macedonian, have long since given place to the fourth, the Roman empire; which is meant by the iron legs and feet of the image, and by its ten toes, which were partly of iron and partly of clay. The same power is figured by the beast with great iron teeth, in the 7th chapter, and the little horn of the goat, which waxed great, in the 8th chapter. It is also represented in the Rev­elation of John by a beast with seven heads and ten horns. It is observable, that this empire is de­scribed in the vision of Nebuchadnezzar in a three-fold state, 1. by the thighs and legs, which were [Page 12] entirely of iron; 2. by the feet, which were of iron and clay; and, 3. by the toes, which were of the same materials; and this three-fold view corresponds exactly with the events which have taken place. For the Roman empire was at first strong and terrible. Whilst the spirit of true lib­erty animated their constitution: Whilst public virtue and genuine patriotism were the ruling principles, their councils were firm, and their arms were victorious. They conquered the neighbour­ing countries, and diffused the spirit of their con­stitution wherever they made a conquest. This was the first and best state of the Romans. But after a while, they grew intoxicated with success, and degenerated from their manly fortitude into luxury and pleasure. Then the spirit of corrup­tion crept into the body politic, and it became, as the prophet represents it in its second stage, like a mixture of iron and clay. It was divided into two parts, viz. the Eastern and Western empire; the seat of the former was Constantinople, and of the latter, Rome. There was, however, something of the strength of iron. They were still a powerful and formidable people. The northern nations who invaded and incorporated themselves with the Ro­mans, in the second stage of the empire, brought with them a spirit of liberty, which the Romans had lost; but so distracted were they with intestine quarrels and religious controversies, that, like iron and clay, they never could be thoroughly blended; and these causes operated to produce the third stage of the empire, its division into ten kingdoms; answering to the ten toes of the image and the ten horns of John's beast.

[Page 13]THIS separation of the empire took place be­tween eight and nine hundred years ago; and though some of the kingdoms have in some degree been changed, and mixed, yet there has been ever since, such a distinction kept up, that there has generally been about the number of ten.

IN the days of these kings, (as Daniel foretold) i. e. the Roman empire, the God of Heaven did set up a fifth kingdom, prefigured by a stone, cut out of a mountain, without hands. This was the kingdom of Jesus Christ; and as long as the di­vided remains of the Roman empire shall subsist, this kingdom will be, as it has hitherto been, in the state represented by the prophets, as "a stone of stumbling and rock of offence"; but in due time it will smite the image on its feet and break it to pieces; and will itself become a great moun­tain and fill the whole earth. This grand event was signified to Daniel in other visions, recorded in the 7th and 12th chapters; and it is more par­ticularly described in the three last chapters of the book of John's revelation.

IF it be inquired, why were these four empires made the subject of divine prophecy in preference to all the other kingdoms of this world? The an­swer is, that all of them were instruments, in the hands of God, to carry on the designs of his pro­vidence toward the Jewish people first, and ulti­mately the kingdom of his SON. The vision is a kind of prophetic chronology, to point out the time when the kingdom of God should come, or be visibly and permanently established. The rea­son why these four empires only are distinguished [Page 14] by the spirit of prophecy, was, not because they were greater or more remarkable than some oth­ers; but, because the course of their history is con­nected with that of the Jewish church, and led in a regular and direct succession to the time and reign of Jesus Christ.^* An answer of the same kind may be given, if it be asked, why was this revelation made to a Gentile king? This Gentile king was connected with the Jews, and was oblig­ed to a Jewish prophet for recovering and inter­preting his dream; and the only record of it is preserved in the Library of the Jewish church, to whom were committed the oracles of God. It is therefore a prophecy which comes to us in the same channel with all the other inspired prophecies, and has the same end in view, to testify of Jesus Christ; for the testimony of or concerning him is the spirit of prophecy, and to him give all the prophets witness. If the facts recorded correspond with the things foretold; if the prophecy coincide with the whole series of prophecy, having the same object in view, and this object be, what none but God could know, before the event; then it will follow, that the inspiration is real, and there is a further evidence of the divinity of the revelations contained in the Old and New Testaments.

FROM the explication which has now been given of this sacred prophetic vision, we may see, that the present period of time, pointed out by it, is that which was signified by the ten toes of the image. The ten kingdoms, into which the Ro­man empire was divided, are still subsisting, though [Page 15] under different forms of government; and though the division be different from what it was at first; and they are all, more or less, in the state in which the vision represents them, a mixture of iron and clay, of strength and weakness; they are partly strong and partly broken, they do not cleave to one another even as iron is not mixed with clay. None of them ever have been able, though some of them have attempted, to render themselves equally strong and terrible as the ancient Roman empire was in its first stage.

YOU will please to take notice, that these ten kingdoms comprehend the western part of the continent of Europe, once the western empire of Rome; among these, the countries subject to the dominion of Britain and France hold a distinguished rank; and as these are the principal ones, with which we ever had, or now have any political con­nexion; so I shall confine my observations chiefly to them; though the same prophetic characters are equally applicable to Spain, Italy, Germany, and the other divisions of the western empire. These are the toes of the image; in which may be clearly discerned the materials of which they are com­posed, iron and clay, strength and weakness, wis­dom and folly; sometimes the one has prevailed, and sometimes the other; but there has been no union among them; all the attempts to unite them, so as to make a grand, formidable empire, resembling that of ancient Rome, have hitherto failed of success; and from the sure word of pro­phecy we have the strongest reason to conclude, that they will always remain in the same divided state, [Page 16] till the kingdom of Jesus Christ shall break them all to pieces, and shall rise upon their ruins.

THE iron part of these toes, or the strength and power of these divisions of the Roman empire, may be considered as consisting in the numbers of their people, the vigour, activity and discipline of their land and naval forces; their wealth, arising from their husbandry, manufactures, commerce and the management of their finances; the great fertility and high cultivation of their lands, their progress in arts and sciences, their maritime and insular sit­uations, and the great natural advantages which they enjoy, of which their sagacity and their in­terest lead them to make the most rapid and suc­cessful improvement; to which they are farther urged by the spirit of jealousy and rivalship, always attending commercial nations. When these powers are put into action by fierce passions and by skilful leaders, they make a formidable appearance, and threaten one another, or the neighbouring nations, with conquest; and it is not surprising if they are in some measure successful.

BUT if we view the clay part of their character, we shall find that they are not quite so terrible as some are apt to imagine. The great abilities and resources which they possess are counterbalanced by the prevalence of corruption, venality and pro­fusion; by the luxury and effeminacy which com­merce generally produces, and the unbounded ap­petite for pleasure which pervades all ranks and orders of the people. We shall find in some of them a spirit of faction, a want of firmness and con­sistency, a thirst for power, and wealth, a re­volutionary [Page 17] phrenzy, operating to produce assassina­tions, robbery and plunder. Under a pretence of republican liberty, we have seen some of them ex­ercising the most boundless licentiousness and wan­ton despotism, in defiance of justice, humanity, policy, morality and religion. The same crimes have stained their character when professing liberty and equality as when sounding the praises of their kings. The same tyranny, the same proscriptions, imprisonments, banishments and waste of human life, have disgraced the annals of republicanism as of monarchy; and their national character, instead of being meliorated, is, if possible, degenerated by their revolutions; for slaves, when made free, are the worst of tyrants.

THINK not, my Brethren, that what I say is dic­tated by passion or party-spirit. I speak the words of truth and soberness. This subject has been fa­miliar to me above twenty years. It was in the beginning of the third year of our revolutionary war,^* when we had no friend nor ally but Heaven, to shield us from the vengeance of Britain, and when she was making her greatest efforts to subdue us, that my thoughts were directed to this prophecy; and upon an attentive contemplation of it, with the best helps^† that I could obtain, I found in it, sufficient encouragement to rest my hope, that the formidable power, then at war with us, would not prevail. The confidence which I had did not prove to be vain; but as I thought there was sufficient ground for consolation in the [Page 18] height of our distress, and when no human help was engaged on our side; so the conclusion of the war justified the expectation.

THERE was a time, about thirty-five years ago,^* when Great-Britain had a much fairer prospect of an extensive and growing empire, than France has now. Her dominions were then indeed scattered over all quarters of the world, but united in allegi­ance to one sovereign, the political head of a wealthy, powerful and commercial nation; and had he known how to improve the advantages, which Providence had put into his hands, he might have been one of the richest and noblest princes on the face of the earth. Had the true spirit of lib­erty and patriotism, which made old Rome so re­spectable, been the ruling spirit of the British gov­ernment, it might, according to human probabili­ty, have rivalled or exceeded Rome in splendor. But Britain, intoxicated with glory and proud of success, thinking her triumphant flag superior to all the world, ventured on the mad project of quar­relling with her best friends, and enslaving this country. Instead of the silken reins, which always most effectually govern, because scarcely felt, she began to forge iron chains for free Americans. By endeavoring to extend the spirit of corruption and scatter the seeds of despotism to the remote parts of her dominions, she roused in us the spirit of genuine liberty, a spirit which is always uncontrol­able; and then by using force to quell it, she ef­fectually weakened her own power, and proved to all the world that she was nothing but a mixture of iron and clay. The spirit of liberty and the spirit [Page 19] of despotism can never unite, but will be in per­petual opposition; and these two principles, after a long and violent struggle, produced a separation, by which the prediction was in one instance ful­filled, "they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay." This separation and the establishment of our independence, were the result of causes, foreseen and foretold by Him, to whom all his works, and all the operations of inferior agents, are perfectly known from the be­ginning of the world. All the wisdom of states­men, all the eloquence of orators, and all the strength and power of fleets and armies could not counteract the decree of Heaven, that America must be separated from Britain. From the experience which we have had of her conduct, it is my most earnest wish, and from our own increasing power and resources and the wisdom and stability of our present government, it is my confident expectation, that the separation will ever remain, and that we shall be an independent people, fully equal to the business of governing ourselves, without any for­eign interference whatever. If there be any per­sons among us who are for re-uniting us with Great-Britain, I hold their political principles in as much abhorrence as those who are for subjecting us to the influence of France; for I detest the thought, that any rotten toe of Nebuchadnezzar's image, or any proud horn of the seven-headed beast, should ever exercise dominion over this country.

IT is curious and amusing, as well as instructive, to observe, how nearly the conduct of France to­ward [Page 20] us, in the present controversy, resembles that of Britain in a former controversy; and how the same kind of language is used by the emissa­ries of the one as was then held by the minions of the other. The quarrel between Britain and us was not of our seeking, but their own; we were their friends and customers; and had they let us alone, we should have remained so probably to this day. So the controversy between France and us is not of our seeking, but we have been forced into it by themselves. We have not intended them any injury; we have not invaded their country, nor captured their property, either by sea or land; we have not intermeddled with their interior gov­ernment, nor sought to alienate the people of France from their rulers. We rejoiced in what we supposed was their emancipation; and we hoped, in the first stage of their revolution, that they would so limit and restrain the power of their princes and nobility, and so reform the abuses of their government, as to enjoy a degree of freedom to which they had been strangers, ever since the elevation of the Bourbon family. We were as friendly toward the people of France as ever we were toward the people of Britain before they be­gan the quarrel with us. But when it was begun, we were hectored and threatned, by the proud language of affected superiority. In the one case, our ears were dinned with the supremacy and om­nipotence of the British parliament, with the pomp­ous parade of their former victories, and the tri­umphant flourish of their flag over the four quar­ters of the world. In the other case, we are told [Page 21] that France is generous to her friends, but terrible to her enemies; we hear of the invincible arms of the republic, one and indivisible; we are point­ed to the fate of Venice as an example of republi­can vengeance; and we are warned by the medi­tated conquest of Switzerland and the invasion of Britain, what we are to expect, if we do not buy our peace of the terrible republic. So Sennach­erib, king of Assyria, threatned Jerusalem in the days of Hezekiah; and so Phillip of Spain, with his invincible armada, menaced the island of Brit­ain in the days of Elizabeth!

TO secure a party in our country, the govern­ment of Britain once maintained a swarm of crown officers with pensions and places; and tempted our most wealthy citizens with the hope of prefer­ment; and then boasted of the strength of their influence over us. Just so the French government is boasting of the influence which they have in this country, and of their power to control our coun­cils, to divide the people from the government, and effect a revolution in their own favor.

TO preserve our connexion with Great-Britain, and prevent a separation from her, we sent the most respectful petitions, which were treated with neglect and contempt by the sovereign and his ministers. So the present ruling powers of France have refused to hear our envoys, when soliciting for an audience to represent our grievances and losses. When we entered into a treaty with France, to assist us in supporting our indepen­dence,^* and would not be diverted from it by the flatteries or intrigues of Britain, they were incensed [Page 22] against us, and made the war more sanguinary and destructive. So, when we had made a treaty with Britain,^* to recover our property unjustly taken away, and the French have found that we will not break our faith, they are come out in vengeance against us, and are forcibly taking our property and ruining, as far as they are able, our commerce.

WHEN these similar circumstances are consider­ed, must we not conclude that both these rival and contending nations have no true regard for us; that they have no generous and magnanimous prin­ples of action; but are both governed by the same interested, narrow, selfish policy, and that neither of them deserve our confidence any farther than the maxims of that kind of policy will permit. There is an old rule of common prudence, which will apply as well to nations as to individuals;

And this very sentiment, though expressed in bet­ter language, was the advice of our great and good WASHINGTON, when he retired from office.

"THE great rule of conduct (said he) for us, in regard to foreign nations, is to have as little polit­ical connexion with them as possible. Europe has a set of interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation; it must therefore be unwise in us to implicate ourselves in the vicissitudes of her politics, or the combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities. It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world. As far as we have already [Page 23] formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with good faith. But it is unnecessary, and would be unwise, to extend them."^*

THIS is the advice of a man who thoroughly understood, and wisely pursued, the true interest of his country. Of his successor we ought to have the same opinion; for from above thirty years ex­perience he has been known and proved to be one of our most enlightened and steady friends.

FROM the foregoing observations, we clearly see what are the prophetic characters of those Europe­an nations, which are represented by the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image and the ten horns of the apocalyptic beast. It is both surprising and edifying to all studious christians to see how plainly and exactly the picture is drawn by the inspired pen, and how rapidly events are coming on, which bear so near a resemblance to the accomplishment of the prophecies. It was foretold that an antichristian power would arise and rule over the nations. This we have been used to interpret of the papal sover­eignty; the combination of wealth and power with a corrupt form of Christianity, to enslave the bodies and souls of men; and doubtless the inter­pretation is just. But as the Scripture assures us "there are many antichrists," so we should extend our idea of this power to comprehend all that op­poseth and exalteth itself against the pure religion of Jesus Christ. It is very evident that the French nation was one of the firmest supporters of the papal usurpation, and that its former government answered to the prophetic character of one of those "kings which gave their power and strength to [Page 24] the beast."^* But it was also foretold, that there very kings, the same antichristian powers, should "hate the whore, and make her desolate and na­ked, and eat her flesh and burn her with fire;"^† and do we not see this remarkable prediction in a fair way of being fulfilled? The French power is not the less antichristian for the revolution. It is, in another shape, directly opposed to Christianity, as well to the corrupt forms of it as to its purity. The kingdom of Satan, at present, appears to be divided against itself; how then shall his kingdom stand?

WHEN the spirit of God foretels future events, he does not prescribe what ought to be done, but relates beforehand what will be done. His fore­seeing and foretelling these events does not justify the means which are to be made use of to bring them into effect. Wicked men may do many bad things, which may serve to bring on what is fore­told in the divinely inspired writings; and yet these very men may be proper subjects of punish­ment for these actions. An instance of this we have in the king of Assyria, to whom the prophet Isaiah makes this memorable address; "O Assyri­an, the rod of mine anger and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and will give him a charge to take the spoil and the prey and to tread them down as the mire of the streets. Howbeit, he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. Wherefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord hath performed his whole work on [Page 25] Mount Zion, and on Jerusalem, I will punish the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks."^*

WE must not then think it strange or unaccount­able that those very men, who are instrumental of bringing on revolutions, predicted in the word of God, should themselves be guilty of the most atrocious crimes, and influenced by no motives but those of violence, rapine and destruction; that they should cast off all fear of God, and even deny his existence; for bad as they are, they may be proper instruments, in the hand of God, to punish other bad men; to pull down thrones of iniquity; to overturn monarchies which have been supported by ambition and bloodshed; to destroy hierarchies which have been founded in pride and priestcraft, and maintained by superstition and persecution. From what other sort of persons could such revo­lutions be expected? People of sober and rational principles would not be guilty of a violent attack on the established religions of any nation; they would content themselves with enjoying the lib­erty of their own consciences in peace. But such convulsions are to be expected, only from those who are inflamed by the most malignant passions, and influenced by the zeal of fanaticism, either in religion or politicks, who have a rage for conquest and plunder, and who set no bounds to their am­bition and fury.

WHEN the great designs which God has deter­mined to accomplish, by the instrumentality of such agents, shall be fulfilled; when things shall be [Page 26] prepared, in the course of Providence, for the final destruction of all that rule, authority and power, which, under whatever name or appearance, hath opposed itself against the kingdom of Christ; then shall be brought to pass that great event, which is represented in the vision by the stone, smiting the image on its feet, and reducing it to dust. Then all these kingdoms, these powers, which have so disturbed and distressed the world, will vanish like chaff before the wind, and the gentle, peaceful kingdom of the SON of David will be gradually, but universally established.

THIS kingdom, my brethren, is set up among us, and we profess to be the subjects of it. For its increase and enlargement, it is our duty to pray; and one of the petitions in our Lord's admirable form of prayer is, "Thy kingdom come." If we are sincere in uttering this prayer, we should accompany it with our endeavours to promote it. This will be the best way of expressing our grati­tude to God for so distinguishing a favor.

IF it be asked, how shall we do any thing toward promoting the kingdom of God in the world? I would answer, there are many ways in which we may do it, and some persons may be able to do more than others; but there is one way in which we may all do something, and perhaps this is the best way in which any of us can promote it; I mean by our example. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in Heaven. There is nothing more forcible than example; like the [Page 27] magnet, it draws with a secret and silent, yet pow­erful influence. It is often more effectual than positive precepts and penal laws. Multitudes are swayed by it, who are not to be governed by any other means. It is in every man's power to do good in this way; and therefore it is every man's duty to set a good example, to let every person with whom he is conversant, see that he is under the influence of Christian principles and prospects; that he is sincerely serving God, and committing the keeping of his soul to him in well-doing. It is impossible to conceive how much good may be done by our example. It may do good after we are dead. The remembrance of what we have been, and what we have done, may long outlive us, and unborn posterity may be the better for it. In this respect, then, every person has a degree of importance annexed to his character, and every person ought to use that importance and that in­fluence for the noblest purpose.

AND what nobler purpose can we serve than that for which Christ died? This purpose is ac­complishing, though by slow degrees; and Chris­tianity, in its whole progress, is marked with peace on earth and good will to men. Wherever it is known and practised, mankind are the better for it; but wherever it is denied and rejected, they are the worse. Christianity, when rightly known and regarded, has made men ashamed of many enormities which they before practised. It has abated the horrors of war, and introduced a spirit of philanthropy into that destructive science. It [Page 28] has reformed the legal and judicial systems, and taught less severity and milder methods of reclaim­ing offenders, than were before known; it has, in some cases, mitigated, and in others extinguished, the evil of servitude, and taught men a sense of equal freedom. It has shed its genial influence on government, and taught us, in this highly favored land, how to crush rebellions and establish con­stitutions, without violence or bloodshed.

HAPPY influence, blessed spirit of true religion! This is the way in which the kingdoms of this world will be so subdued, as to become the kingdoms of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The con­quests of the Son of God are effected not by force of the sword, but by the secret energy of truth; not by might nor power, but by the divine spirit. By such means, and by none else, will true religion prevail, till the kingdom of Christ shall become universal.

MAY we ever be governed by the mild and peaceful dictates of the gospel! May it go on from conquering to conquer, till it shall have eradicated war, slavery, oppression, tyranny, superstition and vice; till antichristian power and influence shall be abolished; till false religion, false philosophy and despotic government shall be destroyed; till love and peace shall reign, and truth and righteous­ness shall be established in the earth.

IF we believe the scriptures, we must expect, that these blessings will be bestowed on the world, before the plan of Divine Providence shall be com­pleted; and therefore we may pray in faith, [Page 29] grounded on the divine promises, for the accom­plishment of these predictions. The prospect is in the highest degree pleasant to all the sincere lovers of God and man. Whilst, therefore, we are look­ing, praying and waiting for these glorious times, let us learn to anticipate them, as far as we are able, by cultivating in our own minds and conduct, those heavenly graces and virtues, which shall prove us the true subjects of Christ, and prepare us for the universal reign of the Prince of peace.

AMEN.