ed in their own country in a state | Medo Perfian empire, and its over. of profperity. So true it is that "He caufeth the wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder of wrath he graciously restrains.” In the feventh chapter, the vifion of the four beafts, which appeared to Daniel, is expounded to denote the four fucceffive mon❤ archies, viz. The Babylonish, the Medo Perfian, that of Alexander the great, or the kingdom of the Greeks, and that of the Romans. The last of which was to be by far the most terrible to the church of God, and which was to be deftroyed by the rise of a fifth and a divine kingdom, the kingdom of Chrift, which is reprefented by a ftone cut out of the mountain without hands, not of human, but divine origin. Small, indeed, in its beginning, but which should increafe and grow till it should fill the whole earth, and last forever. This vifion refpects the fame feries of events, with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, recorded in the fecond chapter, and already explained. In that dream those four fucceffive monarchies are reprefented by an image of great fplendor, compofed of gold and other precious metals. Here, by four terrible favage beafts, and the laft of them by far the moft terrible. On this we remark, after Bishop Newton, that the earthly fplendor and glory of great conquerors, fo beautiful and captivating in the eyes of kings and the great men of the earth, prefents an afpet, to the laft degree forbidding and terrible to the church of God, like that of the moft favage and voracious monfter, to the timid and defenceless. The eighth chapter reveals the outlines of that feries of events which was to take place in the VOL. IV. No. 2. throw by the rife of the Grecian power under Alexander the great, in the vifion of the ram with two horns, and the he-goat with one. This vifion and prophecy alfo reprefent the divifion of the empire of Alexander, (after his death and the fpeedy extinction of his family,) between his four principal commanders, and the cruel defpotifm of one of their fucceffors, in the family of the Seleucidæ, and kingdom of Syria, or of the North. This cruel oppreffion was an eminent type of the antichrift of the new teftament, to whom several things in the vifion are fuppofed ultimately to refer; efpecially the profanation of the temple, or church of God, for the long period of two thoufand and three hundred prophetic days, or years, it being about that diftance of time from the reign of this cruel oppreffion of the Jews, to the year two thousand of the Christian era; when it is the blesfed hope of Chriftians, that the divine Saviour will take the kingdom, fubdue his enemies, and reign forever and ever. The ninth chapter contains an account that Daniel, having understood, by books, the accomplishment of divine prophecy, in the captivity of Ifrael, earnestly fought to God for mercy for his people, and that God graciously heard him, and fent his angel, not only to comfort him with affurance of mercy to Ifrael, but to reveal to him in abundant grace, the approach of the Meffiah's appearance in our nature, and that he fhould die for the falvation of his people. He even fixed the exact time of his coming to seventy (prophetic) weeks, or four hundred and ninety days. This was a much more particular and G. exact prediction of the time and manner of the church's redemption, than any before given: and moft graciously adapted to fupport and comfort the prophet and the people of God under all their the people of God under all their forrows. The following chapters to the end of the book, contain divine representations of the conflicts and oppreffions of the kings of the fouth and north, or Egypt and Syria, who, in their times, fhould cruelly opprefs the Jews; and thefe predictions look forward to the still more dreadful oppreffions of the new teftament antichrift, till, in the final iffue, Michael, who appears to be the Lord Jefus Chrift, shall stand up for God's people, and after they have experienced great diftress and a fevere conflict, he will effect for them a complete and glorious deliver ance. But the particulars of that great and interefting event, are involved in obfcurity. And Daniel, though very defirous to know them, is commanded to submit and remain in ignorance. But is favored with a very gracious promife, that he fhall reft and ftand in his lot in the end of his days. CONCLUSION. of the prophet, though brief, is The investigation of this book abundantly fufficient to prove that, as far as the ftate of the redeemed church is brought into view, in the hiftory and prophecies here contained, it is conformed to its divine head in fuffering, and will be in glory, agreeably to what was obferved in the introduction. The important events fummarily hinted in this vifion, are the fubjects of revelation to the apoftle John; and it is no improbable conjecture, that the divine meffenger, fent from God to inftruct him in the meaning of what he faw and heard, was this highly favored prophet, who, agreeably to the gracious promife which he had received from heaven, was admitted to "ftand in his lot in the end of the days." * * Revelation xxii. 9.-"I am thy fellow fervant, and of thy brethren the prophets." This is illuftrated in the hiftory of Daniel and his three friends. They were brought into great af. fiction, and they were wonderfully delivered and exalted. It likewife appears, from the vifions and prophecies contained in the book, refpecting the then future condition of the church. And the reader who is acquainted with with what exactness many of these ecclefiaftical hiftory, will refle& prophecies have already been fulfilled; and fo will be ftill more confirmed in his faith of the predicted events which remain to be accomplished. The prefent advance of infidel-. ity and licentioufnefs, refulting from the fpread of the atheistical philofophy of the day, and its attendant principles of impiety, is, indeed, undoubtedly defigned, by the grand enemy of God and man, and by its friends and propagators on earth, to proftrate the principles and morals of Chriftianity. And there is reafon to expect that these combined efforts will, for a feafon, be attended with fuccefs; for "Satan is come down with great wrath, knowing that his time is fhort." tions we can form from fcripture According to the beft calculaprophecy, on the duration and end of the reign of evil, and of the victory of righteousness and truth, we are to expect that the ry the may menced, or must be at the very door. In the description of the events under the fixth vial, we find "the fpirits of devils going forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of the great day of God Almighty." This divine paffage, we have ground to fuppofe, defcribes the events which mark the beginning of the nineteenth century. happy millennium will appear in its glory, at or before the year two thousand of the Christian era. By that period, it may be expected that "Zion will rife and shine, her light being come, and the gloof the Lord rifen upon her." When we reflect that by far greater part of mankind are now totally ignorant of the Chriftian religion, and that immenfe multitudes of those who have some small traditional light of divine truth, are ftill under the power of Mahometan delufion, and of various other forms of falfe and abfurd fuperftition, and of extreme ignorance and prejudice; and moreover that in the moft enlightened parts of Chriftendom, few, even very few, comparatively, receive the truth in the love of it; we infer that a general prevalence of genuine Chriftianity, through the whole family of man, will imply, by far, the greateft revolution which the world ever faw. Immenfely greater than any or all of the fucceffive revolutions of empire in the rife and fall of the four great monarchies, treated of in the prophecies of Daniel.bers and graces. Among others, Which, however, kept the inhab- we mention the following, viz. itants of the world in extreme agitation through many ages, even during their fucceffion, and until the appearance of the promised Redeemer. Viewing the magnitude and importance of this revolution, and the length of time which it is reafonable to expect will be occupied in preparation for it and in its accomplishment, we cannot but infer that the beginning of that hard and fevere conflict between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness, which is the fubject of ancient prophecy, and which will immediately precede the hapPy millennium, is already com Some have fuppofed that, in the time of the fad ftate of fociety reprefented by the fixth and feventh vials, there would be few or no Chriftians to be found. But this is undoubtedly a misapprehenfion: were this to be the cafe, there would be no fuch battle as is reprefented, between Satan and his followers on one fide, and Chrift and his angels on the other. And indeed fcripture prophecy leads us to hope for greater and more frequent revivals of religion than have been usual in past ages. It may be added, that the events of that time are favorable to the hypothefis of an increase of the church of Christ both in num 1. The miffionary fpirit, remarkably poured out in the clofe of the last century and the beginning of the present. The exertions for the spread of the gofpel, in a few past years, at home and abroad, by miffionary focieties in Europe and America, have been very confiderable. Nothing to be compared with them has been done for ages. This can be accounted for only from the gracious influences of the divine fpirit on the hearts of good men, ftimulating them to fuch exertions. This fpirit continues to * Rev. xvi. 14. operate powerfully, at prefent, and there is juft foundation of hope, that it will continue its exertions, and be attended with encouraging fuccefs, and be the mean of fpreading the gospel among the nations and tribes of men fcattered over the earth, in their native language: and of introducing a ftate of fociety improved and adapted to the propagation of the gofpel, by means of a written language, and other attainments, favorable to the spread of Christianity and the knowledge of the great falvation by Jefus Chrift, in a way which it pleafed God to blefs in the apoftolic and primitive ages of the church; which was by the preaching of the gofpel in the vulgar tongue of the nations where it was carried, and by the tranflation of the holy fcriptures and spreading copies among them. We know, indeed, that God is able to convert the heathen, without the intervention of fuch means, or even of any, for with him is the refidue of the fpirit, and "nothing is too hard for the Lord." It is also admitted, that their converfion must be a fupernatural work of divine grace, whatever means are employed. But God has fhewed us that it is his good pleasure to effect his defigns of mercy in the falvation of finners, by fuitable means; and that "by the foolishness of preaching he is pleased to fave thofe who believe." tural leaven, which will not cease to spread and diffuse, till the whole lump is leavened, and all nations enlightened with the knowledge of falvation through Jefus Chrift. 2. Revivals of experimental religion, in Europe and America, have been frequent for several years paft, and happy numbers appear to be " delivered from the dominion of fin and Satan, and tranflated into the kingdom of God's dear Son." "This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes," and imports important benefit to the church of Chrift, efpecially as fome of our feminaries of learning have been vifited with this gracious effufion of the Holy Spirit, and many of the youth are hereby prepared, in the most important refpect, for. the Chriftian ministry; and many young men who have been the fubjects of this grace, in different parts of the country, are inducedto fuch an academic education, that they may be furnished for the work of the ministry, to labor either as fettled paftors, or as evangelifts and miffionaries. We mention, in this connection, the feafons of focial prayer for the profperity of Zion, obferved ftatedly by many of our churches for feveral years paft, as an additional encouragement, for good, and an evidence of the gracious prefence of God, and the influence of the Holy Spirit: and we doubt not but that many individuals and small circles, not fubjects of public obfervation, are waiting on God in faith and pray Let us rejoice and praise God, that we have lived in the day of God's power, when this good work is begun; and have beener, " till he return and make Je bleffed with an opportunity to do rufalem a praife in the earth." fomething, however small, to promote and advance it. We have juft ground to hope that through the bleffing and grace of God this work will abide, and be the fcrip Thus, while Satan and his followers are exerting their utmost power for the deftruction of the Chriftian religion, and of all moral and fpiritual good among meng the King in Zion is preparing the | It is not a regular connected hif way for the triumph of truth and grace, in a moft complete victory Over the powers of darkness. Let thofe who fear God, therefore, take courage, and the children of Zion be glad in their King. The difciples of our Lord "feared as they entered into the cloud," though that cloud was the evidence and token of the divine miffion and meffiahfhip of Jefus, and of the gracious prefence of God. Even fo good men tremble at the figns of the times, at prefent. But Jehovah the Redeemer, rides upon the ftorm, and is on his way for the falvation of his church. Therefore, let thofe who fear God be comforted, and remember that they ought always to pray and not to faint. P tory. The principal part of it is a dialogue or difpute between Job and his friends. In this view let us examine the fubject and process of the book. God formed Job to be a diftinguished object of his favor, and an inftructive example of patience to all the fucceeding generations of his people. Hav ing raifed him to eminence in piety, he affirms to Satan, that in holinefs there was not his equal in all the earth. To this Satan replies, that the religion of Job was felfifh, only a grateful return for the fpecial protection which God had extended to him, and the bounties of his providence, which he had fo richly multiplied upon him, Job loving God only because God had loved him; but that if God fhould adopt a different mode of treating him, impov erifh and diftrefs him, he would Further thoughts on the Book of prove himself to be a fplendid A Fob. LTHOUGH the book of Job be peculiarly calculated to communicate religious inftruction, exhibiting an eminent example of patience, and the tender care and pity of the Moft High 'to his fuffering fervants, and convincingly fuggefts, that God effects most important purposes by providences, to us very myfterious and incomprehenfible, and fcenes of adverfity and trial most painful and diftreffing to his people; yet is it not true, that to many it is very obfcure and unintelligible? But from what fource does this obfcurity arife? Is it because the fubjects difcuffed are involved in fuch great obfcurity? or from the fublimity of the compofition?-Rather is it not because the genius or plan of it is not perceived and understood? hypocrite. To manifeft the falfi ty of this malicious infinuation, and demonftrate the fincerity of Job, he is delivered for a season to the power of this false accufer of the brethren. He now perfecutes Job with such a series of evils that it makes the ears of those who hear it to tingle. Job fuftained the fhock of these unexpected and accumulated evils with astonishing fortitude and patience, which fupported the high encomiums which God had paffed upon him, and confounded Satan, his grand accufer. The narrative of thefe events recorded in the first and fecond chapters, is very fimple, and thus far the book is intelligible to every attentive reader. În formation of Job's calamities having been conveyed to his particu lar friends, they agreed to vifit and comfort him over all the evil that the Lord had brought upon |