Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Is it poffible to doubt this people's conviction of the Divine authority of the Law of Mofes, and the Divine infpiration of their Prophets? Can any rational ground be affigned for this conviction, except the continuity of pofitive evidence?

Cyrus, who was thus to "proclaim liberty to the captive," and to "break their bonds in funder," was alfo announced as the fcourge" of their oppreffors. He was to "take the city of Babylon," and to "caft down the throne of the Chaldees." The

[ocr errors]

mighty conqueror of the Eaft was to give glory to the God" of the obfcure and captive children "of Ifrael," for the victories and the dominions he had obtained by his arms; and to 66 publish among the Gentile nations, the greatness and the power of the Lord Jehovah," whofe name, from the fuccefs of the Babylonians against his chofen people, they had ignorantly blafphemed, and levelled with the imaginary deities of the numerous kingdoms, which had fallen victims to Affyrian tyranny.

Could any thing but abfolute conviction of the truth of the wonderful history of the Jews, and demonftrative evidence of the ac

curate

curate fulfilment of the Prophetic word of their God, have induced the enlightened Cyrus to fend forth an edict for such a purpose to the nations, who would probably esteem it as derogatory to his own glory?

66

The fate of Babylon was diftinctly pronounced at the fame diftance of time, and the causes of her exemplary punishment particularly explained as a warning to all generations, who are folemnly called upon to remember both the Prophecy and the Judgment against the city which had impioufly " striven against the Lord:"-" Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none elfe; I am God, and there is none like me; declaring the end from the beginning, and from antient times the things that are not yet done, faying, My counsel fhall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."

"Sit thou filent, and get thee into darknefs, O daughter of the Chaldeans; for thou fhalt be no more called the lady of kingdoms. Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, which deftroyeft the whole earth, for thou art proud against the Lord, against

[blocks in formation]

the Holy One of Ifrael. I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand, O Affyrian, the rod of mine anger: howbeit thou meanest not fo, nor doth thine heart think fo, but it is in thine heart to deftroy, and cut off nations not a few. — Thou sayest, Are not my princes altogether kings fhall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, fo do to Jerufalem and her idols?—Thou didst fhow my people no mercy, upon the antient haft thou very heavily laid the yoke, and thou faidft, I shall be a lady for ever-Thou haft trufted in thy wickednefs; thou haft faid, None feeth me: thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath perverted thee, and thou haft faid in thine heart, I am, and none elfe befides me-therefore fhall evil come upon thee, thou shalt not know from whence it rifeth: and mischief shall fall upon thee, thou shalt not be able to put it off: and defolation fhall come upon thee fuddenly, which thou shalt not know-Thou didst not lay these things to heart, neither didst thou remember the latter end of it- Wherefore it fhall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerufalem, I will punish the ftout heart of the King of Affyria, and the glory of his high looks; for he faith, By the Strength

Strength of my hand I have done it, and by my, ·wifdom, for I am prudent — Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Go up, O Elam; befiege, O Media; all the fighing which she was the cause of have I made to cease. Recompence her according to her work- because it is the vengeance of the. Lord, the vengeance of his Temple — the day of the Lord is at hand, a day cruel with wrath and fierce anger to lay the land defolate; behold I will punish the King of Babylon, as I have punished the King of Asfyria [in the deftruction of Nineveh] I will cut off from Babylon the name and the remnant, from generation to generation shall it lay wafte.'

[ocr errors]

What a description is this of the Prescience, the Omnipotence, the retributive Justice, and the over-ruling Providence of God, directing all things, even the oppofing springs of human action, to execute the uniform design of his unchanging will! Can the best wrought veil of Metaphysics obfcure these radiant characters of Truth? Can the utmost strength or art of Infidelity prevent their indelible impresfion on the mind of unfophifticated man, when thus united with the power of Facts?

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

CLASS I.

CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.

The Appearance of the Meffiah according to the precife Time predicted by Daniel 537 Years before his Birth:

DANIEL was favoured with

was favoured with many revelations of the Divine will, and fupported by the Divine power in a very remarkable manner. He was honoured with the firft diftinctions in the court of Perfia, and his piety and his wifdom were equally confpicuous. In one point he differs from all other Prophets, and becomes an object of attention peculiarly interesting to us; for to him was communicated the exact time when the Meffiah would appear: and he likewife predicted the time of many of the principal events which were to take place after the establishment of the Meffiah's kingdom, with fuch accuracy,

[ocr errors]
« AnteriorContinuar »