Проповеди и лекции

e spirit of the viaU that it should he eon- tiaucd by a rapid succession of dissolring blows, such as to make its whole coosumptiontobcalter the nature of a jud^ment^ and ansvrerable to U)e character of the vials, which are full cups uf fury poured out. Thirdly, 1 have sliewn from the ht<tory of the Turkish empire, for the 800 years of its endurance, that though, duriu^ thi^ last cen- tury, the full tide of iu power hath come to a stand, flod begun somewhat to ebb, yet at the last measurement which was made of it by the providence of God abuut forty years ago, in lliewar with the Kus«iaus, the waters were found to stand very hi^h, whereas within these last seven year« there have been revealed and manifested to the wboie world, a military weakness, a revolutionary spirit, a religious apostasy from their propliei, and a miituaf destructivcncss in various ways, which, though they be but ihebeginningsof judg- 1016 TiiEDitriya UP or TOE fiiiPumAT£s. [Oi mente, are yet in tbemselres taost si^al, ftignally mtiic the hand of God a^aiost that of hin mpottate churcli wbich he is now risen out of bis pitoe to scourge, tod wbose dteti of biB apostate ohurch he is now about to re^ with utter dcstmctioD. r^ow, brethren, 1 cannot proceed forward mk out Atopfitfig a while to admire the mighty worl of God_ I transport myself to the lime of beginning of the book of thig prophecy, at time of i^-ho£c ending we now stand ; and wl do I behold? I beboM the Roman empire under] CoDsUmline, extcDdtn^ from the mountciins of oi own Caledonia in ihc frozen north, to the bun sands of Africa, and the uncoiiquered rale* Ishmac) in thesouUk; from thetdioresof the in the we^t, to the banks of the Euphrates i cast: conipnsiii^ within iuelf the chiefcst choicest portion of the three quarters (A the worM*. 1 behold it l^eginning to emerge from the curse of Paganism, and the shame of idoUtry, into the light and truth of the Gospel of Christ. A ^uag and pious and glorious emperor, being himself a Christian, hath conquered bis way to the tmpehai throne, under the banner of the Cros^, and, in gratitude to God, hath catabli&hcd over the bnuiids of that mighty empire, the Christian rtrligiDiif when it had codured three centuries of perseea* tioo. I A«c the church in great vigour ; her biBbops most learned, her councils mont active ; ortho- doxy triumphant, and the former race of heretics successfully put down. Auy one looking at this would say, " What a gioriou^* pro&pect for tbt woridl what a blessed prospect for the church!