lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out, and blood toucheth blood. Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish, with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven, yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away." God's worship is contemned and slighted, his name abused and blasphemed, and his Sabbaths profaned. Unfaithfulness prevails in all relations; murders, uncleanness, marriage-vows never more lightly treated, injustice and fraud in dealing, lying, covetousness, &c. What can be found among a people professing the name of Christ, to bring on wrath, that is not to be found in our land at this day?

Here let us view the scandalous outbreakings among us. Many such we see, opening the mouths of enemies to blaspheme the way of God. But how few do we see truly humbled, but almost always more concerned for their own blasted honour and reputation, than for the honour of God! And unless it be in those things which by use require public satisfaction, people cannot endure to be touched or checked with their faults told them.

Many other things there are that make perilous times, and which make ours so; such as the hiding of the Lord's face, threatenings and symptoms of wrath; among which may be reckoned the terrible thunders by which so many were killed on the last day of July this year; the shock which the fruits of the earth endured in the harvest, though Providence seasonably interposed, yet in a way that gives occasion to sing of mercy and judgment; and the murrain that in some places has appeared among the cattle.

But one thing deserves particular notice, as rendering our time perilous, viz., the church joining with the state in robbing the people of the Lord of their just right to choose their own ministers, and thrusting in ministers on congregations violently, and over their bellies. This is a most ready way to fill the church with naughty men, to ruin religion, and quite mar the interest and success of the Gospel, which are already very low.

I might here shew in what respects such times are perilous, that they are perilous to the present and succeeding generations, to their souls, and to their bodies.

And how they come in the course of providence to fall out by its permission, viz., for proving and trying men; 1 Cor. xi. 19, "For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you,"

But I will conclude, exhorting you therefore to know and lay to heart, that our times are perilous times, and therefore to bestir yourselves for your own safety, and be on your guard. Let the

peril of the times cause you to join yourself to God in Christ, and keep near him; beware of worldly-mindedness, instability and wavering, pride and self-conceit, Rev. vii. 3. Strive against the stream, if ye would not be carried away with it.

THE END OF TIME, AND THE MYSTERY OF GOD FINISHED WITH IT.*

REV. X. 6, 7,

And swear that there shall be time no longer; but the mystery of God should be finished.

THE going out of an old year, and the coming in of a new, doth so natively lead to consider the passing nature of time, that they must be very carnal, light, and inconsiderate, to whom such an event occasions not serious thoughts. For while one sees time on such a run, how can one miss the thought of its running out, or that there "shall be time no longer," as saith the text?

In which we have a deposition, or a matter declared upon oath, made by a mighty angel, Christ, the angel of the covenant, whose glory and majesty is inconceivable, as clothed with a cloud; darkening all created glory, as the sun doth the stars; and whose dispensations of providence are steady and pure, as pillars of fire, verse 1. The gesture used by him in swearing, is not laying his hand upon the book, though he had one in his hand; that is Antichrist's way of swearing; but it is lifting up the hand to heaven, verse 5, the natural and approved gesture of an oath, as being a solemn invocating of God, who dwelleth there. The scope of the deposition is, to comfort the church against the heaviness of the reign of Antichrist brought in by the fifth trumpet, as the Turks were by the sixth. The parts of the deposition are two.

1. The negative part, "that time should be no longer;" (Gr.)" that time shall not be any more." Most interpreters understand this restrictedly, of the time of the Roman empire, or the Antichristian tyranny; others, absolutely, of the world's ending, time's removal for good and all, and eternity succeeding in its room; no more days, months, or years. This I take to be the true sense; for (1.) It is agreeable to the scope, being a general including the particular

• Several Sermons preached at Ettrick in the year 1732. The first sermon was preached January 2.

of the time of the reign of Antichrist, who is not totally destroyed till under the seventh vial, that brings in the end of the world, chap. xvi. 17-21. (2.) Most agreeable to the world, which is precisely "time," not "the time." (3.) To the circumstances of the action noted in the context; the little book, pointing at the small number of events remaining to be fulfilled; the right foot on the sea, the left on the earth, noting his universal dominion, how he could make the sea move no more, and tread away this earth, verse 2; then the seven thunders, noting seven other things to take place under the seventh trumpet, viz., the seven vials, which bring the world to an end. And in relation to these, it is said "time should be no more," or longer than these are running, vers. 3, 4. Finally, the description of the party sworn by, viz., God, that is, Christ himself, who swears by himself; described here as living for ever, most appositely to the mentioning of the ending of time; as creator of the world and all therein, and therefore able to bring it to an end.

OBJECT. But to what purpose should that be confirmed by an oath, which John knew well enough, and nobody is ignorant of? ANS. John knew before, and so did others, that time and the world would have an end sometime or other; but he knew not that it would end under the seventh trumpet; that it would not last a moment longer than that trumpet, which is the thing here asserted. The thing which leads to,

2. The positive part of the oath, that in the days of the voice of the seventh angel the mystery of God should be finished. Some understand this mystery in a restrained sense; some of the end of the world, the resurrection and general judgment; some of the calling of the Jews, and overthrow of Antichrist. And these indeed are called mysteries; 1 Cor. xv. 51, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." Rom. xi. 25, "I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, -that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." 2 Thess. ii. 7, "The mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken out of the way." But nowhere, that I have observed, is any of them called the mystery of God. Besides, the finishing of the mystery here mentioned plainly supposeth that mystery, whatever it was, to be begun, and well far on before the seventh trumpet, or days of the seventh angel; which agrees to none of these. Wherefore I understand it with others more generally, and take it to be meant of the whole of the divine management in the world, in pursuance of and according to the gospel scheme and contrivance, called

the mystery of God, Col. ii. 2. This is a mystery of many parts; therefore called the mysteries of the kingdom of God, Luke viii. 10, all which parts being mysterious, the kingdom itself is a mystery, known only to believers, truly, though yet imperfectly; as saith our Lord, Mark iv. 11, "Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables. The mystery of the kingdom of God. There have been many kingdoms in the world, especially the four monarchies, all which are now gone; the kingdom of Antichrist, a mystery of iniquity, has long made a great figure, and is not yet come wholly to an end; but in the time of all these God had, and yet has a kingdom, which is the mystery of God, which has long been, and yet is going on. But it will be finished in bringing the work to perfection, in completing the happiness of his people, and ruin of his enemies, at the end of time. Then Christ shall have delivered up the kingdom finished, 1 Cor. xv. 24. The time of the finishing it is in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, which days take in all the seven vials. When it shall begin to sound, then the finishing of the mystery of God begins, the last period of that mysterious kingdom of God comes in; the which finishing is carried on by degrees, in the seven vials, till it is perfectly finished by the last of them. And then time, and the mystery of God in his kingdom in this world, end both together. Now we are within the finishing period.

Two doctrines may be deduced from the words.

DOCTRINE I. It is a matter of greatest weight and concern to mankind, that there is a certain period set, and in the general revealed, at which time comes to an end, and never shall be any more. This is a sworn point, and a good man will not swear but what is of weight; it is sworn by the Lord himself, therefore it is of the greatest weight.

In discoursing this doctrine, I shall consider,

I. This truth itself, That there is a period set at which time shall

be no more.

II. The weight of it, and its concern to mankind.

III. Lastly, Apply.

I. We shall consider this truth itself, That there is a period set at which time shall be no more.

This implies,

1. That time had a beginning. Time is the measure of the creature's duration by its several parts; so it could be of no ancienter date than the creation. It began with the world, Gen. i. 1. There was a day, a year, that was the first, before which there was not VOL. X.

2 E

another. But eternity was before, and will be after time; which therefore appears at present like a small island lifting up its head in the midst of the ocean.

2. Time has run from the beginning, and is running on in an uninterrupted course of addition of moments, hours, days, months, and years. About four thousand years of it passed before the birth of Christ; and now is begun the one thousand seven hundred and thirty-second year from that happy period. So there want not three hundred years now to complete the world's week of six thousand years; after which many have thought the eternal Sabbath would come. But as yet time is, and the mystery of God is not yet finished, nor the treaty with sinners broken off.

3. Time will come to an end. It has run long, but it will run out at length. The last sand in the glass of this world will pass, and then its glass is run out, and not to be turned again. The period is set in the divine decree, the last day and hour, though no man knows them.

Now, time coming to an end, the things of time go too, being swept away with it. So, "that time shall be no longer," nor" be any more," speaks these following weighty things; viz.-That there is a set period at which,

1. This present world shall be no more; these heavens and earth shall pass away by the general conflagration; 2 Pet. iii. 10, "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; and the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burnt up." Time and they began together, and they will end together. Men are busy now, who to get most of this earth; and a mighty pother is made about it, like ants in a hillock; and could they get the heavens marched too, they would no doubt inclose so much of them for themselves also. But then the hillock will be scattered, the stage taken down, not a bit of earth left for their foot. 2. New years shall be no more. The year will come, the mouth, the day, hour and minute, after which there shall never be another. All these are parts of time; so time being at an end, there will be no more of them. The annual motion of the sun, and its diurnal motion about the earth, make years and days; but where are they when the heavens pass away with a great noise, and the earth is burnt up? So the Scripture frequently mentions the last day, as John vi. 40. Let us improve our years then for eternity, and count our days so as to apply our hearts to wisdom. 3. The different seasons will be no more. summer and winter, seed-time and harvest. mitted for a while, during the deluge; then it was secured there

There will be no more They were once inter