1 "our being;" and confequently, that he is entitled to our utmost homage, gratitude, and obedience. 3. That he will abundantly reward the good, and punish the bad, probably here, certainly hereafter. 4. That the foul or spirit of man is immortal ; that there is a future ftate to fucceed the prefent, in which the fpirit fhall live for ever; and where rewards and punishments fhall be righteously adminiftered. vrs. That man, though created innocent, happy, and perfect after his kind, yet through difobedience to the divine will, became a fallen, fallible, and finful creature; and not only unworthy of, but incapable of fuftaining that exalted rank of being, in which he was originally placed by his beneficent Creator. 06. That in the prefent ftate of imperfection, his intellectual faculties are no more capable of tracing and judging of the extent of the infinite wifdom, and holy myftery of God in the creation, than the pot made of clay is of the defign of the potter; or an atom of matter is of the order, harmony, and beauty of the univerfe that God has a right to take that life which he gave, and gither to annihilate, or to redeem his difobedient and finful creatures upon what conditions, and by whatever means, he pleases, without being accountable to man. And, 7. That in his infinite wifdom, benéficence, and mercy, God has been pleased to afford mankind an opportunity to rife from their fallen ftate, a ftate of fin, darknefs, and captivity, to a ftate of light, freedom, and eternal happiness, by their obedience to the divine will revealed through Jefus Chrift his bleffed bleffed Son; by the atonement made by that Son to divine and unerring juftice; by his mediation with the Father; and by faith in his holy Gospel, and his glorious miffion. Thefe, or fome of thefe obvious truths, foretold by the "two prophets," had often checked the people of France in their atheistical career, in the gratification of their fenfual appetites, and never failed to fmite their confciences fooner or later with tormenting remorfe. But now, having feared their confciences with the red-hot iron of atheism, they foolishly thought that they were above all law, and at full liberty to act without fear or restraint; and that there was no God, no ftate of future rewards and punishments, and confequently no remorfe of confcience upon the perpetration of any fin. For these reafons they made merry" and rejoiced." Ver. 11. And after three days and an half "the Spirit of life from God entered into them "(the bodies of the two prophets), and they "ftood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon "them that saw them." In this verfe the period during which the truths of the Teftaments have been abolished in Paris, the means by which they have been revived, and the ef fects of that revival on the atheistical crew, are clearly pointed out. The period of their entire fuppreffion is three years and an half: for, in prophetic language, as I have faid before, a day means a year. Now if we date the commencement of this period from the final exile and laft maffacre of the clergy, which was near the latter end of September 1792, and the termination of it at the time of the decree for the toleration of all kinds of religion, in the latter end of March 1796, we cannot fail to difcover, both the time H 3 times of the death of the witneffes, and of their refurrection. The reader, I am awarepwill expect fome reasons for my fixing on thofe two periods. Some time, then, before the banishment of the clergy, the church had been plundered of the plate belonging to it; and delivered over to the priests of atheism, and polluted with its impieties. Many of the regular clergy had been tortured and maffacred, for continuing to inftruct the people in the doctrines of the two Teftaments. But as no perfecution could deter them from the discharge of what they conceived to be their duty, nor many of the people from attending them, the Convention faw the impoffibility of utterly abolishing religion, while their appointed paftors remained in France; and they were accordingly banifhed. The decree paffed on the 26th of Auguft 1792: it ordered them to leave the kingdom, in a fortnight from its date. But inftead of giving thefe unfortunate men the time fo limited, the interval between its date to the end of the fortnight, and, indeed, to the latter end of September, was employed by the revolutionary committee, municipalities, and atheiftical priefts throughout the republic, in feizing upon, imprisoning, and putting these martyrs to the moft cruel deaths; and in tranfporting the fmall remainder to foreign parts. Nor was this horrid bufinefs accomplished till the latter end of September 1792. From that epoch to the latter end of March 1796, no trace of religion was to be found in Paris. The priests were no more. The churches were converted into places of public feftivity and amusement. To them, and the abandoned theatres, the citizens of Paris reforted to hear the name of the most high God profaned, his existence ridiculed, nay denied; and his bleffed Son proclaimed and condemned as the most infamous impoftor. Thus the effential truths of the two Teftaments are said by the prophet to be "killed," "killed," or "lie dead" in the "great city;" as that language is called a dead language, when it is no more used to convey our ideas. Nor are the reafons for fixing the time of the revival of religion in Paris, at the latter end of March 1796, lefs evident and conclufive. At this time a decree paffed for granting to the people, a free tole ration of every kind of religion. All former reftraints were repealed, and no perfon was liable to be put to death, or even molested as a fanatic. A number of the clergy, lefs obnoxious than others, were permitted to return to Paris; others came forth from their concealment. Public places of worfhip were opened, the religious met without fear or hindrance, and the fubftantial truths of the Gospel of Chrift were again publifhed, profeffed, and taught, in the "great city," although too much mixed with Papal fuperftition. Here then the "two witneffes of God ftood again upon their feet;" that is, revived, and were prepared to propagate the doctrines of one Supreme GOD, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and of his eternal Son, the Redeemer of the world. With refpect to the means by which the "dead "bodies" of the two witneffes were to be re-animated, the prophet tells us exprefsly, that it is by the " Spirit of life from God," which "entered into "them." But it may here be afked by the infidel, What is this Spirit of life from God, and how did it enter into the dead bodies? Prefumptuous wretch ! "Canft thou by fearching find out God? Canst "thou find out the Almighty to perfection? It is as high as heaven! what canft thou do? deeper "-than hell! what canft thou know? The mea"fures thereof are longer than the earth, and "broader H + 66 "broader than the feas." Who can trace out the ways by, which the Spirit of life from God created all things from nothing? or conceive the fainteft idea of the extent and immenfity of its fecret, and neverceafing operations and wonderful effects, in the course of his providence, and government of the univerfe? Who can even form an idea of the foul or fpirit of man, by which he wills, acts, and rules that little world, the human fyftem? How much less capable are: we of perceiving the nature of the infinite power and perfections of the Spirit of life from "God!" Who can tell of what materials, and by what means, He created the univerfe, that grand and beautiful fyftem; containing an endless variety of.. immenfe, bodies; fixing fome, by his almighty fiat, immoveably to a fpot in endless space, and commanding others to perform their evolutions in deftined periods? Who can number the endless variety of beings, refidents of thofe vast orbs; with their regular fubordinations, and refpective qualities, relations, faculties, and offices? all forming together one regular chain of existence, from the First Caufe, the moft high God, down to man : one infinite and incomprehenfible fyftem of order, beauty, and harmony? Or who can conceive the ceafclefs operations and influences, by which the "Spirit of life from God" animates and preferves the whole, and the infinite variety of its parts, in the moft perfect unifon and harmony? Let the infidel tremble at this awful and irrefragable truth, that there is fuch a Spirit, and that millions of objects, which daily offer themselves to the intellectual view of man, clearly demonftrate it, beyond all poffibility of rational doubt; befides the conclufive evidence of the revealed word of God. And fhould |