trous and blafphemous parts of the Papal creed, had led moral and pious lives), he determined to destroy them. And no means were left uneffayed, to accomplish that purpose, by the republic. To the perfecution of these people, as members of the church, the prophet refers, when he fays, "the dragon perfecuted the woman, which brought forth the man *s child! For it is well known, that the French revolution was brought about by: the atheistical part of the nation, and that it was no fooner formed into a fyftem of government, than it publicly announced that there was no God, but reafon; as publicly abjured the Son of God as an impoftor; afferted that death was only the eternal fleep of the foul, and made ufe of every artifice, delufive falfehood, fraud, and tempting pro mife, to prevailon the nation to adopt thofe pofitions as their creed, and rule of the public faith; but, failing of fuccefs, it established the civil conftitution of the clergy with intent to feparate and distinguish the new converts to atheism, from the profeffors of Chriftianity. This line of diftinction being made, all perfons within the power of the republic, who dated to profefs a belief in God and Jefus Chrift, or Seven to mention their names with veneration or refpect, were put to death as fanatics, excepting those who faved their lives by a precipitaté. flight to the neighbouring nations. And thus the "woman was

perfecuted" through her members refident in -France; a perfecution more fevere and dreadful, the -time of its duration confidered, than any he had before fuffered from pagan Rome. Many tens of thoufands of innocent and pious Chriftians, who swould not forfake their truff in God and his bleffed Son, and embrace the doctrines of atheism, were -maffacred without trial, without evidence, or the leaft notice of their fate; and it was a perfecution fo general throughout France, that this period of the re

Povolution

volution is defcribed by her own hiftorians as the reign of terror and of death, and the country as one great tomb.

Ver. 14. And to the woman were given two "wings of a great eagle, that the might fly into "the wilderness, into her place, where the is "nourished for a time and times, and half a time, "from the face of the ferpent."

Here the woman is again the fymbol for the pious part of the French nation, who fled from atheiftical pers fecution. To thefe were "given the wings of a great

eagle," the most rapid and swift of all birds, to denote the fuddennefs of their danger, and the rapidity of their flight. For the maffacres were fo very quick in fucceffion, that thefe unhappy people had no time to remove their property, which was afterwards con fifcated. Many of them fled pennyless, and have been fince fupported by public or private charity. By the fame figure God himself defcribes the hafty flight of the Ifraelites from Egypt, when purfued by the wrath and vengeance of Pharaoh: “Ye have "feen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I "bare you upon eagles wings, and brought you "unto myfelf*:" and their flight was, as it were, into " the wilderness ;" for they fled to countries, where they were utter ftrangers, without a place of refidence, without property, without friends, and where they were bewildered, not knowing what ftep đơ take towards their fafety or prefervation: and yet they fled into their place;" because it was the place where the mercies of Providence had prepared the hearts of men to " nourish them for a time and

times, and half a time," that is, during THREE YEARS and an HALF, from the face of the ferpent, from

Exod, xix. 40

the horrid and bloody meafures by which the profeffors of Chriftianity, who remained in France, were foon after inhumanly maffacred.

In afcertaining the time in which "the woman was to be nourished in the wilderness," I have followed the prophet Daniel, when interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream: he there ufes the word TIME to fignify one year; "and feven times fhall "país over thee *," meaning, that the period of his infanity fhould be feven years. How wonderfully have the events, foretold in this verfe, been fulfilled by the revolutionary power of France! Had the Convention feen the verfe before them, and tudied to fulfil the events predicted, they could not have done it more accurately. They have persecuted the woman, or the church of Chrift, either by driving suddenly into exile, or murdering every person in France, who dared to profefs a belief in God and Jefus Chrift. The exiles and refugees have fled into ftrange countries, or wildernesses to them. They have fled into their place," where they have been charitably and hofpitably received and nourished: and yet, after this perfecution, the Convention paffed a decree, not only tolerating the Chriftian, but all religions. Many of the exiled and refugee clergy, and others, have returned to France, under the protection of that decree, to the practice of their religious duties: and the period between the execution of the decree for the banifhment of the clergy, and the decree of toleration, was exactly a time, "times, and half a time," or THREE YEARS AND AN HALF; during which they had been nourished, from the face of the dragon," or the perfecution of the Convention...

f

Chap. iv. 25. 32.

Ver. 15. And the ferpent caft out of his "mouth water as a flood, after the woman, "that he might caufe her to be carried away "of the flood.".

It has been shown that the devil has come into France" with great wrath," determined to destroy the Chriftian religion; and that the profeffors of Chriftianity have fled into the wilderness, or the neighbouring countries, for fafety. It cannot be fuppofed that his "wrath" was abated by the escape of many Christians, whom he had devoted to deftruction, and the afylum afforded them by foreign nations. The text afferts the contrary; and the conduct of the dragon, or his agent the Convention, has confirmed it; for, not fatiated with the blood of tens of thousands of innocent and unoffending Chriftians, who had not been able to fly from his wrath, he left no measure uneffayed to get them within his alldevouring jaws. "He caft out of his mouth water "after them, as a flood, that he might caufe her to "be carried away of the flood." He remonftrated against the afylum afforded to them; demanded that they should be given up, and threatening vengeance, at length declared war against the nations. who were protecting them" from his face," or his power. But his threats and his wars have been in vain: like water fpilt upon a ftone, or a flood raging over a bed of rocks, they have made no impreffion. The nations have continued their hofpitable care of them, agreeably to the prophecy in the next verse.

Ver. 16" And the earth helped the woman; and the earth opened her mouth, and fwallowed up the flood, which the dragon "caft out of his mouth."

It was to England and Germany, but principally to the latter, that the profeffors of Chriftianity fled from the perfecutors of the republic. Coblentz was the most convenient door of efcape. Thither they reforted in great numbers, and paffed to the different ftates of that country. The apoftate empire, Germany, typified by the word earth, cordially received and protected them, and, in her turn, opened her mouth," and declared war againft the dragon, or France. And although the has carried it on with variable and inferior fuccefs to her enemy, yet fhe has fo far diftinguished herself as precifely to fulfil the fact here foretold. She has, by a long, firm, and virtuous perfeverance in the war, induced France to make a peace, without delivering up the profcribed and attainted Chriftians, whom the dragon had fo loudly demanded, and determined in his wrath to devour.

-iin voi Ver. 17. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her feed, which keep the commandtments of God, and have the teftimony of "Jefus."

The prophet now paffes from the peace, lately made between France and Germany, to the great event that should fucceed: namely, the continua, tion of the war with Great Britain: for he defcribes the country, against which the dragon was to go to make war, by "the remnant of the feed of the wo"man;" meaning that nation, or affociated body of Christians, who, notwithstanding the artifices, frauds, and perfecutions of Papal idolatry, the delufive promifes, and captivating doctrines of French atheism, should, at the very time of the event, have best preserved the knowledge and fear of God, and their faith in Chrift. Taking the text in this light (and I apprehend it can be taken in no other), it can,