the Revelations; which treat profeffedly of fuch things as were to befal the fervants of Jefus [a], from the prophet's own days, down to that awful period, when all the myfterious councils of God, in regard to the Chriftian difpenfation, fhall be finally fhut up in the day of judgement. To thefe predictions, then, a more particular attention is due, the rather because they have been fulfilling from the time of their delivery bebold I come quickly and, above all, because a bleffing is pronounced on those, who keep, that is, who obferve, who study and contemplate, the Sayings of this book.

Affuredly, then, this ftudy will be rewarded with fignal benefits. And one fees immediately:

I. In the first place, that no small benefit muft arise to thofe, who admit the completion of these prophecies, fo far, I mean, as the tenour of the book makes it probable that they have been completed, from [a] Rev. i. I.

Q 4

the

the awful fenfe, which this conviction "must needs give them of the Chriftian difpenfation itself.

That this difpenfation, ufhered in by fo long a train of prophecies, fhould still be attended by others, through all the stages and periods of it; that fecular empires fhould rife and fall, unnoticed, as it were, "by the fpirit of God, while the kingdom of his Son is fo peculiarly diftinguished, and its whole history, in a mannèr, antiIcipated, by the most exprefs predictions: that Jefus fhould be, as he fays of himself, the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end [b], of all God's religious difpenfations to mankind: that his firft coming, or perfonal appearance in the flesh, should be fignified from the foundation of the world, and from time to time more explicitly declared in a variety of fucceffive prophecies, till the great event, at length, fulfilled them all and that, together with this event (the foundation of others, ftill more illustri[b] Rev. ii. 8. xxi. 6.

ous)

ous) his fecond coming, in the future and gradual manifeftations of his power (for they were to be gradual) fhould be diftinctly marked out, and duely accomplished, in the fortunes of the Chriftian church, or of that kingdom, which he came to erect in the world; while this fubject, and no other, engaged the ultimate attention of all the prophets: There is, I fay, in this fcheme of things, fomething fo aftonishingly vaft, fomething fo much above and beyond the attention that was ever known to be paid to any other perfon or thing in the compass of universal history, as must strike an awe into the hearts of all men, who confider Chriftianity in this point of view; and muft compel the most negligent to confefs, or fufpect at leaft, That fuch a difpenfation is a matter of no light moment, but, indeed, the most important in the eyes of providence, and the most interesting to mankind, that can be conceived, or expreffed.

If, then, there be reafon, to admit the completion of fuch prophecies, refpecting fuch

fuch a fubject, in any confiderable number of inftances, within that space of time which is already elapfed; and, therefore, to expect that the remaining prophecies will, in like manner, be fulfilled, The conclufion is, that the difpenfation of God through Chrift is of the laft confequence to the inhabitants of this world: And the obvious ufe of this conclufion will be, that it further obliges all ferious men who have thus far profited by a ftudy of the facred oracles, to put that falutary question to themfelves-How shall we escape, if we neglect fo great falvation [c]?

Connected with this use of prophecy, II. A fecond is, That it fets before us, not the importance only, but the truth of Christianity, in the strongest light.

So many illuftrious events falling in, one after another, juft as the word of prophecy foretold they fhould, muft afford the moft convincing proof, That our Religion is, as it claims to be, of divine in[e] Heb. ii. 3.

ftitution :

ftitution: a proof, the more convincing, because it is continually growing upon us; and, the farther we are removed from the fource of our religion, the clearer is the evidence of its truth. Other proofs are fuppofed to be, and, in fome degree, perhaps, are, weakened by a length of time. But this, from prophecy, as if to make amends for their defects, hath the peculiar privilege of strengthening by age itfelf: till hereafter, as we prefume, the accumulated force of fo much evidence fhall overpower all the fcruples of infidelity; and bring about, at length, that general converfion both of Jew and Gentile, which the facred oracles have fo exprefsly foretold.

In both these ways, then, by impreffing on the mind the 'moft affecting sense of Christianity; that is, by giving us, firft, the most awful view of its pretenfions, and then, by producing the firmeft conviction of its truth, the word of prophecy hath an evident tendency, in proportion as we fee its accomplishment, to promote the great

ends,