be removed like a cottage, and the transgres sion thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise* again." TRANSGRESSION, and continuing blindness, and impenitency under it, is the cause of all its woe. For the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues, yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which can neither see, nor hear, nor walk. Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornications, nor of their thefts." For these things cometh the long predicted wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. "Behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth, FOR THEIR INIQUITY; the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." The infatuated partisans of this ancient and detestable superstition, *Isai. xxiv. 17. Rev. ix. 20. See Sect. xxv. p. 164. can by no means be withdrawn from the zealous contending for the support of their error; "they will not see the rod and who hath appointed it," in the proper light, but on the contrary fight with it in battles of shaking, which shake their own power to pieces, and depopulate those parts of the world that are implicated in the impending wrath. They fondly impute the visible judgments which pursue them, not to their own blood-guiltiness and idolatry, but to the impiety of the protestant heresy, and the consequent atheistical neglect of the worship and intercession of the saints, formerly so prevailing in their favor. Thus they weary out the forbearance of heaven by a more pertinacious adherence to the canker that destroys them. no understanding. "For it is a people of Therefore he that made *Rev. xiv. 20. The image of St Januarius is still carried in holy procession to restrain the eruptions of mount Vesuvius, and at Sarragossa, the image of the Virgin was supplicated in the same manner to turn back the OVERFLOWING SCOURGE, but not with the same success as in the days of yore. them will not have mercy on them, and hẹ that formed them will shew them no favor."* It would be profane infidelity were we for a moment to suppose the solemn and frequent warning, given (in the prophecies of the christian times) against IDOLATRY, and other gross and blasphemous corruptions of religion, to be a mere brutum fulmen, an alarm without either meaning or object. Words cannot convey any thing more terrible in the way of interdiction. "If any man worship the BEAST and his IMAGE, and receive his MARK in his forehead or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture"-( to allay the intensity of the virulence of the deadly potion)—" into the cup of his indignation: and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb."+- These have been all along protestant witnesses against the sinfulness of popish idolatry, and they shall be wit *Isai. xxvii.11. + Rev. xiv. 9, Aessing spectators of the tormenting scourge with which offended and blasphemed heaven will chastise and destroy it, in every quarter of the earth to which it flies in vain for shelter," saying to the mountains and rocks fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand ?"* The idea of the torment sinners will endure under the divine judgments, is figuratively represented by their being compelled to drink of *Rev. vi. 16, 17-Luke xxiii. 30. Exilioq. domos, et dulcia limina mutant, VIRG. Georg. lib. 2. v. 511 And leaving their sweet homes in exile run, DRYDEN. This experiment in search of peace, has been recently tried, and a little time will shew the inefficacy of it, (without a change of principle) when once the LAMB of God," laying aside the ensigns of mercy, shall assume the characteristics of "the LION of the tribe of Judah." It a cup in which God hath mingled ingredients of the most noxious quality: it is very frequent in the prophets, and seems to be drawn from the custom (in ancient times) of punishing great offenders with death, by slow and lingering torments, in that manner. St John has adopted it from Jeremiah, (xxv.) where the prophet foretells the same punishment for the same offences, and the wide extent to which the catholic plague hereby meant shall be carried. "Thus saith the Lord, take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations to whom I send thee to drink of it. And they shall drink,--and be moved,and be mad, because of the sword that I will send among them. For the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh, he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, behold evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and A GREAT WHIRLWIND "It has been observed, that all such as were prevailed on to change their religion, with a view of bettering their fortunes, fell soon after into poverty, and sunk in the esteem of those very people who were so eager to convert them." Glas's Hist. of Canary Islands, p. 361, 4to. |
