the sight of these judgments, justifying the Providence of God, and saying, “thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, for they are worthy." *

The ancient inchantress, which sat upon many waters, and all the mingled people, the nations, and languages, and multitudes, which have drank of the cup of her abominations; must, in their turn, drink of the cup of ber judgments, which God sends round to them. "A sword is upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of BABYLON, and upon her princes, and upon her wisemen, A sword is upon the liars, and they shall dote," (be under strong delusion, and believe a lie,)—“ a sword is upon her mighty men, and they shall be dismayed. A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her, and they shall become as women, + Jer. xxv. 20,

*Rev. xvi. 5.

A sword is upon her treasures, and they shall be robbed, a drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried up. For it is the LAND OF GRAVEN IMAGES, and they are mad upon their idols.*

In Ezekiel, we find this far famed apostacy threatened under the type of EGYPT, as by Jeremiah it had been under that of BABYLON" Thus saith the Lord, the sword shall come upon Egypt, and her FOUNDATIONS SHALL BE BROKEN DOWN,—and all

* Jer. 1. 35. There is no doubt but the BABYLON ultimately here intended by the holy spirit of prophecy, is that of St. John, in the mystical Chaldea, which is equally the land of image worship, and of a senseless idolatry, but far more inexcusably so, than that of a people which knew not God, but by distant and unfavorable report only.

"The mingled people," is an epithet peculiarly appropriate to the subjects of a despot, who affects to throw the reigns of his spiritual government and supremacy over all nations;" the people who own his spiritual sovereignty calling themselves ROMAN CATHOLICS, ROMANS still, under whatever government they live; and CATHOLIC, as their church is universal; and all other denominations of christians are to be deemed heretics, This prophecy is now almost verbally fulfilling upon all the mingled people in the modern BABYLON, or all the countries which acknowledge the catholic religion, and spiritual empire of the Pope.

the mingled people-and the men of the land that is IN LEAGUE, shall fall with them by the sword. Thus saith the Lord, they also that uphold Egypt shall fall, and the pride of her power shall come down.-And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have set a fire in Egypt, and when all her helpers shall be destroyed."*

Many of these prophecies of BABYLON and EGYPT had a literal accomplishment, in an inferior sense, even those to which St John makes manifest allusions, and which he quotes as applicable to the APOCALYPTIC BABYLON of his own prophecies, And particularly this of Ezekiel concerning Egypt, was soon afterwards fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar. Yet this is no reason (in this instance more than in others) why a second accomplishment may not have been intended in the mystical Egypt, and one of infinitely more importance to the church of the faithful. We are warranted to suppose so, both by its greater interest to christian times in this interpretation, and also by its agree

* Ezek, xxx, 4, &c.

ment with so many other prophecies which speak to the same effect.

When Balaam cast the prophetic glance upon these far distant times, and contemplat ed in vision the future glory and happy condition of the servants of God, he started from his reverie, with the passionate exclamation, "Ah! who shall live when God doth this?— Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his !"* Yet the false hearted SEER loved so well the wages of unrighteousness, that he persisted in his iniquitous course of opposing, for gain, the progress and establishment of truth and righteousness, even contrary to the known will of God, which he himself had been (by the overpowering force of the divine influence) compelled to proclaim with his own mouth, against his will, when "the dumb ass, speaking with man's voice, forbad the madness of the prophet."+

Num, xxiii. 10.

2 Peter ii. 16.

If we may trust the testimony of prophecy, this incredible madness of infatuation in sin is not (even in christian times) without a parallel, in the false prophet Antichrist.* St Paul and Daniel plainly attribute to the worshippers of MAHUZZIM (or advocates of popery) the very same impious resistance to divine command, and atheistical spirit, that they "di vided the land for gain,†—made gain their godliness,made merchandise of souls, §and did every thing for filthy lucre's sake,|| having their conscience seared with a bot iron."** And indeed when the POPE was in the fulness of his dispensing and absolving power, it is scarcely possible to absolve either him or his advocates from these charges, as the writings of the one, and the evil works of the other, (still extant in history,) proclaim to all the world. Yet let us think and hope better of persons of the Roman catholic persuasion at this day, as far as consistency, and fidelity to our only warrant (the word of

* Rev. ii. 14; Jude. xi.

1. Tim. vi. 5. Tit. i. 11.

+ Dan. xi 39.

2. Peter ii, 3; Rev. xviii 13. ** 2. Thess. ii. 12; 1.Tim. iv. 2.