and just God to permit the triumph of impiety and wickedness?—and to be carried to so great a length? This is only to repeat the error of David and other pious men, and requires no other answer than that in which they acquiesced.* We are assured from prophecies brought forward in the early part of these Reflections, that as the former restoration of the jews was effected by the authority of CYRUS, under the favoring auspices of heaven, so their latter restoration from the Roman captivity (of nearly 1800 years continuance already,) is to be effected by an instrument of Providence, raised up, and wonderfully prospered for that very purpose, and of talents and power competent to break down all obstructing stumbling blocks, political, religious, and moral; very probably not by the express design, but rather by the eventual result of his exploits."Behold I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth, (with this) *Ps. Ixxiii. 3, &c. Jer. xii. 1; Hab. i. 12; Ps. Ixxvi. 10. VOL. II. 3 P thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff, thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them."* Here is the same idea of the reduction of the obnoxious and obstructing powers in the way of the kingdom of the STONE, or Christ, and of the restoration of Israel, which Daniel has. They are broken up by the resistless impetuosity of an instrument of God's providing for the occasion," and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors, and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them."-This is also the same whirlwind that is to fall grievously upon the head of the WICKED, and have such prodigious effects "in the latter days," as shall draw the attention of God's believing people. The same is signified by that rod of iron in the hand of Christ, with which he will rule, and bring into subjection, the enemies of his * Isai, xli, 15, † Jer. xxiii. 19, 20; xxv. 32; Dan. xi. 40; Isai. xl. 24. kingdom. "He shall bruise them with a rod of iron, and break them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now, therefore, Ò ye kings, be instructed, ye that are judges of the earth."* Take deep reflection upon the judgments which pursue your devoted thrones, and see the hand of God, and acknowledge his justice, in all that has befallen you. In the same sense it is said, " he shall bind their kings in chains, and their nobles with links of iron,"t-by subjecting them to the capricious will of " a cruel lord," or exposing them to the torturing rays of "a scorching sun."§ This is that ferocious angel standing in the sun, by which they have been previously scorched, or in that part of the political heaven, which shall be most conspicuous, and most attract the observation of mankind at that time and making proclamation to the subjected world, of the approaching crisis of its fate, and the bloody termination of the * Psalm ii. 9, 10. Isaiah xix. 4. + Psalm cxiix. 7,8 Rev. xvi, 9, 8. controversy of Sion; which turns out, however, contrary to his vaunting promise,* and confident expectation. These avengers themselves are not exempt from the weight of the calamities they infliet: they mutually torment, and are tormented. So it is said by the prophet, that God "will feed them with their own flesh, and they shall drink their own blood."-But that these manifold miseries of the human race, by which the world is desolated, through the ambitious projects of one man, have for their object the ultimate vindication of the ways of Providence, and the introduction of happier times, by the deliverance of God's peculiar people, is the general sense of the prophecies. "I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee: I will surely gather the REMNANT OF ISRAEL, The BREAKER is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it, and THEIR KINGS shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them."+ "And at that time shall MICHAEL * Rev. xix. 17. + Micah ii, 12, 13. stand up, (the great prince, which standeth for the children of thy people,) and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book."* In the reflections upon the death of the witnessest I have shewn the probability of a time of great affliction to the true church of Christ, * This can hardly be applied to the troubles at the fall of Jerusalem, though described by our Saviour in similiar terms, because the jews (thy people) were not all delivered, but the great majority of them destroyed, being the objects of the pursuing vengeance. But if it be said the converted jews and christians in general are meant by "thy people," this is not the remnant of Israel, neither does this agree well with facts, as the christians still continued the objects of persecution and hatred to the romans, not less cruel, and far more powerful enemies than the jews had been. MICHAEL the representative of Christ will stand forth for the jews far more eminently as a saviour in the troubles of the last times, and the approaching SECOND XODUS for the REMNANT OF ISRAEL, or them that shall be found written in the registers of the redemption of Jacob. It most probably alludes late period, because the general resurrection is the next to a very + Section xxiv. p. 122. |
