8. It is clearly evident, from these and other places in that pro- phecy, that He who is the only potentate will sooner or later shake all the monarchies of the earth, where he will have his name known, that all nations may be suited to the interest of his kingdom ; which alone is to endm'e.
Isa. Ix. in many places, indeed throughout, holds out the same. Verse 12, "The nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish;" that is, all the nations of the earth. Not a known nation, but the blood of the saints of Christ is found in the skirts thereof Now, what shall be the issue when the}^ are so broken?
Verses 17, 18, "I will make thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destiTiction within thy borders : but thou shalt call thy walls Sal- vation, and thy gates Praise." See at your leisure to this purpose, Amos ix. 11-15; Jer. xxxi. 23-25; Isa. xxxiii. 20-24.
262 THE SHAKING AlS'D TRANSLATING
I shall only add that punctual description which you have of this " whole matter," as Daniel calls it, in the Revelation, with respect unto its accomplishment. Chap, xvii., the Roman harlot having procured the ten kings or kingdoms, into which the last head of the Roman empire sprouted, about tlie year 450, by the inun- dation of the northern nations, to join witli her, they together make war against the Lamb. Verse 12, " The ten horns which thou sawest" upon the last head of the great beast, the Roman monarchy, " are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet," — to wit, wdien John saw the vision,^ — "but receive power as kings one hour with the beast." About four hundred years after this, the pope as- cended to his sovereignty, and these western nations grew into dis- tinct dominions about the same time. Verse 13, "These have one mind,"- — that is, as to the business in liand, for otherwise they did aiid do vex one another with perpetual broils and wars, — " and shall give their power and strength unto the beast," or swear to defend the rights of holy church (which is no other than Babylon), and act ac- cordingly. Verse 1 4, " These shall make war with the Lamb ;" — hav- ing sworn and undertaken the defence of holy church, or Babylon, they persecuted the poor heretics with fire and sword ; that is, the witnesses of the Lamb, and in them the Lamb liimself, striving to keep his kingdom out of the world ; — " and the Lamb shall overcome them," shaking and translating them into a new mould and frame; "for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings, and they that are with him," whose help and endeavours he will use, " are called, and chosen, and faithful." Verse 16, "The ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast," being now shaken, changed, and translated in mind, interest, and perhaps government, " these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate" — are instrumental in the hand of Christ for the ruin of that antichristian state which before they served — "and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire."
Hence, chap, xviii. 2, Babylon, and that whole antichristian state which was supported upon their power and greatness, having lost its ])rops, comes to]>pling down to the ground: "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen." And tlie saints take vengeance on the whore for all her foniier rage and cruelty: "Double unto her double, accord- ing to her works," verse 6. And verse 9, " And the kings of the earth," — being some of them shaken out of their dominion for refus- ing to close with the Lamb, — " wlio have committed fornication, and lived deliciously with her," — learning and practising false Avorship of her institution, — " .shall bewail her, and lament for her," — as haAang received succour from her, her monasterips and sliavelings, in their distress, wlieremito indeed they were brouglit fi>v her sake, — "when
OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. 263
tliey sliall see tlie smoke of her burning,"^ — beliolding her darkness, stink, and confusion, in her final desolation.
Now, all this shall he transacted with so much obscurity and darkness, Christ not openly appearing unto carnal eyes, that though " many shall be purified, and made white, and tried, yet the wicked shall do wickedly : and none of the wicked shall understand ; but the wise shall understand," Dan. xii. 10. There shall be no such dem.on- stration of the presence of Christ as to open the eyes of hardened men; but at length, having suffered the poor, deceived wretches to drink of the cup prepared for them, he appears himself gloriously. Rev. xix. 13, in a more eminent manner than ever before, to the total destruction of the residue of opposers. And that this will be the utmost close of that dispensation wherein now he walketh, I no way doubt.
The assertion being cleared and proved, the reasons of it come next to be considered. And, —
(1.) It shall be done by the way of recompense and vengeance. It is the great day of the wrath of the Lamb, llev. vi. 17. " Their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness. For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recom- penses for the controversy of Zion," Isa. xxxiv. 7, 8. The day of vengeance is m his heart, when the year of his redeemed is come, Isa. Ixiii. 4.^