fane scoffers, who shall make a mock of serious godliness, and the Holy Spirit's operation; and scoff at the gospel-revelation, and the way of saving sinners by Christ and his righteousness imputed to us. Also they will deride the promises of his coming to destroy Antichrist, to deliver his people, and to judge the world, saying, "Where is the promise of his coming! for all things continue as they were from the beginning." Of these things the apostle Peter speaks in the 2d. and 3d. chapters of his 2d. epistle. Nay, so general shall the defection and infidelity of the world at that time be, that our Lord himself tells us, that when he cometh, he shail scarce find faith upon the earth, Luke xviii. 8. that is, he will find few that have the firm belief of the gospel-truths, and few that have faith concerning Christ's coming. So great have been the reelings of the world, so long the delays of Christ's coming, and so frequent their mistakes who have fixed times for it, that there will remain but little faith in any about his glorious appearance for his church, when behold he is just at the door. As Atheists, Deists, and adversaries of the truth have been much hardened in their infidelity, by the mistakes of those who have been too particular and peremptory in timing future events; so the godly themselves may be sadly shaken and tempted to despair of

Christ's coming, when he so long passeth their reckoning. Therefore, said he, "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the carth?" But glory to his name, "He is faithful and true," and will come at the appointed time, and the unbelief of man shall not make the proImise of God of none effect.

2. There shall be great trouble in the world, and very great fear and distress in the church, before help arise to her, Dan. xii. 1. Daniel is certified, that when Christ is to stand up for the church, there shall be a time of trouble, such as there never was since there was a nation even to that same time, and at that time thy people shall be delivered." So in Mat. xxiv. and Luke xxi. Christ saith, that before his coming, there shall be strange signs in the heavens, and in the earth, earthquakes, wars, and rumours of wars, the rushing of nations one against another, and such universal distress that men's hearts will be failing them for fear; and even then shall deliverance be at hand.

3. Christ will appear when his church's enemies are most confident and secure, and particularly when the Romish harlot is lifted up with pride by her success in this or that kingdom, and begins to say, “I sit as a queen, and shall see no sorrow." But then it is that her plagues shall come in one day, Rev. xvii. 7, 8. How con

fident was that cruel persecutor Dioclesian, of his success against the church, when he erected pillars with that inscription, Deleta Superstitione Christiana? Then he thought he had got christianity extirpated, and the church ruined; when behold her glorious deliverance under Constantine the Great was just at hand.

4. Before Antichrist's fall, one of the ten kingdoms which supported the beast shall undergo a marvelous revolution, Rev. xi. 13. "The same hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell." By which tenth part is to be understood one of the ten kingdoms into which the great city Romish Babylon was divided this may take to be the kingdom of France; it being the tenth and last of the kingdoms as to the time of its rise, and that which gave Rome the denomination of the beast with ten horns; and also it being the only one of the ten that was never conquered since its rise. However unlikely this and other prophesied events may appear at the time, yet the Almighty hand of the only wise God can soon bring them about when least expected. Though the church should be wrapt about with the blackest clouds and thickest darkness, for a time, that will be no stop to God's great designs. As a little before the break of day is the darkest time of all the night; so usually it is a dark hour before

the day break of the church's deliverance. Let us not then be shaken in our minds, whatever storm blows, but firmly believe the word of a true and faithful God, That all his promises to his church shall be exactly accomplished: That he will rise in due time and scatter all his enemies ; and that the set time to favour Zion will certainly come. May we then behelped to look to heaven, and cry for a steady, fixed, and persevering faith, that we may never be shaken, nor carried away by the prevailing torrent of infidelity, but may still be established upon the firm rock of truth, for Christ's sake! Amen.

Of the Increase of Christ's Kingdom.

SERMON II.

On JOHN iii. 30. He must increase

IN the preceding discourse, I was speaking of the times and seasons of the increase of Christ's kingdom and glory; and seeing this increase in the latter days is very much connected with Antichrist's fall, I was enquiring a little into the time of that fall, and mentioning some forerunners of it. But to get a more certain view of it, it is fit to enquire into the scripture account of the time and length of Antichrist's reign; which, according to Rev. xi. 2, 3. and xii. 6, 14. and xiii. 5. doth amount to 1260 years, as is generally agreed to. Now if we could hit upon the time when these years began, we should certainly know when his reign would end. But God, for our trial and exercise, hath left us much in the dark when to begin them. Thus also dealt God with his people in ancient times; for though he told them of their bondage in Egypt would be 400 years, their captivity in Babylon would be 70 years; and from the commandment to rebuild the temple to the Messiah's death, there would be 70 weeks of years, or 490 years: yet still the