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Behold, then, my dear brethren! First see the application of these circumstances to the conclusion of the Jewish dispensation in the days of Jesus Christ, and the few year that succeeded, until the destruction of the city. Warning calamities had fallen upon the people, they had been deprived of their independent government, they had been put under the power of the Romans. GOD had warned them again, by the voice of John the Baptist, to repent and turn to him, and flee from the wrath to come. There was yet one warning more before they were given up to delusion, and that was uttered in the person of Jesus Christ himself. He began his ministry by calling them to repent, but he closed his ministry by telling them, that now repentance was hid from their eyes. "If they had known," he said, “even then, in that last day of their visitation, if they had known then the things which belonged to their peace, but now it is too late, now they are hid from thine eyes." He told them this before they crucified him; they remained still unhumbled, unconvinced; they derided him until the very last; and after that they had shouted "away with him," "away with him"-after they had invented lies in order to cover their iniquity in the transaction-after they had suborned and bribed the Roman soldiers to join them in that lie, that the truth of his resurrection might be hid from the people, they were again warned by Stephen, who applied to them the character of the people in the days of their fathers, "Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye." Instead of being convinced even then, they guashed upon him with their teeth, all hell appeared in their faces, and they rose in fury against him, and stoned him to death. A few years afterwards the long predicted judgment came-the Roman

army approached-the soldiers of Titus were God's slaughter weaponmen, who had a commission "to go through the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, to smite young and old, men, women, and children." But the man with the inkhorn went before, the true servants of the Lord marked with that blessed mark, the blood of sprinkling of "the Lamb slain from before the foundations of the world," were preserved out of the ruin, they escaped to Pella.

Now, observe the application of this. There is, you must admit, at once a great similarity between the circumstances of the case in the time of Zedekiah, and the circumstances of the case in the last destruction of Jerusalem under Titus. But the fact is much stronger than this in the way of the application of the prophecy of Ezekiel. It is not merely that the circumstances are transferable from one historical event to another historical event, but the fact is, that some of the words of Ezekiel found no fulfilment at all in the days of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, but was reserved for its fulfilment until the days of Titus. Look into the fifth chapter of Ezekiel, verse twelfth, and you will see a passage which was not fulfilled in the days of Zedekiah. There it was predicted that a third part of the nation should die by pestilence, that a third part should fall by the sword, and that another third part of the nation should be scattered unto all the winds and a sword sent after them. In the days of Zedekiah no such thing occurred. There was nothing of famine or pestilence, there was no destruction of a third part with the sword, and those that were carried captive, instead of being scattered unto all the winds, were taken into one country, and were kept in one country all the time of their captivity. That passage, therefore, in Ezekiel, found no fulfilment

in the days of Zedekiah, and waited | specting the second advent of Christ, for its fulfilment till the time of Titus.

Now, look at this principle. GOD filled the prophecy too full for the first event. Enough of it was fulfilled at once to prove that Ezekiel was a true prophet, and enough remained unfulfilled to show, that other events were predicted beyond the first fulfilment. GoD charged the clouds, as it were, with more than one shower. In the days of Jehoakim and Zedekiah one shower fell. This identified the cloud with the event to which the prophet first referred, and proved him to be a true prophet of GOD; but the cloud still continued big, still floated on in the good hand of GoD, reserving within its bosom other events of prophecy to be fulfilled according to the letter of the prediction at some future period. And, again, in the days of Titus, the cloud opened its bosom and another shower fell identifying those events also with the prediction of the prophet. And this is the method of GoD's procedure, that two events shall be predicted in one great prophecy, the one literally in a part of that prophecy, and the other literally in another part of that prophecy, which other part shall not yet have an incipient fulfilment in the first event.

Now, this is the principle by which we go on to apply all the prophecy to the end of the present dispensation. For, observe, in the prophetic discourse of our Lord, as written in the the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, there is a prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem, and those that are in Judea are desired to flee to the mountains. There is also a prediction of the coming of the Son of Man in glory, and the gathering of his elect from the four winds. The only solution of this chapter is on the supposition, universal in the Christian church, adopted by all commentors, whatever their particular or different views may be re

the solution of that chapter, in the main principle, is the same with all, namely, that two great events, similar in some respects and differing in other respects, are written in the same strain of language, one clause of which, especially, refers to one of the events, and another clause refers to another of the events, but every clause of which has some application, either literal or figurative, to each of the events.

Now we have seen how the language of Ezekiel applies to the circumstances, not only of the history of his own times, but to the history of the end of the Jewish dispensation, and the final destruction of their city. We see, in the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew, how this prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem applies to the end of this our dispensation, and the last judgment which God shall bring on Christendom for her wickedness, and this by a legitimate fair process of Scriptural reasoning, a process which commentators are forced upon, in order to solve one chapter after another, in both the Old and the New Testament: however they may fail to follow up the application, yet the principle is admitted by them all. We seek no more than their principle, though we proceed with something more than their habitual application of it.

Upon this principle, then, we vindicate the application of the language of Ezekiel to the circumstances of Christian nations, under the government of GOD, in these our days. For, my brethren, how is it that Judah was more under GOD's government than England? How is it that Israel was more under God's government than France? Is he not the Lord GoD Almighty of all the nations? Was he not the GoD of Egypt-GoD over Pharoah as he was GOD over David? Was he not GOD over Babylon and GOD over Nebuchadnezzar as much as

he was God over Solomon and Jerusalem? Shall we say that Englandshall we say that France-shall we say that the nations of Christendom are farther from GOD than the nations of Egypt and Babylon? If he is GOD, as you allow, of individual Englishmen, on what principle is it you deny him to be the God of all Englishmen as a nation.

Now, then, look at the application of our text, and to the history connected with it. Warning calamities have befallen the nations of Christendom; they have been shaken to their very centre. Wars, civil wars, and foreign wars have plunged them into misery, nation after nation, within the lives and memories of most of the persons here present. Our own country, though in the mercy of GoD it was preserved from being the seat of war, did not escape the contagion, for the indirect consequences of these wars involved us in a participation, which, politically speaking, could not be avoided, and has left a load, an enormous load, of debt on England, under which she yet groans, and from which there is no human prospect of any honest deliverance.

There is a warning calamity, then, over Christendom-and now there is a pause. GOD waits to be gracious God has no pleasure in the death of a sinner-GOD has no pleasure in the calamity of a nation; but God is as righteous as he is patient; and the patience of God has its limit. My brethren, heaven is God's delight to bring sinners to; but there is such a place as hell. Hell is as true as heaven -judgment as true as mercy-righteousness as true as peace-the arm of God as true as the heart of GODand vengeance as true as love-but love is long suffering and forbearing.

tion continue their luxury. I know how difficult it is to set out these things-I know how difficult it is to tell the truth of GoD without seeming to rail at those who are in high places; and I say, once for all, I have no intention of railing against any man; I hate the thought of it; but I must tell what is my honest conviction of the truth of God about this country, with whatever weight it may fall upon any man. The truth must be told, and we must not be deterred from telling the truth by the apprehension of appearing to rail. Our hearts are our witness, that we hate all railing against men, but we love the truth of GOD, and must tell it. I say, the nobles unhumbled by the warning calamities of the nation, continue their covetousness and their luxury. Oh, what luxury there is among them; what extravagance! The furniture in their rooms would keep thousands from starving, that are dying for want. Their useless sofas, and chairs, and glasses, would save thousands from starvation. They continue their luxury and their covetousness. Strange combination, but true! Like the Pharisees of old, they combine extortion and excess.

The people continue their discontent, their impatience of authority, their unjustifiable insubordination; for Christian people ought to bear not only with good and gentle masters, but they ought to bear with froward masters; they ought to do well and suffer to be buffetted for it; they ought to continue patient under rebukes, and under oppressions, if they were really Christian people. I do not say this to vindicate the oppression of the ruler, God forbid! but I say it, to show the Christian duty of the subject even when oppressed; and, therefore, the oppression of the rulers, through Now, unhumbled by the warning a sin in them, is no excuse for rebelcalamities which God has sent over lion in the subject. It is a sin in Christendom, the nobles in the na- them, but no excuse for you. Let

this principle be understood. The people, then, I say, continue their discontent and impatience of controul and authority, and they will not be under authority; and mischief incalculable, is rising from that wave of popular discontent and tumult, which threatens to overwhelm all the foundations, and all the institutions of the land in one common desolating ruin.

teachers of it paid from the public money? Are not the people taxed in order to pay for the teaching of Popish priests, who, when they are taught themselves, proceed to teach idolatry to the people? Here is the image of jealousy provoking the LORD God to jealousy with England. Oh! has he delivered us from the Amorites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perrezites and the Jebusites-has he delivered us from these abominations in time past— has he, at the expence of the blood of the martyrs, delivered us from these idols and these abominations—and are we going back now to set up the image, to make him jealous again, to commit fornication with the idols of this christianized heathenism—this heathenized Christianity?

And the priests-in the mean time the priesthood—the authorized teachers of the people, not alive to the circumstances of the country, not alive to the increased intelligence of their flocks, continue their idleness-continue their carelessness-continue their amusements-continue joining scenes which grieve the hearts of those that love them, and give their enemies a handle to speak against them. They continue to dance, and to play, and to hunt, and to gamble. Men, who ought to be at prayer and the word of Godwho ought to be visiting the sickwho ought to be going from house to house, and from bed to bed, imparting the consolations of God's religion into the hearts of poor, helpless, dying creatures and instead of being at the sick-bed they are to be found at ball-speak a word that shall offend any rooms, at concerts, at fox-hunts, and at race courses. My brethren, this is true, and must be told. Now, this is the state of the case, notwithstanding the warnings GOD has given us.

Now, see the application of the visions in our chapter. The prophet saw the image of jealousy which provoked to jealousy. And is there not an image of jealousy that provoketh to jealousy set up in this land-even here, where the sanctuary of GoD is? even here, where the last protesting power proclaims the truth of GOD against the apostacy of the Romish church? Is there not here the image that provokes to jealousy? Is not Popery the image? Is not Popery fostered by the state? Are not the

The prophet further saw the great council of the nation with Jaazaniah the king's scribe, the king's chief minister burning incense before the idols that were pourtrayed upon the wall. Oh, my brethren, we behold the nation's great council. Now here again, I beseech you to bear with the truth; I have no desire but to tell the truth; I have no wish to

man, except so far as the truth of GoD shall offend him. We behold, I say, the nation's great council burning incense into idols for the preservation of the nation's weal. We behold them, each has his idol. One burning incense to emigration, as the deity that shall save England-another burning incense to the poor laws-another burning incense to parliamentary reform, without a word from one of them, of the GOD OF ALL, who alone can give success to any of those expedients. And when a servant of his stands up among them, and proposes, that they should humble themselves before GOD and seek His advice, and His direction in these matters, and His over-ruling hand to bless those expedients that

man's wisdom shall use, though in the | The condition of this country in this

magnanimity of their toleration they may give that man a fool's pardon, they have not the smallest idea of adopting his proposal. No, no. They say, in fact, when such a thing is proposed, "What do you talk about religion for in this house? What do you talk of religion for in Parliament? Is it not out of place? This is not the place for religious discussion-this is not the place for Christianity, though we are each here on the true faith of the Christian religion. Religion and politics have nothing to do with one another. Let every one look after his own religion, it is his own private personal concern. Let every man go and serve God as it pleases him. But as for national religion, there was such a thing in the folly of our forefathers, but we are wiser now." So they say in their madness, their affectation of wisdom.

The next vision that the prophet saw was of the women weeping for Tammuz. Oh, my heart sickens at the thought of applying this vision. My dear brethren, the licentiousness of the women of a nation is the sure forerunner of the most deadly calamities. It stupifies all the remaining kind and generous feelings which makes a people stand for true principle of any sort. Even our profane writers could see this even our profane poets could show that this sin, the licentiousness of a nation, stupifies all that is valuable, and all that is right, and all that is generous, and all that is kind and tender. Do you not remember one of them says concerning it:

"I wave the quantum of the sin."

(The ungodly man! to wave the quantum of the sin, but he did)—

"I wave the quantum of the sin,
The hazard of concealing;
But, oh, it hardens all within,
And petrifies the feeling."

respect is truly very fearful. And here, under the righteous canopy of the explanation I have already made, I must not hold my tongue against one of the most flagrant, one of the most sinful affronts that has, since the reign of the profligate Charles, been put upon a country, or upon the morals of a Christian nation. My dear brethren, must I not say it? Can I answer for myself before God if I say it not, in applying such a portion of Scripture as this? What do I mean? I allude to what a righteous nation ought to rise in indignation against-I allude to what the church in this nation, if it was worth its standing, should protest against-I allude to what every bishop and every pastor in our national church should exclaim against-I allude to bringing before the public, into public notice, and putting into the Gazette, putting into honour, and dignity, and station-what shall I say?—children that are the fruit of fornication, that are the fruit of ungodliness in the land. Oh! my brethren, if the ministers of GOD will not tell of these things, who can we expect to stand up for the Lord? Whence shall the righteous feelings of a nation rise up, but from the faithfulness of God's witnesses? And if from fear of men they shall not witness, what can be expected? If the salt lose its savour wherewith shall the country be salted?

There was one vision more presented before the prophet. It was that of the men turning their backs upon the temple and worshipping the sun. I have already explained the spirit of this charge. It is forsaking the peculiarities of revealed religion, and betaking ourselves to a more reasonable and more philosophical plan of worship, looking from nature up to nature's GOD. It is making light of the peculiarities of revealed doctrine. It is making common cause with men,

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