Second advent library

IJIEVIDENCEBCRIPTURE AND HISTORY0| TillSECONDCOMING OF CHRISTABOUT'rum YEAR ls-aa;IXHIBITIDIN A COURSE OF LECTURES._iilBYVVILLIAMAIILLER..-B 0 S T O N:PUBLISHED BY JOSHUA V. HIMES, .,14 Devonshire Street.1842. ,

''A-'+°:~'-f={~cseoews- (2)./-JNAHVARD COLLEGE LIBRARYL. `.4(`~,»T0ALL THEMWHO ARE LOOKING FOR THE BLESSED HOPEAND GLORIOUS APPEARING OF THEGREAT GOD, AND OUR SAVIORJESUS CHRIST AT HAND,'l'lIlSWURKIS RESPECTFULLY DEDICATEDBY THE EDITOR.»°'Q' "A &'WX

INTRODUCTION.Itlprcsentiagthaelsectttrestotkte publiqthewnterrsonlycomplying with the solicitations of some of his fri ck, who haverequested that his views on the Prophecies of Daniel and Johnmight be made' puhlic. The reader is therefore requsted to givethe subject a careful and candid perusal, and compare every pertwith the standard ol'Divine Truth; forifthe explanation the writerhas given to the scriptures under consideration should prove correct,the reader will readily perceive that it concerns us all, and becomesdoubly important to us, because we live on the eve of one of theDSI important events ever revealed to man by thswisdom ot' God-the judgment ol' the great dayla order that the reader mayhave an understanding ofmy mannerof studying the Prophecies, by which l have come to the followingresult, 1 have thought proper to givesome ol' the rules ofinterpretation which I have adopted to understtmd prophecy.Prophetical scripture is very much of it communicated to us byignres and highly and richly adorned metaphors; by which I meanthat Eguressuch asbsasts,birds,airorwind,roal¢r,jire,candl¢s¢ioks,Iesspc, mountains, islands, dsc., are used to represent things prophesiedof- such as kingdoms, warriors, principles, people, judgts,churches, word of God, large and smaller govemments. It ismetaphorical also, showing some peculiar quality of the thing prophesiedol] by the most prominent feature orquality of the Ggure used,as beasts-if a lion, power and rule; if aleopard, celerity; if abear, voracious ; an ox, submissive ; a num, proud and independent.Fire denotes justice and judgment in its ligure; in the metaphor,denotes the purifying or consuming up the dross or wickedness; asjre has a cleansing quality, so will the justice or judgments of God."For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of theworld will leam righteousness."Therefore almost all the Eguree

4 tnraonucrron.used in prophecy have their literal and metaphorical meaning; asbeasts denote, literally, a kingdom, so metaphorically good or bad,as the case may be, to be understood by the subject in connection.To understand the literal meaning of figures used in prophecy, Ihave pursued the following method :-I find the word " beast "used in afigurative nam; I take my concordance, trace the word,and in Daniel vii. 17, it is explained to mean " kings or kingdoms."Again, I come across the words " bird or fowl," and in Isa. xlvi.ll, it is used, meaning a conqueror or warrior,- Cyrus. Also, inEzekiel xxxix. 4-9, denotes amiics or eonquerors. Again, thewords " air orwind," as used in Rev. ix. 2, and 16, 17, to understandwhich! turn to Eph. ii. 2, and 4-14, and there lean that itis used as angure to denote the theories of worldlymen or vainphilosophy. Again, "water or risers" are used as tigures inRev. xvii. 15, it is explained to mean " people or nations.""Rivers" of course mean the nation orpeople living on the rivetmentionod,u ia Rev. xvi. 12."hh"i otlen used ina tignrntivesense; explained ia Nam. xxi.!1--!8,Deut.sssii.!!,Psal.lxxvii.ll, Heb. xii. 29, to meanjnstiee andjudgment.As prophecy is a langmge somewhat ditferent horn other partsof Scripture, owing te its having been revealed in vision, and thathighly figurative, yet God in his wisdom has so interwoven theseveral prophecies, that the events tbretcld are not all told by oneprophet, and althmghtltey lived and prophsied in diferent ages ofthewerld. yet they tell usthemsre things; so you takeawayone,and a llnlt will bewantiag. There is agersemloonneetionthrouglrthevlhele; liheawell-regulated eonnnunltytheyall raove ia uniaen,speaking the sane things, observing the same rules, so that aBible reader nsay ahnoa with propriety mppcse, let hint read inwhatprophecyhsasaythathe is reading the same pmphet,thesame author. This will appear evident 'o osc any who will eotnparescripture with scripture. For example, see Dua. 1, Matt.xxiv. 21, Isa. xlvil. 8, Zeph. ll. lb, Rev. xviii. 7. 'here nevervrasa book written that has s better eonnection and harmony than theBible, and yet it has the appearance of a great store-house full ofall the precious commodities heart could desire, thrown in promiseuouvly;thereliore, the biblical student must select and bring to~gether every part of the subject he wishes to investigate, from everypart cl' the Bible ; then let every word have its own Scripture meaning,every sentence its proper bearing, and have no eontrsdietion,aadyatnthecrywlllandmust of neeessitybe comet. Truth is

uvraonucnon. 5menndeviatingpeth,thatgrowsbrightarsndbrighterthemore itis trodden ; it needs no plausible arguments nor pompous dress tomake it morebright, for the more naked and simple the fact, thestronger the truth appears.Let it be notieed that God has revealed to his prophets the sameevents in divers igures and at different times,as he has to Danielin the second, seventh, and eighth chapters conceming the fourkingdoms; or to Peter, (see Acts x. 16 ;) also Isaiah and John.Then, to get the whole truth, all those visions or prophecies mustbe concentrated and brought together, that have reference to thesubject which we wish to investigate; and when combined, let everyword and sentence have its proper bearing and force in the grandwhole, and the theory or system, as 1 have before shown, must beconect. I have likewise noticed that in those events, visions, andprophecies which have had their fulfilment, every word and everyparticular has had an exact and literal accomplishment, and thatno two events have ever happened, that I can learn, which will exactlyapply or fullil the same prophecy. Take, for instance, theprophecies conceming the birth, life, and crucitixion of our Savior,and in his history we End a literal fulfilment; yet in the birth, life,or death of any other individual it would be in vain to find a parallel.Again, take the prophecies which have been admitted, byProtestants at least, to apply to Cyrus, Alexander, Julius Ctesar,destruction of Jerusalem, and the church of Rome, andl have neverbeen able to trace even a resemblance to the prophecies in questionin any historical events except the true ones. If this is tme, maywe not suppose that the unfulfilled prophecies in their accomplishmentswill be asequally evident and literal TThere are twoimportant points to which all prophecyseems tocentre, like a cluster of grapes upon its stem-the Erst and secondcoming of Christ; the irst coming to proclaim the gospel, set uphis kingdom, surfer for sinners, and bring in an everlasting righteousness.His second coming, to which the ardent faith and pioushope ofthe tried and tempted child of God centres, is for completeredemption from sin, for the justification and gloriication promisedto all those who look for his appearing, the destruction of the wickedand mystical Babylon, the abomination ofthe whole earth.Hisint coming was as a man, his human naturebeing only visible,lis Godhead known only in his miracles. His second coming willhe as God, his divine Godhead and power beingmost visible. Heea||sstirst,|ikethefgirst man ofthe earth, esrthy;" his second

'6' rnraonacrroiv.comirig is " the Lord from heaven." His irst coating was literally*according to the prophecies. And so we may safely infer will be=his second appearance, according to the Scriptures. Ar his advent,his forerunner wasspoken of- " onecrying in the wilderness ; "themanner of his birth-" a child born ot' avirgin; " the place where" "--Bethlehem of Judea ; thetime of his death " when - seventyweeks should be fuliilled;" for what he should sutkr-" to makean end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bling ineverlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, andto anoint the Most Holy." The star that appeared, the stripes hereceived, the miracles he performed, the tauntings of his foes- allwereliterally fulfilled. Then, why not suppose that all the propheciesconcerning his second coming will be as literally accomplishedas the former? Can any man show asingle reason why it willnotl If this be true, we can obtain much light by reading theScriptures. We are there informed of the manner of his secondcoming-"' suddenly, in the clouds, in like 'manner as he ascended"5 the majesty of his coming- " on agreat white throne, withpower and great glory, and all his saints with him ; " the object ofhis coming-" as the Ancient of Days, to send his angels into thefour winds of heaven, gather his elect, raise the righteous dead,change the righteous living, chain Satan, destroy anti-Christ, thewicked, and all those who destroy the earth, judge, justify andglorify his people, cleanse his church, present her to his Father, liveand reign with her on the new heavens and new earth," the form ofthe old having passed away.The time when these things shall take place is also speclied, bysome ofthe prophets, unto 2300 days, (meaning years ;) then shallthe sanctuary be cleansed, atter the anti-Christian beast has reigned"her "time, times, and a half; after the two witnesses haveprophesied " s. thousand two hundred and tlueescore days, clothedin sackcloth 3" alter the church captivity in the wildemess, " fortytwomonths 5 alter the " gospel should be preached in all the'world for a witness, then shall the end come." The signs of _thetimes are also given, when we may know, he is near, even at thedoor. When there aremany" lo here's and lo there's 3" when theway of truth is evil spoken of; when many seducers are abroad intheland; when scoffers disbelieve in his coming,and say, " Whereis the promise of his coming; " when the wise 'and foolish virginsarecalled to trim their lamps, and the voice of the triend of thehrldegroom is, " Behold, he cometh ;" when the cityof the nations

urrnonnc-noir. 7'ls divided intothree parts; when the power ofthe holy peoplehscattered, and the kings of the east come up to battle; when thereis a time of trouble, such as never was before, and the church inher Laodicean state ; when the seventh seal opens, the seventh vialis poured out, the last woe pronounced by the angel llying throughthe midst of heaven, and the seventh and last trumpet sounds 5-then will the mystery of God be finished, and the door of mercyboclosed forever; then shall we be brought to the last point, his seeondcoming.Again, prophecy is sometimes typical ; that is, partly fulilled inthe type, but completely only in t.he antitype. Such was theprophecy conceming Isaac, partly fulfilled in him, wholly so inChrist ; likewise conceming Israel, partly fulfilled in them as a nation,but never fully accomplished until the final redemption ofspiritual Israel. Likewise the prophecies concerning the Jewishcaptivity inBa.bylon, and their retum, are only partly accomplishedin the history of past events. The description of those things inthe prophets is so august and magnilicent, that if only applicableto the literal captivity ol' the Jews and their rctum, the expositionwould be weak and barren; therefore I humbly believe that theexact fulfilment can only belooked for in the captivity ofthe churchin the wilderness, under the anti-Christian beast, destruction ofmystical Babylon, and gloriication of the saints in the New Jemlalemstate.There are also m the 24th chapter ol' Matthew many things prophesiedol, which were not fulfilled at the destruction ol' Jerusalem;such as the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds, the gatheringhis elect from the four winds ol' heaven, his taking one and leavingmother. This shows a typical meaning in this prophecy, and thatitwill not all be fulfilled until the end of the world. Also,thetransliguration of Christ on the mount, prophesied of by himselfeight days before, is noticed by Peter, M Epistle, i. 16-18, asbeing a type or figure of his second coming.Who, that has read the prophecies with any degree`of attention,will not acknowledge the great agreement between the Old Testamentprophecies and the Newl Almost every prophecy givenby Christ and his apostles may he found, in the Old Testamentprophets, represented by tigures, which were familiar to the writersand readers of those times. The foregoing rules are some of theprincipal ones which I have observed in attempting to explain theprophecies of Daniel and John, and to give the time when the

8 xmaonvcnox.,mystery of God will be liaished, as I humbly believe it is revealedto the prophets.IfI have erred in my exposition of the prophecies, the time, beingI0 near at hand, will soon expose my folly; but if I have the truthon the subjects treated on in these pages, how important the era inwhich we live! What vast and important events must soon berealized! and how necessary that every individual be prepared,that that day may not come upon them unawares, while they aresurfcited with the cares and riches of this life, and the day overtakethem as a thief! "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that thatday should overtake you as a thiet," I These. v. 4-. In studyingthese prophecies, 1 have endeavored to divest myself of all prepossessedopinions, not warranted by the word of God, and toweigh well all the objections that might be raised from the Scriptures;and alter fourteen years' study of the prophecies and otherparts of the Bible, I have come to the following conclusions, anddo now commit myself into the hands of God as my Judge, ingiving publicity to the sentiments herein contained, conscientiouslydesiring that this little book may be the means to incite others tostudy the Scriptures, and to sec whether these things be so, and thatsome minds may be led to believe in the word of God,and find aninterest in the offering and sacrifice of the Lamb of God, that theirsins might be lbrgiven them through the blood of the atonement,"when the refreshing shall come from the presence 'of the Lord,and from the glory of his power," " when he comes to be admiredin all them that believe in that day."And now, my dear readers, I beg of you to lay aside prejudice ;examine this aulject candidly and carefully for yourselves. Yourbelief or unbelief will not affect the truth. If it is so, whatever youmay think or do will not alter the revealed purposes of God. "Notonejot or tittle of his word will fail ; "but you may, by your obediencein the faith, secure you an interest in the first resurrection,and a glorious admittance into the New Jerusalem, and an inheritanceamong the justified in glory, and you may sit down withAbraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of God. Mayyour lot- is the prayer of your servant,Bnsrron, Washington County, N. ICthis beWM. MILLER.

-LECTURE'INDEX..l.-WFI|°neovenen............................ ........3LECTURE I.13.-Lookin: for'Inn Slcorrn ArrlAnrna or Csnlrr. Tltnl ll.that bleaed hope, und |lorious nppeedng of the great God, on ourSaviorleeun Chri|t.............................................1lII.,'In Pun-r Rnmmnc-rron. Rav. xx. 6.- Blessed lnd holy ll he thathath pert In the |'r|t resurrection: on much the second death hlthno power -shall .mlgn with him | thousand yearn... ...........Jl8LECTURE Ill.Tn: Two ~T||o1um THIII Humana Dnn. Dan. vlll. 13, 14.-And he eald unto me, Unto two thousand three hundred days:than shall the nnntuuy he eleanled. ...........................39LECTURE IV.lullel lx. M. -Seventy weeks ue determined upon thy people, andu me thy holy city, to llnlsh the trlrlnreesion, ond to mnke ln endJ dnl, and to make reconclllntlon for lnlqulty, and to bring Ineverlasting rlglrtemunen, and tonal up the vmlon endand tunnnlnt the Moet ......... ....................Holy....... propheegsLECTURE V.hun lou: srulnnn. Bev. xlll. 18.-And hle number l| llxhundred uueeeeore md llx. ....................................76LECTURE VI.Dnrrllh Vnron or 'nn Lurxn Dna ; on, An Exrosrrren or 'mlEesvnrn Crurru or Dunn.. Dan. x. 14.-Now I nm someso make thee understand what uhall bethll thy people ln thenys....................._....................¢................mtgLECTURE VII.Dn|z|.'| 1260, 19.90 Ano 1335 Dua rxrnunlo. Daniel xll. 8.-And I heard, but f understood not: then mid I, 0 my Lord, whatshall be the end of these things ?...............................l00LECTURE VIII.Tn Tuna Won Tnuurzrs. Rev. vill. I3.-Wnefwoe, woe, tothe inhnbltnntl of the enrth by reuon of the other value of thetrumpet ofthe thren angels which ue yet to |ound..............ll5

''~10 xnxx.LECTURE IX. md X.Tn Eru~r|.l| -ro 1-nl Blvxl Csvlculs or Alu, eonlnllln ulrrumo 'ro Slvln Pluom or -nn Gonu. Clwlcu. Bev.i.20......................................................l21,141Tal Nzw Bone.LECTURE XI.Rev. v. 9.-And they lung l new long, ll ing,Thou an worthy to cake the book, and to npeu Lhereoi; the leele forthou wee! llnln, and hast redeemed us to God, te.. .. ...........18l.LECTURE XII.Tnl SIVIK Suu, Al nlrlnln-:ma EVIKTI 1-o 'rnl END or Till.Rev. v. 5. Behold, the Lion of the trlbe of Judah huh |l'lVlI|C'-to open the book, md to loose the seven leall lhereo(...........176LECTURE XIII.Tx: Two Wxfnlalll,n luvuvo lun sun! ll 11-ll FlihtllnlYOL7'l'|0l.end they shall prophesy 1250 dlye, clothed inggxaeelel,Bev. xl. 3. -And I wlll glve power unto my IwoLECTURE XIV.nel.;Tngdxvolaln ling!! wlLD::ll:» hlav. Pill. 6.-And ll? YOU;nto ew erneuw rue at a we peredoGod,tm»y»u°u|are¢ax»m.L»nssoam..........?ff..............m4ILECTURE XV.'.l'|rl Slvll Ln! Pu lls, ol Blur Vuu. Rev. lvl. 17.-Allthe seventh angel poured out hll vlll Inu: the llr - and there ealaelHeat volee out of the temple of heaven, hom the throne,HylgfiLFETURE XVI.Tal Pnnu or 'ml Tll vllllllle Malt. nv. 1.-Thelllhall thekingdom of heaven he llkened untn ten vlrglnl, which tookllmp|,ln|l wentlorthtomoetthobn-idegmom................. dggLECTURE XVII.On 'nn PUIIIIIII1' or 'ml Ploru or Gen SIVII Tllll rolmlll Blue. Lev. xxvl.23,94................................250LECTURE XVIII.Bolnmnn'| Bong, vlll. 5.- Who ll this that cometh up hom thederue|e,leanlng upon herbelovedI............................ fh-LECTURE XIX.Blom or 'ral Pnlslrr Tulle. Matt. xxvl. 8.-But can ye not....................Nl|llloernthe|l|n|ol't.hetlmee?............/

'LECTURE I.TITUB ll. 13.atLookingt'that bleuedl andgreat God, mga; Svio?g:s°|lls'ChEst.pennng't°f thWinn! we take a view of the trials, smictipersecutions, poverty, and distress, whic theGod sufer in thispeopleagxworld,we are almost led to exclaimwith the apostle, "If in this life only we have hope, weare of all men most miserable." But no; we will notcomplain; for to suffer the short period of threescoreyears and ten, at most, will only give a greater zest tothe glory which shall follow at the sgpesrinéot' ourLord and Savior the great God and esus hrist. Iknow the world are tauntingus with the inquiry,"Where is the promise of his coming? for, since thefathers fell asleep, all things remain as they were, evenfrom the creation of the world;" for they willto bepretendignorant'-'las the apostle Peter expresses imsclfof the eluge) at the world that then was, being overflowedwith water, perished; and still more do they pretendto be ignorant, that the same earth is in like mannerto be destroyed by Ere, "reserved unto tire againstthe day of _,judgment and perdition of ungodly men." 2Peter iii. .Also, my brethren, there are some evenamong us, who "are spots in your feasts of charity,feedin themselves without fear; clouds without water,carrieef about of winds; trees whose fruit withemth;twice deed, plucked up by the roots; ragingwaves ofthe sea., foamingout their own shame; wandering______.._-

V`norm:12_1._stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darknessforever. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam,prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comethwith ten thousand of his saints, to executeupon all; andto convince all that areungodfudgmenty amongthem of all theirur§odly deeds which they have ungpdlyof all their hard speeches whichcommitted, anThese are murmurers,ey have spoken against him.complainers, walking alter their own lusts; and theirmouth speaking great swelling words, having men'spersons in admiration, because of advantage. But,eloved, remember ye the words which werespokenbefore of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; howthat they told you there should be mockers in the lattime, who should walk :her their ownungodly lusts.These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having.not the Spirit But ye, beloved, building up yourselveson your most holy iaith, praying in the Holy Ghost,:keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for themercy (or glorious of our Lord Jesus Christunto eternal life." sippear-ing) ude 12-21. Or, as Peter says,2 Pet. 12, "Looking ihr and busting unto the comingof the day of God." And again, Paul says, in Heb.ix. 28, "And unto them that look for him shall heappear the second time without sin unto salvation."And Paul further saith, to his Philippian brethren, "For'our conversation is in heaven; from whence also welook for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shallchs.n¥I;our vile body, that it may he fashioned liksunwgloriols body."Having thus proved that the apostles directed ourhope to the coming of Chiist for the fulfilment of allour trials and persecutions, and the completion of ourfaith, I shall now take up oursubject in the followingorder:--I. I shall endeavor to prove that it is yetof in the text.tizturo; viz., thecoming of Christ, spokenThe_certsinty of is coming. III. The object Ofcoming.1 I. We are, according to our design, to show thattbesppearingoftbe LordJesu| Cbrist,spoken0filsbs text, is yet future. .

caan-r's stcmvn comme. 13Some teach us that he came at the destruction ofJerusalem, and quote to the 24th chapter of Mmhewasprooii Let us examine their evidence. As Jesuswent out of the temple, his disciples came to him forto show him the buildings of the temple, where Christdelivered his memorable prophecy, which was exactlyfulfilled in little more than thirty-six years afterwards,"There shall not be left here one stone upon anotherthat shall not be thrown down."And it%pears that, aiterwards, as Jesus sat upon theMount of ives, the disciples came to him privately,having,as may reasonably be supposed, been ruminatingin their minds, or conversing among themselves,on the prophecy, and had, perhaps, supposed that nopower on earth could destrrgl those strong buildings,and concluded that, when 's wasaccomplished, itwould be the jud ent-day. They therefore inquirewhen shall these thin be P"of him,"sayinE, 'lgerii ns,that is, what e had prophesied of; "and wfstshallbe thesig? of thy and of the end of theworld ?" hey might coming, not ave intended to ask morethan one question; yet they did ask three, and' Christanswered them accordin ly. He had before told themof the destruction of Jerusalem, 4th, Mi, and 6thverse ; he cautions them against being deceived withfalse Christs, and not to be troubled at wars and rumorsof wars,-and yet Jerusalem was destroyed in thefirst war ofany note alter this prophecy,-and thensays lainly, " he and is not yet." Now, if this endwas the destruction of Jerusalem, then where are thosewars, spoken of by Christ? This cannot meanthing less than the end of the world. From the ani 7to the 14th verse, inclusive, he gives a prophetic historyof the trials, aiilictions, andpersecutions of his people,and also of the success o the immediatelyen shall the endpreviogls to the end, and says,"come.gplspelNow, it must be evident that this cannot mean theend of Jerusalem, because, if so, he that endured untothe end was to be saved from all the troubles whichChrist had spealringof; anditwas not trusthatbesn

_ HereV``14 ,Llwruur.the disciples of Christ did not suffer afterwards -thesomethings which Christ said they would.From the15t.h to the 28th verse, Christ instructs his disciplesinto their "duty during phefiegi of .tlei§sa1em;ra,h1;l, alsoown to e comin o e n o an. ouwill meang see, must Christ in person;the Holy Spirit nor Father is any where called Sonof .Mara He likewise speaks ofthe signs which shouldfollow the destruction of Jerusalem From the 29thbecause neitlherto the 35th verse, inclusive, Christ explains the signsin the heavens and on the earth immediately after thetribulation of the people of God, which had beenspoken of as the common lot of all his followers, andwhich he had topromisedshorten for the elect's sake,and of his comingin the clouds with power andgentglory; the gathering of his elect from the four win ofesven; gives his disciples the parable of the fig tree,as an illustration of the end; and then says to his disciples,"Verily, I say unto you, This generation shall notpass till all these things be fulfilled; heaven and earthshall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."is the great stumbling-block to many._ Christis about his elect,_h1s children, and his generation;and not, as some will have it,aboutih the tions that then lived on the earth; for ieinera-un-eydoubtedly pass oil; a large share of them; for it wasabout thirty-six years before the destruction of Jerusalem.But his kingdom has never been taken fromthe earth. Although they have been hunted from onegart of the earth to another; although they have beenriven into caves and dens of mountains; have beenslain, burnt, sawn asunder; have wanderedasand strangers on the earth;-yet the "bloo o themartyrs has been the seed of the church;" and Christhas had, and willhuge, a people on the earth, hissecond 1 eter ii. 9: "But coming'. ye are a c osengeneration, a ro al riesthood, a holy nation, a culiarple," &c. he salmist »if 'i> says, " A seed snl"l serveligirh; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation."Psalm xxii. 30. I humbly believe that Christhas quoted the sentiment contained in the 102d Psalm,

cnais'r's- neon comma. 1525th to last verse: "Of old hast thou laid the foundaftion of the earth; and the heavens are the work otthine hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure,yea, all of them shall wax old like a asgarment;avesture shalt thouchange them, and they shall bechanged; but thou art t e same, and thy years shallhave no end. The children of thy servants shall continue,and their seed shall be established before thee."Here we see the Psalmist has expressed the sa.mesentiment that I understand Christ to have givenin these two verses, which I conclude is the properexplanation. And then the parables which followin the remainder of the 24th and 25th chapters,areeasily understood as having reference tothe end of the world; and in that way will exactlycompare. See the 31st verse of the 25th chapter:"When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, andall the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon thethrone of his and before him shall be theredgory;all nations," c. This verse was not fulfilledaat thedestruction of Jerusalem, for the "Son of Man" wasnot seen in the clouds with power and greatglory;and yet the words are, "every eye shall see him; 'andas sudden and as visible " as thelightning,that shinethfrom the east even unto the west,so sha l the comingof the Son of Man be." Can this have passed, and thehistory of the world have been silent? No. Could allnations be gathered before him, and there be divided,the righteous from the wicked, and the onepart 'sent toeverlasting punishment, while the other is received tolife eternal, and none know it? No. Were the electgathered Hom the four winds of heaven at the destructionof Jerusalem? No; theywere commanded todee to the mountains; and history says they did leavethat devotedcitly when the Romans encompassed it withtheir armies. hen, could the prophecies contained inthese chapters have been fulfilled, and the world remainignorant of some of the most important events? Ianswer, No. Then the " Son of Man" did not come tothe destruction of Jerusalem. If he did, where is theevidence? None, none, not a particle. But if he did

`16 bl'-GTV!! 1.coma to the destruction of Jerusalem, then it must havebeen his secondcoming; for Paul Heb. ix. 28,"And unto them that loo for him shal says, he appear thesecond time without sin unto salvation." Can this betrue if he came to Jerusalem? The passage certainlyimplies that his people would have no more sin, orafterwards would be "without Bin." Experience teachesus to the contrary. Again it is said, 1 Thes. iv. 16, 17,"For the Lord himself shall descend ti-om heaven witha shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with thetrump of God; and the dead in Christ shall arise first;then we, which are alive and remain, shall be caught uptogether with them in the clouds to meet the Lord inthe air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Whosaw this great transaction at Jerusalem? VVere thereno witnesses? Yes, the apostle John lived many yearsafter this, and wrote his Gospel, his Epistles, and hisRevelation, after the destruction of Jerusalem.And what does longe testify ? In his Gospel, 14th chapter,3d verse, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, Iwill come and receive you to myself, that where I amthere ye may be also. Again, 28th and 29th verses,"Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, andcomeagain unto you. If ye loved me, ye would re-`oice, because I said, I go unto the Father; for mythan I. And now I have told youiFatl1er is greaterbefore it come to pass, that when it is come to pass, yemight believe." A ain, 1 John ii. 28, "And now, littlech' dren, abide in that, when he shall ap ar, wemag have coniidence, and not be ashamed begfe himat is coming." And iii. 2, "Beloved, now are we thesons of God, and it doth not get ap what we shallbe; but we know that when shaiiahlppear, e we shallbe like him; for we shall see him as he/is." And,again, in Rev. i. 7, " Behold, he cometh with clouds,and every eye shall see him; and they also whichpierced him, and all kindreds of the earth, shall wailecause of him." Many more places ht be mentionedin John's testimony, but not one wlhlig that he hadalready come again, as some supposed. Let this, then,suaice to prove, that the "glorious appearing," spokenof in our text, is still fixture.

'~cnaxs'r's sncoim comma. 17And now we will examine some of the evidence ofthe certainty of his coming, which is our secondprolposition.The certainty of it:lst. Because the ancient prophets all of it.Jude tells us that Enoch, the seventh sgke rn Adam,prophesied,samgg, Behold the Lord cometh, with tenthousands of saints, dic. Balaam was constrainedto admit, "Out of Jacob shall come he that shall havedominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of tblcity," plainly referrin to the judgment-day; for hesays, "Alasl who shigll live when God doth this?"See Numbers xxiv. 17-23. And Moses asplainlyrefers to this day in Deut. 43, O"Re}loice,yenations, with hispeople, for he will avenge e blood ofhis servants, and wil render venfreance to his adversaries,and will be merciful to his rand and to his people."-Davidsays, Psalm l. 3, 4, "Our God shall come, andshall noteelp silence; a iire shall devour before him,and it shall every tempestuous rolmd about him; heshall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth,(that he may judge his people.") And Isa. xl. 5, " Andthe lory o the Lord shall be revealed, and all fleshshall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hathspoken it." In the 39th chapter of Ezekiel, you willsee the sameday of prophesied of in a clearand plain gudgment manner. n an. vii. 9, 10, " I beheld till thethrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days didsit., whose gléarment was white as snow, and the hair ofhis head 1 e the purewool: his throne was like thefiery flame, and his wheels asburning tire. A fierystream issued and came forth before him: thousandthousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand timesten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set,and the books were opened." Joel iii. l4,"Multitudes,multitudes in the valley of decision, for the day of theLord is near in the valle of decision." Zeph. i. 14,"Thee great day Lord of the is near; it is near, andhastethgreatly, even the voice of"the day of the Lord;the mi ty men shall cry there bitterly." Zech. xiv. 5,'And 5:0 Lord thy God shall come, and all the aunts

18 ucrvu I-with thee." Mai. iv. il, " But unto you that fear my nameshall the un of Righteousness arise with hea1i|:§ inhiswings, and ye shall go forth, and grow up as c ves inthe stall." And Christ himself says, in Mitt. Xvi. 27,"For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of hisFather, with his angels; and then shall he reward everyman according to his works." The that stoodanglaisby the disciples at the time Jesus ascen ed up, and Cc oud received him out of their sight, said, " Ye men ofGalilee, why stand ye gazingu into heaven? Thissame Jaws, which istaken up goin you into heaven,shall so come inlike manner as ye have seen him 0into heaven." Let us take particular notice of thephrase this same Jesus, and compare with other parallelpassages, as, our God :hall come, and it will proveto our satisfaction that Jesus Christ is God, as well asman, and we may have strong consolation for our hopein his appearing, for his promises can never fail."Heaven and earth may pass awa ,but not one jotor tittle of his word shall fail." Aiiao take notice ofthe words "Woe manner," which agree with the oftenexpressed sentence, "He shall come in the clouds gfheaven." We shall be led to admire the general harmonyof the Scriptures, and the agreement of theprophets in their descriptions of finture events. Again,Christ says to the church of Philadelphia, Rev. iii. 11,"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast thou hast, thatno man take thycrown. "For et a little while and'he that shall come will come, and' will not tarry," Heb.-x. 37. And will not the evidence I have brought fromthe word of God be sudicient to prove the certainty _of'his future coming? And if Ishould a e the tradition»of nations that never saw the word ofEd, the convictionon the mind of men enerally, that there must be,a day of retribution; cougd I open the breast of thereader, and show the thundering of your conscience;yes, could I see and expose the tremblings and failingsof heart, which you have had, while you have beenlooking with fear for those things that are coming on.the earth-of what use would it bel' Would you bclisvein ifl couldraiseadeadhiendwbo wouldteil

cnars-r's neon;cormre. llyou to pripsre tomeet your God? No. If they he-`evc not oses and the prophets, neither would theythough one rose from the dead. How foolish, then,would it be for me to try to prove m any other mannelwhat God has revealed or promised, than by the meanswhich God has appointed. By his word you will bsjudged; and if this condemns you now, (unless you bocomereconciled,) it will condemn you heteaiher.III. The object of his coming.his saints to himin the air. "As in Adam all e, so in Christ shall allbe made alive; but every man in his own order-Christthe first fnxit, afterwards they that are Christie at hiscoming," 1 Cor. xv. 22, 23. Again, "For if we believethat Jesus died and rose again,even so them alsowhich sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. Forthis we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that wewhich are alive, and remain unto the coming of theLord, shall not prevent them that are asleep. For theLord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump ofGod, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we,which are alive and remain, shall be caught up togetherwith them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air;and so shall we ever be with the Lord," 1 These. iv.14-17. "Now we beseech you, brethren, by thecoming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gatheringlst. He comes to raise andgatherioiether unto him," 2 'l'hess. ii. 1. "Blessed and holyIBin the first resurrection: on such thee that hath partsecond death shall have no power," Rev. xx. 6. InIfmlrns we have the same account of the gatherini ofhis people. "Gather my saintstogether unto mc, osswho have made a covenant wi meby sacrifice,"Psalm 1. 5. Again, see Isaiah lxvi. 18, "It shall comathat I will gafherall nations and tongues; and they shallcame and "see my For thus saith the Lord God,Behold, I,_ Flory."even , will both search my sheep and seekthem out. As a shepherd seeketh out his dock in theday that he is among his sheep that are scattered ; so willI seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of allElm-.es where they have been scattered in the cloudy andlark day," Ezekiel xxxiv. 11, 12.

-And~B0 neruu 1.now I referyou to one more passage, and thenpass on. "Behold, show you a mystery;we shall notall sleep, (that is,die,Lbut we shall all be changed, ina moment, in the twin ling of an eye, at the last trump;Rzr the trumpet shall soun ,and the dead shall he raisedincorruptible, and we shall be changed For this corruptiblemust put on incorruption, and this mortal mustput on immortality. So when this mortal shall put onimmortality, then shall be brou ht to pass thethat is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." saying T esetexts, to which I have called your attention, will applyonly to the people of God, or those who are in ChristJesus. I have, therefore, only been proving to you theobject of Christ's coming, as it respects his people. AndI think I have plainly proved that when Christ shall appearin the clouds of heaven with power and greatglory, he will raise the righteous dead, change therighteous living, gather them from among all nations,where they have been scattered during the ages of persecutionand trial, "in the dark and cloudy day," andreceive them unto himself in the air, when they will everbe with the Lord.-I will,2dly, Show that the wicked will be destroyed fromthe earth by fire, and the world cleansed from the curseof sin by the same means, and prepared for the receptionof the New Jerusalem state, or the glorious reignof Christ with his people. That the wicked will be destroyedby fire, at his appearing, we prove by the ibllowingtexts: Deut. xxxii. 22, " 'or a tire is kindled inmine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shallconsume the earth, with her increase, and set on (ire thefoundations of the mountains." 2 Samuel xxii. 9, 10, 13,"There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire outof his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. Hebowed the heavens and came down, and darkness wasunder his feet. Through the brightness before himwere coals of iire kindled." Psalm xcvii. 2, 3, '° Cloudsand darkness are round about him, righteousness and'ud ent are the habitation of his throne. A fire goethiaefgiz him, and burneth up his enemies round about."lla. lxvi. 15, 16, "For, behold, the Lord will come with

enum-'s swan course. 2|Ere, and with his chariots like a wldrlwind, to render hisanger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of tire.For by fire and by his sword will the Lord lead withall flesh; and the slain of the Lord shall he many."Dan. vii. 11, "I beheld then, because of the voice ofthegreat words which the hom I beheld even tillthe beast was slain, and his b;pake;destroyed, and given tothe burning dame." Again, Niixhum i. 5, " The mountainsquake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth isburnt at his presence; yea,the world and all that dwelltherein." Habakkuk iii. 3-5," God came from Teman,(south) and the Holy One from Mount Paran, (_/'nmSelah. His gloryglonrily.)covered the heavens, and theea was full of his praise: and his brightnesswas asthe light; he had horns coming out of his hand; andthere was the hiding of his power. Before him wentthe pestilence, and buming coals went forth at his feet.He stood and measured the earth; he beheld and droveasunder the nations, and the everlasti mountains werescattered, the pegmemal hills did bow snhis waysare everlasting."Also, alachi iv. 1, " For, behold, the day comeththat shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea,and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the daythat cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts,that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." Matt.12, "Whose fan is in his hand, and he 'will thoroughlypurge his floor, and gather his wheat into thesiner; but he will bum ug the chalf with unquenchable"Matt. 30, " Gaer ye together first the tares,and bind them in bundles to burn them ; but gather thewheat into my barn." 40, "As therefore the tares aregathered and burnt,so shall it be in the end of theworld." 49th "verse, So shall it be in the end of theworld: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wickedfrom among the just." Again, Paul to the church of theThessalonians writes, "And to you who are troubled,rest with us; when the Lord Jesus shall be revealedfrom heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, takingvengeanceon them that know not God, and thatobey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shallbe punished with everlasting destruction trom the presl__

'N-ucwns 1.ence of the Lord, and hom the glory of his power."2 Peter iii. 10, " But the day of the Lord will come as athief in the night, in the which the heavens shall passaway with a great noise, and the elements shall meltwith fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that aretherein, shall be burned up." Rev. xviii. 8, " Thereforeshall her plagues come in one day-death, and mourning,and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with tire;for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her." Thesepassages are_but apart ofthe word of God which provethe destruction of the wicked--of the anti-Christianof the world b fire. Yet ifbeast-and thecleansingScripture proof can be suliicient, surely Ihave broughtenough; and where that can have no bearingon themind of men, how vain should I be to search the archivesof natural philosophy to give you more evidence!for He who hath all wisdom in heaven and inearth, and who knows what is in the mind of man, hathused the best arguments, the most persuasive means (1had like to havesaidziin the power of a God to use; andI have done more than Iindeed he "says, W atcouldhave done for my vineyard." He has taught us by hisown word, by the mouth of his prophets, and by exam~ples: witness his word on Mount Sinai, where the peopleheard his voice and saw the fire; witness all the decorationsof the prophets which I have read; witnessJesus Christ himself, in, the parable of the tares andwheat, and the harvest; witness, also, the destruction ofthe old world by water, and Sodom and Gomorrah bfire; Jerusalem by famine, sword, and fire. These are aidset forth as samples to warn us ofthe approachingment. judg-And yet who believes the report? Who is wil -ing to examine the evidences- to reason candidly andto reflect seriously on these things? Who among tisputs implicit confidence in the word of' God, especiallyin that which is unfulfilled? Any may believe in somuch as has been accomplished; but where is the virtuein such faith? Where is the blessedness of ourhopein the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ? If we are"looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearingof the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ," we

'cmus-r's noozm comms. 23faithfndy;lhall examine the word of Godwe shallcompare scripture with scripture;we s ltake noticeof the signs which Christ has given us of his coming.That the day may not overtake us as a thief, we shouldlive with asteady reference to that day, and rejoicemore and more as we see the day approaching.Bd. I will nowgive some of the evidences concerningthe glorious reign which must follow his coming. Theearth, being cleansed by tire, will, like the phmnix, berevived from its own ashes. The destruction of' thewicked, the end of death, sin banished, it will lightenthe world of a load of crime which has made it reel toand fro like a druukard; the intemal fires will havespent their force on all combustible matter, and havegone out; volcanoes will cease; earthquakes, tomadoes,and whirlwinds can no more be experienced or needed,for the cause is gone; the earth or the heavens canno more be shaken, "that those things that cannot beshaken may remain. Wherefore wereceiving a kingdomwhich cannot be moved, let us have grace, wherebywe may serve God acceptably, with reverence andodly fear; for our God is a consumin tire," Hebfxii.57-29. Then, when this earth shall iecome new, bbeing cleansed and puriied, the New Jerusalem wilil"come down from God out of heaven,prepared as abride adomed for her husband. And I eard a eatvoice out of heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacier ofGod is with men, and he will dwell with them, and theyshall be his people, and God himself shall be with themand be their God," Rev. xxi. 2, 3. "And he carriedme away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, andshowed me that greatcis, the Holy Jerusalem, descendingout of heaven from od, having the glory of God,"10th verse. "And the city had no need of the sun,neither of the moon, to shine in it, for the glory of Goddid it, and the Lamb is the light thereofl""Andþÿ lsaw i ¬ hthrones t e n and they that sat upon them, andjudgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls ofthem that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, andfor the word of God, and which had notworshipged thebeast, neither his image, neither had received mark

~24LICTUHQ r.in their foreheads, or in their hands; and they livedand reigned with Christ athonsand years; but the restof the dead lived not again until the thousand yearswere finished."Much more evidence might be brought to prove thepersonal reign of Jesus Christ with his people; but thisisenough to prove the glorious and personal reign alterthe resurrection; but few dispute it. But, say some, doou not believe in a spiritual reign of a thousand yearshefore the resurrection? I answer, I believe in areignof grace, by the influence of the divine Spirit, for morethan 1800 years past; but when you speak of a thousandyears, I suppose you mean the same time that 1call the glorious alter the resurrection of therighteous, and before reigxe resurrection of the wicked. Iknow of no spiritual mentioned in the word ofGod, and especially reign, of at duration. We argue thatthere cannot be areign of peace and glory until theworld is cleansed from all wickedness, Satan is chained,and righteousness iill our world; nor until " the gloriousappearing ofthe great God and our Savior Jesus Christ,"even the anti-Christian beast will not becording destroyed, 'Spe-to the texts we have quoted,) untilalreadfy earedestroyed by"the brightness o his appearing." Allthose passages which speak of this happy period of restto the people of God, or which in any manner allude tnit, describe it. asbeing alter the resurrection of thesaints, or ailer righteousness fills the earth, and after theanti-Christian beast is destroyed. And even our textmore than implies that we shall not realize any great orlorious results from our hope, or collectively' in a bodygre church will not receiveanfy important deliveranceuntil the "glorious appearing o the great God and ourSavior Jesus Christ." Is this true? I say the passagesof Scripture already named fix it beyond a doubt.Andang' one who will examine the scripture for himself,will fin that the second coming of Christ is the pointto which Jesus Christ, the prophets, and the apostles directedtheir disciples, as the termination of their trials,persecutions, and aiiiictions; and Jesus Christ "says, Inthe world ye shall have tribulation." I say, I can Bud

cnms'r'a sxcoxm comme. Unothing inthe word of God to warrant me to' believethat weought to look for orexpect s happier periodthan we now enjoy, until he who has promised to comoshall como the second time without sin unto salvation,and cleanse us, the world, and make all things new.These things are abundantly proved in the unerringword of God. And now, Christians, if these areso, what manner of persons we to be in al holyconversation andoughtthe day of God, godliness, loo ing for and hasting unto"ookirii for that blessed hope and theloriousappearinqg of e great God and our Savior§esus Christ"? hen let our conversation be in heaven,from whence weexpect our Savior, and stiru eachother's pure minds y way of remembrance ol?thesethings; for the time of the promise draweth nigh, whenhe will come and receive us to himself, that we may bewith him. How necessary, my brethren, we shouldexamine the word of God diligently;see if it does notEiga some indications, some signs, by which we mayandw the " Son of Man is near, even at the door,"our "blessed ishope"about to be realized in the"glorious appearing of the God and our Saviort.he Lord Jesus Christ." If great e comes and finds us, orsome of us, in this lukewarm state,hardly having lookedinto his word, and, makingour want of ents an excuse,have neglected to trim our lamfs, and have been veryspare in holy conversation, an are crying peace andsafety when sudden destruction cometh, and rhapshave sneeringly mocked and laughingly ridicldigd theidea of Christ being near at the door, andhave joined perhapsthe iniidel and unbeliever in their unhu yremarks on this subject, and wealthough have heardthe midnight cry, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh," yetwe treat it with neglect or disdain, or some of us, perhaps,with reprouch,-I ask, if the Lord of such servantscome and find us so doing, what will he do with us?He will come in an hour that we think not, and cut us08; and appoint our portion among hypocritesand unbelievers,where shal be weeping, wai ing, and gnashingof teeth. But we will suppose that he will not come inlo short s timeag your speaker believes; still what do I

"Why,M r.|:c'rsax r.ask of you, my brethren? Nothing but what JesuChrist and the apostles required 1800 years ago. I askyou to compare these views with the Bible. Is thiswrong? No. I ask you for holy conversation. Is*his wrong? J;"o.NI ask yo? for s this wrong. o, no. ask heavenly-mindednessiyou to stir up eacothefs pureminds, to make imtprovement on your onetalent if no more; to come out o this cold and lukewarmAre these re-state; to trim your lamps and be ready.quirements wrong? Certainly not; no, no. I ask youagain to compare scripture with scrtixure;to read theprophets; to stop your revilings; to e warning by theold world; to dee from sin and the wrath which is tocome; to hide yourselves in Christ, until the indignationbe over and past; to look " for that blessed hope and theplorious appearing of the great' Godlsesug Carrier."this wrong?my ea .and our SaviorThen be the wrong onAnd now, my impenitent friends, what say you P "Wesay, ' You knownothing about it.' "Do you believe theold world was deluged.yes." What makes youbelieve it? "Because ourphilosophers tell us there areaFreat many signs remaining of the Hood, and we canbe ieve them." And are there nosigns of the near approachof the Judgment Day ?What say the aprophets,appstles, and Jesus Christ? Are _they not equ to yourp losophers? Examine your Bibles, and see; weighwell the evidence; your eternal happiness, the salvationmayvdepend on your decision.of your immortal souls,But what say you more? " esay, 'You were very unwiseto fix onthe year 1843, or sooner, for this day tocome; for it will not come; and then you will beashamed." And I hope I may be able, by the érmee ofGod, to repent. But what if it does come ? ou cannotwithanly propriety say positively it will not come,for youma e no pretence to divination. But I say,What if it does come P Where will you be ? No spacethen for repentance. No, no-too late, too late; theharvest is over and past, the summer is gone, the dooris shut, and your soul is not saved. Therefore it can doyou no harm to hear, and believe, and do those things

cnn|s'r's ucoxn comms. Wwhich God requires of you, and whichwould you think youdo, if you knew he would `rst, I askagpear.youw_ repent of your sins. Woul this be right? Yes.Next, I ask you to believe in God. ls this right? Yes.And I ask you to be reconciled to his will, love his law,forsake sin, love holiness, practise hisprecegts, obey hiscommands. Would these things be right. Yes, yes.And last of all, 8§ldtal0t lfast, I ask you to "look for thatblessed ho an e g orious ap uri of the tGod and ogre Savior Jesus gr"

LECTURE Il.--,_--.gyBEV. xx. 8.Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the lirst resurrection 3 ogsuch the second death hath nopower; but they shall he priest!ot God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.Tun term "blessed and holy" is often used in Scripture,and in many places isapplied to man; but in noplace ~without giving some c aracteristic mark of hiseing born of God, or inheriting thc fruits of the divineSpirit; and very often the word blessed is used standinfrin immediate connection with the resurrection andcomin" of Christ, either expressed or implied,as in Isa.Lei. iii 12,"Behold, the Lord mm proclaimed unto meend ofthe world, Say ye to the daughter oi' Zion, Behold,thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him,and his work before him. And shall callihem Theholy people, The redeemed of theyord; and thou shaltbe called, Sought out, A city not forsaken." Isa. xxx.18, " And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may becious unto you, and therefore vill he be exalted, thatif may have mercy upon you; for the Lord is a God ofBlessed are alljudgnent. they that wait for him." Danielsays, xii. 12, " Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh tothe 1335 days." John says, Rev. xiv. 13, "Blessed arethe dead which die in the Lord." "Write, Blessed arethey which are called to the marriage supper of the"Lamb." Behold, I comequickly; blessed is he thatkeepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.""Blessed are they at do his commandments, that they

'cn'a|s'r'a axcozm conmvs. Wmay have right to the tree of life, and may enter inthrough the gates into the city." By these passages Ishow on that all the children of God are included inthis blessing, and not the martyrs only,as some willhave it. The next thing which will claim our attentionwill be to explain the resurrection spoken of in ourtext, called the first resurrection The word resurrectionsignifies to revive, or iesuscitate, or bring to life again,one now dead, who_ was once alive. It nowhere in theword of God conveysan idea of a new creation, andthe word is nowhere used in the Bible expreming anything less or more than a union of' soul and body, anddeliverance from natural death. The word raurredibnis nowhere used in a figurative sense; it in all placeshas its own simple meaning, unless our text is an exception.And without the objector can show some ruleof interpretation by which we shall be warranted tounderstand the word in a different sense, we must beleave to attach to it 'the simple meaning, coming If/g toji'omthegra1:e. I know some have suposed that re enerationis resurrection; but 1 cannot believe this uglessshow some rule.they I know some pretend to show us,in ohn v. 25,"Thr: hourVerily, verily, I say untois you,coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear thevoice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live,"asarule; butin order to make thisa rule,theymustprove that Christ meant regeneration; until this is shown,we cannot admit it as any proof!We shall, therefore, consider the wordasupoutoftlw e,andpaseto ewofrat.laints is first as it respects order and time. Wherever'"&IEhe first resurrectigavfg The resurrection of thethe word resurndion "ls used in connection with IW ordumfurnbn, the one unto life always comes first; as inDaniel xii. 2, "Some to everlasting life, and some toshame and everlasting contempt;"thathave done good, umto the resurrection of life; anthey that have done evil, unto the resurrection ofdamnation." Here are two samples as it respects order.Oneor two as ite: 1 Cor.xv.23,"Christthevt.hatareChri|t'|atUlsiirltJohn v. 29,"They

'Il)meerlmlu.his cmning. Then cometh the end." And again,1 Thess. iv. 16, "For the Lord himself shall descendfrom heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangeland the trump ofGod; and the dead in Christshall rise filet." And then our context and text shownthat the blessed and holy are raised s thousand yearsbefore the restof the dead. If we are correct, then,Christ will come before the millennium instead of shenwards,as some believe; and the millenniumis astute ofpersonal, and glorious, and immoml reignon the newearth, or this earth cleansed by tire, as it was onesby water; and it will be a. new dispensation,newheavens, and new earth. This will be our next propositionto prove. And, lirst, we will examine the 2)th-chapter of Revelation, lst verse: "./Ind I saw_a|angel come down_/hom heaoen;"-this angell considerno less a being than the Lord Jesus Christ; for it onlycan be said of him;-"luwing the lrzyqfthc bottomlesspilmndatgzeai chaininhiahand." See Rev.i.18:"I amhe t liveth and was dead; and behold,Iamalive for evermore, amen, and have the keys of hell andof death." And Christonly has power to bind Satan.~"That he might destroy him that had the power of;'leea.lt:,`dthhx:l&s,thelievil," Heaiiss."Ax2d verse:which' ison t dragon, serpent,devil, andSatan, and bound him a thousand yeurs." Isuppose this verse needs no explanation. It canonlybe understood in s literal sense, for it explains itself inthe ligurea used; as dragon and serpent, often usedasiigures,a.re explained to mean the dem? andSatan.if the thousand years had been used, in this chapter,or any where else in the word of God, in a mysticalor figurative sense, it would have been somewhere explained;but,`as it is not,I consider we are to placeupon it the most simple construction, and I shall thereforeunderstand it literally.mb :Hue bottomlessshown, bythe proo3d verse:"Anil ccutldsn{nt;"--by bottomless p1t,_I haveon our lint verse,tha.t it is hell;a¥',l;e;.;.'¢1E£o$a1sdahr¢himupmudsztdeceive' the aatiom no mere, snlgaon ti Um¢||ou|aa\dycmssl|o1|ldbe_)'ixyilled;andq,f!e1'tI|.m¢hes\ui

cnus'r's noon course. 81belsosadalille season." Thi psssagemustbeundcnstoodin its simple,p1sin meaningqnomysteryinthis.4th verse: "And [saw tIirona,and ¢he_1l|a£ outliers,midjudguadwas unto the|n;"- erewe haveaprophecy of the tulilment of a promise that Christmade to his disciples, in Matt. xix. 28: "And Jesussaid unto them, Verily, I say unto you,that ye whichhave followed me in the regeneration, when the Sonofllianshnllsitinthsthrone ofhis glory,yealsoshall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribescf1srael;"-"andlsmathcamdaq/'tlmmthalwaebehcadezifor the r|itnc|sqfJ¢tus,andfo|' the woniqfGod,a which had notworshippsddaebeasgfueillzrlsisupontlreirforekeads,orinllieirhands; B|ldU|¢_l/li1!#¢I'|ldl'¢Ih'1@i0vl Chnl#a thousand years." In this descriptionwe lmve thewhole family of the redeemed; for all that had notworshipped the beast or his image, or received a mark,and, in one word,allthat were not the servants of Satanorsin,lived and reignedwith Christathoussnd years.5thverse:"Bu¢t1wrestq/'tlwdcadl&iednotagainuntil thctlunuandyuzrs wercjimlslud. Thisirthejirst*r¢surred'ion." The red of the dead means the wickeddeed, who do not have part inthe first resurrection;hbed not again, showing conclusively that it is a naturallifeand deathsgloken of! Thejirst reaurndion is theresurrection of e saints at his coming. Then comesin our text, which has and will be explained in thelecture. 7thverse: "And when the thoiuandycarsancr.}»ir¢d,Satmnshallbc1oosedmdqfh1)priaon." Wemay reasonably expect that, when Satan is let loose,,all the damned spirits are let loose with him; audithas been strongly imlplied they were to live again inlthe body, attlieendo the thousand years. 8th verse:-"And alia! md"-thst is, Satan-"to deceive thequnrteraqftheear¢h"-"ashes under the feeto the saints," as Malachi tellsul: "And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they,shall beashes under the soles of your feet in the dayMust I shall do this,|sith the Lordofhosts"-"Gagand Mqog"-Hn armies of the wicked that Hel

macros:32Vn.slain at the commencing of the thousand years, orcoming of Christ, at the supger nf the great God, andsurf»;ce of the onlyea.rth,ntlhat heigwg the breudtof theof aglobu ar body;-"a oompassed canqzqfsaints about, and the beloved cily;"-plainly showingthat the New Jerusalem, the beloved city, is on theearth during the thousand years, or how could thiswicked host encompass it about? they have not climbedthe celestial walls of heaven-no; for it says, "and_)'Zrecamedoum_/imn Godoadqfluavenanddevouredthem." This is the second death,resresented undertheti-Euro of fire coming down from Go out of heaven;not econdagration of the world,-for that was inthe cofnmencing of the thousand years, when Christcame and cleansed the world from all the wicked, andthe works of wicked men,-but the justice of God,under the figure of fire; "for our God is a. consuming6;-Itegnxii.l0thu;elars;:iire."29.the dem? thatdzeeiv was east into o and brmstonc,°bottle of Armageddon;see zekiel xxxviii., xxxix.-"to gather them together to ba#l¢;"--this is theirdesign, but there is no battle, for God himself is withhis people to defend them; and he the wickedhostwthsnumbcrqfwhomisaathes desggiysqf¢lwaea;"evidently including the whole number of the wicked;for the iigure,aandqfthcsea,isnever used,onlytoexpress the whole class of the people named; as, thechildren of Israel, the whole host of Jacob. 9th verse:"AndthcywentIg on the breadthq/the e¢u'ih;"-thatis,this army of og and Magog were raised up outwherctlwbeas¢andfaLseprophet1ue,andsIa1lbeto1-mented day and night forever and ever." In this verse,the final condemnation of the wicked, soul and body,is given; and the last that God has seen iit to revealconcerning them to us is, that theyare cast into everlastingtorment.In the next verse, John has mothervision of the samethings which he had before told us,only in a di&'erent point of view,or some circumstancenot before clearly described. And I saw always impliesa new view, or another vision. 11th verse: "dnalawagree! whale Hu'nne,andhislhd|a¢o1n¥,_)hn

Icn1us'r's sscmm cosmro. KIwl|osefaoetlwlzeaoen|¢mdearthjledaway;aadthenfuasmplaoefoundforthenn"Thisisthe same thronethat Daniel saw, vii. 9-14: "I beheld till tho throneswere cast down and the Ancient of days did sit, whoserment was white as snow, and the hair of his headae the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame,and his wheels asburning fire." 12th verse: "Ano[saw the dead,ama1I and great, stand before God; unethe books wereopened; and another book wasopened,which-uh thebookq/TW; and the dead were judged ou!of those ih-i .9 which were written in lhe books, accordingto their wo:-is."This is the same as Daniel saw, vil.stream issued and came forth from before10: " A fieryhim; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and tenthousand times ten-thousand stood before him. Thejudgment was set, and the books wereopened." lt isvery evident that this is the begnning of the judgment,when Christ comes in the clou of heaven, with powerand great glory, to raise and judge his saints, and toreward everyman as his work shall be. lst, becauseit is when the judgment first sets; 2d, because the bookof life is there, and open; and, 34), because it was atthe time or before antichrist wasdestroyed; and noone can believe that the antichristlan beast can be onthe earth duringor in the millennium. 13th verse:".rQndtheseag'ozeuptlledeadwhich1oerein11;anadealh and hell delivered up the dead which were in them."I conclude the apostle, after he had seen the righteousdead raised, small and great, and stand before God,and saw the book of life o en to justify them, and sawthem and rewardeg, he then glides down to theend o the thousand years, and beheld the wicked dead'judgedgiven up by those elements and places wherein theyto bead been confined during the mil ennial period,judged in the flesh, every man according to his works.This only can reconcile some of those conflictingpassages ( or seemingly so to us) concerning the resurrection;and I cannot see any impropriety in thus understandingthese tor it is the conunon mannerof prophecies; the aprophets,ittle here and alittle there. In allthe descriptions of the resurrection of the righteous

`'84 ascruaau._(lead, they are represented as gathered by theangels being of God, from the four winds o heaven, when theseventh or last trump shall sound; and it is equally asevident that their works are into judgment.Althou h they may broughtnot be justiiied y their works, butout of tie book of life, yet the apostle Paul says, speakingof his brethren, "We must all stand before thejudgment seat of Christ." Rom. xiv. 10. And again,Cor. v. 10, "For we must all stand before the judgmentseat of Christ; that every one may receive thethings done in his body, according to that he hath done,whether it be good or bad." And, 1 Cor. iii. 13-15,"Every man's work shall be made manifest; for theday shall declare it, because it shall be revealed bylire; and the fire shall try every man's work, of whatsort it is. If any man's work abide which he hathbuilt thereupon, he shall receive a reward. lf anyman's work shall be burned, he shall sulfer loss: yethe himself shall be saved, so as by fire." We see, bthese texts, that the books of every man's works wigbe open, as well as the book of life, in the first resurrection;but, in the second resurrection, there is nobook of life open in that part of the judgment, neitherare they 'gatheredby the angels of God; but the sea,death, an hell, delivered up the dead which were inthem, and they were judged every man accordintitheir works; and Satan is the means of gathering emaround the beloved city, where they are judged in theHesh. By the sea, death, and lull, I imderstand the sea,grave, and place of punishment. The sea and thegrave would give up the dissolved particles of the body,and hell(or Hades) would give up their departedthis would|p.a1;iltis;ccgsstitute the '"were every seeonddtresurrecgcgmnum amor towork.r."Uw:ll'hey hailufggosen, in this life, tn statgi on theirworks;they had reliised to believe in a Mediator; theyhad not fo lowed his commands, neither had they profcssed his name before men, or sudered persecutionfor the sake of his testimony. They had treated hisword with total neglect, or called his grace tyrannyThey had said he was ahard master, and buried thento

cmns'r's szcozm comme. 85talent in the earth.T33 had placed their supremeslfections on the world, made fine gold their trust.They had persecuted the children of God in this world,and showed that theywere the children of that wickedone who slew his brother. They had prostitutsd theirbodies to whoredom, and sacrificed to Bacchus andVenus their lirst~fruits. They had professed damnableheresies, and filled the world with their delusivoschemes and sects.They had worshipped the creature,and neglected rayerto the Creator. They had filledthe world with their lies and abominations, and loriedin their shame. 14th verse: "And death and lui werecastintothe lakeq/'_/ire. Tlulristlueaecomldeath." Bdeath and hell I understand the body and spirit. 15thverse: "And whosoever waswritten in thenoajioundLcn|»b's bookq/`lgTe,wascasHnlo lalceq/'_/ire." "Butthe fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, andmurderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,and all liars, shall have their part in the lakewhich bumeth with tire and brimstone, which is thesecond death." Rev. xxi.8. "Blessed are they thatdo his commandments, that they ma have right to thetree of life, and may enter in through the gates into thecity. For without a.redogs, and sorcerers, and whoremoners, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoeverlovegx and maketh a lie," Rev. xxii. 14, 15. Then ourtextsays,"Ble.|eed and holyislle that haihpart This we have provedin theji:-at ramrreclion."is the resurrectionof therighteous dead, who died in faith inJesus Christ, an who should live with him at hiscoming; han them hglhebsecond death have nower,", apnUoGoaoChn.st,`shonuadf:'d8hdu iimMmdtM%M|%- ears."To be priests unto God and %hrist, unto is to be holy;to be a kingdom of priests of a (peculiar people, thatshould show forth his praises by eclaring to the universethat out of nature's darkness they had been redeemgd_b his blood, called by his grace unto his0;-igug, happy, and holy kingdom, and that theygpuld dwell on the earth. See Rev. v. 9, 10, "Andgm' mug g new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take

`'-50 uc-rua.: xx.the book and to open the seals thereof; for thou wutslain, and hast redeemed us tn God by thy blood, outof every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;and hast made us lmto our God kings and priests, andwe shall onreign the earth." See, also, Rev. i. 6, "Andhath made us kings and priests unto God, and hisFather." A in, 1 Pet. ii. 5, 9, "Ye also, as livelystones, are Edilt up a spiritual house,a holy priesthood.""But ye are a chosen agleneration,royalpriesthood,a holy nation, a pecu 'ar people." Thepassages to which I have cited your minds, prove, beyonda reasonable doubt, that the thousand years spoenof in the text is between the two resurrections 1.state of happiness, of glory, of holiness, and that itshall be on the earth. It is a state of immortality, asabundant scriptures evidently prove. Where, then, youmillennium which our theo~may inquire, is the spirituall'lBtS, in the present age, are teaching us to expect? 1answer, There is not a thousand years spokenof inScripture, except in 2 Pet., 3d and in which thejudgment day chaps: is the subject of ussion, and in thechapter of which our text is a part; and in neither ofthese planes is anythiniufaid about spiritual reign;neither can we find any g in the word of God bywhich we could fairly draw the conclusion of such areign; and as it is not proper for me to show the negative,I call on all of you to show where we may findthe evidence, that is, all of you who believe in aspiritual reign. If there is such a reign, it must bebefore the second coming of Christ; for when he comes,he will receive us to himself; that where he is there wemay be also; no more away from his people, for hesays he will be with them, and make his abode withthem, and he will be their a.nd will dwell withlight,them, and make his abode with them, and they shalldwell on the earth. Where, when, or how the idea ofa spiritual reign of a thousand years should or couldobtain a place in our faith, having the word of Godas our evidence, I cannot toll. Some say that theprophetsaspeak oflen of times or thingssen fulwhich have noted in ourday, or under the present dispenav

-nothingcrnus'r's ucorm corn.-ro. 87tion, and which would be too g-ross to be admitted intoa state of immortality. There may be such- yet Iiind nodifficulty in understanding all those passageswhich have been presented, or come under my consideration,to refer to the gospel da But how long do.the prophets say that bei time shall Do they designateany time? No; neither one, ten, one hundred, or onethousand years are mentioned in any of thoseWhy then call it a millennium? Because passages- eter andJohn have mentioned a thousand years. This cannotbe admitted to meanany state this side of the state ofimmortality; for Peter says plainly, " Yet., nevertheless,we look for a new heaven and, a new earth, whereindwelleth righteousness." This would be a new state,surelygrossor vile in thiskingdom, whoevermay e king; and John expressly says, " hey lived andreigned wi Christ a thousand years," and says, "Thisis the first resurrection." Now, admit there is such awhat rule shall we call it a thousandtime,how or byyears.A 'n, where, in all the phecies, can anyone showme ti; the church will beplilessed and holy, or happyand righteous, as it may be rendered, until he comes,that is, at Christ's second appearance? And where inthe word are we to leam that the kingdoms of this worldare to be destroyed before the coming of the Ancient ofdays? Do we believe that tho anti-Christian beast, ormystical Babylon, will be on the earth during this millennialreign? No, it cannot be; yet all must acknowledgethat she is only destroyed by the brightness ofhiscoming.Who can read the 19th chapter of Revelation,without being convinced that the marriage supperof the Lamb, the treading of the wine-press of thetierceness and wrath of Almighty God, and theofthe at God, are events which must takesupperp acebefore tg?millennium? And if so, who can believe thatalter themarriage of' the Lamb to the bride; after sheis arrayed in inen clean and white, which is therighteousness of the saints; after have received a.theyr;§hteousness, which the rig teous Judge shallto allEli]crown ofgivewho love his appearing in that day,-

38 ucrual n.iChrist will not be with her in person? None. Butour text tells us he will live and reign with them, andthey shall be priests to,God.Again: while in this state of mortality and trial, weure called the servants and ministers of Christ; butthen, in the millenniul blessedness, we shall be calledpriests of God and of Christ. You may ask, " Why thisdistinction in the lang'nage?" I answer, There is agreat dilference between the kingdom of Christ, as itwas established when Christ was here on earth, and thekingdom given upto God, even the Father. The subjectsol' Christ's kingdom, in this state of things, may he, andin lizct are, Hypocritesimperfect.professorsmay and do o tain an entrance into it; for an enemyha sown tares. But the kingdom of God, no marysays Christ, can see, or enter, without being born ofGod. Here they may deceive the sentinels whichguard the kingdom of Christ; but in the kingdom ofod "there shall in no wise enter into it any thing thatclelileth, neither whatsoever workcth abomination ormaketh a lie; but they which are written in the Ln.mb'sbookof life." Herethe children of the kingdom arepersecuted, tormented, perplexed, cast down; but in theingdom of God their enemies are all slain; they arecomforted,gloritiedilustilied, exalted; and not adog tomove his tongue.ere they weep, but there will rejoice:here they sin and repent; they there will be holywithout fault before his throne. "Blessed and holy ilhe that hath part in the first resurrection." ./Imen.

~_LECTURE IILI!DANIEL vlli. lil, H.Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto thatfcrlnin saint which spake, How long shall he the vision fu||t'0ru~ing the daily sncrilice, and lhe transgression nl' demlntiun. togive hnth the sanctuary and the host to be lmdden nude-r limi 1And he said uutomc, Uulo two thousand three liunulreml dnvstthen shall the sanctuary be cle:msed;" orjustiiied, as it mighthare been translated.Tm: henrer will, at the lirst view ofour text, perceivethat there is something very important communicated inthequestion and answer given; or whyure saints commissioned(as we ma reasonably suppose) from thecourts ol' heaven, to ash and answer the question containedin the text, in presence of t.he pmphct? Andthat it concerned Daniel, and us for whom the prophetwrote his prophecy, to understand, is evident from the unswerbeing given to Daniel -" and he said unto me"-instead of being given to the " saint," who made the inquiry.'1`hen we are not treading on forbidden groundmy dear hearer, to search to understand the meaning andtruth of oursubject.I shall then treat oursubject in the following manner:I. Explain some oi' the figures and egpressions usedin the text.II. Show what the " daily sacrifice vision" is, and,IIL The time or length of the vision " unto two thousandthree hundred days: then shall the sanctuary hocleansed."I. I am to explain some of the figures used in thotext; and,

40 uzcruam rn.-1 the "dai aamri ." This ma beby sdlme, to ineanythe Jigsveish rites and zeremonies; understoouh anby others, the Pagan rites and sacrifices. As both Jewsand Pagans had their rites and sacrifices both morningand evening, and their altars were kept smoking withtheir victims of' beasts, and their holy fire was preservedin their national altars and temples devoted to their severaldeities or ods, we might be at a loss to know whichof' these to apply this figurative expression to, did not ourtext and context explain the meaning. It is very evident,when we carellilly examine our text, that it is tobe understood asreferring to Pagan and Papal rites, forit stands coupled with "t e abomination of desolation,"and performs the same acts, such as are ascribed to thePapal abomination, "to give both the sanctuary andhost to be trodden under foot." See, also, Rev. xi. 2,"But the court which is without the temple leave out,and measure it not; for itis given unto the Gentiles;and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty andtwo months." This last text only has reference to thePapal beast, which was the image ofthe Pagan; but thetext in consideration has reference to both Pagan andPapal. That is, How long shall the Pagan transgressionand the Papal tread under foot the sanctuaryand host? This must be the true and literal mean~transgressioning of' our text; it could not mean the anti-Christianabomination alone, for theynever desolated the Jewishchurch; neither could it mean Antiochus, the Syrianking; for he and his kingdom were made desolate anddestroyed before Christ; and it is evident that Christhad an allusion to this very power, when he told hisdisciples, Matt. xxiv. 15, "When ye therefore shall seethe abomination of' desolation, spoken of' by Daniel theprophet, stand in the holy place." I believe all commentatorszgree that Christ meant the Roman powerifso, then aniel has the same meani ; for this is thevery passage to which Christ alluded. ngfhen the " dailysacrifice" meansPagan rites and sacrifices, and thetransgression of' desolation, the Papal; and both togethershall tread under foot the "sanctua and host," whichbrings me to show what may be uiiderstood by "sanc-

cuars'r's sxcotm comme. , 4]tunry and host." By Idfldulllj/,we must understand thotemple ut Jenisalem, and those who worship therein,which was trodden under thot b the Pagan kingdomsof the world, since the days oty Daniel, the writer ofonr text; then by the Chaldezms; alterwards b theMedea and Persians; next by the Grecians; and lastlyby the Romans, who destroyed the city and sunctnury, leveled the temple with the ground, and caused the ploughto pass over the place. The people ot' the Jews, too,were led into captivity and persecuted by ull these kingdomssuccessively, and finally by the Romans were takenaway and destroyedas a nation. And as thc prophetIsaiah, lxiii. 18, says, "The people of thy holinesshave possessed it but alittle while: our adversaries havetrodden down thy sanctuary." Jeremiah, also, in Lam.i. 10, "The adversary hath spread out his hand npnn allher pleasant things;for she hath seen that the heathenentered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command thatthey shoulrl not enter into thy congregation." The wordhost is applied tothe people who worship in the outercourt, and fitly represents thc Christian church, who aresaid to be strangers and pilgrims on the earth,havin¥ nocontinuing places, but looking for a city whose bui derand maker is God. Jeremiah, speaking of the gnspelchurch, says, iii. 19, "But I said, How shall! put theeamong the children, and give thee a pleasant land, l.heritage of the host of nations ?" evidentlyguodtlhy meanmge church from the Gentiles. "Then shall thesanctuary be cleansed or menusjustified," the true sanctuarywhich God has built of lively stones to his own accepts.nce,thronghChrist, of which the temple at Jernsaem was but atype, the shadows having long sinceded away, and that temple and people now destroyed,and all included in unbelieti So whosoever looks forthe worldly sanctuary to be built again, will find themselvesas much mistaken as the unbeheving Jews were,when they looked for a temporal prince in the Messiah.For there is not a word in the prophets or apostles, alterZerubhabel built the second temple, that a third onewould ever be built; except the ono which cometh downHom heaven,wlfch is a spiritual one. and which is theI

''''&uzca-rru rn.mother of us all, (Jew and Gentile,) and which is freeand when that New Jerusalem is perfected, then shallwe be cleansed and justified; for Paul says to thePhillippians, iii. 20, 21, "For our conversation is inheaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, theLord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, thatit may be fashioned like unto hisglorious body, accordingto the workimr wherebyhe is able to subdue allthings to h1mself;?' that rs, "they that are his at hiscoming." We see by these texts-and many moremight be quoted-that the spiritual sanctuary will notbe cleansed until Christ's second coming; and thenall Israel shall be raised, judged, and justilied in hissi ht.SL We shall now try to understand what is meant by'Ure" mHon," in the text.The vision, spoken of in the text, alludes to threeseparate times in which God revealed unto Daniel allthat may be considered a prophecy in the book of Daniel,which vision wasexplained to Daniel by a heavenlymessenger, called Gabriel, at three separate times, thelast of which closes the book of Daniel; which lastinstruction will be the subject of a fixture lecture.Dauiel's first vision was the dream which Nebuchad~nezzar had, and which troubled him; but when heawoke, the dream was from him. He then calledfor the magicians, ¥one astrooiers, sorcerers, and wise menofChaldea, to show him is dream, and the inte etationthereof; but they could notking:-T-eingThean ,commanded that all the wise men of Bah lonshgiihl be destroyed. Then Arioch, the captain oiytheking's guard, went forth to execute the king's decree;and among the rest he sought for Daniel and his threefriends,young captive Jews, to execute the pur e ofking Ne uchadnuzar them also.:gon Daniel izzyflifthe first time, being m e acquainted with the decree,went in unto the king, and desired time, and promisedtha; he would make known the dream, and the interpretationthereoil Time being granted, he and his threeHebrew friends held aprayer-meeting, (nota cold andi>rmal.one, as we may reasonably suppose,)fnr their

cnnisfs sscoxn collinslilives and the lives of their fellow-creatures were indanger. They cried for mercies from the God of heavenGod he'snl and answered their prayers, and revealed toDaniel the dream and interpretationAfter renderinssuitablethanksgiving, Daniel went in unto the king antold the dream and visions of the "king. As tor thee, 0king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed,what should come to pass herealter; and he that revealcthsecrets maketh known to thee what should come topass ; but as for me, this secret is not revealed to me forany wisdom that 1 have more thanbut forthe intent that the interpretation any living, ma e knownto the king, mayme and that thou wmightest the thoughtsof thy heart. Thou, 0 king, sawest, and behold, a greatimage.Th? great image, whose brightnesswas excellent,'stoo before thee, and the form thereof wasterrible. This image's head was of line ld, his breastand his arms of silver, his belly and his tgghs of brass,his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without. hands,which smote the upon his feet that were of ironand clay, imaigle and brake em to pieces. Then was the iron,the clay, the hmm, the silver, and the gold, broken topieces to ether, and became like the chaff of the summerthresiing-doors, and the wind carried them away,that noplace was found for them; and the stone thatsmote theand lilled thewhole earth," nie] ii. 29-35.imagpabecame a great mountain,This was the dream,ant-ill die interpfrettiation clearss 'enbyDaniel;and e istoryoewar vesit tithe true,a large share been fuglled.havmliglready d is tor the stone toAll dust remains to be accompl'smite the image upon his feet, and to become agreatmountain, and fill the whole earth. "The head of gold "represented the Chaldean kingdom;"the breast and-inns of silver" represented the Medes and Persians;'the bell and thighs of brass, which were to bear ruleover all the earth, the Grecian. Alexander, a Gre§_ia.nling conquered the world; the legs of iron, and the eatgf iran »and part of clay," itly represent the Roman'mhmfmensunumm Anangu unbroken

'44r.xe-ruurn.like iron and clay. This kingdom has been divided be~tween Pagan Rome, the head wounded to death, andPapal Rome, the deadly wound healed, both " mixingthemselves with the seed of men,'? that is, uniting churchand state, ecclesiastical and civil, in the government.The stone denotes Christ, the God of heaven; and themountain the kingdom of God. His breaking the imageto pieces, shows that all the kingdoms of this world areto be utterly destroyed and carried away, so that nolace can be found lor them. And the kingdom of Godglling the whole earth teaches us that the beloved city,the New Jerusalem, will till the world, and God willdwell with his peopleon the earth. Read Dan. ii. 37-45. This dream was in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar'sreign, 603 B. C. Forty-eight years afterwards,in the first year of Belshazza.r's reign and 555 B. C.,Daniel had another dream, yet the same in substance."Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, andbehold, the four winds of heaven strove upon the greatsea, and four reat beasts came up from the sea, diverseone from another. '1'he first was like a lion, and had eagles'wings ; I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked,and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to standupon the feet as a man, and a ma.n's heart wasgiven toit. And behold,,another beast, a second, like unto abear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had threeribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it; and thesaid thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After thi dbeheld, and lo, another like a leopard, which had uponthe buck of it four wings ot' a fowl; the beast had alsofour heads, and dominion wasgiven to it. Alter this Isaw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast,dreadtiil, and terrible, and strong exceedingly, and it hadgreat iron teeth ; it devoured and brake in pieces, andstamped the residue with the feet of it; and it was diversefrom all the beasts that were before it, and it hadten horns. I considered the horns, and behold, therecame up among them another little horn, before whomthere were three of the first horns plucked up by theroots; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes1ot'man,and a mouth speakinggreatthings. Ibeheld

cna|s'r's stroma comme. I5till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of daysdid sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hai!of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like thefiery flame, and his wheels asbuming fire. A fierystream issued and came forth from before him; thousandthousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand timesten thousand stood before him: the `udg'ment was set,and the books were opened l beheld, then, because ofthe voice of the great words which the hom spake. Ibeheld, even till the beast was slain, and his body dostroyedand given to the buming flame. As concerningthe rest of t e beasts, they had their dominion takenaway, yet their lives were prolonged for a season andtime. I saw in the night visions, and behold, one likethe Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, andcame to the Ancient of days, and they brought him nearbefore him. And there wasgiven him dominion and glory,and a kingdom, that all people, natiom, andshould serve him; his dominion is aneverlasting languages o-minion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdomthat which shall not be destroyed," Daniel vii. l-14.This ends Daniel's night vision, the instructionhe received from some onestanding except y. "So he toldme, and made me know 'die truth of all`this,' or theinterpretation of the things. Thesegreat beasts, whichare four, are four kings which shal arise out of theearth. But the saints of the most high shall take thekingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even foreverand ever." We see in this instruction that this visionand Nebuchadnezzafs dream agree in the most promoinent parts; the four beasts representing the four kingdoms,and the saints possessing the kingdom, the sameas the stone becoming a great mountain and filling thewhole earth; "forever an ever" shows us that it is animmortal state in everlasting life; " the-saints" evident]includes all saints, " for they shall live and reign withhim on the earth," Revelation v. 10, 20. iv. 6. "Then,"Daniel says, vii. 19, 20, " I would know the truth ol' thefwnh beast, which was diverse from all the others,exceedimr dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and hismil; of Ebnss, which devoured, brake in pieces, and

(0 ncrvu ur.stampedthe residue with his feet; and of the ten homothat were in his head, and of tho other which came up,and before whom three fell, even of that horn that hadeyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whoselook was more stout than his fellows."In these verses we learn that the fourth beast wouldbe diverse from the others. This was true with Rome;that kingdom first rose from a small colony of adventturerssettled in Italy. Rome, also, had seven differentforms of govemment, while the others had but oneWe learn that this kingdom would devour, break inpiaeces, harass and perplex the people of God, whetherw or Gentile; that it would be divided into tenkingdoms,and afterwards there would arise another poverwhich would swallow up three of the ten kingdoms.This was all true with the Roman government. ln A. D.476, the Westem Empire fell, and was divided into tenkingdoms by the Goths, Huns, and Vandals,-"l"rance,Britain, Spain, Portu l, Naples, Tuscany, Austria,Lombardy, Rome, and izavenna. The three last wereabsorbed in the territory of Rome," (E. lrwin,) and becamethe States of the Church, govemed by the Papalchair, the little hom that had eyes and a mouth thatspake very great things, whose look was more stout thanhis fellows. This description cannot apply to any otherpower but the church of Rome. "Had eyes," showingthat they made at least to be the householdof,pretencefaith; " eyes meaning faith, and " mouth that spakevery great things," showing that the church would claiminfalhbility; "whose look would be more stout than hisfellows," showing that he would claim authorityover allother churches, or even the kings, the other horns. SeeRev. xvii. 18: "And the woman which thou sawest isthat great city which reignethover the ki of theearth." That the little horn is a part of Ili; fourthkingdom is evident, for it was to come up among the tenhoms which were upon the head of the beast; and therecannot be a shadow of a doubt, even in Scripture itselilbut that Rome is meant by this fourth beast; for whapower but the Roman will answer the descri tion heroand elsewhere given in Daniel? "I beheld: and the

CHllS1"! SICOKD COMING.alame horn made war with the saints, and prevailedagainst them, until the Ancient ofdiva came, and judgmentwasgivento the saint; ofthe ost High; and thetime came that the saints possessed the kingdom."Daniel vii. 21, Q. In these verses we arctaught clearlythat anti-Christ will prevail over the church of Christuntil the first resurrection and the first judgment, whenthe saints are raised and judged, which utterly destroysthe modem idea of atemporal millennium, a thousandyears belbre the dead are raised and judged. This alsoagrees with the whole tenor of Scripture; as, "judgmentmust first begin at the house of God," and "whom heshall destroy with the brightness of his coming;" whenthe Ancient of days shall come in the clouds ol' heavenwith power and great glory, "to give rewa.rd to his servants,the prophets, and them that fear his name, smalland great, and destroy them who destro the earth,"described next verse, 23. "Thus he saiull The fourthbeast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, whichshall be diverse from all kin doms, and shall devour thewhole earth, and shall trea§ it down and break it inpieces. And the ten home out of this kingdomare tenkings that shall arise; and another shall arise after them,and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subduethree kings. And he shall speak wordsagainst greatthe Most Hi h, and shall wear out e saints ofthe Most High, and Siink to change times and laws; andthey shall be given into his hand until a time and times,an the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit,and they shall take away his dominion to consume andto destroy it unto the end," 24--26. In these verseswe have the history ofthe fourth beast, or Roman power,during 1260 years of the close of this kingdom, which Ishall, in some future lecture, show is the meaning oftime, times, and a halil We have also another clear descriptionof the Papal power: "He shall speak greatwords," &c.-the blasphemies against God, in the pretensionsof the Roman clergy to divine power, workingof miracles, canonizingdegarted votarics, _changingor inances and laws of God's ouse, worshippingsaintsand images, and performingrites and ceremonies too

_48 ancrnu nr.foolish md ridiculous to be for a moment indulged in,and which any unprejudiced mind cannot for a momentbelieve to be warranted by divine rule, or example ofChrist or his apostles. And we areagain brought downto the time when the judgment shall sit: "And thekingdom, and the dominion, and the greatness of thekingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to thepeople ofthe Most High, whose kingdom is an everlastmgkingdom, (not temporal, as some say, or a thousandyears, but an immortal and etemal,) and all dominionsshall serve and obey him." It is very evident that thisverse brinvs us down to the time when the kingdom ofChrist will be com lete "in theg::.tness of the kingdom."Every word) in Scriptureameaning, and itsown proper meaning, unless used figuratively, and thenexplained by Scripture itself "Hitherto is thé end ofthe matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations muchtroubled me, and my countenance changed in me; but -kept the matter in my heart."his ends Da.niel's night vision. Two years afterwards,in the year 553 before Christ, Daniel vii., he hadanother vision in the day-time, at the palace of Shushan,like the one which we have just described, and Nebuchadnezzar'sdream."Then I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold,there stood before the river a ram which had twohorns,and the two horns werehigh; but one was higher thanthe other, and the higher came up last. I saw the rampushing westward, and northward, and southward, so thatno beast might stand before him, neither was there anythat could deliver out of his hand; but he did accordingto his will, and became great." In the 20th verse, theangel Gabriel explains to Daniel what kingdom was representedby the " ram with two horns," and says, "Tharam which thou sawest, having two horns, are the kin oMedia. and Persia." We seebykingdom is left out, for the reason that that kingdom wasthen crumbling to ruin, and the glory of the Babylouishthis that the Chalszankirigdom had faded; therefore he now be `ns his visionwi the Made and Persian ki dom, andSeadoo,whenat the height of their power anxifconqueats. he higher

''_csnrsfs stcoirn comme. 49horn denoted the Persian line ot' kings,under and followingthe reign of Cyrus, the Persian, son-in-law to Dariusthe Mede. "And asl was considerin , behold, a hegoatcame from the west, onthe face ofihe whole earth,and touched not the ground; and the goat had a notablehom between his eyes." In the 21st verse the angelsays, "And the rough goat is the king of Grecia:and the eat horn that is between his eyes is the firstking." ghis kingwas Alexander, that conquered thePersians. He was not the first king of Macedonia, butthe first that had all Grecia under his control, and thatconquered the world. "And he came to theram thathad two homs, which I _had seen standing before theriver, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. AndI saw him come close unto the ram, and he was movedwith choler against him, and smote the ram, and brakehis two homs; and there was no power in the ram tostand before him, but he cast him down to the ground,and stamped upon him, and there was -none that coulddeliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the he~goatwaxed very great; and when he wasstrong, the greathorn was broken, and for it came up four notable ones,towards the ibur winds of heaven." We have in theseverses a plain description of Alexander's life, conquests,death, and division of his kingdom into f`our parts, towardsthefouiivpoints of heaven-Persia in the east, Syriain the north,` acedon and Europe in the west, Egyptand Africa in the south. And the angel, when he givesDaniel instruction, says, 22d verse, "Now that beinbroken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shagstand up out ofthe nation, but not in his ower." Thenthe vision seems to slide down to the littll; hom. "Andout of one of them (that is, out of Europe)came forth a littlehorp,which waxed exceeding great, toward the south,lid 'the east, and toward the pleasant land. And"3' even to'_the host of heaven; and it castthe host and of the stars to the ground,'V upon them. Yea, he_ magnified himself'to theprince of the host, and by him the daily sac-Yiine was taken away, and the place of his sanctuarywas out down,gud a host was given him against the

'y50uzcrnu nr.daily sacrifice by reason of transgression,and it castdown the truth to the ground, and it practised and prospered."Two or three thi s in the above descriptionclearly show that, by the liltliie horn, in this passage, weare to understand the Roman power,_viz., Its conqueringto the south, and enst, and pleasant lands, stamping onthe host, magnifying himself against Christ, and destroyingJerusalem, the place of his sanctuary, and his practisingand prospering. All this description agrees withthe history of Rome, and cannot apply to Antiochus, assome writers have supposed. But let us see what Gabrielsays, 23: "And in the latter time of their kingdom,(that is, the four kingdoms,) when the transgressors arecome to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understandingdark sentences, shall stand up, and his powershall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shalldestroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and practise,and shall destroy the mi hty and the holy people. Andthrough his policy, also, he shall cause craft to prosper inhis hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, andby peace shall destroy many; he shall also stand upagainst the Prince of princes; but he shall be brokenwithout hand. And the vision of the evening the(infirstyear of Belshazzar, Danielvii.; and the morning (in thethird year of Belshazzar, Danie viii.) which was told, istrue; wherefore shut thou up the vision, for it shall befor many days." How many days? Our text answers,"Unto two thousand three hundred days; then shall thesanctna be cleansed. And it came to pass, when I,even I, ganiel, had seen the vision, and sought for themeaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearanceofa man. And I heard a man's voice betweenthe banks of Ulai, which called and said, Gabriel, makethis man to understand the vision. So he came nearvhere 1 stood, and when he came, I was afraid, and fellu nmy face; but hesaid unto me, Understand, O sonoiiinan, for at the time of the end shall be the vision.Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleeon my face toward the ground; but he touched me, andset meupright. And he said, behold, I will make theeknow what shall be in the last end of the indignation ;for at the time appointed the end shall be."

cnars'r's sncozm counts 81Then comes the instruction of Gabriel, which we havebefhre given.lll. The time or length ofthe anion-the 2,300 days.What must we understand by days? In the prophecyof' Daniel it is invariably to be reckoned years; ibr Godhath so ordered the prophets to reckon days. Numb.xiv. 34,"Alter the number of days in which yo searchedthe land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall youbear your iniquities, evenforty years." Ezek. iv. 5, 6, " ForI have laid upon thee the(years of their iniquity, accordingto the number of the ays, three hundred aml ninetydays;so shalt thou hear the iniquity of the house of lsrael.And when thou hast accomplished them, lie againonthy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of thehouse ol' Judah forty days; l have appointed theo eachday for a year." ln these passages we prove the commandof God. We will also show that it was so calledin the days of Jacob, when hc served lor Rachel, Gen.xxix. 27: "Fulfil her week (seven days)and we will givethee this also, ibr the service which thou shalt serve withmvet other seven years."othingnow remains to make it certain that our visionis to be sounderstood, but to that Daniel hasfollowed this rule. This we wilprove do, if your patiencewill hold out, and God permit.Now turn your attention to the- ninth chapter of Daniel,and you will there learn that fifteen years after Danielhad his last vision, and sixty-five years alter Danielexplained Nebuchadnez1.ar's dream, and 538 ears B. C.,Daniel set his face unto the Lord God by supplication andprayer; and by confession of his own sins, and the sinsof the people of Israel, he sought God for mercy, for himselfand all Israel. And while he wasspeaking andpraying, as he tells us, Daniel ix. 21, " Yea, while I wasspeaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I hadseen in the vision at thebeginning, Daniel viii. 16, 17,being caused to ily swiftly, touche me about the timeof the evening oblation. And he informed me and talkedwith me, and said, O Daniel, 1 am now come forth to givethee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thysupplication the commandment came forth, and I am

ll suns.: ru.»some to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved; thereforeunderstand the matter, and consider the |7fl1b1§Sevsng weeks are determined upon thy people, andupon y holy tocity,finish the transgression, and tomake an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for ini~quity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and toseal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the MostHoly. Know, therefore, and understand, that from thegoing forth of the commandment to restore and builderuealem unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be sevenweeks, and threescore and two weeks; the street shallbe built again, and the wall, even in troublous times,.And alter threescore and two weeks shall Messiah beout oil; but not for himself; and the people ofthe Princethat shall come shall destroy the city and theand the end thereof shall be with a Hood, andsanctuag;unto aend of the war desolations are determined. And he shallconfirm the covenant with many for one week; and inthe midst of the weelr,(or last half; as it havebeen rendered,) he shall cause the sacriiice might an the ob~lation to cease, and for the overspresding of abomination,he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation,and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."What do we learn from the above passage? Welearn ourduty in prayer, and God's goodness in answering.We learn that the angel Gabriel was sent toinstruct Daniel, and make him understand thc vinbn.You may inquire what vision? I answer, The one Danielhad in the beginning, for he has had no other. Wealso learn that seventy weeks, which is 490 days, (oryears, as we shall show,)from the going forth of a certaindecree to build the streets and walls of Jerusalem introubloustimes,to the crucifixion ofthe Messiah shouldbe accemphshed. We also learn that this seventyweeks is divided into three parts; seven weeks beingemployed in building the streets and walls in troubloustimes, which is forty-nine years, sixt -two weeks, orfour hundred and thirty»four years to the preaching ofJohn in the wildemess, which two, ut together, makesixty-nine weeks, or four hundred) and eighty-threerun. and one week the aww was prewheda John

gc|n.rs'r'snoon comma Githreeandaha1f'years,andChristthrceandalalfyears, which makes the seventy weeks, or four hundredand ninety years; which, when accomplished, would sealup the vision, and make theprophecy true. We alsolearn that, after the crucifixion of C rist, the Romanawould come and destroy the city and sanctuary, andthat wars will not cease until the consummation or endoi' the world. "All that may be true," says the objector;"but where have you proved that the seventy weekswere four hundred and ninety years?" I agree I havenot yet proved it, but will now do it.We shallagain tum your attention to the Bible.Look at Ezra vii. ll-13: "Now this is the of theletter that the king, Artaxerxes, gave cogy unto zra, thepriest, the scribe, a scribe of' the law of God: perfectpeace, and at such a time. I make a decree that all theyof the people of' Israel, and of his priests and Levitesin myrealm, which are minded of' their own free willto go up to Jerusalem, with thee." This is thedecree given when the wall; of Jerusalem were built introublous times. See, also, Neh. iv. 17-23. Ezra andNehemiah being contemporary,see Neh. viii. l. Thedecree to Ezra wasgiven in the seventh year of' Artaxerxes'reign, Ezra vii. 7, and that to Nehemiah in thetwentieth year, Neh. ii. 1. Let any one examine thechronology,asgiven by Rollin or Josephus, from theseventh year of' Artaxerxes to the twenty-second earof Tiberius Cesar, which was the year our Zordwas crucified, and he will find it was four hundredand ninety years. The Bible chronolo y saysthat Ezra started to go up to Jerusalem on are 12thday of' the first month, (see Ezra viii. 3l,) 457 yearsbefore the birth of Christ; he being 33 when he died,added to 457, will make 490 years, Three of' theevangelists tell us he was betrayed two days before thefeast of theZFBQVST, and of course was the same crucified. he passover was kept on the 14 dzday alwaés of' the first month forever, and hrist being crucifiedtwo days before, would make it on the 12th day, 490years from the time Ezra left the river Ahava to geunto Jerusalem.5 .

urmnl`._51.ur. ,lIf this calculation is correct,-and I think no onecan doubt it,-then the seventy weeks was fulfilled to aday when our Savior suifered on the cross. Is not theseventy weeks fairly proved to have been fulfilled byyears ? And does not this prove that our vision and the2300 days ought to be so reckoned ? Yes, if these seventyweeks areapartoftlm vision. Does nottheangeleayplainly, I have come to show thee; therefore understandthe matter, and consider the vision P Yes; Well, whatcan a man ask for more than plain positive testimony,and a cloud of circumstances agreeing with it?But onething still remains to be proved. When didthe 2300 years be P Did it begin with Nebuchadnezzar'sdream ? gi; For if it had, it must have beenfulfilled in the year A. D. 1697. Well, then, did it beginwhen the angel Gabriel came to instruct Danielinto the 70 weeks? No, for if then, it would havebeen finished in the year A. D. 1762. Let usbegin itwhere the angel told us, from the going forth of thedecree to build the walls of Jerusalem in troubloustimes, 457 years before Christ; take 457 from 2300, andit will leave A. D. 1843; or take 70 weeks of years,.being 490 years, from 2300 years, and it will leave 1810eller Christ's death. Add his life, (because we beginto reckon our time at his birth,) which is 33 years, andwe come to the same A. D. 1843.Now let us examine oursubject, and see what wehave learned by it thus ihr. And,I. We learn that there are two abomination: spokenof by Daniel. The first is the Pagan mode of worship,which wasperformed by the sacrificing of beasts uponalters, similar to the Jewish rites, and by which meansthe nations around Jerusalem drew away mury of theJews into idolatry, and brought down the heavy judgmentsof God upon idolatrous Israel; and God permittedhis people to be led into captivity, and persecuted the very nations that they, bythe ews, had been so fondcopying alter in their mode of worship. Therefore werethe sanctuary and place of worship at Jerusalem troddendown by Pagan andthealhrs, erectedby wonhipéssu; the command of God, an according to the padln.___-an-:..;.__...

'cinrs1~'s sseoxm course. 5and form which God had mserihed, were broken downand more fashionable nlmrs of the heathen erected intheir room. Thus were the commends of God disobeyod,his laws perverted, his people enslaved, thesanctuary trodden down, and the temple polluted, untilat last God took sway theilewish rites and ceremonies,instituted new forms, new lews, and set up the gospelin the world.kixlrlgdom his, for s season, was kept pure from thesenotuaries and policy of Satan.worldlyBut Satan, an srcenemy, found his ahominstions could have butlittle or no elfeot to Pssnn rsw the followers of Christ intoidolatry, for they believed the bloody rites and sscriliceshad their fulfilment in Christ. Therefore, inorder to carry the war into the Christian camp, he sulfers.the daily sacrifice abomination to be taken out of theway, and sets upPafpsey, which is more congenial tothe Christian mode oworship in its outside forms andceremonies, but all the hateful qualities ofthe former. He pers es them to erect im es tosome or all of the dear apostles; end even toléhrist,and Mary, the "Mother of God." He then tlstters themthat the church is infallible. (Here was a strong cordhy which he could punish all disputers.) He likewisegives them the keys of heaven, (or Peter, as they cellit.) This will secure nll authority. He then c othesthem withpower to make lsws, and todistgense withthose whic God had made. This capped e climax.In this he would fasten many thousa.n& who mightotestabit anltigsinst some of his more vile ebominations; y¢custom might secure them to s. willing ohedienceto his laws, and to s total neglect of the laws ofGod. Th.iswesSotan'smssterpieoe; and,s.sDmielsnys,"he would think tochange times and laws, and they shouldhe given intohis hand oratime, times, and shelf; butthey shall take sway his dominion to consume and devstxoy it unto the end." Therefore, when this lsst abomiinationof desolation shall he taken smy, thenshallthosanctuary be cleansed.II. We learnthet thevision which Daniel sow welssves-led,at three seperate times---l|t.~In Nebnohndi

'tzcrunz56,m.nezzar's dream, which carried us down through fouleat kingdoms, until they should all be swept awayEllie the chaff of the summerbefore thewind, threshing-door and no place found for them, an the glorious andeverlasting kingdom of Christ fill the whole earth. Thenext vision Daniel saw was similar to this; he saw fourgreat beasts, representing four great kingdoms,as beforeand he saw the fourth beast to be diverse from all theothers, dreadful and terrible, and exceedingly strong;he hadgreat iron teeth, and nails of brass, which devoured,rake in pieces, and stamped the people of Godand the whole earth under foot. This beast containedthe two abominations which we have before spoken of;the last, under the figure of a little hom, he saw until allthese thrones were cast down, till the little hom wasand his body givendestroyed,to the burning flame.Danie saw until the Ancient of days did sit. The Sonof Man came in the clouds of heaven, and came to theAncient of days. He saw thousand thousands ministerindgunto him, and ten thousand times ten thousandstoo before him; the judgment was set, and the bookswereopened. He saw the dominion, and glory, and kingdomgivento the on of Man, and to the people of the'saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlastingkingdom. In the third vision, which Daniel hascoupled with the former, by saying that it was afterlike) gi;the one which appeared unto him at the first,saw the three last kingdoms ; gave a particular descriptionof the two first, even naming them-the Medea andPersians, and the Grecian. He then s.gives shortaccount of the little horn, (having given a more generalview of the fourth kingdom in the other vision,) how hewould cast down the host of heaven, and the stars, andstamp upon them; also that he would magnify himselfagainstthe Prince of the host, Jesus Christ, and castdown the place of his sanctuary, and practise andprosper, but shall be broken without hands, showingthat the stone cut out without hand should break him topieces. Daniel, then, in the 26th verse, couples thetwo visions, the one in the evening, 7th chapter, andthe one in the morning, Sth chapter, and says, "Tha

''``crn.|s1:'|sale!! scams.e|sioi'ioftAeevsningaadmomia¢,vhichwutold,istue.Ill. We learn that this vision is two thousand threehundreddai; long; that days are to be reckoned years.-lst, By command of God; 2d, By the example ofJacob; and 3d, By the fulfilment of the seventy weeksnf this vision, at the crucifixion of the Messiah. Welearn by the instruction of Gabriel that the seventyweeks were a part of the vision, and that Daniel wascommanded to begin the seventy weeks at thefbrth of the decree, to build the streets and walgngsJerusalem in tronblous times; that this decree, given toEzra, was exactly 490 years, to a day, before the cruci-Exion of Christ; and that thereis no account, by Bibleor any historian, that there was ever any, other decreerebuild the streets or walls of Jerusalem. We thinkthe proof is strong, that the virion of Daniel begin! 457years beibre Christ; take which from 2300, leaves 1843,oagei-Christ, tormaywhentlusvxon say,"e ps muatbeiiaishong.our vision not Blgethethe seventy weeks." im me ask two or thi-equestions. Does not the angel say to Daniel,"iX.23,Therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision"? " Yes." Does not the angel then ongo and ivehis instruction conceming the seventy weeks ? "las."Do oubelieve the Bible is true ? "We do." Then ifthe Bible is true, Daniel's 70 weeks are apart of themnon, and 490 years were accomplished when theMesiah was cut oil; and not for himselfl Then 1810years afterwards the vision is completed; and we nowive about 1808 years after; of course it must. havebegun within seven years of that date. But it is veryreasonable to suppose it began with the seventy weeks;forthe angel said it would establish the vision, that is,make it sure; for if the 70 weeks wereexactly fulfilledat the death of Christ, then would the remainder be in1810 years after, which would be fulfilled A. D. 1843,as we have before shown.And now, my dear hearer, are you prepared for thisandgreat important event? Are you for theJudgmentreadpy to set, and the books to be opened Letthia

'_,_~-_,___ ...___ .58-Lxcrvrx m.subject sink deep into your hearts; let it follow you toyour bod-chambers, tn your fields, or your shops. Notonejotor tittle of the word of God shall thil. If hehas spoken, it will come, however inconsistent it maylook to us. Be admonished, then, and see to-it that youare prepared. Com the mlm ,with the history ofthe kingdom. and whiere can you find a. thilure? Notone. '1'hen, surely, he-re is evidence strong that the rcmainderwill be accomplished in its time, and that timebut sevenyears. Think, sinner, how good God is togive you notice, and prove it a. thousand fold. Rememberthe old world; they thought Noah was a maniac;but the flood came, and theywere reserved in chainsof darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Rememberthe cities ot' the plain. Lot was unto themlike one that mocked; but the sameday God mined fireand hrimstone upon them, and they are suiiering thevengeance of etemsl fire. Be warned, then; fly to theark, Christ Jesus, betbre the door is shut; escape to thenacgnfitainof thethhouse of the Lords riseu to eprey,antlae Lordb ou ey beigre `ven :wayinAmen.your wicke¢i)nem.

'`_`LECTURE IV.DANIEL lx. 94.Bevenl ksnredel 'ednnth land thhnlyaigsio finish thgrlllallhsgregion, giiclaigpsihke a|i'p:'lld o¥Z§f.T.'a'l'.?.§'5,"i...».n°;?i`f|°|§_Oun textis one of the many found in the word ofGod, which prove t.he authenticity of the Scriptures,gives us a powerful against Judaizing teachers,and meets theinlidelwean on own ground -the history ofthe world!It sets a seal to prophecy that it is true, and showsthat the prophets were inspired.It gives incontestnble evidence the Jew, andproves that Jesus of Nazareth was e true Messiah.It unlocks the wonderful vision of Ds.niel's fourking-edoms; also the vision of the ram, the he-goat, andsins, to make reconciliation for mimy, and to bring inrlleonsness dt sol " "" ""°" and " ropho-little horn.It brings to view the great blessings of the sacriiiceof Jesus Christ, reveals the exact time of its accomplishment,and shows the source of thegospel, proclaiminggood news to lost man, even in anticipation ofthatimportantera when the Gentiles should be fellowheirswith the Jews in faith.It establishes the wavering, and gives hope and conidenceto the tried and tempted child of God, that hewill fulfil all his promises, according to the letter andof his word.spiritThis text furnished Simeon, Anna, Nathaniel, and

u:c-rua:`'60,iv.others, with astrong faith that they should see the consolation of Israel.B this text the high priest convinced the councilof the necessity of putting to death Jesus. "Thengathered the chief priests and Pharisees a council,and said, What do we ? for this man doth many miracles.If we let him thus alone, all men will believe onhim; and the Romans will come, and take away bothour place and nation.""And one oi' them, named Caiaphas, being high priestthat same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all,nor consider that it is expedient for us that one manshould die for thepeziple, and that the whole nation per~ish not. And this speif not of his ownpro ecy; but, being hig priest thlimselt] (ript at year, e prosied)h(frou2 he-Daniel's seventy weeks; for there ispnotanother prophecy in the Old Testament which showswhat year Christ should suffer) that Jesus should diefor that nation; and not for that nation only, butalso, he should gather together in one the childrenthat;oGod, that were scattered abroad," John xi. 47-53.The high priest argues that Jesus must die for thepeo'lphe le.seventy weeks shows that the Messiah must becut off at the close ofthe last week, and not for himselflAlso Peter had occasion to say in his epistle, " Of whichsalvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently,who prophesied of the grace that should comeunto you, searching what, or what manner of time, thespirit of Christ, which was in them, did when ittestiiied beforehand the sufferings sigpify, of C t and theglory that should follow," 1 Peter i. 10, 11.Where was the exact time of Christ's suferingsprophesied of but in Daniel's seventy weeks? Again,to this Christ alludes when he says," My time is not etfully come ;" and, "Then they song: to take him, gutno man laid hands on him, because hour was not*yet ul~comez" that»is, the seventy weeks were not yetMark tells us, xiv. 41, "Thafilled, John vii. 8, 30.hour is come; behold, the Son of Mm is betrayedinto the hands of sinners."

_cna|s'r's swarm connne. 81'I'he seventy weeks were new be;1;1§ fhlilled. Andthen, at last, when Jesus had hiscomple work, whenthe fulness of time had come, hc finished transgression,ang made an indgolf sin: 'lie' then cried, "lit is ignahed,ve up t e ost. eseve wee s en e ourtext alas fulhlled; Christ had now lbtgcome the end ofthe law forrighteousness, to every one that believeth;he that knew no sin had become sin for us, and Deathhad struck his last blow that he would ever be able togive the Son of God. 1)aniel's vision is now madegurell- the Messgah cut oil, the time proved true,ns giveny e ro het anie .Nowyyep infidels, can this be priestci-att? And, yeis not this the Christ? WhyIudfaizinggheachers, lookye or uno er.I shall now take up the text in the following manner :l. I shall show what is to be done in seventy weeks.When the seventy weeks began, and when theyen .I. The text tells ns, "Seventy weeks are alder-minedthat is, uponeJews, w o then were the people of Daniel, and alsoinJerusalem, which then was called the "holy city."The first question which would naturally arise on the:Zion thy peagle and upon thy holy city;"The text and its con-Qind, wouldlfe, What for to do ?xt must te us.lst. "To°h the transgressim."When was tramgressionfingiiiosd? 1 answer, At the death of Christ.ee Heb. ix. 15, "And for this cause he isthe Mediatorof the new testament, thatby means of death, for theredemption of the transgressions that were under thefirst testament, they which are called receive thePromise of eternal inheritance." Isaiah might iii. 8, "For hefor the trans-WH! cut0? out of this land if the gression o m e was e stricl¥ing,; en.211. "./Indt¢i'1nPde?'£ an end qfsins." This was alsoP9l'f`0rmed at his death. See Heb. ix. 26, "But nowOnce in the end of the world hath he appeared, to putaway sin by the sacrifice of himself!" And 1 John5» " Ye know he was"that (Christ)manifested to takn'ny Our sins. 6

62 macruam rv.3d. "Audio make reconciliation for iniquity." Wasplerformedthis alsoat his death? Yes. See Col. i.20, "And aving made peace through the blood of hiscross, by him to reconcile all things to himselil" Heb.ii. 17, "Wherefore in all things it behooved him to bemade like unto his brethren; that he might be a mercifuland faithiiil high priest in things pertainingto God,to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."4th. "And to bring in everlasting rigldemmncss.""This must he by Christ's obedience," says the objector,"and cannot be at his death." Not so fast, dear sir; let ushear the testimony. Romans v. 21, "That as sin hathreigned unto death, even so might grace reignthroughrighteousnessunto eternal life, by Jesus Christ ourLord." And, "By the obedience of one shall many bemade righteous." Again, see Phil. ii. 8, "And beingfound in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and becameobedient unto death, even the death ofthe cross."Paul says, "AI do not frustrate the grace of God; for ifrighteousness came by the law, then Christ is dead invain;" evidently showing, that by Christ's obedienceunto death, he brought in everlasting righteousness.5th. "To seal up the vision an Whatdoes "to seal up" gmphecy."mean ? I answer, t means to makelure, certain, unalterable. Consult Esther iii. 12, viii.8. Solomon says, "Set me as a seal upon thine heart,as a seal upon thine arm;" that is, make me sure inthy love, and certain by thy power. John says, "Hethat hath received his testimony hath set to his seal thatGod is true." John iii. 33. Paul to Rome, xv. 28,"When I have perfomied this, and sealed to them thisfruit;" that is, made sure the contributions. Again,to Timothy, 2 Epistle, ii. 19, " Nevertheless, the foundationof God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lordknoweth them that are his." Therefore the death ofChrist would make Daniel's vision sure; for if apart ofthe vision should be exactly fulfilled, as to time andmanner, then the remainder of' the vision would be accomplishedin manner and time, as literally as theseventy weeks had been.6th. "And anoint the Most Holy." The Moab Holy,

_cnms'r's ucozm couture.In this passage, must mean Christ; for no human beingcan, or ought to claim this appellation, save him whomGod hath anointed to be a Savior in Israel, and aKingin Zion. See Acts x. 38, "How God anointed Jesusof Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and withAlso, power."Acts iv. 27, " For of n truth against thv ho childJesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod and' PontiusPilate, with the Gentiles, und the people of Israel,were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thyhand and counsel determined before to be done."Heb. i. 9, thly "herefbre God, even thy God, hath anointedthee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows."It will next be requisite to inquire, When was Christnnointed ?I ansver, VVhen the Holy Ghost descended upon him,and when he was endued with power from onhigh towork miracles. See Isa. lxi. 1, "The Spirit of the LordGod is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me toreach good tidings unto 1.-he meek: he`hath sent me tohind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to thecaptives, and the opening of the prison to them that arebound."Alter Christ wasbaptized by John, and after beingtempted of the devil forty days in the wilderness, hewent in the spirit into Galilee, and on the Sabbath dayhe went into the synagogue,as his custom was, and hestood u torearL They gave him the book of Isaiah.When Ee opened the book he found the passage whichI have just quoted. After reading it he shut up thebook and sat down. He then began to say unto them,"This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears," Lukeiv. 1-21. This plainly proves that Christ wasanointed on or before passaéieis day.Other things were to be done in the seventy weeks,such as, The cutting elf of the Messiah, but not forhimselfl This can meannothing less than the crucihxionof Christ. See Luke xxiv. 26, 46, "Ought notChrist to have suH`ered these things, and to enter; intohisglory P " "Thus it is written, and thus it behoovedChrist to suB`er, and to rise from the deed the thirdRom. v. 6, " For when we were without strength, indeff."us

-_ ~-- _-~ »0| uwua: xv.timegor according to the time of seventy weeks) Chnstdied br us."shall confirm the covenant withmany for one week." What covenant is this to be confirmed?I answer, It cannot be the Jewish covenant,for that was confirmed by Moses many hundred yearsbefore Daniel lived. There being but two covenants,it must ot' necessity be the new covenant of whichChrist is the Mediator; Moses having been the mediatorof the old, and Christ afterwards of the new. Ifthese things are so, and the gospel covenant is meantby Daniel, then the time the gospelwaspreached byJohn and Christ is here called a week; for Christ him~"And he (Messiah)self' preached more than seven days. Christ kept threepassovers with the Jews aiier he began his ministry,and oefore he nailed the ceremonial awto his cross.This is strong evidence that a week is seven years, andthat Daniel's-70 weeks are to be understood as meaning490 yearsAgain, "In the midst of the week he should causethe sacrihce and oblation to cease," or, as all Hebrewscholars agree, "In the last half of the week," &.c., isthe more proper translation; and it is evident that thistranslation would harmonize with the other parts of t.lepassage, " the sacrifice and oblation to cease."What sacrifice and oB'ering is this, which the Messiahwas to cause to cease P I answer, It must of course bethat oneoffering and sacrifice for sin of which all otheroferings and sacrifices were but types. It could notbe the Jewish sacrifices and oferings, for two goodreasons.lst. This is but one sacrifice, and the Jews had many.It does not say sacrifices; therefore it cannot meanJewish sacrifices, nor offerings.2d reason. The Jewish sacrifices and offerings did notcease in, nor even very nigh, the last half of the weekin which the Messiah confirmed the covenant with many;and, even to the present day, they make oblations, if notsacrifices. It must mean that sacrifice and oblationwhich the Messiah was to make to God for sin, once forall. lt must mean that sacrifice which is the antetype»-;|-i-

csaxs'r's noon course. G5lggal sacrifices from the daysvii. 27, " Who needeth not daily, as thoseto offerhigh'-priests, eu forof all theofAhel tothedays of the essiab. Let us hear what Paul says, Heb.up sacrifice, iirst for his own sins, anthe peep e's; for this he did mme when he ofered upSee also Heb. x. 11, 12 "And every priest standethdaily ministering, and otfering oftentimes the same sacrifices,which can never take away sins; but this man,atter he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever satdown on the right hand of God." Many moremight passagesbe brought to show that all sacrifices and ob a-tions which could take away sin, or in which God theFather could be well pleased, ceased in Christ's onesacrifice and oblation. But I have given enough to satisfyevery candid, ungrejudiced mind; therefore I shall,I. Try to prove w en the seventy weeks began, andwhen they ended.The angel Gabriel tells Daniel, ix. 25, "Know, therefore,and understand, that,fi'om the forth of thecommandment to restore and to bmgoing d Jerusalem, untothe Messiah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescoreand two weeks; the street shall be built again,and the wall, even in troublous times."In this pamagewe have aplain declaration when theseventy weeks "began: from the going forth of thecommandment." But what commandment? we mayinquire. I answer, A command that will finally restorethe Jews from theirczptivity under which they thenwere held in bondage;so to prepare the way for themto rebuild their city, repeo le the same, and raise upthe decayed walls, settle the streets, and cleanse theeity ot`Jerusalem; and these things would be done introublous times. So much isexiiressed or implied inthe declaration of Gabriel, which have just quoted.Who would give the command? is the next question.I answer, It must be a king who had powerover theJews to release and restore them. It must of necessitybe akingover the Medea and Persians, or it would notbe in agreement with the vision in the Sth chaiter ofDsnielfrfor he is expressly told by Gabriel that e6 " .ram-'

ucronnV'A66_rv.tllihglléllldhe saw, and which was the iirstsee in Elsvision, were the kings of Media and srsia.. And nowthis sameangel Gabriel has come the second time, andtells Daniel, plainly and distinctly, that he has eometnmake him " understand flu vision." What vision P Theone Daniel had in the beginning, in the 8th chapter.se'i'r?mic§i|ix' ilfm' hisen rie egins instructions bygiving 11 imseventy weeks of the vision, and than shows him, verse24, when his seventy weeks begin ; or, which is thesamething, " the mblbn." To read and understand thematter thus fin, infidelity itself must blush to deny thepremises.Then, if we have settled thisguestion, the next question would be, Which king of ersia, and what commandment?I answer, It must be the fifth king of Persianoted in the Scripture of truth; for the angel Gabriel,the third time he visited Daniel to give him skill andunderstanding into "thc vision,""says,But I will showthee that which is noted in the scripture of truth," Das.x.~21. This shows that he wasimtrocting Daniel intoa vision which he before had seen, and written in theScriptures. See Dan. vii. 1,"Then he wrote thedream, and told the sum of the matters." Dan. x. 14,"Now I em come to make thee understuul what shallbefallthydpeople in the latter days; foryetdie UMD# isfor many What vision P The onenoted in theScripture ap." o truth, says Gabriel. Then, in Dan. xi. 2,he begins his instruction to him of the anion, which hswas commanded by the voice between the hmks of Ulaino make him understand, b saying, "And now will *Ishow thee the truth. Behofd, there shailstandthree kings upéietin Persia; andthe fourth shall he farri erthan they all." This fourth king was the ram pushing,andwas theifthkingofPersin,belng thefourth fromCyrus, who was then standing up. See Dan. x. liThekiugf, as Ezra has named them in his'4th chapterand' 7 chapter,were, 1st;Cyx-ns; 2d,Ahasuerus;gd; A/rtaxerxes, 'St;iizel;i'trst _4th,mIga1i}|s; mit, Anusnesimanns; slmngfw gunmazxnent toiiznto acum-the captive Jswswhowerewilling to go to Jerusalem.

enusfs axcorm countsUWhat commandment PThe decree given by Cbe the decree meantis our next question to answer(see Ezra i. l-ll) cannoty thxemangel, for the four followingreasons:-lst. Cyrus was the first king of Persia, and of courtscannot be the fifth king, as we have already shown.2d reason. The decree of Cyrus was two years beforethe angel gave his last instruction to Daniel, andhe would not have spoken of it as being futru'e, if it hadléready passed: "There shall yet stan up threekings,"c3d reason.Cyrus's decree was not given to buildJerusalem, but " the house of God which was at Jerusale'm;"neither were the walls built in troublous times,under the decree by C4th reason. This decree by Cyruswasgiven 536years before the birth of Christ, or 5(5) years before hisdeath. Therefore no rules of interpretation given inthe Scriptures could possibly show how those thingswereaccomplished in seventy weeks, which Gabrielhas shown, in our text and context, were determined tobe done. This, then, cannot be the commandment, andharmonize with either Bible or facts.Again: the decree `ven by Darius, Ezra vi. l-14,cannot be the commanrlllirent to which the angel alluded,for the same reasons we have shown that Cyrus's decreecould not be the one; for this wasonlya renewal of theformer, and this decree was issued 552 years beforeChr1st's death.The next decree or command of any king of PersiaWe find in the seventh ear of Artaxerxes (Longima-111lB») SeeEzr'avii. 6-Qi In this decree we find thelast command of any king of Persia to restore the captayaJews. We learn that, in this decree, the king funmshed them with money and means to beautify andadorn the temple which had been built by Da.rius's ordere number of years before. We find that the interdict,Ezra iv. 21, in which the Jews were commanded not tobuild Jerusalem, is now removed by its own limitation"until mother commandment be given from me." This4°

_'(Bucruu rv.Eara's prayer, ix. 9, that Ezra understood that the decreeto which we allude did give them the privilege of building,in Judah and Jerusalem, the wall which had beenbroken down. Aher Ezra. had beenhigh priest andgovernor in Jerusalem thirteen years, ehemiah waspermitted to go up to assist Ezra in building Jerusalemand repairin the walls; which was done in troubloustimes, under $lehemiah's administration, which lasted inall 39 years. See Nehemiah, 4th to the 7th chapterEzra and Nehemiah, both of them having served as governors49 years.Here, then, we find the fulfilment of what thetold Daniel would be done under the commandangelatwould begin the seventiv weeks, and which is the samething-" the visrkm." his decree was given 457 yearsbefore Christ: the seventy weeks began, and if theyended at the death of Christ, which we have proved didend them, then the seventy weeks ended after Christ 33years, making, in all, 490 years, which is 70 weeks ofyears.But it is evident that Gabriel has divided the seventyweeks into three parts, and I think clearly explains theuse of this division."Shall be seven weeks, and threescore and twoweeks." Then, as if you should inquire, What is sevenweeks for? he explains,"'l`he street shall be builta in, and the wall, even in troublons times." Ezra andPfelhemiah were 49 years, or seven weeks offyears, performingthese very things, which ended be ore Christ408. eelug; edition of Polyglot Bible. What issixty-two wee for? The ange has already told us,"Unto the Messiah, the Prince," that is, to the timeChrist was anointed to preach, the meaning of Messiah.Sixty-two weeks are 434 days; or weeks of yoars wouldbe 434 years, which, beginning where the seven weeksended, 408, would end 26 ears aher Christ, the earJohn be nto preachas fcyirerunner of Christ. 'I¥heri'She shalfuconfirm the covenant with man for oneweek,"weeks. 'l!hus the sevenranking in all the seventyweeks ended with the administration of Nehemiah, B.C. 408. Then the sixty-two weeks ended when John

eganweek topreachthe wascm.is'i:'» ucosn comme. Qgospel,A.D.26; md the oneuliilled in A. D. 33, when Christ ofered himself'upon the cross, as an offering and sacrilice for sin;"by which oifering we are sanctified once for all." Forhe need not offer himself often, as the high priest did,rmder the law. "But now, once in the end ofthe world,hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himselfl"Heb. ix. 26, Therefore, " he shall cause the sacrificeand oblation to cease." That is the only and lastsacrifice and oblation that will he ever ofered in ourworld, which can take away sin; "for there remaineth,"says the apostle, " no more sacriiice for sin." Then letme inquire, What is the sum ofthe insuuction of the antoDaniel? I will sum it up in as few words asFelcan.After Daniel had a certain vision, commonl called"the vision of the ram, the he-goat, and the litti hom,"Daniel heard one saint inquire of another, howlon? thatvision should be. The answer was given Danic, thatit should be unto 2300digs, when the sanctuary should becleansed or justified. aniel then heard a. man's voicebetween the banks of Ulai, which called and said, Gabriel,make this man to understand the vision. Accordingly,Gabriel came to Daniel, and infbrmed him that atthe end of the world, or time appointed of God, the visionshould be fulfilled. He then tells him that the ramrepresented the Hede and Persian kingdom; and thatthe rough goatrepresented the Grecian kingdom ; givesa short history othat kingdom, and its four divisions;then shows, at the close of these kingdoms, that motherking would arise, (meaning the kingdom of the littlehorn, or Roman,) describing him exact! as Moses haddescribed the Romans many centuries beibre. See Deuteronomyxxviii. 49, 50. "The Lord shall bring a nu.-tion against thee from far, from the end of the earth, abswift as the eagle Bieth; a nation whose tongue thoushalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance."'.['his, noperson will dispute, means the Romans. Thenwhy not a similar description in Daniel, viii. 23? " Whenthe transgressors (meaning the Jews) are come to thefall, a king of fierce countenance, and undentanding

70 macros: iv.dark sentences, shall stand up, and his power shall bemighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destmwonderfully, and shall prosper and ctise, and shuidestroy the mighty and the holy peoplielig1 think the reader, divested ot' prejudice, cannot applythe description given in the above quotation to anyother nation but the Romans. "And through his policy,he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand." This descriptionagreeswith Paul's man of sin,the.myster(y ofiniquity which worked in his day, and which woul bedestroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming. Sec 2Thess. ii. 3--S. "So that he, as God, sitteth in thetemple of God, showing himself that he is God." Gabrielsays, "And he shall magnify himself in his heart,and by peace shall destroy many; he shall also stand upagainst the Prince of princesg" that is, against God;the very same character which Paul has described. "Buthe shall be broken without hand," that is, "by the brightnessof his (Christ's) coming," as says Paul. But as Danielhas said, " By the stone cut out ot' the mountain withouthand ;" or, as he says, Daniel vii. 21, 22, "I beheld,and the same hom made war with the saints, and prevailedover them, until the Ancient of days came, andjudgment was given to the saints ofthe Most High; andthe time came that the saints possessed the kingdom."After Gabriel had instructed Daniel thus far, he lefthim. Sixteen ears uftenvards, Gabriel cameagain toDaniel, and infgrmed him that he had come to instructhim, and give him skill and understandinv into the vision,of which we have been speaking. §e then giveshim the seventy weeks, shows what would be accomplishedin that time, the cutting oil' of the Messiah, andthe ceasing of the sacrifice and- oblation. He mentionsthe destruction of Jerusalem, and the war of thelittle horn; the desolation of the people of God, andoverspreading of abominations. He carries us to theconsummation, destruction of the little horn, called herethe desolator. See marginal reading. Gabriel, aiteriving the history of the seventy weeks, dwells not ingctail on the remainder of the vision, but reserves a moredetailed account for thp next visigwhich is given unto

cnars'r's a|:eo1rn_ conmre. 71as in the 10th to the 12th chapter of Daniel incluaweBut the seventy weeks, of which we are moreparticularlyspeaking, the angel Gabriel has told us whenit began : at the forth of the commandment to restoreand build Jerusa going em, &.c. We have found no commandthat will apply in all its bearings, but the one givento Ezra, which was given in the 457th year before thebirth of Christ; and 33 years afterwards Christ was crucified;which two numbers, if added, make 490 years,exactly seventy weeks of years. We learn that Gabriel,in order to make the vision doubly sure, divides theseventy weeks into three parts, seven, sixty-two, andone, makin in all seventy. He then tells usplainlywhat woulfbe accomplished in each partsegarately.lst. Seven weeks. "The street shall be uilt again,and the wall, even in troublous times." No man candispute but that this was accomplished under the administrationof Ezra and Nehemiah. And it is veryevident that these two were govemors over Jerusalem49 years, which makes the seven weeks of years, andcarries us down the stream of time to the year408 B. C.2d. Sixty-two weeks. "Unto the Messiah., thePrince;" that is, unto the time that Jesus wasanointed with the Holy Spirit and power to preachthe gospel, either in~ himself or forerunner John. SeeMark i. 1.Sixty-two weeks of years would be 434years. This wou d carry us down to twenty-six yearsalter Christ's birth, andbrin§s us to the very year of"thebeginning of the gospe oi' Jesus Christ, the sonof God. Mark i. 1.3d. One week. "He shall condrm the covenant withmany for one week." One week would, of course, beseven ears, which, added to twenty-six, would makethi;-ty»tiree years after Christ. Here, too, we find anexact and literalaccomplishment of the angel's declaration.The of esus Christ preached byiospelthree and a. alf years, and by Christ three and a halt'eng, making seven years, called one week, and_then§eniah cut 05; and not for himself; Christ crucified,4

_72 ucfunz rv.ends the seventy weeks, proves Daniel's prophecy true,establishes the vision, confounds the Jew, confutes theinlidol, and ought to establish the mind of every believerin the remainder of the vision.`Here, then, is a combination of facts and circumstances,together with dates and times, which throwsupon the mind such strong array of testimony, that itwould seem no rational being con d withstand the prooffAnd methinks I hear some say,Why all this argument?No one but a Jew ever disputed, ut that the seventyweeks were fixliilled at the death of Christ, and that aday in this prophecy was atigure of a year.should not have been thus particular, and have trespassedso much on your time to prove a given point inChristendom, had 1 not recently met with more than oneChristian professor, and even teachers in Zion, who denythat the seventy weeks ended with the death of Christ,or that aday in this prophecy means a year. Some have'goneso far in infidelit as to deny that "Most Holy," inourtext, and "Messiai" in our context, means Christ.This surely would make a Jew blush. I agree that Ineveranticipated that any could be raised onthose points, without a wilfu obiection perversion of language,and a total of the word of God.But man, disreiard in fallen state, is an unaccountable,strange bein ; if his favorite notions are crossed, hewill, to avoi§ conclusions, denyeven his own senses.Therefore it becomes necessary for me to prove, whathas been considered by many,even of the objectorsthemselves in previous time, given points inIt is not more than four years theology.since many otheclergy and D.D.'s in the city of New York met a dele~gatiou of the Jewish patriarchs from the East, and intheir conference the clergy and doctors brought forward-the seventy weeks in Daniel, as proof positive of Jesusof Nazareth being the true Messiah. They explainedthe seventy weeks in the same manner I have to you,-and asked the Jews how they could avoid the conclusion?and I understood th could getno answer.Now, suppose these giergy same and D.D.'s shouldmeet me on the question now pending; I should not be

_cna1s'r's sxcosn comm. 73greatly disappointed if they should deny my premises."'Vhy would they do thus ?" say you. l answer, l-'or thesame reason that the lawyer hesitated, when he learnedthat it was his bull that the f2mner's dx."But might gored we not un erstand the seventy weeksto beso many literal weeks, that is, 490 commondays?" sayyou. I answer, If so, then the command to build Jerasalemmust have been given only a yearand a thirdbefore Christ's death; and it would have been veryimproper ibr Gabriel to have said,"Unto the þÿ h I ¬ 9 S l d l ,the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore andtwo weeks," when he had already come, and had beenreachin more than two years before the weeks began.go, my éieuds; every reasonable controversialist mustacknowledge there is no possible way to rid ofour conclusion but to deny it that Most oly, andMessiah, means Christ, in our text and context. AndI pity, and leave the man in the hands of him whoknows all hearts, that is forced on to groundso untenableas this.If I have got aright understanding of the seventyweeks, that a day stands for a yea.r,- and I have neverbeen able to find a Christian expositor who disagreeswith me on this point, either modern or ancient,--thenthe conclusion is, as far as I can see, unavoidable, thatthe vision of Daniel is 2300 years long, and that the490 years before Christ's death is not only the key tounlock the commencing of the vision, but shows conclusivelyhow and when, and manner and time, the kingdomsoand carriedthis world will ~be broken to piecesaway, and no place found for them, by the stone whichwill become agreat mountain and fill the whole earth.For the seventy weeks must seal up the vision andmake the of Daniel true. Then, if 2300 daysis the prophecdy;length of e vision, and 490 da s of that visionwere fulfi ed in 490 years ending with Christ's death,lo must 1810 days end the vision, which, upon preciselythe same rule, will be fulfilled in 1810 years afterChrisfs death, or in 1843 alter his birth, which is thelame thing.did not understand the viamnBut, sayson;e,."Daniel

74 aacroan iv.Inor end." Then the angel Gabriel was not obedient tothe heavenly command; for he was commanded to makeDaniel "undemtand the vision," and the vision and endare connected by the angel himself! He says, "At thetime of the end shall be the vision."Again : if Daniel did not understand, the angel musthave been disappointed; for the angel says, "Behold, Iwill make thee know what shall be in the last end ot' theindignation; for at the time appointed, (2300 days,) theend shall be."Again: if Daniel did not understand the vision andtime, then his own words cannot be taken as evidence."A thing was revealed, unto Daniel, and the wastrue, but the time ap inted (2300 days)wasong."This shows that Danielwunderstood the time; for he saysit waslang. For no manwould have called 2300 commondays (not quite sevenyears) a long time for somany great and important events, as are noticed in thevision, to transpire in. "And he understood thething;gint is, the time,) and had understanding ofthe vision.aniel x. 1.N ow, let the objector quarrel with Gabriel and Danielif he pleases. I have theirtestimonay, and shall givethem the Some ",px-eference. say, Go has not revealedthe time. I ask, then, Who revealed this vision toDaniel? By whose command was the answer given,2300 days ? Who revealed the weeks, the"time, times, and a'ha1f" ? How came seventis; 'el by his1290 and 1335 da ? Who said to Daniel, "But gothou thy way till til: md be, for thou shalt rest and standin thy lot at the end of the days"? Read Daniel ii. 20,23, and 28th verses, and let the objecwr lay his handsupon his mouth and be silent.Has man become so boldin sin that he will contradict angels, defame the prophets,deny the word of God, that we may cry peaceand safety, when sudden destruction cometh ? "Butif ye will not hear Moses and the neitherwould you thoughprophets,one rose from the dead. Peter says,'"There shall be scoifers in the last day, saying, Whereis the promise of his coming?" God has not revealed1-he timeofthe end, say you;therefme it will beno

cn|s'r'| ncoxn couum. 75term for yog to "lay in your hearts, My Lord delayothms comi .Who :gall tell the friend of the bridegoom whento give the "midnight cry, Behold, the bridcgroomcometh " ? For this must be before he comes no time-then to c ; for it will be as sudden as the lightning,says the :Hear Savior.Let the objectors look to it, that they do not reject thecouncil of God against themselves."But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, (ignorant ofthe revelation of God,) that that day shall overtake youas a. thie£" aimen.

~A ¢_'``_ ;i¢&ageluyx,"ti Y'|||&;dG|hi:lvlltobedieuttoxx:nns1iy i;i:rh¢v\s.Timm '~anunn|mi:nr.;.'n|tieviiu||\ndendx;~::.\xn»:~c:z¢;z~y:'n:zgz-lhzi He|\y:,"Atthetonmke1.-:mn zn::n;u|._he:r\1|i;'Qgun: x`i;nlh1ixxu|htd,lhs mistg-: annold, Iv:__:nni:r:nees;xu¢vi¢iilhenthoiaJot`the:ug-n¢:m;izr::a¢1§;L\1lDdxy\,)theasain'_gmn:fIhi|di:miQ n|llhsvisionu|dxinnaxnnvisibatahanevidence.tiznxxgtszexaiziilhnelalfltielhingwna1-z;amxn::nnrx;|g;i,?.lDhys)v\slong."!"xixsm~u@nn:E\:i~e~_nia:||nithe\ime;§:rhesayu;=:>rv< ?.:'Z~:;7:`V71if;'_:'!\'E(1l.ledz]mC0I.'IJ~:;~_=: s :wx :;_'5 5-: f; pls :. long time for somm 3:-it i_;i; _:;.t\:~:;; s=f;;\ L5 are noticed in the'> \:. 7: Tutsbf _r. 'Ali if þÿ ; ~ i ¬ I S ' . A thing, \ iofthe vision."\ :;-; ;;;»:_ _.mi ;;_;;isS;;i;:;_`n.r.»:~ '_ I\: we u-; ;~f nr f;~:::r ;_ Jimi vii: Gabriel and Danieli` fe xi-:.m§ I :.i=~s '._r; tx;-»=ny. and shall give;r~::: uv: rx-fén\~1\:»f. $\;f si): -G~_\i has not revealedfre ;;~~f.` 1 :_@;. uf; \\`;: this vision toL`1=.~_~f, ?~' vr-$5 :_~1:;c>i 'ms me answergiven,:FRC _:wif `-3 23 >~r=~1_-ei Tl? seventy weeks, theIiriw. ;i:n,\ L:\_ 1. 11!_`_; HJ# Caine Daniel by his324; nu 1125 nys? \\">: sz; to Daniel. *But go:mu 11 r vu :_, :_-=' iz. Fr '1§_'U shxlt rest and stand:r :rv ut x: ;:-: :ru :c` Q* _i:.§"? Read Daniel ii. 20,mu ix: wxx mi ie: &' objector lay his hands:mx :is ;\~

cxus'r'| noon conusa. 75harmfor you to "lay in your hearts, My Lord delaycthmisWho commgiu s tell the friend of the bridegroom whento give the "midnight cry, Behold, the bridcgroomcometh " ? For this must be before he comes- no timethen to cry; for it will be as sudden as the lightning,dear Savior.mama t.t.heobjectorslooktoit,t.lmttheydonotrejectt1A|council of God against themselves."But ye, bxethrexgnre not indarkness, (ignomntofthe revelationofGod,)thn¢ thatdnyllullovoxtake youas a thief? Jas.

LECTURE V._-;__...._REV. xiii. 18.Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the numberof the beast; for it is thc number ofa man; and his munberls six hundred lhrecscore and six.Tnxs text has caused as much speculation as anytext in the whole Bible; rivers of ink have been shedto explain its meaning, brains have been addled intrying to find some great which the wisdom ofthis world, mystery as was supposed, cou d only discover; and intryinv to be wise above what was written, men havelost their balance, and fell into absurdities too ridiculousto mention. Some have searched through all the vocabularyof Greek names, to find one whose numericalletters would make the number 666, and they,have beenwonderfully blest, forthey found a number; but hereagain there remained ailiiculty to surmount, whichrequired as much ingenuitas the former; but toremedy the evil, every Greel¥ scholar chose the one hisiixncy dictated, wrote his book on the number 666, andthen died, and his wonderiixl name died with him; forevery wise Greek had his own favorite name. Also, theLatin book-wonns, not wishinfr to be outdone by theirGreek brethren, rummaged all the old goatskin parchmentsand musty books in the cloisters of all the monksin Christendom; and behold, a much yeater harvest wasthe fruit of their labor; for now every Latinus had threeor more names to his share; and in all this wisdom, allother nations were left without any wisdom, except

CBB!Sf! IICOID 'COMINGWwhat they borrowed from their neighbors, the leamedGreeks and Latina. But Ihope, my dear bearers, thatyou have learned that if there is anmystery of God notexplained by the Bible, it is not fiir us to understand.Therefore, in treating upon this subject, I shall endeavortn present the Scripture on the point, and thenleave you tojudge whether we have lightor not.I. Show what wisdom this is spoken of in the text.II. Speak of the beast numbered, and show whatbeast.III. The number, and what we may understand by it.I. The wisdom spoken of in the text. -lst. Is it the wisdom of men, or of this world P Ianswer, No. For Paul says, lCor. ii. 4, 13, "And myspeech and my preaching was not with enticing wordsof man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit andof power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdomof man, _but in the power of God. Howbeit wespeakwisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdomof this world; nor of the princes of this world, thatcome to nought. But wespeak the wisdom of God in amystery,even the hidden wisdom which God ordainedbefore the world unto our glory." Now, if Paul wouldnot preach the wisdom of men or the world, surely theangel would not instruct John to use the wisdom ofman or of this world, "for the wisdom of this world isibolishuess with God," 1 Cor. iii. 19. And if Paul saidour faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, neitherwould John have given any thing that dependedon thewisdom of men for a foundation of our faith. But Paulhas taught us what true wisdom is, by saying, " Christ,the power of God, and the wisdom of God ;""But Godhath revealed them unto usbf his Spirit, for the Spiritsearcheth all things, yea, the eep thingsof God." AndPaul tells us how we may exercise this wisdom, 1 Cor.ii. 13, "Which things also we speak, not inthe wordswhich man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghostteacheth;comparing* spiritual things with spiritual."Here, then, my dear carer, is secret of wis~dom,thenireat to compare spiritual things w' spiritual; and thenvshavetllB7rl:ind and will afthe,Spirit¢and shall not be

'~78 Lacruaav._very lihble to err. 'Let us, then, follow this rule whilewetry to explain.ll. The beast numbered in the text. And,lst. Let us inquire what beast it is. I answer, It isthe first beast. See our context, 12th "verse, And heexerciseth all the power of the _first bars! before -him;"that is, the beast which John saw come up out ot' thesea, (the Roman government) havingseven heads andten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon hishead the name of blasphemy; and the beast which I sawwas like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feetof a bear, and his mouth as the mouth ofa lion; and theDragon gave him his power, and his seat, and greatauthority." 'By this beast, I understand the same asDaniel's fourth kingdom, the Roman government; by" names of blasphemy," I understand a mode of worshipwhich would be idolatrous orblasphemous; by thedragon, we must understand the civil power ofthe samegovernment giving its power to the ecclesiastical beast,whether Pagan or Papal. 3d verse, 'Andl saw oneof his heads, (of blasphemy, Pagan) as it were, woundedto death; and his deadly wound was healed, (by thesubstitution of the Papal lasphemous head ;) and all theworld wondered alter the beast."John then goeson to describe the civil power of thisRoman ovemment under this last head, and shows thelength ofgtime they would exercise this last power- " for.months"-which is the some as Daniel'sty-two time,times, and a half, or John?s 1260 days, mentioned Rev.xi. 3, xii.6. His power to make war and overcome thesainm is foretold. In the tenth verse he shows us howthis civil power should be destroyed, by captivity andthesword ; and this was fulfilled in 1798, when the pewas carried acaptive into France., and the states ofwereEllyconquered by the sword of the French army. Inthe 11th verse he gives us a discovery ofthe same beastin his ecclesiastical Pagan Rome in the firstbeast, tpower;and Papacy in e image beast; and it will be evidentto any one who will examine the chapter carefully,that .lohn was not commanded to number the imageboast-for the civil power oflthat beast was befores

`ca|us1~'ssscomi eoinno.'79numbered in the 5th verse,--but the beast which existedbefore him, which the Papal ecclesiastical beast is animage ol; or Daniel's daily sacrifice abomination, (Dun.xii.l|,) the one which Paul said, "he who now lettethwill let, until he be taken ont ofthe way."In this passa e it is evident the apostle alludes to thesame power, algiough he calls it the " working of Satan."John also gives n similar description in Rev. xii. 9,"And the dragon was cast out, that old serpent, calledthe Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:he was cast out into the earth, and his angelswere castout with him." But I have another evidence that thebeast numbered wasPagan Rome, and I think it mustbe conclusive testimony, in Rev. xvii. 3. In this chapterone ofthe sevenangels that had the seven vials came toinstruct John, and to show him "the judgment of thegreat whore with whom the kings of the earth had committedfomication, and the inhabitants ofthe earth havebeen made drunk with the wine ol' her foruication.""So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness,and I saw a woman sit upona scarlet-colored beast,full of names of blasphemy, havingseven heads and tenhorns."Here the same idolatmus beaatyhavingseven headsand ten horns, is described; the womansitting uponthis bead is the same as Daniel's little hom whic cameup among the ten horns, and shows plainly that it wasthat part of Roman power which was prior to the woman,and was of course called the _first beast. When Johnsaw this woman on the scarlet-colored beast, he wonderedwith great admiration, and says, Rev. xvii.7, "And theanvel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? Iwifi tell thee the mystery of the woman and of the beadthat carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and tenhorns. The bead that thou sawest was, and is not; andshall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition,and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder,whose names were not written in the book of life fromthe foundation of the world, when they behold the beau!that was, and is not, and yet is." "That was," PaganRome before John saw his vision, "and is sot," yet is

N aacruas v. . .spirit, ltslsststageof forPapal Rome, "andyetis," inthe sameapal Rome is but an image of Paganism, Blsays the Apostle, 2 Thess. ii.6, 7,"And now ye knowwhat withholdeth, that he may be revealed in his time,for themysterz of iniquity doth already work." And, 1John ii. 18, " ittle children, it is the last time, and asye have heard that anti-Christ shall come, even now arethere many anti-Christs, wherebywe know it is the lasttime." And again, Rev. xvii. 9, " And here is the mind"which hath wisdom ; evidently referrin John rightback to our text, "Here is wisdom; let that hathunderstanding," the same as mind in the above quotation."The seven heads are seven mountains on which theWoman sitteth, and there are seven kings; five are fallen,one is, and the other is not yet come; and when hecometh, he must continue a short space, and the beastthat was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of theseven, and goeth into perdition." These texts explainthe whole matter; for it is evident that the beast herealluded to was the seven-headed monster who was thenin existence when John wrote, for live of its executiveforms of government (of which kings and mountains areii ures) had fallen. Republican Rome had five diH`erentoéces under that particular form of govemment-hersemdonkxl, tribunals, consular, decemvir, and triumvirale.These were fallen. One is, was when John wroteélthat his prophecy,)Imperi1l, and e other had notwhich lvetHaag? come,is the same as the ten horns. or when_theestern Empire fell, Rome was divided into tenkingdoms, "And the ten horns which thou sawest areten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; butreceive poweraskingsone hour with the beast." Thwehave one mind, (that is, were all converted to the Catholicfaith,) and shall give their power and strength untothe beast, Papal Rome. "These shall make war withthe Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he isof ki ;and they that are with`°,of lords and King_are called, and chosen, annlgiaithfuh"And although1 beast, whatever form it may assume, whether'Or Papal, may for a seasontyrannize over andtrample on the followers of Christ, through the sgeno]

cnars1~'| :mmm counts. 8)ofthe evil power of empire; kingdoms, states, orrepublics,yet He who rules over all, will, in the end, destroyall these powers, and himself reign King of kings andLord over all. "And the ten homs which thou sawestupon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shallmake her desolate and naked, and cut her flesh, and burnher with fire."This text has been literally accomplished within a fewyears; and those kingdoms which were ofthe ten, kingdomswhich first gave power to the beast, have of latepersecuted and destroyed her, who is the abominationofthe whole earth. Vi/itness the transactions of GreatBritain, France, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Naples, andTuscany, the Seven Kingdoms which were not pluckedup by the little horn; each of these nations have in theirturn resisted the -power and pretensions of the Pope ofRome, until his civil authority is reduced to a cipher inall these kingdoms. "For God hath inputtheir heartsto fulfil his will, and to agree and givetheir ki domunto the beast, until the words oi' God shall be t`ulii%e¢L"Then must the Papal beast, the image of Paganism, benumbered and finished, and like aweighty millgstunesunk' in the deep, he must with the Pagan beast sinkforever and ever.Thus we see the two beasts, although supported lay thelamepower, "the great red dragonor Roman om,"exercising the same authorityover the bodies an soulsof men, partaking of the same spirit of Satan, made likeeach other, one bein but an image of the other, havin-the same names of blasphemy on their heads, and bothhaving, at the close of their times, the same ben horns,and both have, and are to have, their civil powerdestroyed by the same ten horns. Yet we see them keptseparate and distinct. Pagan Rome must reign histime, and then the ten homs, or kings, would take awaythe "daily sacritice abomination," and in his steadthe "abomination that maketh desoplace ate." The lastabomination was numbered in the same chapter whereour text is found, "forty and two months." And whynot usgive the number ofthe first beast? He has:*Let him that hath understanding count the number of

ucfruuI!.v.the beast; foritisthenumberofamsn; and his numberis six hundred threescore and six." This brings usto our next proposition.III. To show what we may understand by the numbering of the beast. And,lst. What may we rmderstand by numbering anything ofthis kind in Scripture? For the Scripture mustbe ourguide,as we have before said.I answer, lt is to count, to finish, or to destroy, whenused in afigurative sense, or in prophetic Scripture,as inIsa. xxii. 10,"And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem,and the houses have ye broken down to fortifythe wall." They were accused by the prophet of destroyinghouses, by numbering them or counting themfor destruction. Also see .lsa.1xv. 12, "Therefore willI number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down tothe slaughter." Here again it is used in the same sense:I will reckon or count'you to the sword. Again, Dan.v. 25, 26, " And this is ehand-writingthat was written:Mans, Hana, 'rzxl:r., Urrunsm. Thxsisthe interpretationof t.he thing: sn-amz, God hath numbered thy kingdomand hath finished it." .»As, therefore, the idolatrous and blasphemous kingdomof Babylon was numbered and nnished by God,whose decree wasconveyed by the hand-writing-on thewall to the knowledge of Daniel and others, so wasJohn commanded, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,to write in this last book of prophecy, the lxmr, 'rnlu=:L,of this last idolatrous Pagan beast. "Here is wisdom."Let a wise Daniel, or him that hath the wisdom ofGod like a Daniel, or " let him that hath understanding "in the word of God, or him that will compare scripturewith scripture, "count the number of the beast,"or the number of his name.Let us inquire what is the name of this beast. Hisname isblasézhemy, because he causes all, bothhigg andlow, rich anpoor, bond and free, toworship stoc andstones, idols of gold, and silver, and wood, at can neithersee, hear, nor talk. See the lst verse of our context," and upon his head the name of blasphemy," whichteaches us what the name of this beast is, and shows us

'cnars'r'|ueonn ¢0ll110»88that we are to count, or reckon, how lonbefore theblasphemies of this Pagan power will be iiiiished; "forit is the number ,of a man." And what, you may inquire,is the number of a man? I answer again, We must applyto God's word " the number of a man."Moses says, Exodus xxiii. 26, "The number ofthlydays I will fulfil." Job, speaking of man, says, xiv. o,"Seeing his days are determined, the number of hismonths is with ee, thou hast appointed his bounds thathe cannot pass." David says, Ps. xc.12, " So teach usto number ourdays, that we may applyour hearts untowisdom." Therefore, we may reasonably conclude thatthe " number of a man" is the number of his days; andthe Scriptures often speak of man in connection with histime of sojourn on the earth, calling it days; as, " few andevil have been the dey; of my pilgrimage ;" " died, beingold and full of days; '"length of da_ s is in her righthand ; " "all the days of thy life ;" "lywill wait all thedays of my appointed time until my change come." Ifthis is the understanding of this part of our text, which Icannot see any reason to doubt, then our text has thisHere is need qf spiritualplain meanini.wisdom. Letrm that ha understnnding count the number of hisdays; for his days are numbered as a man's; they aresix hundred threescore and six. This power (RomeIfagan) would be taken away when his six hundred andsixty-six prophetic days should end; and this brings usto show when those days began, and of course whenthey ended.They must have begun when the Jewish rites andceremonies were in being; for this was the sole objectof Paganism, to counteract the Jewish rituals and drawthe Jewish worshippers into idolatry, and to blend theheathen rites with theirs. They must have begun beforeChrist was born, for the great red dragon havingseven heads and ten homs was tostand before the woman,(the Jewish Church,) ready to devour the man child asloon as it was born. They could not have beiun beforethey became connected with the Jews, for e reasonthat no nation is prophesied oi; or noticed in- the prophlsles,except they are somehow connected with tho

'»macros:Sluf.people uf God ; and for the very reason that this beastwas to trend down the Jews, and finally, by cunning, deceit,and intrigue, destroy the city and nation of the Jews,then I think the fairest conclusion is, that when they becameconnected with the Jews by league,and when theyhad conquered 'Daniel's third kinudom, the Grecian.Then, and not until then, had the flomans any part inthis prophecy. This agrees with the angel's statement,Dan. xi. 23, " After the league made with him, (that is,Rnmans,) he shall work deceitfully, and become strongwith a small (republican) people." This league wasmade between the Romans and the Jews, ratified andcarried into efect when the Greeks under Bachides leftbesieging Jerusalem, upon the command of the Romans,and, as Josephus and Maccabees tell us, never returnedto trouble them(the Jews) any more. This league,then, took efl`ect vhen the third kingdom in Daniel'svision ceased harassing the Jews, and the fourth kingdombegan its rule over the Jews and the world. Thiswas in the year B. C. 158. Let those who wish to besatisfied of' the correctness of' the foregoing statementsread the 8th and 9th chapters of the lst Maccabees,and Josephus, B. XII. chapter x. sec. 6, of his Antiquities.Then, if this be correct, that Pagan Rome began hispower in the year B. C. 158, and was to continue 666years, when would Paganism fall in the Roman kingdom,and the " daily sacrifice abomination " be taken out of'the wayto make room for the abomination of desolation?I answer, Take 158 from 666 and you will have 508.Then in the ear A. D. 508 Paganism ceased.What is the history of that time ? I answer, thatabout the year A. D. 476 the Westem Empire of' Romecrumbled topieces, and the Pagan nations of the north,crossing the Rhine and the Danube, established tenkingdoms in what was considered the WesternFrance was the principal kingdom of the ten. Empire. T sekingdoms were all governed by Pagan kings; and historyinfomis ns that in the city of' Rome and other placesin the empire these Pagan conquerors sacrificed men,women, and children to their supposed deities; andthat in the year 496 Clovis king of France was converted

cnms'r's sncoim comme. 85and baptized into the Christian faith; and that the remainderof these kings embraced the ofreligionChristshortly after, the last of which was Christianized in theyear 508, and oi' coursePaganism ceased, having lostits head by the power of the sword, or kings who wieldthe sword. Here, then, was the accomplishment of twoimportant prophecies -the dail sacritice abominationtaken out of the way, and the {'agan beast receivingits deadly wound bly a sword; since which time we haveno account of any agan rites or sacrifices being offeredwithin the bounds of ancient Rome. How exactly hasthe word of God been accomplished! How just andtrue are all the ways ofthe God of heaven! And howblind are mortals that they cannot see their own destinyin the rise and fall of' others ! I am astonished sometimeswhen I reflect on the simple truths of the word of God,the exact fulfilment of thethat more do notprzihecies, believe, and turn to Grepgnt,I

-TinsLECTURE VI.DANIEL x. 14.Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thypeople in the latter days; for yet the vision is for many days.is the third time the angel Gabriel came to instructDaniel. The iirst time was when Daniel had thevision of the he-goat, Daniel viii. 16. This was 553years before Christ. The second time he came waswhen Daniel waspraying forthe deliverance of his peoplefrom their Babylonish captivity, fifteen years alterthe iirst visit, when he instructed him into the seventyweeks, and crucifixion of the Messiah. Now he hascome in the third year of Cyrus the Persian, in the 534B. C., 21 years after Daniel had his vision of the fourbeasts, nineteen after the he-goat, and four years afterthe seventy weeks' instruction.After informing Daniel his purpose, as in ourtext,and making some prelimin observations conceminghe be-the virion in the remainderliiiythe tenth chapter,gins his teachitggs to Daniel, and through him to us,with the iirst o the llth chapter. lst verse, he tellswho he, the heavenly messenger, is-the same whoconfirmed Daniel in the seventy weeks. See Danielix. 1, 21. And in the second verse he begins with the(iith king of Persia, the ve same king who issued thedecree to Ezra to go up anldlbuild the walls oi' Jerusalem,which began our seventy weeks, Daniel ix. 25;Ezra vii. 1-14. For the first ersian kingwas then onof thothe throne, Daniel x. 1, which was the third year

cuus'r's slcoxm comme. 87reign of Cyrus, king of Persia. This was the samegyrus who was general and son-in-law to Darius theede, that conquered Babylon. Besides whom " thereshould be yet three kings," which three kings wereArtaxerxes, Darius, and Ahasuems, as theyare namedinSee Ezra, iv. v. and vi. I amaware Scripiure. t history chagters.has named four wherecrigture hasonly named three. History names, I, Cam yses; 2,Smerdis, same as Artaxerxee above named in3, Darius, Sc§?Jture;son of Hystaspes, same as above; 4, erxes,same asScripture calls Ahasuerus. Why the Scrigture amdid not nameCambyses, if there was such a king,not able to tell, unless his reign was so short (which allhistorians eein) that he had no hand in building orhinderingili; building of the temple at Jerusalem, asthe other three kings had, which Ezra has named. Butas Gabriel did not come to tell Daniel any thing whichwas not "noted in the Scripture of truth," (see Danielx. 21,"But I will show thee that which is noted in theScripture of truth,") therefore the of ourtext now under examination will be this language -" here shallstand up yet three kings in Persia, (notedin the Scriptureof truth,) and the fourth shall he far richer than theyall," &c. This fourth king was Artaxerxes Longimanus,and is the sameking noted in Ezra vii., and the first andonly king of Persia " noted in thewho evergave a decree to rebuild the wallsScrigtures," an streets of .Ternsalem,especially in troublous times. We may thereforereasonably and conclusivelydetermine that the messengerGabriel begins his instruction with this king'sreign, the 5th king noted in Scripture. And if so, wehave another strong and forcible evidence that Daniel'svision of the ram and he-goat began with the seventyweeks, 457 years before the birth of Christ, and 490ears, or 70 prophetic weeks, before his death, Dan. xi.g, 4. We have the plain history of Alexander, the couuerorof the world, his death, and division ofthe kingdominto four great empires. Hear what Gabriel saysof him more than 200 years before the event happened,and learn, ye skeptics, the evidence that this prophecyis of divine origin. "And amighty king shall stand up

--`gyptS8ncrnu vx.according itthat shall rule with great dominion, and dohis wilL And when he shall stand np, his king omshall be broken, and shall be divided toward the fourwinds of heaven, and not to his posterity, nor BOC0'di3to his dominion which he ruled; for his kingdom shbe plucked up, even for others besides those," (that is,his posterity.)Need I, then, tell my bearers that history tells us thatAlexander conquered the then known world in about sixears, and that he died 323 years B. C. at Babylon;his thatkin dom was divided among hisgreatestienerals,from which division arose four great kingdoms, `gypt inthe south, Persia in the east, Syria in the north, andMacedonia in the west, which kingdoms lasted untilconquered by the Romans ? Between the years 190 and30 B. C. nearly all these kingdoms became Roman provinces.From Daniel xi. 5, 13, inclusive, we have aprophecy of the two principal kingdoms out of these fourand Syria; and any one who may have the curiosityto see the exact eement between the prophecyand history, can read R;§in's Ancient History, where hehas not only given us the history, but applied this proph~ecy. And as lsee no reason to disagree from him in hisapplication of these texts, I shall, therefore, for brevity'|I8 e, pass over these texts, and examine the text, Dan. xi.14, " And in those times there shall many stand up againstthe king of the south; also, the robbers of th peopleshall exalt themselves to establish the vision; hut theyshall fs ll." The king of the south, in this verse, withoutany doubt, means king of Egypt; but what the robbers¥`tIq/_people means remains yet a doubt perhapstu some.it ishat it cannot mean Antiochus, or any king of Syria,plain ; for the angel had been talking about that nation fora number of verses previous, and nowsays, "also therobbers of thy people," &c., evidently implying someother nation. I will admit that Antiochus did perhapsrob the Jews; but how could this "establish the vision,"ei Antiochus is not spoken of any where in the vision asperforming any act of that kind; for he belonged to whatas called the Grecian kingdom in the einem. Again, "toulablish the vision," must mean to make sure, complete,or fulfil the same. And if it cannot be shown that the

, __Egypt,,andcuus'r's neon comms. 89Grecian kingdom was to rob the people of God, 1 thinkit must mean some other nation which would ,do theseacts, to which every word will apply. And to this weneed not be at a loss; for at this very time of which theangel is spealdng, Rome, the least kingdom in Daniel'svision, did exalt itselt§ and this kingdom did have the verymarks in the vision, and in the events following. Thiskingdom was to have great iron teeth; it was to break inpieces, and stamp the residue with the feet of it. Thevision also "says, He shall destroy wonderfully, andshall prosper and practise, and shall destroy theand holy people, and that he should magnify mighg himsel ,&c., the same as exalt himself, Daniel vii. 7, 23; viii.10-12 24, 25 verses. And it cannot be denied but thatthe Jews have been robbed of their city and sanctuaryby the Romans, and the Christian church has been persecutedand robbed by this dreadful beast, the Romankingdom. It is evident too that when this kingdom falls,the vision will be completed, fulfilled, established: "butthey shall Ball," says the angel in the verse under ourpresent examination; "they shall fa-ll ;" that is, the tenhorns in_this fourth kingdom, when the vision is fulfilledor established, and when the stone cut out of the mountainwithout hands shall grind them to powder. We"will fake the 15th, "So the king of the north (Romeis now the king ofthe north, because they had conqueredthe and had become masters of thecountriesMacedonianWm, north east before they attacked Egypt)"shall _come and cast up a mount, and take Qie mostfenced cities.; and the arms of the south shall not withstand,neither his chosen people, neither shall there beany sqehgth to withstand." This was about fifty yearsbefore Christ, when Pompey, a Romangeneral, con-and made that kingdom tri utary to theafterwards entered Jerusalem, and madethem sub' ts of the Roman govemment. See verses16 ;nd'17{°'?But he that cometh against him " (PompeyEgypt) "shalldo accordingto his ownjill, and none shall stead: before him, and he shall stand'legionsland 'w li by his hand shall be cp;Ikéshallalsosethisfacetosnterwith

90 Lscrnas vr.strength of his whole kingdom, and uprightones withhim," (or men of equal conditions, as it might have beenrendered.) The Roman army, of which Pompey had thecommand, when he went into E pt and Palestine, werecomposed of the som of all tiye citizens ofRome, who were, according to the principal aws of the republic,to serveteizlyears in the service of their country beforethey were mitted to receive the high ollices whichthey afterwards be candidates for. This accountsfor the mightangusge just read in the text -" upright oneswith him." And "thus shall he do: he shallive himthe dau hter of woman, corrupting her; but s e shallnot stand on his side nor be tbr him." When Pompeyvent intoEgypt, he ibund that country divided betweenPtolemy an Cleopatra. Pompey, utter he had madethem tributary to the Romans, compelled them to settletheir diiferences by marriage. Afterwards,-when JuliusCaesar cameagainst Pompey with his western veterans,with whom he had conquered the west pan: of Europe,and in the battle fought between these two contendingrivals,command Pompedy; ofCleodpatraand Julius Cesar,had thee Egyptian Beet on the si e of Pompey;but in the midst of the action she deserted over to Caesarwith her whole fleet, which tumed the fortune of theday in favor of Julius Cmsar. Pompey then fled intothe Grecian isles, where he compelled many of them todeclare in his favor. But Cesar soon followed him, andnt the battle of Phar-salia completely deibatedwho was slain by Pompey,a band of pirates or robbers. hispart we have in the 18th verse, 'After this shall he(Pompey) turn his face unto the isles, and shall takemany; but a prince for his own belialf shallcause the reproach glaasarg o ered y him (Pom£ley)to cease;without his own(Cesar) reproach he sh cause it totum upon him,f(Pompey z) 19th verse, " Then he (Cesar)shall turn his ace towards the fort of his own land;but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found." Thehistory of Caasar's death is familiar to every school-boy.Alter he had conquered Pompey, he retumed to Rome,entered the city in triumph, and a few days after, whenharms aboutto be crowned Emperor, he was slain in

,cnus'r's sncosn cormre. 91the senate-house, before Pompey's pillar, by his owniiiends; "he stumbled and fell, and was not found."20th "verse, Then shall stand up in his estate a raiserbut within I fewof taxes, in the glory of the kingdom;days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger nor inbattle." This verse describes Octavius Cuar, who tinttaxed the Roman provinces, Judea being taxed (seeLuke ii. 1, 5) when our Savior was bom; but OctsviusCesar, afterwards called Augustus Cesar, was notslain like his uncle Julius, nor like his successors; butin his bed. 21st and 22d verses, " Andin his estate shall stand upa vile person, to whomshall not give TEHthe honor of the kingdom; but he scome in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by Batteries.And with the arms of a flood shall they be overthrownfrom before him, and shall be broken; yea, also, theprince of the covenant." In these two verses we havethe history of Tiberius Caesar, who was the successor ofOctavius Cesar in the Roman empire; and was one ofthe most vile, profligate, bloody tyrants that ever satupon the Roman throne.usHistory gives the samedied peaceablyaccount, that he obtained by Batteries the kingdom, andafterwards ruled it by tyranny. He also assumed thename of Augustus. In his reign Christ was crucified,"the Prince oi' the covenant was broken." Here endsthe history of the seventy weeks. This prophetic histnrybeing divided into four divisions, the first part isthe ,history of the seventy weeks, to which we have beenattending, which began in the seventh year ot' Amxerxes'reign, and. ended in the 22d year of TiberiusCessr's,bemélfour hundred and ninety years ; the secondpwt will c history of Pagan Rome, which beginswith the first league made between the Romans and theIM!!-, and will carry us down six hundred and sixty.six~_But You will likewise observe that the angel goesbask and begins this history with the league. 22d verse,*And _alter this league made. withhim he shall workdsssitfiillys he shall come up, and shall become strongYlfflys smallleagueogg"us in tg plane inquire, Between whom istlbmade ? The Romans must be one of the contract.-

And92 Lacruu vi.:ing parties, from the fact that the angel isthat govemment before and atterwards, andaboutat thefourth or Roman kingdom was to work deceitfully, " andthrough his policgslso he shall cause craft to prosper inhis hand." See aniel viii. 25. And also from the circumstanceof their being a small or republican people atfirst, Rome, too, was small in territory at this time, althoughmany nations and kingdoms were tributary untothem; but who was the other contracting party in thisleague? I answer, It must have been somepeople whomthe angel had in view; and he, Daniel, had the same inview, or he would have given some mark by which Danielor the reader could have come to a `ust conclusion.Yes, this was the case; for he had told Daniel in thevery outset, " Now I am come to make thee understandwhat shall befall thy gopk in the latter days." See ourtext. This, then, is ekey that unlocks the whole subiect,and explains two important points in the vision.irst, it teaches who are the subjects of this vision ; and,secondly, when and how the Roman kingdom becameconnected with the minion. If I am thus far correct, thenthe angel has reference to the league made with the Romans158 years B. C., when the Grecian Bachideswithdrew his army from before Jerus"generalem, and neverreturned to vex the Jews any more, as says 1 Maccabeesix. 72. For the histo of this youcan read 1Maccabees viii. and rgosephus leagge, B. II. chap.x. sec. 6.This leaguewas the first ever made between the Romansand the Jews, according to Josephus. It took effect158 years B. C., when the Grecian at thekingdom,command of the Romans, ceased to trouble e Jews, andthe Romans began to work deceitfully. Then began thePaar; beast to exercise his influence over the peopleof . now let us pursue his history as given bythe angel Gabriel, 24th verse, "He shall enter peaceably,even utgin the fattest places of the province '; 'andhe shall do t which his fathers have not done, nor hisfathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey,and spoil, and riches; yea, he shall forecast his devicesagainst the strong holds even for a time." This verse

1cnarsfa slcoim conmrs.Misstruehistoryofthe rise of the Romsnpovrer; theydid scatter the prey and spoil among the provinces, andconquered more nations muniiicence and benevolencein the outset, I:-yltheir nby their arms or battles.Rome boughtmore nations b riches and intrigue thanshe conquered in alia war; and compelled the Jews tosubmit for about two centuries to that which no nationbefore had been able ever to do, viz.,to be ruled b kings,governors, and high Lpriests, appointed by the livomans,s.nd not chosen by emselves. 25th verse, "And heshall stir np his power and his courage against the kingof the south with agreatarm ; and the king of thesouth shall be stirred up to battlza with avery andmighty army;but he shall not stand; for 'great ey shallforecast devices against him." This is a description ofthe war in Egypt, under the government of Mark Antonyand Octavius Caesar. "Yea, they that feed of the portionof his meat shall destroy him, and his army shalloverflow, and many shall fall down slain." When Antonywent into Evypt with a great army, Cleopatra, thenqueen of Egypt, deserted her husband's standard, as shehad before ompey's, and went over to Mark Antonywith all the forces she could command, by which meansEgypt became an easy prey to the Romans;so that apart of the Egyptian amiy, that fed of the portion of theing's meat, were the means of destroying the kingdom."And both of these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief;and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall notrosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed."rlhese two kings are Antony and Octavius, their charactersagreeing vvith the description given in this passage;history agreeing that they ruled over the Romansfor a seasonjointly, and that theywere both of themgreat deceivers and liars. History also informs us thatafter Antony had conquered Egypt, he and Octaviusquarrelled; Octavius Caesar declared war against Antony,marched an army towards Egypt, and at the battleof Actium detected Antony and Cleopatrzfs forces,afterwards took Alexandria in Egypt, and Antony andCleopatra put themselves to death, and Egypt becomess Roman province. This wasthirty years before the

Lzcruu94ivr.birth ofChrist. 28,"Thenshallheretumintohis landwith great riches; and his heart shall be against theholy covenant; and he shall do exploits and return tohis own land." Then Octavius retumed to Rome.And the next exploit that this fourth would dowould be against the holy kingldom covenant. hey, by theirauthority, crucified our Savior, persecuted the saints,and destroyed Jerusalem; and this fills up the acts ofthisPagpn history until towards the close of the of the agan reignbeast. 29, " At the time appointed,eshall retum, and come toward the south; but it shall notbe as the former, or as the latter." The time appointedmust mean the length of the reign of this beast, whosehistory the angel is nowgiving, which l have shown, ina former lecture, is 666 "He shall return, andyears.come towards the south, 'not as the former or latter.Not as the Romans going into Egypt, the latter; northe Syriaus going into Egypt, as the former; but Italymust now take her turn to be overrun by the northernbarbarians. Therefore the angel says, in the next verse,lee30,( " For the ships of Chittim shall come againsthim;") the meaning of which is, that the Huns, whichlived on the north othe Adriatic Sea, the place whereit wasanciently called Chittim,under their leader Attila,(surnamed the Scourge of God,) should ravagirthe RomanThis was hxliilled 447 yearsa Christ."There ore he shall begrieved and return., and have indignationagainst the ho y covenant; so shall he do; heshall return, and have intelligence with them that forsakethe holy covenant."About the time that Attila ravaged the Roman empire,Christians conceived it to be a judgment of God uponthe Romans for theiridolat;-ly and wickedness, retirsedto bear arms in favor of the oman emperors, which ledto a bloody persecution of Christians, and a renewal ofPagan rites and sacrifices, which had been'partially suspendedduring the reign of Constantine ansucceedingemperors, in the case of Julian the"And armsexpsplts stand on Aipostate.his part," that is, the orce ofthe empire would be on the side of Pagnism "Andthey shall pollute the sanctuary of suength."They, in

thiscnnts'r's slcoim comics. 95e, mean the governments or kings, establishedon tlhzsstgpll of the Roman empire in the west, by theHuns, Goths and Vandals ofthe north. " By sanctuary ofstrength," is meant Rome. And it is said that at thetime that ,Rome was taken, men, women, and childrenwere sacrificed to their Pagan deities. "And shalltake away the daily sacriiice. The ufel is giving usa history of what these kings would o, when Romeshould be divided into its ten toes, or when the ten hornsshould arise, which the el has heretoforeto mean ten kings, Daniel vii. 24. This is evi explained ent byhis using the plural pronoun instead of the singular, asbefore, or as he will following, when the little' horn obtainsthe power. To "take away the daily sacriice,"means to destroy Paganism out of the kin dom. Thiswas done by those ten kings Who now ruledg the Romanempire, and would for a little season, until they shouldgive their power to the' image beast. "And they shallplace the abomination that maketh desolate." They,meaning the ten kings, shall place, shall put in the roomorplace ofthe daily sacri/ke or Pagan beast which wouldnow receive its death wound by the sword, that is, by thecivil power of this fourth kingdom, under the reigningpower of these ten kings; for John tells us, Rev. xvii.]2,`l3, " And the ten horns which thou sawest are tenwhich have received no kingdomkm as yet; but| receive power askings one hour with the beast;these have one mind, (being all Pagans,) and shall givetheirpower and strength unto the beast ;" that is, to supportaganism. Now, this wasevidentl£ fulfilled; forother the fall of the Westem Empire, A. 476, and be~.£>re'A. D. 490, ten kings had risen upon the ruins, andforinedten separate kingdoms, the names of which Ihave beforegiven; they all being Pa ns, of coursethey supporte that form of worship, untifathey were convertedtothe Christian faith, which happened within thespace of twenty years, Clovis, the king of France, havingbeenconv andbaptized in the year A. D. 496. Bythe' year A. D. 508, e remainder of the kings werebrought over and embraced the Christian religion, whichcloses the history of the Pagan beast, whose number

Lacruan96 _vr.was 666; which,beggnning 158 years B. C., would endthe beast's reign A. 508, having reigned but a short.time, (one hour, says John,) with the ten kings. Wehave nowgone through with the angel Gabriel's secondpart of the history, as we promised.I shall now go on with the illustration of the thirdpart of his prophetic history, which is the history of theimage beast, the deadly wound healed, or what Danielcalls " the abomination that maketh desolate." Thisbeast would rule over the kings of the earth, and treadthe church of God under foot fort -two months, or time,times, anda halt, which is tweihe hundred and sixtyyears, in common time, or, as the l tells us in Danielxii. 11, from the taking away the gaily abomination toset up the abomination that maketh desolate, should bea thousand two hundred and ninety days, showing adifference of thirty years from the statement of theactual reign of the image beast and the other, which in~cludes all the time from taking away down through thesetting up or reign of the image beast Therefore, toreconcile these two statements, we must conclude therewere 30 years from A. D. 508, when Paganism ceased,before the image beast, or Papal Rome, would begin herreign. If this is correct, then the 1290 began 508, andwould end us in 1798. But the reign of Pa acy wouldnot be set up until A. D. 538, and would end) us in thesame year, A. D. 1798, being 1260. This, then, is thehistory the angel will giveus next. 32, "And such asdowickedly against the covenant shall be corrupted bilatterers; ut the people that do know their God shagbe strong, and do exploits." The ecclesiastical historianstell us that in thebeginning of the sixth century,about A. D. 538, a number of writers in that day undertookto prove that the Papal chair, together with corm~oils of his approval, were infallible, and their laws werebindin on the whole church. These writers werehighlyionored and flattered with promotion by the reign~ing powers; while on the other hand there were inanywho posed this power of the Pope and clergy, whowereodenounced as schismatics and Ariana, and drivenout of the kingdoms under the control of the Romislr

.cnars'r's ueosn course. UIchurch. 33, "And they that understand among thepeople shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by thesword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil manydays." Those who instructed the common andopposed people,the worshipping of images, the infalli ilityofthe Pope and councils, the canonizing of departed saints,were rsecuted by the civil power, (the sword,)burnedxliy wereorder of the ecclesiastical courts establishedby the laws of Justinian, emperor of Constantinople,whose code of laws, published about A. D. 534, gaveunto the bishop of Rome power to establish courts for thispurpose, and many in the sixth century and subsequent(period, "many days," suffered death, im-down to a lateanprisonment, confiscation of goods, inof a, difference of opinion consectuencein matters of religion,y thetyranny of this abomination, "the bloody city whic hasreigned over the kings of the earth." 34, "Now, whenthey shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help;but many shall cleave to them with ilatteries." Thistext"And theshall cleave toagrees with one in Revelation xii. 16,earth elped the woman." "But manythem ;" that is, manymen of the world would cleave tothem, and professed y would flatter the true people ofGod that they were friendly at least to them,these means Satan carried on his warsandhlzlyagainst the `c -dren of God. 35, " And some of them o understandingshall fall, to try them, and to pur e and to make themwhite, emi even to the time ot' the because it is yet fora time appointed." This verse shows us that even Christianswould be led into some of the errors of Papacy,and would be tried and purged,even to the end of thisimage beast's reign, which time is asappointed, I havealready shown, to e " time, times, and a halfi" |260 years,ending A. D. 1798. 36, "And the king shall do accord~ing to his will ; and he shall exalt himself andmsqnifyhimself above every god, and shall eak marve lousthings against the God of gods, and shash prospertill thebe accomplished, for that that is determinediaigfnauon be done." The ki here spoken of is the someis Daniel's little horn, hiich *came up among the teaburns. 'It itthat blasphemed the God ofth; same

LxcruuTheW-vr.heaven. It ,is mystical Babylon. Isa. xiv. 12-15;Rev. xiii. 5, 6. same Paul has described in hisIEpistle, 2Thess. ii. 1-9; the sameimage beast whichwe have been examining the history of; and onethingis evident, that this beast will continue until the daythat God pours out his indignation upon aguilty worldin some form or other. 37, "Neither shal he regardthe God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regardany god; for he shall magnify himself above all."n this passage we have a plain description of Papacy;they do not worship the samegods the Pagans did-"their fathers." And their clergyare forbidden tomarry; the Pope calls himself the vicegerent of God, orGod on earth, havingthe keys of heaven, &,c. 38, " Butin his estate shall he honor the god of forces ; and agodwhom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold,andsilver, and precious stones, and pleasant things."It-is true that the Pope, fhr ages past., has had largearmies at his command, and always a body-guard to attendhim in his capital; also, that they adorn theirpictures with gold, and silver, andtprecious stones, andpleasant things, and that the gods ey such asthe images worshg of Christ, apostles, and Virgin ary, andcanouized saints, were not known to Pagan worshippers.39, "Thus shall he do in the most strong holdswith a strange god whom he shall acknowledge and increasewith glory; and he shall cause them to rule overmany, and shall divide the land for gain."These patron saints, which the Po e divided amongthe several nations of the earth, and) in almost everyfamily, each one having their patron saint to rule overthem, by the appointment of the Pope, were strange godsindeed; and rational beings might truly wonder whenthey beheld the power of this last abomination over theminds and judgments of mankind. And then, again, toaee the number of kingdoms, provinces, states, and territories,which the Pope has sold to enrich his coders,without any morerightor title to them than we have tothe land in the moon, must convince every one that thedescription given must apply to the church of Rome or

canrs'r's sncoxn comme. Wthe Pope, who claims to exercise this great authority byhis crazy_title to St. Peter's chair.We have now arrived tu the end of Aho third divisionof the angel's history; for the next verse tells us, "andat the time Q/'thc end," meaning the end of his power, totread on the church by his civil authorit , or reign overthe kings oi' the earth, and to dispose oiy lands for gainI have brought you down, my kind heurer, through along prophetic history of more than 2200 years, andlanded you to the year A. D. 1798, when the Pope ofRome lost his civil power. ln the beginning of theear 1798, on the 15th of February, a. French general,lierthier, entered Rome with a French army withoutresistance, deposed the Pope, abolished the Papal government,and erected the republic of Italy. The Pope,being taken prisoner, was carried a.prisoner by themfirst to Sienna in Tuscany, from thence to Florence,afterwards to Grenoble, and then to Valence, in France,where he died on the 19th of August, 1799, since whichtime the Pope of Rome has exercised no more of hisfomier power over any of the kings in Europe,or theProtestant church. We shall now close our lecture onthis history for the present, reservin the remainder ofGabriel's interesting history for anogher lecture.

LECTURE VII.,iiiDANIEL xii. 8.And I heard, but I understood not: then said I 0 my Lord,what shall be the end of these thmgslPnsvrous to Danicl's asking the question containedin our text, he had been tau ht., as we have seen in ourformer lecture, not only the iistory of future events asthey would succeed each other down to the end of theworld, but he had the regular order of time speci-Hed in the duration of the little horn, " time, times, amd ahalf/Q" as in Daniel vii. 25, and xii. 7. But he had beenin ormed of many events which shouldUBIIBXIYG afterhis "tim¢, times, and a halg" should be iinishe andnot,having the length of the agan beast., or daily abomination,given to him at all, he could not tell or understandwhereabouts in his grand number of 2300 days, 111°end of the civil power of the little horn, or Papal Rome,carried him: there was no rule `ven Daniel yet bywhich he could tell when or how Icing after the cruci-Sxion of the Messiah before the daily sacrifice abominationwould he taken out of the way, and the power ofthe little horn be established, and the abomination ofdesolation set. up. Be sure, Daniel had heard the wholehisto? down to the resurrection, and had the whole visionspeci ed in his 2300 days. But as he saw there wereevidently three divisions of the time after the crucifixionor cutting od' of the Messiah at the fulfilmentof his490 years,or 70 weeks, down to the end of his 1810years, which would he the remainder of his total numberof 2300 years,-alter his 70 weeks should be fixliilled

cmusrs sncosn comms.l0iand having only 1260 of those years accounted for bythe reign of his little horn, leaving live hundred andfifty years to be applied on the Pagan beast, and for thoevents which we are to attend to alter the Papal beastlost his civil power,-therefore the pro 'et of Daniel°ssaying in our text, " Then I heard, but iniinmiiarstood not."He understood not how this time was divided, and especially,how much time would be taken up in the lastdivision of the ange1's history, beginning with the 40thverse of the llth chapter, where our last lecture ended,and finishing with the context of the 12th chapter, theverseprevious to our text. That this is the plain andsignilicant meaning, is evident fi-om what follows ourtext, viz., the angel's answer to Daniel's question, " Whatshall be the end of these things?" And he said, Gothy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealedtill the time ofthe end;" that is, my mission is closed,the words are finished, and registered in the roll of God'sword, they are seahd, that is, made sure, unalterable,will stgnd until every word has its fullilment, which inthe end shall be accomplished; not,as some suppose,that Daniel's prophecy is scaled, closed up, out of sight,and cannot be understood. This is not the way of God'sdealings with us; for if this had been the angel'smeaning,dmilar circumstances, Rev. x. 4,"Seal up those things,sndwnitethem not." But it is the reverse; for he sayshthe next verse, 10, " Many shall be purified, and madeand tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly, andhe would have said to Daniel as he did to John inXB' J' the wicked shall understand." None of thelizkedvnhail understand what ? Why, the thi?-s beforeno sf-H Daniel's vision and instruction. ery well,tlllnrieked do right for once. Certainly, if yourthe former text is correct, that it is hid, andknown, they are obeying the command of theup and seal the words; and surely they willi¢is:scndsxmed for obedience. "But the wise shalliind,"says the angel. What shall the wisellderstsnd? hey shall understand the sisnm; or theNerds before spoken by the angel at least. But say you,&Danisl wascopmmanded to seal up and close the words,_9

```ICBascruas vn.so that they may never know them till the end, and thewise understand them. How can these things be ?" Ianswer, These texts explain each other. There is a closeconnection in the word of God which must always bekept in view, and if ourexposition of one contradictsanother of the same connection or of like import, we mayknow there is a wrong in us. Now, one thin is certain,-" all Scripture is given by inspiration god, of and isprofitable for doctrine, for reproot, for correction, for instructionin righteousness, that the man of God may beperfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."And "secret things belong to God; but things revealed,to us and our children." And when I seepretendedservants of God, men of great pretence to piety andknowledge, disputing long and sharp on some metaphysicalpoint in theology which theynor their hearers cannever understand, and when they are asked to explain theplain declarations of God, put it od, by saying, it is sealedup, and we ought not to try to understand it, it makes methink of 1Esop's fable o thedrip in the manger; ofChrist's reproof to the scribes and harisees, "Woe untoyou, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut upthe kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither goin yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are enterin toin;" and this dpassage in Daniel, " The wicked shall53 wickedly;an none of the wicked shall understand;but the wise shall understand." You may depend uponone thing, when you hear such declarations as the abovefrom the pulpit, that the speaker does not love his Bibless well as he loves his own popularity, and studies tosupport his faith, the popular writers and standard augpmG32the day, more revelation of Gott isnowtrying :sanpeo thi; e; diilins eisnowgivmg" thans.great rule to know their lhve for his word. Ifthsword of God is to them foolishness, and they take moredeli tinthe popular writers of the day, may dbupon it they are stumbling at thatthe angel tells us that many shall be 'imsdewhite. -ThiswssgoodnewstoDsni andougkto besotous; forit is thedecla.rationofGodthe medium of Gabriel, throngmessenger. "And from

cl-ra1s'r's szconn comme. UBtime that the daily sacrilice shall be taken away, and theabomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall bea thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is liethat waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundredand Eve and days: butthirty o thou thy way till theend be, for thou s alt rest, ang stand in thy lot at theend ofthe days." Now Daniel had all he could ask for;now he could understand the time, and the length, andrt of everydivision which the angel had givenhim inhis instruction, so far as to fill up his vision of 2300years, (as we shall call them, having proved in a formerectnre thatthey ought to be so reckoned, and have beenso iiiliilled.)e has now learned that, to be 'n andreckon back from the resurrection, which he well knewwould be 1810'years after Christ's crucifixion, he mightfind out when edaily sacrifice abomination would betaken away. Therefore take 1335 years from 1810years, would leave 475 years; and he could reckon fromthe endof the 70 weeks, or 490 years, to the end of PaganRome, would be 475, from thence to the time he shouldstand in his lot, would be 1335 years. Then by adding4904751335would make the sum total of his whole vision 2300 years.And now, let ussuppose he wished to know when theabomination of desolation would end, and when it wouldbegin. He has only to take his number, one thousandtwo hundred and ninety, as given him by his angel, fromhis 1335, thus,- 13351290and he Ends that 45 years before the resurrection thelittle horn would lose his civil power. Now, let himtake his time, times, and a half; and add, say 1260 yearsto 45 years, and he will iind that the little horn boganhis reign 1305 years before the resurrection, and 30years after the daily sacrifice abomination was takenaway. Andnowhe isprepared togivo hisvision and45

''|04 azcrua: vn.the instruction of the angel all their proper bearings,and prove it thus : -lst. The seventy weeks or 490 years to the crucifixionof . .........Christ, 490From crucifixion to taking away daily abomination, 475From taking away Pagan rites to the setting upabomination of ......desolation, 30From setting up Papal power (time, times, and a. . . 1260rule to thehalf) to the end ofhis civil reigln,From the taking away the Papal ciresurrection,........... 45Now add thesetogether, and you will have the whole 2300years of Daniel s vision. Do you not, kind hearer,seeby this mode, and by these last numbers given him,Daniel could learn every part a.nd division of the wholehistory down to the time when he should stand in hislot? But now, for his instruction, we will suppose Danielunderstood our mode ofreckoning time; he mighthave given it to us in this way:-" he 70 weeks, or490 years, will be accomplished A. D.33. The paganabomination will be taken away 475 years afterwards,which will be A. D. 508. The papal abomination will beset up 30 ears alter, A. D. 538, and will continue 1260years, A. 1798. Aher this 45 years, I shall stand inmy lot, and all that come forth to this resurrection willbe blessed, A. D. 1843." "Blessed is he that waitethand cometh to the thousand three hundred and fiveand thirty days." Rev. xx. 6. "Blessed and holy is hethat hath part in the first resurrection."Ve are newprepared to give you the remaindefofthe instruction toa;_gel'sDaniel, where welei! o in our last lecture; and you beginning will li ewise nowtake notice that it is the last. division, and what we nowshall read to you must all take place in 45 years, betweenthe 1798 and 1843.years So that you may, almostall oyou, judge for upon your ownobservations, whether these tyourselves, inns are so or not.We therefore begin at the 10th verse of the 11thchapter of Daniel, " and at the time of the end " of thepapal civil power. Now, another person has obtained

c1n.xs'r's szcoxn course. 105this civil power: this was Bonaparte, the ruler of thoFrench nation. This year of which we are now treatingwas the very year that the French destroyed thopower of the pope, and Bonaparte began his extraordinarycareer in conquest and authority; and it was evident,by his success and fortune, that he was raised up byGod himself for somegreat a.nd special purpose; andthrough him,as an instrument, and bymeans ol' theFrench revolution, the shackles that had bound morethan half of Europe in bigotry, superstition, and tyranny,were burst asunder, and the inquisition andtheir power and terror over the bodies andPapaciyslostmin ot'men. At this time, then, our begins, and Bo-prophecy he andnaparte is the person designated y the pronounshim in the prophecy: " And, at the time of the end, shallthe king of the south push at him; and the king ot' thenorth shall come him like aagpinst.whirlwind, withchariots, and with orscmen, and with many ships."This is a description of an alliance entered into by theking of Sardinia, Italy, and Spain, in the south, andGreat Britain, in the north, for six years. England engaged,in this treaty, to pay the king of Sardinia 200,000l.r annum to furnish an armyllghe of horse and a large fleet.command ot' the fleet wasgiven to Lord elson.Various was the success of the allies in the south.Spain had to recede, and the French.iinallyjoined Theking of Sardinia had to leave his territories on the continent,and shut himself up in the island of Sardinia.The king of Naples tied to the island of Sicily, aftermaking avigorous push at the French, in November,17%, and getting possession of Rome, while Lord Nelsontook and yed the French fleet, near ue mouth ofthe Nile, the same But the French soon retookItaly; and this bro year. e up this and the Frenchremained masters of almost all leagpe, t at to thebelongedWestern Empire of Rome, except Great Britain. "Andhe shall enter into the countries, and shall overliow, andpg; qvgr," was literally accomplished."He shall enteralso into the glorious land," (or land of delight, as itmighthave been translated.) This,I have no doubt,means Italy. Bonaparte foughtsome of his most bril-

'106 moron vn.liant battles in thisdelightsome country. The battleofMarengo was foxght, i I mistake not, in June, 1800,alter crossing the ps, an impassable barrier betweenFrance and Italy, as it was supposed by his enemies.G And many countries shiallhbe olyerthirown." tilt saidmt Bonaparte conqucre eeingoms at e attloof "Marengo. But these shall escape out of his hands,even Edom and Moab, and the chief of the children ofAmmon." Bonaparte, when he went into Egypt, calcugitedto march into the East Indies: he advanced intoyria, where after gaining some advantages, he receiveda decisive check before St. John d'Acre, whenhe wasobliged to raise the siege, and retreat back toEgypt with the shattered remains of'_his army. So' the_country once mhabited by the Edomites, Moabatfs, andAmmonites, "escaped out of his hands." 42 " eshallptreitchffmirth his hlaniis also uponthe counnties, ; and thean o s'gypta not escape."Ha signifiesandpower;what country on the globe did not more oress feel the elfects of Bonaparte's power ? Egypt,surely, did not escape; for all Lower was couqueredby Iigyplt his arms. 43,"But he sh ave powerover the treasures ofgold, anéio of silver, all theprecious anilncgver thin of Egy t. naparte in conquestof Egypt, levisd contributions upon tlie inhabitants oftl;he colnntry suiiiciegit to roug tfiapport agd hi; tgoops, angt awa muc wi un. "n e y ians Ethicipians shall be Et his steps." thWhen h

¢H'l.l!'l"l SECOND COKIIG.ne shall go forth with great fury to destroy andto make away many." This is a plain description utterly oBonaparte's campaign into Russia. He went forth withan army of 400,000 men, with fury, in order to break upthe Holy Alliance. He did utterly destroy Moscow,and laid desolate the country throu h which he passed.He made away with more than 200500 of his own army,besides the destruction of his enemies, say many thousandsmore. Such a destruction oi' life and.property inonewas never known since the sys of thePersians campaign an the Greeks. 45,"And he shall plant thetabernacle oi' his palace between the seas in the gloriousholy mountain," (or mountain of delight.) This was lit~erally fulfilled, in May 26, 1805, when Bonaparte wascrowned kin of Italy at Milan, -Italy lying between"two seas. 'lgo plantthe tabernacle o his palace"would be to establish him as kin ". Yet he shall cometo his end, and none shall helpiim." This closes thehistory of one of the most powerful monarchs-the mostambitious and fortunate of warriors, and a man of unboundedsway-that modem times had` ever produced.He had destroyed, perhaps, more than 3,000,000 lives;he had detbroned more than one half of' thekinps ofEurope; he had disposed of kingdoms at his wil ; allnations had been under the control of his decrees; hehad commanded more than two millions of veteran soldiers;the treasures of the four quarters of the globe layat his feet. "Yet he shall come to his end, and noneshall help him." How soon the tale of his end is told!A hath, and his end is come; a vapor, and he is gone.0 God! the breath of kings is in thy hand; thy wordgoeth forth, and it is done; thy decree passeth, and itstuds fast. "Heshall come to his end, and none shallhelp him." Where are those that courted his alliance?Where kinps the twenty mil ions of French whoiddiggd him as agod? Where are those two millions@"$I\ll- soldiers whose bodies had been used as rammib-lllG1|lthim to glory ? Where are his five brethrenwho sat in the seat of kings by his wer? Wherepjb gather, made a rich dowager by munidcence?Whgg, 0 where is the empress Mana Louisa, and the

'10|macros: vn.vunioking of Italy? "And none shall help him'es, naparte was by the British, after he hadto the resigned is andhimself into their hands, carried aprisonerof St. Helena, in the Atlantic Ocean, where he diedin exile. "He shall come to his end, and none shallhelp him."By this history the kings of the earth may learn, thatGod can, with ease,'perfectcome,break them an theirkinlidoms to sopieces, thatthe windmay carry them away l' e chail; that no place shall befound for them.1 shall now examine the remainder of Gabriel's message,contained in Daniel xii. 1, " And at that time shallMichael stand up, the great Prince which standeth forthe children of thy people." Michael, in this passage,must mean Christ; he is`the great Prince, and Princeofrprinces. he time here spoken of is when Bonaparte shallcome to his end, and none to help him. This was inthe latter part of the year A. D. 1815. There are twbfor which Christ stands u for to ac-things his peoplecomplish; one is their faith, and) the other their judgment.Jer. iii. 13. Now, it is evident he did not thenstand up intherefore I shall choose theformer, that gidgment; e stood up to plead the cause of hispeo lc, to restrain backsliders, and to add to the churchof £011 many who should be saved. And blessed behis holy name, he accomplished 'his purpose; for in theyears 1816, 17, 18, more were converted to thefaith of Jesus than had people een for thirty years before,Almost, and I know not but every town in these stateswas visited with a shower of mercy, and hundreds andthousands, yea, tens of thousands, were bom into theinvisiblekindgdomof the dear Redeemer, and theirnames recor ed among the members of the church ofthe first born. This has lasted in agreatmeasure for20 years, and has spread over a largeshare of theChristian world; even the islands of the sea have liftednp their voices to God, and the wilderness has bloomedlike the rose, and the heathen have seen of his salvation.The grace of God has distilled upon us like the

cnms'r's szcoim comme. 109morning dev, and like showers upon athirsty soil.Surely this must be by the power of Michael, thegreat Prince of the covenant. "And there shall be atime of trouble, such as there never was since t.herewas a nation,ever; to that :name time." This time oftrouble is yet in uturity; ut is ashanging, it weover our heads, ready to brea.k upon us in tenffizlvengeance, when the angel of the gospel, who is nowdying through the midst of heaven, shall seal the lastc ild of Go in their foreheads. And when the fourangels, who are now holding' the tbur winds, that itblow not on the sea nor on e land, shall cease theirholding; when the angel, standing on the sea and land,shall lift his hand to heaven and swearby him thatliveth forever and ever, t.hat time shall be nolonger, or,as it might., and, perhaps, ought to have been translated,"that there should be nolonger delay ;" that is, Godwould wait nolonger for repentance, no longerto begracious; but his spirit would take its flight. from theworld, and the grace of God would cease to restrainmen. He that is iilthy will be filthy stilL Mankindwill, for a short season, give loose to all the corruptpassions of the human heart. No laws, human ordivine, will be re rded; all authority will be trampledunder foot; mmol; will be the order of govemments,and confusion till the world with honor and despair.Murder, treason, and crime, will be common law, anddivision and disunion the only bond of fellowship.Christians will be persecuted unto death, and dens andcaves ofthe earth will be their retreat. All thingswhich are not etaemal will be shaken to pieces, thatthat which cannot be shaken may remain. And this, ifI amright in my calculations, will beginon or beforeA. D. 1839. "And at that time thy shall bedelivered, everyone that shall be foun'peoplewritten in thebook." Now is come salvation indeed. The peopleof God are now to be delivered from outward foes andinbred lusts, from the conuptions of the grave and thevilen of the flesh. Eve one, the poor and despisedchild of God, will then belllelivered when he makes uphis "jewels. Andlrgany of them that sleepin the duet

110 Lncruu vu.everlasting life, andof the earth shall awake, some tosome to shame and everlasting contiempt." his versebrinfr us down to the resurrection of the dead, whenthe dust will give up me bodies of me gains, and mayshall awake toeverlasting life, when death shall befinally conquered, and the grave resign up her captivesaints to victory and glory. The also mentionsthe resurrection of the wicked, angelspeaks of theirshame and everlasting contempt He dwells not indetail on this second resurrection, as though it was toopainful for thought, yet tells enough to let the wickedunbeliever know his awful doom, and is silent. "Andthey that be wise shall shine as the brightness of thefirmament; and they that turn many to righteousnessas the stars forever and ever." This verse needs nocomment; it is a beautiful fi e of, the righteous inin the invisibleand immortal ki dom of G . "But thou, Oglory, and the durability of tit; happinessDaniel, shut up wogii, the and seal the book,even tothe time of the end." Some have taken occasion, fromthese words, to say, that this wasprophecy to be shutup and sealed, that nonemight understand it until theend. If it was so, why give it to Daniel at all? Whynote it in the Scripture of truth? Why to us thesame instruction which made Daniel ungive erstand whatshould befall the people of God in the latter day? Butthe plain and obvious meaning of the 'first part of thisverse is, But thou, 0 Daniel, close up your prophecy,and set your seal to the truth of it, for at "the time ofthe endmani shall run to and fro ;" that is, at the timeofthe end e means of travel would be greatly extended,so that many would travel into all parts of theearth, and would increase in knowledge of places, men,and "Andshall be increased."thinis. knowledgia Canany prop ecy be more litera y fulfilled than this? Theincrease of travel, and the means of conveyance, and theimprovement in the arts and sciences at the present day,have astonished the projectors themselves. But if itshould meanholy things, then look at the great numberof missionaries sent into all parts of our world. Thereare but few nations, civilized or barbarous, Christian or

cna|s'r's ucosn comme.11]heathen, but what are visited by the professed ministersof Christ, and knowledge of the word of God has increased.And within thirty years, the Bible has beentranslated into one hundred and fifty languages, morethan three times the number of all languages that hadreceived a translation during 1800 years before. Millionsof copies of the Bible have been circulated withinthe thirty years past, where thousands only had beencirculated before. "Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold,there stood other two, the one on this side of' thebank of the river, and the other on that side ofthe bankof the river, and said to the man clothed in linen, whichwasupon the waters of the river, How long shall it beto the end of these wonders? "Here Daniel saw thetwo holy ones inquiring of the man clothed in linen,which stood the waters of the river. This man isthe same as iiipon ichael standing up for the children of thypeople. The reason I assign ls, he is clothed in linen,which shows he is thehigh for the people ofGod. It is the same ange t John describes, Rev.x. 1-6. This angel is represented as being the messengerof the covenant, b having a rainbowon his head.He was clothed with a chiud pure and white like linen.He, too, had a little book open, showing what he shoulddo,atgireeing with our explanation, spreading the gospelfor e last time through the world, standing onefoot on the sea, and the other on the earth, to keepdown the power of anti-Christ, who sits on many watersRev. xvii. 1, 15, and the power ofthe kings ofthe earth,until the whole elect should be sealed. See Rev. vii.1-3. And that this Angel is the Mediator is evident.And now he closes up the mediatorialkinggiom, whenhe says, Rev. x. 6, "That there should e time nolonger," or, as some translate it, that there should he nolonger delay, which must of course have one of twomeanings-either God will no longer delay his judgment,or he will nolonger wait to be gracious. Seenext verse, and 2 Peter iii. 9. Take either one or bothpositions, and it proves my object, that apart of the45 years, the history of which we are now considering,is taken up in spreading the gospel, and bringing the

112 nscrun: vn.last remnant into Christ's fold. "For this gospel of thekingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witnessunto all nations; and then shall the end come;" Mattxxiv. 14. But the question, How long to t.he end ofthese wonders? means to the end of the reign of thebeast, which the world wondered after. Rev. xiii. 37th "verse, And I heard the man clothed in linen,which was upon the waters of the river, when he heldup-his right hand and his left hand unto heaven." Thislanguage shows us plainly, that it, is the same angelwhich ohn saw in Rev. x. i. 1-7. And the same timeis indicated in Revelation as in Daniel. Here inDaniel it is in the last 45 years, and in Revelationimmediately preceding the time when the mystery ofGod shall be finished, all that had been declared by hisservants, the prophets, the whole prophecies would beaccomplished. "And swareby him that liveth forever,that it shall be for atime, times, and a. halil" This isthe samelength of time given in Daniel 'vii. 25, whichis there given as the reign of the little horn. It is alsothe same time which is given in Rev. xi. 2.Forty-twomonths, (three years and a halt,) to give the holy city tobe trodden under foot. Again, the same time is given,Rev. xi. 3, for the two witnesses to prophesy, clothed insackcloth, 1260 days. Also, Rev. xii. 6, 14, for thechurch in the wilderness, and, in Rev. xiii. 5,where the anti-Christian beast ha his delegatedto continue forty-two months. All these times ensowered inA. D. 1798, as we may! hereafter show; when the 45years began to accomp 'sh the things which I have beenattending to in this lecture. "And when he shall haveaccomplished tn scatter the power of the holy people,nll these things shall be finished."This brings us dovm to our text, and givesus anotherimportant and conclusive sign by which we may knowwe live on the eve of finishing the prophecies, and onthe threshold of the immortal and eternal state. Let ube wise, then, and secure an interest in the inheritanceamong the just, that when we fail on earth, we may bereceived into everlasting habitations prepared for thosewho love Christ.

pn|us'r's alcoxm comma. 118But the last si ,"the scatteri ofthe hol le;"apart of the pergtdus times. Hclf are they tg Plrpscatfered? I answer, By the errors of the anti-Christianabomination, and the lo heres and lo theres, by dividingthe people of God into parties, divisions and subdivisions.And methinks I hear you say, "Surely these thingsarealready accomplished." Yes, you are ri ht., in part,but not to its ext/ent; the sects are all dividegl now, butnot crumbled to pieces; some are subdivided, but notscattered. The time is sooncoming when father willbe against the son, and son °nst the father. Yea, thesects are all divided now. a$Jresbyteris.nsare dividedinto Old and New School, and t.hen 'n into Perfectionists.Con gationalists are divtigxl between Orthodoxand IFdiFt.aria.n, old and new measures, Unionists,&.c. Methodists are divided between Episcopaland Protestant. Baptists are divided between old andnew measures, Antimasons, Campbellites, open andclose communion, &c. dac. Quakers are divided betweenOrthodox and Hicksites; and thus might we goon and name the divisions and subdivisions of all sectswho have taken Christ for their captain.And now let me siun up in short what we havein this discourse.|lirovedAndto you first, I showed theof time our history en?would take up, viz., 45 years. ythe numbers given in Daniel xii. 11-13, his 1290 days,beginning when the ten kings, represented by the tentoe in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and ten horns in Dan~iel's vision, should be converted to the Christian faith,and the dail sacrilice abomination taken out of theway, viz., A. 508, which would end us in 1798, whenthe Pope lost his power to reign over the kings andtramlple on the ho y md the abomination ofdeso ation ceased his civi peoyvle, reign, by being deprived ofhis civil power by Bonaparte. I then showed you thatthe number 1335 days, beginningat the same time asthe 1290 days, viz. A. D. 508, would end in 1843, at theresurrection, for Daniel would stand in his lot at the endof these days. .And you havenoticed thatthis brou ht us to the undoubtedly same year that a.me1's wholenumber, &30053)ro,ught us, which is forty-ive years, the

`114 LEUTUIE vu.difference between the two numbers, IQ() then and 1335. Ibegan at Daniel xi. 40, and gave you the history ofBonaparte, his wonderful career of conquest andwer,and lus final end. I then*gave you the history of lifizhaelstanding up, and the re orrnation that followed in theears1815, 16, 17, even down to the present time.§'hen the unfulfilled prophecy which must come soonupon us, the troublous times. Next we came to thetime of the deliverance of the people of God, everyone that slecp in the dust of the earth, and the resurrection.Then the angel ¥nve us a few signs which wouldhappen in the course othis time, such as theto andrunningfro, the increase ofrestrained from prevenand scatteringthekgitpwledgeithe nations e b beling'premc e ,wtehilgf the hgly peoille? all whichyou have many otgou witnessed, and canjudge foryourselves whether these things are so.l shall now leave you for reflect the present; and may youcandidly and seriouslyof on the subygect;for 'manyyou who are now on the earth may. this ive to witnessfulfilment; and if unprepared then, withwill what regretyou look backonxyour present opportimity, andwisl;ajyou had improv these precious moments forthe vation of your souls, and for the gl of God!Be wise, 0 ye inhabitants of the earth,mz»r the Lordwill come and will not andtai;-ty, the day of vengeancewill overtake you as a thishall undentmd."in the night; "but the wise

LECTURE VIII.REV. vlll. 13.And I beheld and heard anangel il 'ng through the midst ofhaven,saying, with a loud voice, woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitantsof e earth, byreason of the other voices ofthe Immpetof the three angels which are yet to sound.In hetical scripture, the sound' of trum isdwayidndpsed to denote the downfall otlagme empirptiunation,or place, or some dreadful battle, which may decidethe fate of empires, nations, or places. At the fall ofJericho, the trumpet was the instrument, in the handsof the priest of the mighty God of Jacob, which castdown her walls, destroyed the city, and a curse pronouncedagainst the man that should ever build up herwalls again. Again, the trumpet was the instrument bywhich Gideon put to Bight the armies of the aliens.And the prophet Amos says, " Shall a. be blownin thetrum,petcity, and the not be afraid ?people Thereforewe may reesonah y conclude that a trumpet is theharbinger of destructive wars, and the dissolution ofempires, states, or the earth, as the case may be. Theseventrumpets mentioned in Revelation, the threelat of whic are mentioned in our text, indicate thetiml overthrow of the powersspoken of in the prophecy.The four tirst had their mccomp ishment in the destructionof the Jews and their dispersion, in the fill of impsrialRaine, in the overthrow of the Asiatic kingdom,ad_in the taking any of Pagan rites and cere~momes.Theld thtee trumpets win claim our attention in

V116 Lscrua: vm.this discourse; the irst four having theirto the last three under accomI|;lish-omement under Rome Pagan;Papal. These three trumpets and three woes are adescription of the judgments that God has sent and willsend on this Papal beast, the abomination of the wholeearth. Therefore we see the propriety of theof our text, language" Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabitants of eearth," meaning the worshippers of this Papal beast, thefollowers of this abomination. The iihh trumpet alludesto the rise of the Turkish empire under Ottoman, at thedownfall of the Saracens. Ottoman under hisgovernment unitirig the four contending nations of ahometans,which had long contended for the wer during thereign of the aracen empire, viz., the gdracens, Tartars,These, allbeing by profession Ma-Arabs, and Turks.hometans, were ready to follow daring leader toconquer (and, and drive out from Asia even make excursioninto Europe) all who rofessed the Christian faith.They, having embraced &e errors of that fallen star,Mahomet, w oee principles were byconquestpromul%ted and the sword, became one and per ps the onlybarrier to the spread of the Paxil doctrine and power inthe eastem world. Here the oman Church hadheld apowerful sway over the minds and consciences long othe Christian or Greek church in the east, by the aid of theeastern emperor at Constantinople. But the Turks orOttomans, whom the Lord suffered to rise up in Bithynia,on or near the head waters of the Euphrates, as a scourgeagainst this Papal abomination, now became a check tothe Roman power; and fiom this time wemay reasonablydate the declension of Papal authority. hereforeon the sounding of the filth trumpet, Rome Papalto show a weakness which in every succeeding age beg:been more and more manifested, until her civil powerhas crumbled to ruin, and her ecclesiastical assumptionsmust sink, at the sounding of the seventh trump, to riseno more forever.In the description of these trumpetswe shall be ableto apply the prophecy, as the writer believes, to thoseevents designed by the vision which John saw.. Rev.ix.1. "And the filth angel sounded,andIsaw

'cna1s'r's sxconn comma. 117s star 51.11 from heaven unto the earth; and to him wasgiven the key of the bottomless pit." After the downallof Pagan Rome, and the rise of the anti-Christianabomination, Mahomet promulgated a religion whichevidently came from the bottomless pit; for it fosteredall the wicked passions of the human heart, such as war,murder, slavery, and lust.2d verse, "And he opened the bottomless pit,randthere arose a smoke out of the pitas the smoke of agreat furnace; and the sun and the air was darkened byreason of the smoke of the pit." The figures used inthis text are, the bottomless pil, which denote the theoriesof men or devils, that have no foundation in theword of God. Smoke denotes the errors from such doctrine,which serve to blind the eyes of men, that theycannotsee the truth. .Hs the smoke qfagrcatfurnaecshows the great extent or effect of this error over theworld. The sun denotes the pel, which is the greatluminary of the moral worlgfs The air denotes themoral influence onthe mind, which iscfzmmonly called. As a.ir supports or 'ves to the ungslunge animadonphysical world, so drgs the piety of the heart tothe moral.This, then, is the true sentiment of this Andbyreason of the Mahometan errors whichpassge.wo d be believedor followed by a great multitude, the gospel andthe pious influence of the same would be in a greatmeasure hid or lost to the world.3d verse, "And there came out of the smoke locustsupon the earth; and unto them wasgiven power, as thescorpions of the earth have power." By these locust; Iunderstand armies. See Joel, lst and 2d chapters.Therefore I should read this text thus: And there cameout from th e Mahometan followers large armies, whichshould have great power to execute the 'udgments ofGod on this anti-Christian beast, which llxad filled theearth with her abominations.4th "verse, And it was commanded them that theyshould not hurt the grass ofthe earth, neither any greenthi,neither any tree, but only those men which havemingle seal of God in their foreheads." By gran, green

118 Lscrnas vm.things, and trees, Ps. lxxii. 16, Hosea xiv. 8,1 understandthe true church, or people of God. By those menhaving not the seal og God, &c., I understand the anti-Christian church, or apal Rome. Then this would bethe sense: And it was commanded them that theyshould not hurt the true church, or people of God, butonly the anti-Christian beast, or powers subject to her.5th "verse, And to them it was 'ven that they shouldnot kill them, but that they shoiiil be tormented tivemonths; and their torment was as the torment of a.scorpion, when he striketh a man." To kill is to destroy.Five months is inprophecay( 150 years. To tormentas a &,c., is to m e sudden incursionsand irruptions into the country, &.c. Then this is thesentiment to meconveyed in the text: And the Turkisharmies would not have power to destroy the Papal powersfor 150 years, but would make sudden and quickincursions into their territories, and harass and perplext.he nations under the Papal control.6th "verse, And in those days shall men seek death,and shall not tind it; and shall desire to die, and deathshall Hee from them." About this time the Greekchurch, in Constantinople, was so harassed by the Papalauthority, that it gave rise to a saying among them,that they "had rather see the Turkish turban on thethrone of the ,Eastern Empire, than the Pope's tiara."Andang one who has read the of the 14th century,hisboxiy wi see that this text was litera y accomplished.7th "verse, And the shapes of the locusts were likeunto horses prepared unto battle; and on their headswere, as it were, crowns like gold, and their faces wereas the faces of men." In this verse we have adescriptionof the Turkish armies. I.n the iirst place they arerepresented as being all horsemen. This was true withthe 'Turks, and no other kingdom since Christ's time,that we have any knowledge oi, whose armies were allhorsemen. They wore on their heads yellow turbans,whichdcan only apply to the Turks, lookingof olike crownsgth "verse, And they had hair as the hair of women,and their teeth were as the teeth of lions." They wore

_V°'y-canxsm-'ssxcozm comma. 119ong hair attached to their turbans, and they foughtjavclins withlike the teeth of lions.9th verse, "And they had breastplates, as it werebreastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings wasas the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle."By their breastplates I understand shields, whichthe Turks carried in their battles; and history tells usthat when they charged an enemy, they made a noiseupon them like the noise of chariot wheels.10th verse, "And they had tails like unto scorpions,and there werestings in their tails ; and their power wasto hurt men five months." The Turkish horsemen hadeach a cimeter which hung in a scabbard at their waist,that they used in blose combat after they had their dischargedjavelins, with which they were very expert,ing sever-a man's or even a horse's head at a blow. Andfrom the time that the Ottoman power or Turkish empirewas first established in Bithynia, until the downfallof the Greek or Eastern Empire, when the Turks tookConstantinople, was five prophetic months, or one hundredand years.11th. vei1e,y" Andthey had a king over them, which isthe angel of the bottom ess pit, whose name in the HebrewDengue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hathThe Turkish govemment had ahis nameAhpollyon."þÿ k i n ¬ ] w ey h ebeigan, nas before mentioned, and he wasa fo ower of e ahometan faith, and truly a servantor-messenger of this doctrine ofthe bottomless pit. Thename pf their iirst king, who is styled in history the founderof _the Turkish_empire, was Othoman or Ottoman,from whom the empire took its name, and has been calledto this day the Ottoman empire. And great has beenthe deal;-lwtion which tlustgovernment has executed uponthe world; and well may is empire be styled Destroyer,in the _ signification of Abaddon or"Apollyon.,'YQ]BB' One woe is past; and behold, there cometyq mg more hereafter." closes the fifth trumpetugglggt woe, commencing at the foundation of the_,empire in Bithynia, in the year A. D. 1298, and¢_p1ppheti¢ months, or 150 years, which carries"__ ghe year A. D. 1448. When we take into

|20 Lscruu vm.view the object and design of God in sending this judgmentor scourge the men who have not the seal ofuylronGod on their tore eads; the anti-Christian beast, whopmfess to be Christians, but are not; when we comparethe history ot' those times with the Elrophecy-we havebeen examining, and the events w 'ch have transpiredconcerning the Ottoman empire, with the descriptivecharacter given of them in this prophecy,-we cannot, Ithink, hesitate for a moment to apply the fulfilment ofthis trumpet and woe, to these events, time, and place ; andmust be lcd to admire the agreement between the prophecyand fuliilment, and to believe this book of Revelationto be indited by the unerring wisdom of the DivineSpirit; for no human forethought could have so exactlydescribed these events, dress, manners, customs, andmode ot' warfare 1200 years beforehand, except the wisdomof God had assisted him. And if these things arerevealed by God himself unto us, surelyno one will dareto say that it is non-essential whether we believe thispart oi' the revealed will of God or not. Shall Godspeak and man disregard it? Forbid it, 0 Father; andlet u have "ears to hear what the Spirit saith to the.churches."We shall now follow the revelation of God into thesixth trumpet and second woe; and may we have theSpirit of God to assist us and lead our miuds into thetruth of these things.13th "verse, And the sixth angel sounded, and I hearde. voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is"before God," 14th verse, Sayin to the sixth angelwhich arewhich had the trumpet, Loose gour the angelsbound in the great river Euphrates." By the soundingof the trumpet, I understand the commencing of thosejudgments which were to be poured out upon the earthunder this trumpet; and by the "voice from the fourhoms of the golden altar," the agreement of all the pow.ers of heaven and earth to execute the design of God inthis thing. By loosing the four angels which are boundin the great river I understand that God wasnow about to suffer Eutghrates, e four principal nations of whichthe Ottoman empire was composed, which had in vain

`csa|s1='s slcolm course. 121attempted to subdue the Eastern Empire at Constantinople,and made but little progress in conquering Europe,now to take Constantinople, and to overmn and subdueone third part of Europe, which was the fact about tbamiddle of the fifteenth century.15th"verse, And the four angels were loosed, whichwere prepared for anhour, and a day, and a month, andayear, to slay the third of men."part The four angels,we may reasonably cone ude, are a representation o thefour nations that had embraced the Mahometun religion,and were now under the control of the Ottoman, viz.,Turks, Tartars, Arabs, and Saracens. The time expressedin the last-mentioned verse is 391 years und 15"days. To slay the third part of men," is to destroy andconquer one third part of the governments or kingdomsof which the Papal east had the control, which was truein the end.16th "verse, And the number ofthe arm of the horsemenwas two hundred thousand thousandy; and I heardthe number of them." In this verse the precise numberof the army of horsemen is given, for John tells us " heheard the number of them." And if we should understandthe prophet to mean, as some suppose he does,200,0(J0, multiplied b a 1000, then the sum total wouldbe 200,000,000, which would be more men than wereever on our earth at one time capable of bearing arms;therefore I believe this is not the meaning ofthe prophet,neither do I think that it was a succession of armies duringthe whole period of39l years, making the sum totalof200,000,000, for this, too, would be incredible; for allowinga standing army of 15,385,000 to be recruitedevery 30 years, it would only make the two hundredmillions; and this sum would be more than ilve times thenumber of all the armies in the known world.standingAnd from these considerations I have for myself giventhis construction, that the prophet John heard the numberof 200,000 repeated,or twice told, which wouldmake anarmy of 400,000 horsemen; and this would notbe incredible. And what is to meproof of thefact is, that the informs us that M omet II. camestronghistory against Constintinop e about the year A. D. 1450, with

'"Some authors say $00,000.,000.$00,000.V122Lscrunn vm.anarmy of 400,000* hoisemen, and aher along siegetook the city in the year 1453, and destroyed the EasternEmpire, which had stood more than ten centuriesfrom its foundation by Constantine.17th verse; " And thus I saw the horses in the vision,and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire,and of jacinth and brimstone; and the heads of thehorses were as the heads of lions, and out of theirmouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone." 18th"verse, By these three was the third part of men killed,by the iire, and by the smoke, and y the brimstone,which issued out of their mouths." 19th verse, "Fortheir power is in their mouth, and in their tails; for theirtails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and withthem they do hurt." In these verses which we havenow read,we areplainly informed that it was an armyof horses, and men on them, which John saw in the vision.And theimfplements and manner of hghting, suchas the trapping o their horses, and the instruments offensiveand defensive, gunpowder and guns, are as exactlydescribed as any person could describe it withoutknowing the name bi which we describe it at the presentday. Fire, smo e, and brimstone, would be themost visible com nent parts of gunpowder. Fire andsmoke we shouliim see, and brimstone we should smell.And who ever saw an army of horsemen engaged in anaction but would think of John's description, "out oftheir mouths issued fire, and smoke, and brimstone," andin the breech of the guns were bullets, "like heads,and with these they do hurt "? Every part of this descriptionis exactly applicable to an army of horsemenwith Hrs-arms; and what is equally strong in the evidenceis, that guns and iire-arms were invented but a.short time previous to this trump-sounding, and theTurks claimed the honor (if honor it can be called) ofinventing gunpowder and guns; and it is equally evidentby the history that guns were iirst used by theTurks at the taking of Constantinople, they hiving onesingle cannon that took 70 yoke of oxen to draw it atthe siege, as says Dr. Gill on this passage.L

cnnrs'r's SICDRD comme. 12320th verse, "And the rest of the men which werenot killed by these 'plagues yet repented not of theworks of their hands, that they should not worship devils,and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone,and of wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk."21st "verse, Neither repented they of their murders,nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor oftheir thehs." In these verses, we have the characterof the persons orgovemment on whose account theseplagueswere sent. In the first place, they are representedasidolaters, as worshippintg devils, i ols of old,&c., full of murder, sorceries, ornication, and gieit.This exactly agrees with the description John has givenof the " womansitting on the scarlet-colored beast, fullof names of blasphemy, having seven heads and tenhorns. And the woman wasarrayed in purple and scarletcolor, and decked with gold, and precious stones, andpearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominationsand nlthiness of her fornication. And upon herforehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon theGreai, the Mother qf Harhzts, and the abomination: of earth." So we see that the fifth and sixth trumpets, thi anthe two first woes, were sent as the judgments of Godupon this anti-Christian beast, and clearly shows thedecline of the power which she had exercised over theki of the earth and the people of God for more thaneng: centuries,to the commencing of the sixth trumpet,wlgen the Turks were let loose upon those kingdoms underthe control of Papacy, conquered all Asia and aboutone third part of Europe, and were in the end the meansof ning the eyes ot' many of the inhabitants of the10%to see that the Pope's pretension of being the vicegerentof God was not well founded; for, if he couldnot fhresee and resist the inroads of the Turks,-thatintidael nation,-- surely he could not perform those greatmiracles which he pretended to perform in order to suport his,ecclesiastical and civil power: and individual;llid lherviards nations, bevan todisregard his authority,exeommunications, and bulls, until his power is now butl. little more than a bisho of Rome.Here we see the won¢l)er-working ways of our God,

124 ueruu vm.who, in wisdaa and providence, sulfers the corrupt andinfidel nations of the earth to pull down each other, andto bring about his purposes and designs, and will eventuallydestroy all the kingdoms of the earth, by suchmeans, and in such ways,as theprxets have foretold;and whoever lives until the year 1 will see the finaldissolution of the Turkish empire, for then the sixthzumpet will hzvve finished its sounding, which, if I amconect, will be the final overthrow of the OttomanAnd then will theEzwer.seventh -trump and last woegin, rmder which the kingdoms of the earth and theanti-Christian beast will be destroyed, the wers ofchained, the world cleansed, and th; churchPueSee the 10th chapter of Revelation, 5th, 6th, and 7thverses, " And theana? which I saw stand upon the seaand upon the earth li d up his hand to heaven." Thisis the angel of the covenant, the great Mediation' Seethe first "verse, And I saw another mi hty angel comedown from heaven, clothed with a cloui" So is Christto some in the clouds with power and"And a rainbow was upon his head." east is sglory,owsplainly that it is Christ; for the rainbow is a token ofthe covenant "And his face was as it were the sun."The same as when he wastransli£'ed, Matt. xvii. 2,"And his feet aspillars of fire." Rev. i. 15,"Hisfeet like unto fine brass, as if they bumed in a fumace."Surely this must be Christ. "And he had in his hand1 little book None could open the book but the_lion of the bfi eof Judahaancther strongproof thatagen."the angel in Rev. x.5 isChrist. And who ut Christcould stand upon the sea and upon the earth, and lin:'"up his hand to heaven, and swearby Him that livethforever and ever, who created heaven and the thingsthat therein are, and the sea and the things which aretherein, that there should be time no that is,or mediatorial time should cease. o more time§ospellon%e1r"?or mercy; no more Spirit to strive with you, sinner; norepentance unto life; nomore means of grace;no moremorehopes of heaven; for Jesus as sworn by himselfbecause he could swear by no greater, that your day of

cnars°r's szconn comms. 1%probation " should be nolonger."For "he that is lilthyshall be filthy still." The Bndegroom has come, and shutto the door. I know, sinner, you will then cry, Lord, Lord,open unto us; but he will say unto you, Depart fromme, ye workers of iniiuig, for I know you not: when Icalled to you to open e oor of your hearts, that I mightcome in and sup with you, ye refused; when I stretchedout my arm all the long day of the gospel, ye regardedit not; I will now laugh at your calamity, and mockwhen fear comeyour Then will the angel, dyingthroug the midst of heaven, cry, with a loud voice,Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth; for,when the last woe is pronounced, and "in the days ofthe voice of the seventhangel, when he shall begin tosound, the mystery of God s ould be finished, as he hathdeclared to his servants the prophets.""The second woeis past, and behold the third woe cometh quickly. Andthe seventh angel sounded; and there weregreat voicesin heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are becomethe kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, andhe shall reign forever and ever," Rev. xi. 14, 15. Bythese passages we leam that, when the sixth trumpethas done sounding, when the second woe is past, thenthe third woe comesquickly. The seventhtrumlp beginsto sound; the mystery of God is a thatfinished-as been spoken by the prophets, that is, all that concernsthe kingdom of Christ; for then will be broughtto pass the saying, Death is swallowed up in victory;for, when the lasttrumpet shall sound, the dead inChrist shall be raised: " or as in Adam all died, evenso in Christ shall all be made alive." "But every manin his own order. Christ the first fruits, afterwards theythat are Christ's at his "The first man is ofcoming."the earth, earthy; the secon Man is the Lord fromheaven." "As is the earthy, such are they also that areearthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also thatareheavenly." "And as we have borne the image ofthe earthy, we shall also bear the image ofthe heavenly.Now, this] say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannotmherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inheritincorruption." "Behold, I show you a mystery:ll °

IU,ucrvlrvnl.ve|h1lnotnllsleep,butveshall1l bechanged,inmomennin the twinkling ofmeyemttlselut trump,forthe trumpetshall somd,|.ndthe desdlhall be ruinedincorruptible, and we shall be for this con:ruptible changed; must put on incornxption, um this mdrtal mustput_oniartbmqrtdity." be hrggght tn path:nys tuwrittpn, iannllow uPinnh,1 xv. 22-54.

'mrldiytaegvenLECTURE IX.lnv. I. N.'Die ofthe tars Hchthousawestinmyrightband,gohlelrfeadndlesvdchs. The seven stars are the anga;of \he seven churches; and the seven candlesticlu whichsawest are the seven churches.IT hasgnerallybeen believed that the seven churchesto whom eangel instructed John to write, were sevendifferent and distinct churches in Asia, and by almostall of our commentators at the present dayare under~stood to mean seven literal churches. But your speakeris forced, from the reasons which will hereafter be produced,to believe that these seven churches of Asin areto be understood in a figurative sense, to sevenalludingperiods of the church militant, during the Christian dispensation,dovrn to the first resurrection, and the commencingofthe lorious reign of Christ on the earth, commonlycalled Ti Millmrriun If this view of the subjectshould prove to be the correct exposition ofthe text, howimportant and interesting is the subject to us who live in$9 last stage Thencf] die chuachl wie who live .st thiy,areparticar,a.n solemnlan a monishedin what is said by Christ toglie %M'&dteams,that church corresponding with our stage ofthe church immediately previous to the commencing ofthe rnillennial glory; and how necnsry that we shouldknow that these admonitions do most concern ns!deeplyThis view of the subject will then claim our nrst attention.Were the seven churches used ss Aigurs ofthe wholsOhristiandip|nsstioa,or wvsrstheymtr I

128 ucruas ix.answer, In my humble opinion, they were. Because,first, the book of Revelation does evidently contain aprophecy of things which did not concern those seveniteral churches in Asia; for those churches haveiuce passed away longand become extinct; yet the book oRevelation contains prophecies which are daily fulfilling,and have been for eighteen centuries. It is alsosaid to be a revelation of things which must shortly cometo pass. "The revelation of Jesus Christ which Godgave unto him, toshow imto his servants things whichmust shortly come to pass." Not things that have been.Yet if Christ is only giving admonitory advice to thoseseven literal churches, then he is only relating their charactersasthey then were, and so far as these churcheswere concerned it would cease to be aprophecy, and thevery first verse in Revelation would be violated. Again,3d "verse, Blessed is he that readeth and they that hearthe words of this prophec and , keep those things whichare written therein; for the time is at hand." We eethat it is called a prophecy in this verse, and must alludeto the whole book; but who will pretend that thethree chapters in the beginning of Revelation are aprophecy, if we understand them as the characterof seven literal churches in Asia relatinlg o y? None,none.Again: the word seven is ohen used in the word ofGod as a mystical number, meaning the whole, as sevenspirits,seven stars, seven angels,sevencandlesticks,seven seals, seventrumpets, seven vials, seven thunders,seven plagues, seven mountains, seven heads, sevene es, seven horns, seven crowns, seven kings, and sevenc/iurdm. All these are used in Revelation and apply toor concerning the whole Gospel period. If; then, thenumber seven is used so often in this book in afigurativesense,meay we not suppose that it is so usedin the d ication ofreasonably this boo to the seven churches inAsia., and the history of those seven churches be prophetic?for no scripture is given for any private interpretation,and surely the instruction in the introductionof the book carries us down to the coming of Christ inthe clouds#-" Behold, he cometh with clouds ; and every

ca|ns'r's noon comms. 129ge 'shall see him, -and they also which pierced him; andl kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him; evenlo, amen. I sm Alpha and Omega, the beginning andthe ending, which is, and which was, and which is tocome, the Almighty." And why all this descriptive grandeurin the address to these seven churches, if the onlywere meant ? Surely there were other churches ofy equalimportance at that Where were the churches atCorinth, Cappadocia, dey. alatia, Thessalonica, Philippi, Collosse,Rome, Jerusalem, Bithynia, &c.? Our text showsthat the seven churches were to be understood in aiigurativeor mysticalsense. "The mystery of the sevenstars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the sevenolden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angelsshe ofseven churches; and the seven candlesticks whichthou sawest are the seven churches." These sevenchurches are represented by " sevenlamps." See Zach.iv. 2 " And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said,I have looked, and behold a. candlestick all of gold, witha bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon,and seven ipes to the seven lamps which were upon theto thereof?" These sevenlamps are called "the eyesofpthe Lord which run to and fro the wholethrong;earth." See Zach. iv. 10. If this is true,n it readilyfollows that the seven churches of Asia areonlyused asaTa representing the church "throughe whole`"ea Again: the seven lamps, which are the sevenchurches, are called the seven spirits of God. Rev. iv.5, "And there were seven lamps of tire buming beforethe throne, which are the seven of God."spirits I haveclearly proved, and I think it will admitted by all, thatthe "seven eyes of the Lord," and "the seven spirits ofGod," are the seven churches to whom John was directedto write or dedicate his book, the Revelation ofJesus Christ.And I will now show that these comprehended thewhole church through the whole earth. See Rev. v. 6,"And I beheld, and lo! in the midst of the throne andofthe four beasts, and in the midst ofthe elders, stood alamb as it had been slain, having seven horns, and seveneyes, which are the 'f seven spirits of God sent forth into

139 axcrual tx.all the ~earth." Again: when we compare the seven.characteristic marks or events, upon opening the sevenseals, with those marks and instructions to the sevenchurches, we shall be led to admire the beaut , harmony,and consistency of the Revelation of Jesus ghrist to hispeople. And I think the mind will rest satisfied that- thisview of the subject is the truth, because it soexactlyagrees with Christ's manner of teaching by parableswhen he was with us in the flesh.Some may inquire,"Why were those seven churchesin Asia used as ti res to represent the church militantinher several congltions to the end ofher militant state ? "I answer, ) if we may be allowed to answer the why: orwhere/`ores,) Because the siglnilicationof the names ofthose seven churches descn e the spirit and qualities ofthe several periods of the Christian church, which theyarebrought forward to represent, which we shall attemptto show in itsproper place.I shall now en eavor to take up the churches in theorder in which theyare laid down to us in Revelation.lst. The word Ernssus,(Read Rev. 1-7, inclusive.)desirable This is true concerning the first age ofthe church, in the apostles' days, when the Holy hostwasgiven the power to work miracles, and the power todistinguish between d and evil spirits, and when allwere of one heart andocihe mind, and the canon of theHoly Scriptures were filling up, and the inspired apostlesweresetting things in order, and establishing churchesthrough the world. Yes, my brethren, these were desirabletimes surely. But to proceed: This church is addressedby the character "that holdeth the seven stars," theministers and servants of him who holdeth them " in hisright hand," under his immediate care and control, " whowalketh in the midst of the sevengolden candlesticks,"and has said, where two or three aregathered togetherin his name, there will he be in the midst of them, andhas promised that whatsoever they should ask in his nameit should be granted unto them. He "says, I know thyworks." In that day they brought forth fruits meet forrepentance, and they went every where preaching thatmen should repent; and Paul said, when preaching at

cua|s~r's sncoivn course. 131Athens, " But now commandeth all men every where torepent." Yes, all, saint or sinner, highor low, rich orpoor; all, all must repent. And O! my brethren, howmuch we need these works at the present day!"Remember,therefore, from whence thou art fallen, and repentand do thy first works." Again he sa s, "I knowthy`labor."Did not the apostles labor night and day ?2 hess. iii. 8, " Neither did we eat any man's bread fornought, but wrought with labor and travail night and day,that wemight not be chargeable to any of you." See lThess. ii. 8, 9, " Sobeing aB'ectionately desirous of you,we werewilling to have imparted unto you, not the gospelof God only, but also our own souls, because ye weredear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labor andtravail; for laboring night and day, because we wouldnot be chargeable to any of you, we preached unto youthe gospel of God." Avain he says, " And thy tience."This, too, will apply to the apostles' days. For Finn] says,2 Cor. vi. 4, "But in all things approving ourselves asthe ministers of' God, in much patience, in aliiictions, in"necessities, in distresses." Also, xii. I2,Trugy thesigns ot' an apostle were wrought you in patience,in igns, and wonders, andamong mig ty deeds. Andagain the apostle says to "But thouTimothy,hast fullyknown my doctrine, manner offaith, longsuiferiug,charity, palience."And l1fe,p|urpose, w o can read the historyof the first age of the church, but will admit thatworks, labor and patience,wereprominent features ofthat age, and virtues which adomed the Christian churchin its infancy, more than age since?any " And howthou canst not bear them w ich are evil." Who canread Paul's instructions to his Corinthian brethren, in 1Cor. v. 11, without seeing this text fulfilled ? "But nowI have written unto you not to keep company, if any manthat is called a brother [as thou h such a one cou d notbe a real brother, but .only calle% so] be a fomicator, orcovetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a. drunkard, or anefxturtioner; with such a one no not to eat." And hadthe servants of Christ at the present day the power oftheapostles to discem the spirits by which we are govemehow , many in this congregation would blush when

~````133 ucruax in~"fornicator" is' mentioned! How many "condom"would hide their faces! How many Mliohztcrs" would,how their heads, or "railers" would begin to murmur at.the plainness of the speaker! How many "drunkards"would not have into this house! And howstaggeredmany " ufortioncrs' would have staid at home! O God,thou knowest. Or who can read the 2d chapter of the2d epistle of Peter, and John's first epistle, Jude, andothers, and not be convinced that the apostles could nothear with them that were evil? Again: "Thou hasttried them which say theyareapostles, and are not, andhast found them liars." This sentence was fulfilled inthe apostles' days. Simon Mavus, aiter he was prol`ess»edly a disciple of Christ, lound was out by Peter to ba.in the "gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity." Hy-,meneus and Alexander, whom Paul delivered to Sata.n,_that they may leam not to blaspheme. 1 Tim. i. 20.Also Philetus, Demos, and Alexander the coppersmith,were all found tn be liars, and many others who went outfrom them, as the apostle says, because theywere not ofthem. And how many are there now, m brethren, amous, who, when trihulation cometh, willbe offended, aliapo out from us! Lord, is it I? " And hast borne, andmast patience, and for my na.me's sake hast labored, andhast not fainted." Yes, my brethren, it was for the nameof Jesus, that the primitive Christians bore the persecutionsof their day. Acts xv. 25, 26, "It seemed goodunto us to send chosen men unto you, with our belovedBarnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives.for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."~"Actix..16,For I will show him what great thi he must suferfor my name's sake." Verse 41, Andxiizy " departed fromthe presence of the council, rejoicin that they warmcounted toworthysuffer shame for name."Ama,may I not inquire, how many of us arewilling andvoul,rejoice to suffer shame for the name of Christ? Perhspinone. We had rather be called ,Rabbi, Rev., Ilr,,,,We are contending for our names at the ~'praent,,Baptists, Congregationalists, Presbyterians, MFree-wills, Camp ellites, &c. If we do not coestly for oursect,,the,y will decrease, and we shall some

konought.cmus'r's arson, comms. 133Andl say, May Godspeedit;so that you.all may fall on the word of God, and rallyatglain underthe name of Jesus. But we will proceed wi our subject.4th "verse, Nevertheless I have somewhat againstthee, because thou hast left thy first love." Can this betrue P Did the apostolic church, in its purity,so soondepart from the first principles of the ospel? Yes, inActs xv. 24, "Forasmuch as we have Ecard that certainwhich went out from us have troubled you with words,subverting your souls, sayi , ye must be circumcised,and keep the whole law, :hom to we gaveno such commandment."Ga.l.i.6, "Imarvel that ye are so soonremoved from him that calledou into the grace of"Hold-Christ unto another gospel." 1 Eimothy, i, 19,ing faith and a good conscience, which somehavingrputaway, concerning faith, have made shipwreck." 2 im.i. 15, "This thou knowest, that) all they which are inAsia are turned any from me." And Paul further says,iv. 16, "At .my first answer no man stood with me, hutallmen fozsook me. I pray God lay not this sin to theircharge."-Many more evidences might be brought, to prove thatmany, inthat early state of the c-hurch, did fall away fromthe doctrine ofgauze, which Paul and the apostles taught.And now, -my rethnen, how is it with us? Are webuilt on the truth? Have we a "Thus saith the Lord,"for all we believeand do ? Are we built on " the prophetsand apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chiefcorner-stone"? Look well to your foundation-theda is coming that will try every man's works.(Tens 5,"Remember., therefore, from whence thouart. fallen, and repent and do the first works,or else Iwill come unto thee quickly, and. will remove the candledickout of his place, except thou repent" In this verseof the church admonishes the ChristiansthedgreatHead of eir tbrmer sins in neglecting the doctrine of grace,and falling into t.he popular errors of the day, which Ihave before noticed, and warns them of their duty tompem, which is the iirst and great command under thegospel. He also gives them notice, that, except theythe "desirable" state of thergpnt, he wilhrsmove

134 ncrunl ix.church into the next, which would be astate of trial,persecution, and poverty.6th "verse, But this thou hast, that thou hatest thedeeds of the Nicolaitans, which 1 also hate." What thedeeds of the Nicolaitans were, we are not able, from theword of God, to determine; but from somethings hintedatby some ancient authors, we have goodreason to believethat Nicolas, one of the seven deacons, departedfrom the doctrine which the apostles taught, and preacheda doctrine which wasrepant to the gospel of Christ,viz., a community plurigilty or of wives, which led Paulin his instructions to sa ",Let the deacons be the husbandof one wife," 1 'lZim. iii. 12. "He that hath anear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches."Here we have another evidence, that the branch of thechurch at Ephesus was not the only church addressedin this epistle and prophecy; for, if so, what proprietyin using the word churches, in the plural, when only onechurch in Asia wasspoken of? No, it could not beproper, neither would it have been,as it is so`used inevery epistle through the whole seven, had not Christdesigned it for all the churches in a certain age. Thereis uso an admonition contained in these last-quotedwords, to read, hear, and observe the prophecynowgiven by the Spirit to John, the inspired servant of Christ;and for all the churches of the spoken of] to be carefultoappl to themselves the age monitions,designed bythe Holy gpirit for their immediate beneit. "o himthat overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life,which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Howprecious is this promise to t.he faithfiil and tried soul,who places ull his hope, and strength, and dependence,on one who is mighty to save, and on one who has promisedto him ofl' conqueror over all the enemiesof grace, bring an the powers of hell! Yes, and, more thanall, he has overcome and entered within the veil, as aforerunner for us who believe. May we all, by faith,have a right to this tree of life, this paradise of God.I will now examine the prophecy to the second church,which I understand to commence about the close of thefirst century, and lasted about two hundred years, untilthe days of Constantine, A. D. 312.

8th verse,ca|us'r's szconn comms. 135"And unto the angel of the church inSmyrna., write." The signification of the wordismyrrh; denoting S15/1-na,that the church in this age wo d beasweet-smelling savor to God, while she waspassingthrough the fiery ordeal of persecution and affliction,which always has served to weed out those obnoxiousplants of pride, popularity, self-dependence -the baneand poison of true faith, piety, and devotion. And O,my brethren, could we leam wisdom, by what the churchhas already suH'ered in the days of our forefathers, weshould he more humble, the moreworldly peace andprosperity we enjoyed. For it is only in the midst ofpersecution and trial, that the church manifest great purityof doctrine or lite. How well, then, might this ageof the church be compared to when she musthave been separated from worldlymgérrh,onors, avarice, pride,popularity, and hypocrisy, when the and world-'ng had no motives to unite with anhypocrite destroy the unionof the brotherhood, and when the hirelingshe herd couldexpect no fleece, that would suit hiscupiditty,to iilchfrom the lambs of Christ! "These things sai the hrstand me lm, which was dead and is ahve." In thesewords we leam the character speaking to the church.It is no less than the mighty God, theeverlasting Father,the Prince of Peace. "I know an tribnlation,thysworks, and poverty." Now, their wor were about tobe tried; although God knew them that were his, yet hedesignedto manifest to a world who would be faithfuleven unto death, and to show that pure and undefiled religionwould burn with a brighter dame in tribulationand poverty, and the richness of that faith, which wouldhri off the true Christian conqueror over the powersof [Ee world, the temptations of Satan, and corruptionsof the flesh. "But thou art rich." Yes, brethren, thetmomnd genuine Christian is rich. For cancharity suf~krflmg in tribulation, and the spirit of Christ will makeus forsake all for his sake, and endure poverty for thelllll ofJesus."And I know," sa s Christ, "the blasph'q||yofthem which say they are dews, (that is, peopleof God,) and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan."Although Christ knew the hypocrites and false profes-,

136 Lncrunn rx.hors that had rushed into his visible kingdom during Itime of prosperity that the church had experienced in itsEphesian state, or apostolic age, yetnow the time hadcome, when that candlestick must be removed, and thenext age of the church or candlestick be set up; and thesame means used by God to the silver wouldpurge puri? out the dross, so that the kirlf om would again becleansed of its worldly, hypocritic and false , professors.10, "Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer."The tme child of God need not fear to sulfer forChrist's sake, for the sufferings of this present evil worldwill work out for us a far moreexceeding and eternalweight of "glory. Behold, the devil shall cast some ofyou into prison, that ye may be tried, and ye shall havetribulation ten da s." The devil in this verse means PaganRome. ltev. See xii. 9, 17, " And the great dragonwas cast out, that old called the devil." "Andthe was wroth wi sexent,draxgpn the woman, and went to makewar w' the remnant of her seed, which keep the cornmandmentsof God, and have the testimony of JesusChrist." How exactly was this pro hecy fulfilled in thedays of Nero; Dornitian, and other £oman emperors, andhow faithful has history been to record the ten persecutionsbetween the da s of John's prophecy and the emperorConstantine! lin these ten persecutions of the Romangovernment, in the text called ten days, we learn bythe history of those days the church suffered a great diminutionin numbers y apostasy and fear; yet thosethat remained steadfast made up in graces what they lostin numbers; and it wastruly a time of trial," for manywere cast into prison, and many suifered torture anddeath, rather than to offer sacrinces to their"Pagan gods.Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee acrown of life." Yes, my brethren, if we can believe thehistory of those days, many of the dear disciples of Christwere faithful unto death, and have long enjoyed thecrown of life promised in this prophecy.ll, " He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spiritsaith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not behurt of the second death." Here, then, we ind some ofthose characters who will have part in the first resurrec*

'Icaals'r's szcoim comms. 1.37tion, the blemed martyrs who were slain for the wituesof Jesus. See Rev. xx. 4. And in this passagewe areagain commanded to hear what the Spirit saith to thec urches-all, all who have ears; not the branch inonly, but all who have ears. We have lo beenSm'irna in e habit of giving away Scripture to others when ithelongs to is and our children; let us therefore apply itome.12, "And to the angel of the church in Pergamonwrite." Very earthy elevated is the signiiication of theword Pergamos; and this church represents the age ofConstantine, which lasted more than two hundred years,until the rise of anti-Christ, from A. D. 312 until A. D.538. During this age the church became very earthy,having her worldly policy, and, like the church in thepresent day, attending more to the outward concerns,and the worldly part of religion, than to inward pietyand graces of the spirit., looking more for _/brms and ceremonies,than for the IW, power, and spin! of the religionof Jesus, spending much of their time in building ele antchapels, temples, high places to educate gieirministry, gorgeous an adorning them with pictures and pleasantthings, and the hearts of their worshippers withhigh, popular, an haughty notions. Yes, my brethren,the age of trial wasgone ; the holy and secret aspirationsnf piety fled away, and, now she had obtained an earthlyemperor, her divine Master was forgotten. And herewas the falling away mentioned by Paul, 2 Thess. ii. 3,"Let no man deceive you by any means; for that dayshall not come except there come a falli away first,and that man of sin be revealed, the son fi? perdition."This, then, was the age that the church to receivethat monster, the man of sm, the son of perdition,preparedinto her bosom, which stung the church with the poison ofasps, and Hlled the temple of God with image worship,and the church with idolatry, selfishness, avarice, andDride."These things saith he which hath the sharp swordBy the sharp sword with two edges,with two ed es."we must umierstand the word of God, which denounce!heavyjudgment?gr; the wicked, and cuts off the corrup»_

188 nscrnas rx.tions and errors tl-om the church. The Psalmistcxlix. 5-7, "Let the saints he in glory; says, etthem sing Eytfulaloud upon their beds. the high praisesof God be in their mouth, and atwo-edged' sword intheir hand, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, andpunishments uPaul says, Heb. iv., 12nthgpeople."thoughts"For the wordmof G is quick and poweriixl, sharperthan any two-edged sword, piercir? even to the dividingasunder of soul and spirit, and o the joints and marrow,and is a diecerner of theand intents ofthe heart. And John aw, Rev. i. 6, "And he had inhis right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth wentssharp two-edged sword." Then this is theof the passage under consideration, meaning"These things saihe," which hath the word of God, and showingus theimportance of attendintgkto the sub`ect following, by theimportance of the spe er, "He that is Christ." Andnow, while we read or hear, let us keep in memory thatit is no less aglersonage speaki than Him of whom,the prophets 'd, write; who hihldeth the stars in hisright hand, and created and preserves all things by theword of his power. Hear him."I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, evenwhere Satan's seat is. Here, we have an evidencethat this church is mystical, again, " welling in Sats.n's seat,"the fourth kingdom, the great red dragon,Rome, whereon imperialthe great mystical whore of Ba ylonsitteth. The church, in this :§e, became immediatelyconnected with this powerc ed Satan, which is thedevil, Pagan Rome. "And thou holdest fast my name,and hast not denied my faith." In this time of popularandreligion,when many, from political andmotives, united their names to the people worgdg of God,there were some who held to the doctrine of Christ, anddid not deny the faith."Even in those days, wherein Antipas was my faithiixlmartyr, who was slain wamongere Satan dwelleth."It is supposed that Antipasyouwas not an individual,but a class of men whoopposed the power of theBishops or P-(3)88 in that day, eings combination oftwo words, nli, opposed, and Papas, father or Pope,

''`''cua|s'r's sxcuim comma. 13and many of them suffered martyrdom, at that time, inConstantinople and Rome, where the bishops and Popesbegan to exercise the power which soon alter broughtinto subjection the kinis of the earth, and trampled onthe rights of the churc of Christ. And, for myself] Isee no reason to reject this explanation of the word.dntipas in this text, as the history of those times areperfectly silent respecting such an individual as isYetere named, many, who plplposed the worship ofsamts and pictures, and the mf bility of the bishop ofRome,wereexcommnnicated, persecuted, and finallydriven out from among men, and in the next age of thechurch had to flee into the wildemess. All this happapedin the kingdom of Rome, "where Satan dwelle1"But I have a few things against thee, because thouhast there them that hold the doctrine of Balsam,who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before thechildren of Israel, to eat thing; sacrificed unto idols,and to commit fornication." he world have alwaysbeen endeavoring to draw the church of Christ intofellowship with them, and to a mixed communion ofidolatry as Balaam Balak to draw the childrenof Ismdl from their Gtagght and his commands, by mixingwith the Jews in their worship, and, at the same time,b degrees, introduce their priests, their altars andkim] worship into their camp. In Constantine's day thismode of warfare was introduced with great success byPagan worshippers,so that in little more than two cen-@8100 the greater part of the professed Christian churchBecame the image of the beast of which we are now, viz., Pagan Rome. Here, then, we see theof'spray on the downfall of Pagan Rome. Whoftake the pains of comparing the Paganof worship, forms, and ceremonies with Papacyilidl beingforcibly struck with the similarity of|54has deiiied their departed heroes andher departed saints and votaries. poet?Theionher oracles and priests for laws and 1IBfl'lli.f_-"the other her Popes and cardinals. The' budaltars, images, and statues. the other liér chap-

140 Lmcruar: rx.els, pictures, and crosses. Both had them erected ilevery public place, for the multitude to fall before andworship. Both had their holy fire, holy water, and bothclaimed to perform miracles; the oneby the response ofher wooden orwcles, and the other by her campriest~hood. Here, then, we see how the church, in the fourthand filth century, was led over the stumbling-block ofPaggnism, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commitornication."So, also, hast thou them that hold the doctrine oftheNicolaitans, whichthirrtg I hate." Thi! doctrine waspromulgated in the century. See the church histor, and our formerfor;o servations.or else I will come unto thee quickly, and'¥Repent,will fight afgginst them with the sword of my mouth."A in the rd calls for repentance, and threatens theju§;ments of his word upon them that obey not. O!not themay we take waming, my brethren, and temptheavy `udgmerts of God upon us, for ouridolatryfellowsliip andof that which is not the religion of Jesus."He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spiritsaith unto the churches. To him that overcometh willI ive to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him awgite stone, and in the stone a new namewritten, whichno man knoweth saving he that receiveth it." A `n,all that have ears are commanded to hear, and tildsewho remain faithful, that do not fall away, receive aprlolmase of spiritlual fogd, at-rad a. nialme and righteousnessw 'c none can now ut wey oreceive it18, "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatirawrite." The signilication of' Thyatira is,a "sweetsavor of labor or sacrifice and contrition," and is a descriptionof the church, after she is driven into the wildernessby the anti-Christian beast. This church lasteduntil about the tenth century; and little of her historyig known to the world; but some authors have pretendedto trace her into the north-west part of Asia, and in thenorth-east part of Europe, where they lived until aboutthe tenth century, unknown unto the rest of the worldor but little concern with the nations aroimlthem. et it is said they retained religion in its puri

°i''cn|us'r's ssconn course. 141ty, and held to the doctrines of the word of God. Atany rate this church is represented as beingin a stateof heavy trial, and subject to seduction by some powerrepresented by that woman Jezebel, of which I shallspeak in its place. _"These things saith the Son ofGod, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, andhis feet are like fine asbrassg" representing,in allthe other declarations tothe churches, that the characteraddressing them is no less than the mighty God, theomniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent Jehovah, whosays, "I know thy works, and charity, and service, andfaith, and patience, and thy works; and the last to bemore than the first." When this church existed, whichwas when anti-Christ began her reign, there was greatneed of the exercise of those graces of the spirit whichin this passageare enumerated. lst. In worksthey hadto, and without doubt did, combat the anti-Christiandoctrines which began in the sixth to overwhelmthe Christian world, such as worshippingcenturyangels,d saints, supjection to councils and bishops,of the &c. They,rips,in charity, too,'bilityhad many of their bre en to sustain while combattinthese erm!! against the power of this beast. They digmuch service in holdin up the hands of their piousteachers and pastors wgo were not led away by thiswicked one. How much faith, too, must they havebeen in possession of to have withstood the powerof their councils, the excommunications of the Pope,and t. majority of their brethren who had fell intoPapal errors! how much "patiknce"to have renamedunwavering amidst persecution when drivenHum their homes, theircount? and friends, into thewildernx, where God prepare a place for her! andhow much more necessary were their last works to supponeach other in exile, poverty, and distress, the naturalof being driven from among men! Butso, according to the best account weein tain o*were those times.1"Notwithstanding,Ihaveafew thingsa instthee,suihrest that woman Jezebel, veltich call-'a|¢'prophetess, to teach and to seduce my

_142.u:c-run ix.servant: to commit fomication, and to eat thingssacrificed to idols." ln this verse we have strongtestimony that the exposition we have given of theseven churches is correct; for no character given thewoman Jezebel will apply so exactly,as the womansittin on the scarlet-colored beast, full of names ofblasphemy, "havin a golden cup in her hand filll ofabominations and ligthiness of her fornication."Jezebel is afigurative name,alludinglto Ahab's wife,who slew the prophets ofthe Lord, led er husband intoidolatry, and fed the prophets of Baal at her own table.A morestriking figure could not have been used to describethe Papal gbomination. See 1 Kings xviii. xix.xxi. chapters. It is very evident from ashistory, well asfrom this verse in Revelation, that the church of Christdid suffer some of the Papal monks to preach and teachamong them. See the history of the Waldenses.21, "And I gave her space to repent of her fornication,and she repented not." 22, " Behold I will cast herinto a bed, and them that commit adultery with her intogreat tribulation, except they repent of their deeds." 23,"And I will kill her children with death; and all thechurches shall know that I am he which searcheth thereins and hearts, and I will giye unto every one of youaccording to your works." e cannot be mistaken inthe character given to this mystical Jezebel, when wecompare the descriptions here used, and thethreatened, with other passages of like import juclgrnents in evelation,where mystical Babylon is described and threatened.See Rev. ix. 20, 21, "And the rest of the menwhich were not killed by these plagues, yet repented notofthe works of their hands, that they should not worshipdevils and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone,and of wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:neither repented they of t.heir murders, nor of their sorcerics,nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts."lf' these last texts mean anti-Christ, of which I believenono have any doubt, t.hat is, no commentator that I havebeen able to consult., then it is equally evident that thiswoman, called Jezebel, in this prophecy ofthe church in'.l'hya.tira, means the same; and the conclusion is strong

cnars1"s sscozm comma. 143that the Thyatira church represents the churches insomeage of anti-Christ, and theprophecycontained inthe verses we have already quoted are the Judgments Godhas and will pour out on that great city that rules overthe kings of the earth, and has for ages past trodden thechurch under foot, and contaminated the people of Godby her seductions, sorceries, and fomications.24, " But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Tliyatira,As manyas have not this doctrine, and which havenot known the de ths of Satan as they speak, I will putupon you none other burden." 25, "But that whichhave already, hold fast till I come." In these verses 'ieechurch which have not fellowshipped the anti-Christiandoctrine, and have not followed the practices of the satanicblasphemies of their abominations, are here promisedto experience no other persecution except what theymay experience from this beast or woman Jezebel, whichis another proof ot' this being anti-Christ; for the churchin Thyatira has long been extinct, if there ever was sucha church, and was when the man of sin was revealed;and yet they are promised to have none other burden untilhe come, as it is more than implied; and this power isto stand until he comes. For Paul "says, Whom he shallconsume with the spirit of his mouth and destroy with thebrightness of his cominrr." '1'his is Daniel's fourth kingdom,which was to be broken without hand, and to becarried away like the chaif of the summer threshing-doorbefore the wind, that noplace be found for it.26, "And he that overcometh and keepeth my worksunto the end, to him will I give powerover the nations,"27, (" And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as thevessels ofa potter shall they be broken to shivers,) evcmas Ireceived of my Father. And I will ive him themorning star." 29, "He that hath anear,!let him hearwhat the Spirit saith to the churches."In closing the prophecies to the churches, our divineInstructor carries them down to that day when he shallcome to be admired in all them that believe, or to glorifyhis saints, to crown them his in his kingdom of glory, tobreak in pieces all the kingdoms ofthe earth as a potter'svessel is broken to shivers, as the last text says, which

_ Vd,144Vucrunx, rx.proves that when Christ comezlhe will bnng all the saintwith him, and this too when e of this worldand anti-Christ will be destroyed. kinidoms nd this provesanotherimportant point in which manytghood and pious peopleare greatly mistaken, viz., that ere will not be athousand happy reign previous to Christ's comingyears'the secon time without sin unto salvation. What happyreign can there be while the kingdoms of the earth standas they now do; while the anti-Christian beast has powerto seduce and draw the servants of God into idolatry, andlull to her serpentine folds thousands and tens of thoulandshuman beings Jzarly, and deceive the nations byher siren song of mo church; while bymeans of herpoison, subtle, secret, and deep, she is undermining andsappiug the foundation of every religious sect but herown; of every civil government but such as will resigntheir power unto her control? And now, while I amsneaking. she is exerting an induence in this once fhvoredby means of her Jesuits, that will set father againstson, and sonagainst father, and drench ourcountry inblood. Can`thia monster of murder, iniquity, and blood,retain her life, her standing in and we have 4happy society, rei n? No. She must and wil sink like a millstonein tlie miglpgdeep, and God will avenge the bloodof his servants. er flesh must be eaten by dogs; yethe kings of the earth shall eat her iiesh, and God shaiiconsume her with fire before the happy reign comes."Come, Lord Jesus, some qurkkly."

LECTURE X.-.lTREV. LN.The mystery of the seven slars which thou sawcst in my rigl!hand, and the sevengolden candlesliclu. The seven star: antheangels of the seven churches; and the seven Cllld|Ci¢bwhich ou sawest an lheieven churches.In my former lectures I have given m views of fourofthe churches spoken of in the text. Three more remain,which will complete the pro hetic history of thechurch through all the of the Niiaw Testament timesuntil the state of trial ages s all be fulfilled, and the churchshall enter her glorified kingdom in triumph. You haveundoubtedly been led, by the comparison of the churcheswith the history thus thx, to admire the agreement of theprophecy of the four churches with the history of thetimes; and truly this is one ofthe greatest evidences wehave ofthe truth of the divine inspiration of revelation,and this evidence fixes the authenticity ofthe Scripturesbeyond a ,reasonable doubt. I shall now claim a fewmoments' indulgence while I attemptto show where andwhen the other three churches have been or will be ful~filled. See Rev. iii.1, " And unto the angel ofthe church in ardis write."Son ofjoy, or that which remains, is the signiiicationof The last signification is the one which theheavenly Instructor has atlixed himself to this church inthe econd "verse, Be watchful, andstrengthen thethings which remain." The church prece ing thishad passed a longédark, and benighted age ofthe world,1

M6 Lncrun x.and every writer of these times calls them the darkages; and truly it was an age of stiperstition, bigotry,and ignorance; therefore we must reasonably supposethat but few were the true worshippers of God, andthose few enjoying but a faint knowledge of divinethings. But we will pursue our course. "These thingssaith he that hath the sevenspirits of God, and theseven star-s,I know thy works, that thou hast a name,that thou livest, and nrt dead." The same characterthat has addressed the other churches, still gives himselfaquality by which we may know that it is he whois called God man, having the spirit of God, and as mangoveming his church as the star of Bethlehem. Thischurch began about the tenth century, and lasted untilthe Reformation under Luther, Calvin, and others.They had a name, were called Waldenses, Valdenses,&c.,"and art dead ;" that is, she was or wouldbe of little use to the rest of the world, hidin her induencewithin her ownsphere, and of course dig not manifesther light to the world, was inactive, idle, not performingthe work which God had commanded them toperform, to set their light on the candlestand, that itmight give lightto all.- This was the case with thechurch in the valleys of Piedmont durin the time of thecrusades to the Holy Land; and while time Pope had thecommand of all the armies of Europe, the church livedin these valleys of the Pyrenees, nearly in the centre ofEurope, unknowing and unknown.2d verse, "Be watchful, and strengthen the thingswhich remain, thatare read to die; for I have not foundthy works perfect before éod." Although the churchin this age retained some of the leading principles of thethe ordinances were in part retained amongdpspel, em, yet towards the close of this Sardis age, Pap5 themonks and priests- were sent in among them, and manyof the Waldenses became corrupted by the Papal beastand her doctrine. Therefore the admonition, " Be watchful,and strengthen the things which remain."3d verse, "Remember how thou hast received andheard, and hold that and repent. It, therefore, thoushalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief; and thou

`cnaxs'r's uconn comme. 147init not know what hour I will come upon thee."Thejudgment threatened in this verse, "I will come uponthee," is undoubtedl aprophecy of the rsecution ofthe Waldenses and llollards, by the Papalhiuthority, andthrough the inquisition, as an instrument, about the closeof the fourteenth century, when, for tlieir departure fromthe true doctrine of the and the commands ofGod, they gosdpel, were persecute and scattered among allnations, so that by the judgments of God, for their transtheywere made instruments in the hands ofEessions, 'od ofspreadinglthe knowledge of the gospel amongthe nations, whic they ought tohave done in obedienceto his word, and for the love of souls. And these judgmentsserved the double purpose of punishment for sin,and opening a door for a more general display of salvation.4th verse, "Thou hast a few names even` in Sardiswhich have not detiled their garments, and they shallwalk with me in white, for they are worthy." Therewere a few even in this age of moral darkness who followedChrist in his laws and ordinances, andmceive the promise thee;of justification before God, " wwith me in white."5th verse, "He that overcometh, the same shall beclothed in white raiment, and I will not blot out hisname out of the book of life; but I will confess his namebefore my Father and before his angels." Wheneverthe phrase, "he that overcometh," is used, it always implies,I think, in the Seri tures, that the persons addressedare, or will pass through a time of persecution; and inthis text the church in this age is shown that those onlywho can endure tribulation and persecution will beat the bar of God as the children of faith.acknowledtgg And then church is again warned to hear and believewhat the saith to the churches."6th verse, ipirit e that hath an ear, let him hear whatthe Spirit saith to the churches."I shall now attempt to show to what age we may cal~eulate the Philadelphia church should answer, and whenthiswasrophecy fulfilled.7th verse, "And to the angel of the church in Philaf

148 moron: xadolphin write, Thesethin? saith lm that is holy, he tlllistrue, he that hath the ey of David, he that openetliand no manshutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth."'I'his verse is a description of the character addressingthe church and givesan account of his holiness, his veracity,authority, andh power, ll;d'a8&V:!iStéiewitihout 8 doubttthat it is Jesus e son o avi, o ne oIsrael, the faithful and true witness, he tha); hath allpower in heaven and in earth. And he thus addressesthem, 8th verse, "I know thy works: behold, I have setbefore thee anopen door, and no man can shut it, forkept mynot denie m name. e sign1iic`ation o eg hast u littlg strength, a'.nd'f`1l1:stword? atadgame of this church, 5lhiladelpI;T_a,this golguerly love, is an about etime o e eormation; afnd orthenlgeodbiigened an effectual door for the to bewhich no man or set of men has gospel een able tn:Eead a seal andt. And the early refonners displayedfearlessness in their cause which astonished their friendsand confounded their enemies. At this time, too, Chris-one of theand mamfes that the worktian love and fellow hip was evideiiéldystron%_e2 rararks of the daywas o o"9th verse, Behold,1 will make them of the synaogueof Satan which say t.hey are Jews and are not,Ent do lie." The characters here spoken of are theto besame as those who sit in Satan's seat, who professSfh&st.i;ns, bug are anti-Christians eapal east, professi to thtelyeare 1no!her' worshippers urch,but areonly that part whildg are fallen away,as Paulhas told IIS, "there should come a fal1` away first, andthen the man of sin should be revealed, who opposeth,(or is anti,) and exalteth himself (calling themselves Jews,a fi urative expression, or name for Christian) aboveall that is called God." "Behold, I will make them tocome and worship before thy feet, and to know that Ihave loved thee." This sentence shows that anti-Christ'would be humbled in this age of the church andto take the back or in some measure lose broughtSlround, rcivil power over e Protestant church and be humbledat har fest.Has not this prophecy been accomplished

cua|s'r's ucoxn comme. 149strictly the letter Paccordinglto WitnessGreat Britain,Germany, and o er nations. And to this day she halnot been able to bring into subjection any of the Protestantstates, and is only permitted to dwell among them bytoleration. And although within a few years past sheseems to be making an ed'ort to regain her lost powerand authority, yet it is but a last struggle, a d ing gasp;for soon she must and will fall, to rise in civil power nomore forever.10th verse, "Because thou hast kept the word of mypatience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptationwhich shall come upon all the world to try them thatdwell upon the earth." This part of the prophecy wasfulfilled on or before the French revolution, when Atheismand Deism made such rapid progress throughEurope or the Roman apvemment, which in pro hecy iscalled the earth. See ev.xii.9. And it is athot, thatthrough this age of proiligacy and corruption, the churchretained her principles as pure and with as little defectionas anyage in modern times; menalthoughof theworld were le awaby the plausible wntings of Vol-it had no efecttaire, Hume, Tom gains, and others, yeton the Christian church: and thepromise, " I will keepthee from the hour of wastemptation, fully and faithfullyaccomplished; and the very means that Satan usedto destroy the religion of Jesus Christ, or " the twelvehhermen," was the means of bringing thechurch outof the wildeme . And those vernments of the worldwhich had for more than tweife centuries persecutedthe children of God, now granted free toleration for allmen to worship God accordin to the dictates of theiron conscience. And fi-om this period we may see the"l dying through the midst of heaven havinge thegostpel to preach to them that dwell on thesaith." ow e church began to awake to the subjectofimissions; and while the world wastempted and tried,thshingdoms of .the earth shaken to their centre, (yetnsNle|troyed;) while the civil power of the mother oflnrlots, the inquisition of Spain, and the horrible meansof -tostnre, persecution, slavery, and cruelty,were allneptawayinpge revolution,- the church, by the power

''_150 ucruu x.of Him who Ind to "keep them," panelthrough the fiery t% smell of lire on hergarments.llth verse, "Behold, I come quickly; hold that fastwhichtholirahast, that verse we ve noticenof o ansecon takeihy coming, CmWL;n itwould be quickly; by which I understand that the ageof thesexetlath churcg, which win; yet would beshort, tohoeomle, an e secon comin o 'm,w w' overcomeand subdue all things, woul§ be He likewiseftilickly.admonishesdeus to liold fest thzrths' we have,us,as un rstan war-ni tenextage thechurch would be an age 2% invention; of lo bees, ofdeparture from the true faith, of denying the crown ofthe church, the twelve stars, the apostles' doctrine. Andamidst thethe present day i any one should inquire o me whstcontirsion of the doctrines and revfeletions ofgentiment ithwoiild be bestbfior theim to emdlzrgce, I wouldsecon acktotherstpoint emtothe Bi e,anfathers and teachers of the last century, and say, Hold$t that tgeydlireld let no ilnfai talae thy crarwn. hlLet usen,my en ewatc an rememer" `mths.tgercometh will I,mske s pillar in thaendteinpleu of myno more out' w' writeod, and he shall goupon him the name of and tlfe name of theof my God, which ism§God, ew Jerusalem, which comegpwn out of heaven gnygod; and I will write uponromised in this'm my new name. eesingstext are to be realized when the New Ferusslem comesdown from _God out of heaven; then shall the spiritualzfarn chili of heavgn be :hpillar the temple of God, int ui ingmsewi out ds°then,too,wil1heaerceivtehthaait richGi;£erit'a;1;:1; mm up in hetven fore at ove an re in at eterna crown,that immortal life which is now hid with Christ in God,said then and there at theorious appearing rezhlize tha.t"b¢l'¢;sseddhopeo e great G an ou.r SeviorIesus Christ." "And he shall go no more out" of thtglorious temple; no tempting devil there, ibr he will bechained;rnsenecuting kigoxn, for they will " all bedestroyedcarried away e the chef of the Ninn(

-15th'''cns.rs'r's suoln comms. 151tlmuhing-Boar." Then will he receive the new name"The Lord our righteousness," for the Lord is there.Then, tco, a citizen of the glorified the NewJerusalem, married to the Lamb, and sbs kin§dom, live and reignwith him tbrever and forever. "He that hath an ear,saith unto the churches."let him hear what the SpiritThis closes the prophecy to the sixth church; and nowlet us see to it that we do not lose the blessings promisedby refusing to hear what the,Spirit saith to the churches.Hear, and your souls shall live; tum adisobey,deafcar, refuse the oiferedgrace, and you will die; for thesoul that sinneth shall ie.It now remains for me to show the age ofthe seventhor Lsodicean church, and the characteristic marks ofthat church or age. And if I am right in comideringthese churches m a.mystical sense, as our text morethan implies, and our arguments and references stronglyprove, y humble opinion, then, this part of our sub-_iect bel&:es doubly interesti to us, who live in thevery age of the fulfilment ofngiis prophecy. Yes, mybrethren, we live at the very time when the great headofthe church says,14th verse, "And unto the angel of the church inlnodicea write, These things saith the Amen, the faithfuland true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."Laodicea signifies the 'uglging of the people, and mayhave referencestage, when Godwould out an ju entupona uiltaxtghe cliggch |51 itsdgfltIodd,fP::d upon a andhaughty,proud, self-egaltetdthem out o his mouth.church, and spuebswarmnted hom the subject in connection.dress- fn"ispensation, ysa. 'n ,tfxlguach begins by showing tléalt.domgf _u ,lkmen." It also:.'.°~='..,..,.""'°..,"":~ii..i°d.s~°°' ` ' 'This idea maThe sd);it is theese th'teaches uglthit it lcongmex in¢|¢ldgmeut,orre or a 'u ent,being "thsl beg;-inningyofent e owle e othe creatign ofverse,"I know thy works, that thou art neitherOtldnorlwtz I would thouwert cold or hot." To be

»`159,moron x.neither cold nor not in re' 'ousimplies afession of religion withouiilgl spiritual `fe,or the misdl:way between the world and Christ; much painsalter worldly things, to the neglect of spiritual thmgs;endeavoring to move between the doctrine of Christ andthe doctrine of men; taking the middle ground,as I haveoiten heard it expressed.16th "verse, So then, because thou art lukewarm, andneither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."For this cause, that is, because they are engaged morefor show, honors, or profits of this world thanfor God, hewould spue them out of his mouth. The word spue isbesides the one underused in three places in Scripture,consideration; in Levit. xviii. 28, xx.22, Jer. xxv. 27;and in all these places stands connected with the 'midgmentsof God upon Israel, or the nations spoken oii andimplies a shaking out or driving from their resentstanding, either amongnations or in the om ofChrist, as the case may be. And this passage, suppose,alludes to the time when God hath"promised, saying,Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but alsoheaven," Heb. xii. 26. So we may expect a shakingofthe church of Christ, if this is the age spoken of; thatthose things which cannot be shaken may remain. This,too, is the age when the wise and foolish virgins aresleeping and slumbering together.1 th verse, "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increasedwithtgoods, and have need of est not thatnothing,and know-edgoods."ou art wretched, and miserab e, and poor,and blind, and naked." Our heavenly Instructor hasgiven us inthis verse the reason why they are lukewarm;"because thou sayest, I am rich." The church in thisLsodicean state, like the rich man, will be laying upgoods, or making great calculations for the outward orworldly concerns of the church for many years to come,building places for worship, establishing colleges, highschools, academies, theological instimtions, to raise upa popular ministry, that the world may be pleased, theministry well supported, and they become the most popularsect of the day, " increased with This, too,lsthe church. What shallbe call the goods of the

csa1s'r's szcosn comme. IJ!church? It is those contributions which arevdepositeufor charitable and pious uses, such as Paul informed hisbrethren to lay by them in store on the first day of theweek. These will be increased to agreat and astonishingdegree in this age of the church. Theolofgicalwritings and publications, too, are the goods o thechurch: there will be agreat increase of these. "Como,see what great things we are doing," will be the generallanguage of the church, and the names. of donors andthe sums they contribute will be published through theworld. "And knowest not that thou a.rt wretched. "The corruptions of the church will be kept out of sight;and pride, popularity, self-righteousness, depravity, willbe the besetting sins of the memben and great body ofpublic professors, and few, very few of the ministers ofthe churches will be valiant or bold enoughto tell themthe truth. "And miserable." Real piety will be verylittle enjoyed; the hofpes of a large body of professorswill be butthe hope o a hypocrite."And poor." Withouta tried faith, suffering but little or no persecution,thechurch will lack those riches which are more preciousthan iine the trial ofgold,their faith. "And blind,"without faith, living by seen more than on thepromises of God. "And ed,"onhaving their ownrighteousness. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold triedin the ire." That is, the Amen, the faithful and truewitness, counsels the Laodicean church to buy themean either that faith w gpld 'chtried in the iire, whichwill stand the fiery may trial o temptation and ~persecution,or thattruth which is like "apples of gold in picturesofsilven" "that thou mayest ber-ich;" rich in faith orinthe knowledge of the truth; "andwhite raiment that#hu maya! be clothed," that raiment which John sawthessints in heaven clothed with, which is the righteousnessof the saints, the imputed righteousness ofC|ll'iBI,"fl|¢ Lord our ri ldemmwsa." If it is not so, whyof him? Yes, my brethren,counsel the church to guywe are counselled to buy a miment without spot orwrinkle, " and that the shame of thy nakedness o n0tappear." Truly, when Christ comes, and we find we havebeen trusting in self; although _we have called ourselves

I54 ncruu x.by his name, we have worn our own clothing, and calour own bread, and instead of being clothed upon, weshall find ourselves naked. Shall we not be ashamedbefore him at his coming, if we are in this situationwhen he comes? 0, what an awful thought! Thereforelet us now receive the further admonition, " Andanoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see."To anoint the eyes, in afigurative sense, is to examinethe truth and evidences ot Scripture, that we may seeclearly our state and standing as it respects our chanctertowards God and our hope in his future aid, promises,and blessings. It is to see our sins, and feel the needof help, to know our weakness, and trust in his strength-in one word, it is to repent and believe in the gospelof Jesus Christ For he "says, As many as I love I rebukeand chasten: be zealous therefore and repent."Here, then, is one comfortable promise to this lukewarmchurch. If there is tried, cbastened, penitent soulin this church, this Laaryicean state or age of the church,they have the promise of his love, his everlasting love,hiskindness he will nottake from im, although he sho d " visit their trans-unchanglea le love; his loving]giéessions with a rod, and their iniquity with stripes"zealous, therefore, brethren, and repent.20th verse, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock."He that is the "Amen" is now at the door. In thi Laodiceanage of the church he comes; he knocks by hisFdgmenls, by the fulfilment of the signs, by his word,y all the means of grace that God has ever used toalarm the sleepy, slumbering virngins of his I stanalpproach.at theHe gives the cautionary word, " ehold,door and knock; if any man hear my voice and open thedooi, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, andhe with me." In this passage of are brou htdown to the marriage supper of prophecivnwe the anothermb-and astrong testimony that the churches are to be consideredin a mystical sense, and the language or subjectprophetical. For this is certainly the saying of Jesus,the faithful and true witn ; " for the of Jesusis the spirit testimony of prophecy." Rev. xix. 7-9, " et us rejoiceand be glad, and give honor to him; for the mar-

,Thici-ms-r's ucosn course. 155riage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath madeherself ready. And to her wasgranted that she shouldbe armyed in line linen, clean and white ; for the linelinen is theot' saints. And he saith untome, Write, righteousness B essed arethey which are called to themarriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me,These are the true of God." We see, my friends,by the similarity of e sentiments given in thesupper, and those admonitions and propheciesmarriitgeto eLaodicean church, that theymust mean one and thesame event. To hear the voice of the bridegroom, andto open the door, and go out to meet him, ll the waywhich the bride makes herself ready; and his suppingwith them and they with him, shows that it is whenChrist shall come, and live, and reign with them."To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with mein my throne, even as 1 also overcame, and am set downwith my Father in his throne." Here is another expressionwhich proves we arebrought down to the end oftime, "to him that ovcrcomcth." What can the faithfuland true witness meanby this expression ? He explainshimself] " even asIalso ooa°c¢me." How did Christ overcomewhen he sat down with his Father ? I answer, Bybursting the bands of death, by conquering the grave, hearose a glorious conqueror, and was seated at the righthand of God. Then this is the true meaning of the text,to him, that hathpart in the iii-st resurrection, will] grantto sit with me in my throne. "Blessed and holy is hethat hath part. in the first resurrection; on such the seconddeath hath nopower; but they shall be kings andwats of God, and of Christ, and shall reign wi him."hat,liaht m~y we not receive from the word of God,when ta entogether, when explained by its own language,et im hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."when ke t unbroken! "He that hath an ear,This closes what l call, and what Christ, I think, calls,I. prophecy."Blessed is he that readeth, and they thatheel' the words of this prophecy, and-keep those thingswhich are written therein; for the time is at hand."Laodicean church began about A. D. 1798, and"ll last the forty-iive years. When this dispensation

|$ Lxcrun x.will close, the _udgment will set, and the books will beopened ; the hypocrites will be spued out of the church,and the sanctuary cleansed.Will the situation of the church, the~ character ofChristians, the doctrines taught, and the signs oi! thetimes warrant us to believe that we live in the Laodiceanof the church? Let us for a moment examine theageevidence and see.lst. The situation of the church, enjoying peace inand among the kingdoms of the earth, all theenjoyingprivileges of citizens without persecution, making greatand many improvements in her worldly concerns, rich inthis world's oods, having at her command mandy milliorlof funds, and'almost swaying the destinies of e world;great, leamed and rich men enlisting under her banners,controlling the fashions, customs, and laws of the day,swaying a mighty influence over the education of ouryouth, and giving a general tone to the literature of theworld, increasing her demands for power, establishingbishoprics, presbyteries, national and state conventions,conferences, councils, associations, consociations, societiesinnumerable; and all these controlled almost exclusivelyby her clergy.May we not say truly, " he is richand increased in goods? But is this all? No. Lookat her colleges, theological schools, academies, depositories,public edilices, presses, theological writings andpublications, in almost every nation, kingdom, state, andterritory, and in this country in almost every county andtown; and all this by contributions. Well may it besaid, she has need of nothing. These things, too, amongall sects and denominations, one cannot outdo anotherapparently, yet each is striving for the me stery.2d. The characters Q/' Chnlstians Ingenerally. speakmgofthe character of our brethren, it becomes the speakerto be very careful and unassumin God has not,made him a judgeover his brethren. '§herefore, to judthis oneisright, and that one wrong, we shall leave ig'theseat of Christ But on a general scalefudgment sure y we may be allowed to examine and comgglre ourselveswith the prophecies. In all ages back, C `stians,when living godly, have been a poor, despised, persecu-

''tedCH`BlS'l"l SICDRD COMING.eople, pilgrims and strangers in the world, plainlshovging that this is not their continuing city, but thaithey are seekingone tocome. But is itso now ? Havenot professors generally, for more than thirty years,been seeking for the riches of this life, for the honorsof the world, and ibllowing the fashions of the times asas mengreedilyof the world? Yes. And can we distinguisha professor of religion in our public assembliesfiom a man ofthe world, weexceptare informed? No.Where, then, do Christians plainly show they seek abetter country? Nowhere. May we not live in thelame neighborhood with professors for years, and nothear them recommend the religion they profess? Yes.But do we not hear the samepersons talk freely, fiippantly,and zealously about the world, the politics and the fashionsof the day? Yes. Is it not a general complaint withall of our churches, of coldness, ofa. want of spirituallife, and agreat failure in active spiritual duties? Yes.Has not aspirit of sloth and supineness seized uponprofessors generally? Do not many think, if they havea hired servant to talk religion, and visit the widowand fatherless, and keep themselves unspotted from theworld, for them it is enough? Yes. And does not allthis, and much more which might with truth be said onthis point, declare loudly that the professors of Christianity,in a Iukewarrn state P Yes. Wearemsstrespond, generaléy, es.Thsdodrine taught. Here again your speaker feelsl diidence in speaking on this ubject, knowing thatmany t, learned, and men differ on this int;all stand or allodto our own Master,pii)nd Ilf# answer how I speakor shun to declare the wholeelbilhel of God. Your speaker believes that the dehumanheart, our dependence on God, andto areabundantly taught in theBee §ace, ph. ii. 4-13. But how stands thiswith our public proclaimers at the present day P_' few may preach it, but there is more than ten toUiirlllb M not preach it, or, if they do, so covertheyitdp bitheir plausible and specious reasoning, that thelime of the doctrine and ,the object of the inspired141I

that|58_ar-:c'rua|: X.writers are wholly _lost We are now taught that mancan make himself a Christian as easilyas he can tumabout in the highway; that obedience or baptism is regeneration;that works are the medium of acceptancewith God, and that the righteousness of Christ is notHow canimputed.such doctrine be moreclearlypointed out than it is by the " faithful and true witnessto the Laodicean church?" And knowest not that thouart wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, andnaked." That is, they know not their depravity."Icounsel thee to buy of me (see here their dependence onGod) Elold tried in the tire, that thou mayest be rich;and w 'te raimeut, that thou mayest be clothed, that theshame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thineeyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see." Grace,grace, from the foundation to the top stone. Surely, myear friends, no candid observer of the doctrine taughtat day, but what must in his heart acknowledgethetpresent at doctrine taught by many, among the differentsects, is the same described byour divine Masterin the prophecy to the Laodicean church.The signs of the times. In the close of Christ's instructionsto the church lmder consideration, he says,"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hearmy voice," &c. Daniel "At that' time shall Michaelstand up, says, the greatnce that standeth up for thechildren of thy people." And Christ "says, Forshall come in m name, saying, I manyam Christ, and shaldeceive many." 'l'hese wereparticular given byChrist and the prophets. And how havesigns ese come topass? Witness the great and many reformations whichfor thirty years have progressed in our land, in Europe,and the is ands of the seas. See also the word of Godpublished, in whole or in part, among all nations. Seethe missionaries ofthe gospel running to and fro through~the whole earth. Do not these indicate Chnststands at the door, and that his voice has gone out evenunto the ends of the world, and that Michael has stoodup for the children of thy people? Yes.Again: howmany new sects have arisen, how false C rists havesome in this blaze of gospel light, manty are drawing away

_`cmus'r's ncosn comme. 159theirhundreds andtliousmds aher them! ltisalmostincredible, when we take into view the light and knowledgeunder which we live; but all go to prove thatChrist is nigh, even at the door.In reviewing our subject, we learn the eventsbyofthe Sardis church, and by the admonitlons given, ourduty to guard against the introduction of errors into thechurch, and tostrengthen ourselves in the truth; andlikewise of being active in all the duties of religion, thatwe may not only have a name to live, but have the lifeand power of the gospel, that we may resist all thetemptations and fiery darts of the enemies of thechurch.By the church of Philadelphia,we leam that if wekeep the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ,he will keep us from those tria.ls and judgments whichhe sends on an ungodly and rebellious people, and thatGod has opened a door for the spread of the gospel,which nopower on earth will be able to shut, until theangelstanding on the sea and on the land,shall swearWe also learn theimpor-that time shal be nolonger.tance of having brotherly love and perseverance in olythings, that no man take from us the crown which is laidup for those that love God, and which will be given tothem who remain steadfast in Christlesus at his coming,which is promised quickly to this church.By the Laodicean church, we learn the important lessonthat we cannot serve two masters; we cannot lovethe present evil world, and at the same time be the servantsof God; that to be lukewarm in religion is to becast out of his presence, and call down the vengeance ofGod's final judgment uponour heads, and, while we mayBatter ourselves that we arerighteous, (ind to our everlasting shame, that we are wretched, miserable, poorblind, and naked.Think, O think, my dear friends, you that are trustingln your own goodness, when that day of justice shacome, andth; faithful 'nst ou,w anid ~trueh iiituess shalllftatpxden our oo nesss a passaway e eriiruningycloud, andythe gghteous Judge shall pronounceI

100 Luton x.the dnadiinl sentence, Depart-what must be yomfeelings! The world, whichion here worshipped, hburning up; the friends with w om you here associatedaregone to meet the Lord in the sir, or are sinking withyou into endless and hopeless misery. The Savior,whose name you are now ashamed to own, or whoserighteousness you think you need not, is now yourseated on sgreat white throne, from whose face Judaheavens and the earth shall Hee sway. Think, 0 sinner!where wilt thou be found!

LECTURE XI.nav. 1. 9, io.And they sung e new song,sayin'-E; Thou art worthyto take thebook, and to open the seals reof; for thou was! slain, andhast redeemed ns to God by thy blood out of every kindred,and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto DillGod kings and priests ; and we shall reignon the earth.Tuma: is such harmony, beauty, and knowledge inevery part of the word of God, that the Bible student,whose heart is interested in the same, has often, whilereading, been led to stop and admire the order, wisdom,and li ht which burst upon his enraptured vision, at theunfoldgng of the figures and truths which until that moment,perhaps, lay in darkness, doubt, and obscurity, andseemed to be wrapped up in s mysterious veil that nl-and come to the conclu-most makes the reader quail,sion that he is treading on forbidden ground ; but, perhaps,in anunexpected moment, the inspired penman, seeminglyhaving anticipated our ignorance orthrows out a spark of that live coal which haddarkneeitouchehis lips, and our darkness is dis`pel1ed,i5lnorance vanishesbefore the fixlness of knowle ge ofe word of God,and we stand reproved and admonished for our stupiditland ignorance in the figures and truths before explaineOur text is a brilliant spark of that fire which isthe altar between the cherubims, us a culponearrayandfgives of light to discover the allusion o the iigomzres con~tained in the fourth and tifthchapters ofthis k. It isby way of a chorus, like the s.nge}'|conveyed mit? 'us

'_1& ucrunz xr.song at the birth of our Savior in Bethlehem of Judes.It explains to us in a divine song what the four beastssre, and gives a kely to unlock the mystery of the twentyfour elders, and c early shows who opens the seals ofthe book. I shall, in isubject, inquireI. Who they lustntinglthis were that sung is new song;II. Show the song, and the occasion of it; and,III. Speak of the reign and the place where.I, We aro to inquire who a.re the singers in thisgrand chorus. The cslls them "the foureasts," or, as it mi prophet ave been more (properly translated,four animate 'ngs; and the " our and twentyelders," he also c them " saints," See the 8th verse,"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts andfour and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, havaqevery one of them harps and golden vials full ofon, which are the of the saints." Then comesin our text, "prayers " And ey sung a. new song," &,c. Thefour beasts is arepresentation of the wholeNew Testament þÿ c urch, i i ¬ . not m t ionly v e in character, but inchronology, representing the four diH`erent stixges of trialthrough which the church should pass in her pilin the wilderness of this world, before she would enterthe visible kingdom of her glorious Redeemer, the NewJerusalem, and reignon the earth. And every individualChristian, who may live any length of time after hisconversion, throughsome or all of these states oftrial. The passes our and twenty elders are thenrchs, which are sometimes called prophets, twelvrngstrk thetwelve apostles of the Lamb. For it is said, we arebuilt on the prophets and apostles, Jesus -Christ beingthe chief comer-stone; and figuratively it may representthe faithful and true ministers of Jesu Christ, the samess the twenty-four courses of the priesthood under theJewish economy. See 1 Chron. xxiv. 7-19. And thefour bessts aretypifiedkloethe ibur grand' divisiom ofthe Jewishes. The first,cemtgennderon the east,was to follow standard of Judah; that-on the southsids,andsecoudinthema.rch,wasthsstandard ofRenben;on thswestdde,Ephrahs,and hisuns the thirdstandard inthsmsmhwnthenorth sid|wasDas's

cuus'r'| noon couuro.MBbroughtstandard and Dan up the rear in the march ofthe Jews through the wi derness. What their severalstandards were, I. cannot tell, except that of Judah,which marched in front, immediately after the ark, whichin all was aprobability lion. And our "iirst beast"under consideration was " like a lion, and the secondbeast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as u man,and the fourth beast was like a.dying eagle." Theserepresent the four grand divisions of the gospel church.The first represents the church in the apostolic age,when the church went forth, bold as a lion, preachingand proclaiming the gospel among all nations. Thesecond state or division of the church was the times oi'persecution and slaughter by the Roman emperors,represented by the caltl The third state of the churchwas in Consta.ntine's day, when the church enjoyedprivileges as a. man, and became independent, and likea natural man, proud, avaricious, and worldly. Thefourth and last state of trial was when the anti-Christianbeast arose ; and, under the scourge of this abomination,the church having two wings given her, like the wingsof an eagle, she flew into the wilderness, where, a placebeing prepared for her, she is nourished from the face ofthe aserpent thousand two hundred and threescoredays, Rev. xii. 6, 14.This of course would include the whole Christianchurch until Christ's second coming, when anti-Christwill be destroyed, and the church delivered from allher foes, and brought into her New Jerusalem state,where John now sees in his vision the whole family ofthe redeemed, singing the grand chorus as in the versesfollowinv' our text. "And I beheld, and I heard thavoice ofa many an els round about the throne, and thebeasts, and the elfers; and the number of them was tenthousand times ten thousands and thousand of thousands."In this vision John has the same view whichDaniel had iuhis vision. See Daniel vii. 10. Danielsaw the same throne, and the same numbers stood beforeit; which proves, almost beyond a doubt that Daniel'|gigiqq on-nas us into the eternal, immortal, and glorified

```164_naman xr.state; forJohn,inthenext verses, carries us mto theeternal state of the righteous."12th verse, Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is theLamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, andwisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.And every creature which is in heaven, and on theearth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea,and all that are in them, heard Lsayinghgllessing, andhonor, and glory, and power, be unto that sittethupon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four andtwenty elders fell down and worshipped him 'that livethforever and ever." Nothingcan be more evident thanthat John here saw the whole family of the redeemed,as they will be after the first resurrection; for he givesthe several situations of every partof the whole familyasthey actually were, that is, in body,or the situationof their bodies at that very time when he waswriting,"every creature," that is, in person, in their bodies, asthey will be after the resurrection; not all mankind, assome vainly suppose, but those who are redeemed, orwho may hereafter be redeemed, " out of every kindred,and tongue, and and nation." See our text. Ifpeople,it had been " all nations," dw., he would not have said,"out of," &.c. Therefore we must take the whole inconnection. But John saw every creatine whose bodiesthen were some of them inheaven, as Enoch and Elijah;every creature who was then alive on the earth, like himselfand brethren; every body of the saints that hadslept and been buried under ground, or in the sea, andall the saints who wereyet in the loins of their fathers.Inoue word, he saw the whole general assembly, andchurch of the first bom, whose name were written inthe Lamb's book of life. These four beasts are the sameliving creatures which Isaiah saw when he had a viewof the of God.glozy lsa. vi. 1-3, "In the year thatking Uzzi died, I saw also the Lord sitting' upon athrone, high and lilted up, and his train lilled the temple.*uve it stood the scrap ims; each one had six wings:twain he covere his face, and with twain he

ernrs-r'| ucom cornrm. 15covered his feet, and with twain he did il .And onecried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, l;o§ is of hosts; tl? Llprdthe whole earth is full oi' his ory. 'ze ielcreatures thatqsaiali calls "se-also saw the samelivingra hims," and John "four beasts." Ezekiel calls them"ci)herubims." See Ezek. i. and x. chapters. John says,Rev. iv. 8, " And the four beasts had each of them sixwings about him," the same as Isaiah's "seraplrims."These wingsare the races of the Spirit, as is stron lyimplied by Ezekiel 512, "And they went every gnestraight forward; whither the spiritwas to go, theywent; and they turned not when they went." "Withtwo they covered their face"-humility and repentance;"with two they covered their feet "-that is, they walkedby two of the graces, faith and patience, faith in Godand patient in tnbulation; " and with two they did fly "-hope and love. '1'hcy " mount up with wings as eagles;they shall run and not be weary, walk and not faint,"says the prophet Isaiah, xl. 31. And again John says,they were "tirll of eyes before and behind, and theywere full of eyes within;" showin that they wouldhave just views of sin, of God, ang his word, and ofthemselves: they could look back and see their sins,and the pit fiom which they had been delivered, andwith gratitude remember their Redeemer. They couldwith eyes of' faith look forward and believe in thepromises of God, and have a view of the glory thatshall be revealed at his second coming. With eyeswithin, they could look into their own hearts, and see theremaining corruption a.nd hidden depravity that lielurkinig in every corner of the soul, and bythis meansput oi the old man with his deeds. They are representedby John as being praying souls, "and golden vialsfull of odors, which are the prayers of saints." Everyone had these vials, says John. How then,I ask, canthe prayerless man or woman think to join thi: cglestialthrong? "Having eve one of them harps;s owingthat all of' them would hllalve new hearts, be bom of God;sothey would be enabled to sing in the New Jenrsalemstate the new son .These are the giaracters and persons which John saw

''18 LICTUIIXI.representedb the fbur and twentyddcrsbeasts.andthe ourI shag now,II. Show what we may understand by the new song,Ind the occasion of it.Theprophet John had been led by the angelthe vision through of eseven different stages of the church, bymystery ofthe seven stars and seven golden candlesticks,under the name of the seven churches of Asia, whichoughtto be understood symbolically down to the timewhen the jud e stands at the door ready to enter in tothe supper of gre great God, when all wicked flesh will bedestroyed, and till the marriage supper of the Lambarrives, when all the righteous will be raised,Ienter intowith him on earth.natural that alter we had read thethe glorified state, and ive and reignThen it ishistory 'perfectly of e church through all her Uials, persecutions,and imperfections,we should be led to see her deliveranceon the other side of the banks of Jordan, or beyondthe power of death, and to hear a part, at least, of thatnewsong which no man can sing unless he is redeemedfrom the earth.In the second and third chapters of Revelation, wehave the history of the church, as I have endeavored toshow in my lectures on the churches. In the fourth andfifth chapters we have a view of the glorified state, andthe characters given of.those who will ermmy the privilegeof that state, the song which will employe golden harps,and the'Iplace where. The characters I have alreadyhegiven.song is as arepresentednew It is newecause it is in that state where lthingssunsonly aremade new. See Pet. iii. 13, " Nevertheless we, accordingto his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth,wherein dwelleth righteousness." Rev. xxi. 5, " And hethat satlupon the throne said, Behold, I make all thingsnew." ow John saw, in Rev. iv. 2, the same throne,and him that sat upon it, and in the verse above quotedhe speaks as though he had mentioned before " him thatsat upon the throne." And as he has not mentioned himin this language in any other place, we may have strongreason to believe that the time and subject matter is thesame in'the 4th chapter of Revelation as in the 21st

_ Oycmns~r's sncoim comme. 167,chapter. Again: we are expressly told that no mancould learn t.he new song, but those who are redeemedhom the earth, Rev. xiv. 3. And redemption from theearth is no where spoken of until the resurrection ofthebody. Christ says, in Luke xxi. 27, 28, " And then shalltheiy see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with powerangreato . Andwhen the e thi b int c eto pass, thgn xlyookgoiilrgllesi, fog yiiilirup, and litt ifredemption draweth nigh." Ami) _aul says, Rom._ viii.23, "Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, for the waitingadoption, to wit, t.he redemption of our bodies.ilzstihis state tahey can sipg, "For thou wast slain, andre eeme us to G by thy blood, out of everykindred, and tongue, and people, and nation." It is alsoIholy song; for they cry, " and rest not day and night,laying, Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, which was,church in this state are:fig :lnilistio c;me."b Thef o y ~ ey ave ut a aint view of the holinessof God's chai-acter, his law orgovemment; neither couldthey endure the sight; for when God has seen 'dt to reyeala small part of his holiness,men have fainted underli: Isaiah cried out, " Woe is me." Ezekiel fell uponlll-S face, Ezek. i. 28. Daniel's comeliness was tumedinto corruption,so that he retained no strength, Dan.LS.Therefore it is evident that this holy song cangill; lie sung in a state of lmmvlortality, wheinhwpshallev na Godis h l . hisnewan o sonV111 not; cei.se,i`or they r¢;t? not day night,ywhic§andl"'0v8s it to be in the etemal state. And the dress and"Owns of the elders, "clothed in white raiment," andthey had on their heads " crowns of gold," and they"Cut their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art:'"°'U'|y,O Lord, tal receive glory, and honor, and power"after the secon -Eproves that e new song is sung°0U1iIlg of our Lord Jesus Christ.; for Paul tells us, thatlcrown is laid up for him which the'hill give riglhteous Judgehim atthat day; and not only_ 'm, but to allUlem also that love his appearing. So neither the eldersMr the beasts cansing this new song until the NewJefusalem is formed, eir bodies redeemed fiom theOuth, and they brought into the etemal state of theA

nscrnaa|68 _n.righteous. It will not be 'sung until the last child isborn into the kingdom-the last enemy conqueredtheelect gathered from the four winds of heaven, andthe cap stone brought forth, when the heavens willring with this general chorus. "Holy, holy, holy is theLord God Almighty: blessing, and honor, and glory, andpower, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, andunto the Lamb forever and ever; and the four beasts willsay, Amen."Ill. I shall now show the reign spoken of in our text,and the place where.There is much speculation at the present dayon thereign of Christ on the earth, which is promised in hisword, and in the text. Some have supposed that itwould be purely spiritual, by the Holy Spirit's induence,when all, or a large share of mankind who then shouldbe on the earth, would be regenerated and become thesubjects of his kingdom;that there would beno tempting devi spiritual to deceive, nor any kingdomson theearth, but what would be subject to Christ's spiritualreign, and the church would enjoy a long Sabbath ofrest; and the long-desired period of some who professto be the servants of Christ would come; when churchand state would be united, and war would cease to theend ofthe world, and the world would increase in riches,arts, and science to an amazing degree, beyond any thingwe have yet conceived; thousands would inha it theearth where there are but tens now, and man would liveto a good old age, and nations be born in a day. Thistheory is the most rational one I have been able to discover,aside from the glorious reign of Christ with hispeople in a state of immortality.To the above theory 1 have many scriptural objections.Although the advocates of this theory call it spiritual,yet a large share, if not all, are temporal blessings othis kingdom, and are exactly the same that the Jewsbelieved they should possess at Christ's first coming.Again : they must suppose, if this he true, that theru ers of the world must all be Christians, or pmfesaedlyso. Then what must we to Christ's words, "Mykingdom is say not of this word" ? and again, "In theU

Cllllfl sncoxn coimrs.IQworld ye shall have tribnlation "P The world hate you,and if ye live godly, ye shall sufcr persecution, andthese (meaning the whole famil of the redeemed) havecome out of much tribulation. flow could those millionswho are born or live in this happy period,come out ofgreat tribulation? But where do the advocates of theabove system prove their doctrine? Some pretend tobring the same passages in the Old Testament that theJews did, to prove their temporalover theGentiles, and do not see that much of kingdom e Old Testamentprophecy was, and has been fulfilled in its typicalsense. And it is very easy to show thatthe passagesThey pretend to bring in the Old Testament were allfullilled 1800 years ago.But, ifthley had believed in this theory, would notsome of the ew Testament writers have mentioned thisimportant period ? I remember, when I was but a child,of hearing an old minister of the gospel make a remarklike this:-" All the Old Testament prophecies," saidhe, " which were not iiilfilled when Christ came in theflesh, are carried into the New Testament, and furtherexplained." 1 then thou ht there was reason and pro-Pflety in the remark; I tiink so still, for the two witnessesmust and will agree. And where do the believersin this system bringus one word from Christ? Notone. But we can show much to the contrary. ThePtrable of the tares and the wheat carries us to the end'rf the world; and he expressly says, "Let them growQ-wether until the harvest." His prophecy and parablesIn Matt xxiv. and xxv.give us a prophecy until hisM694 coming, and not. a word about a happy periodPlyviously, but much about Io heres, and lo theres, andwicked servantsbeating and bruising their fellow-ser~EBM, and eating and dnnking with the drunken, sayingIQ-Ulelr hearts, My Lord delayeth his coming. Can thish¢lIDill£lIl1il|m? No. Too much devil in such conilpvtas this. Where does Paul, a very prominent writer,W9 UB at hint of these important things? He must haveulihlltood the Old Testament as well as some, if notlil. Of our modern divines. But he, too, has given theYeverse.In his epistle to the Thessalonians, he tells ua15

I/0 ncrun xr.plainly, "Then shall that wicked be revealed, whom therd shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and destroyby the brightness of his coming," 2 Thess. ii. Inhis 2 Thess. i., he tells them of the necessity of patienceand faith in all their persecutions and tribulations; which,he says, is a manifest token of the righteous judgmentof God; and then goes on to show Christ's coming, anddestruction ot' anungodly world; that looks likea millennium in this, nothing or any part of Pau 's writings, beforeChrist's second coming. Where, then, shall wefind it in the New Testament?they may sayin Rev. xx.; but this chapter can Perhaps never e to themuntilthey given do away the iirst resurrection; or all in thatchapter is after the iirst resurrection, and, of course, isafter the personal and second coming of the Savior; andall the arguments to do away or destroy the word resurnctrbnare so futile and weak that it needs noargumentto refute them; for what could do it in that place mightinevery other case, and we should be Sadducees atonce. ames, Peter, and Jude mention the last days intheir epistles, and describe them as being very wicked,yet make no mention of a day of the spread of the of tics- eirEelin this wonderful manner. James speakseaping up treasures for the last days. "Behold, thehire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields,which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth; and the criesof them which have reapedare entered into the ears ofthe Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasureon theearth, and been wanton: ye have nourished your heartsas in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killedthe just; and he doth not resist you. Be(patient, therefore,brethren, unto the coming of the Lor ,for the comingofthe Lord draweth nigh." Canthis be the millennium?No! unless proud, earthly pleasure, ,and murder, wantonnesr?are the spirit of their millennium. Yet, iit is temporal, this would be the most likely fruits, if wejudge ofthe future by the past; for the greater the temporalblessings, the greater is man's rebellion. Readthe second and third chapters of 2 Peter, where he expresslyspeaks of the last days. "Knowing this lirst,that there shall come, in the last days, scofers, walking

cna|s'r's sneon comne. 17|aher their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promiseof his coming?" GLC., agreeing with what Christ said thewicked ministers would be doing when he comes.Theywould say in their hearts, My Lord delayeth his coming.Can there be this happy time described in the abovetheory ? All must answer, No. Then let this suiice asanswer to the above theory, until our opponents provetheir own sentiments by the word. There are manymore branches of the above system, but none that I haveseen but are liable to the sameobjections.I shall now undertake to prove thatthis reign is in theimmortal state, atterthe resurrection; that Christ willbe present with his people, and, of course, personally,and that it will be on the earth.thL Then I _amto prove that it will be immortalattere resurrecnon.The present reign is called, in Scripture, a reign ofgrace; "So might reign through righteousnessunto eternal life, by grace esus Christ our Lord." This reihas been ever since Christ was in the world, for 1853years past. We shall now show that this rei n mustcontinue until after the resurrection of the desi. See1 Cor. xv. 23-26; "But every man in his own order;Christ the first. fruits, (resurrection ;) afterwards they thatare Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, whenhe shall have `ven up the kingdom to God, even theFather; whenile shall put down all rule, and all authorityand power. For he must reign till he hath put allenemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall bedestroyed is death." Here we have plain Scripture thatthe samereign of grace must continue unto eternal life;and. in the other text, until the resurrection of them thatare Christ's, and death, the last enemy to the church, isdestroyed, Where, then, shall weget in a spiritual ortemporal reign? We see evidently there is no changeof the reign of Christ in the gospel or grace, from theapostles' da s until the time comes when the saints shallyssess the hingdom in the immortal state. Paul says,om. v. 17, " For it' byone man's oH`ence death reignedby one, much morethey which receive abundance of

172 aacruu xx.in lifey one, Jesus Christ." ere the saints are promised toreign after the gift of righteousness, (which the righteousJudge shall give all those who love his appearing at thatday,) in life, that is, etemal life. See 21st verse. 1 Peterv. 4, "And when the chief Shepherd shall appear,e shiall receive a crown of glory that fadeth net away."ll'his must, of course, be in the immortal state, for itfadeth not away.grace and ofthe of rlifhtsousness, shall reignII. That Christ will be present with h;;people in astate of immortality, can hardly be doub when weread such texts as these:-John xii. 24, "lf any manserve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there alsoshall my servant be." Again, John xiv. 3, "And if Igo and prepare a place for you, I will come again andreceive you to myself; that where I am there ye may bealso." So much for Christ's promise to his disciples.And now let us read his prayer to his Father on thispoint, John "xvii, 24, Father, I will that they, also,whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, thatthey may behold my glory." Paul says, 1 Thess. iv. 17,"And so shall we ever be with the Lord." "For it dothnot yet appear what we shall he; but we knew that.when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shallsee him as he is." Our text says, "And hast made usunto our God kingsand priests." Rev. xx. 4, 6, "Andthey lived and reigned with Christ." "And- shall reignwi him." xxi. 3, "And 1 heard a voice out ofheaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacgreat e of God is withmen, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be hispeople, and God himself shall be with them, and betheir God."IIL " And we shall reign on the earth," says our text.Not und er its present dispensation, but afterit is cleansedby fire; utter the wicked are destroyed by tire, as theantediluvians wereby water, alter the resurrection of thesaints, and when `Christ's prayer, taught to his disciples,shall be answered, " Tlayunll bedoneon earth, even as inheaven." When the bride has made herself ready, andmarriedto the bridegroom, he will then move her into

``cnms'r'| neon cormve. 173the New Jerusalem stats, preparedas a bride adornedfhrher husband, where we shall reign with him foreverand ever on the new earth and in the new heavens;"and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes,and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow norcrying, neither shall there be any more pain; for theformer things are passed away. Then the wholeearth "shall be tilll of his glory;" and then, as says theprophet Isaiah, liv. 5, " For thy Maker is thine hus and ;the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, theHoly One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shallhe be called."And then, my dear hearer, if you have had your heartbroken od' from sin; if you have by faith been united inspirit to the Lamb of God; if you have patiently enduredtribulation and persecution for his name,-then you willlive and reign with him on the earth, and this earth willbe regenerated by fire and the power of God, the curseddestroyed, sin, pain, crying, sorrow, and death banishedfiom the world, and mortality clothed plponwlg immortality,death swallowed up in ou,victory.in that general assembly, riseand clapping your hands wijo , cry, " Holy, holy, holywhich is the Lord God was, and is, and is now come." Almwishty,Then you l bein a situation to join the grand chorus, and sing the newsong, sa ing, "Thou art worthy, for thou wast slain, andhast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of everykindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hastmade us unto our God kings and and we shallreign on the earth, saying, with a oud voice, Worthy isthe Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches,and wisdom, and strength, and- honor, and glory, andblessing." And all who meet in that grand assemblywill be then heard -to shout, "Blessrg, and honor, andglory, and power be unto him that sit upon the throne,and unto the Lamb forever and ever." And methinks Ican now see everyone who loves our Lord and SaviorJesus Christ in this assembly, rising upon their feet, andinoneunited prayer ofthith, crying, "Come,LordJesus,0'eome'

17| uovun x|.'Butyou,0l|Wenitentnnnorwoman,where\'illbe then? hen heaven shall resound with theyoumighty song, and distant reslnl shall echo beck thesound, where, tell me, where will you be then ? In hell!0 think! In hell! a dreadfulword! Once moreInhcllllihi u our es,bei interment. totléink!sinner; thinktlg it hell! :here shallfbe weeping,ing, and of teeth. Stop, sinner, stop;Ynsshing consideron your atxer end. In lull ! " where the beast andfalse prophet are, and shall he tormented day and nightforever and ever." I entreatofriou to think-in hell!1 know you hate to hear the wo It sounds too harsh.There is no musicin it. You say itgratesupon theear. But think, when it gretes upon the soul, e conscience,and the ear, and not by sound only, but a. dreadreality, when there can be no respite, no cessation, nodeliverance, no hope! You will then think, yes, of thiswarning, ofa thousand others, perhaps of this hour, withmany more that are lost; yes, worse than lost, thathavebeen squandered in earthly, vain, and transitorymirth, have been abused; for there have been many hoursthe Spirit strove with you, and you prayed to be excused.There was an hour when conscience spake ; but youstopped yourears and would not hear. There was atime when judgment and reason whispered; but you soondrowned their cry by calling in some aid against yourown soul. Toand_pudirnentreason you have opposedunlland wit, undsai "in þÿ h z 1 l , " w a s thegrase. o n l y ¬ n Luthis vain citadel, on this frail house of sand, you willbuild, until the last seal is broken, the last trump willsound, the last woe be pronounced, and the last val hepourewdlippoixatlhe Then, impenitent msn or woman,a eyineverlasting woe Bewsrned; .repent; 8 , yforsuccor tothe arkofGod,toJesusChrist,the{¢e.mhthatoncewssslain,thstyou might live, for he is worthy to receive all honor,nwer, and glory. Believe, and you shall live. Obey'word,hisspirit,hiscalls,his invitations; there isnotime for delay;'put itnoto£§I beg ofyou;no,not foramoment. Do you want to join that heavenly elmir ami

ling the new song?way; repent.c|u.|s1°'a ucoxn coluvo. 175Then come in God'| appointedDo you want a house not mule withhands, etemal in the heavens P Then join in heart andsoul this happy whosepeople,God is the Lord. Do youwant an interest ln the New Jerusalem, the belovedcity ? Then set your face as 1 Hint Zion-ward; becomeailgrim in the good old "ny. Seek first tho kingdomofpheuven," says Christ, "and than all these thing: shallbe added unto you."

LECTURE XII.1REV. v. 5.And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not : behold, the Llon ofthe trlbe of Judah, the root of David, hath prevalled to open the bookand to loose the seven seals tholeotlTea book of Revelation has been called by tll0l18l.lldla sealed book; and manya dear saint, while in this imgerfectstate of vision and knowledge, has wept much,could not read and understand the book.For it is very evident that the book of Revelation is notonly interesting in its symbolical and mystical descriptions,natural scenery, and figurative language, but it isrich in truth, and the communication of events then hidunder the veil of futurity, and would only be unfoldedto the natural visions of men, many to come. Johnhas written this book after the laws ages onature; that is;he has seemed to copy after some of the richest endmost picturesque scenes in nature's laws. He has, inreveal' truths to our minds, followed the samesteadyecausetheycourseuiiat fonmtains of water do in their course to thesee. He begins as it were back upon the mountains,where the head may be but e. fountain, and there givesus a description of the source. He then glides ntlyalong through the vale below, winding between andmountains, visiting in his course the hamlets of thepeasant, the villages of men, the populous towns andcitiesus in theocean o eterni . At appears to describ'oi; commerce, untérgehlznds us or leaaessome bubbling orgentle spring, and swelligg

, CHl.l8'I."lncozm comms 177in importance as he proceeds, brings in and adds everyimportant stream ot' event, deepens and widens in hmcourse, until he makes his prophetic history like a deepflowingriver, bearing upon its bosom the gallant and galley with oars.shipsAt first, he describes apebb ybrook murmuring along the hills, now and then burstinginto view with somegentle fall, then softlyaway, until it meets some rugged head- d,s `&s itscourse, and almost seems to retrace its path; then, suddenlyburating from the hills in cataracts of foam, boundingfrom rock to rock, leaping into the vale below, heagain seems to follow the alluvial dats and receives histributary streams, winds on his way, until it falls at itsmouth by a tremendous leap into a gulf of waters, andis swallowed u in the waves of the sea.Four times the Revelation seems to bringus down inthis manner, as though he had begun on one mountain,histm;yand traced four different streams of'like the river ogreat ocean of eternity;down to theEden, whichwatered the garden, ecoming four heads of fourrivers, which watered and encompassed the whole great and,takini different points of the compass, but falling at lastinto e ocean, Gen. ii. 10-14; and all these havingseventributary streams in their course. The sevenchurches of Asia is a history of the church ot' Christ inin allher prosperity and adversity, from the days ofher seven forms, in all her windings and tumintis,tles down to the end of the world.e aposThe seven seals areahistory of the transactions of the powers and kings ofthe earth over the church, and God's protection ot' hispeople duflng the same time. The seven trumpets area history of sevenpeculiar and heavyjudgments sentupon the earth, or Roman kingdom. An the sevenvials' are the seven last plagues sent upon Papal Rome.Mixed with these are many other events, woven in liketributary streams, and filling up the grand river of prophec¥until the whole ends us in the ocean ot' etemity. in the ookhis, to me, is the plan of John's prophecyof Revelation. And the man who wishes to understandthis book, must have a thorough knowledge of other part:of the word of God. The figures and metaphors used

I|18ucrnu Xu.in this prophecy, are not all explained in the same, butmust he found in other prophets, and explained in otherpassages of Scripture. Therefore it is evident that Godhas designed the study of the whole, even to obtain aclear knowledge of any part. I shall then pursue the'following method:-II. Explain the book which was in the right hand ofhim who sat on the throne.II. _Give the history of the seven seals, and theiropening.I. I am to explain what is meant by the book.The book is often spoken of in the word of God.Sometimes we hear it spoken of as a little book, open,in the hands ofthe angel; and sometimes it is commandedto he sealed up; and sometimes to be unloosed, as inour text The question arises, What can this book mean ?It cannot mean the book of Revelation, for John wascommanded not to seal the sayings of this book, Rev.xxii. 10. Neither could it be therophecies, for theywere commanded to be read every Shb ath day by theJews, and were so read. Yet John tells us, in om' context," That no man, neither in heaven, nor in earth, norunder the earth, was able to open the book, neither tolook thereon; and I wept much, because no man wasfound worthy to open and to read the book, neither tolook thereon." We see, plainly, that it could not applyto the law,-nor _the prophets, to the Old or New Testaments,for these were committed to the Jews, and alsounto us Gentiles, and were to be read by all men; butread, nor look thereon.this book they could not open,There is one more book w ich answers to John'sdescription,which no man,11either in heaven, nor on earth,nor under the earth, has yet been able to look thereon,or open and read, as we have any account of; and which,zixzcording to the whole tenor of the Scripture, will neverbe opened, read, or looked upon, until the last seal isbroken, and the judgment sits. "And I saw the dead,sinall and great, stand before God; and the books wereopened; and another book was whikh is the bookqf IM; ¢Z»ened, and the dead were juged out of those thingswerewhich written in the books. In this hook, which

causis ncosn colnlo. 179b cilled thtbook of IQ/`e, the names of all the redeemedin heaven, in earth, or under the earth, arewritten,which are not known to any man, neither will be known,until the last seal is broken open; for the judgment willdeclare who is on the Lord's side. For the apostle tellsus, plainly, " Our lives are hid with Christ in God; that,when hewith him in lo-appears, then we shall appearry." And ohn tells us, Rev. xxi. 26, 27, "And greyshall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it,and there shall in no wise enter into it any thing thatdeiilelh, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, ormaketh a lie; but they wlrichm-ewrittenintheL¢unb'|qg IT."book "And whosoever was not foimd writtenin the oo of life,was cast into the lake of fire." A 'nz"And they whose names were not written in the Txookof life, from the foundation of the world, shall wonder,"&c. This book, although we are abundantly informedthere is one, in the right hand of him that sitteth u nthe throne, no man, as wc are any where informed, lionbeen able to look upon it, or open it, or to read its contents.This, then,IB the book, on account of whichJohn to know its contents. And so it has beenwith all wegt hristians. Theyare anxious to know whethertheir names are written in the Lamb's book of life. Butyou must first learn, my dear brother in Christ, to live byfaith; and faith, too, founded on the book in which you canlook- of which you may read thepromises, the prophecies,and commands. But into the ook of life you cannever look, imtil the Lamb of God shall open the seventhseal, and the righteous dead be raised, to meet with thedear Savior in that world of lory, when the book willbe opened in the (presence ofgthe universe, and he willown you as his,an crown you with joy unspeakable andiiill of glory.ll I shall nowgive the history of t.he seven seals,with the time of their After the prophecyripening.ofthe seven churches, in e 2d and 3d chapters of Revs.lation, John has a view of the heavenly host, singing thegrand song, and gives us a description of the heavenlychoir, and apart of the song. He likewise introducesthe book, sealed with seven seals, and shows who on

1|86 -ucrvnn xv.open the book,inthefourthand iihhchspters. Thesewe have attended to, in a fomrer lecture.We shall nowbegin with the sixth chapter, lst verse,"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals;and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of thefour beasts, saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold,a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow;and a. crown wasgiven unto him; and he went forthconquering and to conquer." The " beast," in this passage,is the first, which was like a lion, representing thechurch in its first state, in the days ofthe apostles, whenthe church went every where, preaching the word, bold ass lion. The white horse, and him that sat upon him, representJesus Christgoing forth in the Qwer of the gospel.This is prove by the passage, ev. xix. 11-13,"And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse;and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. Hiseyes were as a flame of tire, and on his head were manycrowns; and he had a name written that no man knewbut he himself, and he was clothed in a vesture dippedin blood; and his name is called The Word of God."This B the same personage as the other, and both placesrepresent the same thing, only the first description is rep~resenting the spread of the in the beginning ofthe gospel day, the other at tglospel e end of the gospel periodunder which we are now living. Therefore the first sexiopens with the promulgation- of the ospel,as the lastwill be closed by the same. 3d and §th "verses, Andwhen he had opened the second seal, I heard the secondbeast say, Come and see. And there went out anotherhorse, that was red; and power was 'ven to him thatsat thereon to take peace from the earg, and that theyshould kill one another; and there wasgiven unto him agreat sword." The red horse denotes blood and carnage,and has reference to the times of persecution in the daysof Nero and other Roman emperors, and answers to thesame time as the Smyrna church."Given unto him Ieat sword," shows that the power would have greatgiority. au-The second beast spoken of in this iqthe representation of the church, which was iike a calll

caars-r'a sacoxn connro. 181showing that the church would be given tothe slaughter,like a calf fatted for the market, during the period oftheopening of this seal, which period lasted until about A.D. 318, when Constantine put a period to the persecutionsof the Christians.5th and 6th verses, "And when he had opened thethird seal, l heard the third beast say, Come and see.And I beheld, and lo, a black horse; and hc that satupon him had a pair of balances in his hand. And Iheard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, Ameasure of wheat for apenny, and three measures ofbarley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and thewine." The third beast, which represents the church,under this seal, had a face as a man, and shows that thechurch would be like a natural man, proud, hau hty,independent, selfish, ambitious, covetous, and wogdly.This seal wasopened in the days of Constantine, whenreligion became and was astepping-stonepopular,topower; and this seaagrees with the Pergamos church,as to time and place. The black horse denotes errorand darkness; and when the church became connectedwith worldly power and wisdom, she lostherdpurity ofdoctrine and practice, and ado ted, in her cree ,maximaand principles congenial with the natural heart, andforms and ceremonies for show and parade, rather thanthe humbling and life of the followers ofJesus. The balances cross-bearing denote that religion and civilpower would be unit/ed in the person who would administerthe executive power in the government, andthat he would claim the judicial authority both in churchand state.This was true among the Roman emperors, ustin-from the days of Constantine until the reign ofran, when he ve the same judicial power to the bishopof Rome. Ti: measures of wheat and barley for adenote that the members of the church wouldpznny eagerly engaged after worldly goods, and the love ofmoney would be the revailing spirit of the times, forthe would dispose ot? any thing for money. The oilandvwine denote the ces of the Spirit, faith and love,and there wasgreat ggiger of hurting these, under thainduence of so much worldly spirit. And it is well atf16

182 morons xn. .tested, by all historians, that the prosperity of the churchin this age produced the corruptions which finally terminatedin the falling away, and setting up the anti-Christian abominations.7th and 8th verses, "And when he had opened thefourth seal, I heard the tburth beast say, Come and see.And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and his name thatsat on him wasDeath, and hell followed with him; andpower was lgiven unto them over the fourth part of theearth, to ki with sword, and with hunger, and withdeath, and with beasts of the earth." The fourth sealopened in the year A. D. 538, when anti-Christ firstarose, for the fourth beast was like a iiyinge wle. "Andto the woman wasgiven two wings eatae, of an that shemight fly into the wilderness, into her lace, where sheis nourished for a time, times, and a hallt, from the faceof the serpent." Thepale horse is named, in this passage,death. And hell ollowed, showing us lainly thatit is the anti-Christian power which would) have theascendency over one fourth part of the earth, during theopening of this seal. "Power was given unto them,"shows conclusively that it is the same power mentionedin Rev. xiii. 2-5, " And the dragon gave him his power,and his seat, and great authority." "And there wasgiven him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies;and power wasgiven unto him to continue fortyand two months." Again, 7th verse, " And it was givenunto him to make war with the saints, and to overcomethem; and power wasgiven him over all kindreds, andtongues, and nations." In our text he "says,Power wasgiven them to kill with the sword," that ls, to make war,which was fulfilled in Europe, when the papal powersent out large armies to exterminate the heretics, asthey were called, who would not worship the beast orhis image. "And with hunger;" this was fulfilled bythe same power imprisoning and starving to death manythousands of persons who were suspected of oppositionto her ungodly pretensions."And with death ;" in~venting the most cruel and bloodymeans of tenure thatwere ever imposed upon our world; to inflict death, inevery possible shape that men or devils could invent

¢:|n|s1~'s sxcoim couuu. 183thousands and tens of thousands suffered death underthe most excruciating torments that the Inquisition coulddevise. " "And with the beasts of the earth ; afterthey had glutted their thirst for blood in every possibleshape that man could indict, thousands were thrown toferocious beasts, to be destroyed b them. The timeand plaee of the opening of this seal'we cannot be mistakenin. It must have been during the bloody andpersecutinglreign ofthe papal church.9th-11"verses, And when he had opened the fifthseal, I saw under the altar the souls of' them that wereslain for the word of God, and for the testimony whichtliey held ; and they cried with aloud voice, saying, Howlong, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou notjudge andavengeour blood on them that dwell on the earth . Andwhite robes weregiven unto every one of them; and itwas said unto them that they should rest yet for a littleseason, until their fellow-servants also, and their brethren,that should be killed asthey were, should be fulfilled."On the opening of' the fifth seal, there is no beastto say, "Come and see," for this very good reason-thechurch has not changed her position, and is yet in thewildemess, like thedying eagle. Therefbre, under thefourth beast, the church is likewise under the control ofthe same anti-Christian poweras under,the fourth seal,but the diflerence appears to be only in one thing-thechurch appears to enjoy a little respite from her persecutingenemy; and it would seemby the language of thesou s ofthe martyrs that they are now looking for a dayof vengeance, which God hath promised u n them whoworshipped the beast or his image; and tl; inqu' is,How long before this day of vengeance will come ?u'§'heanswer is given to these praying souls to rest alittle season,and they are informed there must be one more day orlittle season ofpersecution, when their brethren must bekilled in like manner with themselves; and when that isaccomplished, they would then experience the last promiseof God, the resurrection. This seal wasopenedabout the be inning of' the -18th century, A. D. 1700when the bloogly persecutions a inst Protestants ceased,and the nations of the world gzganto enjoy religiousfreedom.

,IB4 ucruu ru._12th-17th "verses, And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was agreat earthquake.On the opening of this seal there is a great earthquakeThis earthquake is spoken of in other p aces in this bookand alludes to the French revolution; and of course thisseal opened about A. D. 1790. "And the sun becameblack as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became alblood." Sun sometimes denotes rulers or askings, inthe case of Joseph's dream, when the sun, moon andstars made obeisance to him, meaning his father, headover all Israel., his mother, and his brethren; for wherethe king is called the nm, the queen is called the moon,and inferior rulers are called stars, as Christ is calledof Zion. Thesunofrighteousness, because he is kingchurch is called the moon, because she is the bride ofChrist. Ministers are called stars because the are inferiorrulers in Christ's kingdom. Therefored understandthis to mean in that revolution when the king losthis authority, and tried to disguise himself; and fled fromhis ownsubjects, afterwards was beheaded. The queen,too, became blood, and all the of France fell tothe nobility earth. One decree levelled all ti es and distinctionswith the comrnonalty, like a fig-tree casting her untimelyfigs. "And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth,even as afig-tree casteth her untimely figs when she isshaken of amighty wind. And the heaven departed asa scroll when it is rolled together." The heavens mustmean that circle in which the planets move; and if thatis to be understood figuratively,so must this. Heavensmust then mean the laws and ovemment of France.'1'hese were all rolled swept away, or up and laid awaylike an old parchment out of date "or use. Andmountain andeveryisland were moved out of their places;Mountains and islands arefigures of large and smallgovernments, and in the French revolution every govemmentwas removed from their legitimate sovereigns,except En land, in the old Roman empire, and given tokings of 5onaparte's creation. And certain] all thekingdoms in Euro werechanged from what the;werebefore; so that whzn legitimacy was restored, t e ancientkings could not an have not found their kingdoni

,_é____cams-r's smcolvn counts. 185In the same situation theywere in before the revolution"_And the kings ofthe earth, and the great men, and therlch men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men,and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselvesln the dens, and in the rocks of' the mountains, and saidto the rocks and mountains, Fall on us, and hide us fromthe face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from theWrath of' the Lamb."It is a well-known fact to all who are conversant withthe history of' the French revolution, that almost everyklng in Europe had to fiee_f`rom his kingdom during thespace of' about five and twenty years: the king of' Portugalto Brazil; the king of Spain to France; the king of'France fled to England; the Pope died in exile; the kingof Sardinia lef`t his kingdom and fied to the island of Sardinia;the king of Naples to the island of' the same name;the king of' Austria left his capital ; and the king of' Prussiatook shelter under Russia; the emperor of' all the Russiasleft Moscow to its fate; and Bonaparte himself` fled to theisland of' Elba, and died aprisoneron St. Helena. Thegreat men and chief' captains, and all orders and degreesof men, had to flee from the land of' their fathers, and seekanasylum among strangers. So true was this passage ofScripture fulfilled that many writers and flivines actuallysupposed that it was the last great battle and supper ofthe great God. "For the great day of' his wrath iscome, and who shall be able to stand?" The sixth sealis not yet wholly opened; for it is evident that we arecarried down to the last day, the great day of' wrathwhich will immediately follow the sealing time whichhe gives us in the next chapter.Rev. vii. l, "And after these things I saw four angelsstanding on the four comers of' the earth, holding thefour winds of the earth, that it should not blow on theearth, nor on the seo, nor on any tree." Daniel tells us,vii. 2, " I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the fourwinds of' the heaven strove upon the great sea." The_/our winds, then, means the opposing e ements,war andcontention. These principal elements of war and contentionGod would restrain f`or a little season, sotheyshould not fan up the spirit of war and strife, neither inthe Roman government, (called ea.rth,) nor on the great16 °

ucruu1%_xn.nations; (called great sea,)nor on individuals or smallsocieties of men, trees;) and this has been remarkably$_ca.lledfulfilled or twenty years past. Not aparticleof opposition has been experienced against the ti-ansla~tion and spread of the Bible, or the missionary cause.Kings have been nursing fathers, and queensminingnipthers, to help forward the cause of God. The winoPapacy has been klept down by the angel,so that allthe opposition they co d raise has been weak and ineilicient.The Mahometan wind has not blown a bla!for twenty years; the idolatrous and pagan nations ofthe East have, b some invisible power, been kept incheck; the iniidel' and deisticnl principles of the Westhave been held in complete subjection by the sameinvisible hand, until the servants of God should besealed. Therefore, since the French revolution, noneof these four winds of opposition to Christ have beenpermitted to use any physical force, as formerl to , suppressthe spread ofthe gospel through the earth. "Andsaw another angel ascending from the easghaving theseal of the livino' God; and he cried with a loud voiceto the four angels to whom it wasgiven to hurt the earthand the sea." The angel here spoken of as ascendingfrom the east, is the angel standingon the land andonthesea, with a little book open, and the same that is representedin another place as dying through the midst of heavenhaving the everlasting pei to preach to them who dwellon the earth. Coming tgriiin the east,the place of list, ami',having the seal of the living God, shows plainly t it hFe angel of the gospel. The four angelsare the fourmelengersGod, who suppress those four opposition principges,until the sealing time shall be over, " Hurt note earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, sayin? til we hansealed the servants of God in their foreheads." Thefour angelsare here commanded not to let these fill!winds of opposition hurt the earth, sea, or trees, und]fha sealing time is past, which is the same time spokenot] Daniel xii. 1, "Then shall Michael stand up, thegreat Prince which standeth for the children of thyle." "And I heard the number of them 'which waaed; and there were sealed a hundredthousandofallthetxibesofthochildrand'"fertannld

cnmsfs neon coanns.. 187John first us an account of the numbergivesthat weresealed in his day, out of all the tribes of Israel. Theywere sealed, as he tells us when he wrote, it bein finishedin the close of the Jewish dispensation.It beinga complete number, 144,000, and therefore could be numbered;and as these were sealed at the close of thatdkpensation, so John now saw in vision a great number,which no man could number, sealed at the close of theGentilediipensation, of which he has been ing; fbi' a er he has gone through with num prophesy-eringtwelve thousand in every tribe, he then says, Rev. vii.9, "Aiherthis I beheld," that is, after this sealing, bywhich 144,000 had been sealed among the Jews, hebeheld, "and lo, a great multitude, which no man couldnumber, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, andtognes, stood -before the throne and before the Lamb,clin their hands."ed with white robes, and palmsThisrevidently refers to the last sealing time among allnation; for lie again hears them singing the grandshams song, as at the close of the history of the seven¢l1!Bh@, "And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvationto Olll' God, which sitteth upon the throne, and untofthe Lamb. And all the angels stood round about thethrone,.and about the elders and the four beasts, andfell beibre the throne on their faces, and worshippedGod,»sa.ying, Amen: blessing, and glory, and wisdom,midthanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might bermta our God forever and ever, amen.". ,Thisahows usthat we areagain brought down theteam of time, to hear apart, at least, of the songfdtidi mo man can -sing, but those whose bodies arefrom the earth. "And one of the elders-117396, saying unto me, What are these which arein white robes? And whence camethey? Andhiln, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto= 7&se are they which come out of great tribulation,nbllrlashed their robes, and made them white in.kwlldod of the Lamb."This passage shows whoIohn gnlii how tg;-xy obtained _the.§¢|_~ ,w BMW' emposseg ,Qpljl the blood of theslung-'amathv Wm the slime sf G°d»md

!88Vmenu zu.serve him day and night in his temple: and he thatsitteth on the throne shall dwellamong them;" thesame as in Rev. xx. 6, "And they live and reignedwith him," in the New Jerusalem state; liir he goes onto describe this state of happiness, which John does inRev. xxi. 1-5, compared with the two following,and there can be no doubt on the mind that John is describingt.he same in one place as in the other. "Theyshall hunger no rnore, neither thirst any more; neithershall the sunlight on them, nor any heat. For theLamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall feedthem, and shall lead them untn living fountains ofwaters; and God shall wipe away all tears from theireyes." There can be no doubt leit on the mind of anyman, that John has, in these passages, givenus a viewof the New Jerusalem in the immortal state. We havebeen permitted to hear a part of the'new son ,and havereceived, in the passage `ust read, the blessed promisescontained in that beloved city. And now, we only wait`for the last, seal to open. "And when he had openedthe seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about thespace of half an hour." Zechariah says, ii. 13, "Besilent, 0 all iiesh, before the Lord; for he is raised upout of his holy habitation ! " Habakkuk says, ii.20, " Butthe Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keepsilence before him!" From theseinfer, that when God arises up to e prey, when hisat white throne is set in the heavens, and when thegl; of' Man shall come in the clouds of heaven, withwer and great glory, then will all flesh be silentBgfore him. And it is reasonable to suppose that thewhole universe of rational who mabeings be permittedto witness that grand scene, wi be so iil&d with wonderand awe at the sight of the of God,þÿ ¬ o r ythat theywill be silent. Then, too,- wi the redeemed souls,while the eat Judge is separating them from thewicked, whgxe are risi to meet their Lord in theair, be silent. they T ey wi1l,n¥ike the children of Israel,stand still, (beand see the salvation of God.And the wickedsilent; wor d, who have scotfed at the ideaof Christ's second coming, who have said, "Where isand aidi-the promise ofhis coming?" and laughedtgassages I should

'cnaun-'a szconn comme. 189ruled the servants of Christ, who have cried to them, intheir midnight revels, " Behold, the bridegroern cometh,"will be silent. Then will those servants who have " said intheir hearts, My Lord delayeth his coming," and "beginto beat and bruise their fellow-servants," who haveproclaimed his coming, "and to eat and drink with thedrunken," be silent. Then, too, will all the falseprophets, who have tried Peace, peace, when there wasnopeace, be silent, when they see the frowns of anangry judge whom _they have disregarded. Thenshall those who have promised the wicked life, thoughhe should not turn from his wickedness, be silent. Then,every one found in that great when the Sonof Man shall come in the clouds, assembly, and l the holy angelswith him, and all the saints who have slept, and all nationsthen shall be gathered before him, and every eyeshall see him; then, I say. will every one found inthis vast multitude, not having on the wedding gar-bcsdent; for the Scripture says, "Hewaaspeedul|:;n't,And now, my dear friends, what say you ? Have youwept much to know whether your names are written inthe Lamb's book of life? " Weep not," for " behold, theLion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed to open thebook." And he says, "He that overcometh, the sameshall be clothed in white raiment; and 1 will not blothis name out of the book of life, but I will confess hisname before my Father, and before his angels. There~ibre, "rejoice, because your names are written inheaven," says the dear Savior.But you, my impenitent friends, who have never wept,nor confessed your sins to God, who have been moreanxious to have your names written in the book of fame,of worldly honor, of the riches of this world, than inthe book of life, remember, you too will weep when allheaven is silent-when the last seal is broken-thenou will see the book, and your name blotted out.Then you will weep and "say, Once, my name wasthere; I had a day of probation; life was proffered ; butI hated instruction, I despised reproof§ and my part istaken from the book of life. Farewell, happinessfarewe1l,hope! Jlfnm.

`LECTURE XIII.REV. xl. 3.~Andi 'llto twowitnenesandthe shall meaykdzltlzgxiinpgvwhugundnrgd and threeschre dayz clollildpiil.sac co .Tm: two witnesses in our text have caused as muchspeculation among the writers on the New Testament, asany other passage in the word of God. Some have sup-Eosed that it was a succession of orthodox divines, whomod had raised up to witness to the truth,during thetime specified, which all agree is twelve hundre andsixt years. And those writers who have taken this sideof the question, have endeavored to find some favoritedivines, among their sect, answering to the' descriptiongiven of the two witne es. Upon this construction everysect might claim the honor of giving tothe world the twowitnesses. And were this explanation true, instead oftwo witnesses, we should have more than eight hundred;for every sect must have aset, and I dare not give pretierence to any. This would destroy the idea o two witnessesat once.Other writers have fixed on the church as the two,clergy-and laity; but here are many difliculties to encounter,the same as above. Every sect must have theirown church andcler%, or admit at once that they arenot the true church. ut let us now come to the wordof God. And if the word of God does not explain the,"two witnesses," I shall despair of ever coming to thetruth on this subject, for I am commanded by Christ himselftocall no man master.I shall, then,

cmuss-'s sscoxm comma. 191I. Attempt to show what the Bible calls the two witnesses.lL What we may understand by their being clothedin sackcloth.III. Their history, prophecy, and time specified.I. fVhat is the Bible account of the two witnesses?I answer, A witness is sAnd, first, What is a witness ?person, or legal instrument, testifying to the truth, thewhole truth, and nothing but the truth, on matters of factwhich aresupposed tobe known no way but through testimony,either oral or written. Oral testimony is 'venby a person who is sworn to tell the whole truth, as ailove,and relate what he actually knows, by the medium of hisown senses, and no more nor less. The apostles _weresuch witnesses; for they testified to the things whichChrist did in public. And when Judas fell by transgres~sion, Peter informed his brethren that one must be chosen," of these men which have companied with us all thetime that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginningat the baptism of John, unto -the same day thate was taken up tiom us, must one be ordained to be awitness with us of his resurrection." But these could notbe the "two witnesses;" for here were twelve. But welearn by this history what a. witness must be. He must0 in and out; he~must know by actual observation,he orcould not any thing concerning Christ. Thatwas the manner o oral testimony in that day, and so it isat the present. This, then, precludes the idea. at onceof any men, or set of men, being Christ's witnesses at thepresent day, or since the days of the apostles. But, saysthe objector, does not the word of God call all Christianswitnesses for Christ? I do not know of any scripturewhore Christians are called witnesses, except the prophsuandapostles, or inspired writers, that is, concerningChrist. hey may witness a good profession, ortheyma. witness for themselves, that they believe in Christgg Kisarord; but further they cannot go. Theyare notwitness either to the person of Christ, to his works, death,miracles, or resurrection and ascension; and if there waswe should be no better oil'no other testimony but oral,gpg the darkest Hindoo or most ignorant Hottentota

'»192 axeruu xm.»But, thanks be to God, he has not left us without a witness. There is a better testimony than all Christendom,which is written; and it is this which I hold in my hand:it is the word of God. It tells the truth; "for not onejotor tittle of this word shall fail." It tells the whole truth," that the man of God may be perfectl furnished toevery good work." It tells nothing the but truth; for itis the truth inditied by him who cannot lie.You are well aware, my friends, that written testimonyis considered in all courts, under all laws, to be strongerthanany oral testimony whatever. For instance, take thelast wil and testament of any man; if it was written orindited by himself; signed by his own hand, sealed withhis own seal, in presence of witnesses chosen by himself;and ratified by his death, no oral testimony can be broughtagainst it; unless the instrument itself shows some contradictionordiscrepancy, it cannot be destroyed. So itis with these two testaments, revealed, indited, confirmed,witnessed, and ratified, by the death of the testator, theLord Jesus Christ, And although wicked men and devilshave endeavored to show some contradiction or discrepancy in its testimony, it has stood the shock ofages, the wreck of kingdoms, and will stand when theseheavens and this earth shall s away with a great noiseand the elements melt withaaervent heat; or by thisword we must all be judged; by these witnesses we shallbe orjustifiedcondemned. Christ "says, Search' theScriptures; for in them ye think ye have etemal life; andthey are they which oftestifyme." The angel tells John,in the next versefollowing our text, that the two witnesses"are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticksstanding before the God of the earth." The angel, in hisallusion to the two olive trees, quotes the prophet Zechariah,iv. 3, " And two olive trees by it, one upon the rightside of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereo£"Here the olive trees are used in a figurative sense, andproperly denote the " sons of oil," or the two cherubimawhich stood over the ark, and spread their wingsover themercy seat. The wings of the cherubims stretched fromeither side of the house to the centre over the mercy seat,and their faces turned inwards down upon the mercy seat,

_eaxn'r'snoon counts. 1loryand the of the God of Israel was above the cheruliims.'lghese cherubims are alively type of the Old andNew Testament. The signification of cherub is "fulnessof knowled e;" so is the vord of God, "that theman of God may ie thoroughly furnished, perfect in everyood work." They have the whole truth, all we canE-now about Jesus Christ in this state. They stand oneither hand of Christ, one before he came in the flesh,pointing to a Messiah to come, by al1`its types and shadows;and like the cherub whose wings touched the outerwall of the room and reached to the centre over the mercyseat,so did the Old Testament reach from the creationofthe world down to John's preaching in the wilderness,and like the chernb looking down on the mercy seat, ittestified of the Messiah. The other cherubim's wingsreached from the centre over the mercy seat, and touchedthe other wall of the room, while his face was turnedback upon the mercy seat. So does the New Testamentbegin at the preaching of John, and reveals all that isnecessary for us to know, down to the end of the world.And all the ordinances of the New Testament house lookback to the sufferings, death, and resurrection of JesusChrist, and are to continue until his second coming andend ofthe world. These cherubims were made of olivetrees, and overlaid with pure gold, 1 Kings vi. 23-28.Again: the angel tells Zechariah what the two olivetrees are, Zech. iv. 4-6, " So I answered and spake tothe angel that talked with me, saying, What are these,m lord?" (the two olive trees.) "Then the anvel thattalked with me answered and said unto me, Ifnowestthou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This isthe word of the Lord unto Zerubabel," &c. Here weare plainly told that the two olive trees are the word ofthe Lord, and the angel tells John, Rev. xi. 4, that "thetwo witnesses are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks."As candlesticks are the means of solight, isthe word of God. Candlesticks are used in Scripture in"the same sense as And Davidlanéps.says, Thy word isa lamp to my feet a light to my path." Therefore 1humbly believe that I have fairly and conclusively proved

'194 ucruam xm.'that the two witnesses are the Old and New Testament.And I will,II. Show what we may understand by the two witnessesbeing clothed in ssckcloth.Sackcloth denotes a state of darkness, as in Rev. vi.12, " The sun became black as sackcloth of hair ;" thatis, the sun became dark, invisible, and did not give itslight. Just so duri the dark ages of papal rule, theword of God was drilrliened by monkish superstition, bigotry,and ignorance in its sacred principles.It did notgive its true light, because the laws, doctrines, and ordinanceswere c anged by the laws of the Latin church;its doctrine was perverted by the introduction ofthe doctrineof devils and the anti-Christian abominations: itsordinances were so altered as to suit the convenience ofcamal men; and it was obscured, because the commonpeople were forbidden to read it, or even to have it intheir houses, by the Papal authority. It was hid fromthe world in agreat measure; for the Papal beast, thechurch of Rome, forbade its translation into any languageexcept the Greek and Latin, which languages ceased tobe spoken in the Roman government in the middle of thesixth century. Sackcloth denotes great calamities andtroubles, as in the days of Hezekiah, 2 Kings, xix. 1, 2,," When king Hezekiah heard (the threatenings of theof Assyria,) he rent his clothes, and covered himselwith sackcloth ;" also, the Ninevites puton sackclolhat the preaching of Jonah, when their wascity threatenedwith a final overthrow. So with the two witnesses;while they were clothed in sackcloth, it was a time ofgreat calamity and trouble to the people of God; persecutionraged without any miti tion in some or all partsof the Roman government, mgathe church of God, whichwas fed and nourished by the " two witnesses," duringher residence in the wildemess, was threatened with afinal destruction by the Papal armies, the inquisition, andevery other means that could be devised by wicked menor devils. But God has preserved his word, through alltheilpersecutions ofthe Roman power.I shall now,. Show their history, propheiy, and time specifiedin the text.

. lst.caaurr's ucoim comma. 195Their history, contained in Rev. xi. 5-13, inclusive.Let'me read and explain. 5th "verse, If any manwill hurt them, iire proceedeth out of their mduth, anddevoureth their enemies , and if any man will hurt them,he must in this manner be killed." If any man shall addor take away from the book or revelation of God,"Godshall take away his part out of the book of life, and outof the holy city;" and "God shall add unto him thenlagues that are written in this book." This verse hasheen verified in ourday in the history of deistical France.The rulers of France, in the revolution, proclaimed awar of extermination against the iishermen's Bible, asthey were pleased to term it; and within six earstheyexterminated themselves, the republic, and alymo t theirprinciples. The kingdom was deluged in blood ; anarchywas the law ofthe land ; and the judn-ments denouncedby this word were literallyaccomplizihed, so that deiststhemselves stood appalle at the horror and confusiontheir ownprinciples had brought upon their heavendaringcrimes.6th "verse, These have power to shut heaven, that itrain not in the days of their prophecy." Allusion is herehad to " the three years and a halfi" in the da s ofwhen the heavens were shut' up, Luke iv. ig, Elgah, whic isthe same time the witnesses prophesy clothed in sackcloth,1260 days, forty-two months, thirty days to a.month; that being common time, and this prophetic.The Scriptures are the means which God has made useof to convertsingers from error to truth, from sin tonqrteo' usness, an to convey the knowledge of grace,(w ich in this verse is compared to rain,) to a lost andworld. During the reign of anti-Christ, 1260yeanyvthe church in the wildemese, and the two witnessesclothed in sackcloth the same 1260 years, thedoctrine of in Jesusgrae Christ was but partiallytaught.. Muc of the professedly Christian world havebeen taught that doing penance, purchasing indulpnceqobeyingthe holy Catholic church, or performingoutward act for pardon, would answer them heavenBut when the Scriptures began to bemad an understood, and where the doctrine of grace in

INLlcrullxrn.Jesus Christ has been published by the translation andcirculation of' the word of' God, how different the scene!Now, we can hardly find aRoms.n Catholic who will pretend that heaven is purchased by iufliction of' bodily torture,by doing penance, or bya monastic seclusion fromthe world; neither do we see them selling indulgences,and promising the holders don for the most abominablecrimes. And but rarei;u-do we hear the infallibilityof the mother, or holy Catholic church, advanced frompulpit or press. Why this mighty change in public sentiment?Because thereign of grace is not withheld;the two witnesses are no onger clothed in sackcloth;"Michael has stood up, that standeth for the children ofthy people." And the "angel is flying through themidst of' heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preachto them that dwell on the earth." "And have powerover the waters to turn them to blood." By waters, weunderstandThis text haspeople; and by blood, wars.been amply fu lled in the wars of Europe, fighting forreligious tenets and ecclesiastical power, claiming theirprerogatives from t.he two witnesses, and wresting andperverting the word of' God to their own destruction."And from thence come wars, tumults, fightings," becauseunderstand not. "And to smite the earthwith all thely p sgues, as often asthey will." In Old Testamenttimes, it was the word of God, tlnough Moses andAaron, that smote Egypt with the ten plagues, andthrough Joshua the Cansanites. So, in New Testamenttimes, the seven last plagues, and the three woes, aredenounced against the anti-Christian beast, who dwellson and has great power over the earth. "As often asthey will," meaning as often as they have rophesied ofthem, so often will the plagues Rot be sent. one jot ortittle of tho word of' God will fail.7th "verse, And' when they shall have finished theirtestimony," that is, when the 1260 years are about fulfilled,the "beast that ascendeth out of' the bottomlessit;" this beast is the same as the little horn, Papalitome, and is said to ascend out of' the bottomless pit,because it is ibuntled on error. The principles taughtby this beast were iirst Paganism, and ended in Deism,

cn1usr's ucozm counts. 197which are not built on the word of God; and, therefore,have no foundation, and may truly be said to be " bottomless.""Shall make waragainst them." The govern,ments, under the authority of Papal Rome, shall endeavor to exterminate the "two witnesses," the word ofGod. "And shall overcome them, and kill them ;" havepower over them, pass laws or edicts against them, and,ry this means, destroy their usefulness, life, and activity.or where theScriptures are not read, and believed in,they become a dea letter; but when read,s.ud believed,"they are spirit, they are life," John vi. 63.8th "verse, And their dead bodies shall lie in thestreets of the great city, which spiritually is calledSodom and where also our Lord was crucified."Egygt,This verseteac es us, that the word of God would bemade a dead letter, bty the authority of one of the principalkingdom out o one of the ten into which the Romangovernment was divided, and that the would beguilty of the same sins that Sodom and Egyptwereguilty of ; and, also, of crucifying our Lord, that is, in a;piritual sense. This will apply to France in particular.rance, previous to, and in the French revolution, wasgu1lt§ of Sodomitish sins; she also had held inbondage,like gypt, the people of God; and, in France, Christhad been crucified atresh in his people,on St. Bartholomew'seve, A. D. 1572, when 50,000 Huguenots weremurdered in one ni ht. The people of God are calledChrist's spiritual bo§y, 1 Peter ii. 5, Col. i. 24.Qthverse, " And they of the people, and kindreds, andtongues, shall see their dead bodies three days and ahal, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be putin graves." This decree, or edict, should be generallyknown among all nations; and although they could notprevent the witnesses from lying in the streets of thegeat city three years and a half; yet the nations aboutem would prevent the Scriptures from being buried,or put out of sight.10th "verse, And they that dwell upon the earth shallrejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send giftone to another, because thesetwonprophets tormentedthem thatthe earth." e learn by this textdweltlgppn

IMaccrual xm.that the nation, who would suppress the reading of theword of God, would make great rcjoicings upon this occasion,and congratulate each other the destructionof the Bible, utpon as they would suppose,or this reason, becausethe doctrine and precepts of the Bible would behateful and disagreeableto them.11th "verse, And after three days and a halt] [years,]the spirit of life from God entered into them, and theystood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon themwhich saw them." After the Bible would be dormantthree years and a halt, God would so order in his providence,that they would in be permitted to be readand enjoyed as usual, anufthe Bible would again standupon its own foundation, or merits, and would againhave their bearing on the hopes and fears of mankind,and the governments of the world, and their enemieswould see it and tremble.12th "verse, And they heard a great voice fromheaven, saying imto them, Come up hither; and they ascendedup to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheldthem." This verse shows us that many voiceswould unite in calling for a neral spread of the Biblethrough the world, and that Ee Bible would be exaltedamong the nations, and great multitudes of them circulated,and the enemies of the word of God could notprevent it. Here we have aplain and distinct prophecyof the Bible societies.13th verse, "And the same hour was there agreatearthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in theearthquake were slain of men [names or titles] seventhousand, and the remnant wereaiiiighted, and gave gloryto the God of heaven." At the same hour the witnesseswould be slain, there would be agreat revolution,and one of the ten which had `ven theirpower kingdoms, and support to the apal beast, woulglfall; andseven thousand names, or titles of nobility,in churchand state, would be destroyed; and this revolutionwould produce fear amon'great the nations, and somewould acknowle ge that the wordwas tirliilling, and Godwasproducing these wonderful events. Here we again|06 exactly depicted the French revolution, and its ef-`

»'1crrars'r's smcoxn colrss. INfects; and we cannot but see that the whole of thisprophecy has been literally ihltilled.In the beginning of the sixth century, about A. D. 538,Justinian, emperor of Constantinople,in his controvewith the Arians, and other schismatics in the Greig;church, constituted the bishop of Rome head over allothers, both in the western and eastem churches, who,by his authority, suppressed the readihg of the Bible bylaymen, pretending tha.t they could not read and understandwithout the assistance of the clergy. About thistime, too, the Latin language ceased to be s ken inItaly, and the Greek and Latin both became dgad languages.The Bible at that time not being written ortranslated into any other languages in Europe, it becameaneasy task for the bishop to obscure the doctrine anddiscipline ot' the word of God, so far as suited his convenience,and to obtain universal power over the mindsand comciences of men, and clothe the Scriptures insackcloth. It; then, the Scriptures were iirst clothed insackcloth in A. D. 538, and were to prophesy 1260 yearsrn this situation, their prophecy would end in 1798.About the close of the eighteenth century, in consepzrenceof the abominable corruptions of the church ofomebeing exposed to public view, the men of theworld began to treat revelation as a fiction, and religionllpriestcmtt; and instead of searching forthe pillarand ground ot' the truth, "their imaginations becamevain, and their foolish minds were darkened." Theydeclared waragainst the Bible, the "two witnesses,"which war became general all over Europe and America.Some of the most eminent and principal writers in thiscontroversy were in France, the principal kingdomsmog? the ten, into which Rome had been divided att:hs= ose ofthe fifth century; and so successful werethese writers, that almost the whole nation of the Frenchbecame Deists, or Atheists, in a short time. This na»tion Hd long been guilty of the abominations of thebeast, the sins of Sodom and Egypt, andthe persecution of those who protested against her na~tional corruptions: the slaying of the witnesses; theirlymginadeadstatstbree years andahalfintha street

200VLncruan Xiu.of the great city; the revolution s kenof in this prophecy-allhappened in the Frenchorevolution, betweenthe years 1793 and 1798. A decree waspassed by thecouncil and directory of France, prohibitingthe Bibleto be read in public, in any of the chapels in France,and Bibles were 'gathered in heaps, and boniires weremade of them, and great rejoicing-swere had all overthe kingdom at the downfall of priestcrait, as they calledit; and particularly at L ons, where the Scriptures werepublicly dragged through the streets, with circumstancesof the greatest contempt, and other things transacted inthe exultation of their triumph, which are too shockingto narrate. Let it suiiice, then, to say, that after threeyears and a half the Bible was again permitted to beread, and religion had free tolemtion in France; andwhat isequally as remarkablefis, that the same year afew individuas in London established what has sincebeen styled the Bible society, which has b`een instrumentalin sending Bibles among all nations, and of translatingthem into more than 150 langluages since that period;and almost all the writers, w o acknowledge theBible to be the two witnesses, do agree that the events,prophesied of in this passage, were literallyaccomplishedin the French revolution. Now, the Bible ismore than restored to its former state in ociety; it isexalted, and every person can have, and read, and examinefor themselves into its sacred truths. It is also afact, that the progress of the Bible society has exceededthe most sanguine expectations of its advocates; and theAtheists and Deists of our day appear toconfounded at these events. Instead now of bedperfectly eclaringopen war against the Bible, they make pretence at leastof drawing their rules of morality from this blessedbook; and the man who should now undertake to writedown the word of God, would be considered either amadman, or a fool. One thingmore: In the FrenchRevolution, the names or titles of men were abolished;and it is said by some writers, that, in the list oftitled nobility, and 135' the great catalogue of pri y orders,there were seven thousand destroyed at once. Wellmight the remnant be amighted, and give glory to theGod of heaven!

'rcnus'r's slcoim comme. 201Let us now for a moment see what follows the nistoryofthe two witnesses.14th "verse, The second woe is past, and behold, thethird woe cometh quickly." The second woebegan bythe civil wars in France and Germany, and ended in theFrench revolution; and the third woe will come quickly.It is the lastgreat woe denounced against the womansitting upon t e scarlet-colored beast, and against theearth, which she hath filled with her sorceries, and thekingdoms of this world, which must all be destroyed underthis woe.15th "verse, And the seventh angel sounded, andthere weregreat voices in heaven saying, The kingdomsoi' this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord andhis Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." Thethird woe and seventh trumpet are both the same thing,(see Rev. viii. 13% and the seventh trumpet is the lasttrump, when the ead shall be raised. See 1 Cor. xv.52. It is evident, also, that we are carried into theeternal state forever and ever.l6th verse, "And the four and twenty elders, whichsat before God on their seats, fell on their faces andworshipped God." By-the four and twenty elders, Iunderstand the true ministers of Christ, allu ing to thetwenty-four courses of t.he priesthood appointed byDavid, I Chron. xxiv."17th verse, Saying, We give thee thanks, 0 LordGod Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come, becausethou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hastreigned." This is the language of every humble anddevoted minister of Jesus Christ, who makes the word ofGod his study, and believes in the overruling hand oftherein revealed.God as accomplishing the great designs18th verse, "And the nations were angry, and thywrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they shouldbe judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thyservants the prophets, and to the saints, and them thatfear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroythem which destroy the earth."This verse shows us what takes place at the soundingof the seventh trumpet and third woe, which the sage

»SIBmcfuuxur.says will come quickly alter the French revolution; ifIam ri ht in my explanation of the two witnesses. It ismoragycertain that the word of God is not now in anobscure state; it is not hid from the world, neither isclothed in sackcloth. It is true that many voices haveunited in the Bible societies to spread the knowledge ofthe word of God; and that it is translated into about allthe known languages-in the world. It is almost absolutelycertain that the French eopleare the nation thatis compared to Sodom Egypt, and in the passage wehave been examinin ; and likewise the earthquake spokenof is the French revolution. Then if the two wit-'nesses are the Old and New Testament, we are certainthe third woe is coming quickly, and the seventh trumpmust shortly begin to sound, ns l have already roved inmy lecture on the trumpets, in the year 1859. Youhave undoubtedly seen, my friends, that we are likewisebrought down to the when God will reward therighteous, judgment, and edestroy wicked, who have persecutedthe saints and trampled them under foot.And once more let me inquire how it stands with you,my dear hearer. Are you prepared for that great andsolemn day? Are you ready to meet the judgment?The two witnesses willappear for or against you. Theirtestimony will not fail. o you believe them ? He thatbelieveth shall be saved, and he that believeth not shallbe damned. "The word that I have spoken," saysChrist, " the same shall judge fyou in the last day." Whwill not be warned? I half the evidence tbatihave you rought of our being on the end of this dispensa»tion, wa brought to prove there was a great treasure hidin your field, how soon would you search and how diligentlywould ou seek until you found it!In this bool, of which we have now been speaking,are durable riches, Fold tried in the Ere, seven timespurified. "Search or it as for hidden treasures; seekandJon shall iind." Can you tell me where the wordof od, the Bible, has failed of bein accomplished literally,and in the time specified? iiany events havebeen foretold, the times and not one failed. Howcanyou Even, disbelieve ? ow can you shut your eyes

-cnars'r's,,._-sncozm comme. M3against so much liiht? Where will you have an excusein the day of ju gment? I have repeatedly broughtyou down bo this time, and shown, by Scripture proof, thejudgmentmust commenceimmediately. You are inyour hearts convicted that what has been declared con~cemi the two witnesses, in this discourse, is true.And iigso, your reason must teach you that what follow!under the third woe must be equallyas true. "And thenations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and thetime of the dead, that they should be judged, and thatthou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets,and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, smalland great; and shouldest destroy them which destroythe earth."

'LECTURE XI'V.nnv. ui. e.And the woman Bed into the wilderness where she hath aprepared of God. that they should feed her there n thousan twoundred and threescore days.gluesTue history of the church, in all ages of this presentworld, is but a histo of persecution and blood, when wefollow her through alfdispensations from Adam to Moses,and from Moses to Christ; so likewise from Christ's firstcoming down to his second appearance, the church haveexperienced, and according to the whole tenor of Scripture,must expect to realize from the kingdom and menof this world, this one promise at least, "In the worldye shall have tribulation." These facts are so plain andobvious, that it has given rise to a. common sayingamong almost all writers, that "the blood of martyrs isthe seed of the church." Yet there is a bright side toher history; for she has come out of all her persecutionsmore purified, more faithful, and with more energy, toprosecute the work her divine Master has left her toperform. And oneotherthing is certain -God has preservedher, whether in the wilderness oramong thenations of the earth, in an and miraculousmanner; even her enemiesextraordinary themselves eing her judges.Where has akingdom stood when all the nations aboutthem have conspired their overthrow? Where is theAssyrian and populous Nineveh? Where is Chaldea,the queen of nations? Where is the Grecianonce the colossus of the world? Where is imper` empi:I

.What-Rome?Gone,crnrs-r's noon comma. SIBne, bthe power of earthly foa.But behold the chourch of Christ and of God, deliveredfirst from Egyptian bondage by the mighty arm ofthe God of Jacob, led by miracles through the wildernessforty years, brought into the proiuiscml land, althoughall the nations of the earth were her enemies, preservedas a nation through the rise and fall of mi hty empires,and experiencinga reverse of fortune Oli when shecourted the aid of worldly kidoms, suéering or diminutiononly when she adoptednsie more popular Yet in her lowest estate, God worship tolof heathen idolatry.his servant the prophet, that "he had reserved seventhousand that had not bowed the knee to Baal." Andif men would reason on the subject of religion as theydo on other subjects, there could not he an inlidel in theworld. For nothing is or can he more manifest thanthe miraculous interposition of Providence in the preservationof his people through the most severe trials, heaviestadlictions, and deadliest hatred of all men, that menor societies ever endured.Ourresent discourse will show us the history of thechurch Isy prophecy, through the darkest age the churchhas ever been permitted to experience since the days ofAbraham.I. I shall show what we may understand by " thewoman " in our text.U. I shall show what we are to understand by thegreat red dragon and beast.III. I shall give the history of the woman given in theof our text.chapters I . Thetime specified in the text, 1260 days, theirbe inning and end.ma we understand b woman in our text?I answer, Wa must understand the people of God, infallwges ofthe church, whether amon the Jew or Gentile:she is called a woman because sge is the spouse ofChrist; she is likewise called awonum because of her:dependence on Christ for all things. As a man is the-had of the woman, so is Christ the head over all thing:in ,the church, sa s the apostle. As the woman depeali-her husbandting a name, for food, and for raimentyso

W6uzcruu anlikewise the church on Christ, for a name-" And thoushalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of theLord shall name," Isa. lxii. 245. "And they werecalled Christiane first at Antioch." For food,our text"says, that they should feed her there," &c. Theprophet Isaiah says, xl. 11, °' He shall feed his flock as ashepherd." John vi. 53,"Except e eat the flesh ofthe Son of Man, and drink his have no life inyou." For raiment, bloodgie the psalmist, spe ing of the church,says, "She shall be brought to the in raiment ofneedlework; her clothing king is wrought go d." The angelto the seven churches says, "He that overcometh, thesame shall be clothed in white raiment." Andagain,"I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, comingdown from God, out of heaven, prepared as a brideadorned for her husband." This shows conclusivelythat the people of God are comparedto a woman. Andnow let meshow,II. What we may understand by the great red dra nand beast that persecuted the church, or woman that ggdinto the wilderness.The reddragsn is the same poweras Danie1's fourthkingdom, the oman, for the description is the same,having ten homs; his character, too, is the same. Danielsays he should break in pieces the whole earth, andstamp the residue with his feet; that he should workdeceitfully, &,c. John says that the dragon drew athird part ot' the stars of heaven, and did cast themto the earth, and that he deceiveth the whole world.The Roman government, then, must be the apocalypticalred dragon beast, havingseven heads and ten horns.The Roman power is called red, either because of theirpersecuting and blood spirit, or on account of theiremperors wearing purpha robes, when dressed in state;eithermilght be sutiicient to entitle them to the appellation"re ." "Dragon" is undoubtedly given the Romangovernment from the fact that the R.omans changedseven dif-from theirtheir forms of govemmentso often,ferent fomis in about five hundred years, havingi andeceitful, cunning, intriguing manner by which they obtainedpower over the nations around them, that they

'havingcs1rs'r's ucozm comms. 207wereproperly a nondoscript; and could not be describedby Daniel or John by an thing seen on earth; andtherefore they took one oi): the inhabitants of the bottomlesspit, " the todragon,"describe to us b figurethis dreadful, persecuting, and bloody power. 'lzhe reddragon is, therefore, used as afigure to denote PaganRome, and the womansittingon the scarlet-colored beastto denote the church of Rome, or Papal Rome ; and bothtogether, civil and Papal, make the anti-Christian abomination,which would drive the church of Christ into thewildemess, where she would be fed 1260 days, or time,times, and half a time. I shall,III. Give the history of the woman, as in the twelflhof Revelation.chzpter erse1, "And there appeared a at wonder inheaven,"-John saw this wonderful sigglteas transpiringunder the dey,'gospelor govemment of God, with hispeople in e the circle in which the churchmoves, here cngospel,led heaven,-"a woman clothed withthe sun," the church adorned with gos 1 asthe natural sun ives light light;to the world? so oes theospel the church,-"and the moon under her feet."þÿ ¬ ` h i sshows us that John had a view of the church whileit was in its Jewish state. For the moon represents theceremonial law, which wastypical of thegospel, likethe moonshining in a borrowed anlight, liable towhen the Shiloh should come. "Under her'changefeet,' shows that she walked or stood on the ordinancesof God's house, which, like the moon, pointed to thesun both before and alter Christ. "And upon her heada crown of twelve stars,"-first the twelve patriarchs,afterwards the twelve apostles, Eph. ii. 20. Like starsthey are smaller lights in the government of God, andteachers under the law and gospel.Verse 2, " And she, being with -child," thepromise that the seed of the woman should bruise theserpent's head,-" cried travailing in -birth," denotingprayer in faith,-" and pained to be delivered," -that is,an anxious and deep longing for the advent ofthe promisedMessiah, when she expected deliverance from bondage,sin, and all her foes, Matt. 17.

-_IB.moron ur.Verse 3,"And, there appeared mother wonder isanother heaven,"-sight or view of God's government olthe world in connection with the "and gospel,-- behold, agent red dragon"-a figurative representation of theomankingdom.Verse 4, "And his tail drew a. third part of the starsofheavelré, and did cast thelmfto th; eanrtéh." ahiudfda beoamea oman provincee ore e sei svent,which is figured by the tail, and the Jews had foranumberof years been governed by tetrarchs or kings of theRomans' appointment. The Jews were govemed byghrie different. offices,ig figuratively priest, and sanhedrirn, or the sevent calledlsltara e ers. -vbings, hentherefore, the Jews were deprived of their right to ap:point their own kings, one third part of their rulers fell"°""°"""ATE SFS?" e aons þÿ ' ° " ° § £223 ; § re ¬ "°'1'iI'g° ewomanw`cwas ST"was then kingvs, at e birth rist, arepresentative oft' ge o eEady to iz; ¢ialivereg_,"(;HerodRomans, because he was supported b their --Y authority,_"for to.devour her child as soon as it was born."gerod sought the young child'see Matt. u. 13.life, to destroy him.Verse 5, " And she brought forth a man Jesuschild,"-Christ, hom of a virgin."For unto us a child is born,gate ps 25011 E given;-; &,c.odIsa;_ 6,1 7,1rue naonswi ar onron, ennEnvt-grof to break "pieces"txiho wha:and subdue ag the'ng omso eearth. s ms ii. 9. Rev.xix. 15,-"and her child was caught up to God and his throne."Christ has ascended up on high, and ia seated at theuntil he makes his enemies hisfright ootstoo hind . ogetgeioIilather n vi. 62. Eph. iv. 8-10.Verse 6, "And the woman ded into the wildemess,lwigzre she hath a prepared of God." The churchagrown weary ples: o e protection of the Romanfor she found, by woful experience, that whenevggzhgggaced herself under the protection of this red dragon,destroyed some of her blessed privileges, and broughtin a Hood of errors, which caused divisions and subdivisionsin the church. The Jews had tried their friendshipf

'"il-cnars'r'| ucoxn. aornxs. ID9llPand protection for more than two hundred years beforeand after Christ, and the event proved the destruction oftheir nation and place. The Christians, too, had triedthe friendship ofthe same power, under Constantine andsucceeding emperors, for little more than two hundredyears, beginning A. D. 313, and ending in A. D. 538, aswe shall show; which so corrupted the Romish churchthat she became the anti-Christian abomination, and thetrue children of God were driven into the wildemess outfrom her connection with the anti-Christian church, " thecity ofthe nations," as she is called. But God took care"that they should feed her there a. thousand two hundredand threescore days," which is 1260 years, from A. D.538 until 1798, during which time a free toleration of religiousrights were not permitted in any ofthe kingdomswhich formerly composed the Roman empire; but Godraised up teachers among them, who retained in agooddegree the doctrine and purity of the word of God, andpractised the ordinances asthey were delivered to thesaints inthe apostles' days: yet but little is known ofthem for six or seven hundred years.Verse 7, " And there was war in heaven." After theprophet John had given us a history of the church, as inthe preceding verses, he now goes back to bring up thehistory of the dragon, the Roman kingdom, and beginshis in the days of Christ and his apostles."Miehaeland his angels fought "-Christ and his apostles.Beahfatt. x. 34, " Think not I am come to send peaceon earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword " --'ll I the dragon," a ainst principalities and powers,dnm in places.f "And the dragonfought, and his angels, imperial Rome and worldly men.Verse B, "And prevailed not, neither was their placefound any more in heaven." Rome could not prevailiglhltthe kingdom ofChrist or the gospel ; for it differedfrom the Jewish mode of worship; and aliughin .her Pagan state could find easy accessitntise Jewish sanctuary, because ofthe similarity oftheirporship, Yet when Christ set up his gostpg kingdommango exe udsd, for none could enterfaith, and repentance.kingdom

y"'IQG nlctunn. xrv.-Ve|se9, " Aadthe grestdragon wnscast-out,"-RomsPagan was deprived from hsving any authority in thegospel kingdom, as Christ says m John xii. 31, " Nomshellthe' priace of world be cast out th-gdthst olds nr,-- ome aganiscomparedtoeserpentbgiclruse he works deceitfully and deceivea the church,(woman,) as the serpent did Eve, the woman in the garden,--" called, the devil," because they devour and pensecutewith a. devilish spirit,-"and Satan," becauseastan~like he claims power over all kingdoms of the" -world- which deceiveth the whole world." Thismay be said of Rome, for she conquered more nations'by deceit and Battery than by fair warfare. -"He wascast out into the earth, and his angels were cast outwith him." This wasliterally fuldlled when Christ cutoff the Jews and all unbelievers; when he said, "Myginggom is fnptlpf 23; gprldg" when he excluded ingomso 'etininthe ah:mpnrtr" on xmuugof theirssuughor-lrinpom which they claimeity among men.Verse 10, " And I. heard a loud voice saying in hesv~en,"-many voices in the church under the gospel dispensation,-"Now is come salvation, and strength, andthe kingdom of our God, and the power-of his Christ." This represents the grand chorus of all the saints, whenthediscover the true principle on which the_ kingdomof god is built. This was liter-all true at the dey ofPentecost.-"For the accuser otyour brethren is castdown, which accused them before our God night andday." The Romans hed, by drawing the Jews intoidolatry, caused them to sin against God in all theirevening and morning sacrifices. And by these means,they were accused before God, that is, God was angrywith them, and destroyed 0111* brethren, the Jews.Verse 11, "And they overcame him by the blood of-the Lamb," the blood of a:tzonement,a.l1 believers in'Christ do finally overcome the powers of darkness andprinces ofthis world,-"and by the word of their testinmony,"-preaching and testimony of the apostles-¢And they loved not their lima unto the death"-_

meanin_`fcnais-r's sacozm CUKING. 211luifered martyrdom. This was ihlilled in the death ofthe apostles and others.Verse 12, " Therefore rejoice ye heavens, and ye thatdwell in them." It was a matter of great joy among theprimitive Christians, to be counted worthy to suffer per-"Woe to the inhabitants ofsecution for Christ's sake.the those who live under the Roman earth,"- government-" --and of the sea,"the principaldom among the ten kingdoms. lgrance king-izvlgeneralymeant by sea in this "prophecy. For the d is comedown unto you, having t wrath, because he knoweththat he hath but a siloert time." The devil meansdestroyer, and the three woes, and seven last plagues,were all to be sentutpon the earth and sea, which denotewars, revolutions, an changing of governments. Thesethings would prevail in the close of this Romandom, and war would be king-the closing up of the earth yscene of this fourth kingdom which Daniel saw undJohn has been describing under the Egure of the " greatred dragon."Verse 13, " And when the dragonsaw that he wascast unto the earth,"-when the Roman govemmentsawthey could have no control in the things of Christ'skingdom, the hated the church and the doctrine thattaught that Cyhrist's kingdom was not of this world, andthey " persecuted the woman that brought forth the manchild," which is the church that had a Savior born untoher, Christ Jesus, the Lord of life and glory.Verse 14, " And to the woman wasgiven twoof agreat eagle,"- by wingswhich wings I understand emeans Godused betweenthe Arian and Papal controversy,at the time ofthe division of the Greek or eastemchurch fiom the west or Roman church, which happenedin the reign of Justinian, emperor of the east, about A.D. 538, when the controversyarose concernin theworshipping of departed saints, and theimages, infzilibilityof the church at Rome. I.n this controversy, manyprivately withdrew themselves,and settled in the northwestpart of Asia and in the north-east part of Europe,and atb: a number of years colonies were-sent by them

212 1.2¢-runs xiv.into Piedmont' and valleys of the Alps, where it issupposed the true worship of God was retained duringthe dark ages of Papal ignorance, bigotry, and superstition.(See Milner's Church History, and Bened1ct'sHistory of the Ba that she might dy into thewildemess, into her tistsq-_" p ace," -a separation from theworld, as says the voice from heaven, " Come out of her,my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and thatye receive not of her plagues," Rev. xviii. 4.-" whereshe is nourished for a time, times,-and half atime," fedand nourished by the spirit and word of God 1260"from the face of the serpent"-from the know years. edgeof Papal Rome.Verse 15, " And the serpent cast out of his mouth watersas a flood after the woman,"-waters, in prophecy,meanspeople, Rev. xvii. 15. Therefore I understandthis prophecy to have been fulfilled when the Pope, thehead of Papal Rome, sent forth hisarmies and inquisitionto subdue the heretics, as he called them, who dwelt inthevalleys of the Alps, which was about the beginningof the thirteenth 'f that he causecentury,-might her tobe carried away of the flood"-extlerrninated and destrplyedby his armies and erse 16, imapisition." And the earthelped the woman, and theearth opened her mouth and swallowed up the floodwhich the dragon cast out of his mouth." This versewas fulfilled in the wa.rs which followed the abovementionedtime of persecution, in which the Germanprinces helped their subjects against the armies of theope, and estroyed and swallowed up many of the Papalarmies, from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century.Or, as some authors have supposed, the waters whichthe cast out of his mouth was the Good oferrors drain w 'ch arose about the time of the French revolution, under the name of Deism, which was calculated todestroy the doctrine of the asiospel, they vainlysupposed, backed up by the repu lican armies o Francs,rnd alierwards by the power of Bonaparte, who washnally subdued by the combinations of the kings of theearth. But,asthis transaction seemsto me to be too

Papalcnrsmln. anon comms 813hte to afeet the woman in her exiled state, I have inclined,in my humble opinion, to my first exposition otthese texts.Verse 17, "And the wasdragon wroth with the woman,"Rome was angry with the true church,--"and went to make war with the remnant of her seed."This war has not yet come; for it is evident b the expression" remnant of her seed," that it means the last ofthe church " who keep the commandments of God, andhave the testimony of Jesus Christ." This is the laststruggle of this anti-Christian beast, and is described inmany places as the last great battle, or the supper of thegreat God. Such expressions as " and went," as thoughthis power would go to some place out of their owntemtory, and " the kings of the east might be prepared,"lhow that they will go west. I am, therefore, constrainedto believethat thisbattle of the dragon's lastpower will be in America.; and if so, it must bc mainlyin these United States. It will be a battle on politicalprinciples, as we may learn by the passage in Rev. xvi.13-16, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogscome out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of themouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the falseprophet; " -the " unclean spirits " shows that it is politicalprinciples; and, like the frogs in Egypt, it will pervwdeall the departments of life-the social, civil, andreligious. By " dragon," we must understand the kingsof the earth; by the "bea.st," Papal principles,or thechurch of Rome; by the " false prophet,"Mahometanpower;- " for they are the spirit of devils, working miracles,"-that is, spirit of deceit, separating friends, dividingkinidoms, states, societies, churches, and families,and crum ling every man-made institution, and levellingto the dust all law, order, and bond of union, which thewisdom of man may have invented,-" which go forthunto the kings of the earth and of the whole world."This shows the universal spread of this fanatical spiritof disorganization, and it will finally lead to "gatherthem to the battle of that great day of God Almight .""Behold, I am come as a thiefl Blessed is he thatlntcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked

214 ucrnu xrv.mdtneyseehisshame." Weareherenotiliedthdhis coming will be like a thiefto those whoare engagedin this political warfare, and in those popular and menmadesocieti of the day; and we are told that thosewill be blmed who watch, that is, for his coming, andthe signs of the times, and that keepeth his garmentsunspotted from these worldly institutions, which engenderstrife and animosity among brethren. Be warned,dear Christian, "enter into thy chamber, and hide thyselffor a little moment, until the indignation be overand past, that ye need not be ashamed before him at hiscoming."It will also be a battle of religious principles,as is evident by the followi scripture, Rev. xix. 11--16,"And I saw heaven opengd, an behold, a white horse;and he that sat upon him was called Faiththl and True,and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. Hiseyes were as a dame of tire, and on his head were manycrowns; and he had o name written that no man knewbut he himself, and he was clothed with a vesturedipped in blood; and his name is called The Word ofGod. And the armies which were in heaven followedhim upon white horses, clothed in tine linen, white andclean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, thatwith it he should smite the nations; and e shall rulethem with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the wine-press:of the iiercenem and wrath of Almighty God." Thispassage proves that there will be at the close of this disnation,immediately preceding the marriage of thebto his bride, a great and ast struggle betweenand the word of God.error and truth, between infidelityAnd you may inquire,perhaps, and with propriety too,How shall we know on whic side we areengaged inthisgreat war of principle ? I answer, " In righteousness,' he doth make war. But, say you, we are so proneto ibllow tradition orprepossessed notions, and think weareright, that, like Paul, we may be found at lastti hti 'against God. You must see to it, that you are tgithiig"and true," have faith in his name, "and his name is TheWord of God." This isyour only rule-The Word ofGod. Be careful; lay yourselves on this word. Tryyourselves by this standard. If your life, faith, expen

cs.|.rsr's :lcon COKIINL 215ence, and hope, are built on this foundation, you cannever fail; for he that is The Word of God, is " KINGOF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Again: itis to be a literal battle with the sword, for Christ says,"He that taketh the sword shall die by the sword."And kings, Papal Rome, and the Mahometans, haveruled the world by the sword, and their swords, duriall the days of their wer, have been red with the blogiof their subjects, andxthe innocent victims of their hate.And in Rev. xix. 17-20, it is evident, by the "fowls"spoken of in the 17th verse, is meant, warriors in favorof liberty who are to " eat(destro ) the flesh (strength orpower) of kings, ofy and the flesh captains, and the fleshof mighty men, and the Hesh of horses, and them that siton them, (armies are undoubtedly meant in thisand the ilesh of all men," passage?who are in favor okings, papal Rome, engaged or false prophet, " bo free and bond,both small and great." "And l saw the beast and thekings of the earth, and their armies, gathered togetherto make waragainst him that sat on the horse, andagainst his army." "And he gathered theminto a place togethercalled in the Hebrew tongue Armage don,"(awake to the spoi1,) Rev. xvi. 16-21.These will be the means the dragon will use in his*est great struggle to gain ascendency over the minds,onsciencel, and bodies of men. He will fan u theirpolitical animosities; he will stir up strife and divisionamongireligious communities; and, last of all, and note wil encouragean intolerable thirst for blood.least,In which battle Christ will come, chain the dragon, `vehis body to the burning ilame, contine the spirits ofglallwho worship the dragon, beast or false prophet, in thepitaof woe; raise the saints, purify, cleanse, and glorifythem _with his own glory.IV. We are to speak of the time -the saints, or church,were to be in the wilderness," one thousand two hundredand threescore days." I believe all commentatorsagree that these dag/s are to be understood years;md, ssl have proved this point in a former lecture, Iled not stop to argue this given principle at this time,out will proceed to give some proof when this time he-

216 nmcrnu xry.whenitenlled. Thetzme onrtextrgenandthe same length of time asgiven by aniel for the reignoi' the little hom. See Daniel vii. 25. It is, also, thesame time John has given forthe image beast to havepower " to continue forty and two months." Thirty daysto a month is 1260 days, Rev. xiii. 5. It is, also, thesamelength of time that was given the Gentiles to treadthe holy city under foot. See Rev. xi. 2. Also. for thewitnesses to prophesy, clothed in eackcloth. Rev. xi. 3.And there can hardly be a shadow of a doubt but thatall these times had their beginning and ending at oneand the same time. If so, then the arguments used heretoforemay have their proper bearing in this place.But let us consider a few things in addition to our'former reasom. 'lst What maywe understand by thewoman " fleeing into the wilderness," and " from the faceof the serpent. ''We must 'consider it in a state of obscurity;this was 11-ue in the time we have stated, A. D.538. Historians tell us but little about anychurch but the Roman church, and this has never .reiular eenin an obscure state; of course the Roman is not thechurch in the wilderness: But they do tell us that, inthe days of Justinian, emperor of Constantinople, there'were many schismatics, as they were called, who opposed-the power of the bishop or pope of Rome, and doings'councils in the east and west, and a share of the lalarge Q-ter part of Justinian's life was spent in religious broilsand expellin from his kingdom these schismatics; andthe code of gms which he published about A. D. 533forbade any Clnistians any rightsorprivilegesas citizenin his empire who would not acknowledge the bishop liRome as head. And in these laws he gave the bishoppower to hold courts and try all matters of faith withinis kingdom. These, and other things of like import,drove all true followers of the word-.of God to seek arest ont'of the jurisdiction of the city of nations; and,of course, became outlaws to the RomanThen, if we tix the beginning of the exile egovernment.the churchat the same time of setting up anti-Christ, A. D. &8,then the church was in its exiledstate until A.'D. 1798,which would be the 15360 years. It-is here worthy of

cnaxszfs salon comma.IUremark, that the code of laws passed by Juutinian werein full force in the kin dome belonging to, or under thecontrol of, the pope o¢gR¢ome, respecting therights andprivileges of those who differ from the Catholicfaith, until the French took l'Dl%'lt ome, in 1798, and declaredItaly a republic; when free toleration was _gilven for anyreligious opinion or privilege whatsoever. Here, then,the church, in whatever form she might appear, was permittedtoergoy the rights and privileges of citizens, andto worship od as their conscience might dictate. Thisis the first time, during the 1260 years, that ii-ee tolerationof relivion wasgranted in ankingdom where theCatholic church had power; ami; although Catholicmces and tgopes have since had rule in Italy andnce, yet ey have never dared, asyet, to pursuetheir former intolerant course of conduct towards Protestants.And it is very evident, my dear friends, thatthe church is now out of the wilderness; that is, if sheever was; for there never has been a time since thedays of the apostles, no, nor even then, that the church,in all its several branches, has enjoyed greater privilegesthan for nearly forty years past. She hassfpread herwings over every land, and carried the news o salvationinto every languageon the known world. Her reapershave followed the sowers of seed, and there is handsfullofcom in the tops of all the mountains; but the harvestisshortas she hasThe church has had rest aslongever had since Christ left her and ascended to his Fa-the trum-ther. The dragon begins to show his anger;nt begins to sound to the onset; the armies of themst begin to muster for the battle, theyare furbishintheir swords for the slaughter; the kings of the earthlllcombining against the freedom of their subjects;the at men and nobles areriveting closer the chainsof vassals; tyrants are braiding in firmer knotstheir scorpion whips for their slaves; crpediuwy hashkea the room of moral law, and anarchy has crowdedorder from his seat; mobs have taken the place of judges,and law is popular will; the liberty of the press is hutthe nod of demagogues, and the freedom of speech il'19

VIIBmourn nv.es1lediknstiei¢m.'Divinionaeemstobetheorderofthe day, and our valuable institutions aremottering totheir base. Be warned, then, 0 my friends, to seeksafetgl under the banner of the gospel before the armiesare led up. "And the dragonwas moth with thewomen, and went to make wer with the remnant of herseed whichkeef the commandments of God, end havethetestimony o Jesus Christ." "The spirit of prophecy

°LECTURE XV.LBV. xvl. 11.And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and therecame agreat voice out ofthe temple of heaven, from the throne,saying,t is done.Tms text is the account we have in the word of Godof the lastplague that will ever visit our world, or theinhabitants w hereaher will be to dwellpermittedthereon. That is evident, because it is the seventh ofthe last seven. For John says, Rev. xv. 1, " And I sawanother sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angelshaving the seven last plagues;for in them is filledup the wrath of God." And the wrath of God is filledu ,that is, the cup of God's wrath of which he will makeall nations drink; and he will give unto Babylon "theeu of the wine ofthe iierceness of his wrath.}i`hen it cannot beto those who wish orwho may desire to leam uninteresting where an when the last plagueshave been poured out, and how many yet remain for usto experience.These sevenhave had theirshadows in thelasgflagues sent on slave-holdingfrom theirplagues which GEgypt, when he de vered his people, the Jews,Egyptian bondage, the least of which plagues destroyedPharaoh and his host, just in the moment when Israelwere deliverance on the banks ofthe Red Sea.shoutingSo likewke, m the seven last plagues, theiylare pouredout upon:siritual Eglypt, slave-holding bylon, whohas enslav the of God for centuries, and hastradckedinths me'ss andsoulsofmen. She,1ike

_'''Q) Lxcruu: xv.Egypt, has appointed task-masters over the church, andhas endeavored to strangle her children in the birth.She has commanded the kings and rulers ofthe earth todestroy the children ofthe church, as did the Egyptiansthe Hebrew midwives; but the church has found favorin the eyes of some of the kings and princes of the earth,and the earth huslielped the woman, and her childrenare not all dead. And their cry has gone up to the Lordof Sabaoth, and he has come down in these seven lastplagues to deliver his people from the hand of the spoiler,and from the power of the beast, the anti-Christianabomination; and when this last vial is poured into theair, all the doctrines 'of men aiiddevils, and all the theoriesof men and the wisdom of this world will be confThe Lord will over-feunded and brought to nought.whelm with the red and fiery wrath of his last judgmentthe kings of the earth, the beast or Catholic church ofabomination, the false prophet and all his followers, thegreat men of the earth, -mighty men and captains, ty~rants, slave-holders, rich and poor, bond and free: allwho have worshipped the beast or his image, will, likethe host of Pharaoh, be destroyed- in the general conHa~gration of the world, and the saints will 'shout delivenance in the New Jerusalem state. I shall, therefore,L Give the history of the seven last orplagues, the-þÿ | ¬ V vials ¬ ' l l of wrath.II. Show what may be understood by "B 1) done."of the seven vialsI. Then we are to give the historyor last. plagues; and for this purpose we must give a commenton the sixteenthchapter of Revelation. Verse ig"And I heard agreat voice out of the temple, sayingtothe seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vialsof' the wrath_of` God upon the earth." This verse showsus that these plagues are poured upon the earth at thecommand of him who sits in the temple of -God. Verse2, " And the first went, and poured out his vial upon theearth; and there fell a noisome and grievoussore uponthe men which had the mark of the beast, and upon themworsalgpped his image."whichThis first vial was pouredupon the e , meaningekingdom of the beast or theRfiman government. A noisome, a grievous son,

`*clans-r's sscosn comlle.»Rleates the dissolution of the body atllicted, and that theconstitution islaborinfggunder some inward disease, oraifected by contagionm without. It is therefore a litemblem to re resent the exposure of the corruptions ofthe church of? Rome, and breaking out of those loathsomediseases of internal abominations which had beenhid for ages from the world by the cunnin cratiinessof this Papal beast.The men spoken of in sais passageare those whoworship the beast, and who aret e professedfollowers of this corrupt society, and all who liveunder the influence and control ofthe idolatrous city ofnations, and who tradic in her indulgences and abominablepractices. This vial then began to be poured outwhen the Protestants first publishedto the world thecorruptions and abominable practices of the church ofRome, when the world to see the noisome andsoresgrievous that covere begun the men who pretended topreach or proclaim the doctrine, laws, or commands oi'this beast. And of course this wasplague sent on theRomish church about the year A. D. 1529, under thepreaching oi' Luther, Calvin, and others who opposed andosed the corruptions ofthe church of Rome."Worse 3, "And the second angel pouredout his vialupon the sea, and it became as the blood of a dead man;and every living soul died in the sea." The sea, inprophetic language, is the centre of somtnrgreat nation,or society of men, as in a restless and ulent state;and the things living in the sea, are the persons livingunder the wer or control of this nation, or society.Lining soul"denotes those persons who have been homof the Spirit, and are in possession of that living faithin love for all men. "As the blood of a deadman." Godbznd ere issomethinivery striking in this figurenatan ordinary dgure of lood, which denotes war andriorlnl controversy, but cold, corigealed blood; the blooda dead mandenoting a massacre in cool blood, withofthose murdered. ThisDilf any resistance on epartvialwas, then, poured out in France, the principal kingdominthe Roman ten horns, in the year A. D. 1572 atthe 'massacre of the St. Bartholomew'|Hngnenotsone|Q,il»|l50,0wwere slaxninouenight, and thestreets19 °

__IQ Q.-alowuas xv._gfwnblbod, as Bullytells uuinsome places ankle dee~in the city of Pans. This massacre was in cold bloog;rib: the some historiantells us, that the king stood in hisbalcony, and shot-down his naked and defenceless sub--Kts as they were fleeing through the streets. This1ppened in,France, the stoutest of the hornsllxechief instrument in establishing, building up, andPapaloupporting that cruel, murderous power of Papacy.Verse 4, " And the third angel poured out his vial uponthe rivers and fountains of waters, and they becameblood." By "rivers and fountains of water," I understandthe nations and states who live around the centre,or sea., Us it was called in the Uprecedi vial."By blood,""I understand deaructive war. Anliln I heard theangelof the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, whichlrt, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judgedthus. For they have shed the blood of saints andprophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, forthey are worthy. And heard another out of the altarlay, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and rifrhteousare thy judgments." In these verses we have the rea-Isonsgiven, why they were visited with this scourge ofwar, ecause, in thevial, they had shed theblood of saints; preceding which proves at the exposition of thatvial, which I have already given, is correct. This vial,then, was poured out upon the nations that had iventheir strength and their power to the beast; ang theweregovernments filled with war and blood. This vialwas poured out about A. D. 1630, and lasted nearly tittyyears. Spain and Portugal carried on a bloody and destructivewar for more than thirty years of this time.France wa tom by civil and intestine wars during along period. The civil wars in England began underking Charles I., 1642, which lasted with but little cessation,until king George I. ascended the throne, in 1714.German; was filled with blood, between the contentionsof the 'vangelical league and Catholic "whichgaveleaiue,rise to a ruinous war, which lasted `rty years."See Guthrie, vol. i., page 443. This wa: was headed, onthe part of the Protestants, by Gustavus Adolphus, kingof Sweden, who was killed at the battle of Lutzen, A.

cnnrs'rs IICORD comme. 25D. 1632, which war lasted until the peace of Munster1648. The otherkingdoms of the ancient empire ofRome were more or ess drenched in blood, and civilwars, on account of their religious tenets, and contentionof their rulers and sovereign princes. '1'hese weretheheav; judgments which God saw fit to inflict uponthe king oms and states of the church of' Rome, for theinnocent blood which she had shed of the Protestantswho had protested against her cruel and blasphemous"practices. For they have shed the blood of saints andprophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink, forthgr are "worthy." And the fourth angel poured out hisvi upon the sun, and power was given unto him toscorch men with fire. And men were scorched withgreat heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hathppwer over these plagues; and they repented not to giveThe sun is the great source of light and'm glory."heat, and, inprophetic language, is an emblem of theEpzpel, as exp ained in the 19th Psalm, 4--10. "Theirhasgone out though all the earth, and their wordsto the en of the world. In them hath he set a tabernaclefor the sun," &c. To " scorch men " with fire, signifiestumake men "angry; heat," uncommonly angry,vengeful, gureat malicious. T 'a vial was poured out in thelastcentury, when the ospelwas proclaimed in theseof the~beast. %Iow, duringkixgimns the greater partof lastcenturi, and in all the kingdoms where thegospelwas preae ed, there were manifested insidiousattempts and asystematic opposition against the gospelChrist, or the Holy Scriptures. This opposi-601| WIS headed by Frederick, king of Prussia, and aidedby a"lI'the wits, men ofgenius and learning; as theyiilfin Fblasphemesatlhehoisted, of all Europe an America; and in eir secretéeinhlies, or clubs, they went so far as to calculateibut# what length of time it would take for them to deemteznninatethe religion of the " Galilean andlie* 'elire iishermeng" and no writers that ever wrote%,iuch unweiried `ns, showed so much virulencename of God to such a desg'thesewriters, and none, either before or since,eve! dared tmexhibit the like; 'fAnd they re-

Uluernu xv.Hated not to give him the glory." l believeit is notown, that any of these principal deistical writers wereconverted to the religion ofJesus Christ before their death,togive God the lory. Yet I think we have someaccountof many 0% them dying in horror, at the frightfulview of the future, in consequence of their blasphemouslives against the majesty of the King of kings. Therelbre,in the history of the Deists in the eighteenth century,we have the history of the plague of the fourthvial. "And the fifth angel poured out his viul upon theseut of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness,and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blasphemedthe God' ot" heaven, because of their pains and theirsores, and repented not of their deeds." "The seat ofthe beast " must mean those ten onkingdoms which thewoman sitteth, which is ancient Rome. "Full of darkness"must mean full of wickedness, confusion, andevery evil work. "Gnawed their tongues for pain"shows shame, disgrace, and disappointment. This vialwaspoured out in the French revolution, about 1798.When Bonaparte began his extraordinary career, exaltedto the pinnacle of power, he dethrones the pope, (whosepower and authorit had made kings und emperors quailat his feet, had who ruled over the nations with despoticsway for more than 1200 yearst,})land makes Rome thesecond city of France ; conquers e ancient monarchies ;deluges every country with blood; masters every king;gathers spoils from every land, and humbles cities in theust;changes the laws of kingdoms, and destroys themost sacre constitutions of the Roman states. In thisrevolution among the Roman kingdoms, and under thisvial, the bastile was demolished, the inquisition destroyed,torture suppressed, and the power of the Papal clergyrestrained. Their kingdoms were full of darkness ; theyweretroubled, chated, and agrieved; thousand plotswerelaid; many times they confederated against him,the master spirit of the times; but they prevailed not,until this vial had its accomplishmenton the seat of thebeast. Yet, aher all this wonderful display of God'supon thc beast and kingdoms of ancientQrdgments ome, they repented not, but, Pharaoh-like, they blas-

"PTCRBISIJS szcorm comma.&Pphemed God, because of their pains and their sores.*'And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the greatriver Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up,that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared."The scene has nowchanged from Europe toTurkey. The "river Euphrates " means, in prophecy, thepeople of that countryr bordering on the river, and, ofcourse, refers to the urkish power, as I have formerlyshown in my lecture on the iitth and sixth trumpet."VVater thereof was dried up," is an emblem of thepower and strength of that kingdom being diminished,or taken away. This vial waspoured out on Turkey,by the loss of a great share of the empire ; first, Russia onthe north, in her last war with the Turks, took awayanumber of provinces ; then, by the revolt of Ali Pacha;then, by the rising of the Greeks; since, by the Albaniansand Georgians, and other distant parts ofthe empire,becoming disaffected ; which, all together, have sowasted the power of the Turks, that, now, it is verydoubtful whether she can maintain her power againsther own intestine enemies; and, to compare her nowwith her former greatness, would be like comparing afordable stream with the great river Euphrates;so thatthe way now appears to be prepared for the kings tocome up to the battle of the great day, in which thefalse prophet is now to take his part,as we shall see inour next verse."And I saw three unclean spirits like comefrogs outof the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of thebeast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet; forthey are the spirits of devils working miracles, which goforth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world,to gather them to the battle of the great day of GodAlmighty." Now, if we can decipher this passage, wecan tell what are now and what will be the signs of thetimes. "Three unclean spirits." B this we must understandthree wicked principles. ligogs" l understand"to show us that it is political. As camefrogsover theland in the judgmentonEgypt, and pervaded everyhouse,even the palace of the king, so do politics."Mouth" denotes orders or commands. The dragon il

i2 Llcruu xv.atigmeofthekingsoftheearth. Thebeastisusedtlrepresent Papacy; The false prophet evidently reprosents Mahometa.nism,_ These have all tl1e spirit ofdevils. The devil pretends to claim over all thekingdoms gpower ofthe world, (seeRev. xii. called thedevil. Papacy gthere is said, in Rev. xiii. to receive itsppwer from the dragon, and to come out of the bottomsspit, and shall go into perdition; of course, must belongto Satan's kingdom. The false prophet, too, is tobe "cast alive into a lake of tire burning with brimstone."All these powers have pretended to work mira,-cles, to establish their authorityover the bodies andsouls of men. But what are the which eachof these teach their political followers. principles The dragonand his political party, in whatever nation they mayappear, (as all three of these political principles mustpervade the whole earth,) will support tyranny, slavery,and aggrandizement ofthe few at the expense of many.The beast and his political party will be known only bytheirhypocrisfgbigotry, and superstition. Their prmcxpalobject wil be to operate on the hopes and fears ofmen, and so 'n anascendencyover the minds of theindividuals wg; maiybe so unfortunsne as to be found intheir ranks. The also prophet will fill his dparty withnotions of infidelity, lust, and conquest. An thespiritof all these parties,working at one and the same time,in all nations, and among l people, will produce an et#fect which only can be known to mortals in experiencing"the conilict. Behold, l come as a thieil Blessed is hethat watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walknaked, and theysee his shame." This verse ives usnotice of the nearapproach of him who hath all powerin heaven and earth. "For when they say, Peace andsafety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, andthey shall not But ye, brethren, are not indar ness, that that escape. ay shall overtake youas a thiefl"Watch, therefore, for if ye have puton the Lord JesusChrist, keep your garment, and let none take yourcrown, that you may be found of him without spot andblameless. "And he gathered them together into aplace called, in the Hebrew tongue, Armageddon ;" that

I-in-~ucan .r's ssconn comme. 237Pi, "Where the Lord will declare his precious fruit."Thisgathering is the same spoken of in Matt. xxv. 32,"And before im shall be gathered all nations; and heshall separate them one from another, as a shepherd dividethhis sheep from the goats." In the place Armageddon,the Lord will manifest who are his; he willseparate the chaff ti-om the wheat, the wicked from thejust. The wheat he will gather into his gamer; theywill be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, while thechaB` will be burnt with unquenchable fire. His ownright hand shall save us while his last plague shall bepoured out upon the head of his enemies. "And theseventh angel poured his vial into the air; and therecame agreat voice out of the temple of heaven from thethrone, saying, It is done." The seventh and last. vialof God's wrath will be poured into the air about theyear 1840, if my former calculations are correct, whenthis judgment will have a quick and rapid circulationover the whole globe. Like the air, it will pervadeevery kingdom, circulate into every nation, sow the seedsof anarchy in every society, and disorganize everybond of union among men, except the gospel. "Andthere were voices, and thunders, and lightnings, and agreat earthquake, such as was not since men wereupon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great."Vmlces, political strife. Thunder.: is an emblem of divisions.Lighlning is a representation of anger andwar. Great earthquake denotes a great revolution.And there will be, when this vial is poured out, politicalstrife among all nations, divisions among all sects, societies,and associations of men upon earth. Anger, war, andbloodshed will fill the countries with horror and dismay;and a.great revolution, such as was not since men wereupon earth, so mighty a revolution and so "great. Andthe great city was divided into three parts, and the citieof the nations fell; and great Babylon came in remembrancebefore God, togive unto her the cup of the wineot' the iierceness of his wrath." The cityis thewoman which reigneth greal over the kings o the earth, saysthe angel,Rev. xvii. 18. And thewmnan_is Papacy.Papacy must also be divided into three parties, to show

Wuscjruu xv.lier dissolution. And' the cities of the nations fellv. ADcity denoted the papal power and religion,so does diarepresent the power and religion of all other nations.Therefore all the power, and all national religion, willfiill in and under this vial, and the anti-Christian powerwill be 'udged; all their sins, cruel perseeutions, andbloody djeeds, will he brought into judgment into remembrancebefore- God, and he will fill to her the cupwhich she has made others drink, and she in her turnmust drink the dregs. "And every island ded away,and the mountains were not found." Islands and mountainsarefigures of great and, small kingdom and governments.This textalludesvto the same time andcircumstances which Nebuchadnezmfs dream does,Daniel ii. 35, 45-when the stone cut out withouthands shall smite the image upon his feet, and all thekingdoms of the earth be carried away, that no placeshall be found for them. Inc this verse it is, the " mountainswere not found;" "And there fell upon men agreat hail out of heaven, every stone about the weightof n.talent, and menblasphemed God because of theplague of the hail; for the plague thereof was e.xceed~ing great." This closes the history of the seven lastplagues, and this storm of hail is the last part of theseventh vial; it is the closing up of the judgments of Gedlon anungodly world. Whether we are to understandthis hail figuratively or literally, I am not able to say;but my prevailing opinion is, that we are to understandit literally, for this rea.son-- I have never been able in theword of God to iind any ii umtive explanation, althoughit is used/ in a number of places with 'cular referenceto the last day. Isa. xxviii. 17, "Ju/ggurhlent also will Ilay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet, andthe hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and thewaters shall overflow the hidingsplaces."xxx. 30,"And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to beheard, and shall show theslighting down of his ann,with theindignation of his anger, and with the flame ofl.devouring re, with scattering, and tempest, and hail-4stones." Ezek. xiii. 11, 13, "Say unto them whichiaub it with untempered mo1ar,.that it shall tall ; diem

'_ern|s'r's srcoxn eornss. §overdowing shower; and ye, 0shall be angreat hailltones,shall fall;an astormy wind sha rend it.Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, I will even rend itwith astormy wind in my fury; and there shall be anoverflowing shower in mine anver, and great hail-stonesin my fury, to consume it." ilzek. xxxviii. 22, "AndI will plead against him with pestilence and with blood;and I will rain upon him, and uponhis bands, and uponthe many people that are with him, an overtlowing rain,and great hail-stones, tire and brirnstone." Also, Rev.xi. 19,"And there werelightnings, and voices, andthunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail."By reading the connection of these texts, you cannotbut e struck with the agreement of the prophets in theirdescriptions of this last and dreadful judgment of Godupnn the world. All of them evidently tix it on the lustday; all call it apparently a rain of great hail-stones,like those which fell upon Egypt in the days of Moses.Exodus ix. 23-25, " And Moses stretched forth his rodtoward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, andthe tire ranalong upon the ground; and the Lord minedhail upon the land of E pt. So-there was hail, and'evous, such as therefire mingled with the haiiyyverywas none like it in all the 1ani"°f Egypt since it becamea. nation. And the hail smote throughout all theland ofEgypt, all that was in the field, both man andbeast; an the hail smote eve herb of the field, andbrake every tree ofthe field." r¥'his, it is evident, is thetype of the last part ofthe seventh lague.And liow,myeiriends, will you believe? Six of' theseplagues have en accomplished in as literal a manneras we could expect, after a fair and scriptural explanationof the figures and metaphors used. And again Iask, Do you believe? You think, perhaps, you will waituntilyou see the hail come, and then you will believe.But will you not recollect that our text says, " And theybla5phemed'God because of the plague of the hail"?W' 'you thus tem t God through six successive judgments,'andwait fgr the last before you will believe?What hope or prospect have you that the seventh willdo what the six preceding could not do-that is, make»..

_`iEmoron xv.you believe? ls there one rational conviction that youwill be then convinced P No, not one. Then will younot see and leam wisdom by what is gone before ?Pharaoh had no space forrepentance under, or even justbefore the last An so it will be withplague.you; thedoor will have een shut before anylpart of the seventhvial will be poured out, for then w' 1 be heard a greatvoice reverherating through the upper vault of heaven,and, sounding even to the dark cells of the pit of woe,shaking the middle air with its deep-toned thunder, and,like thelightning, darting its vivid flush of tire from eastto west, will ierce the deafest ear, and make the hardestheart to breath, althougha thousand fold more hard thanthe adamantine rock, saying, " R is done." This bringsme to .show,II. What we may lmderstand b " It is done."The first uestion which naturally arises on the mindis, What is done? When Christ was about expiatingfor the sins of the world; when he was clos' up thework which his Father gave him to do on ealiii in theflesh; when the spirit was about leaving the tenementof clay which it had inhabited through a life of thirtythreeyears of pain, sufferings,sorrows,groans,degrivations,and tears, made more acute y temptations tryingas the arch-demon of hell could invent; sufferingreproach from the haughty Pharisee, and the more obstinateSadducee, and contempt and ridicule from thebase rabble of his ownpeople; persecuted even untildeathbg the envy, malice, and hatred of those who hadreceive boons and blessin s of life at his hands,-he hadsaved them from disease, dhath, and the rage of demons;yet, in this moment of great need, he was forsaken ofall; they stood afar otf; and when he was about givingup the ghost, he cried, " It is finished l "and bowed hishead, and died. The fratricide man could do no more;he had followed him to death; beyond that the envy ofhis brother could not reach him. The rabble, who afew days before had cried, Hosannas to the Son of David!this day were crying; Crucify him! crucify him!now could cry no more, ut with downcast looks, retumedinto the The Pharisees and rulers coulddo city;no more; they d plotted his death. and obtained

cun|sr's slcoxm course. 251their object; but into the dark recess of' the tombthey dare not, they would not, follow. The great reddragon (the Roman power) had his life when achild, but the hour had not come. soiight erod sought his lifewhen a man, but he could not succeed until the last dayof the seventy weeks should be accomplished Thenthe powers of earth, wicked men, and devils, could combineto take the life ofthe Lord of glory. Then, whilethese powers had control, the heavens hid their face;nature stood back aghnst, and the material world shudderedwith a groan. Then, at that awful, iitful period,he who had been the object of all this malice, criedwith a loud voice, " It is finished !" The work on earthin the flesh is finished; the temptations of Satan arefinished; the persecution of his brethren are finished;envy, malice, and hatred towards the rson of Christ arefinished ; the power of earth, hell, and"wicked men to doany thing with him, is finished; death has no more terrorsover him. It ifsfinished.Although Christ had finished his work, and had enduredall the sufibrings which he was to finish; yet in hisspiritual body, the church, the measure of his suB'eringswas to be filled up. His people must pass through thesame scenes in the world as their divine Master had experiencedfrom satanic temptations and the_hatred of theworld. "The world will hate you and persecutefor my name's sake, dvloueven as the hated me before eyhated you," says our blessed Redeemer. Therefore thesame manifestations of cruelty, contempt, persecution,and death, were to be acted over again in the churchuntil the 2300 years should be accomplished, whenChrist would comeagain, receive home his weary, persecutedpeople, conquer death, and him that had thepower of death, which is the devil. "And there came ngreat voice out ofthe temple of heaven from the throne.,saying, It is done." The power of earth, hell, and wickedmen over the dear people of God, is done. Theirtemptation in the flesh is done; their trials,and death itsepersecutions,f,are done.sufferings, darkness, fears,As the sufferings of the head was finished in Christ, sowill all the pains of the body be completed when theseventh and last vial shall be poured into the air, and

Lxcruaa xv.cleanse the atmosphere from all noxious vapors, pestilence,and death. "Then shall the sanctuary becleansed," and then will the great voice from the thronesay, It is done. These old heavens and this old earthwill have passed away, and the New Jerusalem come"down from God out of heaven, preparedas a brideadomed for her husband," Rev. xxi."And I heard agreat voice out of heaven, saying, Behold,the tabernacle ofGod is with men, and he will dwellwith them, and they shall be his and God himselfdaall be with them and be their Go people, ,and God shall wipeaway all tears from their eyes; and there shall be nomore death, neither sorrow norcrying, neither shall therebe any more pain, for the former things -are passed away.And he that satugon the throne said, Behold., I make all81' new. An he said unto me, Write; for theseweiilsaretrueandfaithftrl. And hesaid unhome,Itisdone." Here we have the same asexpression in ourtext, having the same identical "meaning, the samevoice," in one as in the other; the same throne, angreatthelame voice speaking, allndingtothe same period of timewhen the old things are done away and the new heavensare finished, to the same point in "the end."Therefore, prcéghecy,as we have passed the six vial, the seventhand last hangs trembling in the air. The drops of thisvial are already contaminating the 'minds of men; alreadywo see the unclean spirit going forth; the great city isbei§ divided, and the signs of the heavens denote amo conflict, and on the earth a speedy revolution'l'hen, my friends, let us be wise; let us make peacewith Him who has power to save or to For weleam by destroy.our subject that the world and wor dly scenesarepassing away; every vestige of mortal grandeur,every form of camal pride, every fashion of human glorywill soon be eclipsed by the grandeur of that great whitethrone from whose face the eavens and earth will Heeaway, and the great voice from the throne will soundthe ast requiem, " It is done.""Yet when the sound shall tear the skies,And lightning bum the globe below,Saints, you may lit! your Joyful e 'es;Therehaaewheavenaadsanhferyoa."

'LECTURE XVI.lMATT. xxv. 1._'Hun shall the kingdom of heaven be likened \|.lll0 tenwhich took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom.Pansnrms arealways given to illustmte some doc~trine or subject whichwishes to communicate,thxgeaker and is an easy or f iar manner of making hisheaters or readers understand the subject, and receivea lasting impression. Nothing has so goodan effect onthe mind as to teach by parables moral precepts orgiritual _ In in or nuxaro tgvaiy ec ore weuare |ze,1n taught eby :Aggieom m rs,This was the mannerChrist tau ht luis disciples and followers, that theirmemories migliit the more easily retain, and be oftenthe aths and subecis presented.~sen '°f'3§°"" on o`¥"§.'; "'°¥,iiZ"°$'2i 5T§"'i.'§'°»."$§aalways keep in vieaw the important'§.?g'§Etruth thiit is likenedto the parable. _A parable, rightly applied and clear-and is a.lastingly understood,dg1ves good instruction,lustrahfon of e truthm But lIi;BtWB apply i weput :he lparableon a se co ruction, i wi servevtibrlgag us into an error, and blind us, instead of producinlight,-as Christ said of the Pharisees, he spaketo tiem in psrables, that, "seeing they mightsee andnot perceive, and hearing, they might hear and not t\n~derstand." Men often explain parables by fancy, tosuit their own notions, without any evidencebut theirgumingenuity apd by this means there will bean many

i234 ascruas xvr.diferent explanations as there are ingenious men. ButI dare not trifle thus with the word o God: if we cannot,by the word of God, explain,we had better leavethe same as we find it, and not attempt what must onlyresult in guess-work at last; but follow Scripture rule,and we cannot get ihr fiom the truth. 'Christ has givenus rules by which to explain parables, by explainingsome himselfl The explanations given by Christ of theble of the tares and the wheat, is a rule that willEZ: in about all cases. '1'hat he has given rules, isvery evident in his answer to his disciples, when theyasked himconcerniné his parables. Mark iv. 13, "Andhe said unto them, now ye not this parable? How,then, will ye know all Thatpa.rables?" is, if ye understandhow I explain this parable, you will know how toexplain all others; but if you do not understand how Iexplain this, you cannot explain all others." This is therule. Christ made all the prominent "parts of a parableligures; such as the sewer, Son man; good need,children of the kingdom; tons, children of the wickedone; harvest, end of the world; 1-capers, the angels; "as,therefore, the tares aregathered and burned, so shallit he in the end of the world," &,c. Here is asample;good seed, tares, harvest, and reapers, are figures representingother things, as we have shown. "But how,"say you, "shall we always know what these figures represent?" I answer, B the explanation given in otherparts of the Bible. I-har the word of God is its ownexpositor, or it can be of -no manner of use to us; ibrif we have to apply to any other rule, to explain theBible, then, the other nxle would be tantamount, andhave aprecedence, and the Bible must fiillof course.it is not so. Then, to explain our subject, I?li¥u'L Show what is meant by the figures used in theparable.The time to which this parable is applicable,lil.U1 1lll. Make anapplication of our subject.I. I will explain the figures in the parable; and,1st,'fkingdomof heaven" means the gospel day, or cimls

'"cna|s'r's neon colnne. llof God's ernment under the I dispensationThis I shulilove by the word of éod. Matt 1, 2,"ln those days came John the Baptist, preaching in thsyxlderness of andJudea, saying, Repeat ye, for thelnngdom of heaven is at hand." That is, the gospelday is come.Again: "Jesus came into Galilee preach-of thekingdom of God, saying,Theingtime is fugospellled, and the of God ll at hand."Luke xvi. 16, kingdom "The law an the were untilsince thatpnéahetsglpaln; time the kingdom ofoglisjpghed."at is, the gospe day commenced wi o sincewhich time the gospel is preached."Ten virgins" means mankind in general, in a probationarystate, liable to be wooed and betrothed to the¥,ord,hul;;l]er the goipel, and during the gospelsaisdtay.See1-5 " orasaoungman marrie a virgin,so shall thy lions marry thee; and as the bridegroomrejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice overanlt is evident, by the second verze,that Gentileseqs are both included in this prop ecy.is a tl re of believers in God,"Five wise virgins""o1:r;hek;:h§'drenkinggdlm. of the Psalmsxg. 13i0g,e 'n sdsughteris all glorious within- er c -ing is of wrought*goldShe shall be brought unto thein ruiment oking needle-work; the vir 'ns, her com~pamons that follow her, shall be brougg unto thee.""That I might comfort thee, Ovirgin daughter of Zion."Lam. ii. 13.k_ "dl"iv¢l:i§'oolish£lrepre1:)en1s the unbelieving ellisThis will be suiliucliyently proved byof manlnw ein `s ro ation state un er e meansof grace.the followingpassages-Isa. xlvii. 1, "Come down, and sit inthe'd|5st,t§) virgin -un' ereisnodaughter rone,Oau ofdBab}ylon; terofag] eoxéhtlile§;(zins."' Jer. xlvi. ll, "O virgin,g the daughter ofEgypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; forthou shalt not be cured." These texts prove, beyonda doubt, that the wicked class of men are called virginsby the Scriptures."Lamps" is s.figure of the word of God; forthe!only can tell us about the New Jerusalem; that only

~2% ucruu xvr.ill]can inform us when Christ will come to the marriagesupper of the Lamb. The wo of God is themeans of moral 1ig~ht,tolight our steps through moraldarkness, up to the cominlg of the bridegroom to receivethe bride unto himselii his I shall proye by the cxix.Psalm, 105, " Thy word is a lamp to my feet, and a lightto my path." Also, Prov. vi. 23, "For the commandmentis a'instruction are e way o e.lampéh and the fir; ? light; and reprooih of"Oil" is a representationor emblem of faith; as oilproduces li _ht by burning, so does thith, in exercise bythe fire of iiave, produce more light, and gives comfortin adversity, ho e in darkness, love for theof faith assists us tocomingwstcbridegroom; ami' the lightfor his coming, and to know the time of night, and toout to meet him: such are called the children ofFight, because they are believers, children of faith,"sons of o1L" "Because of the savor of thy good ointments,thy name is as ointment poured forth; thereforedo the virgins love thee," Sol. Song, i. 2 "Faithworks by love."which ye have received of him, abideth in you; and yeneed not that any man teach you; but as the sameSee 1 John ii. 27, "But the anointinganointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and isno lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide inhim." It is evident, that the anointing here, andelsewhere spoken ot] means faith, faith in his name,&,c."Vessels" represent the persons or mind that believesor disbelieves in the word of God, as in 1 Thess.iv. 4, "That everyoneof you should know how to polsesshis vessel in sanctilicstion and honor." Also, 2Tim. ii. 21, "If any man, therefore, purge himself fromthese, he shall be a vessel unto honor.""Bridegroom" is the figurative name for _Christ; asthe prophet Isaiah says, "And as a bridegroom reioicethover the bride, so shall thy God rejoiceover thee. AndChrist says, "How can the children of the bride-chambermourn, while the bridegroom is with them ? alluding"to himself! This'provesthat Christ means himself, inperson, by the bri egroom in the parable.

cnarsr'| sscoun counts. K"The door was shut,"implies the closing of themediatorial kingdom, up and nishing the gospe period.l shall prove this by Luke xiii. 25-28, "When oncethe master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to thedoor, and ye begin to stand without, andto knock at thedoor, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shallanswer and say unto you, I know ye not whence ge areThen shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and unkenin thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streetsBut he shall say, I tell ou I know you not whence yeare; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; thereshall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.""Marriage " is the time when Christ shall come thesecond time without sin unto salvation ; ather his electfrom the four winds of heaven, where grey have beenscattered during the dark and cloudy day; when hecomes to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired inall them that believe; when the bride hath made herselfready, and the marriage of the Lamb is come, then hewill present her to his Father without spot or wrinkle,and there marry the bride before his Father and the holyangels; removes her into the New Jerusalem state, seatsher upon the throne of his glory, where she will ever bewith the Lord. When this takes place, the whole bodywill be present; the whole church must be there, not amember missing, not a finger out of joint. She will beperfect in beauty, all ovcr glorious. See Rev. xix. 7-9,"Let usrejoice and be glad, and give honor to him, forthe marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hathmade herself' ready. And to her wasgranted that sheshould be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for thefine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saidunto nie, Write, Blessed arethey which are called to themarriage supper of the Lamb." Daniel says, "Blessedis he that waiteth and cometh to the 1335 days." Johnsays, " Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the firstresurrection." All these are at one and the same time;and how can weexpectto be free from sorrow, mourning,and tears, until the bridegroomcomes and moves us intothe beloved city? Rev. xxi. 2-4, " And I John saw theholy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out

238 Lscrun xvx.of heaven, preparedas a bride adorned for her husband.And I heard agreat voice out of heaven, saying, Behold,the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwellwith them," duo."Midnightcy" is the watchmen, or some of them,who by the wor of God discover the time as revealed,and immediately give t.he warning voice, "Behold, thebridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." This hasbeen fulfilled in a most remarkable manner. One or twoon every quarter of the globe have proclaimed the news,and agree in the time--Wolf, of Asia; Irwin, late ofEnfland; Mason, of Scotland; Davis, of South Carolina;quite a number in this region are, or have been, givingthe cry. And will not you all,'my brethren, examineand see if these things are so, and tum your lamps, andbe found ready ?"Trimmingh the lamps." You will recollect, myfriends, that e word of God isthe lamp. To trim alamp is to make it give light, more and clearerlight. In the first p ace, to translatelight, ie Bible wouldinto which it shouldbe translated. Then, to sen to or give eve family inmake_ it give light, in all languagesthe known world a Bible would make therlliblemore light. And thirdly, to send out true servants of odwho have made the Bible their study, and true teachers,who would teach the holy precepts and doctrines containedtherein, and to employ many Sabbath schoolteachers, would in the hands of God be the means of itsgiving clearer light. This would be trimming the lamp;and so far as the foolish virgins assisted inthe Scriptures, translatingin sending them among all nations, employing missionaries and teachers to teach mankindits principles,so far would the trim their lamp; but ifth? had no faith in it, their hght would be darkness,out.. If the friend ofan the lamp to them would gothe bridegroom should proclaim the approach of himwhom they all expected, and should prove it ever soplain by the lamp, but having no faith, the lamp wouldto enter in to the mar-and the door wou d be shut. This is un-go out; they would not beriage ready su per,doubtedly the meanirg which Christ intends to conveyui this parable. I sh 1, therefore, show,

ences,`hJcnars'r's saeosn ooruss. Qll. The time this parable is applicable to.In the previous our Savior had answeredthreequestionschapter w 'ch his disciples had put to him on themount of Olives, when they came to him privately,1ngh;nTell"sapus, when shall these things be hatPrherl,w Jerusalem should be levelled withground."And what shall be the sign ofthy coming?" hat ia,his second coming in the clouds of heaven with powerand great glory, as he had before informed them, whichisyea future.mudti the end of theuwlqrqd," or, transateit,"e o eage, tow'c ampeec asrfsogewilling to agree; but what age? is the question.answer, The gospel age, or the kingdom of heaven. See14th "verse, 'I'his gospel of the kingdom shall bepreached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;and then shall the end come." "The law and theprophets were until J ohn, since which time the kingdomof heaven is preached." The Jewish economy is nowhere called the kingdom of heaven; but this expres~sion_belongs exclusively to the gospel ; andofcourse anyage in which the gospel or kmgdom of heaven is preachedJAnynov-can never be applied to the Jewishice in Scripture interpretation must reE. y admit this.These were the questions proposed by the disciples totheir divine Master, and were answered in themanner: From the 4th to the 14th verses inclusive followiggthe 24thchapter of Matthew, Christ informs his disciplesof the troub es, trials, persecutions, and distress whichthey and his followers should suH`er, down to the end ofthe gospel-age. He also informs them by what`meansthey must sulfer- by false brethren, by deceit, by wars,rumors of wars, of nations, earthquakes, afllicstions, death, hatred, club?_ betrayals, false prophets,coldness, iniquity, fammes, and pestrlence, and these tothe end of the .gospel From the 15th to the 22d,inclusive he alludes toni; destruction of Jerusalem, and.particularly gives his followers waming of what theyshall suiier, and informs them what to o at that time;he tells them what to pray for, and how to escapethemust fo ow this great tribulation.siege, and how to avoid certain consequences which

~- i»I9| uernl xvr. ~Fromthe98d tothe2&hinclusive,he warmhisdhliplesagainst the error that fblse teachers would' promulgate;erusalem. He told them plainly to " believe it not," forthat Christ did or would come at the destruction ofhis second coming would be as visible as the lightning,and then every man would be gatheredto his own company;so there would be no room for deceit.ln the 29th verse of the rise of anti-Clmst, the darkness andprophesies fal of many into superstitionand error, and the persecution of the true church. 30thand 31st verse, He gives a sign of his comin ,thelnourning of the tribes of the earth, and then speais ofhis coming and what he will do. 32, Is the parable ofthe liglree, 33, He enforces it by saying, " So likewiseye, when ye shull see all these things, know that it isnear, even at the door." 34th and 35th verses, He~giveshis disciples a comfortable promise, which was to thisamount, that his children should not be all destroyedfrom the earth. But "this generatsbn shall not ,pass tilllll these things be fulfilled. ' To prove the wogenerationis so used, I will refer you to Psalm xxii. 30, "Aseed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lordfor ageneralion." l Peter ii. 9, "A chosen generation,aroyal priesthood, a holy nation." The word genera.-téon, in the Scriptures, when used in the singular, I believealmost invariably means the children of oneparent;as thegeneration of Adam,cfiildren of Adam? chosengeneration, children of Go genemizbn o viper-I,children ofthe deviL So Christ, talking to his children,andinstructing them only, says, " This generation shallnolttpass till l these things be fulfilled. Heaven andba shall pass away, but my words shall not passaway." His kingdom shall not be destroyed nor givento another peo.le.36th verse, lilo informs his disciples that the day andhour of his coming is known only to God, has never beenrevealed, meaning day and hour only, whether at midfnight,at cock crowing, or in the moming.I Verses 37-44, inclusive, He informs them that hiswill be like the deluge; unexpected to thewicke ,as then. He tells them the manner ; that he willhoming

'cmus'r's snoon cernna. 241lepamte the righteous from the wicked; one shall betaken and another left. He then gives them u. char e towatch, and repeats, "they know not the hour." Cirristillustrates his warning by the figure of the ood man ofthe house, and then charges them to be also ready, asthe good man would, if he knew in what watch the thiefwould come, showing us. plainly that all true believerswill know near the time, as Paul says, " But ye, brethren,lf; not in darkness, that that day shall overtake you asa. ist"From 45-47, he tell us of the faithful and wise servantwho watches and gives waming of his coming, andthat servant shall inherit whenspeaks of theblessingshe comes and finds him so doing.48-51,usChristgives the marks of' an evil servant: lstmark, he will "say in his heart, My Lord delayeth hiscoming." He may not preach or speak against Christ'shoming; no, he will only say it to himself But he willnot say he will never come; no, he will only think in his"heart, My Lord delayeth his coming." When he"hears the voice of the faithful servant sa , Behold,the bridegroom cometh," he will sa. nothing' in publiclguiustrit; no, not so bad as that. lileither will he sayUry thing in favor of the cry; but mutter in his heart,"My Lord delayeth hiscoming."The second mark,"And shall be 'n to smite his fe low-servants." It doesmtsay he beat and bruise his fellow-servants, orthe faithful servant who watches and cries; but he shallfliegin to smite, dw., meaning he will begin the piersecu-Eion, set others on, and himself he will keep bac ,in hislem deceitful. 3d mark, "And to eat and drink with#he drunken." To eat and drink with the drunken+ itflees not say he gets drunk; no, it only says he eats andthem that are so.By this I understand heQllovships with them, and isengaged in, and employsEtilne, his taleniz, his mind, to uild up some popularhlvworldly object, which men of the world would be#leased impromoting. He courts pular applause; he*ell-tuplease menmme than Gofo "The Lord of thatQhntmill some in a day when he looketh not for him,'India he is not aware o£ And shall cut himlnhtallr

say942 nerves xvx.asunzler, and a int him his 'on with the ;there shall be gvlxaping and of teeth.'"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened untoten virgins, which took their lamps and went forth tomeet the bridegroom." [-think we cannot be mistakenin the application of this parable. "Then," that is, atthe time when the wise servants arelooking for andproclaiming his coming, and when the evil servant say:n his heart, My Lord delayeth his Then, too,when he will come, and they dint are coming. re y go in to themarria e, and the door is shut. This must mean thetime when Christ comes to judgment, for he cuts off theevil servant, and appoints him and shuts theh;:ul)0l'ti0ll,door against the foolish when they knock, heopens not, but tells them, virfins; knowyou not.Where, then, is the millennium _ some. Alter thejudgment sits, and not before; alter the bridegroomcomes, and the beloved city is completed; when Christshall move his saints home, and live and reign with themon the new heavens and new earth, wherein dwellethrighteousness. If there could have been a millenniumbefore Christ should comehis saints into onebody, andfather it must be a veryimtge ect one. A part of thebody in heaven, a part in e earth, and the remainderunder the earth; separated, divided, wounded, and tornby enemies and death, absent ii-om our head. No, itcannot be; if in this life only we have hope,we are ofall men most miserable. If we are to have atemporllmillennium, why did not our Savior mention it on themount of Olives, as preceding his He didnot, neither has any of the apostles; coming? but l speak oftroublous times, departure from the faith, iniquityabounding, and the love of many waxing cold in thelatter days. Our parable, to which we are now attending,says, at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, thebridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet. him. "At midnight;"this teaches us that at the time of his comingthere will be muchaépathy and darkness on this subject;that is the coming o the bridegroom. The parable impliesthe same. "For while the bridegroomtarried, theyall slumber-od and slept." Can we not bear witness that

-cnn.rs°r's slconn comme. 243this has been the true state of the church for a numberof years past? The writers on the word of God haveadopted in their creeds, that there would be atemporalmillennium before Christ would come. I call it temporal,because the have all of them taught that it would be inthis state ofy things, not in an immortal state, neither inaglorified state; and that Christians would have allkingdoms under their control; that is, in a temporalsense; and that they would be married and given inmarriage, until the of Christ utter this 1000years, or, coniérég as some say, ,000 years. This has been,and is yet., the prevailing opinion among our standardwriters and'Ereat men. No wonder, Christ says, theywill say in eir hearts, My Lord delayeth his coming,and that the wise and foolish are all sleepingand slumberingon this important subject. For while we lookfor atemporal kingdom, behold, he cometh and destroysall that is perishable, all that is temporal, and erectsupon these a new heaven and a new earth, which is im~mortal, and that fadeth not sway, eternal in the heavens,I shall now,III. Make an application of oursubject. And,lst. The time of the fulfilment of this parable isevidently come, in part at least, The world for a numberofyears have been trimming their lamps, and thewise an foolish have beenengaged in translating theword of God into almost every anguage known unto usupon the earth. Mr. Judson tells us that it has beentranslated into one hundred and fifty languages withinthirty years; that is, three times the number of all thetranslations known to us before. Then fourfold lighthas been shed among the nations, within the short periodaf the time above and we are infomied that apart if not all of pxciiied; word of God is now given to allnations in their ownlanguage. This, surely, is settingthe word of life in aconspicuous situation, that it maylight to all in the world. This has not been donegive y the exertions of Christians or professors only, but bythe aid of all classes and societies of men.-Kings haveopened their coffers, and favored those engage in thework; nobles have used their influence. and have cast

844 means.: xvx.into the treasury of the Lord ot' their abundance; richmen have bestowed of their riches ; and in many casesthe miser has forgot his parsimony, the poor have replenishedthe funds of the Lord's house, and the widowhas cast in her mite. How easy to work the work ofthe Lord when the hearts ofmen are made willing by hispower! But shall weforget those who have tbrsakenthe land of their t`athers, the home of their nativity, andhave spent lonesome years of toil among strangers, yes,worse than strangers, among heathen idolaters, and thesavage of the wilderness, in the cold regions of thenorth, and under the scorching rays of a vertical sun,among the suifocating sands of the desert., or in thepestilential atmosphere of India; who have risked theirlives to learn a language, and prepare themselves totrim a.lamp for those who sit in darkness and the shadowof death? No, we will not forget them; the prayersof thousands have ascended be ore the golden altar,morning and evening, on their behalf, and Israel's Godhas been their protector. Surely we may hope thatthese have oil in their lamps, who have sacrificed somuch to bestow alamp upon others. But remember,my brethren, the Lord he is God, and let him have allthe glory. This is the time, and the same time thatGabriel informed Daniel, "many should run to and fro,and knowledge should increase." This, too, is the sametime when the angel through the midst of heavenhad the everlastin gospe Dying to preach to them who dweltupon the earth. Ifere are Christ's words fulhlled, wherehe says, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall bepreached in all the world for a witness unto all nations;and then shall the end come."2dly. It is plain to any diligent observer of the signsofthe times, that all the societies for moral reform inour world at the present day are parts of the fulfilmentofthe parable, giving more light. What of our Biblesocieties? Are not these trimming the lamp for millionsof human beings? Thirty past, more thanthree fourths of the families in wyears at we call Christianlands were without the lamp of life, and now nearl allsupplied. Many of those who satin heathenish in-k»

`cnals'r's slcomzo comma. 245ness then, are now rejoicing in the light of God's bookAnd much of this has been performedthrou h the in~ltrumentality of Bible societies, and not orgy throuvhthe agency of the church, but political men, men of theworld, the great men, merchants of the earth and thosewho trade in ships, all who live under the influence ofthe gospel, the " kingdom of heaven," have engaged inthe work. Will not the most skeptical acknovnedge,that thissociet? has succeeded beyond the most sanguineoexpectation its most ardent advocates? And is notthis strong circumstantial evidence that the Bridegroomis_near, even at the door?3d. The missionary societies of all sects and denominations,which have been established within forty years,have as far exceeded all former exertions of this kind asthe overflowing Nile does the waters of the brook Kidron.See the missionary spirit extending from east towest, and from north to south, wamiing the breast ofthephilanthropist, giving life and vigor to the cold-heartedmoralist, and animating and enlivening the social circleof the pious devotee. Every nation, from India toOrego from Kamtschatka to New Zealand, have beenvisitednhy these wise servants (as we hope) of the cross,proclaiming " the acceptable year of the Lord, and theday of vengeance of our God,carrying the lamp, theaith in God, inword of God in their hands, and oil,their hearts. All classes of men are engaged in thiscause, from the gray 'hairs of old age down to thesprightly youth of ten years. Who, then, can doubt butthat the virgins in this sense have and aretheir lamps, and the bride is makingtrimmingherself .ready"Go ye out to meet him."4th. The Sabbath schools and Bible classes are but amof the fulfilment of the parable, yet clearlyan eviethatthe virgins are now trimming their lamps.This system of teaching the young and ignorant took itsrise between forty and fifty years since, at the very timethat the Christian world werepraying, and ardentlyEying, for the coming of Christ, before that part of thevior s rayer was "orgotten, Thy kingdom come."this stream of water has be-from aiittlegiioignmin

_-6.246 nscrunn xvi. ~'come agreat river, and encompassed t.he whole land.Every quarter of the globe are drinking at this fountainor stream of knowle ge, and the youth are taught tntrim their lamps. And when the bridegroom shall come,may we not reasonably hope that the thousands of theyoung'men and voung women who haveassisted ingiving light to others, may be found having oil in theirvesse s, and their lamps trimmed and burninv, and theylooking and waiting for the coming of their lliaster, thatwhen he comes the may rise to meet him in the air,with ten thousand ofytheir pupils, who will the newsingsong in the New Jerusalem forever and ever. Searchdiligently, my young friends, and see to it that ye believein this word, "which is able to make you wiseunto salvation."5. Tract societies are of much use, and arean edicientmeans to help trim the lamps; like snutfers that takeaway the preventives to the light,so are tracts. Theytake away from the mind the that thousandsprejudicehave against reading the word o God. They removethose rooted and groundless opinions which many havethat they cannot understand the Bible; they serve toexcite the mind to this kind of reading; they enlightenthe understanding into some scriptural truths; they arepioneers, in many instances, to conversion; theycan besent where the word of God cannot at first be received;in one word, they are the harbingers of light, the forerunnersof the Bible. And in this, too, all men in thisprobationary state seem to be more or lessengaged,from the king on the throne down to the poor peasantin the cottage, writing, folding, transporting,paying, printing, or reading, these silent ittle messengers of thevirgins' lamp. "Then all those virginsarose andtrimmed their lamps." Has not God's hand been seenin all this? Yes, glory be to him who hath disposedthe hearts of men to work the work that God bids them,and to fulfil the blessed word which he hath giventhem. This institution -took its rise about t.he sametime with t.he Bible society.'1'emperance societies. These serve one purposein trimming the lamps and preparing the way for the

,''cxaxsrb neon: cennsst 241virgins to go out and meet the Bridegroom. Our world.,twenty years ago, be called a world of fashionabledrunkards ; almostmgptmen drank of the intoxicatinghowl, and thought it no harm. But when the lamp beganto dart its raysaround our tabernacles, it was found bywoful experience that those who drank of the poisonouscup were totally and wholly unprepared to receive thewarning voice, or hear the midnight cry, " Behold, thebridegroom cometh." No, " they that were drunken,were drunken in the night," says the "apostle. Therefbrelet us watch and be sober.", And Peter tells us,"But the end of all things is at hand; be yethereforesober, and watch unto prayer." How foolish would ithave been this drunken man to be set on a watch, or apraying man to be found drunk! Therefore, in orderthat menmight bein a suitable frame of mind to receive'instruction at the close of this dispensation, and be in asituation to listen to the midnight cry, God ordered thevirgins, a.nd they arose and trimmed their lamps ; and inall human probability thousands who would have met adrunkard's gmve if' this society had not arose, are nowwatching, with their lamps trimmed and burning, readyto meet the Bridegroom at his coming. Perhaps thistemperance society is the virgins' last resort. TheJudge stands at the door; go ye out to meet him. Thissociety, like the others before mentioned, is a generalthing, and all sects, denominations, and classes of menareengaged in it, and it has animportant influenceupon a men who are in this probationary state, andwho may be termed, as in our text, "virgins" Thissociety is of later origin than the others, and seems tobe a rearguard to awake up a few stragglens which theothersocieties could not reach. And now, drunkards,isyourtime; Wisdom stands at the doorand knocks;let go the intoxicating bowl, be sober, and hear themidnight cry, "Behold, the bridegroom cometh." Foryour souls' sake drink not another draught, lest he comeand find you drunken, "and that day come upon youunaware , and find you sleeping." O,be wise, ye intemperatemen, for the only went in to the marriagewho were found rss4£, "and .the door was shut."

848 asc-ross xn."Then came also the other virgins,Lord,open to us. But he answered and said, erily, I sayunto you, I know you not. Watch, therefore, for yeknow neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son ofHan cometh." "But the wise shall understand," saysDaniel, xii. 10.And now, my Christian Friends, let meinquire, Areyour lamps trimmed and homing? And have you oilin your vessels? Are you prepared for the comingBridegroom? And are you awake to this important sub-to which I'ect? What say you? If this parable,lxave directed your minds, has reference to the last dayand the comin ofChrist; ifthe " virgins' has referenceto all men in probationary state, and dividing theminto two classes, wise and foolish; if the "lamp" is theword ofGod, and " oil" means faith in hisword, or gracein the heart, as some say,-then my conclusiom arejust, and the evidence is strong that we live at the endofkingdom,thsesospeland upon the threshold of thelori state of the righteous. Then examine yourgibles, and_if you can asfairly'-grove any other exposi~as I have is,tion of this parable, then believe yours,and time must settle the issue; but if you can lind nothingin the Scriptures to controvert plainly my explanation,then believe, and prepare to go out to meet theBridegroom; ibr behold he cometh. Awake, ye fathershave lon lookedand mothers in Zion; you and prayedfor this day. Behold the signs! I-Ie is near, even atthe door. And, ye children of God, lift up your headsand rejoice, for your redemption draweth nigh. Forthese things have to come to pass. And ye,little lambs of the docfnremember Jesus has promisedto carry you in his arms, and that he will come andtake you to himself, that where he is there bemayalso. But remember, all of you, the wise yead oil ultheir lamps, and they were trimmed and burning. Searchdeep; examine yourselves closely, be not deceived; andmay the Spirit which searcheth all things, and knowethwhatisinthemindofmamassistyou.But, my inpeniwnt friends, what shall I say to on?Shall I say, as the master in the parable, Behohl " the

'cua|s'r'ssncoun colune.°240bridegroom cometh: out to meet. him "? Prepareto goNye meet yourow he has given you a time forrepentance; you Judie. ve had aprobationary season, andibly now the sceptre of mercy is he d out to you.may or it will soon be said to you as Jeremiah saidto the virgin, the daughter of' Egypt, "In vain shaltthou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured ;"or as in the parable, "I know you not." Have you nooil in your lamps? Delay not amoment; believe thegospel, and you will live; believe in the word of God;receive the love of the Bride oom, and make no delay;for while they went to buy, tile bridegroom came; andthe that were ready went in with him to the marriaandy the door was shut. 0, think what must be mthingks shall be real;exercise of your minds when thesewhen you will stand without and knoc , saying, Lord,Lord, open unto us.Again I ask, Will you repent, be~lieve, and be saved ? Are you determined to resist thetruth until it is wo late ? Say, sinner, what think ye?"We will risk the consequence. We do not believein your day you tell us o£ The world is the same italways was; no change,nor ever will be; but if itshould come, it will not this ten thousand years; not inourday,,certainly. You do not believe yourselil If youdid, we should call you a fool."Are these your arguments, sinner ? Yes. Well, if Ihad brought no more, no stronger arguments than these,I would not blame you for not believing, for not one ofyours can you or have you supported with a particle ofTheyKrootiassertions; your believingor notelieving will not alter the designs of God. The antediluviansbelieved not. The citizens of the plain laughedat the folly of Lot. And where 'are they now? Sufferingthe vengeance of etemal fire.

LECTURE XVII.LEVITICUS xxvl. 23, 94.And if ye will not be refomiedbly me by these things, but wil.walk contrary unto me, then wil I also walk contrary unto you,and will punish you yet :even times for your sins.Wa are in the habit of reading the judgmenm andthreatenings in the word of God, as denunciauons againstsome other people but-ourselves. We are very fond otthrowing back upon the Jews what, upon the principleof equity and justice, would equally belongto us Gentiles.By this mode of reasoning, wicked, unbelievingidolaters, murderers, whoremongers, adulterers, and allliars, may and do resist the force of God's word, and flatterthemselves, in their lustiizl career, that the judgmentis past, and that they may go on in sin with impunity.But it is not only this abominable class of mankind whopervert the word of God to their own condemnation,ut many of those who profess to be ions, and eventeachers and expoundeis of the word, db take the sameunholy ground, to limit the Holy One in his justice andAnd bygicdgment.this means they not only wrest therxptures to their own condemnation, but others, whofollow their pemicious ways, are led into the same errors,and the way of truth is evil spoken oilThis manner of expounding Seri ture has been usedas the last resort against my appeagsto the heart andconsciences of sinners, to prepare to meet God inment. Let me use whatggldg-lpassage I please in the iptures,whether in the 0 rl or New Testament, these

csa|rr's neon conmro.'251wicked, lnstful Iatterers of mankind, are ready, with ahost of leamed commentaries, to show that it was appliedto the Jews, and to them only; and than taunt me withthis witty saying-" What! you, an unlearned man,think to teach us, contrary to our and great learnedcommentators!" This, my friends, is the only argumentthat has ever been produced against my warnings,and proofs of God's near approach to judge the world inrighteousness. And here, too, I pledge myself to showthat many, and perhaps that, in many cases, amajor part,of these commentators are on my side of the question.I know that, -in the subject now about to be presented,this argument will be used-"Ol that had reference tothe Jews only;" and you will, like the wicked Jews,put far od' the evil day, until you are catlght in the snare,and perish in the pit. The Jews in edays of theprophets said, Ezek. xii. 27, "The vision that he seethis for many days to come, and he prophesieth of thetimes that are far off" You see, in this sam le givenus of the Jews, that the sameungodly, wickeci) perverting,putting oil' on to others what belongs to us in thevisions and threatenings of God against sin, was manifestlythe character of the Jews in that day, as itilin ours. The difference is only circumstantial.They put it of a great while to come; we, a great whileback. They cast it forward on to the backs ofthe Gentiles;we throw it back into the faces of the Jews.This is the wicked disposition of man in his naturalstate-selflrighteous and selfljustificatory. Therefore,use this weapon if you please; it will discover toonlyangels and men your true character, and (xod's justicein our condemnation. ,"He that covereth his sinsshall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and foraakeththem shall have »mercy,"- Prov. xxvnii. 13. Yet we shallfind somethings, at least, true,+- that the law of Godand punishment for sin are the same in all ages, andwill be the same in all eternity. lf the sins of the oldworld brought the flood and destruction upon the_ ungodly,so will the sins of the present world, if committedln the same ungodly spirit, bdng down similar judgmelll

'v'»

Vcans-r's smcoim comms. 5Itisaprophec of whatwould lipto thep00pl00fGod as apunighment for conduct main specified.shall, therefore, in explanation of our subjecgshow,I. For what the people of God are punished;II. Show how they are punished; and,III. The time they will be punished.L First, then,punishment. The text tells us that it is because"will not be reformedby me by these things, but w'walk contrary unto me; that is, unto God.we are to examine the cause of theirIthemlst. A perverse will. We should suppose that a manwho has had his will subdued by the love and Spirit ofGod, could not be in possession of a will so diametricallyopposed to the will of God. Yet history and factsshow us a man after God'sthe man.plainly that it is so. David,own heart, did perform, by his own will, that which wasstrictly forbidden in the law and commands of God.Peter, too, alter his Lord told him he wasevery whitclean, and after he boldly asserted that, if all men shouldforsake Christ, he would not, immediately and willingly,as it is implied, cursed and swore, and said he knew notI am aware that the theory of the present dayis contrary to the idea that the Christian has two wills,carnal and spiritual; but, upon this theory, I cannot accountfor the idea of Christians being punished at all,either on the principle of justice or equity. Therefore Iam constrained to believe that, in the heart of a Christian,there are two wills. Sometimes he is in subjectionto the will of God, and enjoysthe sweets of reconciliation;and again his own will andgoverns controls hisacts, and he must feel the chastising rod of his heavenlyFather ibr his wiltixl disobedience orneglect of his religiousduty. It cannot be the will of God that his people"will not be reformed by him." Here is anotheridea conveyed in our text, which shows that the heart ofa Christian is notwholly pure,-" will not be reformedby God ;" showing the same independent spirit that ourprimitive father and mother did in the fall, "to be asgods." We cannot bear the idea of being dependenton God for our reformation. Let us have the power ofdoing it ourselves, and we will not reject it; but to sayA2?

254 ueruanxvu. nlwe uewholly dependent on God is a hard doctrine: wewill not subscribe to such humiliating terms. How canwe tell sinners to reform, if they cannot do it?" Whereis myguilt?If I cannot refonn myself, surely Godwould eunjust to condemn me for not doing what 1cannot do." And thus you argue, throwing all theblame upon God, when all that God has required in thetext, is, that you should be willing that he should do thework of refonnation for you. And surely God must bethe best workman of the two. God says he punishes us,for "ye will not be refomied by me." This, my Christianfriend, is our crime, for which the church has beenand will be punishedseven times. "And if ye will notbe reformed by me by these things." What does Godmean by "these Ithin§p"?answer, It is God does thework, and he means 's people shall give him the glory;and when they have passed through the furnace of af-Hiction, and when seven times has passed over them, asit did over Nebuchadnezzar, then will the church, likethat proud monarch, learn that God rules in heaven andearth. But could we be willing to learn this lesson"without this punishment, by these thinis," that is, bythe word of God, by the preached gospel, y the merciesof God, by blessings of heaven from above, by blessingsof the earth beneath, by the love of God, by the deathof Christ, by the ministry of angels, by the strivings ofthe Holy Spirit; in one word, by all the means ofgrace ;if all these things could teach us that God was the Authorand Finisher of our faith, and make uswilling tobe reformed by him,-then, indeed, he would not havequnished us. But, alas! without chastisements weshould be " bastards, and not sons." Therefore thecausewhy the Christian must he punished,-to subduetheir proud, rebellious wills, to humble their haughtyand selfish hearts. They must sulfer all that wickedmen or devils can heap upon them, they must Iill up themeasure of Christ's sufferings in his body, which is thechurch, in order to make them lit for heaven orhappiness.They must, like gold, be seven times purified.As I have before said, all the mercies of God, and blessingsof heaven and earth, could not save the church

CHBlST,S sr:coNn comma. 255without the curse and punishment denounced in theword of God. And these, too, must be managed by thatall-powerful Arm, the great Jehovah, who, his wisdomand power, by his grace and rod, will mabye all thingswork for the good of his church, and will finally redoundto his glory. And at la t it will be said, "These havecome through great tribulation, having washed theirrobes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.II. I am to show how they are punished.lst. They are punished by their own deeds. Davidwent with broken bones to his grave; and Peter, whenhis Lord looked upon him, went out and wept bitterly.Paul had a thorn in his flesh lest he should be exaltedabove measure. The Jews courted analliance withBabylon, and by that means were led into bondage andcaptivity many years. They, contrary to God's expresscommand, afterwards made a league with the Romans,and by them was their city and sanctuary destroyed,and their nation scattered to the four winds of heaven.The church, after the Christian era, courted the popularfavor of the kings of' the earth, andimmediately sufferedthe tenShe aherwards orsought secularwer tpersecutions.or her bishops, and by the same powerwassgiven into the wildemess, and passed through a thousandtwo hundred and sixty years of torture, darkness,and death. '1'he church, recently, has been courtingpopularity from the world, raising up a learned ministry,worshipping at t.he shrine of ancient and modem philosohy; and already her ranks are broken, her piety ontlile wgne,her efforts paralyzed, and infidelity gainingun .gm2d. By wicked and designing men.Let us rememberhow Balaam taught Balak to cast stumbling-blocksbefore the children of Israel. Witness the false prophetsin the days of the kin of Israel; also the wickedanddesigning men in tg; days of Jeremiah and theanprophets; , finally, t.he division and subdivision bywicked men at the final destruction of Jerusalem. Seesome, also, in the apostles' days -" false apostles, deceitfulworkers, transforming themselves into the apostlesof Christ, 2 Cor. xii 13; some, also, "who subvert-

256 ucrnal xvn.ed whole houses, teaching things they ought not forilthy1ucre's sake," Titus 1. ll; others, who crept intohouses, leading captive sillywomen laden with diver!lusts; some, teachin the doctrines and commandmentsof men,bringing in damnable heresies, and denying theLord that boug tthem. And from that day unto this,in every age, and in every church, division, wounds, andputrefying sores, have been experienced through false,wicked, anddesigning professors.3d. The churc has been punished by the kings andrulers of this world. There was a season, in the daysof David and Solomon, and after her deliverance fromEgyptian bondage under Moses and Joshua, and so ondown to the days of Manasseh, when the church, thepeople of God, were governed by their own rulers andaws in agreat measure. But since the days of Manassehnot a moment has she enjo ed of' respite, but hasbeen scattered among the kin drorns of the world, asJeremiah theprophet has prophesied she would. Jerxv. 4, "And will cause them to be removed into allkingdoms ofthe earth, because of Manasseh, the son ofHezekiah, king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem."Here began the "scattering of the power ofthe holy people," and when seven times shall be accomplished,then all "iliac things" shall be finished; thatls, the church will then have the ordcal of trialand chastisement. "Manassepassed made Judah and the inhabitantsof Jerusalem to err, and to do worse than theheathen." "Wherefore the Lord brought upon them thecaptains of the host of the king of Assyria, which tookManasseh among the thoms, and bound him with fetters,and carried him to Babylon. And when he was in affliction,he besought the Lord his God, and humbledhimself greatly before the God of his fathers," 2 Chron.xxxiii. 9-12. _ We leam in this passage the cause andeifect. The cause of their captivitywas their errorsand wicked conduct. The effect. was theircaptivitg tothe kings of Babylon, and their humility in their a iction.Andalthough Manasseh was restored to his king~dom again after his humiliation, yet the children of Judahand Jerusalem were never free from the Babyloniab

'enmsrs neon comme. 257yoke again while the kin dom of Babylon stood, but hadto pay them tribute untilgthe Medea and Persians conquered Babylon, which was about one hundred and fortyyears after the first captivity in Babylon of Judah andJerusalem. Then the Medes and Persians reignedover the Jews, and made them pay tribute, and putayoke of bondage upon them, until Alexander theGrecian conquered them, about two hundred and twoyears afberwards; when the Grecians became the mastersot' Judea, and continued the yoke of bondage, carryingaway into captivity many of the principal citizensof Jerusalem, and obliging them to pay tribute, and theiryoung men to serve ns soldiers in their armies; destroyingtheir riches, deiiling their sanctu ,and compellingthem to worship their gods, and sacriiiyhe to their idols.This government lasted one hundred and seventy-sevenears, when the Romans made the Grecian generalilucchides withdraw his army from Jerusalem, and nevertrouble the Jews any more, as Maccabees tells us inhis first book, viii. 31, 32; also, ix. 1, 72, 73. This wasone hundred and fifty-ei ht years before Christ; theBabylomans, Medes gersians, and and Grecians, havingeach in their turn ruled over and led into captivity,robbed and spoiled the children of Judah and Jerusalem,and scattered them amon all the nations of the earth,as Moses and all the proggiets had foretold; in all, fromthe captivity of Manasseh, five hundred and nineteenyears.No man can read this prophecy, from which our textis taken, and the other prophets who have spoken ofthese things, and understand them literally, and thenread the histo ofthe world, and compare them togethercarefully, andriet reason decide, and be an infidel. Itwould be impossible. The devil knows this; and, therefore,he uses all the art he is master of to prevent thosewhom he wishes to destroy from reading the prophecies.He tells them theyare dark and intricate. And if thisargument succeeds it is well; he is sure of his prey.But if they reason on the subject, and say, "lf God hasrevealed himself by the prophets, it must be for ourgood ; and if(gd, is wise, as all agree he is, if there is

~'`i2,58Lncruu xvu.mumer inman to understand I will examine and see." He then"Ifa God, then it must be in the best possibletells them it is presumption to look into futurity.you succeed in discovering the thing; to come, it willonly make you miserable." Should temptation preventyou from readin and trying to understand, still heis sure of his prey. gon " will not be reformed by thesethings." But suppose you let reason work, and think,"lf God is speaking by his prophets to us, surely itwould be sin not to hear; for he has alegal right to ourears and attention; and only if our equal speaks to us, onany good or interesting subject, it is a piece of ill mannersnotto listen. I will read and hear what Gnd says bythe mouth of his servants." Then the devil will tellyou that it is a sealed book,-not to be understood untilit is fulfilled. But reason will tell you, Vhat Godhas given for our faith and hope cannot be sealed inthis sense; for it would all be lost labor in the prophetsof God, and perfect folly in the Giver; for the historyitself would reveal it as soon and as well as the prophecycould. And, in that case, says reason, faith andhope would have no food; for, without prophecy, neitherthe one nor the other could be exercised; for in what weknow, how can it be said we have faith? or, in what ispast, how can it be said we hope for it? Then, if thesetemptations do not prevent you from reading and tryingto understand the prophecies, Satan has one more weapon,and it is his last resort. But," says the arch ene-"my, "if you are but prepared for happiness or heaven,it is no matter whether you understand prophecyor not."This secures and chains down the hypocrite and Phariseeforever; this is turning things upside down at once.For there never werehypocritesor Pharisees but whatro-vainly imagined that they were, of all men, bestpare for heaven; and sothey will neither try theirfaith, nor examine their hope, if they follow this temptation,until they awake in eternity, forever too late.VVhile, on the other hand, there never were real childrenof God, but what considered themselves unfit forheaven, the vilest of the vile; and ifup with this device of Satan, they must_thegnshould takeally end¢

_c1uus'r'| ucoim comms. 959fordespair; they could gainno additional evidence oitheir faith or hope, only byadiligent study of God'sprophetic word. So thatl can boldly say, that reasonitself would teach us that weought to apply ourselvesdiliéently and faithfully to try our faith by every wordof od, and examine our hope in every possible way insearching deep into the revealed truths, whether promisesor prophecies, that the day of vengeance may notovertake us unawares.But not only the church under the Jewish dispensationmust pass through her scenes of tribulation, but so,also, must the church under the gospel; for John sawnot only the elect Jews in hi vision of the glorifiedstate, but also agreat nmnber, which no man couldnumber, from among all nations and languages underheaven, "who had come through great tribulation, andwho had washed their robes and made them white inthe blood of the Lamb."it is also evidentAnd, again,thai, like the Jews, they must suffer persecution fromthe kings and rulers of the earth, and from spiritualwickedness in high places. For John "saw the beast,and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gatheredtogether to make war against him that sat on the horse,and against his army," Rev. xix. 19. And Daniel sawthe some beast " make war with the saints, and prevailedover them until the Ancient of days came, andjudg-elleut was given to the saints of the Most High; andtime come that the aints' possessed the kingdom. Thushe said, "The fourth beast is the fourth kingdom uponOuth," Dan. vii. 21-23, meaning the Roman kingdom.We must also notice that, like the Jews, they must bescattered among all the nations of the earth; for herethsyare to have no continuingecity, for theyseek onewhich is to come, whose Buil r and Maker is God,"s xi. 10 ; that is, the-New Jerusalem, which comethwn fiom God out of heaven. The proof I bring you.the church among the Gentiles were like the Jews,J9l»Wil1 iindjn the prophecy of the high priest,whenour Savior wascrucified, John xi. 52, " And not for thatiptiqm only, (that is, the Jews,)but that also he shouldin one the children of God that weregllilertogether_Y._i,

A$0$0»'Lscroanxvu.scattered abroad." Also it is said, Mark xiv. 27, " mitethe shepherd, and the sheep hall be scattered." Andwhen Christ comes to judge the saints, nt the resurrectionof the just, he sends his angels into the uttermostparts of the earth, and under the uttermost part ofheaven, and gathers together his elect, who have beenscattered by the kings and beasts of the earth from his cruc` durirsgmths 'ondark and cloudy day of persecution,to his second coming.And if, in view of all that Christ, the prophets, andapostles, have said in relation to this subject, there isone doubt remainingonyour mind as to the truth ofthese remarks, I beg of you to read but the past historyof the church, and you cannot but acknowledge, that,thus far, it has been literally fulfilled. How soon afterglory, did t.heythe Romans had crucified the Lord ofattack his church; and for nearly three undred yearsthe apostles and eminent servants of Christ suifered allthe honors of persecution by the authority of the Romanemperors and kings of the earth. They suifered in allmanner of ways which the prophets had foretold theywould- by the sword, by wild beasts, by dame, by captivity,and by spoil. This was almost constantly untilthe days of Constantine, who for a little seasonput a stopto these bloody scenes; but it was but short; for in thedays of Julian the Apostate, it was renewed, and continueduntil the barbarians of the north oven-anItaly,and conquered the Roman empire. Then the church suflfered the same trials under her new masters, the tenkings, until they were converted to the Christian faith,when she enjoyed another respite of about thirty yearsafter the downfall of Paganism, and before the rise ofPapacy, between the years A. D. 508 and 538. But nowarose the little hom, (Pa,pacy,)which was to make waragainst the saints, and prevail over them until theAncient of days should come, and the judgment shouldsit. This little horn was to rule over the kings of theearth, a time, times, and a half, or 1260 years; all whichhas been accomplished to the letter.III. I shall now show what is meant by " seven times,"inthe text.

`cnn|s'r's sncoivn comme. Nllst " Seven times," in Nebuehadnezzais dream, wasfulfilled in seven years. Nebuchadnezzar, for his prideandarrogancy against God, was driven among the beastsof the lie d, and was made to eat grass as oxen, untilseven times passed over him, and until he learned thatthe Most High ruled in the king`doms of men, and gaveit to whomsoever he would.his beinga matter ofhistopy, and as an allegory or sample to the people ofGod or theirto be ne-ride and arrogamzy, in refusingformed by God), and claiming the power and will to dothese things themselves,-they, too, like Nebuchadnezzar,must be driven among the beasts oi' the iield,(meaning the kiilgdoms of the and thatworldimuntil hethey leam thepenses his favorssovereignty of od,to whomsoever he will. That, being a matter of history,and a sample only,was fulfilled in seven years; but this,being a prophecy, will only be fuliilled in seven prophetictimes, which will be 7 times 360 years, which willmake 2520 years; for one half of 7 times, that is, 3timesand ahali} is called, in Rev. xii. 6, 1260days,(fulfilled inso many years.) See also Rev. xii. 14. xiii. 5. Forty-twomonths is the one half of 2520, for twice 1260 is 252).Therefore the sum and substance of the whole is, thatthetpeople of God would be among the beasts, orof eearth, seven times, which is 2520 years, one h fof which time they would be under literal Babylon,which means the ruling kings of the earth, viz. 1260years; and the other half under mystical Bab lon, themother of harlots, the abomination ofthe whois earth,1260 years; in all 2520 ears. Thereforeseven times would making. epeople of God be punished fortheir sins, to fill up the measure of the sufferings ofChrist, before they would be delivered from all theirenemies, and come into possession of the lorified kingdomwhich was prepared for them from gre foundationof the earth. And Ezekiel alludes to the same "seventimes," Ezek. xxxix. 9, 10,"And they that dwell in thecities of Israel shall go forth, Jerem. xv. 1-3, and shallset on fire and burn the weapons, Jer. v. 14, both theshields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, andthe handstaves and the spears, and they shall burn them

H52ucrun: xvn.with tire sevenyears; so that they shall take no woodout of the field, nor cut down any out of the forests ; forthey shall bum the weapons with fire; and they shallspoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbedthem, saith the Lord God." Ezekiel here usgives tounderstand that, by means of the people of God beingdriven out of their cities, and by the word of God, theywould be enabled to destroy or be destroying their enemies,and to spoil those who had been spoiling them,and rob those who had robbed them; and this, too, wouldtake seven years, or 2520 days; and, Ezekiel beingcommanded to reckon each day tbr a year, iv. 4-6, thenit would be 2520 years.The proper question would now be,"When did thoseyears begin?" I answer, They must have begun withthe first captivity of the tribe of Judah, the inhabitantsof Jemsalem, in Babylon; for all thein this thing, Eophets agesthat Babylon would be the 'ngdom w 'chwould carry the Jews into captivity. See Jeremiah xv.4. "And I will cause them to be removed into all thekingdoms ofthe earth, because of Munasseh, the son ofHezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem."Also let those who wish to read more onthis subject, read Jeremiah, chapter 21st to the 29th, inclusive;and the prophecy of' Ezekiel, from the beginningof t.he lst chapter to the end of the 39th chapter; alsothe chapter in which is our text;-andwe cannot foramoment doubt but that Babylon is the nation whichwas to make desolate Judah and Jerusalem.Then, if Babylon was the nation which was to scatterthe people of God, and this, too, in the days of Manasseh,l ask, When was this captivity? I answer, In the year677 before Christ; see 2 Chron. xxxiii. 9-13; see alsothe Bible chronology ot' that event; this being the firstcaptivity of Judah in Babylon. Then take 677 years,which were before Christ, from 2520 years, which includesthe whole "seven times," or "sevenyears,"prophetic, and the remainder will be 1843 after Christ;showing that the people of God will be gathered fromamong all nations, and the kingdom and-thegreatness ofkingdom will be given to the saints of the Most

cna|s'r's smcoim comme. 263High; mystical Babylon will be destroyed by thebrightness of his coming; and sin, and suffering forsin, will be finished to those who look for his coming."And this spake he not of himself: but being high priestthat year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for thatnation; and not for that nation only, but' that also heshould gather together in one the children of God thatWere scattered abroad," John xi. 51, 52.Yies, dear hearer, to them that look for his appearinv,Christ will come the second time without sin unto salvatlon."And can it be possible," says the dear childof Gini, "that that day is so near as 1843? It is toogood news for me to believe. Yet the evidence is very§U'0llg; it seems clear. I really believe I shall watch forIt with agood deal of anxiety. And if it should notCOINS, I shall, I feel now, be somewhat disappointed."YH, l am satisfied, this is the language of every Chris-Han -heart.'fBut," says another, "it is all visionary. I do notbelieve it. And if I had any idea that it would be so,Iwuld not take another moment's comfort of my life.What, the judent day within seven years? "' I cannotbear the thougil:-l? I will drive such thoughts from mymind- To you, whoever you are, whether professor or"OH-professor, who in your heart think such thoughts asLhese,I have one word to say. Your standing is desPeflte indeed. I am bold to tell you, you love notJews. Every moment, then, you delay coming to God7-hmllgh Jesus Christ, may be big with etemal conseylliluces. even as the day of judgment, for aught you orC8-n tell. For instance, this may be the l-he last momentHoly Spirit will ever strive; it may be the lasttnoment of reason; it may be the last moment of life;lf lilly be the last moment of time ; and you unprepared !0 G01 reform these blinded souls, "who will not bereformed by thee, nor by these things,"or everlastingPunishment will be their doom."These Lectures were Em published in 1836.

'''~LECTURE xvlu.SOLOMON'B SONG viii. 5.Whoislhnhatcomethup &0l!l\ll¢WlldCl$|,l$lli||s\|§"bclovcdiTan text is apassage of divine inspiration, whichstrikes the mind ofthe healer or reader with more thanordinary power and force; and is propounded by wayof question, as though in the answer we might receivemuch instruction and useliil knowledge. It istruly so;and may the S irit of God assist us togather honey fromthis beautiful lihwer from the, wilderness. We End it inthe Songs of Solomon, which are highly figurative andallegorical, and were when composed presented in poemsor songs; but by reason of the translation they havecome to us in prose.Some have supposed, that when Solomon composedthis Song, or Songls, they were composed for dramaticaleit er aspreludes, interludes, orepiogues.But I am of opinion that it was composed for aperformances,prophetic song of Shrist and his church. But be that asit may, they certainly do represent, in rich and beautifulfigures, the character and love of Christ for his church;ewise, her character and love towards her divine Master,her connection to him, and herhim deplendence uponinthis state of trial. That the churc hasbeen, andwill be, in a state of trial aslongas she remains im r-fect, cannot be doubted by any man of 'common ngetion,perception, or knowledge.She has enjoyed her seasons and hasofgiprosperity;been strongly tried in scenes of versity. In tracing

__onus-r'| noon comme. Kharhxstory' iomthe triarch_ Abraham to the presentday, we find her variable as the wind, and changeable ll~the weather.To-day, she in up out of the wildemess lean-cominging on the arm of her be oved ; to-morrow, " like ayounganfhlgapmg upon the mountains, and skipping upon the1Now she is seen among the trees of the woods; next111 8palace of silver inclosed in boards of cedar.There we saw her in the cleils of the rock; here webehold her in the broad way, in the streets of the greatci .Again we End her among the foxes of the desert'and anon weperceive her seeking him whom her soulloveth,_She is asleep on her bed by night; and the sameMQ! the watch finds her in the city.hold her Lord,_knocking at the door for admittance,while she is too indolent to arise and let him in. TheBelt moment she is opening to her beloved; but he hadwithdrawn himself! At one time the voice of her belovedsounding over the hills, and echoing among thelyountains like the roar of distant thunder, has no impresnextthe soft whisper of love gains all her atten-'3;'"§ n._Here blows the rough north wind and strong south'md upon her spices; yet they put forth noA1111 there the lightest fragrancy.breeze makes her roses b ossom,Ind all the air is perfume.See her countenance to-day black as the tents of Ke-'hfl and to-morrow comely as the of Jerusalem.Ind fair as the purple curtains daughters o Solomon. To-GQY She is "a garden barred, a spring shut up, a foun-Fllll sealed ;" to-morrow "a garden open, a. well of liv-"lg Waters, and streams from Lebanon." Now she is'nk as a babe; asingle watchman can " smite, wound,"dtake away her vai ;" and then she is*hd courageousvaliant, "terrible as an army with banners." To-'hy she _is made to keep another's vineyard; to-morrow'50 IQ realizinga thousand pieces of silver from her own.all! iatruly a changeable being, carried about by tbl23

_3 uc-mn xvm.sllgntest circumstances. This is the description of thechurch, as given to us in this Song of Solomon's. I shalltherefore show in explanation of our subject,I. What has been the general character of the churchin the wildemess;II. Her character when out of the wilderness; and,then,-III. Make anapplication of our subject, by showingin what state the church may be considered at the pres.ent time.I. The church in the wilderness.It appears by the word of God, that for some wise purpose,God has called his people into the wilderness state,time and again. lst. Abraham was called to go out fromthe land of his fathers "into astrange land, not knowingwhither he went; and he obeyed God, sdourning in theland of promise as in a strange country, dwelling in tabemacleswith Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him ofthesamepromise; for he looked for a city which hath foundations,whose Builder and Maker is God." By thismeans, Abraham obtained the name of the Father of allthem that believe. We learn by the history of Abraham,that thelirst seed ofthe church was called into thewildemess as a place of promise; where God took special care of them, saying to the kings and-princes of thisworld, " Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets noharm." We see them supported and kept through allthe trials of life; and, in the midst of xdolatrous natiom,among whom they sojourned, not one of them lost theirfaith, or became impure in their worship; but God waswith them, preserving them in war, famine, and the heavyjudgments of God upon the nations with whom they so-Jnurned.The next account we have of the church being calledinto the wilderness was in the days of Moses, when thechildren of Israel were delivered from Egyptian slavery,and brought out by the mighty and powerful hand of Godinto the wildemess, where she was fed, clothed, and shodby miracle, and preserved by manna from heaven, andtlesh from the desert; where the cloud of his resencaovershadowed them by day, and the pillar of fire by night.

caa|a'r's`1smeonn comme. KThe angel of the covenant accompanied them throughall the wilderness, " gave them drink as out ofthe greatdepths. He brought streams also out of the rock, andcaused waters to run down like rivers." "He made hisown people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in thewilderness like a flock. He led them onsafely, so theyfeared not; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies. Hebrought them to the border of his sanctuary,even to themountain his right hand had purchased. He cast out theheathen also before them, divided them an inheritancegyline, and made the children of Israel to dwell in tents."has sang the sweet psalmist of Israel. And what couldGod have done more than he did for his people in thewilderness ?The next and last proofwe have that God calls hispeople into the wilderness, you will find in Rev. xii. 6,14,"And the woman lied into the wilderness, whereshe hath a place prepared of God, that they should feedher there a thousand two hundred and threescore"days."And to the woman were given two wings of an eale,that she might lly into the wilderness into her lace,stake notice, the wilderness is here called "here,")where she is nourished for a time, and times, an half atime, fiom the liwe of the serpent;" that is, away fiomthe power of the Roman beast, or power which is herecalled the serpent. The prophet Hosea, in his vision ofthe wilderness state of the church under the gospel dis-Eensation, says, " Therefore, behold, I will allure her andring her into the wildemess, and speak comfortably untoher; and I will give her her vineyards from thence, andthe valley of Achor for a door of hope, and she shall singthere as in the days of her as in the day'youth,whenshe came up out of the lan of Egypt," Hosea ii. 14,&»c. We might quote you more of this andshow you how exactly every prophecy,word has been litem ly fulfilledin time and manner, as John has told us in evelation;butl have sudiciently proved that God has calledhis church into the wildemess, for purposes of good tothe churches. I will now, 2dly, show what object Godhad in view, so far as he has revealed his object in hisword, in calling his church into the wilderness. Moses

I5Qner-vu xvm.says, Dent. viii. 16, 17, "Who fed thee in the wildernesswith manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he mighthumble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do theeod at thy latter end, lest you should say in your hearts,gy power, and the might of mine hand, hath gotten methis wealth."Surely, my brethren, if we would read this passand apply it home, we must see, unless we arewilhiligblind, that il' we are in the wildemess at this time, theobject of God is lost upon us. We are not humbleenough to believe that God is the Author and Finisher-of our faith, or that salvation is of God. Are we not saing, not only in our hearts, but also in doctrine, wong,and action, that we can do great things; our might, ourwisdom, our hands, have gotten us this great wealth ?Do we not see our benevolence trumpeted ibrth inevery publication of the day, and our contributionsspread far and wide gresent. For what? To feed the hungryand clothe the naked ? No, not literally, but mentally.es, and do we not see that instead of feeding the publicmind with wholesome food, with the sincere milk ofthe word, we have almost surfeited them with our tartsand spices, until the public mind has become so heated,nothingsatisties unless it has been highly spiced withsomeagitated question to more intlame the public pulse.More than three quarters of all our contributions are usedto bloat each other up in self-righteousnes and pride; orto pull each other down, with our excited questions ofright. and wrong. 'l`he moral code which God ave toman for his happiness here and hereaher is dem5ished;and Judge Lynch is the order ofthe day,as well in moralsas in our civil afairs. Where in the word of Godare we commanded to have ourgihs for charitable purposespublished, either before or behind us, by a publicgazette or a brazen-mouthed trumpet? Yet at the presentday, we glory in our pride, and excuse ourselves inthe manner uf doing it; for the end, say we,'justifies themeans. Why, then, did not our Savior justi y the Phariseesin the same means for the very sameobject-tcmake proeelytes?The wilderness then, under existing circumstances, is _.av-

', f`ln-_'__`'''cnars'r's sxcoim collins. 2)calculated as the best place to keep the church humble,teach her her dependence on God, and to give her agrateful heart. For there she mixes not with the world,ere she is not wholly engaged after the riches, honors,wisdom, and fashions of this world. In the wildernessshe dependsmore on the manna of God's word for herdaily food; but in the great city, she seeks for theular pop-learning of the world, the vain philoso hy of theancients,or the wisdom of men. There God) feeds herwith spiritual bread, living water, and sincere milk ofthe word; but here she feeds on the old corn of theland; she mixes her wine with strong drink, until itsparkles in the cup; she pours out her milk as a drinksearingto her idols, and mingles the doctrine of God'sword with the doctrines of' devils. There she learns, bya rich experience, her dependence on her divine Master;here she forgets all his mercies, and ascribes all nerhlessings to her idol gods, or worship of her own hands.»f`There the daily presence of God prevents her wortheidols of the world, or following atter thego ich are no gods; but here the presence of'yol'll1ly`ob'ects draws her attention from the one livingþÿ h . l 1 d `Gvod; f l ' l ¬ and she has lords many and gods many.the wilderness, the teachers in the church are morepgrefthere is nothing to tempt their cupidity,or fostertheir pride; they feed the Heck of God instead ofthemlelves;the church is not rich in worldly things to tempt'tl§e'ir6lf of the fox to enter her folds. But among thecitizens, she must expect, while man is wicked, that theQisdfand 'desi ing teachers will rush into her ministry,Q ,subserve their own interest, and draw off followersthem. ln the wilderness, the church has but fewftions for the honors and emoluments of the politi-"d§If#er1d, for she is nourished _away from the face ofwhich has coiled his folds around thewzyserpent; _,many a professor of Jesus Christ, and destroyedof heart and life, which, separate from , po-"snrife, they once enjoyed.'='»; ofthe church in the wilderness, says,lxxru. 9-gig,"For the Lords portion is his peo-of his inheritance. Heformd him28lol:,Z

'`290 macros: xvm.in a desert land, and in the waste, howling wilderuelhe'led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as theapple of his As an eagle stirreth up her nest, _flutterethover eye. erspreadethyoung;abroad her wings,taketh them, beareth em on her wings, so the Lordalone did lead him, and there was no god withhim." lf the above is a true description shange o God's careand protection of his people in the wildemess, surelythis must be a desirable state for the church.Isaiah, in his vision of the church in the wilderness,says,gxxxv. 1, 2,) " The wilderness and thesolitary placeeglad for them, and the desert shall rejoice andshallblossom as the rose. It shall blossomrejoice abundantlyieandeven with joy and singing; the glory of banonshall be given unto it, the excellency þÿ 0 f C & ! and 1 1 l ¬ lSharon; they shall see the glory of the Lord, and theexcellency of our God." If e church had been in thecity, instead of beholdin the glory of. God, her eyesmight have been dazzledg with the glory of the world,anof theexcellency of her great men, or with the godsmen of the world; so that, while in this state of trialand temptation, while imperfection is found in thechurch, the wildemess is a lace of greater securityfrom inbred lust and outward Eies.Perhaps we have been in the habit of fixing in ourminds quitea dilferent idea of the wilderness state ofthe church, from what ideas I have or from whatmight be bytheowritings given,gxrrved the prophets _andapostles. amine for ourselves, and see. ,IIL We are to lea.rn the character of theit may be said she is out of the wilderness. .,._Qg.,,_,nf. what does the church en`oy when sbs is ourofthe wilderness? I answer, Slime en'oys possessions,privileges, and laws among the kingdoms and politicalnations of the earth; kingsare her nurs' fathers, andns her nursing mothers. "The shlzil§bow downtoI with their face to the earth, andylick up the dust ofK feet," says Isaiah, xlix. 23. That is, theU an in this situation, receives the courtly smileschurcol?-the great, and the s cophantic cringing of the politicaldemagogue. But let the church remember, although

p-ur»caan-r's noon comma. 971Skings, queens, and great men of the world may bowdown, court, and idolize her, and may descend to lick thedust from her feet, yet it is only to flatter and to betra ;for their "faces " are not Zion-ward, but to the "cartlz"Their motives areearthly, devilish. It is a serpent still;they feed on the food of serpents, the dust of yourfeet."They eat the sins of my peo le as they eat bread."Some suppose it will be agoodfy time, when kings andqueens will be fathers and mothers in Zion. But no,my brethren; the true church have but one father, whichis God; and but one mother, which is not of this world,but she is the New Jerusalem, the mother of us all,which cometh down from above. Christ himself says,"The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing inme;" as much as if he had said, By and by the klngsand princes of this world will come and court you ; theywill pretend to great friendship for you; they will offerto nurse, feed, and clothe you; but remember they havenothing in me. You must, ifyou wish to win the crownof' glory, " contend principalities, against powers,against the rulers oafgainst the darkness of this world, againstspiritual wickedness in high places; for he hath nothing"in me." Again, Daniel says, ii. 43, They (the peopleof God) shall mingle themselves with the seed of men,(kings and queens, for fathers and mothers,)but they shallnot cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed withclay." Let this sufiice to show that it is thedugy ofthechurch of Christ to keep themselves romunspotted theworld ; to be separate, and touch not the unclean thing.What is the unclean thing? Ianswer, It is the policyof worldly governments; in one word, it is apoliticalspirit; that spirit which is not peaceable, pure, easy tobe entreated. Who, I ask, ever saw a political partisanhave these fruits while prompted by that spirit?" Firstpure, then peaceable, easy to be entreated." Aman, if he had any conscience, would blush Witlpoliticalshameto claim these appellations. And where, in all the historyof' the church, fi-om the days of the apostles untilnow, have kings, queens, or rulers of this world undertakento nurse the church, and lord it over God's heri~a curse in-hge, but that they have proved, in the end,_i_.__;;

,r.r:c-run:272_xvm.=stead of ablessing ? I am bold to say, Nowhere! Andonething more I am bold to That kind of saymoralitywhich requires the aid of the political world to enforceit, is a hurlot in disguise, and her path is the way todeath; in her secret chambers you will find war, rapine,and murder, and in lrer train will be seen revenge, hatred,envy, and division. These are the temptations ofthe church when in the city of the nations.2dly. What has been her character when in thecity ?~ Answer: When the Jews left the wilderness, andentered into Canaan, their manna, with which they hadbeen fed while travelling in the wilderness, ceased, andthey fed on the old corn of the land. This manna wasatype of the spiritual food given by God to his children,while under his immediate control and care. See Rev.ii. 17. Old corn is a fit resemblance of the worldlyrights, privileges, and possessions among the nations ofthe earth. The Jews, almost immediately after theytook possession of the land of Canaan, began to mixthemselves with the inhabitants around them, and becamemenpleasers, and a nation of idolaters; and thevery things which Moses charged them against, becamethe common occurrences of the day; and on accountof which God suffered their enemies to bring them intobondage, and, from a powerful people, that had madekin tremble even upon the report of them while in thewildzmess, now became a weak and degraded people, atributary nation, a band of slaves to their enemies; andthe prophecy of Moses, Deuteronomy xxxii. 15-20, wasliterally accomplished in about twenty years after theytook possession of their goodly land. "But Jeshurunwaxed fat and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou artgrown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then heforsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed theRock of his salvation. They provoked him to jealousywith strange gods; with abomiuations provoked they himto anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; togods whom they knew not, to newgods that came newlyup, whom our fathers (while in e wilderness) fearednot. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindfirl,and hast forgotten God that formed thee." The word

'csars'r's slcorm course. R)bells us, Judges ll, 12, "The children of Israel didevil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim; andforsook the Lord God of their fathers, which broughtthem out of the land ofEgypt, and followed other ofthe gods tglods,of the people at were round about em,and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked theLord to anger." They dwelt among the Canuanites,and,as it is said, Judges iii. 6, " they took their daughtersto be their wives, and gpve their daughters to theirIons, and served their gods.This was the character and practice ofthe Jews, God'sancientThey ate, they drank, andcovenantqpeople.rose up to play. hey were proud, rebellious, and un-They obeyed not the commands of God, andee ed not ewarning voice of the Almighty. Theyre rded not theteachintg of the true prophets, butfollgwed in the train of epopular prophets of Baal.They persecuted and drove into the wildemms the-true servants of Jehovah, while they fed, clothed, andschooled hundreds ofthe servants of Baalim. They becamea stiiilnecked and hard-hearted people to their own-God, and bowed their necks, and were subservient tothe nations and their gods around them. They forsook-or demolished the altars erected for the worship of the*true God, and erected under every rrreen tree altars to'-Baalim and Ashtaroth. They waxed:rich in corn, wine,andoilglyet. were poor and scanty in their first fruits toGod. hey multiplied in cattle, silver, and gold, and forgotthat it was God who gave them power to get wealth.-fThis, we must acknowledge, is the character of the"Jews, as given unto us by the sacred historians. Thesewere 'whom God had chosen out of all the na-'fiol ofthetgeople e earth, to be his peculiarlpeople -a peoplewho had seen and experienced the ss. vatron of God in ailsost miraculous manner; from Egyptianbondage, fromand famine in the wilderness, and from epowfbfbthe nations whosouglrt tn impede their profess, or'shisder their epossessing promised land. T ey had-Ullsjwyed the visible presence of the of the covenantis the wilderness.They angusé heard the audi~Nb stlweflshovah on the mountain ; they saw his pow-

`-N4r.zc1'nl.l: xvui.er and gloryon Sinai. Yet the next generation B561Joshua, had become sodeeply corrupted, by ilnbelief, ingratitude, and rebellion, that they gave all the glory toworks of their own hands, and worshipped idols oi stocksand stones.This, you say, is a dark picture of man, and could nothave applied to any other people but the Jews. I willagree that no other nation were, at that time, placed inli e circumstances with them. But dark as the picture,and hideous as the detail, it is but a shadow of ourday,type of the Christian church in the times in which wepf ive."Who is thiscoming up from the wildemess, leaningupon her beloved ?" he text does not tell us she is outof the wildemess, but coming out; as though in the wilderness,and while she is coming out, she leans upon herlord. Her affections were not yet contaminated by alove for the world, nor her faith weakened by her vanityand selflesteem. Thus was it with the Jews ; and so hasit been with the church in ages past. Then let me,Ill. Make an application of our subject, by show'glint ignay be considered the present state of the gosliigurc .I believe all writers and commentators on the Apocalypseagree that the church of Christ has been in thewilderness more than twelve centuries past. Some havefixed the time ofthe church entering into her wildernessstate as earlyas A. D. 534, when the great controversybetween the orthodox and Arians, which, in the days ofJustinian, shook the religious world into two great divis-"ions,like the twowintgs of an eagle," from ie convulsionsof which manyo the true servants of God, or allof them, disgusted with the spirit shown by both of thecontending parties, who both claimed and used the civilauthority to exterminate or conquer their heterodoxbrethren, fled into the north-east part of Euro,"awayfrom the face ofthe the serpent,"- emperors otlilic east,and the morepowerful bishops of Rome- where fornumbers of centuries they lived unknowing and unknown.Other writers say that it was as late as A. D. 606, whenthe Pope, by the concessions of Phocu, Qbtained civil

cnnrs'r's azcozm comma. 275and ecclesiastical power, and that he came outpubliclywearing tvm swords. Between these two points I believeall writers iix the time ofthe church entering intoher wilderness state, " a place prepared of God, that theyshould feed her there 1260 days;" or, "to the womanweregiven two wings of a great eagle, that she mightHy into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourishedfor atime, and times, and half a. time, from theface of the serpent," Rev. xii. 6th and 14th verses ,1260 days being the same as time, times and a halfthreeyears and a half, or 1260 prophetic days-which,according to my former proof, must mean 1260 years.The question now remains to be settled, Where andwhen this wilderness state began, in order for us tounderstand the present state of the church.And first, let us inquire, What are the Scripture marksot' the beginning of this period? I answer, in the Apocalypse,xi. 2,"But the court which is without the templeleave out, and measure it not, for it is given unto theGentiles; and the hol city shall they tread under footforty-two months." 'i'his is the same time, three yearsand a half; or 1260 days, as before. A ain, Rev. xiii. 4,5, "And they worshipped the dragon, which gave powerunto the beast; and they worshipped the beast, saying,Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make warwith him? And there was given him a mouth speakinggreat things and blasphemies; and powerwasgivenhim to continue forty and two months"--the very sametime mentioned again. And we learn, by this passage,that this beast, which would persecute and drive intothe wilderness the church, would receive his power fromthe dragon, -the same as in Rev. xii. 4, "stood beforethe woman, which wasready to be delivered, for todevour her child as soon as it was hom,"-and must, ofnecessity, be the Roman power. See Rev. xvii. 12, 13.'And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings,which have received no kingdom asyet; but receivepower, as onekings, hour with the beast. These haveone mind, and shall give their power and strength untothe beast." This text plainly proves that the kings ofthe Roman power gave their power and authority to

_'216 ucrvaz xvm;this beut,whichwasto drive into thewildemeosthchurch, "and tread her under foot forty and twomonths."We must look, then, for some law, passed bysomeRoman emperor, and sanctioned by the'ten kings, (forthey, too, had the same mind to give "their wer andstrength unto the beast," meaning,as I undeorstand it,Rome Papal,) in order to find the commencement of thechurch in the wildemess.We find that Justinian, emperor of Constantinople,formed a code of laws about A. D. 534, which werepublished and sanctioned, in_ the Western Empire atRome, about four years alierwards; on which code oflaws, the Pope has claimed his authority to rule overkings, and punish heretics with coniscation of theirgoods, imprisonment or torture of body, and even death;which laws continued in force until 1260 ears afterwards,in the year 1798, when the French peoplye, under GeneralBonaparte, abolished the laws, and constituted Italy aic.repuThen, in the year 1798, the church began to come up"out of the wilderness. What," says the objector, "halBonaparte or the wars of France to do with the churchcoming out of the wildernees?" I answer, Much; forthe same power that gave the anti-Christian beast hisauthority, must take it away. The political river Jordanmust be parted asunder; the law of outlawryagainst the church must be abolished, before she couldenjoy rights and privileges in the great city of nations.In this war, under the modem dragon, the emperor ofthe French, the bamers were broken down. And now,the church is permitted to exist in almost all kingdomsin the known world.This is "coming up out of the wilderness," for she isn_ow permitted to publish the gospel of her belovedall nations.She can now translate his word intoamong every anauage, and send his servants into every quarterof the glo e. By this were the armies of Christ to conquerhis enemies by the "sharp sword which proceedethout of his mouth." And as the Jews overran and conquereda large share of the promised land, after they

_cna|s'r's asconn calms. 277cameoutofthewilderuess, evsnso,in these days, thochurch is extending her banners over a largeshare oftheearth,thc promised land oftheChnstian. SeePsalm xxxvii. 22, 28, 29,and 34. Prov. ii.2l, 22. x. 30.Matt. v. 5. For the apostle Paul tells us, 1 Cor. x. 11,"Now all these things happened unto them for examples,(or types,) and they are written for our admonition, u nworld is come." Itt ie a e,in is passage, is speak' of travel:ahora the Pegg of thusof the children of Israel throu h the lsgderness, andtheir entrance into the promisedgland, or their comingisveaeevidightout of the wilderness, as a typeor resemblance of theChristian church in these last days.Therefore, we are allowed by the inspired apostles touse their journey and acts, to illustrate and show thepresent state of the church, if we cangain any instructionthereby.The Jews had a promise that they should inherit theland of Canaan; the Christian, that he shall inherit theearth-"For the meek shall inherit the earth;" andunder thewhole heaven, shall bee of the saints"The kingdom, and greatness of the kinpdomgiven to the (peepof the Most High." T e Jews use carnal weapons intheir wars with the inhabitants; the church are commandedto use spiritualones, to the down of theskong-holds, Jw. 'l`he were ledpulling by eirJoshua; the church, by her spiritual leader. The temporal ewsconquered by sending out their chosen and expert menwithvthe sword; the church has sent forth her chosenmissionaries, expert men with the sword of the Spirit,which is the " word of God."The Jews had greatsuccess in conquering theirenemies when they first came out of the wilderness;even so the church has had her unexpected success inher missionary edbrts. 'I'he Jews, within twenty years,became a proud, haughty, and an idolatrousperpple, ascribingall their success to their own power;aminglingthemselves with the nations around them, they began tobow down to their gods, and worship Banlim, and Ashtaroth;just so, and in about the same time, since thecauseofmiss;:nsbegantcsuccg:sd,lnsthechurch

278 Lscrunn xvm.aecome proud and haughty, ublishinv her donatiollupon the house-top, mixing her moral' questions withthe political partizans of the day, and courting theapplause of men more _than obeying the voice ofshe is preparing for a sudden overthrow, a signalgr

,cnn.|sr's sscozm comxo. 279"ta the end of these wonders." And now, the anti-Christian beast will nolonger be able to deceive thenations with her false miracles, or make the ofthe earth acknowledge her power as supreme. heyhave eaten her Bah; have made her drink herown blood; they her great men ave departed from her; theyare casting dust on theirheads,crying, " Alas! alas! thatgreat city Babylon, that mighty city ! for in one hour is thyjudgment come." "And when she shall have accomplised to scatter the power of the people, all thesethings holy shall be finished," Da.n. xii. 7. his beast has butone more work toperform-"toscatter the power of theholy people ; to divide, that she may It is the lastgasp of conguer.the expiring monster; it isthe struggle ofthe man ofsin. And, for a little moment, Laing ey will succeed.For the church must be hmnbled; she has departedfrom her Lord, she has grown proud of her worldlyconnections, she has become haughty, andlording itover the. heritage of the Lord. She must be divi ed.She is already. She must be scattered, shaken likegrain in theshaken may remain. winnowing-fan,that that which cannot behe will be delivered when herLord returns to the wedding, and sends forth his angelsto gather his elect ti-om the four winds of heaven., wherehave been scattered in the dark and cloud day.theyThen will he destroy the man of sin by the brightnessof' his coming. Then, tno, will'the little horn ceasemaking war with the saints, and no longer prevailagainst them. The Ancient of days will come, andjudgment will be given to the saints of the Most High;and the time will ave como when the saints, in unionwith their spiritual Joshua., will enter into that etemalSabbath of rest which remains for the people of God.Nothing can he more clear, or selflevident, than thatthe church is combating the natural and moralevils, which men in this state o'greatsin are prone to commit.What shall we make of all these societies which thechurch have instituted since she came out ofthe wilderness,but so many attacks upon the enemies ofthe land?The Bible soeuhty, instituted since 1798 This hasproved a powerthl weapon to expel the mon! darkness_li

Q) Lscruas xvm.from the mind of the unenlightened, to open the prisonof the votaries of superstition, and to knock oil' theshackles of bigotry.We have seen, in ourday, Deism'humbled from a bau rant to a crin 'n co hant.We have seen Riomgalilitgmtffrom a monaglchgrgliing? overthe souls and bodies of men with an absolute sway, becomea slave,a ibllower in the wake of Protestants,in publishing and circulating the Scriptures. The Deists,a few years since, had the control of nine tenths ofall Europe; now, not a petty kingdom under their control:the Roman church, for centuries past the mistressof mostof the kings of Europe, now a poor dependanton the breath of kings.Ournrissabnmjqaociehkahave carried the banners ofthe cross where hope never smiled before, nor faitheverlighted the cheerless sky of the heathen's land.And we have seen nations hearing the word of God, andislands convened to the faith of the gospel of Christ.Temperance sockties. We have seen the attack uponintemperance, the Anakim of our world, and we haveheard the shout of triumph from every quarter of theglobe. Rapid, indeed, was the march tovictory !our moral reform societies, Again,our Sabbath schools, ibleclasses, &.c. &.c., are all so many attacks on moral evil,which have produced, in many cases, wonderful effects;so much so, that it has astonished even the projectorsthemselves.These aggravated sins are falling before the all-conqueringweapon of God's word, like the walls of Jerichobefore the blasts of the trumpets; and it will go on conqueringand to conquer, until tyranny, oppression, andslavery, in every form, shall be destroyed.Perhatps nothing,at the present time, impedes the progress o thesethings so much as the popular spirit, the pride, and arroganceof the church herselfl She is, more or less, courtmgthe applause ofthe world. She is mingling her holyreig-ion with the opinions and principles of men. heis proud and seliisutiicient, doting upon her own works,and forgetting her dependenceon God. If this shouldbe the true state of the church, God may suffertoremain asa scourgstothechurcb, "asarod t!yi-ante ortlhfoo1's back."'l

1'cmus1~'s sscosn conune. 281This was literally the case with the Jewish church,after she came out ofthe wilderness; and every appearanceseems to betoken the like s irit in the church atthe present day. O that we could) be wise, and learn,by the example set us by the Jews, that pride and self`sufiiciencyare always before a fall!I know the objector will say, How can it be true, thatthe church is spreading her barmers over a. large portionof the world, sending her missionaries and the Bible intoevery nook and comer of' the habitable globe,conqueringand to conquer; and, at the same time, grow'more and more impure herself, beco haughty, sel¥righteous, und ungrateful, corrupt and lukewarm in herfaith and practice, xdelatrous in her worship, and cold andindifferent to her first love? This, say they, is paradoxicaLI answer, Paradoxical as it may seem, it is no lesstrue. Have I not shown that the Iews were thus paradoxical,when they entered the promised land? Donot the description Solomon hath usgiven ofthe churchin hisSongs,the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthiansand Galatians, and the history of the church in thedays of Constantine, all go to show, that when thechurch has been most prospered in her worldly standingwith the nations, with whom she may come in contact,she has the moredeeply corrupted herself?This does not argue that she ought not to spread herbanners, send her missionaries, translate and circulateBibles, educate the rising generation, establish her moralsocieties, and do all, and every work, which God in hisword has commanded; but it argues that the church isimperfect, and that, in times of prosperity, she ought toconsider,lst. Her proneness to idolatry, her liability toselfrighteousness,her excessive love for the world, thetem tations on every hand.2d'ly.She ought to consider that adversity is set overagainstthat her faith ma be tried, hermotives prosperity, sifted, ebody purified, and' the sanctuarycleansed.3d. Sheof Godougsi .to consider that the designs_______.l.-_-

22 nnuruuxvnx.will be lwmlipllllmd, that the work must be executed,thutall power centres in him; und, although the churchmay be proud,self-%leous, :md corru ted bwill evenngarigly be groriiiefiunbelief and sin,his kingdom {et est: lished, his will done in earth as inheaven; and the time is at hand, when the saints willpanel: the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.

LECTUREx1x_llA'I'l'.xvl.3.BntcsnysnotdlsesrnthssignsofthstlmesfOn text is aquestion proposed by Christtothe Plumisees and Sadducees, at a. time when they came totempting him for a sign from heaven; and is a. repupon them for their unbelief in the signs already givenby the Old Testament writers, which they professed tobelieve, and which were actually fulfilling before theireyes, yet disregarded. '1'he Pharisees and Ssdduceeswere two of the most lea.med and popular sects amongthe Jews; mar? of them were scribes, lawiers, doctors,and teachers o the law; yet so perfectly linded, thatthey could not or would not apply the most simple rulesofinteapretntion to the law or prophets. They wouldeapply nxles of common observation and conmmonsense to the weather, but neither the one nor the otherwere used in understanding the Scriptures. They werewell versed in the skill to tell the weather for the morrow,but had no skill in the promises, prophecies, andword of God. ," When it is evening, ye say it will befair weather, for the sky is red; and in the momin , itwill be foul weather to-day, for the sky is red and Hawering.Oye hypocrites! ye can discem the face of thesky, Ind can ye not Qby the same simple rule) discern thesigns qf the times 3,All the signs given in the word of God, concernllglgthe Grst coming and person of the Messiah, were fu ~ling before their eyes; yet they were demanding more

284 Lzcrnu xxx.and greater signs from heaven. Christ had, and wasthen performing miracles which no man on earth couldpprform, and they ascribed it to the power of Beelzebub.o evidence had or could be presented, which theywere not ready to evade or deny; and yet they claimedall the learning, all thewisdom, and all the piety of thatday. This was the character of those whom Christ callshypocrites, and to whom he addresses the question, " Butcan ye not discem the signs ofthe times?" And happywould it have been for us, who live in this day of gospellight, when the gospel shines with greater effulgencethan at any other period of time since the world began,if hypocrisy had died with the Pharisees and Sadducees;but it was not so.Any man, of commoncapacity ofmind, who can divest himself of prejudice, or who willtry to see the character of man as developed at the presentday in matters of faith, will discover the same unbelief,the samedisregard, the same tauntin , temptingspirit, concerning the second coming of the §essiah, asthe Pharisees and Sadducees manifested in their conductand conversation with our blessed Redeemer. Andthe question may with equal and I fear with'tenfold force, propriety, be ut to us at this ay, if Christ was here,as then. And I have much reason to fear, that manymay be found among our great, learned, and teachers ofdivine things, who would receive from our divine Masterthe same repronf§were he as then a teacher among ust"Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed, lest hefall." I shall, then, in treating on this subject, use mytext as a reproof to us.l. I shall show a number of signs which the Jews hadin that day, as evidences of Jesus being the true Messinh.II. Show the signs that Jesns Christ, the prophet; andapostles have given us of his second coming,now fulfillingin this day in which we live.Under my tirst head, the signs of Jesus being the trueMessiah, were,l. The universal peace at his birth. Of this Isaiah3, 4, had prophesied 760 years before, " And manypeople shall go and say, Come ye, and let usgo up to

`cna1s'r's szcoxm comme. ' 285the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God ofJacob ; and he will teach us of his ways, and we willwalk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth thelaw, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And heshall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke manypeople; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,and their spears into pruning-hooks. Nationshall not litt up sword nation, neither shall theylearn warany algainatmore." his pro hecy was accomplishedat his birth. For the temple of Janus was shut the veryyear our Savior was born, which denoted universal peace ;and this must have been known to the Jewish rulers.Also the doctrines of Jesus Christ taught that theyshould forgive and pray for their enemies, and leam war"no more. Peace on earth and good will to men," wassung bfy the heavenly band when they announced thebirt o the Savior in the city of David.2. The star that appeared and guided the wise men tothe place of his nativity, prophesied of by Balsam, Num.xxiv. 17. "There shall come a star out of Jacob," dw.3. A root out of Jesse. Isa. xi. 10, " In that day thereshall be a root out of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensi§nof the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek," &c.T at he was a escendant of David was well known tothe Jews, forthey were very scrupulous in their genealogies,and from e fact that he was horn in the city ofDavid when his parents went up to be taxed where theirnames were enrolled.4. Born of a virgin. Isa. vii. 14, "Therefore the Lordhimself shall give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceiveand bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."This wasevidently tilliilled.5. At Bethlehem. Micah v. 2,"But thou, BethlehemEphratah, though thou be little among the thousands ofJudah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me thatis to be ruler in Israel, whose forth have been fromof old, from everlasting." Tgzgngs wasto their ownshowing, to the wise menfultilleaaccordingfrom e east.6. Herod slaying all the children in Bethlehem, fromtwo years old and under,pgshesied of by Jeremiah,xxxi. 15, "A voice was he in Ramah, lamentation

$6 Lzcrvu xxx.and bitter weeping, Rachael weeping for her children,"&.c. This must have been known in all Judea.7. Land forsaken of both of her Isa. vii. 16,"For before the child shall know tio kirggs. re use the evil andchoose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsakenof` both her kings." Herod and his successor bothdied before Jesus was of the common age to refuse theevil and choose the good.8. Called out of Egypt. Hosea 1, " And called myson out of Egypt."9. His forerunner John. Isa. xl. 3, " The voice of himthat crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of theLord, make straivht in the desert ahighway for our God."All Judea and jerusalem went into the wilderness toJohn, and ofcourse must have seen this sign.10. Coming suddenly to his temple. Mal. iii. 1, " Andthe Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple."For the fulfilment of thisprophecy,read John vii.11-14, "Then the Jews sought him at the feast, andsaid, Where is he? Now about the midst of the feast,Jesus went up into the temple and taught."11. The gospel preached. Isa. lxi. 1, "The spiritof the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hathanointed me topreach good tidings unto the meek; hehath sent me to ind up the broken-hearted, to proclaimliberty to the captive, and the opening of the prison tnthem that are bound."12. The covenant confirmed one week or seven years.Daniel ix. 27, " And he- shall confirm the covenant withmany for one week." John preached three years and ahalf] and Christ three and a hal£13. The blind see. Isa. xlii. 7, " To open the blindeyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and themthat sit in darkness out of the prison-house."14. The lame walk. Isaiah."xxxv. 6, Then shall theof the dumblnmenman leap as u. hart, and the tonguesing.15. The deal' hear. Isaiah xxxv. 5, "Then the eyesof the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deafshall be unstopped."16. The dead are raised. Isaiah xxvi. 19, "And thtearth shall cast out the dead."

'cmus-r's sxcorm connzm. 287humility17. His when on trial. Isaiah liii. 7, "Hewasoppressed, an he was aiiiicted; yet he opened nothis mouth. He is brought as a lamb tothe slaughter,and as usheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openednot his mouth."18. The manner and circumstances of his death.Psalm xxii. 13-18, "They gaped u n me with theirmouths as a ravening and a roaring lxign, I am pouredout as water and all my bones are out of joint: my heartis like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. Mystrength is dried up like a tsherd, and my tongue cleavethto my jaws, and thou hast broughtme into the dustof death. For dogs have compassed me; the assemblyofthe wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my handsand my feet; I may tell all my bones; they look and stareupon me. They part my garments among them, and castlots upon my vesture." This Psalm was indited morethan 1000 years before Christ's crucifixion, and yet everyword had an exactgod literal accomplishment in thattransaction, and the ews saw it.19. His resurrection. Psalm xvi. l0, " For thou wiltgtlleave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thineoy One to see corruption."20. The pouring out ofthe Holy Spirit on the dny ofpentecost. Joel ii. 28, " And it shall come to pass afterwardthnt l will pour out my spirit upon all liesh; andyour sons und your daughters shall prophesy; your oldmen shall dream dreams,men your young shall see visions."The apostle told them that this scripture wasfullplllexd at the day pentecost, and this transaction waswe I own to the gf ews.21. The fulfilment ofthe seventy weeks spoken of byDaniel, ix. 24-27, which I have shown in a former lecture,was accomplished to a dny. And the Jews wellunderstood it; for Caiaphas, being high priest that year,said to the Jews, " Ye know nothing at all,nor considerthat it is expedient for us that one man should die for thepeople, and that the whole nation perish not. And thissnake he not of himself; but being high priest that yearhe prophesied (or taught the prophecy in Daniel) thatJesus should die for that nation, and not for that nation

RQ8ghdvdrgn'ucruas xxx.onl ,but that also he should gatherof God that were scattered together a road."in one theJohn xi.This evidence was well understood among the rulersof the Jews; yetnotwithstandirig all this scripture wasfulfilled before their faces, and l these signswere actuallyaccomplished in the short space of thirty-tive years,and u. cloud of witnesses testifying to all these facts, andthey themselves had to`conseuttl1at. notable miracles hadbeen done, they believed not. Well my ou say, dearhearcr, that they deserved wrath, and og wasjust indestro ing their nation and place. But. how is it withus? £0 we believe in that word which we blame themtiur rejecting? Are we clear of the sin of unbelief? TheJews were looking for atemporal king and kingdom.And are not welooking for a temporal millennium-onein which the Christians will have the rule of the world?Let us see to it that we do not stumble at the same stum-have carnal notions asbling-stone; possibly we maywell asthey. Therefore, let us inquire,ll. What signs are now fulfilling, which are given nsby Christ, the prophets, or apostles, of his second comingand glorious reign? And,1. Christ tells us, Matt. xxiv. 14, " This gospel of thekingdom shall be preached in a.ll the world as a witness,and then shall the end come." Is not this sign alreadaccomplished ? Bible translated into more than 200ferent languages; missionaries sent among all thetions known to us onthe globe, and reformation succegdimg reformation in every town, nook or comer in thisland. The gospel has now spreadover the four quartersof the globe. It be n in Asia. In the apostles'days, that quarter tgll was of light. From thence itwent into Africa.; and, for a number of centuries, Africa_stretched out her hands unto God.too, has hada long Eurotpe, visitation of gospel blessings; an now America,the lastgarter of the is reapinga harvest ofsouls 'globe,for e last day. he gospel, like the sun, aroseinéhel east, and willand last re''he pouring segfiphthiiwfstéout e o pirit,°f We Dwi

caa|s'r's ssconn comma. £_tn his end, and none should he] him, xii. I, "And atthat time shall Michael stand up, the great prince whichstandeth for the children of thy people." This 1 haveshown, in a former lecture, is the same angel that stoodupon the waters ofthe river, clothed in linen, Daniel xii.6; also the sameangel that John saw, Rev. x. 1-6,standipgi his right foot upon the sea, and his left uponthe ea ,and in his hand alittle book open. This angeltold John that he must "prophesy again before manypeople, and nations, andtongues, and kings ;" meaningthat the gospel mustagaine published,as it had beenin the apostolic days. And then would this angel lifthis hand to heaven, and swear by him that liveth forevera.nd ever, that time should be no lon er.Again,James says, v. 7, 8,"Be patient, therefore, grethren, untothe coming of the Lord. Behold, the hushandmanwaiteth forthe precious fruit of the earth, and hath longgltience for it, until he 'receive the early and latter rain.ye also patient; establish your hearts, for t.he comingof the Lord draweth nigh." And now, can any man,who has any knowledge of' the present times, deny thatGod has poured out his sirit, in a remarkable malmer,for twenty years past? lilas not the gospel been spreadin asrapid and extensive a manner, as in the apostolicday? Has not o position and persecution of the kingsof the earth, of Sie woman that sittieth onmany waters,the sea, been in agreat measure 'kept in check and powerless,by some invisible power, some mighty arm, untilthe servants of God should be sealed, the latter rain ofgrace descend, and God'scompleted concernmgthis puisloses latter da ? Here, en, we have apclear andvisible sign, the that coming of the Lord drawcth nigh.3. "Many running to and fro." This is another importantand evident sign of the end. Daniel xii. 4, " Butthou, () Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book,even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro."Whether the prophet means to be understood, " manyshall run to and fro" in areligious sense, or in a civil ortemporal sense, or whether he means in both, is perfectlimmaterial for my All mustthat this text is rexnarkab purpose. y tiiliilled in thisacknowlectlgs;inday,ei25

Q90LECTURE XIX.point of view. If it means missionaries of the cross, noman can dispute the fulfilment See the heralds of salvationcrossing and re-crossing on every part of the habitableglobe. If it 'means common travellers,or therapid means of travel, still our text holds good, and thefulfilment obvious. No man, unless he is wilfully ignorant,can deny that this sign is not actually and literallytiilfilled.4. The great increase of knowledge given in the sametext as above. "Even to the time of the end many shallrun to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Viewthis in any point you please, whether ortheological scientiiical,it is literally true; in this day of invention andimprovement, knowledge increases. What of tl1e fiftydifferent moral societies, which have become general inthe Christian world? Is there no increase of knowledgein our Bible societies, Sabbath schools, tract societies,temperance societies, and a of others for moralreform? What can we catalogue osay all the inventions inthe arts? What of all the improvements in science?In all this, is it not very evident that this sign is now fulfillingto the very letter?5. The great increase of riches, and desire for layingup worldly treasures, as described by James v. 1-3, " Goto, now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseriesthat shall come upon you; your riches are corrupted,and your garmentsaremoth-eaten; our gold and yoursilver is cankered, and the rust of them shall be a witnessyou,aglainstand shall eat your flesh as it werefire. e have heaped treasure together for the lastdays." When, since the writer of this epistlewas onour earth, has there been such an increase of gold andsilver, and treasures of this life, as at this day? Ourrich men arelaying up their gold, silver, and treasuresin abundance. But, though as this individual exertionfor riches would notcompletely fulfil our text, they haveentered into all manner of companies and monopolies,to "heap treasure together." When, in the history ofthe world, can there be shown so many banking instilotionsas now? When so much insurance capitalas isheaped together at this day? Are not our rich menper-

cuius'r's smcoxn course. WAfectly infatuated with stocks of all kinds? And monopolyis the order of the day; togrind down the poor,and heap treasure together for the ast days. Can anyman, who has any knowledge of these things, deny thatthis sign ofthe last days is not evidently accomplished FGo to, ye rich men, weep and howl, for your miseries ancome upon you.6. The unwillingness of men to hear sound doctrine,taught us by Paul,2Tim. iv. 1-4, "I charge thee,therefore,before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shalljudge the quick and the dead at his and hiskingdom. For the time will come, appearing w ien they will notendure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shallthey heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;and they shall tum away their ears from the truth, andshall be turned unto fables." My brethren, need I sayone word on this passage? There is none of you soblind, but you see that this passage does actually describethe most fashionable preaching at the present day.How many thousand do run after that kind ofwhich is only relating fables, and that doctrine preaching whicgives all power to man ?7. Scnifers, saying, " Where is the of hiscoming igornise ?" as Peter informs us in his 2 pistle, iii. 3, 4,"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last daysscolfers, walking after their owij lusts, and saying, Whereis the promise of his coming? For, since the fathersfell asleep, all things continue as theywere from the beginningof the creation." A right understandi of thistext would show us, at once, that many of us, :go fancywe are in the highway to heaven, are belonging to thisclass of scoffers. First, they walk alter their own lusts ,that is, after their own camal notions concerning thecoming of Christ. They say all things will continue althey were from the creation; they must have a temporalmillennium; man must be married and given in marriage;the world will not be burnt, and, My Lord delayethhis coming, some sax a. thousand years, and some say365,000 years, and all e moral change that takes placeon our earth, will be performed by the agency of manaTherefore, many scoff and ridicule the idea, that Scrip-

Kurcrunn XIX.tum tells us of the second coming of Christ, the mannerand time. Andobiect,many arewillingly ignorantwi l not hear or read on this subject.8. "Perilous times," as described in 2 Tim. iii. 1-7"This know, also, that, in the last perilousdnfys,timesshall onlne; for men shall be lovers o their own selves,covetous, boosters, proud, blasphemexs, disobedient toparents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection,truce-breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisersof those that aregood, traitors,lovers of pleasure heagy, high-minded,more than lovers of od, aving theform of godliness, but den ing the power thereof ; fromsuch tum away. For of this sort arethey whichinto houses, and lead captive sillywomen ladencreetpwiins, led away with divers lusts, ever and neverlearning,able to come to the knowled e of the truth..What better description 0? domestic and public societycould we expect fiom the most close observer ofprivate characters, domestic circles, and public societiesof our times, than is here given? One would conclude,had he found this in any other book but the Bible, thatit was a modern writer, well acquainted with the humanbout, and the generationsnow on the earth."9.Dxiparting from t.he faith, giving heed to seducingspirits, a doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy;having their conscience seared with a hot iron;forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain frommeats." Thus Paul tells Timothy, 1 Epistle, iv. 1-3,"Now the Spirit speaketh ex ressly, that in the lattertimes some shalldeplart fiom the faith," 6Lc. This, wemustasacknowledge,been, and is nowfulfilling. Thewhole, almost, o the Christian world have ordeparted,changed their faith within fifteen years; seducing spiritsareevidently at work ; hypocrites are multiplyin amongus; Roman Catholics, Shakers, Pilgrims, Fsnnyg¢Vright,Owen, and others forbid to marry. Roman Catholics,and many othersto abstain fiomments and drinks, whic God hath created tobe receivedwitstm 1.among us, are teachingthanksgiving of them which believe and know. the10. False teachers,making merchandise ofthegoe-

'_cnarsfs sxcoim comme.Kpel. See 2 Peter ii. 1-3, "But there were falseprophets, also, among the people; even as there shall befalse teachers among you, who rivily shall bring indamnable heresies, even denying the Lord that boughtthem, and bring upon themselves swift destruction; andmany shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason ofwhom the way oftruth shall he evil spoken of; and throughcovebousness shall they, with feigned words, makemerchandise of you, whose judgment of a.long timelingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."The apostle then goes on to show, that,as it was inthe days of Noah and Lot, so it would be in the daysof these false teachers; one generation would not passoil' before thewould overtake them, whomake merchandise judgment 0 the gospel, and like Balsam, wholoved the wages of unrighteousness.ll. Jude gives us a sign, 4 to 19 verses, inclusive,f'How they told you there should be mockers in thelast time, who should walk after their ownungodllusts; these be they who separate themselves, sensualhaving not the Spirit." Some preachers deny the agencyof the Spirit in regeneration.12. Christ gives a i in Luke xxi. 25-28, "Andthere shall be signs th; in sun, and in the moon, and inthe stars; and, upon the earth, distress of nations, withperplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's heathfailing them for fear, and for looking for thosewhich arecoming thingson the earth; for the powers of eheavens shall be shaken; and then shall theysee theSon of Man coming in a cloud with power and greatlory.And when thesething: begin to come to pass,glen look up, and lift up your eads, for your redemptiondraweth nigh.13. Christ gives another sign in Matt. xxiv. 23, 24,"Then, if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here isChrist, or there, believe it not; for there shall arisefalse Christs and false prophets, and shall show great'signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it werepossible,they shall deceive thedoubt ofverklelect."There can be nothgrsign being fu eled. -

`Q! mcrunl XII.14. The fulfilment of the psrahleof the ten virgig-.the midnight cry has gone forth from every qusrtewof God's moral vineyard, "Behold, the bridegroomcometh." The world has been, and are now, "tritheir lsmp;" witness the Bible tramlated into_ 3languages; the Bible societies sending Bibles to everynatiorrand family on the earth, the Sa bath schools andBible classes studying its sacred precepts.15. The scattering of the holy peopleand divisionof' sects, as prophesied of by Daniel, xii. 7, "And whenhe shall have accomplished to scatter the power of theholy people, all these things shall be finished." Thispheoy is now in a remarkable manner.mt one sect, who firlfillini .profess oliness, but are divided andsubdivided-.into contending schisms, and that, too, withintwenty years.16. The division of the political world, as prophesiedef§by John, Rev. xvi. 12-16, "And lsaw three uncleanspiri4s,;like frogs, come outof the mouth of the dragon,andoutofthemouthofthebeastnndoutofthemouthof the false prophet, for thefy are the spirits of devils,working miracles, which go orth unto the kings of theearth and of the whole world, to gather them to thebattle of the great day of God Alnffhty"-and 19th.verse, "And the wasgreat city divid into three parts,and the cities of the nations fell." That these spirit:are political, is evident, from the fact that they comeout of the mouth ofthe dragon, (kings,) and beast,(Catholic,) false prophet, (Mshornetua) and unclean,ignifying th are not holy things, This prophecis now What nation, within our knowl!edge, accomofshini. afreadyis not ivided into three political parties?None, which is in any way known to your speaker.17: The church has fulfilled her 1260 years in thewilderness, spoken of in Rev. xii. 6, 14, "And~thewoman tled into the wildemess, where she hath aplaceprepared of God, that they should feed her there sthousand two hundred and threescore days." Thesedays were evidently accomplished in 1798, since whichtime the Protestant church has enjoyed privileges even

'cna|s'r's szconn comme. 295in the city of nations, the Roman em ire; and, accordingto Daniel, forty-(ive years will compl)ete the whole planof redemption.18. The two witnesses prove that the 1260 years areended; for it is evident that the Old and New Testamentare not now hid norkept from the common people,but have arisen from their dead state, and are now performingthe otiice God designed they should, conv inglight to the world. They are not clothed in sackzlbth,hut, through the missionaries of the cross, and Biblesocieties, are testifyingto the world of Christ and hissecond coming.19. The civil power of anti-Christ is destroyed, andthe 1260 years, in which she was to rule overkings, andtread the church under foot, wascompleted in 1798,when the French army took the Po e aprisoner,anderected Italy into a republic; since which time the Po ehas exercised but little or no power over kings,or theProtestant church, and she is evidently sinking by theweight of her own corruptions.20. It is very evident that the sixth trumpet hassounded, and the 391 years will be completed in 1839,when the seventh trumpet will begin to sound, and themystery of God will be finished, all that he hath declaredto his servants the prophets. If the fall of theEastern Empire at Constantinoplewas included in thesixth trumpet, which all the principal commentators,whom I have consulted, agree in, and that trumpet wasprepared to sound an hour, a day, a month, and a year,which makes, according to the reckoning of time inJohn's prophecy, 391 gears and 15 days, then the sixthtrumpet is almost nished. The whole appearancestrengthens this exposition of the text; for theof the Turks has diminished morerapidly within power fteenthan any politician, however anxious he couldyears, ave been for the event, could have anticipated.21. The opening of the sixth seal, revealed in the6th and 7th chapters of Revelation, was opened in theFrench revolution, and carries usthrough a sealing timeunto the opening of the seventh seal, which ushers usbefore the judgmentseat of God. No one can deny

4296 Lzcrvar. xur.but that, since the revolution in France, a sealing timehas manypassed;have been born into the spiritualking om of Christ, more than has ever been known, inthe sameperiod of time, since the apostles' days. Thisseal, then, is evidently opened, and is a stron evidencethat th-1 book of life will soon be opened, ang the deadwill be judged out of the things written in the books.22. The sixth vial waspoured out about the yearlS22, when the Ottoman power began to be dried up.This is animportamt sign that ve arc on the brink ofthe judgment day. Rev. xvi. 12, "And the sixth angelpoured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; andthe waters thereof were dried up, that the way of thekings of the east might be prepared." This preparationis for the last reat battle, which will take place at thepouring out oigthe seventh vial, in the year 1839 or 40.At the pouring out of the seventh vial, a voice from thethrone will pronounce the word, Il is done. The kingdomsof the earth and governments of the world willbe carried away, and their places not found. Everywriter, of any note, will and have applied this vial tothe Turkish govemment, and of course must acknowledgethat this vial is poured out, for the power of theTurkish government is but little more than a name, andthe strength of the Ottoman power dried up.23. Another evidence is Daniel's resurrection at theend of the 1335 da s. This evidence is very plain andevident, for Daniel' xii.says, 11-13, "And from thetime that the daily sacnfice shall be taken away, and theabomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall bea thousand two hundred and ninet days." This cannotbe the Jewish sacrifice; for if so, then it must have beenfulfilled about tive hundred years past; and as no eventtook place then which would warrant us in so understandingit,I can see no rational objection to understandthis daily sacrifice to mean Pagan rites and sacriiices,which was the original beast of which the abominationof desolation wasonly an image, and, as I have shownin a former lecture, was to continue six hundred andsixty-six years ; and as Paul tells us, that when he wastaken out of the way, the man of sin would be revealed

`'cnars'r's saconn counts. 29?agreeing in language with Daniel. I think the proofis strong that from the taking away of Pagan worship,A. D. 508, to the end of the Papal civil power, would be1290 years, which would end in the year 1798, and thusagree with all of Iohn's numbers in Revelation. Andthen Daniel says, or the angel to Daniel, " Blessed is hethat waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundredand five and thirty days." Thus add 1335 to 508, willbring us down to the year A. D. 1843. "But go thouthy way till the end be, for thou shalt rest and stand inthy lot at the end of the days." And " Blessed and holyis he that hath part in the first resurrection." ThenDaniel will stand in his lot, and Job will stand on theearth in the latter day.% Daniel's vision of 2300 days I have insome former lectures shown clearly that lorig. anie1's visionconcerning the, four monarchies which were orwere to come, includegreat the whole history of the world,sofa: as God saw iit to reveal it, down to the judgmentday,_and the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds. Ithen showed that the uestion was asked, hdw longshould be this vision. q1`he answer wasgiven-2300days. I then proved that days were to be counted years,by the command of God, by the example of J acob, andby the fuliilment ofa part of the vision. I then showedan when this vision began by the angel Gabriel's ownlaration, who was commanded to instruct Daniel intoHue vision. According to this instruction I showed youthat 490 years were accomplished of this vision, to a day,at the crucifixion of Christ, both events happeningon the12th day of the first month, 490 years apart. And thenIof 2300 was fhlfilled whenuired, that ifqurm

% Lacnznr-: xxx.Lfuily. Another sign of the last day you will findgiven by Paul, 1 Thess. v. 2, 3, "For yourselves knowperfectly, that the day oi' the Lord so cometh as a thiefin the night For when they shall say, Peace andsafety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, astravail upon a woman with child; and they shall notescape." Compare 2 Pet. ii. 17-22.The doctrine of peace and safety, and that there isnopunishment in the future state, had but few or noadvocates until very recently. I am not certain butthe first preacher of this soul-destroying doctrine is nowliving; and nowthey boast of their multitudes of followersand advocates There have been, in past ages, a.few who preached the doctrine of the restoration of allmen, after a suitable punishment in hell; but to modernUniversalists belongs the invention of preaching "peaceand safety when sudden destruction cometh." If thissign is not iiilfilled in the preachers of this order at thistime, I ask, How can it be fultilled? and what must the'doctrine of those be who preach "peace and safety" ?Surely, no human beingcan invent a doctrine so full of(promised&_" peace and safety " to the wicked asthis;and no o er denomination on our globe ever have opposedthe doctrine of the coming of Christ, the judgmentday, and tilture punishments, hut the modern Un1~versalists; and if this is the doctrine that Paul hadreference to in our text, as, I am fully satisfied, everycandid andreligious mind must and will allow, thenwe may reasona suppose "sudden destruction comethupon them, 'ly and ey shall not escape."Therefore, my dear reader, I shall now, with a fewclosing remarks, leave you tn your own reflections.The Jews had twenty-one signs in the Scriptures giventhem of the first coming and person of Jesus Christ.; yetumany rejected him as an impostor. You say,ifgou hadlived in that day, you would have believed; an you inhearts condemn them as a hardened race of unbeicvers; and notwithstanding their great pretence to piety,our Savior as aBut, myarers, be careful your own hearts o not condemn youyouryou say they were justly denounced byggnoration of vipers and a band of hypocrites.

cna1s'r's sacorm comme. 299for your unbelief in the signs which the prophets, Christ,and 1he apostles have givenasyou tokens of his secondcoming and the judgment day. Ihave brought from theword of Godvtwenty-live signs of his second coming, endof the world, and judgment day, and all apparently fulfilledwithin the age of many present,or fulfillingnow beforeyour eyes.' And do you believe? Many of youprofess to be pious ; many of you say, Lord, Lord! Butdo you believe his word? Are you willi to risk yourlife, your character, your all, on his woiiig? or are youfearful andNow is the timeunbelievingil?to try men'ssouls. Now, if you wis to be sure, examine closely, andsee whether your faith will stand in the day of trial whichis coming; yes, has already come, in a thousand ways, todraw you from the gospel of Christ to another newgospel,which is not the gospelcern the signsof God. "Can ye not dis-ofthe times ?" Let me give you one ruleby which you may know a false doctrine. They mayhave many good things in their creeds, they may be veryplausible in their arguments, a.nd after all deceive you.But examine them closely, and you will find they willdeny, ridicule, or try to do away some prominent doctrineof the Bible, such as the divinity of Christ, his secondcoming, oliice of the Holy Spirit, eternal punishment,doctrine of grace, election, conviction for sin, regeneration,repentance, or faith. And when you hear or seethem make light or scoff at any thin of this kind in theword of God, go not after them, Eid nor them God speed."Can ye not iscern the "of the times ?signsAnd to you, impenitent `end, God has at all timesgiven you warning of his approaching judgments. Ifyou repent, believe his word, and break oil' your sins byrighteousness, he is faithful and just to forgive you yoursins. Why not take warning hy the past? ls there noexample for you? Look at the antediluvian world,Sodom and Gomorrah, Nineveh, Babylon, .T erusalem, andthe once enlightened Asia, now worse than in heathenishdarkness. Will God punish nations, and not individuals?This cannot be, for nations are composed ofindividuals; and God is just, for he hath appointed alay in which he will judge the world in righteousness....___----...»u;.g.

`'/4M0nscrunm xxx."Cen ye not discern the signs of the times!" WillGod's word fnil of being soeomplished? Cangm showa, single instance? Why not listen, then, to e warningsand admonitions, to the calls and invitations, to theexamples and preceptseontsined therein !"Can ye not"discern the signs of the times! Wil]God cut off theunbelieving Pharisee for not discerning the signs ofthe times, and let you, with twofold morelight, go free!No: how can ye escape, if you ne lect this great salvatésnlWatch, then, " the signs 0? the times."etch.I say,-i_- ».N~0TE.Opponents have triumphsntly referred to Lecture VIII. ln this work,sud slso to Lecture Vll. (p. l09,) and Lecture BH. (p. 202,) which Mr.Miller supposed would be fultilled ln 1839, and mske s greet handle ofthese passages to destroy the influence end the correctness of the ollculationsof Mr. Miller, hy claiming s failure of one of his calculation;Mr. Miller first adopted Guthrie's date for the commencement of thinvasion of Greece by the Turks, sud which, scoording to him,1298. Gibbon, however, fixes lt upon the 27th of July, 1299. Thewss inmistake, therefore, was not in Mr. Miller, but in Guthrie.The clvil cornmotions alluded tn were based upon the coming of tllthird wo: when the sixth sngel had ceased sounding, it is ssld "theseeond wo ls past; snd behold the third wo cometh quickly," Rev. xl.l4. The time that would intervene between the close of the second woend the commencement of the third, would depend entirely upon thelatitude that ls to he given to the term " quickly," md which ws notso immediate es Mr: Miller supposed.lt would seem that the present turpltude of public monk, the dehl~cstlons, bankruptcies, frsuds, duels, murders, etc., etc., end the bresklngup of ell conddenee in the community, must convince iny lmpsrtlelmlnd, that If the author expressed himself strongly with regard to thisnarchy of these time, his snticlpstions have not been sltngether unnsllsed.

»Q2/SEUUND ADVENT LIBRARY.IO- XLVII-SEPTEHBEB 10, 1844.OREMARKSONREVELATIONS THIRTEENTH, SEV-ENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH.nrWILLIAM!:ILLEB.B 0 S T 0 N:PUBLISHED BY JOSHUA Y. BIKES,14 Devonshire Street.Two Sheets.Postage-under 100 miles, 8 cu.; over 100, 5 cts.

`/-~~--- -'.1~ f~I T-f- ` L41 ~s ._nortonDOWUIA 80N'lPOW¥R 4QIh " Builv.. `*I* I J' 3?II l Inun v re-u-»u-twin/ll

REMARKS ON REVELATION.CHAP'.l'ER THIRTEENTH.Rrv. l. And I stood npon the sand of theses, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, havingoeven heads and ten horns, and upon his homs tencrowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy(IN this verse we aretaught that John hada vision, and saw himself standing amongthe tumultuous nations of the dearth ; and-he saw the Roman kingdom rise up out ofthe nations, having seven forms, or all kindsof govemments,sevenbeing a perfect numberin this prophecy. Heads denote governments,or supreme power: 1, Republican;2, Consular; 3, Decemvir; 4, --Dictatorial;5, Triumvirate; 6, Imperial ; 7, Kingly.John saw until the Roman was divided intoten- kingdoms, all jointly reigning at onetime 'over these ten separate kingdoms, denotedby ten crowns; and this kingdom was'a blasphemous power, because they claimed'theecclesiastical power or authority overmind, and dictated how and what»menshould worship.

62. And the beast which I saw was like unto 5leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, andhis mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragongave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.The Roman kingdom, John saw, was likethe Grecian in conquering the world; andhis march, or power to tread under foot, wasequal to tha( of the Medo-Persian kingdom.His laws and command were as lion-likeas Babylon, and as imperious as Nebuchadaiellafsvdeuree..The :liknpenorf of Roma,who had ubmined power by 'megan of thearch-deceiver of mankind, the devil, Rev.miii 9, having -received august, supreme-power over all nations, and exercised_the :etnlesiaatical power of Paganism over'ithepeuple of theearth--he, the Emperor,nalldd " the dragon" in *he text, would de-~|tmy orziske Paganism out of the way,2Timm ii. 6,85 and would 've thesamts'into ,the power of Bisihp the of Rome,Ilhlicl .1/ii. 25. Thus the Emperor luetililmdldgive. the Pope of Rome power over allthe Christian churohes, eaetem and weswia,and gave him " his beat," lfhe city of Romaintheeweot; bealsogave him great orsupremezuthorily in his par-xdector oode of laws._This was in the year A. D. 538; fromwhich time the Pope exercised his supremepower over the ninth and king of the

`''"1earth, until A. D. 1798-during 1260 yearsbf Papal supremacy.3. And I saw one of his heads as it were woundedto death; andhis deadly wound was healedfand all'the world wondered after the beast.John saw the blasphemous Pagan headwounded to .death and taken away, and thePapacy take its place as a supreme head.Then thez deadly wound was healed, andallthe~world wondered when theysaw thepower of the Pope of the Roman kingdom.4. And they worshipped the dragon which gavepower unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast,laying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able tomake war with him?And they worshipped Justinian, the Emperorof Rome, submitted to his arms andOrthodoxy, and they worshipped the kingdomof Rome, saying, boastingly, Who isable tomake war with the kingdom ofRome ?5. And there was given unto him a mouth speak-'iug_ great things and blasphemies; and power wasgiven unto him to continue forty and two months.A mouth wasgiven to the Pope_, or Pg.pal civil power, to speak great words orthings and blasphemies, claiming universal.power over the kings and kingdoms' of theearth, as vicegerent of God ; andhe was toexercise this power forty-two months, orll

_'_ _'HeA'81260 ears, beginni A. D. 538"ana ending 2{`D."1'T98.'D[§1. via. 10,'20;*21, 25; 2Thee|.i'i. 4.And he.

-I''-98. And all that dwell upon the earth shall wor-'14hig'hlm, whose names of 'fe are of the 'nat written in_theLamb, slain from bookthe foundation of theworld.And all who dwell upon the earth shalll power,-shall confessandtobe the'for the true'wotshipthis 'Packnowledge 2: Papal church,unlyfaatholie church on earth ~:fchuroh ofChri1n willbe in the wilderness,reetgnized among fthe nations 'of~nottheIsarllm. 'is 'remarkable that no historian-for ugesifever pretended to find 'the Churchrdf Chrisgenly as they traced it through the~church -of*Rome. And even to this day,'many vtraee their 'pedigree through her whohad fallen from 'thetnae fairth ages befune.Yet 'God had untruepeople in the wildernessof this world, who weretruly converted tofGod, and had their names written in thefLt!mb's book of life--lwho believed in the"atoningsaonilioefof Christ, which God hadprepared fromihe beginning of this cursedearth, as a medium_of salvation for lost man.'9. If my man 'have a1i=ear, let him hear.An exhortation. If any man wishes toof the ltrue 'way ofsalvation, let him-cometofChri§t, who is ihe way of reconciliation*to G'rod,~and' 'notilepenii on a-false'e}iun'!h=;'fe|'~'fnene ibut Uhristllins -power""to'¢forgive'sin.

_iI1010. He that leadeth into captivity shall go intocaptivity; he that killeth with the sword, mu! bekilled with the sword. Here is the patience andfaith of the saints.The Papal supreme power, which had ledthe world into idolatry and the saints intocaptivity, will, at the end of i'orty~two months,or 1260 years, ver. 5, itself have to yieldto the supreme power of an Emperor greaterthan the Papal, and the Papal head beled into captivityin eturnt And -as Papacyhad killed millions in war, so, inturn, it wonld be killed by the ,next sapremepower, in a war for the power ithad before exercised over the 'kings of theearth. All this was literally fulfilled in theFrench Revolution.---Then let the saintshave patience, and wait for this time, whentheir faith in the promised .deliverance willbe increased, and their hope brightened fora future and final deliverance.ll. And I beheld another beast coming up outof the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb, andhe spake as a dragon.What other kingdom is this ?, I answer:It must be an image ofthe onejust described.It must be an ecclesiastical kingdom,for it has, or pretends to=have,;two, powersofChrist, the Lamb of God. It also speaks

»11with the same ,authoritpas the .Roman Emperorspbefore. him.. lit is evident, then,that it is the -next -succeeding ecclesiasticalRoman power to the imperial power ofRome, and must, of course, mean the Papa.-cy; .for the Emperor gave this its power,and seat, and great authority. The Papalpower of Rome did copy after the old Roman.form and laws of government; althoughthis wasthe-eighth, yet it is of the seven,Rev. xvii. 11. Papacy did pretend towbrk Lrniracles; »tb call fire down from heaven,to bum. heretics, and to forgive sin.'Thea this kingdmix, which arises out of thefourth or Bsoman kingdom, 'is no less thanthe Papalooclesisstical power. The prophethaving in the precedingverses described thecivil power of the same, new us a prophetic-description of his ecclesiastic authori-.ty, which 'he exercised ,over the saints.12. And he exerciseth all the power of the iirstbeast before him,and causeth the earth and them_which dweli therein, to worship the tint beast, whosedeadly Wound was healed.In this verse the prophet describes thePope as exercising all the Roman Paganpower fwhich~emis1ed in the Latin kingdombefore him. .And he causes men to wor-in like mmnerms did the Roman Em-shipperors #under the Bagan wonship, which

, 13.-Here'12'head' had been wounded to death by thepretendedor real conversion of the LatinKings, and which ecclesiastical head washealed in the establishment of another blasphemoushead under Papacy,an image,erect and bloody, equally supported by the'civil power, asthe former Pagan Rome.And he doeth great wonders, so that hemaketh tire come down' from heaven on the earth inthe sight of men.we have described the miraclesto have.which Papal Rome would pretendpower to perform in public, to deceive themultitude, and make men worshipas theRoman Papal power might direct.14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth bythe means of those miracles which he_had power todo in the sight of the beast; to t ern 'thatdwell~on the earth, that they saying shoul make an image toa sword _and didgre beast which had the wound byve.We are here told the object of this power:to deceive those who dwell on theearth, bymeans of those miracles whichhe pretended to have power to -do, in thepresence of the civil power; and by soto cause the citizens of Rome and thedoingsubjects of that kingdom tovgive the samepower, both civiland ecclesiastical, to -Pa-

''13pacy, WhiCllfllld.b6f0l'B been held by Pugh!!Rome under the Emperors; and by so doingto establish a second kingdom,as an imageor a corresponding power to the first,both civil and ecclesiastical, thereby .toheal the head of wounded Paganism, andthere would be established in Rome Papalwhat had been lost by Rome Pagan.15. And he had power togive life unto the imageof the beast, that the image of the beast should bothzgiak, and cause that as many as would not worshipimage of the beast should be killed.The Papal' power received great authority,so that it could give life or death,as the casemight be, and cause as many aswould notobey the Bishop of Rorhe to bekilled: Papacy being the image of the PaganRoman Empire.16. And he causeth all, both small and great,rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark intheir right hand, or in their foreheads.fAnd he (Papal Rome) caused all underhis authority, from the infant in its mother'sarms to the aged man of many years, richand poor, bond or free, to receive the markof initiation and confirmation into the churchof Rome, under the control of this ecclesiasftical power.. The initiation,rite, which theycall baptism and regeneration, is performed

_2.''V`14in their foreheads, and the confirmation; ortoken of fellowship, hy the right hand.These marks bring them into full fellowshipand communion with the greet 'body of theRoman Church, and werebethby a hwof the llornazdlmureh.17. And that no lmnmlgbtb orsetll,sa.vghqthat had the mark or the name bigthe beast,or theuumberof his name.No man, during the reign of Papacy,where the lam of Papacy weve supreme,could buy or sell, or use any lawful trade,except such as were initiated into tbaRoman church, had a name in this Rofman chmch orkingdom, and were numberedwith the multitude in the great associationof this blasphemous power.181 Here that#MIBU is I Iunder-number o'i`m;mm8:lfl lllllllbgris six miathreescore and six.Here it is necessary that the resdershonldexercise the wisdom given, to us of God inhis word, and by comparing Scripture withScripture, get an _r Junderstanding1. What is the meaning of t'iie'beas¢ infhistenti ,Zh,"What it 'is to numberlthe 'i43. What is the nurnher of 'tt inanlf

154. To undersemd the number given,:mtl apply it to the beast.1. It cannot mean the Papal kingdom;for that is an image of this beast. ThenM we can leam what°Pa1pacy is the image of,we shall have at clue to an understanding ofthe beast. aItis beast which existed be~fore Papacy did, or how coulé Papacy bemade in its likeness of image-See 12thverse. Now compare Rev. 1, withRev. xii. 3, 4, and xvii. I--7 ;»a9so withDaniel vii. 7, 8, 23, 24 ; which shows plainlythat it is the 4th, or Roman kingdom, anda blasphemous, bloody, persecuting power.Then it is a plain matter of fact, thatit is a full and clear description of RomePagan.2. What may we unéerstand by numberingthis kingdom? I_ answer, it is tofinish, or take it away. See a sample in thefirst of the four kingdoms-Babylon. ReadDaniel v. 26, 30. To number, then, is tofinish or take away. Compare Daniel xi.31, and xii. 11, with 2 Thess. ii. 7.3. What is the number of a man? Itis the nnmber of his days,or the ears of hislife. See Psalm xc. 12 ;'Job x. gi; xiv. 5, 6,14 ; xvi. 22. See margin, years if number.The number of the years of fthe 'Bnnsanhead ofkingdom under itdfirstbluphumous2

`16was six hundred sixty-six years,Pagani m,beginning B. C. 158, and ending 508that Pagan RomeAJ). :it being 666 yearsoverthereigned as the supreme powerearth, and was that bloody, persecutingover thepowerpeople of God, whichdestroyed the city and sanctuary, and troddown the holy people,until its power wastaken away,to make room for the imagebeastof Papacy, which reigned supremeforty-two months or twelve hundred andsixty years.CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH.Rn. xviil 1. And there came one of the sevenangels which had the seven vials, and talked withme, saying unto me, Come hither ; I will shew untothee the judgment of the great whore that sittethupon many waters.In this chapter, John, by the angel, isshown the character and of thejudgmentgreat false Church of Rome, which sittethon many people, multitudes, nations andSeein the 15th ver.,tongues. explanation,ofthe waters.2. With whom the kings of the earth have committedibniieation, and the inhabitants of the earth

have!drunk with the wine of her for-been mademcation.17With this false Church of Rome, theKings of Rome have committed fornication.They have united their civil with her ecclesiasticalpower, and thereby producedablood-thirsty and a supreme monster of iniquity,which has made the inhabitantsof the earth giddy with ignorance, superstitionand bigotry, and caused them to havefellowship with this monster of iniquity,in the union of church and state; worshipingaccording to the laws of the abominationthat maketh desolate.3. So he curled meaway in the spirit into thewilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarletcolored beast, full of names of blasphemy, havingseven heads and ten horns.John was carried away in his spirit, intothe then future desolations of the Romanearth, when the Emperors of Rome wouldlose their power inthe desolations of theempire by the barbarian Kings. Theseconquered the empire, and afterwards gavetheir power to the false, bloody church ofRome, which received her power, seat andgreat authority from the Emperor Justinian,and her homage from the ten Lkings.

184. And the woman was arrayed in purple andscarlet-color, and decked with gold and preciousstones and pearls, having a golden cup in her handfull of abominations and Iiltluness of her fornication.The raiment and splendor, with theriches Of this false Church, is literally fulfilledin the dress and pomp and show ofthe Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Legates andPriests of the Roman Catholic Church. The.golden cup in her hand, is the politicalbait she holds out to all nations. In a me-_public she can be agreat _republialn ; and in'a kingdom, a flaming royalist. ,Her golden cupis held outfto-aill sorts of governments, sothstif possible by false pteteimes, plighted Eithand broken vows, she may obtain herobjectpowerall. These politicalover movementsof Priests -and Jesuits are too well known toneed anymore description of her abominations,filthiness and fomication with the

19ing, or believing and practising any of God'sprecepts, excepting in accordance with hercomments and permission.Bannon 'rl-In GREAT;This is asplainly fulfilled as the former.Nebuchadnezzar, the head of the Babylonianking, claimed the power of a God, pretendedto make a God, and then compelled hissub`ects to fall down and worship it;and] if they would not, death was the consequence.This mystical Babylon has donethe same. The Pope claims to be the vicegerentof God on earth. He also claims thepower of making the common bread andwine, the actual body and blood of God.They have also put to death many millionsof heretics, as they call those who do notfollow in their creed.THE Mornlm or -HAnLo'rs.Well may the Church of Rome ' claimthe title of Mother Church; and thosechurches which have come out from her mayas well be called n_uLo°1~s. For there arefew of them at this time, but are partakingof the old mother's character, and committingthe same .momnrrtous of pride, vainshow, worldly grandeur. and riches, popularapplause and political power.-Where isthere a Protestant sect but now claims thesame authorityas the Popeover 'those who_ 2*

'I20may honestly differ from them in ,understandingthe word of God? Never did theChurch of Rome persecute the ProtestantCovenanters more when they fled from her-fellowship, than the sects of thelpresent daywould the Adventists had they theSee the venom of ,our sectarianwhich is out out lhose wholieveln the near coming of the dear, _-vior. They have all, »in Atheir turn,.Come~outers. Why not ;let the Advent_brethren have the same privilege? Whyeornplain? You gave us ¢a sample, .maare only working after the copy. ,Xen-onoe .called the Church of Rome_,,;beMo'rHr.n or HARLOTB. We, because .youpartake of her nature, and perform her acts,call you mmnors. jThis is the Scgigguqalanguage, and was once yours, when you,came out.L :T0; Amd I saw the woman drunken withsthe Blood'of xhe uiafs, and with the blood of the of_Jesus ; and when I .saw her, I wondered fw;th greg!admiration.` ' ""lnmJohn saw this 'false ehuroh ~of ;B.ome~p§lmeouilng¢he»saints,~and+shedding the bloodwi' the martyrs of Jesus; -sn

2_17. And the 'angel said unto me, Wherefore didst=thou marvel! I 'will tell thee the mtery of thevsman, .and uf -the 'beast that earrieths her, which.birth the seven headsand ten horns.The angel inquires of John why 'heshould marvel -? He then informs him thathe will tell him the mystery of this falseChurch, that has her Epower, seat and great-authority from the Roman empire ; and alsoof the :Roman .empire, which had theseven forms of government and ten kings.8. 'The beast that ;thou'sa.wmt, was, and #is-not:,gndshall ascend outof the: bottomless ypit and go into,pqldltionz and they ,that dwell on the earth shallW d h n t written in the boqkon; er, (w ose names were o~0i` ll&'&0I|l the foundation of the world,) when -theybehold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.was al-'The kingdom thou sawest John,ready in existence before you saw it in yourvision. It is not yet under the power of theLi1lse~Chumh of Rome. But this 'Church;shall;a;rise 'out -of the gross darkness that'shall eoverthevearth, whenfthe Church shallfall away,,as Paul tellsrus, .2 Thess. ii. ~3,into ignorance, superstition, will-worship,,pride,,bigotry _and idolatry ; and shall _go intoperdition, or be' _destroyed i_by the brightnessof Christ's coming, .when he shall lcome toonfalse vengeance them that know not'God,_gn¢l'ebey'not»'thejGfospel.And then

A"A22they who dwell upon the earth shall wonderat their own stupidity and base ingratitude,in not believing the word of God, and inslighting the overtures of mercy, while theyenjoyed a probation ; yet they will neglect sogreat salvation, and not have their namesrecorded in the Lamb's book of life, whichGod prepared in the beginning of the world,for all those who would believe and obeyAnd they will wonder and perishin the general destruction of the kingdomsof the Roman empire, which is nowPagan, not yet Papal. .But it is the samepower it will be whenthe gospel.bloody perecutinit becomes Papj; for then it will only beanimage of what it now is.9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. Theseven heads are seven mountains, on which the womansitteth.This is an explanation for the inquiringminds of those who desire an understandingin the word of God. The seven executiveheads are seven forms of government. Seecomments on Rev. xiii. 1.10. And there are seven kings; tive are fallen, andone is, and the other is not yet come ; and when heeometh, he must continue a short space..These seven executive_ heads, here calledKings, have and will exist in the Roman

23kingdom. Five of them-1, Republican ;2, Consular; 3, Decemvir; 4, Dictatorial;5, Triumvirate-these forms had all passedwhen John saw his vision; "and one is,"that is Imperial, then in power; the " other,"Kingly, " is not yet come." The kings did,not exercise their power over the empire ofRome until after about 508 years afterChrist. Then the Kingly must be the supremehead 'for a short space ; allof which did.take place between A. D. 508 and A. B. 538.ll. And the beast that was, and is not, even he isthe eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdi-JIQQ.The 'kingdom of Rome, which was inthen; but not in its church state.ipower or when the Church of Rome should ob-'tain its supremacy, it would be the eighthhead, in succession. Yet the Roman Churchwould be of the seven ;that is, it would haveall the seven forms of government of theformer Roman, and no other; and althoughit would be in the succession, the eighthhead yet it only retains the seven forms.In that sense, it would not probably be anew form of government, but "is of theseven"-combining all forms of government,into one; and at the.end it shall go into perdition.

h9419. And the ten horns which thou sawest are telkings, which have received no kingdom as yet; hutreceive power askingsone hour with the beast.This is an explanation of the ten homs,that represent ten kings, which had notreceived their place among the seven headswhen John saw this vision; but they willreceive their power in the kingly form ofgovernmenta. short space of time in thisof seven heads.Roman empire13. have one mind, and shall give theirpower and strength unto the beast.These kings, after theyare -all convertedto onefaith, or one mind, became, as theythen called it, orthodox. These " shall give"their power, i. e.supremacy or ,head," and strength," meaning the' physicalstrength of the military to assist the Bishopand Church of Rome in obtaining the supremepower over all other sects, kingdomsand powers.14. These shall make war with the Lamb, and theLamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lordsand King of kings; and they that are with him arecalled, and chosen, and faithful..These tenkings or kingdoms, shall supportthis Anti-Christian power, the Churchof Rome, and by so doing will oppose ormake war against the Lamb of God, JesusChrist; and the Lamb of God shall over-

25come them ; for Jesus must reignon hisFather's throne until he puts down all rule,and all authority and power, and he mustreign until he puts all enemies under hisfeet, 1 Cor. xv. 24, 25. When he [Jesus]shall come,he will dash them, like a potter'svessel, to pieces. Compare Psalm ii. 8,9; Daniel ii. 35, 36; vii. 22; Rev. ii. 27.He will grind them to powder. He willcarry them away as the wind carries awaythe chaif of the summer threshing floor, sothat no placeon earth shall be found forthem: for Christ is Lord over all lords,and King over all kings ; and will by thesemeans take posse sion of his lawful inheritance,the earth, and reign forever andever. Then will those who are his by faithbe redeemed by his grace from all theirenemies, even from death, and they shall be_with him where he is, and be like him, calledby his Spirit and word, being chosen by hisgrace, and having chosen salvation throughgrace. He has faithfully performed hispromise unto them, and theyare faithful intheir obedience to him.15. And he saith unto me, The waters which thoulawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, andmultitudes, and nations, and tongues.This verse is an explanation of the firstverse, and meansjust what it says-showing

'26ever whom the false Chureh of Rome wouldhave power, and who would sustain her inthat power, and be her followers evendownto perdition. Oh, that men would be wise !16. And the ten horns which thou szwest uponthe beast theéeshlllhatsthe whore, an dfshall make,her desolate and naked, and shall eat her Kelli, andburn het with Exe.The ten horns are a representation of theten kingdoms that would arise out of thedivision ef the old Roman empire,as itstood when it began its conquest of Mace+donia and the east. These kingdoms would,for the time, give unto the false Church ofRome their power and strength. Yet after thetime appointed of her reign over the kingsof the earth, 1960 years, these kingdomswould hate the supreme power of 'the Ro#msn ohmoh, and would take if fo themselves,would her of-her benefiees, conhseateher goods, take away her supremacy,Garry her eapiive, make her desolate, eat uphet power to rule over kingdoms, and divideit among themselves. They would burn her-palaces and chapels, her prisons and nimnefies,her pictures and pleasant things withfire, and laywaste het cities and territoryby war and the sword. This wasliterallylwoomplished in. the French Revolution.

''M27.11.1-w=G

2818. And the woman which thou sawest is thatgreat city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.Thevery appropriately called agreat city. First,because of its great multitude. Secondly,because of its great influence. Thirdly,because of its combination. Fourthly, becauseof its mode of government ; and lastly,because of _its laws and ordinances.1. Like agreat city. Rome. as a Church,has claimed for her communicants a vastmultitude among all nations, of all grades,colors and conditions.2. A great city has a great influenceover the country where it is situated,--inthe manners, customs, religion and politicsof the inhabitants of the same. So likewisewith the Church of Rome. Who cannotsee that in all the countries where shehas gained any ascendancy, the same dissolutemanners, and vain show and costumehave prevailed? The samemoml blight andpolitical degradation, in every Catholic countryin Europe, is at this .time true to thevery letter.3. A city is a large corporatebody; andChurch of Rome, in this verse, isso is the Church of Rome. It is notmany bodies, but one at least in profession.Wherever their influence is felt, and votariesareobtained, they belong to the same combi-

29nation ; and this is the reason why the Pope ofRome, to this day, calls Catholics his subjects,-whetherbelonging to the Czar of Petersburgor to Queen Victoria of England;-whether theyare the vassals of the Mogulof the East, or freemen of the land of libertyin the West. All, all are the subjects, orsworn citizens of this great city.4. Its mode of government. Great citieshave aMayor, Aldermen, Council, Police,Watchmen, &c. So with the Church ofRome. She has her Pope and Cardinals,her Archbishops and Bishops, her Priests andJesuits, all watching for the interests of thisonegreat Roman Church, like a vastcity.5. The laws of the Catholic Church areconcocted, promulgated, enforced and obeyed,in like manner with the laws and ordinancesof agreat city. Her business is likeacity. Read Rev. xviii. 10, 20. Whatbetter figure could the inspired penman useto describe this abominable church, reigningover all kingdoms of the earth, than agreat,wicked city?

'_-r'30CHAPTEREIGHTEENTH.l. And utter these things I saw mother angel comodown hum heaven, having great power; and theearth was lightened wah his gloq.After John had seen the vision iii the'1'7th chapter, in which the character andacts of the Roman kingdom had been minutelydescribed,under both of its blasphemousheads, Pagan and Papal. He, in this chapter,has a view of the fall and final destruc-'tion of the Papal power, and the overthrow ofthe last Satanic kingdomon the earth. Thisfirst verse represents the coming of Christfrom heaven, inhis power and great glory,`to take vengeanceon those that obey notthe gospel, who have worshipped' the kingdomsof the earth, and obeyed only the lawsof Papacy-the blasphemous power of theman of Sin, the servant of Satan. ComparePsalm Xcvii. 3, 8, Isa. ii. 6 to 2l,Matt. xxiv.20.2. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying,Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen, and is becomethe habitation of devils, and the hold of everygong spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hatefulir .He comes with astrong voice, which isthe final shout of victory, 1 Thess. iv. 16,

31"saying, Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen."This shows me that the Papal Churchis to have two overthrows»--one "fall"underthe power of the ten askings, in theFrench Revolution, when she became acagefor every unclean and hateful bird, which is inagreement with Paul's description of thesame event, 2 Thess. ii. 8. The other"fall " is the final destruction of all'Satanicpower on earth, when the shout of victoryis given from all the heavenly host, as isgiven in Rev. xi. 15, also xiv. 7, 8, whenthe battle is won and the victory completed.Then this voice will raise the righteousdead, and put the last enemy under hisfeet. Thevfirst "fall"was the loss of supremepower, and exposure of her abominations.It. will show that the devil andSatan, and all foul spirits, dwelt in thiskingdom ; and it was acage in which dweltall manner of tyrants, wicked, proud and uncleanmen, from every nation under heaven.The second' "fall " will be the final destructionof all, when it will be said to thesaints, "God hath avenged you on her,"21st verse.3. For all nations have drunk of. the wine of thewrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earthhave committed fornication with her, and the mer--__...-- _...___

B2chants cf the earth are waxed rich -through thecabundance of her delicacies.The expression "-Mr" in this text, mustmeanBabylon; and it lmnstmesnmone thanthe nominal Church of Rome: for allmenare not the visible members of her communion.Yet all nations have committed forni~cation with her, and will drink of the wrathof God, which he will pour out upon herand them. Babylon, then, must mean Churchand State, and to unite them is fomimtion.Vesting the supreme power in both of theseis Babylon, or confusion ; for God has severedthem, and says, My kingdom is not of thisworld. Then, when the church of Rome,orany other church or body of Christians,seek for and obtain the honors and emolumentsof the political 'powers of the earth,they commit foruication with the nations andkings or kingdoms, as the case may be; andthe :kings or rulers of the Satanic kingdoms,when they seek to be defenders ofthe faithof the saints, and tyrannize over the mindsand consciences of msn, also, commitforuication with her; and both_ together forman alliance unnatural,and are Babylon ilIll8l'robes of blood. All wicked, selfish anddeigning demagogues, bigots and sectarian-leaders among men, are evidently intoxicatedor drunken after or for this power of civil

VThisB8Qmd ecclesiastical overauthority their fellow-'men. And it is a fact, that the great men,ind rich men, the mighty and merchants ofthe earth, are waxing rich by means oi' the*favors obtained, and privileges granted them'bythe civil and ecelesiastical powers in thelcountries where they reside. See the " cornlaws " of England, the " toll laws " ofWales, and in many other countries; the°"tithe taxes " of Ireland, and the "banking"-and company privileges in our own andevery other country-giving the rich andiavored classesflawful powers to take unlawfulgain-making "the rich richer and theown smtesmen.poor poorer"-»-as say yourHow literally has this verse been fulfilled infourduy. See James v. 1, 8.4. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying,"Come out of het, my people, that ye be not partakers,af h|arsins,'and that ye receive mmofhu plagues.text is awarning voice from God~to_ his people ;-»-that when the governmentsof the 'world and the churches are seen"thus engaged in wronging and enslaving-the poor no favor the rich--when theyY are seenexpending their thousands' and'millions to make a show and gratify their»pi~ide, while millions of human beings arewuiferingl for their daily foodandthe breed

34of life,-to come out, and have nofellowshipeither with Church or State, lest when Godcomes out against them in his. righteousjudgments, we be found on the sideof theenemy, and therefore be made .partakersof the plagues God will send on the ungodly.For all these Satanic kingdoms andAnti-Christian churches will be carried away,will be found for them._and no place5. For her sins have reached unto heaven, andGod hath remembered her iniquities.Surely the present moment is one hiwhich the sins of the people are reaching toheaven. And God, remembering his oath,will not much longer delay his coming; andBabylon the Great will fall the second time,to rise no more forever.6. Reward her even as she rewarded you, anddouble unto her doubleaocording to her works; inthe cup which she hath filled, fill to her double.This, with the followingverses to the19th verse, shows the situation and punishmentthe false Church will receive, betweenthe first and second fall, when she will beutterly destroyed. She is now receiving herreward from the hands of the kings and nationsof the earth. As she had made waragainst kings, and asthey had depended on

A35,her for their political existence, so now theyhave made w'a.r.agiinst~her,and have robbedher of her power and territory; and sheéis a,dependanton'kings for her existence,lbbth political and ecclesiastical-heing supportedby Austrian bayonets.7. How much she hath glorified herself and liveddeliciously,so much torment and sorrow give her _;for she saith in her heart, I sit a.queen, and am nofwidow, and shall see no sorrow.'She has glorified her earthly power, shethas lived deliciously among the kings,-~once commandi a revenueequal to anyother kingdom iiiilurope, and is now a poorbankrupt,as to her ,national resources. Shepretended to be the queen of heaven, the onlyCatholic Church, against which the gates of'hell should never prevail; but behold hernow, a desolate beggar at the feet of kings,-a fewning hypocrite among the political-daughters.8. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day,death, and mourning, and famine; and 'she *shall betutterly burned with fire 1 for strong is ihe Lord Godvvholjudgeth her.-Then her-next fail 'wil eomeuponf hersuddenly, "in one day," and death perha ,dn every shape; uiourningyfamine, and fesviillhe hm' -eternal destruction, for

arm'of' the Al-be done--by the strongmighty God she will be finally judged.9. And the kings ofthe earth who hue commixtodfornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail`her, and lament for her, when they shall see thesmoke of her burning.Before she is "burned, while the smoke isascending, between the first and second fall,the kings of the earth political rulers, whohave committed fomication with her, havebeen the means of favoring her claims, andhave received help to power and office byher influence, will, when they see the smoke,or evidences of the loss of her influence,bewail and lament for her: for this is her tormentand sorrow, to lose her influence overthe minds and consciences of the commonpeople.10. Standing afar oil' for the fear of her torment,saying, Alas, alas! that great city Babylon, thatmighty city ! for in one hour is thy judgmentcome.The rulers will not dare to come outopenly and boldlyto favor the Church ofRome ; but will stand afar oil] for fear of thecommon people, and the loss of influence,which is her present torment; but will cry,Alas, alas! that great city of the union ofChurch and State-that mighty combination

`87to obtain poweroverour fellows! 'For thehour is come, and is already manifest, whenreligion will no longer be used as a steppingstone to earthly power, and to enslave theminds of the freemen in Christ.ll. And the merchants of the earth shall weepand mourn over her; for no manbuyeth their merohandiseany more.The merchants are the greatmen of theearth, see 23d verse. These shall weep andmourn over this mighty engineto deceivemen in morals as well as in politics, becauseof the loss of its powerover theirminds ; for men will not be deceived by hersorceries any more, "For by thy sorcenkaswere all nations deceived." See last clause22d verse.12. The merchandise of gold, and silver, and pre~cious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, andand silk, and scarlet, and all thyne wood, and apurple,l mannervessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of mostprecious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble.13. And cinnamon, and odors, and ointments, andfhmkincense, and wine, and oil, and fine Bout, andwheat, and beasts, and sheep, and bones, and chariots,and slaves, and souls of men.14. And the fruits that thy soul lusted after, arede arted from thee, and all thingsaus which were goodlyare departed from thee, and thoudainiysh tlind them no more at all.These are a description of the merchan-

. . izr~38disc in which this false church will be engaged,thus showing clearly that her treasuresare on earth rather than in heaven. Whenwe read over this catalogue of merchandise,and review the apparent condition of theProtestant churches at the present day, wecannot tell where to find the true church,-if these are the marks of a false church.It is no wonder ourgreatmen feel so anxiousto get this book, (the Revelation) condenmedas spurious,or to make it an eni a.That these texts are to be understood élrerally,as they read, I can have no doubt; forthey are nowhere explained in the Bible asfigures. They show that where a church islusting atler these earthly things, she hasbecome false to her Lord, and may properlybe called a harlot; and they go to show, thatin the end all her earthly treasures will betaken from her, and the church willjstandnaked and ashamed before God ,iii Judg-IIIBIIL~.ff 1 ,|1.',»-.15. 'Hia merchant! of these things which weremade rich by her, shall stand afar ok] for the thu ofher torment, weeping and wailing.These merchants arethegreatmen of theearth, who have made themselves, by fraudand deceit, rich in this world's goods,'wliowill 'standoff efrom this~worldly1and~lpecu-.li

39lating church when they seeher fall, for fear of her torments.the tokens ofAt thepresent day, many of the men of the worldwould be ashamed to be found in the feastsand fairs of some of our churches. Yetthey weep and wail when any of the memberscome out of the rotten ship.16. And saying, Alas,alas! that great city thatwas clothed in tine linen, and purple, and scarlet, anddecked witn gold, and precious stones, and pearls !17. For in one hourso great riches is come toAnd every ship master, and all the companynought.in ships, and sailors, and asmany as trade by seastood afar oiil'The mengreat of the earth and the richmen, will mourn and lament for the downfallof the Church of Rome. In anotherplace, Rev. xvii. 16, it says they will hatethis same church, and make her desolate,&c. Why this contradiction? I answer:they hate her nile over them, and the degradationthey suffer under her sway; butthey only want her power to enslave others,and are only coveting the same rule whichthey hate in her. Yet in destroying herrule and power, the commonpeople mustbe undeceived, which in the end operatesagainst themselves ; and when the peoplelearn their rights in the one case, they willunderstand them in the other; and when the

40kings and great men were purposingito obtainthe power of Papacy for themselves,the people discovered the mode of keepingit from both. Let me show a case in point.A few years since, our Protestant divineswere loud and strong against the Papacyfor suppressing the Bible from the commonpeople, and compellingmen to come to theirPriests for an understanding of the Scriptures.The people learned their rights, andbeganto read and understand for themselves.And what do we hear from our ProtestantPriests now? One"says, How dare Mr.Miller attempt to explain the Bible, seeing"he understands neither Hebrew nor Greek?"Another, We advise Mr. Miller to gohome to his farm, and let alone the expoundingthe Scriptures unto them thatunderstand Bible exegesis." Still another,"IfMr. Miller had been brought up a soberChurchman, he would have gone to his.Bishopto expound the Scripture for him."Still another, "It is very impolite for ladiestostudy the Old or New Testament."These are samples of the perfect iliéonsistenciesof our would be great men. 'limegreatsecret is, they covet andworldly gain dpowerfor themselves, eplore .theloss of power and hate the persons "whopossess it. 'i'hus it is with all classes ofworldly men.

..._.,_.-~4118. And cried, when theysaw the smoke of herburning, saying, What city is like imto this greatcity.19. And they cast dust on their heads, and cried,weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas! that greatcity, wherein were made rich all that had ships inthe sea, by reason of her oostliness! for in one houris she also made desolate.Here is a continuation of the same mourn-for the loss~of the World's honors andinggoods ; and the present troubles in theItalian tates prove, and show plainlythat the hour of her dissolution is at hand.Therefore God calls upon his people to20. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and I6plpostles holyand prophets ; for God hath avenge you onerr.For the last and final fall of this falsechurch, with all other Anti-Christian power,has now come; also the vengeance of God isextended,and the last plague and indignationpoured out.21. And amighty angel took up a stone like a.great mill-stone,and cast it into the sea., saying, Thuswith violence shall that great city Babylon, be throwndown, and shall he found no more at all.This verse shows how it' will be done ,-like agreat millstone into the seasinkingwith violence-like amighty earthquake-.,¢-¢»--

42like the dashing in pieces of a potter's yessel,Psalm ii. 9-like a stone breaking inpieces the image, Daniel ii. 34-see Rev.xvi. 18 to 21.22. And the voice of harpers, and musicians, andof pipers and trumpeters, shall be heard no more atall in thee ; and no craftsman, ofwhatsoever crah hebe, shall be found any more in thee; and the soundof a mill~stone shall be heard no more at all in thee ;23. And the light of a candle shall shine no moreat all in thee; and the voice of a bride room andof the bride shall be heard no more at ah in thee;for thy merchants were the great men of the earth;for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.These verses show us the effect of God'sfinal judgment and indignation upon theearth; for the great city Babylon meaningthe Church of Rome, had corrupted thewhole earth, by her abominations, her fornications,her sorceries, and breach of God'sordinances and laws, by her riches and power.Therefore the voice of music would nomore be heard in her revels, nor in herpalaces, nor in her idolatrous. temples. Nocraftsman of any craft would ever be thereto make her costly robes of orpurple scarletdye. The sound of her machinery wouldno more be heard. The light of the candle,nor the voice of the bridegroom and bride,all of merriment would cease forever. The

43reasons assigned"are, That her merchantsare the greatmen of the earth," and ofcourse when the earth is renovated, none ofthe men of the earth, who have laid up theirtreasures on earth, will be there. The meekonly will inherit the earth. When thewicked are cut off thou shalt see it, saysthe Psalmist, Psalm xxxvii. 34. David sawthis same power, Psalm xxxvii. 35 and 36.Compare this with 20th and 21st vs. in thechapter we are "considering. For by thysorceries were all nations deceived." Itdoes not say all of all nations were deceived,but it must mean apartwere deceived outof all nations.-And what may be consid=eredas acorroborating fact, is, that the Romanchurch claims adherents and subjectsin every known nation on the globe. Thispassage then, cannot apply to any otherchurch under heaven; for there is no otherchurch in one body that pretends to, or canclaim converts among all nations. And ifthe character we have been trying to understandin these chapterswe have thus farcommented on,» is not the Roman church,then there must be another exactly like it onthis earthly ball. You may saythat someof the Protestant churches are as fond ofpoweras the Catholics, are as full of merchandise,and as fond of show, and love---->-__T-

mind earthly things,44and make slaves of bodiesand souls of men, as do the Catholics.This may be all true, and for aught I cantell, they may be harlots, or daughters ofthe old mother, yet the marks given cannotall apply to oneany Protestant church.Do not, you enquire, the Protestantchurches break the laws of God by theirtraditions? Yes. Do theynot worshiptheir idols as well as Romans? Yes, if youplease to have it so. Where' then is theI answer: she rulesfailure? you enquire.overkings. But does not the Episcopalchurch rule over the king?No.The Kingor Queen rules over the church. Even theyoung Queen Victoria is now the head ofthat church. And no Protestant churchhas reigned over anyAgain, another mark:king or kingdom.-24. And in her was found the blood of propheS,and of saints, and of all that were slain upon theearth.This then is a mark in which we cannotbe mistaken. I defy the mengreat of theearth to show an instance .in the historyof the world, where any church, callingitself Christian, since the days of Christ,has had the power of life and death,even in civil authority, but the church of

45Rome; and in her may be found the bloodof nearly or quite fifty milliohs of the humanrace, who dird for their religion.--I have been truly astonished, of late, tohear and see our Protestant divines tryingto provethat this Church of Rome is notthe woman on the scarlet colored beast.--But to me it must be a certainty, that therecan be no other; and if the Roman churchis the womanspoken of in these chapters,we must be near t.he close of our world'shistory. We must be within the first andsecond fall of Babylon. Every thing isfulfilled that is here prophecied of, exceptthe last thing, the overthrow and the finalfall and destruction of all her earthlypower and possessions. The kings havehated her, they have taken away her powerover themselves, they have spoiled her goodsand bumed her palaces, they have brokendown her prisons and demolished her nunneriesthey have made her that made kingstremble at her nod, now become a crouchinghypocrite at the feet of kings, pleading forher pretended birthright, which she acknowfledges is wrested from her by the kingsthe ,French Revolution. Where then areWe," pro ,hetic chronol ? I ab'ure you,res,£r, answer thggciuestion lor yourself.Let nothing hinder you If time hasin

46nearly run out, as the writer verily believes,how is' the case between God andyour soul? Has not the cry gone forthfrom every Christian"land, Behold thebridegroom cometh, go ye out to meethim ?" Did youever see or hear such acry before, such a searching of Scripture,such amoving of mind from every land,such fearful forebodings ofthe hypocrites inevery sect, so little good sense used by ouropponents in their soarguments, muchskepticism and Gemian Neology, ridiculeand scofling,as the opposers of this cryuse? Yet what has been the effect ? Theeditors of ourreligious periodicals have refusedto give our reasons. Denunciation,falsehood, bombast and ridicule, have beentheir common weapons of attack. But theyhave fallen harmless at our feet.Nothingcan be more evident than that God is onour side. What l a few ignorant fanaticsraise such a cry, that scores of ourgreat,learned, doctorated men of science, puffedand lauded by every penny paper in theland, with all their skill and tact in argument,have never been able to startapillaror remove a landmark ! Surely myfriend, you will examine these things; and ifwill not, you cannot, youthey are so, youdare not fall to sleep and let that come upon

47you unawares, for which all Second Adventbrethren are looking, and waiting, andwatching-the Day ofthe Lord. Oh fly!poor sinner, fly!! Staynot in all theplain! Awake, awake! your life and soulis all at stake. No harm to watch-allmen acknowledge this. Be ready then.And maywe all be watching when ourLord may come, and then receive him withthe grand response: This is our God, wehave waited for him, and he will save us."WM. MILLER.July 12, 1844.2

_-o,LiDISSERTATIONSON'THE TRUE INHERITANCEor THE SAINTS,LID 'IEETWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYSOF DANIEL AND JOHN;wrt!,' AN ADDRESSTonufwmmummennuuwniulnlAnvnnr uxAn....ii--1BI WILLIAM KILLER.B 0 S T 0 N :PUBLISHED BY JOSHUA V. HIMES,14 Dovonuhlrs Suomi..1842.

_'-.CONTENTS.l. Till uv: lxslnrutrcl 0l'.1'lll Snnrre,. .P°¢Y2. Dulinrnrlox ox 'rx-in Twnvm HUNDRID .umSuxrv Dun or Dnuzx. nw Junx,.. .The beginning of the little horn, or Pnptcy,.The end of papal dominion,.. . .Two witnesses clothed in sackcloth 1260 .days,The 1260 days of the churhh in the .wilderness,I0I4814751I. "6l1l.|l 'Annnneor 'fill Conirnmxci or B:-. Lnvnn u¢_ Tlll Snoosn Anvxsf nun,nlua rr Law Hnlrros, N. Y., Nov.. _ . _ . .2-s,1a41,The int and second denth explained,.., »'~..-|'l.4

'PREFATORYREMARKS.Dan Bttornnt Hnnzs :-I send youa few thoughts forpublication on the text, Matt. v. 5: "Blessed are the meelr,for they shall inherit the earth," with a dissertation onthe |260 days of Daniel and John. on this latter articleI have nothing to say, except to invite the critical examinationof the students of prophecy who oppose the theoryI advocate, and to show, if they can, that these propheticperiods did not end in 1798.My object in the first article, you will readily perceive,is to try, if possible, to get some of our brethren of thespiritual reign, and also those of the English view, tolook at the promises of God in their proper light; and,if possible,to save some of them from preaching a doctrinewhich flatters the camal heart with the idea of afuture peace and safety, andprevents many a carelessand unwary soul l'romseeing the awful danger they arein, promising themselves a long time to come, when sud#den destruction is at the door.Two ideas I hope our brethren will weigh well beforetheygo about deceiving souls, as I do most solemnly andsincerely believe their doctrine is calculated to do.1., Is this, promise made to all the redeemed; oronlyto those who may live in. some age of the present evilworld? I hope some of the advocates of the spiritualreign, will answer this question honestly and fairly. Didthe disciples who heard Christ, do right in believing inthis promise for theniselves? or did they understand theSavior to refer to some of the meek who might live insome after age? And, if so, would it not be right toapply all the promises of this chapter to the people livingin one age only? Again, if the meek are only to inherit

Vivrnernonr nsrunxs.the earth, how can the carnal Jew, and the as cu-nal hesI cannot believe thatthen, inherit it at the same time?those wicked Jews will be joint heirs with Christ and themeek.Iwould also inquire if this inheritance is not at thesame time that Daniel speaks ot] when the saints possessthe kingdom, under the whole heaven. Daniel vii. 22, 27:"Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment wasgiven to the saints of the Most High; and the time camethat the saints possessed the kingdom., And the kingdomand dominion, and the' greatness of the kingdom uuderthe whole heaven, shall be given to the people of thesaints ol' the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlastingkingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him."2. If the text, Matt. v. 5, " Blessed are the meek, for thqshall inherit the earth," is to be understood asbelonging tothe millennium day before the resurrection, then all thepromises contained in Matt.,v. 3-12, mustbe construed tomean the same time, by the same rule. If so, how canthe promise, Matt. v. 10, Il, "Blessed are they which arepersecuted for Jighteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdomof heaven; blessed are ye when men shall revileyou, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evilagainst you falsely, for my sake," be fulfilled? Canthere be persecution for righteousness' sake, when thesaints possess the kingdom under the whole heaven!Will men revile you, and persecute you, and say all mannerof evil against you falsely, for Christ's sake, in thismillennium? No. Then if these persecuted brethrenhad died before this day came, how canthey possess thekingdom on earth, except theyrise from their graves?Who, then, can claim this promise? Not those who livein this millennium; for they are not persecuted. Nor

»Wu.YKEIATOIY lllllli.Vthose who live before this day; for theyare dead. Who,then, shall possess the kingdom of God, under the wholeheaven? and who are the meek, to inherit the earth!Iboldly and fearlessly say, such a millennium as ouropponents ofthe second advent present, is impossible tohe realized in the earth, before Chrlst's coming, and theresurrection of the just. I challenge the world to showus how these thingscan be.If Christ is nt the door, and the time has come when"he will thoroughly purge his floor," and when he "willburn up the chati' with unquenchable fire," will it not bean immense detriment to the world of mankind to flatterthem with a long time of peace and safety, when suddendestruction is coming upon them? 0 ye servants of theMost High, beware what you teach!Where has Christ taught such a millennium as youteach? Put your fingeron the place, and tell me where!I ask one text, one passage; in the name of my Master, Iask you where? Give me none of your greatmen as authority,none of your wise sayings,no vain philosophy,no commandments of men; but the plain word of God.Where is your proof I Souls arehanging upon yourskirts; you cannot slumber safely. There has a cry goneforth:"Watchman! what of the night? Watchman!what of the night?" We adjure you by the living God,that you tell us the truth. You profess to be teachers;0 teach as with the wisdom of God, and not of men:You call yourselves pastors; feed us, then, with the richpromises of God,from the fathers.rather than vain traditions receivedWe ask for " bread ;" give us not " a stone."nmn, JM. 1, 1842.1*Munn.

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THE TRUE INHERITANCE OF THESAINTS.H.u"r|1xw 1. 5 :-L-" Blessed are the meek: for they lhlllinharilthe earth."So says the dear Savior, and so said theHoly Spirit by the sweet inpsalmistIsrael!This then is a promise of God, by hisSpirit, piven and ratified by his Son esus Christ.Who then will say, this promise will neverbe consummated? Many, my kind readerhave said what is tantamount to a denial oilthis promise,The kings of the earth have opposed it,and will aslong as the devil is prince of thepower of the air, and ruler over the childrenof disobedience in the earth. The great menand mighty men of the earth, have, and willoppose this glorious promise,solongas theworld is govemed by physical force, andwar, rapine, and lust are the instruments ofpower. The proud clergy will oppose thisasgood promise, long as they seek to pleasemen, tb lord it over the heritage of God, 'to'obtain notoriety over their fellows;or togratify their lust by sanctimonious names ofor an unbelief in its fulfilment.* kdm nxvii. il.

_I.-l8 THE TRUE INHERITANCB_titles, which our Savior forbade his followersto receive,or wear.All impenitents will oppose it, so long asthey possess reason or judgment: for theywell know if none but the meek should inheritthe earth, they themselves must bethrust out: and this is the veryreasonwhya certain class of men neverquote this textto prove universal salvation; because theirreason tells them that shame would mantletheir cheek with ablush, to claim this appellationfor all men.Then _let me discuss my subject in thefollowing order:I WiLLINQUIRE, Wuo ARE 'runMEEK?II. EARTH_Wanis rnomsnn AS 'rasrn INnemnucs?AND WHEN, .mn How,'rms ausssmoWILL st: AccoMrusx~usn'lI. Wuo Ass 'rim Manx? Theyare not thewho think themselves betterproud Pharisees,than others; for this would be a contradictionof terms. To saya proud man is ameek man, would be putting evil fbr good,and I should meet with the wopronouncedby the prophet Isaiah, (V. 20,) "'Vo untothem that say concerning evil, it is good."And the wise mansays, Proverbs xvi. 54"Everyone that is proud in heart, is anabomination to the Lord." ,It cannot be abigoted man; for the prophet has pronounceda,_solemn wo against all such. "Isaiah'v. 21 :Wo unto them that are wise in their owneyes, and prudent in their own sight."

"'or 'rn smrrs. 9It cannot be those who areseeking honorof men,or one of another; for Christ says of"such, But I know you, that ye havenot the love of God in yon." lt cannot bethose who are`fond of titles, love the uppermostrooms at feasts, chief seats in the assemblies,greetings in the markets, and to becaUed of men Doctor, Doctor, or Rabbi,Rabbi; for Jesus says of the like, "Yeserpents, ye generation of vipers! how canye escape the damnation of hell?" Matthewxxiii. 1-23. Who then can it be? youmay inquire; for there is no sect in Christendom,at the present day, but are seekin forthe honors and emoluments of the work? Iacknowledge your charge is apparently just,but not universally true. As it respects theleaders and most active men, as t e worldwould judge, in all the sects of Christendom,I fear your objection would hold good in themain; and the reason is plain: meekness ismodesty; it "vaunteth not itself, is notpuffed up;" and, of course, in the bustle ofthepresent day, meekness would not befoun _in the world's first ranks. It is onlyin a time of severe trial, or great persecution,that you will discover the meek man inthe front rank; and then he "doth not behaveunseemly, seeketh not his own, is noteasily provoked, thinketh no evil."Therefore, not many mighty, nor manynoble, or rich, will be fotmd in the companyof the meek, in such a time as this. Yet

'1,0'ms rum mmm-unc:.God has reserved, in my opinion, more thanseven thousand, who have not bowed theknee to Baal, (the god of honor.) But, whoare the meek? I answer, Christ wasmeek,as he tells us: "Take my yoke upon you,and learn of me; for I am meek and lowlyin heart, and ye shall find rest to yoursouls." Again; "Behold thy king comethunto thee, meek," ow. Christ, also, hasthe samepromise from the Father, Psalmii. 8: "Ask of me, and I shall give thee theheathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermostparts of the earth for thy possession."The children, which are born of the Spiritof God, are meek, because they possess thesamespirit which was in Christ. Isaiahxxix. 19: "The meek also shall increasetheir joy in the Lord, and the poor amongmen shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel."Those who aregiven to Christ by theFather, are called the meek. Psalm xxii.26, 30, 31:"The meek shall eat and bewtisfied: they shall praise the Lord thatseek him.: _your heart shall live for ever.A _seed shall serve him; it shall beaocountedto the Lord for a generation. Theyfshallcome, and -shall declare his righteousnessunto a people that shall be born, that hehath done this." Those who obey the commandmentsof God.Psalm xxv.9, 10: "'1'heand themeek will he guide in judgment:meek will he teach his way. All the pathsof the Lord aremercy and truth unto such

or 'nm smrrs. 11as keep his covenant and his testimonies."Those who obtain salvation through faith,and are saved from wrath in the day ofthe Lord's vengeance. Psalm lxxvi. 9:"When God arose tojudgment, to saveall the meef°of the earth." In one word,the -meek arepenitent, humble followersof Christ--obedient in word and doctrineof a-lovers of truth and righteousness,contrite aspirit, broken heart, and a reconciled-mind to God; a poor and a persecutedpeople, hated by the world, despisedof men, but chosen of God, and precious.And now, my friend, where shall we goto find suchfa aspeople this? There is asomewhere on the earth that will an-peopleswer tothe description of character given usby our blessed Master in Matthew v. 3-12,inclusive, or the promise of God would beof no effect. What sect, or denominationshall we -visit, to find a people of thisdescription 'P Let us go to the Baptist,--a secttotwhich the writer belongs. What do we see Z1A people "poor in spirit? "If so, they aremaking great eforts not to remain so muchlonger; for they are seeking anxiously for agood share of worldlvy goods and _popularapplause, and are very successful in theircalling, ln those things. Do they "mourn?"'Yes, for the want of more riches andhonors of this world. Are they "'meelc?'?-Manot' them would' blush toclaim thatappeilation.Do they "hungerand thirst

'»I2I'ras 'nun nmxnrnscsafter righteousnessl" I fear many, verymany of us, are hungering and thirstingafter the wisdom of the world, and to favortyrants and slaveholders, more than to seekrighteousness and truth. Will they showmercy? Not if you dilfer wi!H them in theleast article of their creed, or oppose theleast of their po ular schemes of the presentday. But are they not pure in heart 'l Darethey claim this grace? No; unless a mancan claim it, while his heart is full of selflove,a love of the world, and pride, avariciousness,and covetousness. Surely you willgive them some as apraisesect. Are theynot -acemakers; and may they not becallerthe children of God 'l They make nopeace with one another, nor with othersects, if they cross their path. They pleadfor, and support war as a sect; and I wouldbe very thankful to know in what sensethey can be called peacemakers at the presentday. Are they not "persecuted forrighteousness' sake 2" If they are, then to bepersecuted, is not what 'l have supposedpersecution meant: but this, as aeect, theywill not, dare not claim. ,"Blessed are ye, when men shall revileyou, and persecute you, and shall say allmanner of evil against you falsely for mysake." May they not claim this blessing asa sect? Where is the world saying all mannerof evil against the Ba isis? If weshould claim this, the world would havereason to call usliars,

'~Stall'o1¥_ 'rss ssnvrs.lgTo what sect shall wego, where we mayEnd tYre'meek'! To Presbyterians? No, no,say all the' other sects, they cannot be themeek; for they are much more anxious toobtain good names from men, and honorsof the world. Yes, yes,none seek for thesethings more. They cannot be the meek.And if we could give them the preference,still there is a difficulty,we cannot well surmount;-there are two' parties there; anduntil they make peace, we could not call themmeek; I' refer to' the old school, and the newschool.Where shall We find the meek? for theymust inherit the earth. Shall we find themin thé Church of England?Methinks Ihear afushy' rind, all the other sects cryout, at Gnce, no,= no. Why, what's the matternow? Shame, shame, to call them meek.They d'o not even pretendto have theirmembers all born of the S irit; and if pride,and the love of the wor{)d, and alove ofthe honors from men, and the high-sotmdingtitles, are opposed to meelmess, surelyyou cannot claim the world for them._we go and try the Methodist? MethinksI hear, from every other sect,no,no. They are as proud, and much moreselfish, than others of oursects; they lovethe world, ardlcovetbus, and boasters, and,in _common with modern sects, choose thehighest seats: we cttnnot, will not, calltHeth~Hheg'

`_I4ras 1-atm msanxnucsAnd, if we should go to any other sect,--toChristians, Freewill Baptists,ProtestantMethodist, Moravians, Disciples, Lutherans,Unitarians, Greeks, Quakers, Shakers, Mormons,Turks, or J evvs, we should hear a loudvoice,-no, no,-from every other sect.Where then can we find the meek? I answer,-fromthe four winds of heaven, fronteverycontinent, from. land and sea, fromevery age, from every clime, from everynation, kindred, tongue, and people,on ourglobe, from every sect, from Catholic andJew, from high and low, from rich and poor,from bond and free, from the ffair Georgianto the dark African: "For thou vvas slainand hast redeemed us to God by thy blood,out of every kindred, and tongue, andpeople, and nation." Not all, of anyclss, or orsect, nation, kindred, tongue,or people; but, out of every class;so saysthe text, and so my soul believes. "Andhast made us unto our God, kings ,andand we shall reignpriests,on the earth."velation v. 9, 10.But will not the earth be inherited by themeek before the resurrection of the saints?Nsvsn. Butl have been taught to believe, saysthe objector, that the time was coming, in thegospel day, when the meek would inheritthe earth; that is, the nations of the earthwould, at some time, all become holy,and constitute a universal race of the meek.This could not be "the meek," if such _a

_or'ma ssrxrs. 15statc of things could be brought about; itwould be onlya PART of "l/ze' meek."This promiseto the meek seems to me tobe a general promiseto all"the meek.",Did not the dear, meek children of God,who then heard the Savior speak, receivethat promise to themselves, with all theother promises in that chapter? Certainly.Then, if youare correct in your viewsthat only those who lived in that day willinherit the earth, you must see, that theyhave been deceived; for they have beendead neareighteen hundred years. And ifthat promise can be thus taken away fromthem vho heard him,»I ask, whatromisewas there given in that sermon,whicii mightnot, by the samerule,be taken away, andgiven to a people who may live in ages longto come? And what warrant have you,orI, that any promise belongs to us? l hopeyou see the folly of such constructions.Again; the promise to Abraham, "that heshould be heir of the world," was not toAbraham or his seed, through the law, butthough the righteousness oi? faith. I"or.ifthey which are of the law be heirs, faith ismade void, and the promise made of noneeffect. Therefore, it is of faith, that itmightbe by grace; to the end the promise mightbe sure to all the seed; not that only whichis of the law, hut to that also which is oftheIitith of Abraham, who is the father ot' usall. Romans iv. 13-16. You cannothelp

`t'llti-rms :aux mrnanrjrascxbut to see, that the promise to Abraham, .thathis seed should be heirs of the`world, isvirtually the same promise as made"byChrist, The meek shall inheritthe earth;"and this is made sure to all _the seed, bothunder the law and under the gospel. Howthen, 1 ask, can this promise be verifieduntil after the resurrection of all the saints?"For God is not a God of the dead, but olthe living."Again; if the meek are to inherit the_earthin -this state of things, I Wish some onewould prove to me which Christian sectwill be the favored sect; for there can be nodivision in that stat of meekness; they willall be peucemakers hiere. And you, gentlemen,who are in favor of such a millennium,and expect it to be brought about by thepresent gospel, and the means nov in luse,remiss in your duty, it appears to'p.re.veryme, if you do not settle that point immediately,and begin your ,millennium without amonient's de ay. ,lf ministers and ,watchmenever will seeeye to eye, in the gospelday, why not NOW? Come, show us the firstfruits of your happymillennium. And beginye watchmen in Zion; tell us, who shall leadns in this glorious cause, to _make all sectsone '! Shall the mother Catholic church ofRome lead us 2 No, no,-no pope, cry ahundred voices at once. Who then shalllead us,-her oldest daughter, the EnglishEpiscopal church? No,-fno bishops ioflzlug

''or tm: smrrs. 17land shall lead us, saya hundred voicesmore.To vhom then shall we look? The twinsister of the last, the Lutheran church?Ninety and nine voices join in one cry,-sheis dead, twice dead, and ought to be pluckcilup by the roots; this will not do.What do you say to some of her youngerfor instance?as well be ruleddaughters,-the Presbyterians,No, by no means; we mayby popes and- bishops as by.a presbytery.Indeed, gentlemen, you will be hardly suited.What do you say to the Congregationalistgrand-daughter of the old lady? Away, away,say many speakersat once. She is proud;too much pride for her years,-cannot bearher.Well, then, let us take another granddaughter,in another line. What say you tothe Methodist,-will you follow them '! No,no, she has too many bishops for her cloth,-not a little too roud, and over muchrighteous,-cannot iiollow her. Then let nstry some of the illegitimate daughters ;-theBaptists. See, see,a hundred noses are turnedup at once; all cry out,--it is an insult,-come from Munster, or nobody knows where,-tries to be rond, but makes a fool of herself;-sho'wsher bringing up,-low bred,-but loves to imitate her moreproud neighbors,'-she is puffed up, doting on smaller mattersof thelaw,--she has become vain in herimaginations;-thinking herself something,

'.}8'nnMy gygpagmc:she ,knows _not ,how others _lqokuppn her.We will not have her to rule over us._,Shallwe caU 'up the other sects, legitimate, orillegitimate? Scores of ,voices cry Qut ,atonce, name them not.Where then shall wego?The watchmenmust seeeye to eye, they must lift up theirvoices together. Come, tell us, to whomshall wego? To Christ,--so say you all;but is Christ divided? And if we should goto him, and be one in him, vqe must drop oursectarian natnes, and be called by a newname. What,-Christian? No. Why not?Bec_ause it is the name of a sect already.Away with that name then. Shall we becalled Unionists? .Are they not a sect, asdeep in _the mud as we are in the mire?They say we must all come to them. -Wecan have no fellowship for them; for theyare only makingnew divisions in our oldsects, to build up a new one _to benefit them-.selves. Ye believers in atemporal millgq-_nium, tell me how you calculate to bring onyourhaw time, and who will ruleearth? lic will be our king, and V110will set upon the throne of David foreverf!You are wellqaware, if the rneek_1nhem_tl5eearth, theyinnst have a king ,anda knig-,For_Qa`a,|eldoin, and it will stand forever."And k1I§-om and domi_nion, and t,_e greatness of theplainly tells us, (vii._27,¥`_kingdom, _under the whole -heaven, shall besiv¢n,t°r _the people °f,¢h° _Semis f9f,l-}A'?,M9§'

`,19r,:r'§g~M§=§1'¥~iven_High, .whose ki~49dom fis /ankingdorn, allpgqminionsrslrall ,everlastingVservc anobey him." Serve and obey whom! rl answer,the,L0rd ,Jesus Christ. _See verses II3and 14: "I saw in ,the ni ht visions, andbehold, one like the Son olgman 6211118Wllhthe clouds ,of heaven, and camet0_the Allcientof Days; and they bl'0U$hlbefore him.hlI{1 llfial'And there wasgiven him do-'minion, and glory, and a kingdom, that (themggk from)all people, nations. and laugnages,should servehim; his ,dominion isau' e{,e|-lasting dominion, which shall notpass away, _and his kingdom, that whichshall not be destroyed."Bur, says the objeetor, ,we read .thatChrist's reign must cease. [Corinthiansxv. 24-28: " Then cometh the _end, (viz., at'thc coming of Christ) when he shall _havedelivered up the (mediatorial) kingdom:tpGod, even ,the Father; when he shall haveput down all rule, and allpower." Tome, this is anthorigyandthe arnpuntof aul}sremarks: God has_ all.power onearth, into yhe hands o§.les_n§_Chr|st, _a.s,media§or,,,to,-grve,eterpallife to as ,many as theFather _has ,given him, or,as many as, shallibe1i,¢,ve'.pn his word ;' and when rhe"end _bfthis inqdi#r6rial,};iqgdo_m shall mme, =h¢,wiU,raise,h;s,chi|d|'er1, aadall the meek of theear|.h,f-"For he :mast reign,__until he,ha1,hput ,all enemies under his. feet, the _layenemy that shall be destroyed is death,"-tohim or the churqh: "for he is head," or

''~20rrri: imigitinucxking, "overall things to the'church;" thenhe ivill dash all the kingdoms of the earthtopieces; destroy all those wicked menwho rejected the gospel, and who would nothave him as mediator to ruleover them: andshall raise his church and present it to God,01'}VlIl101§.S[0l wrinkle, holy, unblameable111 his Sight- See Q Corinthians iv. 14,siansEphe-v. 27, Colossians i_. 22, Jude 24. '] henthe glorified kingdom will he given to JesusChrist, and he will be known as our Godforever; for "he is over all, God blessedforever." Romans ix. 5, Colossians iii. 11.See also Ephesians i. 22, 23: "And hathput all things under his feet, and gave himto be head over all things to the church'which is his body, the fulness of hirrr-thatfilleth all in all."But he will not raise thewicked until a thousand years after, saysthe objector. How then can he conquerdeath until the second _resurrectionl Theinconsistency is not in the Bible, of whichyou complain; it is in your understandingofit. Where has God,orChrist,or theBible everpromised to conquer death for thefinal impenitent '!* Show me the passage,and I will acknowledge the restorationist hassome ground for his faith; but I never couldfind the least promise, or hint ofanything of'thekind. But will you not admit, says the ob-Jfctor,that the vicked will arise from death 'Q'cs, I will admit it; or, which is the same° See page 66.

.or na SAIQIIS.QIthing, .I will admit theylive again in thejlcsli .but what has that to do with the suljoct?So far from death being conquered, theyare 'no sooner raised and judged, than they_are sent into the second death, which is apparentlymnch more awful and terriblethan any previous death; for from this deaththere is noreprieve. Well, then, will younot agree that theyare raised in Christ?No, I cannot; because it needs prooil Willyou not agree that they are ,raised by theof Christ 'lpower lwill; for all that arein their graves shall hear his voice and comeforth, they that have done good _to theresurrection of life, (death conquered) and_they that have done evil unto the resur~,rection ofdamnation (death eternal.) "'I`hou,didst cause judgment to be heard t`rom heaven;the earth feared and was still, whenGod arose to judgment, to save all the meekof the earth." Psalm lxxvi. 8, 9. "TheLord lifteth up the meek, he casteth thewicked down to the ground." Psalm cxlvii.6. The meek _are the penitent and humble,followers of Christ, who shall be saved in.the day ofthe Lord Jesus, and have part inthe first resurrection. Blessed, indeed, methe meek, for they shall inherit the earth."Thy people (the meek) also shall he allrighteous, they shall inherit the land forever."Isaiah lx. 21.Il. vl-lA'l' EARTH is rnomisen 'ro 'rms mask,asm ixnexiriixcel

22 'run 'mire mnsnrrxucxEarth, has a number of significations.(L) lt means the terraqueous globe, asin Gen.viii. 22: "VVhile the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summerand winter, and day and night, shall notcease." (2.) It means the land, as in Gen.i. ll): "And God called the dry 'land earth."It means the inhabitants of the earth,as in Gen. xi. 1": The whole earth was ofone language."I have an opinion that "the earlh" in ourtext means the globe which we inhabit.Man vas made to inhabit the globe; and ifthe devil canprevent this part of God's purposesfrom being executed, then so much ofthe design of the Almighty would be frustrated.But he cannot do it: for Jesus Christhas engagedto redeem the earth from thecurse, rand fill the world with fruit of theholy seed: "the meek shall inherit the earth."indications of hisAnd already he has givenpower to do what he has engaged to perform.First ; he has proved his power to forgiveand cleanse penitents from sin, on earth.This even his enemies acknowledged he did;for they brought it as an accusation againsthim. Mark ii. 7, 10: "Why doth this manthus speak blasphemies? Who can forgivesins but Got] only?" Then Christ says,"But that, ye may know that the ,Son ofman hath poweron earth toforgive sins."This is onegreat step towards executingthis glorious purpose and promiseof God.

_-OF_ THE SAINTS.Secondly ; he has manifested his power toconquer death, by raising Lazarus and others,and afterwards taking his own life again;showing that he has power to raise up allthe meek of the earth. If this could nothave been done, then death would have heldus in bondage; and how could the meekinherit the earth? For we must havebodies to inherit the body of the earth,and substance to inherit substance. Therefore,two important hindrances to our inheritingetheearth are removed by the manifestedpower Of Christ. Another power isalso necessary to be used in order to ensurethe happiness of the meek. T/iirdly; evilspirits must be driven out of the earth, orthe meek might be liable to deception anderror, which would till the earth with confusionand despair: but in this Christ hasproved his power, by casting out a. legion ofevil spirits from one man, and many out ofothers, and driving them into the sea, anddoing as he pleased; showing that in due timehe would be able to chain Satan and his host,that they come not upon the earth to troubleor deceive the meek.Fourlizly; he must cleanse the earth, inorder to make the place of their residence glorious.This has been once done by water.And as Peter tells us, (2 Peter iii. 6, 7',)"Whereby the world that then was, beingoverflowed with Water, perished;but theheavens and the earth which_are now,Aby

iy.I_'iffV''nm -ratni mdrrixcxtlile sarrfe word'érif }5lnVer} are kent in Qtore,reserved' unto reagainst the day of jitdgmentand perdition of ungodly men," afthe coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, withall his saints. Some say this buming day isnot fo' be until after a thousand years' reigno'l` the saints on the earth. l must differfrom such ; for I can sec no object in bumingthe earth after the meek _have inherited it athousand years, and after the new heavensand new eart_h are created. _knowv yourobjection; for you say,-thenew heavetis andare nbt created until after thenew _earththousand years' reignl Bnt that needs prooiAnd one thingvis certain, this thousand yearsisthe.iu_Hegreat sabbath of rest spoken of by Pauland Paul tells tts that1-9;when this day of rest shall corhe, and wheriChrist hath en'tered into his fest, he willcease from his labors, as God did from his;and if Christ has riot created the new heavensand new carth', then how can he ceafrom his labors? For he says, "Beholilsicreate new heavens and a new earth." Iszi.liv. 17419;Again ; Peter says, Epistle iii; l3,)"Nevertheless we, according to hisisé,"i¥Who'seChrist's. &rom-herehas hepromisé J§r'or'nise'l'} Matt. v. 3412:_"Blessing_are' the _meek " &»c.-L"look for `new heavenand new eatin, wherein dwelleth righteousness,A"itheofthe earth. Also (He xiéviþÿ J e r u s ' is £ 1" o'1¥ `the édrth thi!

or rn smrrs. 23sand years. See Rev. xx. 9:" And they wentup on the breadth ofthe earth, and compassedthe camp of the saints abolrt, and the belovedcity: and fire came down from God out ofheaven, and devoured them." Will that bebumed up? But it is evident that God willcleanse the world by Iire, before he reignswith his saints, or the meek, on earth. SeeMatt. iii. 12 : "Whose fan is in his hand,and he will thoroughly purge his floor, (theearth,) and gather his 'wheat'(children ofthe kingdom) into the garner: (New Jerusalem)but he will burn up -the chaff (thewicked!! with unquenchable fire." This iseviden y the sameburning. day that Peterdescribes as at the coming of Christ. 2 Peteriii. I0-12: " But the day of the Lord willoomeasa thief in the night; in the whichthe heavens shall pass away with a greatnoise, and the elements shall melt with fer~vent heat; the earth also, (ormen of theshall be bumtearth,) and the works therein,upf'Not the globe; for if Peter had meantthe globe, there would have been no proprietin mentioning the works in the globe,age: the globe itself was burnt. "Seeingthen that all these things shall berdissolved,what manner of persons ought ye to be in all,holy conversation and godliness." Themeek are not yet the inheritors of the earth ;,for it is the present inhabitants that are commandedto be" Looking lbr and hastxngIIIIID the eomingof 'the dqr of Gnd, whenetn3

M'ms :rum nmssrrmcsthc heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved,and the elements shall melt with ferventheat." The elements of the 'earth are air,tire and water; these. will be so overpoweredhy tire,as to melt with fervent heat.As water once overpowered the earth, anddestroyed all living from the face of it,except those who were preparedfor it.;sowill firetheoverpowerearth, and hnrnup all living, that hafve not the "form ofthe fourth" with them. Arid after that,the heavens and earth will be new as theywere after the flood. And the meek willinherit the earth forever. Onemore evidence1 will bring, that the wicked mustlie cnt off from the earth before the meekshall inheritit. Psalm xxxvii. l0,ll: "Foxyet alittle while and the wicked shall notbe; yea, thou shalt diligently consider hisplace, and it shall not be. But the meekshall inherit the earth, and shall delightthemselves in the abundance of lnpeace."this passage we are clearly taught thatwhen the meek inherit the earth, there willhe no wicked on the earth. Then this musthe after Ghrist's coming; for Paul tells ns, 2'l'hess. ii. 8: "And then shall that wickedbe revealed, whom the Lord shall consumewith the spirit of' his mouth, and shall destroywith the of hisbrightness coming."So it will be to findimpossibleany timebetween now and the coming of Christ, butthere will he wickedon the earth; and after-

or 'ma sauna. 21wards, you shall diligently search for hisplace o|| earth, and it cmmot he found.there then is the temporal millennium!Or where shall we lind the nncouvertedJew or wicked heathen in this reign of themeek? for thou shall diligentlycousider hisplace»and it shall not be. Again;Psalmxxxvii. 22:"For sttch as be blessed of himshall inherit the earth; and they that becttrsed of him shall be cnt off." Blessedare the meek, says the dear Savior.Again,the Lord and keep his_verse 34: "Wait onway, attd he shall exalt thee to inherit theland :when the wicked are cut ofll thou shaltsee tt." What shall we see 'l We shall seethe meek inherit the land, when the wickrdarecntotli And when shall that be? l~`nnl"says, Whom the Lord shall destroy by thebrightness of his coming." David says,"verse 38: But the transgressors shall hedestroyed together: the end of the wickedshall he cut off." Christ tells tts, Matt, xiii."Let. both grow together tmtil the har-30:vest.; and in the time ol' the harvest I willsay to the ,reapers, gather yea together tirstthe tares, and bind them in httndles to bumthem; hut gather the wheat into my barn."How exactly all the Scriptures harmonizein this view of our subject!And lakeany other view, and dillicttlties meet us inevery step. 1 would ask, arewhymen solunth to look at our subject!.the dear servants of Christ 'putAnd why dcod' the exam-

'¢`28'mx 'nun ntmzarnucsination of this subject until it will be forevertoo late? I asadjure you, you love myMaster, as you love souls, as you love truth,examine these precious promises. If l amcorrect, you certainly must see that the doctrineof a .temporal millennium,or of theJews' return, are and- will be the cause oflinking thousands to endless ruin. I knowyou preach immediate repentance, and Ithank you; may God bless you in sodoing:bitt you know the human heart is as proneto put off repentance,'as it is death; and youare well aware that some of ourneighborsand friends reject every motive you canplace before them concerning duty,or death.I'heymean to repent before they die; theyexpect to die, but not now. Therefore theyare not ready to repent'or die. Now, sayyou, preach as Paul did, a judgment to come.Poh! say they; you need not try to alarm uswith that stale doctrine: you say that wemust have a thousand years yet, before thejudgment; or the Jews must return, and buildold Jerusalem again;or Christ must comeand live on earth a thousand years before hedestroys the wicked.These are somany shields to ward offbecome to thepresent necessity, and theypoor, blind sinner, peace and safety, althoughyou design it not. Yet if it should be false,think, my dear brethren, do think, whatawful consequences will actually follow. Itfan do youno harm to examine; truth is9

or 'rat smrrs. 29what you want; you want no error,-it willdo no good.A certain impenitent man, in al placewhere l was givinga course of lectures,went to the minister of the place, and cnqniredof him what he thought of Mr. Miller'slectures, and especially consenting -thethousand years' millennium before Christwould come. 'I`he minister answered him,by saying, " Mr. Miller has taken away mymillennium, root and branch." "Well, doyou not suppose the Jews must return andbe converted!" "I have also been shakenfrom that belief," said the minister. He saidthe poor man dropped his head, turned pale,and after a moment's redection, observed,"then'Mr. Miller may be right, and I nmgone." May you, my dear reader, find_ ashottest a minister as the one l have _lustmentioned; and if areyouin a lost condition,may you cry to God, "l am gone,"and find one to help when you shall be indeep trouble. Amen.3|

~`-DISSERTATION ON THE TWELVEHUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS, BYDANIEL AND JOHN.-¢-any-npI-r is very evident to every Bible student,.that "time, times and a half§" "forty-twomonths," '_' and one thousand two hundredand threescore days," mean the samelengthnf time, 'in the prophecies of Daniel andJohn. And although they apply to differentthin , yet they have been, and will all befuliizd in the sameperiod of time.I shalltherefore take up the several places-wheretlieywoccur, and showss well as I can, byScripture and history, what the terms .imaort,-when they began,-andgad their when theyend, or when they will have theiraccomplishment, as the case may be.Daniel vii. 24, 25: "And the ten hornsont of this -kingdom are ,ten kings that shallarise: and another shall rise after them;and he shall be diverse from the' first, and heshall subdue three kings. And he shallspeak great words against the Most Hi h,and shall wear out the saints of the Mgoat

wnunelngmexun mu mrs. 31Eggh, and think tochange times and lava:they shall be given intohia hand untila time, and times, and the dividing of time."We must notice, in the first piece, thatthis power, into whose hands the saints areiven "until a time, and times, and thesividing of time," is apart of Da,niel's fourthkingdom--the Roman. (See verses 7, 8, 11,19-23, of the 7th chapter.) Again; it isrepresented as coming up after the Romankingdom should be divided into ten parts.Verse 24: "And the ten horns out of thiskingdom,are ten kings that shall arise:and another shall arise after them, and heshall be diverse from the first, and he shallsubdue three kings."Of course, this wer must have arisenafter the empire otpoRome fell, and after thedivision into ten kingdoms, which all happenedbefore the beginning of the sixth cen~tury, A. D. 489. The character and actsof this powerare minutely described byDaniel. "And heshail speak great wordsagainst the Most High, and shall wear outthe saintsof the Most High." Thisis thesamecharacter that Paul calls "that wicked,"or "that man of sin." 2 Thessalonians ii.3-8: "Let -rw man deceive you by mymeans: for that day shall not come, exceptthere come a falling .away first, and thatWHL-of sin be revealed, thewha opfpoeeth ,and exalteth hi m itim;> above allthat is called God, or that is worshipped; se

~'3~|tsstnrn|a|zo:tthat he, as»God, sittoth in the temple of Gnd,shefwing himself that' he is God. -Rememberye not, that when lwas yet with yon, ltold you these things? And now ye knowwhat withholdeth that he might be revealedin his time. For the mystery of iniquitydoth ~already work : only he who now lettethwill let, until he be taken out of the way.And then shall that wicked berevealed,whom the Lord shall consume with thespirit of his mouth, and shall destroy withthe brightness of his coming."and exalteth himself." Who opposethabove all that is called God, or that isworshipped,so that he as God, sittethin the temple of God, shewing himselfthat he is God." ls it possible for anyman, not prejudiced,not to understand thispower to mean Rome in its papal state?It must be in the Roman kin dom; or in thefourth and last empire of 5aniel`s vision.This little hom was to comeup among theten. I believe all commentators and historiansagree that the westem empire -ofThenRome was divided into ten kingdoms.this power was to come up in the west; itwas tomake"wat with the saints andagainst them, until the Ancient ofprevail )ays came, and jud ent was `ven to thesaints of the Most Sigh." Betgoie the endof the world his dominion-was to be talkenaway. Dariiel vii. 26. Or, as Paul says.2 Thessalonians ii. 8: "And then_sha1l

wiinvx KUNDBID ;9.ND`8IX'1'Y uns. 33that wicked be revealed, whom the Lordshall consume with the spirit of his mouth,and destroy by the brightness of his coming."This hom then must bethe power whichwas to have powerover the westemkingdomsin the Roman empire, and the peopleof the Most High are to be given into hishand for a time, times and an halt, or whichis the samething, twelve hundred and sixtyyears. This same power is mentioned byJohn, in Revelation xiii. 5: "And there wasgiven unto him a mouth speaking greatthings, and blasphemies; and powerwasgiven him to continue forty and twomonths," or twelve hundred and sixtyyears.From asimilarity of character and acts,as well as the time this powerwas to makewar with the saints, (not the we cannotbe mistaken; it must meanJews,)apal Rome.See John's farther description oi?this power,Revelation xiii. 6--8: "And he opened hismouth in blasphemy against God," by callinghimself "Most Holy Lord God, thepo ;" "to blaspheme his name and histaxrnacle," by calling that abominable cityof Rome, where everything is uncleanand filthy, the "holy city-holy catholicchurch ;" "and them that dwell in heaven,"-those that aredeparted from this life-areworshipped as gods by the subjects of thissame "And it wasgiven unto himto ma e war with the saints, and to over-power.»

34I ntssaxrrrtox on 'ranhim overand nations. Andall that dwell upon the earth shall worshipwhose names are not written in thecome them: and power was givenall kindreds, and tongues,him,book of life of the Lamb slain from thefoundation of the world." Thus we see thecharacter and marks of this power agree inthe writings of Daniel, Paul, and John.And now, if we can find the same _harmonyin the beginning of this power, and inthe ending of the same, agreeing with history,we cannot be far from right.TI-IE BEGINNING OF THE LITTLE HORN,OR PAPACY.Daniel sa s it cameup amongthe tenhorns of the §oman empire, meaning the tenkings; and that he should be diverse ordifferent from the ten. Then he would subduethree kings. Also, Daniel xi. 31:"They shall pollute the sanctuary ofand shall take away the dailystrength,sacri ce, and place the abomination thatmaketh desolate." Paul agrees with Daniel.2 Thessalonians ii. 3-8: "Let no mandeceive you by any means: for that dayshall not come, except there come a fallingaway first, and that man of sin be revealed,the son uf perdition." Verse 4: his character.Verse 5: "Remember ye not, that,when I wasyet vith you, Ltold you oftliesetltings? And now ye know what withltoId»etli, that he might be revealed in his time:

I~-'rwr~:|.vs- mmnnsn un sirrr mrs. 35for- the mystery of _iniquity doth alreadywork: only he Vh0 now hindereth will hinder,until he be taken out of the way; andthen shall that wicked be revealed, whomthe Lord shall consume with the spirit ol`his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightnessof his coming."John says of the same power, Revelationxiii. 2: "And the beast which I saw waslike unto aleopard, (the Grecian kingdom,)and his feet were as the feet of a bear,(Persian,) and his mouth as the month of alion, (Babylon;) and the dragon gave himhis power, and his seat, and great authority."Also, in Revelation xvii. l2, 13: "And theten homs which thou sawest are ten kings,which have received nokingdom as yet;but receive newer as onekingshour withthe beast. 'lhese have one mind, and shallgive their power and strengthunto thebeast."In these passages we must expect to get aclue to know when and where we shall findthe beginning of the twelve hundred and~sixty years.1. We can satisfy any mind that it wasamong the ten kings; therefore, we cannotbegin it'before about A. D. 538. Then theten kings became, of course, of onemind;for when theywere all converted. to theChristian faith, then how natural that theyshould agree and give their kingdom untothebeast until the words of God shall be'fulfilled.

'30 nusxrrrrwn on 'rar2. 'I'he three kingdoms were then pluckedup,-the Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths,-thelist of which was the Roman kingdom,in 5 .3. Justinian, emperor of Constantinople,(called the dragon,) gave the of Rome"his power,"-meaning dpope a co e of laws, onwhich his powerwas established, and whichwere continued until the French abolishedthem, when Italy was made a republic, inl798,-"and his seat,"-the city of Rome,the capital of the Roman empire,-"andgreat authority :" he made the bishop,orpope, head over all others, bothin the Greekas well as in the Latin churches.4. The remainder of the kings acknowledgedthe supremacy of the pope, andbecame subject to his ecclesiastical domination,abput the same time. Thus was therise and establishment of that power, whichDaniel calls the "little horn," and the"abomination that maketh desolate;" Paulcalls, "the man of sin," "that wicked;"John calls the samepower, "beast," and"woman," "mystery Babylon, mother ofharlots.",This power, thus described by these inspiredprophets, as they tell us, was toexercise power over the kings of the earth,and waragainst the saints, "time, times,and ahalf," or "forty-two months," which,inegrophetic language, means twelve hundrand sixty yearax If this-time began

.'rwsnvn nfmnnan mn sun uns. 37when the emperor Justinian slibdued theOstrogoths and Arians in Italy, and gavepower to the bishop of Rome to rule over allothers, both east and West, and when thecity of Rome was made the seat of papalpower, and when that power beganto beexercised over the kings of the ancientRoman empire, and a war of exterminationbegan against the saints, who would notyield obedience to the idolatrous worship ofpapacy; then it must have had its rise inA. D. 538, towhich add twelve hundred andsixty, and it will end in A. D. 1798. Wewill now see if the prophecy of the end willwarrant us in the beginning.THE END OF PAPAL DOMINION.Daniel says, {vii.26,) "And they (the tenhorns,orkings) shall take away his (thepope's> dominion, to consume and to destroyit unto the end." W'ho, I ask, canbe so ignorantas not `to know, that thepower or dominion of the waspope takenaway in the year 1798? Two hundred andten years before,or "seven months" inprophecy, England had broken off the yokeof papacy, and some of the German stateshad joined England in the protestant declarationof rights, against the catholic league:but for the year 1798 was reserved the finalstroke, which broke the last link of papaldominion over the kings of the earth, and ll4.

38 mssmriwrtox on 'mxconsum tion was fastened upon papacywhich lias caused them who worship thebeast, to gnaw their tongues With pain.(See the letters of the pope to the priests, dflate date.)Paul says, (2 'I'hessaloniansi~i. 8,) "Whomthe Lord shall consume with the spirit of hismouth (preaching of the gos el) and shalldestroy with the brightness olPhis coming."Surely no one can deny, but 'that the gospel,as it has been preached for more than fortyyears, has produced a consumption onpapacy, ~and has fulfilled this part of Paul'sEven the popeprophecy to the very letter.himself is our witness.John says, (Revelation xiii. 9, 10,) "lfany man have an car, let him hear. Hethat leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity:he that killeth with the sword mustbe killed with 'the sword. Here is the patienceand the faith of the saints." It isevident that the prophet is here telling everyman, who is not `abigot,orprejudicedagainst the truth_ who has an ear to hear,'how this power would come to its end, offorty-two months, spoken of in the fifthverse. As he would lead into captivity thekings and their subjects during the fortytwomonths, so, in .the end, would they, thekings and their subjects, lead this wer intocaptivity. This was literally flil)filled in1798. The popewas taken from his throneon the 15th day of February 1798, and by

wntvx .mmnun Arm srxrv mrs. 39the French army made a captive, and kept aprisoner until 1799, when he died in captivity,in France. This power had wieldedthe sword of his civil authorityover thethe kingdoms and states of Europe for manycenturies, and had pulled down and set upat his will, and by the power of his armieshad destroyed kings and their subjects. Henow must be killed in like manner. Whenthe twelve hundred and sixt years shouldbe finished, his power would' be killed, ortaken away by armies, orby the authorityof the kings. And sureenough, when thetwelve hundred and sixty years had come totheir end, behold, the power which the popehad exercised over others was now exercisedover him, and he became a.dependanton the breath of Bonaparte for his merenominal existence as a bishop of the churchof Rome.'"Here is the patience." Paul had told thebrethren not to be troubled as that thedayof Christ was at hand. 2 Thessalonians ii.3 :"Let no man deceive you by any means:for that day shall not come except therecome a falling away first, and _the man ofsih be revealed, the son of perdition." Thisis the same power of which we have beenspeaking, which Paul tells us wouldthe coming pgecedeof Christ; andwould ma e warwith the saints, a time, timés, and a half, asand continue forty-two months,Daniel says ;as John tells us.Therefore the saints were

'I0nrsssrrrnoil on 'rasto have atience, to wait for the coming ofour Lord, Jesus Christ, until this man of sinshould be led into captivity, and his powerbe destroyed by the sword of kings. Thiswould try their patience, and when theywould see these things take place their"faith" would teach them that they mightlook for his coming,even at the door. Therefore,when they see these comethings topass, the true saints will believe."This isand the faith of the saints."the patienceAgain; John has another rule by whichwemay know when the end of this powerwill come. Revelation xvii. 16: "And theten horns which thou sawest upon the beast,these shall hate the whore, and make herdesolate, and naked, and shall eat her flesh,and bum her with fire."The ten kings of the Roman kingdom,shall hate the false church of Rome, andshall make her desolate, by the means ofseparating from her communion, takingaway her benetices and tithes, confiscatingher property, and abolishing hcr laws andordinances, and renouncing her power bywhich she had ruled over the kings of theearth. See the 18th verse: "And the wo~man which thou sawest is that great city,of the earth."which reigneth over the kingsThis prophecy has been literally fulfilled;and yet how many, who pretend to beteachers in Zion, deny the fulfilment as soonasthey will the prophecy itself; for they

-TWELVE-TheHUNDRED AND SIXTY DAY . 41say we may understand prophecy when itisfulfilled. Yet whobelieves this, forty-threeyears after it has all been fulfilled? I amtruly astonished at the unbelief and blindnessof professed Christians at the presentday.same unbelief which was manifestedat Christ's first coming, is as much ifnot more visible in professors'now thanthen.Take heed; if God sparednot the naturalbranches, how will he spare those who livein the gospel day?Thus, then, has this little hom of Danielcome and strutted out its short space of time,times, and a half; but his dominion is takenaway. And Paul's "man of sin," who wasthen in the future, has been revealed; hehas wickedly exalted himself above all thatis called God; he has set in the temple ofGod; has been showing himself that he wasGod; but his proud looks have been humbled,his high titles have come down, he isno more a god, and the hectic fever hasbleached his cheek, and his consumptivevoice shows him on his decline.How canwehelp believing?But We have another mystery to explore,of thesame time as the former; it is that,which by Paul is called the "mystery of iniquity,"which did already work. It is whatDaniel calls the " daily sacrifice," meaningthe "daily abominationz" this, too, is tocontinue a time, times, and a half. See`4*

msslnnnouB.orc 'mlDaniel xii. 6, 7: "And one said to the manclothed in linen, which was upon the watersof the river, How -long shall it be to theend of these wonders? And I heard theman clothed in linen, which was upon thewaters gf the river, when he held up hisright hand and his left hand unto heaven, andaware by Him that liveth forever, that itshall be for a time, times, and an half; andwhen he shall have accomplishedto scatterthe power of the holy people, all these thingsshall be finished."This power, which is to scatter the powerof the holy people, is a different one, quite,from the one we have been attending to.This scatters; that wears out. This treadsunder foot; that makes war against thesaints. This carries us to the end of allwonders; that only to the end of the powerof overmystical Babylon,the kings of theearth. This alludes to literal Babylon andthe kings of the earth; that to mysticalBabylon and the power of the pope: efRome._Again; in Revelation xi. 2: "But thecourt which is without the temple leave outand measure it not; for it is given unto theGentiles; and the holy city shall they treadunder foot forty and two months." This isthe same twelve hundred and sixty years, asin the time, times, and an half; and alludesto the time the Gentile kings would scatterThisthe holy people and rule over them.~

'rwnvn ammasn Arm srrrr mrs. 43in the 26thsee 33d verse: "And Iwil scatter you among the heathen and willdraw a sword out after you; and your landshall be desolate, and your cities waste!iv. 27: "And the Lord shallwas prophesied of by Moses,chalpter of Leviticus;Deuteronomy scatter you among the nations, and ye shallbe left few in number among the heathen,whither the Lord shall lead you." Manyplaces might be brought to prove the scatteringof the Jews, and now I will prove thescattering of the Christians. Matthew xxvi.31: "Smite the shepherd and the sheep ofthe flock shall be scattered abroad." Thehigh priest said, (John xi. 51,523 "thatJesus should die for that nation, an not forthat nation only, but that also he shouldgather together in one the children df Godthat were scattered abroad." This provesthe fact of the scattering of the holywhen the Lor(people,Jesuswho will be gatheredshall come in the clouds of heaven, andsend out his angels and gather togetherhis elect from the four winds of heaven.And then comes the question, How long tothe end of these wonders 'l The answerwas,"for atime, times, and a half :" or fortytwomonths; three years and a half prophetic,which is twelve hundred and sixtyyears common time. We now wish to knowwhen the scattering of the holy people began?Isaiah prophesied, in the year B. C.742, that within sixty-five years Ephraim

44 mssanrniou on 'nmshould be broken, and be not a.people.Isaiah vii. 8. Sixty-live years from thattime, in the year B. C. 677, the ten tribes,including the tribe`of Ephraim,were carriedaway, and were never afterwards known asa nation: The sameyear Manasseh, kingof Judah, was carried in fetters to Babylon,and the power of Judah and Benjamin wasbroken, and the Gentiles exercised their authorityover them, and the kings of Judahonly reigned by suiferance, paying tribute toorBabylon, the kings of the earth, afterwards.See Lamentations ii. 9: "Her gatesare sunk into the ground: he hath destroyedand broken her bars: her king and herprinces are among the Gentiles : the law is nomore: her prophets find no vision from theLord." We see, by this, that the power ofthe holy people was already scattered amongthe Gentiles when Jeremiah wrote his.lamentations.But the sameprophet has toldusplainly when' this scattering of the holypeople began. Jeremiah xv. 4: "I willcause them (my people, verse 7,)to be removedinto all kingdoms of the earth,because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah,king of Judah, for that which he did inJerusalem." Here, then, the power of theholy people began to be scattered in the daysof Manasseh.Now if' we can find a fulfilment of thesethings in the history of Manasseh, we cannoterr. 2 Chronicles xxxiii. 9--11: "So Ma-

TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS. 45nasseh made Judah and the inhabitants ofJerusalem to err, and to do worse than theheathen, whom the Lord had destroyed beforethe children of Israel. And the Lordspake to Manasseh, and to his peo le: butthey would not hear him; wheregoretheof theLord brought upon them the captainshost of the king of Assyria, which tookManasseh amon the thorns, and bound himwith fetters and carried him toBabylon."This captivity took place in the year beforeChrist, 677. (See chronologyover thispassage.)If this is'the time when the kings of theearth began to rule over Zion, and to scatterthe power of the holy people for a time,times, and an hall,or twelve hundred andsixty years, when will it end? I answer,-when all these things shall be finished.First, thekings exercised their authority677 years before Christ, and 538 years afterChrist; which 677 added to 538 makes up1215 years only, which did not accomplishthe scattering of the norholy people, thetreading under foot of the court forty-twomonths;or the twelve hundred and sixtyyears ; and this is the reasonwhy John wasnot to measure, because it would not be fulfilleduntil mystical Babylon should wearout the saints, and change times and laws, atime, times, and anhalf; for God hath putit into the hearts of these kings to fulfil hiswill, and to agree and give their kingdom

46 DISSERTATION ON THB~unto the mystery of Babylon, or papal Rome,until thetwelve hundred and sixty yearsof mystical Babylon should be fulfilled;which 1260 years added to 538,-when thekings became of one mind, converted to theorthodox faith, gave up their power to thebishop of Rome, and the power of papacybegan,-will carry us down to the year A. D.1798, when the kings again took their power,and will nowaccomplish the scattering ofthe holy people, by reigning from A. D. 1798to 1843, which is 45 years; add which to1215 which the kings had reigned, beforemystical Babylon obtained the- power, andwe have twelve hundred and sixty years ofthe kings' reign, scattering the holy people,treading under foot the the sanctuary andhost, which is properly the court, where thehost stands waiting the return of our greatHigh Priest, who will return to bless hispeople, in turning everyone of them fromtheir sins and their iniquities in Zion. Thereis no wonder, then, that the angel toldDaniel, (xii. 12, "Blessed is he thatwaiteth (that is, 13,?l on t e and cometh tothe thousand three hundre Lordg and five andthirty days;" for then the High Priest ofourprofession will come out of his temple,from his holy place, to shake terribly theearth, to dash in pieces the kings and kingdomsof this world,as a otter's vessel, tocarry them away that no placeshall be found for them.on the earth"But go thou thy

'rwmvs mmm;-:n AND SIXTY mrs. 47way till the end be, for thou shalt rest, (die,)and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."Then all those who have waited on, and forthe Lord, will have part in the first resurrection;"For the Lord himself shall descendfrom heaven, with ashout, with the voice ofthe archangel, and with the trump of God: andthe dead in Christ shall rise first." Then thesanctuary will be cleansed, and the place ofhis feet made glorious. Then will be theresurrection of the just, and Daniel willstand in his lot.When will this, glory be revealed? I answer,at the end of these days, which isforty-five years after papacy should loseher poweroverkings, and after she shouldbe led into captivity by the kings of theearth; when the "seven times" should passover the holy people, and when the sevenyears of' bondage of the church shall beended; for God has said, (Deuteronomy xv.1,)"At the end of everysevenyears thoushalt make a release," and none can disputebut these were shadows of good thingsto come; and God will release his children,at the end of sevenyears. And all mustagree that the children of God have been inbondage now almost seven prophetic years.I shall now show when the twelve hundredand 'sixty days had their fulfilment, inRevelation xi. 3: "And I will give powerunto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesya thousand two hundred and three-

ISmsssuu-ton on 'rnscore daysclothed in sackcloth." I shallask and answer the following queries:1. Whose witnesses arethey?2. What is a witness?3. What are these witnesses?Whose witnesses are these? I answer,they are Christ's; because he is the speaker.See Revelation i. 1: "The Revelation ofJesus Christ, which God gave unto him, toshew unto his servants things which mustshortly come to pass." Again; he only haspower to orprophesy, give the power; for"the testimony ot' Jesus Christ is the spiritof prophecy ; "and he has all power.Then these witnesses are Christ's wit~nesses.What is a witness?I answer there areand written testi-two kinds, oral testimony,mony. Oral testimony is the testimony ofawho testilies to facts whichliving person,he knows bymeans of one or all of his tivesenses. No man can testify to a matter offaith; and all must see the impropriety ofsupposing these two witnesses can be personsor men, when we read the time,-twelvehundred and sixty days; for we havealready shown that these days have onlybeen fulfilled in somany years,-"each dayfor ayear;" and,as no man ever has livedso many years, and, as we have no evidencethat any individuals will ever prophesysolong in this state of the world,we musttherefore look for some other mode of testi-

,monyTWELVE HUNDRED AND DAYS.SIXT? 49beside oral. Again;it cannot be aman or men: for Christ positively and plainlydeclares, (John v. 34,) "But I receive nottestimony of man;" which sets that matterat rest forever, that men cannot be the twoWitnesses.What are the witnesses, then 'l I answer,written testimony may be witnesses; andthe last will and testament of aman, written,signed, sealed, and ratified by death, is consideredthe best testimony in the world, andis held almost sacred among all men and inall nations. Then we must conclude thatChrist's tvo witnesses must be the Old andNew Testaments; for noth-ing short can testify,in this our day, concerning Christ. Yes ;we have the testimony of Christ himself tothis point. John v. 39: "Search the Scriptures,for in them ye think ye have eternallife, and they are they that testify of me."The very name, two testaments, signifies"two witnesses." If, then, the Scripturesare the twowitnesses, where and whenwere they clothed in sackcloth? I will answer.the BibleDuring the reign of papacy,was -suppressed from the commonpeople;the laws of that power prevented the Biblefrom being published in any language butthe Greek and Latin, in those kingdoms andnations where the Romanchurch had orcould obtain the ascendancy or power; and,for along season, from the beginning of theSixth century to the reformation in the six-5

50 mssrnru-ron on 'rimteenth century,more than nine tenths ofour world was covered with gross darkness.The word of God was little known orread,if credit can be given tothe histories of thosetimes: and even down to the year 1798,but very little painswas taken topublishthe Bible in oramong the nations of theearth. And up to that time, protestantwriters, many of them, clothed the Bible inmysticism, and taught that it could not beunderstood bycommon minds at least. Butfrom that year we may date the rise ofand Bible societies. Then,missionary efforts,the Christian community began to awake,as from along sleep of moral night, afnd beganto see and feel the necessity of publishingthe lamp of life, to a dark and -a benightedworld without note or comment. "Thenarose and trimmed theirall those virginslamps," translations of the Bible began,and in the space of forty years since, fourtimes asmany languages have received theBible orparts of it,as had received it ineighteen hundred years before. Well maywe exclaim,--the sackcloth is rent in twain;the little book is open; the angel is dyingthrough the midst of heaven, having theeverlasting gospel topreachto them thatdwell on the earth ! We know the two witnessesare no longer clothed in sackcldth.If ever, since the days of the apostles, theBible has been free and clear, it is so now.Who cansay, in sincerity and truth, that

TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS.the Scriptures are now darkened by a sackclothcovering? Even the Roman church,who so long suppressed its translation andcirculation, are now translating, and circulatingtoo, the Bible in many languages.Then, indeed, must the twelve hundred andsixty yearshave ended. Andyou may inquire,When? I answer, When the popelost his dominion, and Italywas made a republic;when free toleration onreligiousopinions was given by the power of theFrench; and when the Bible waspermittedto be read and published in any languageunder the whole heaven,-in the year of ourLord 1798. Then, from the year 538 to theyear 1798, was the twelve hundred andsixty years completed, and the word of Godfulfilled. Roman bishops may jeer at thesecalculations; but one thing is true,-thewounded bird will always flutter. So, mydear reader, when you see any of our wouldbegreat men, whether protestant or catholic,begin to laugh or sneer at the writings of a,poor old man, believe me, there is a wound.THE TWELVE HUNDRED` AND SIXTY DAYS OF THECHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS.Revelation xii. 6, 14: "And the womanded into the wilderness, where she hatha.place prepared of God, that they shouldfeed her there a thousand two hundred andthreescore days." By the woman, we must

52 nrssnnrurxou on 'rasunderstand the church; by the wildemess,we must understand, driven away from the"great city which rules over the kings ofthe earth." Revelation xvii. 17. Or, -inplain English, it is the true church of Christ,separatingherself from the abominations andcommunion of the old mother of harlots andabominationsy of the' earth; the Romanchurch being the only church which hasreigned over kings, especially the ten kingsof the ,Romanempire.The time speci ed is twelve hundred andsixty years,-thesame time Daniel's"littlehorn" and John's"mother of harlots"were to reign over the kings. Of course, thechurch of Christ must have separated herselffrorn the mother church at the time thechurch of Rome obtained her power to reignoverkings, in the year 538, when the Ariankings were subdued and made to yieldobedience to the orthodoxy of the bishop ofRome, from which time many schismatics,as the historians of the Roman church tellus, separated themselves from the catholicchurch,as they call her. And Moshiemtells us, that in the beginningof the sixthcentury, many who professed Christianity,opposed the worshipping ofsaints and images,and many of the unmeaning mummeries ofthe Roman church.Then twelve hundred and sixty yearswould bring us to the year 1798, when freetoleration was given to all churches, of

'rwnnvs nummnn AND srrrv mrs. 53whatever sect or denomination, toworshipGod accordingto the dictates oftheir own conscience,or their own sense of religious duty;even in Italy, the very seat of the beast, andin France and other kingdoms, which had,for ages, held arigid and iron swayover theminds and consciences of men, and hadoutlawed andErsecuted and driven away,aten, every church not in fellowship withthe Roman bishops and priests.Iask, can we be mistaken in the fulfilmentof this prophecy? ls the church nowin the wilderness? And if you should respond,-sheis,-I ask you, when then wasshe out? Not in the apostolic age: for shewas not more free then, than now. Andthen, let meinquire, where is your twelvehundred and sixty years? It can have nomeaning. 0, Christian! Ibeg of you, believein the word of' God; do not, 1 pray you,discard time, anymore than manner. Is itnot selfishness in us to discard the set timeswhich God has fixed, and not man? Whereis our faith ? Whyare we so slowof heart tobelieve? Three times we have witnessed,-yes, in the lifetime of some of us,-the fulfilmentof the " time, times, and anhall," inthe accomplishment of the "forty-twomonths," in the completion of the "twelvehundred and threescore days," and yet,O God,we refuse to believe! Shame onthat professor who will not open his eyes!They tell us we cannot understand pro-5*

54 mssnnrurron on 1-ma:phecy until it is fulfilled. But here it isthree times fulfilled in this daywe live.What excuse have you now, 0 ye heralds ofthe cross? Ah! say you, that is your construction;we are not bound to follow yourexplanations. No, no. But for ages you andyour fathers have been tellingus thattheseprophecies were true; and you have told usthat when they come to passwe should knowwhat they meant; and although ages on ageshave rolled their rapid course, yet nothinghas transpired, as you will own; and we, ifwe should search, and find,as webelieve,the prophecies fulfilling, and tell our reasons,you then can taunt us with a sceptic argument,-"thisis your construction,"-andthen not dare to tell us what it means!Awake, awake, ye shepherds of the flock!Come, tell us why these things are' not fulfilled.Deceive us not. You stand uponthewalls, both night and day; then tell uswhat it means? We have aright to ask,"l/Vatchman, What of the night? Watchman,what of the night?" An answer wemust orhave; you must' leave your towers.lt will not do to answer us, like"Dowling,l am under noobligation to tell you." HasZion no better watchmen on her walls thanthis? Alas! alas! then wemay sleep,and sleep, until the trumpet's dreadful blastshall shake our dusty, beds, and the lastangel raise his hand and swear,"that timeshall be no longer." Whyareyou thus

negligent-rwnnvs nmmxu-rn .mn sxxrv pus. 55If I am notand remiss in duty?rig t in my construction of God's holy word,pray tell us what is truth, and make it lookmore plain,-and willwe not believe? Thusyou will cleanse your garments from ourand we must bear the shame. Whatblood,time of night 'Z Come, tell us plainly. Thereareportentous clouds hangingover ourheads;we hear the murmurs of the fitfulwinds;we see sad omens of a dreadfulstorm; and where is our watchman's voice?Your silence givesus fears that we are betrayed.Awake, awake ! Ye watchmen, toyour post! It is no false alarm, There areJudgments, heavy judgments,at the door."Our God shall come,and shall notkeepsilence;a fire shall devour before him, andit shall be very tempestuous round about him.He shall call to the heavens from above, andto the earth, that he may judge his people."How shallthe fearful stand in that greatday, when heaven and earth shall hear hismighty voice, and they that hear must cometo Judgment? Where will the unbelievingscoifer then appear?When God makes inquisitionfor the blood of souls, and whenthe under-shepherds stand with their flocksaround the "great white throne," to haveeach motive, thought, word, act, and deed,brought out to light, before a gazing world,and tried ~by that unerring rule " the word,"-I ask you, scorner, jester, scoffer, how willyou appear? Stop, and think,stop,beforeyou take a fatalleap, an jest away your soul!

''56nissannrlon on 'nmIf the 'church of Rome is the little hom,we know his dominion is taken away, thetwelve hundred and sixty years are passed,and I amright in my calculations.lf the pope of Rome is the man of sin, weknow he has been revealed, lived out hisday, and is now "consuming" by the gospellight; and waits only the gloriouscoming of the Son of man to be utterly destroed.Ify the apocalyptic beast is the church ofRome," we know she reigns over no kingsnow; but that she who has led kings in captivechains, has in her turn been captive totheir pover; and the forty-two months arefulfilled, and .my numbers must be true.If the "mother of harlots" is the Romanchurch, we well do know the kings ofEurope have taken away her power, haveeaten her flesh, and the twelve hundred andsixty years of her cxaltation are finished;and tlien my reckonings~must be sure.If the two testaments are the two witnesses,it is well known theyare not clothedin sackcloth, and the twelve hundred andsixty years of their prophesying are fulfilled,and I cannot see how Lam mistaken, if thistime is fulfilled;The clturch in the wilderness. lf the woman,in Revelation xii. 6, 14, means anychurch now in Christendom, it would bevery diiiicult to tell how theycan now besaid to bein the wilderness; and if she is

'TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS.rmitted to dwell in the city, she cannotTherefore, thisEZ in the wilderness state.time is fulfilled. And all that can remainfrom 1798. Are weis the forty-iive yearsready?

'.CIRCULAR ADDRESS0| TH! GENIILL CONFEBENCI OF 'IELIIYEIS ll Tl! AD'VENT FEAR, HELD AT LOW BAKITDI, N. Y», ROYEIBEIz_5,1e41.BY WILLIAM MILLER.To all who are"looking for that blessedhope and the glorious appearing of the greatGod and' our Savior Jesus Christ," grace,mercy and peace be multiplied.We know, dear brethren, the anxiety andjoy with which you are looking for the king~dom of God on earth;werealize, in somemeasure we hope, the deep feeling of soul,the warm gratitude of heart, and the wellgroundedstability of'faith towards God andthe Lord Jesus Christ, in the hope of soonseeing that kingdom established over all theearth, and the kingdoms of this world givento the saints of the Most High, who willpossess the same forever, even forever andever._If great men can, and do devote their ease,their comfort, their riches, and life, to obtainwhile it isanearthly crown, which perishesyet only in their hand,or vanishes away

cmcuun mnnnss. 59before it is realized evenby sight; how muchmore ought we to fight, suffer or do, toobtain anincorruptible crown, which fadethnot away, and an inheritance which wastethnot! Let us, then, puton the whole armorof God; for we must fight until the shout ofvictory is heard in heaven, when the spiritualJqshua shall descend from on high, with ashout, with the voice of the archangel andthe trump of God,-until the kingdoms ofthis world become the kingdoms of our Lordand his Christ. Yes, dear brethren,wemust not think of laying down our armoruntil ourglorious leader comes, and conquersdeath, and him that has the power of death,that is the devil. We know youare told byourJudaizing teachers and the temporalmillenists that youare to have along timeof peace and safety before our Jesus shallcome; but we pray you, brethren, be notdeceived. It is false. -These are the falseprophets, that cry peace and safety whensudden destruction cometh. Listen not totheir flattery; they cannot conquer for you.It is Jesus alone that can conquer; he is theCaptain of the Lord's hosts, and he willcome and save us in the day of his coming.Let none deceive you by any means; for thc"man of sin" who has long made waragainst the saints, and that "wicked one"which has been a long time revealed, mustcontinue to work iniquity, until Christ shalldestroy him by the brightness of his coming,

_60 curcuiut witness.--when he will come in flaming tire, to takevengeance on them who obey not thegospel, and destroy them who cry peace andsafety.We warn you against these false teachers,who mind earthly things. Theyare deceivingyou by the traditions of men; theytell you that the world is growing better qidbetter, while the truth is, the world is as itwas in the days of Noah, waxingworse andworse. They tell you that all sects will beone, and will seeeye to eye; but the factsin the caseare, that the old sects are dividing,and new ones are risingto an alarmingextent. And they must acknowledgethat, to all appearance, their temporal millenniumis receding rather than advancing;confusion and anarchyare now in the ranksof all sects, and disunion and division havebroken the bonds and removed the mostancient landmarks among them.Why will not men open their eyes? Howtrue it is that the god of this world hasblinded their eyes! Men are determined toin this world. Godhave their great blessingshas determined we shall be "strangers andpilgrims" here, and receive our "evilthings" in this world, but in the world tocomeeverlasting life. On the other lmnd,the worldly-minded man will receive hisgood things in this life, and in that which isto come, his "evil things." God will beJustilied in his people, and glorified in allthem that believe.

'fCome,cmcuun nmnzss. 61We then would entreat you that ye be notconformed to the fashions, customs andwill drownopinions of this world,-for theyyou in perdition; but be ye ready to enterinto that kingdom which will be eternal, andwhich will be set up when Christ shall leavehis mediatorial seat and take his throne ofthe kingdom of his Father, and shall reignon the throne of David forever. To this_time we arelooking, for this we are waiting,and for this time welong and pray. Thy"kingdom come:" what is this but prayingfor Christ to come? Surely, everyman whothus prays, virtually says, Lord_Jesus ;" and we fear that many who are inthe habit of saying these words, do not understandthe import of the prayer. Whatkingdom is this we ask to come fl The gospel?No. Why not? Because the gospelhas already come. It vas first preached toAbraham, and then to the Jews,-afterwardsto the Gentiles, and then in all the world, asa witness unto all nations;-and then shallthe end come. Now are 'wepraying for akingdom to come, which,as soon as it comesand is proclaimed among all nations, hathan end? This cannot be: pray for a kingdomto come, which has been in the earthcertainly four thousand years,-how foolish lWhat do we meanby praying "thy kingdomcome?" We must mean, if we haveany meaning, that which the Holy Spiritinspired,-the kingdom which Daniel speaks6

'62 cmcunn Annnsss.ot; (vii.14.3"And there was given him dominion,an glory, and a kingdom, that allpeople, nations, and languages, should servehim: his dominion is aneverlasting dominion,which shall not pass away,and hiskingdom that which shall not be destroyed."If it is this kingdom, it is an everlasting one,it is an universal one,-" all people, nationsand languages, should serve him." It is"under the whole heaven." It shallnotpass away. Then it must be in the newheavens and the new earth; for these heavensand earth will pass away. It must beafter the great burning day; for Peter showsplainly that then the heavens shall passaway, the earth and the works therein shallbe burned up. 2 Peter iii. 10: "But theof the Lord will come as a thief in thedaynight; in which the heavens shall pass awaywith agreat noise, and the elements shallmelt with fervent heat; the earth also, andthe works that are therein, shall be burnedup."We see, by these passages, that the kingdomfor which wepray cannot be the kingdomwith " tares," &,c., or the wicked, in it;for "thy will" is to .be done in it as inheaven. It cannot be the kingdom beforeChrist puts all enemies under his feet, for alldominions are to serve and obey him. Itto the Fa-cannot be the kingdom given upther; for it is given to the Son of man. Itcannot be before it is presented to the Father;`v

,cmcuum.Annnnss. 63because it is aneverlasting kingdom, andwill neverpass away fromthe seed of David:he is to set on the throne of his FatherDavid forever and ever. It cannot be thekingdom which our English brethren describe,with the carnal Jew and wickedheathen in it; for under the whole heavenit is given to the saints of the Most High.It will never be destroyed nor givento anotherpeople. But Christ and the saints willpossess it, joint heirs forever._But can you makethese things to harmonize,says the objector? We will try. In theiirst place, we must remember that Christreigns now in his kingdom of grace: for"grace reigns through righteousness untoetemal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord;" andthis is the' kingdom which is given up to Godthe Father, and this at the coming of ourLord Jesus Christ. See 1 Corinthians xv.23, 24: "But every man in his ,ownorder: Christ the first fruits; afterward theythat are Christ's at his coming. Thencometh the end, when he shall have deliveredup the kingdom to God, even the Father;when he shall have put down all rule, andall authority, and power. Also, Ephesiansit to himselfv. 27: "That he might presentaglorious church, not having spot or wrinkle,or any such thing; but that it should beholy and without blemish." And Jude, 24:"low unto him that is able to keep youfrom falling, and to present you faultless be

64 omouus mnnssstfore the presence of his glory with exceedingjoy." By these texts, it is evident that tnekingdom presented to the glory of God, theFather, is the mediatorial kingdom of grace,at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ withall his saints. 1 Thessalonians iii. 13:"Tothe end he may establish your hearts unblameablein holiness before God, even ourFather, at the coming of our Lord Jesuswith all his saints."Christ,But, says the objector, it is equally evidentthat Christ destroys death, the last enemy,before he presents his kingdomto God theFather., True; but does he present thewicked to God the Father? We read of nosuch presenting. 'Are the wicked in 'hiskingdom at the end, when he gives up thesame 'l No. For at the end he gathers outof his kingdom all that work iniquityor thatoffend, and they are burned, and this too athis coming and kingdom. Then, if Christconquers the enemies of his kingdom, raisesall the dead saints, and changes all theliving saints to immortality and etemal life;has he not fulfilled his promise? Who daresay, Nay? Where has he promised to conquerdeath for the wicked? Find such atext, if youcan. But it is not so: for nosooner do the wicked dead "live again,"than they are judged and sent away into the"second death." Then the subject we haveresolves itself into the fot-been consideringlowing form:~

cmcuus Ammzss. 65The reign of grace continues until Christeaves the mediatorial throne; then thejudgment begins, first at the household offaith; the wicked and the proud are gatheredand burned, and their bodies are madeashes under the feet of Christ and the saints;Malachi iv. 3: "And ye shall tread downthe wicked; for they shall be ashes underthe soles of your feet in the day that I shalldo this, saith the Lord of hosts;" the righteousare raised and caught up to meet theLord in the air, unto eternal life; they arethere judged and justified, before God andthe holy angels, and, through righteousness,they are now presented to God the Fatherwithout spotor wrinkle,orany such thing.Thus grace has finished the work; the capstone, Jesus Christ, is brought in with shoutingand grace unto it. The Lord JesusChrist takes his place as the cap or top stoneof the building, which is now become a holybuilding, compact in every part,-a housenot made with hands, but without hands,eternal in the heavens, "unto eternal life."Then will the Father give up the glorifiedkingdom to the Son of man, and the LordJesus Christ become King on the holy hill ofZion, and "God blessed forrevermore." Heis our God; we have waited for him, and hewill save us.This is the kingdom for which we the will of Gogray-willand when this is set up,"be done in earth as in heaven."6*

66 cmcunas Annasss.`You may be anxious to know what weunderstand by "second death." We willnow explain.A second always implies a first; for ifthere were no first, there could be no second.Again; the second must be, in its generalcharacter, like the first. It would not properlybe called the second, without a. resemblanceto the first. Therefore, inorder tounderstand the second,we must have anunderstanding of the _/irst death.What constituted the first death whichman experienced flI answer, it was amoral death. Man wascreated in the image of his Creator; he waspronounced good;a law wasgiven to him,which, if ke t inviolate, would secure hishappiness and moral life forever, but if disobeyed,would prove his moral death. "Forin the day thou eatest thereof thou shaltsurely die." In his primeval state, he wasplaced in the garden of Eden,-the holy ofholies in the new made earth;-where hecould hold sweet communion with God, andenjoy intercourse with his Divine Creator.All things on the earth were given into hishands toenjoy, and he was made ruler overthem all. He was only prohibited from the useof the tree of knowledge, in the midst of theholy garden of God. To partake of this treewas death. He knew the divine prohibition, heunderstood the law. No plea of justificationcould be raised on account of the ignorance of

somcunn Annnnss. 67'the law, or the penalty; for the woman sa sto the serpent, (Genesis iii. 8,) " But of thefruit of the tree which is in the midst of thegarden, God hath said, ye shall not eat of it,neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Mandisobeyed, and died; he became anenemyto God by wicked works, and a rebel to thatbeing who made him ruler in the dominionof the earth. Man became obnoxious to thedivine purity, and was thrust out of thegarden, and from the presence of God. Hisdominion was cast down, and the subjectsof man's dominion became rebels to his authority;the earth was cursed,- and he thatwas created lord over all the earth becamea.vagaboud in his own kingdom, and astranger in his own territory, bya moraldeath.Then, as man rebelled against his Governor,so the subjects of man's government rebelledagainst man, and natural death, as itis called, became kingover all the earth. Itwas the consequenceor fruit of man's moraldeath, by which death reigned over man,and the subjects of man's dominion becamethe means of man's dissolution and death.The natural world, fire, earth, air andwater,are the instruments of death to man.The animal world, from the mastodon to thegnat, may be, and have been, the means ofnatural death. The mineral contains itsison, and produces death in all living.lighe vegetable, from the cedar to the hyssop,

,4'68 cmcnnn Annales.are but soinany weapons, in the hands of theking of terrors, to bring men to the dust, andto their mother earth. Moralall livingdeath was the penalty ; natural death is thewages or consequences ox" moral death. Thusthe moral death must be first death; for allmust agree that the man is morally deadwho works sin, and that he cannot obtainthe wages of sin until sin dwells in him.Then moral death is the poison which taintsthe blood and pollutes the mind of man;while natural death preys only upon thebody, and reduces the frame to dust. Theiirst death is then the penalty of sin. Naturaldeath is the wages of sin, and the.con-Mansequence following moral depravity.cannot sin without deriving instantly amoral death. Yet man may live six hundredyears, and sin all those years, before he diesa natural death. Thus, when man had sinned,he was driven out of Eden and fromthe presence of God. This was the tirstdeath, the wages of which were consequentlythe separation of soul and body. Thesedeaths, being inseparably connected,are butthe stock and fruit of the same tree.When God saw man thus lost, morallydead and subject to natural death, he providedaremedy for fallen man against boththese evils, by Jesus Christ: from the Hrst,by moral regeneration; from the second, bthe resurrection. Let me be understoodxthen, as believing that these two deaths, as

crncumu. Annnass. 69they are commonly called, form in fact butone death, and may be called the _frat death,being the penalty and wages of sin,or disobedienceof the commandments of God,-the tree and fruit of rebellion.The seconddeath is in consequence of the rejection ofthe remedy which God has provided forthefirst death, which came uponus in consequenceof our first transgression. Then we'were cast off from the presence of God in-thegarden of Eden,--the spirit separated fromthe body, and the body cast into the grave.This constitutes the first death.The second is like unto the first, Let meWhen Christ comes to sit upon theexplain.throne of his kingdom on the earth, and tobe glorified in all them who have believed,and togive etemal life to as manyas haveobeyed the gospel and received thenamed;which has been provided by the great Go ,in Jesus Christ; then, those who have refusedto comply with the requirements of thegospel, and have trampled-on the blood ofthe covenant and counted it an unholything, will be banished from the presence of _the Lord, thrust out from the kingdom ofgrace, separated from the glory of his power,and have no inheritance in the New Jerusalem,the Eden of God, be se arated from thenew earth, and cast into helli "This is thesecond death." 2 Thessalonians i. 9, 10:"Whodestruction from the presence of the Lo ,shall be punished with everlastinig

70 ycmcvma Annnnss.and from the glory of his power; when_heshall come to be glorified in his saints, andwas be-to be admired in all them that believe (becauseour testimony among _youlieved) in that day." Revelation xx.14, 15:"And the wall of the city had twelve foundations,and in them the names of the twelveapostles of the Lamb. And ,he that talkedwith me had a golden reed to measure thecity, and the gates thereof, and the walkthereotl" Revelation xxi. 8: "But the fearful,and unbelieving, and the abominable,and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,and idolaters, and all liars, shall havetheir part in the lake which bumeth with»fire and brimstone: which is the seconddeath." To this all must come who will notThere is no deliveranceobey the gospel.from this death, only by Jesus Christ, thesecond Adam, the Lord from heaven. Hehas the power to restore to all who believeand obey him, what the first Adam lost.Moses says, that soul who will not hear thisprophet shall be cut off from among theAnd the Savior says, the tares shalland burned. "Take the un-people.profitableegatheredservant and cast him into_ outerarkness, there shall be wailing and gnashingof teeth." If man rejects this offeringand sacrifice of 'the dear Redeemer, he willbe forever lost. "There remaineth no moresacrifice for sin, but a fearful looking for,and iiery indignation which shall devour the

»cmoumn mnnnss. 71adversary."There is no other namegivenunder heaven amongst men, whereby wethe name of Jesus. There-can be saved,.butfore, if we reject him, and his offering,ourdeath becomes eternal of necessity;we cannothave ahope of deliverance when andwhere there is no deliverance.Let us then be diligentto do the work ofto save all the soulsour Master; let ustryin ourpower, by persuasion and entreaty forthem, that they may come to Christ andbe saved, while his arm is stretched out,and his mediatorial kingdomis not completed.Let usenéourage each other to faithfulnessand good works, that the world mayhave no occasion to say of us,-they believenot in a coming Jesus. Let us bediligent, that wemay be found of Him inpeace.And now, brethren, we exhort you to letyour light shine; be not ashamed of thisgospel, which brings life and immortality tolight. When you read the history of theancient sufferers, and servants of God, inHebrews, 11th chapter, will you not beashamed of that false delicacy, which preventssome of you from owning and publishingto a scofling world, what you in yourconsciences do believe is true? We havereasongreatto be thankful to God for thecourage and faithfulness of many of ourbrethren, who are laboring to publish the

crncuut12_nuns.cpresent truth of the second advent. God hasraised up and sent forth, as we humbly believe,a number, from difli-:rent sects, of ourdear brethren, to give the "midnight cry."We might name to you many who have theconfidence, and we hope the support of ourfriends in our several conferences; viz.,brethren Litch, Himes, Ward, J ones, French,Fuller, Thompson, Sntclife, and others,who are already in the field, proclaiming"the midnight cry," "go ye out to meethim."And now, brethren, we advise you toopen your pulpits, houses, hearts, and hands,that you may further them in this workof the grace of God; that when the Mastercomes to reward everyman as hiswork shall be, He may say unto you, "Asmuch as ye have done it unto the least ofthese, ye have done it unto me." Weknow, if this work be of God, it will stand.And wo be to that man, who may be foundlighting against God! Better for that manthat a millstone be hung about his neck,and he cast into the depth of the sea, thanto offend one of those little ones! Let usput forth every exertion, that the cry bemade to every son and daughter of the humanfamily, before the "great and notableday of the Lord come."

Q7LETTERT0JOSHUA V. HIMES,D! TillCLEANSINGOF THE SANCTUARY.BY WILLIAM MILLER,or Low nnnro; N. 1...._._1BOSTON:PUBLISHED KY JOSHUA V. HIMES,14, Devonshire St.1842.

. MANY'T0 THE READER.are inquiring what constitutes "the Sanctuary."As no deinite answer has been given in any distinct worknow before the public, we have been induced to publish thefollowing brief,but conclusive answer to this momentousquestion. lt is given in this cheap form for general distribution.Read and circulate.J. V. H.Boston, Jan., 1842. B o I 1' 0 n 2DOW llACKSON'B POWER PRESS.ll Devouhln Hunt.

L E T T E RFROM WILLIAM MILLER.'l'lIE ULEANSING 0F THE SANCTUARY.DEAR BROTHER HIMES:-One short yearmore of trials and afflictions,and I shall expectto see Him who will justify himself, hisword, and his people, before all flesh; andthen he will cleanse his sanctuary, andThenwill his tabernacle be with men, and he willdwell among them, and he will be their God,"make the place of his feet glorious."and they shall be his people.Sighing andsorrow shall be done away; tears shall bewiped from off all faces, and death itselfbe de-with him on thestroyed; and we shall reignearth. What a glorious prospect! VVhat ablessed hope! How full of immortality andeternal life ! Come, Lord Jesus, 0 comequickly!You may ask, What is meant in Danielviii. 14-" Then shall the sanctuary becleansed?" I will answer you according tomy understanding; and if I am notright,please to correct me."Sancluary," in the Scripture, generallymeans the place where God is worshipped andadored, and where he or his glory dwells,

4 cr.mNsnve or 'rua sane-rumv.when it has reference to God orholy things;but when it has reference to man, it meansor de-his house,ordwelling-place, city,fence.I. Jesus Christ is called asanctuary. Isa.viii. 14: "And he shall be for asanctuary;but for a stone of stumblingand for a rockof offence to both the houses of Israel, for aginand for a snare to the inhabitants oferusalem." Ezek. xi, 16: "Therefore say,thus saith the Lord God: Although I havecast them far oil' among the heathen, andalthough lhave scattered them among thecountries, yet will Ibe to them as a. littlesanctuary in the countries where they shallcome." Why is he called a sanctuary? BecauseGod dwells in his person, and throughhim weworship God. He is the refuge,into which the righteousrun and are safe.II. Heaven is called asanctuary; becauseGod dwells there, is worshipped and adoredthere, and it is the refuge of the saints.Psalm cii. 19: "For he hath looked downfrom the height of his sanctuary; fromheaven did the Lord behold the earth." Ps.xx. 2:"Send thee help from the sanctuary,and strengthen thee out of Zion."III. Judah is called asanctuary. Psalmcxiv. 2: "Judah was his sanctuary, andIsrael his dominion." Because God dweltin Judah, and wasparticularly worshippedamong them, and Jerusalem was a place ofrefuge for God's people.

crmusms or 'ran smcrumr. 5IV. The Templeat Jerusalem is called a.sanctuary. 1 Chron. xxii. 19: "Now setyour heart and your soul to seek the Lordyour God; arise, therefore, and build ye thesanctuary of the Lord God, to bring the arkof the covenant of the Lord, and the holyvessels of God, into the house that is to bebuilt to the name of the Lord." Exodusxxv. 8: "And let them make me a sanctuary;that I may dwell among them." Andthe tent in the wilderness was so called, becauseit was for God to dwell in, and therehe was to be worshipped. Both weretypicalof his glorious presence with his people.V. The Holyof Holies .was called a sanctuary.1 Chron. xxviii. 10: "Take heednow; for the Lord hath chosen thee to builda house for the sanctuary: be strong, and doit." Lev. iv. 6: "And the priest shall diphis Hnger in the blood, and sprinkle of theblood seven times before the Lord, before thevail of the sanctuary." This was a t pe ofheaven, and was called a sanctuary illr thesame reason heaven is.VI. The earth is called asanctuary. Isa.lx. 13: "The glory of Lebanon shall comeand theunto thee, the fir-tree, the pine-tree,box together,tobeautify the place of mysanctuary; and I will make the place of myfeet glorious." It is so called because Godwill dwell with his onpeople the earth.1 Kings viii. 27 " : But will God indeed dwellon the earth? behold the heaven and heaven`1*

6 cumsmo or frm: suwrmunf.of heavens cannot contain thee; how muchless this house that I have builded Z" Rev.v. 10: "And hast made us unto our Godkings and priests : and we shall reignon theearth." Rev. xx. 6: "Blessed and holy ishe that hath part in the iirst resurrection:on such the second death hath no power, butthey shall be priests of God and of Christ,and shall reign with him a thousand years."It is also thus called because he Will bein earth as in heaven. Matt. vi.worshipped "10: ['hy kingdom come. Thy will bedone in earth as it is in heaven." Becauseit is h-is inheritance. Psalm lxxxii.8: "Arise,the earth: for thou shalt0 God, judgeinherit all nations." Rev. xi. 15: "Andthe seventh angel sounded; and there weregreat voices in heaven, saying, The kingdomsof this world are become ,the kingdoms ofourLord, and of his Christ; and he shall reignforever and ever." Psalm xcvi. 6-13:"Honor and majesty are before him: strengthand beauty are in his sanctuary. Give untothe Lord, 0 ye kindreds of the' people, giveunto the Lord glory and strength. Giveunto the Lord the glory due unto his name;bring an oifering, and come into his courts.O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:fear before him, all the earth. Sayamong the heathen that the Lord reigneth:the world also shall be established that itshall not be moved; he shall judge thepeople righteously. Lettho heavens rejoice,

cuamsme or 'rua SANCTUARY.,7and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar,and the fulness thereoi Let the field beand all that is therein : then shall alljoyful,the trees of the Wood rejoice before the Lord;for he cometh, for he cometh to judge theearth: he shall judge the world with righteousness,and the people with his truth."VII. The saints are called asanctuary;1 Cor. iii. 16,,17: "Know ye not that yearethe temple of God, and that the Spiritof GodIf anydwelleth in you?man defile thetemple of God, him shall God destroy: forthe temple of God is holy, which temple yeare." For the reason that God dwells inthem, is worshipped by them, and they arehis inheritance. 2 Cor. vi. 16 : "And whatof God with idols 'Pagreement hath the templefor yeare the temple of the living God;asGod hath said, I will dwell in them, andwalk in them; and I will be their God, andthey shall be my people." Eph. ii. 21, 22:"In whom all the building fitly framed together,groweth unto a holy temple in theLord: in whom ye also are builded together,for a habitation of God through the spirit."The question now arises, Which ot" thesesanctuaries does Daniel mean, or the saintwho talked with Daniel, when he said,"Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed 'I"I answer, not the first, Christ, for he is notimpure. Not the second, heaven, for that isnot unclean. Not the third, in Judah, forand is no morea.literal Judah in cut oil,

8 cnmnsme or rm: smcruanv.people. Isa. lxv. 15: "And ye shall leaveyour name for a curse unto my chosen: forthe Lord God shall slay thee, and call hisservants by another name." God will rememberhis covenant with literal Judah nomore forever, neither shall it come into mind;but he will make a new covenant, in whichregeneration will be indispensable, and thecircumcision of the heart, instead of the"letter," will qualify them for the inheritanceof the sanctuary. Not the fourth, thetemple, for that is destroyed, and what isnot, cannot be numbered. Matt. xxiv. 2:not all"And Jesus said unto them, See yethese things? verily, l say unto you, Thereshall not be left here one stone upon another,that shall not be thrown down." Neitherthe Holy of llolies in the templeat Jerusalem,for that too was destroyed with thetemple. Daniel ix. 26: "And after threescoreand two weeks shall Messiah be cutoll§ but not for himself: and the people ofthe prince that shall come shall destroy thecity and the sanctuary; and the end thereofshall be with a flood, and unto the end of thewar desolatious are determined." See Paul'sreasoning in Heb. ix. 1-12.Then there are but two things more, whichmay be called a sanctuary, which may, orever will require cleansing; and those arethe .EARTH and the CHURCH : when these arecleansed, then, and not till then, will theandentire sanctuary of God be cleansed,jZl&'if5§d, (as it reads in the margin.)

cmmsma or 'mn smcrmnir. 9The next question which arises is, Howwill the earth be cleansed? I answer, byfire. 2 Peter iii. 7: "But the heavens andthe earth, which are now, by the same wordarekept in store, reserved unto fire againstthe day of judgment and perdition of ungodlymen."When will the earth and the wickedbe burned by fire? I answer, when our Godshall come. Titus ii. 13: "Looking for thatblessed hope, and the glorious appearing ofthe great God, and our Savior Jesus Christ."You will say, Where is your proof that itwill be at his coming? I answer, Psalmxlvi. 6-10; l. 3: "Our God shall come,silence: a fire shalland shall not keepdevour before him, and it shall be verytempestuous round about him." xcvii. 3:"A fire goeth befbre him, and bumeth uphis enemies round about." Isa. lxvi. 15, 16:"For behold, the Lord will come with fire,and with his chariots like a whirlwind, torender hisanlger with fury,and his rebukewith flames o (ire. For by fire and by hissword will the Lord plead with all flesh:and the slain of the Lord shall be 1nany."Nahum i. 5, 6: "The mountains quake athim, and the hills melt, and the earth isburned at his presence, yea, the world, andall that dwell therein. Who can stand be-and who can abide infore his indignation?the iierceness of his anger? his fury is pouredout like fire, and the rocks are thrown downby him." Mal. iii. 17, 18; and iv. 1--3:

10 cnzimsmo or 'run smcrumv."For behold, the day cometh, that shallbum as anoven; and all the proud, yea,and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble:and the day that cometh shall burn them up,saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leavethem neither root nor branch. But unto youthat fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousnessarise with healing in his wings; andye shall go forth, and grow upas calves ofthe stall. And ye shall tread down thewicked; for they shall be ashes under thesoles of your feet in the day that I shall dothis, saith the Lord of hosts." Matt. xiii.41-43: "The Son of man shall send forthhis angels, and they shall gather out of hiskingdom all things that offend, andthemwhich do iniquity; and shall cast them lntoa iitrnace of fire: there shall be wailing andgnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteousshine forth as the sun in the kingdom of theirFather. Who hath ears to hear, let himhear." Matt. xiii. 49, 50: "So shall it beat the end of the world; the angels shallcome forth, and sever the wicked fromamong the just, and shall cast them into thefttrnaee of there shall be wailing(fire:andgnashingo teeth." 2'1'hess. i. 7-10: "Andto you, vho are troubled, rest with us, whenthe Lord Jesus shall be revealed fromheaven with his mighty angels, in flamingfire, taking vengeanceon them that knownot God, and that obey not the gospel of ourLord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished

cmunsme or 'run smcrunr. 11.With everlasting destruction from the presenceof the Lord, and from the glory of hispower; when he shall come to be glorifiedin his saints, and to be admired in all themthat believe (because our testimony amongyou was believed) in that day." 2 Peter iii.10-13 :"But the day of the Lord will comein the which theas a thief in the night;heavens shall pass away with agreat noise,and the elements shall melt with ferventheat, the earth also and the works that aretherein shall be burned up. Seeing then thatall these things shall be dissolved, whatmanner of persons ought ye to be in all holyconversation and godliness, looking for and'hasting unto the coming of the day of God,wherein the heavens beingon fire shall beand the elements shall melt withdissolved,fervent heat? Nevertheless we, accordingto his promise, look for new heavens and anewearth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."If this evidence will not satisfy BrotherCheney, and others, that the earth andof our Lordwith his saintsFor itis the new heavens and new earth on whichChrist reigns; and the new heavens and newearth are never to be burned, but to remainforever; Isa. lxvi. 22; "For as the newheavens and the new earth, which I willmake, shall remain before me, saith the Lord,so shall your seed and yourname remain."wicked are burned at the comingJesus Christ, before he reignson the earth, 110 words can prove it.

12 cmuesme or -mx smcrumr.Heb. xii. 27: "And thisword, Yet oncemore, signifieth the removing of those thingsthat are shaken,as of things that are made,that those things which cannot be shakenmay remain."And in that day of his reign,or thousand years of his glorious reign, thebodies of the wicked are ashes under the feetof the saints. Isa. iv. 2-4: "In that dayshall the branch of the Lord be beautiful andglorious, and the fruit of the earth shall beexcellent and cornely for them that areescaped of Israel. And it shall come to pass,that he that is left in Zion, and he that remainethin Jerusalem, shall be called holy,that is written among thein Jerusalem: when the Lord shalleven every onelivinghave Washed away the Iilth of the daughtersof Zion, and shall have purged the blood ofJerusalem from the midst thereof by thespirit of judgment, and by the spirit of buming."Ezek. xxviii.18: "Thou hast detiledthy sanctuaries .by the multitude of thineiniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic;therefore will I bring forth a fire from themidst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I willbring thee to ashes upon the earth in thesight of all them that behold thee." Also,Mal. iv. 3: "And ye shall tread down thewicked; for they shall be ashes under thesoles of your feet in the day that I shall dothis, saith the Lord of hosts." Do thesebrethren believe that after the resurrectionof the wicked their bodies are to be burned,

-TheIf¢l-EAITSXNG or _'rin swcrunr. :13so, pray giveme'proo£-and become ashes-'!Are their bodies durable or not? ~If not, tellme, how canthey be tormented day and-night, fbrever and ever? 'I`he onlytext thatI have ever known them bring, is in Rev. xx.9:" And they went upon the breadth of theearth, and compassed the camp of the saintsabout, and the beloved city: and fire camedown from God out of heaven, and devouredthem." And this text cannot mean.litera1fire; for it would be very inconsistent tosuppose that durable bodies could be consumed.The next verseexplains. Thejustice of God comes down and drives themfrom the earth,or consumes them from theearth. "Our God is a consuming fire."next question,-When will the saintsbe cleansed, or justified? I answer, Whenour Lord shall come. The whole churchwill then be cleansed from all uncleanness,and presented without spot or wrinkle, andwill then be clothed with fine linen, cleanand white. For proof,see l Cor. i. 7, 8:"So that ye come behind in nogift; waitingfor the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:who shall also confirm you unto theend,that ye may be blameless in the day of ourLord Jesus Christ." Eph. v. 26, 27: "Thatand cleanse it with thehe might sanctifywashing of water by the word, that he mightpresentit to himself a glorious church, nothaving spot or wrinkle, or, any such thing;but that it should be holy and without blem-2

14 ouutsme or 'rn smcrunr.ish." Phil. iii. 20, 21:"For our conversationis in heaven; from whence also welook for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:who shall change our vile body, that it maybe fashioned like unto his glorious body,according to the working whereby he is ableeven- to subdue all things tmto himselfl""1 John iii. 2: Beloved,now are we thesons of God, and it doth not yet appear whatwe shall be: but we know that, when heshall appear,we shall be like him; for weshall see him as he is." Rev. xix. 8: "Andto her wasgranted that she should be arrayedin fine linen, clean and white: for the fineof saints."linen is the"righteousnessThen shall the sanctuary be cleansed,"when the will of God is done in earth as inheaven. How perfectly inconsistent it is tosuppose that after Christ reignson the eartha thousand years, and possesses the kingdomunder the whole heaven, and all earthlykingdoms are conquered, and broken topieces, and carried away, so that no place isfound for them-and after the saints possessthe kingdom, and have the dominion foreverand ever;-that the devil, after all this, is toobtain possession of the earth again, andoverpower the immortal saints, with Christat their head, so that a necessity would arisefor God to burn up the world, the belovedfor the saintscity, and all the saints in it;are never to be removed from the earth, afterChrist comes. Prov. x. 30: "The righteous§

_cnsmsmeor 'nm snwrumv. 15shall never be removed: but the wicked shallnot inhabit the earth." It is too absurd to admiteven the thought for a moment. Yet thismust be the legitimate consequence of thedoctrine of those who believe that the earthis not cleansed by fire until after the thousandyears' reign of Christ on the earth.And Peter tells usplainly, (2 Pet. iii. 7,) "Butthe heavens and the earth, which are now,by the same word are kept in store, reservedunto fire against the day of judgment andperdition of ungodly men." And it is certainlytrue that when the Ancient of dayscomes and sits upon his throne, and the Sonof man comes before him with the clouds ofheaven, then the present heaven and earthpass away. Dan. vii. 9-13: "I beheld tillthe thrones were cast down, and the Ancientof days did sit, whose garment was whiteassnow, and the hair of his head like the purewool: his throne was like the fiery flame,and his wheels asburning fire. A fierystream issued and came forth from beforehim: thousand thousands ministered untohim, and ten thousand times ten thousandStood before him: the judgment was set, andthe books wereopened. ~I beheld then becauseof the voice of the great Words whichthe horn spake: I beheld even till the beastwasslain, and his body destroyed, and givento the burning flame. As concerning therestrof, the beasts, they had their dominiontaken away: yet their lives wereprolonged

_'''JCIAEINSING Ol'THB BLNCTULRY.for a season and time. I saw in the nightvisions, and behold,one like the Son of mancame with the clouds of heaven, and cameto the Ancient of days, and they brought himnear before him." 2 Peter iii. 10:"But theday of the Lord will come as a thief in thenight; in the which the heavens shall passaway with a great noise, and the elementsshall melt with fervent heat, the earth alsoand the works that are therein shall bebumed up." Rev. xx. 11: "And I saw agreat white throne, and him that sat on it,from whose face the earth and the heavenfled away; and there was found noplace forthem." All this at the coming of Christ.2 Thess. i. 7-10: " And to you, who aretroubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesusshall be revealed from heaven with hismighty angels, in flaming (ire, taking vengeanceon them that know not God, and thatobey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:who shall be plmished with everlasting destructionfrom the presence of the Lord, andfrom the glory of his power; when he shallcome to be glorified in his saints, and to beadmired in all them that believe (becauseourtestimony a_nong you was believed) inthat day." Will this new heaven and newearth be burnt up? Pray tell us how thesethingscan be._Yours in the gospel faithWILLIAM MILLER.#Law Hs1npton,;Taa.,'1842.fQQ-*v~