Second advent library

, 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